Lessons in Self-Publishing - 2025

What I've learned in two years of being a self-published author

Photo by Araix Rand on Unsplash

Note to my regular readers: There is a lot going on in the world right now and I’m desperately trying to find time to write about it. I have a lot to say and I’m working on saying it. I just need a little time during this personally busy season (let’s hear it for being a basketball and show choir mom) to sit down and do it. So for now, here are my reflections two years after publishing my first book.

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It’s hard to believe that my first book has been out in the world for two years. When I started that first project, it was a chance for me to revisit old pieces and see how far I have come as an individual and as a writer. Now, two years later, I’m discovering more about myself and working to get more of my writing out into the world.

I also want to keep sharing with others what I have learned about self-publishing so they can also own their stories and share them with others. Working outside of traditional publishing is not an easy choice to make, but for many, the self-publishing road is becoming a more attractive path to achieving dreams of seeing your words in print and getting those words into the hands of eager readers.

Am I an expert? No. Have I learned enough to pass some of the knowledge on to others? Yes. Will this knowledge evolve as I do more work and publish more? Yes. But I still believe I have enough experience to share with those just starting their journey.

The following guide is not comprehensive. It does not break down every single step you need to take as you figure out how to best start your journey. Many of these steps can be accomplished simultaneously or in a different order, depending on your project’s needs. The writing itself can be the fun part, but if you want your final product to be high quality and profitable, you need to be ready to do more than sit down with a cup of coffee or tea and pour out your words on a keyboard.

So what now?

Start a newsletter

Before you begin seriously sitting down to write that novel or memoir, you need to start building an audience. For years, the conventional wisdom was to build a social media presence, and there are still many options for doing so. Perhaps you already have a built-in audience interested in your writing and publishing process. If that is the case, continue to use it and share your work as it progresses along.

However, keep in mind that social media companies change, algorithms change, and people are fickle. One thing that isn’t going away is email.

You can start with a simple monthly newsletter. Invite your friends and family to join you. Put the sign-up link onto your social media and business card. Then start by sending monthly emails. There are many ways you can share with your audience and build curiosity about your project. Share your research. Announce your word or page count. Insert videos or slideshows of you working on your project. And cross-share your material to your social media pages.

Start building an interest in your work before you are ready to announce the release date of your book. Make people wonder about your progress and what you are writing. Get them excited about seeing the final product. When you are ready to announce the release date, use the newsletter to share that news with your email audience. Let them be the first to know big updates. Not only will this give you a place where you can workshop ideas with a captive audience. It will give you a head start on marketing your book once it is finished.

If you are reading this, it’s entirely possible you already have a Substack account and that you have at least the start of a blog and newsletter. But there are other options as well, such as Mail Chimp and ConvertKit. Regardless, keep writing and sharing with a captive audience, no matter how small your email list is to start with.

Pick a productivity platform

Again, you have many options for writing your book. You can start on Google Docs or Microsoft Word, both of which have helpful tools for sharing your work with others and getting meaningful feedback. If you are looking for a composition tool with more features to help with research and organization, look into a tool such as Scrivener.

But once you have finished the rough draft, it is helpful to find a platform designed specifically for publishing. Tools such as Atticus and Vellum can help you design your books exactly how you want them to look once you have completed the publication process. This is a worthwhile investment in your writing future. Look at all of the options and find the one that is right for you. Recognize that your needs may change as you evolve as a writer, but you should spend the money on a platform beyond just Google Docs or Word.

For what it’s worth, I use Google Docs to start my manuscripts and then use Atticus for my second drafts and beyond. It doesn’t just create attractive PDFs for publication, but it also helps me determine just how long my works in progress are in real manuscript form. Is it missing a few features that I would like in my final drafts? Yes, but it is so much easier than trying to figure out the formatting in Microsoft Word. For me, it was worth the money to not spend the extra hours (because it was hours) to figure out how to best format my manuscript using Microsoft.

Find ideal second readers

In his book On Writing, Stephen King directs writers to write the first draft with the door closed and the second draft with the door open, letting in a select number of ideal readers to give helpful feedback and even criticism.¹ It is important to find readers you trust who know your work and are interested in your subject matter. It may even be helpful to find amateur experts if you are writing something requiring, for example, historical, scientific, or geographical accuracy.

This “beta team” needs to be open and available for feedback. This is a huge volunteer activity, and while their work is invaluable to the final product, they need to be able to work within your time frame. If you ask friends, make sure they are interested in the subject matter and know enough about writing to give you meaningful feedback. Otherwise, you can find these readers from your social media connections or newsletter audience.

And if you can, reward these readers with extra perks. I’ve given my beta readers free trials of my paid newsletter. Find a way to thank them for their time, because they are giving you a lot of their time to read and respond to your writing.

Start making connections with local writers

Connecting with local writers is about more than building a network of potential readers. Writing is often a lonely task and having a group of writers who are on the same journey as you can be encouraging. They can be alpha readers for brand-new material or additional beta readers once you have begun the revision process. I have had good luck with the writing group through my local public library. They are a wonderfully diverse group of individuals and I love giving feedback almost more than I appreciate their helpful criticism.

They may also have ideas for networking with local bookstores, libraries, and artisan fairs once your work is published. Many writers dream about having their work read across the globe, but don’t forget the power of readers to promote the work of local writers to their friends and family. There is something special about being able to say you have met and know a writer. It gives you additional credibility as you talk about your own writing.

Start by looking at your local library or find out if there is a writing center in your town. If there isn’t already a writing group, start one. You might be surprised by how many people in your area are also writers and are looking for support through the process.

Prepare to publish on multiple platforms

Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing program has made self-publishing both cheap and easy. It is a good platform and worth the time if you want to get your work out quickly and with few issues. Unfortunately, publishing solely with KDP will probably close doors to having your book available in multiple online stores, local bookshops, or even your local public library.

If you want to see your work available in multiple places, you need to purchase your own ISBN (you can purchase them in bulk from Bowker and save money) and then explore other platforms you can use for publishing in addition to KPD. Since you own the number, you can publish it both through Amazon and an additional platform for either print or e-books. Find an additional platform that will distribute your book to multiple stores, such as IngramSpark for print and Draft2Digital for e-books.

It is tempting to stick with just KDP because you can get a free ISBN and the platform has made publishing simple, but don’t box in your writing. Give your book a chance to be seen in a lot of different ways by a lot of different people. Make plans to do this from the beginning.

To be honest, I regret using just KDP with the first round of printing for my first book. I wish I had gone wide earlier. While I use just KDP for my smaller projects (like supplementary low-content journals and books), I plan to go wide for everything else from now on.

I also reflected on this in this recent video I posted.

Self publishing lessons from my first book

Explore local promotional opportunities

Are there local author fairs? Visit them to talk to other self-published writers and observe how to promote their work. Is your library having an author talk? Go to the event and wait until after to see if the author is willing to discuss their process.

Once you publish, apply to every library and local author fair you can. Contact your local indie bookstores and ask them to host a book signing for you. Pick popular craft and artisan fairs and pay the fee to participate. Lean into being a local writer as you work to expand your audience.

Yes, you will have to learn to hustle to sell your work, but that is part of being a writer, especially if you want others to read what you’ve written.

And since I want my writing to make a mark in this world, I’m willing to do that work.

Writers and books to dig deeper into self-publishing

Get Your Book Seen and Sold with

Claudine Wolk

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Kathy Gerstorff

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1. And if you haven’t read his book, stop everything and order it right now. It is the best book about the craft of writing that I’ve ever read.