How to Self-Publish Your First Book
A short guide to becoming an author.
Book writing is the only work that I have done that comes close to competition in terms of the high.
The sense of accomplishment, the pride, and the excitement.
I recently finished my second book, a co-authored project with a successful Jiu-Jitsu academy owner on the art of business in martial arts, and that book will be out soon.
I learned a great deal during that process about working with people, self-publishing a unique type of book, and the challenges of writing when it’s not your ideas and story that are making the book.
However, self-publishing is daunting to some people.
To others, it seems too easy.
There are some things you have to consider, think about, and do.
As someone who will publish 2 books this year, I’m going to try and give you all of them in this short article.
Let’s begin.
First, you need to write a book.
This is the hard part.
Writing a book will take you a while. It’s tough.
It’s even tougher to write a book that doesn’t suck.
My first book went through probably 7 drafts over 2 years. I started in March of 2023, and it wasn’t really “done” until December of 2024. I used an editor, and I worked on it for hours with my fiancé. I worked on it for hours by myself.
I did not anticipate spending as much time on my first book as I did.
If you’re anything like me, your first book will probably be one of the harder ones.
This was in part because it was objectively hard, but more so, it was because I was not prepared for all the different aspects of book writing that there are. There was a significant learning curve for me when I put my first book out there.
See, you don’t just write a book and put it out; you need to do the following things, too:
Purchase an ISBN for each edition of your book. Kindle, audio, hardcover, and paperback all need their own ISBNs. It’s better to buy your own (and they’re not that expensive) because it can offer you wider distributions than just Amazon, and it elevates the credibility of your book. You don’t want Amazon to own something you have poured your heart into. I used ISBNservices.com for my first and second books. Each ISBN # is about 20 bucks, but it’s cheaper to buy a few at a time.
Design a thought-out front and back cover. I struggled a lot with what my book cover should be. I ended up going with a simple cartoon of me writing while wearing a gi. It was cute. It’s minimalistic. The back of the book is minimalistic, too. There’s no “author’s page” or anything like that. This is how I wanted it — to feel like a journal or diary. Pro tip: Hire an artist to do the visual art you can’t.
Size your manuscript and cover in Word to fit the desired size of your book. This is essential to do because if you don’t, you’ll get a proof edition of your book in the mail like I did, and it’ll look all weird. It won’t read nicely. You’ll have a book, but that’s the bare minimum. This was frustrating for me, and I was ready to give up after like 4 attempts. However, in hindsight, the extra $5-10 per proof to get the book perfect was essential for its success. Shout out to my fiancé for pushing me to get that right.
Order at least 1 proof copy of your book. The proof copy is the “attempt” at your book that will help you see what it looks like. You need to feel the experience before you can give it to others.
Set a fair price. Some people are pricing their books too high. I put A Grappler’s Diary at $15.99 for paperbacks (and even cheaper for Kindle copies), and I even thought that was high. Remember that your goal with a book is to spread a message, not make money. If people like your message, you’ll make money anyway.
Create a marketing plan. In the next few weeks, I’ll share my whole marketing plan for A Grappler’s Diary. This marketing plan has led to literally thousands of sales of the book and what my fiance jokingly calls “a cult following”. If you market your self-published book well, you won’t need an agent or publishing house to get attention.
You need to create an experience.
I think this is the biggest mistake that people make when it comes to writing books.
I read this quote a few years ago in a book that I didn’t finish, and don’t remember the title of that stuck with me:
“A book is not about something. A book is for someone.”
I’d take that a step further. A book is an experience.
Every little detail in your book needs to be considered. The landing page. The front cover. The back cover. The font size. The acknowledgments. The foreword. The epilogue. The marketing plan. The colors. The way you talk about it.
See, when you sell a book, you’re not just taking someone’s money. You’re also taking their time.
The time it takes to read a book is valuable.
Bad books are really bad because you are not only wasting someone’s money, but you are also wasting their time.
Don’t waste people’s time.
Closing Thoughts
Book writing is cool.
Self-publishing is cool, too, because you’re rewarded for doing the process right.
Self-publishing my book made me feel like Chance the Rapper — although maybe less cool. I’m just another indie artist trying to make it.
You make money when you create a good experience for your readers. It’s not just about selling your book; it’s about writing a good book so that you can get good reviews and sell more books to your readers.
A good self-published book is more than just a good book; it’s an ecosystem for your personal brand.
A Grappler’s Diary was my first book, and it taught me so much about writing, learning, publishing, patience, and myself.
I learned that the most valuable thing you can do as a writer is that anyone can write a book. There is no secret rule or secret marker of a writer who is worth writing a book.
It’s just a hard thing.
But you can do it if you stick to your guns, work hard, and follow the process.
I hope this article will help you with writing your first book, at least a little bit.
The Modern Writer coaching applications are open!
I’m looking to work with a few writers who want to:
Grow their newsletter.
Grow organically and consistently on social media
Turn writing into income
Writing has completely changed my life — both personally and professionally — and I want to help you do the same.
Hit this link to apply, and if we’re a good fit, I’ll be in touch.
Thanks for reading another edition of The Modern Writer!
If you liked this post, share it with friends! Or, give it a ❤️ so that more people can discover it on Substack :)
I’ll see you next Wednesday!
Simple, not easy process/template you’ve provided here. Saved for future reference. Thank you