How to Self-Publish a Hardcover Book (Steps and Best Tools)

• Nov 26, 2024
• 7 min read

• Tags: Fiction, Nonfiction, Novel, Self-Publishing

Imagine your name on a hardcover book cover- what a feeling! Thanks to self-publishing, this dream is achievable. This guide includes many useful tools and practical steps to achieve this dream.

Plus, we’ve also listed the common mistakes you need to avoid. So let’s browse through all the steps for self-publishing a hardcover book! 

How to self-publish a hardcover book? 

Self-publishing hardcover books involve many steps like editing, designing a book cover, formatting a book, and more. Let’s understand all the steps in detail! 

1. Edit and proofread your book 

This involves refining the plot, characters, writing style, and sentence structures. It includes removing plot inconsistencies along with focusing on character development and the novel’s pacing. You also need to check the text for grammar, and punctuation mistakes. 

Once editing is done, it’s important to proofread the text for errors. This means carefully reviewing the text for any remaining spelling, capitalization, and grammar mistakes. 

You can use book editing software like ProWritingAid and Hemingway Editor for this. Alternatively, you can select from professional book editing services like PaperTrue, Scribendi, Wordvice, etc. 

2. Get a book cover designed 

To get a book cover designed, research book covers in your genre. Then, finalize a book cover idea that captures the essence of your book. You also need to research the best fonts and font sizes for your book cover. 

Then, you can start researching book cover design services that can design a hardcover for your book. PaperTrue, BookBaby, MiblArt, and Damonza are some of the best book cover design services from which you can choose. 

3. Format your book 

To format your book, you need to ensure the margins, spacing, alignment, font, and font size. Plus, it’s important to check if the headers, footers, and page numbers are appropriate. 

You also need to check if the formatting and numbers of the table of contents are correct. Furthermore, it’s essential to make sure that the formatting of the chapter headings is consistent.

You can use book formatting software like ApacheOpenOffice, Atticus, and Kindle Create or book formatting services like PaperTrue, Blurb, Lulu, etc. 

4. Create a copyright page 

You can either register for copyright through your country’s official copyright office or an agency like Bowker. Once you get a copyright, you can get help from a company like PaperTrue to create a copyright page. The copyright page must include important elements like copyright symbol (©), the author’s name, publisher’s name, ISBN, a rights statement “All rights reserved”, etc. 

To know more, read the article, “How to copyright a book in 2024”. 

5. Create a blurb and an author bio 

These elements are usually found on the back cover or dust jacket of a hardcover book.  A blurb is a short, engaging description of the book. In contrast, an author bio is a summary of the author’s background, qualifications, and previous works.

To know more, you can read the blogs “What Is a Blurb? Meaning, Examples & 10 Tips” and “How to Write an Engaging Author Bio: Tips and Examples”. 

6. Get an ISBN for your book 

An International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is useful for both print and eBooks. It’s 13 digits and is mentioned on the book’s back cover. You can get it through your country’s official ISBN website or private companies like PaperTrue. 

7. Select a self-publishing platform 

You can select from self-publishing platforms like Amazon KDP, Bookbaby, Lulu, IngramSpark, Draft2Digital, etc. By comparing the prices, features, and distribution platforms, you can select the most appropriate self-publishing platform. 

8. Choose from printing options 

You have two options: print-on-demand and bulk printing. While print-on-demand involves printing books after they’re ordered, bulk printing means printing a large quantity of books even when there is no order. You can select from hardcover printing services provided by PaperTrue, Amazon KDP, Lulu, etc. To know more about these services and their costs, you can read the article “Top 10 Hardcover Book Printing Services”. 

9. Create a book description 

This book description usually includes book reviews, a summary of what the book is about, and a quick introduction to the book’s characters. To know more, you can read the article “How to Write a Book Description (Examples + Free Template)”. 

10. Choose tags and categories 

Research books in your genre to select the best tags and categories for your book. You can also explore tools like Publisher Rocket, KDP Rocket, Kindle Spy, and K-Lytics to select the best tags and categories for your book. 

11. Create a marketing strategy 

Select any marketing features of self-publishing platforms like preorders, promo codes, Amazon advertising, email newsletters, etc. You can also create promotional posts for social media platforms and a promotional video to promote your book. To know more, you can go through the article, “Proven Book Marketing Techniques to Increase Sales in 2024”. 

12. Upload your book 

Add all your book details on the chosen self-publishing platform. This includes tags, categories, book descriptions, book covers, the book text, pricing, reviews, distribution details, etc. Preview the book before self-publishing it on the platform. Once you’re sure, self-publish it! 

Mistakes to avoid when self-publishing a hardcover book 

Inadequate formatting and not taking feedback from beta readers are common mistakes that can negatively impact the book’s readability. These mistakes must be avoided. 

Some other mistakes authors need to avoid while self-publishing are: 

1. Failing to research book prices in your genre is a common mistake. This can lead to setting a price that’s too high or low, impacting sales. 

2. Insufficient planning for distributing your book can have a negative impact. This can reduce how many people can find and buy it.

3. Not obtaining needed permissions for quotes or images, or not registering your copyright properly is another serious mistake that one must avoid. 

4. Overlooking the importance of planning how you’ll distribute your book can limit how many potential readers can access it.

5. Inadequate proofreading can result in a book with errors that lower its overall quality.

Why self-publish a hardcover book? 

One of the biggest reasons for self-publishing hardcover books is that you earn more money on every book sold. Some other advantages of self-publishing hardcover books are: 

1. Your book can be published faster than with traditional publishing.

2. More people might see and buy your book online and in print. 

3. You can use your hardcover book to help get speaking gigs or run workshops.

4. Hardcover books often look fancier than paperbacks, with pretty dust jackets and embossed covers.

5. Hardcover books can make your bookshelf or library look more impressive and professional.

6. Book reviewers and media pay a lot of attention to hardcover books, helping more people find your work. 

7. Hardcover books last longer and can be collected, making them valuable for readers.  

To conclude, self-publishing a hardcover book has many advantages. By following the steps mentioned in this article, you can self-publish books on various platforms. 

Need a trusted partner to help you on this journey? You can consider choosing PaperTrue’s self-publishing services. 

PaperTrue’s trained team can edit, proofread, format your book, and design a book cover. Furthermore, we also can design a copyright page, secure an ISBN, upload your book on self-publishing platforms, and print your book. 

The best part? We can also market your book by designing a promotional post and promotional video for your book. You can explore our website to learn more about our services and pricing! 

Here are some useful resources for you: 

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Priya

Priya has a talent for academic research and enjoys simplifying complex topics. When she's not helping students improve their writing, she can be seen reading poetry, playing the harmonium, or learning classical dance.