The Practical Self-Publisher: Write It, Publish It, Sell It
“Don’t judge a book by its cover” is excellent life advice and terrible publishing advice. Readers judge covers constantly, instantly, and mostly unconsciously — you have about two seconds at postage-stamp size. That’s Chapter 5 of my new book, The Practical Self-Publisher: 15 chapters on writing it, publishing it, and selling it — from picking a book idea that sells, through drafting and editing, covers, formatting, ISBNs and copyright, to publishing on Amazon KDP, Google Play Books, Apple, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble, then pricing, launching, and marketing on a budget. Written from my own September 2026 publishing experience, not theory. Every chapter ends with action steps, same as all my books.
What the book covers
Why self-publish now, picking a book idea that sells, and outlining and writing your draft without stalling out. Editing: from rough to ready. Covers that sell books (see below). Formatting for ebook and print, and the boring-but-critical stuff — ISBNs, copyright. Then the platform chapters: publishing on Amazon KDP, publishing on Google Play Books (including the parts the documentation doesn’t tell you), and going wide with Apple, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble. Pricing your book, launching your first 30 days, marketing on a budget, and the expansion plays: audiobooks and translations. Closes with a 90-day self-publishing plan.
Who it’s for
Aspiring authors, bloggers with a book in them, experts who should have written the book on their topic by now, and anyone who’s finished a draft and has no idea what comes next. If you can write it, this book gets it published.
One tip from Chapter 5 (free)
The thumbnail test: shrink your cover to 100 pixels wide — that’s the real world, a postage stamp competing with a dozen others. Can you still read the title? One clear focal point, or a cluttered collage? The fix is almost always subtraction: bigger type, fewer elements, more contrast. And the budget reality check: $200–500 gets you a solid professional ebook cover, the sweet spot for most first books. The book’s warning, from watching authors do it backwards: don’t spend $1,000 on editing and then DIY a cover that tanks the whole investment. The cover is the single most visible part of your book. Hire it out unless you have real design chops.
