Self-Publishing Answers
Self-Publishing Answers for New Authors
The same questions come up again and again when authors start self-publishing: ISBNs, copyright, costs, rights and which platforms to use. Here are short, plain answers to the most common ones, with links to the detailed guides where a question needs more than a paragraph.
- Editing, design and publishing support in-house
- Plain answers, no jargon
- Use us for one stage or the whole book
- Every book quoted with its own timeline
ISBNs and identifiers
ISBNs, imprints and library numbers
Do I need an ISBN?
For print editions, yes. Kindle ebooks do not require one. Each format conventionally gets its own ISBN, so a paperback and a hardcover have different numbers.
Should I use the free KDP ISBN?
It costs nothing, but it can only be used on KDP and lists the publisher as "Independently published." Buying your own lets you use your imprint name and print elsewhere. In the US, ISBNs are sold by Bowker.
What is a Library of Congress Control Number?
A number used for library cataloguing. Through the Preassigned Control Number programme, US publishers, including self-publishers, can request one before publication. Authors outside the US are not eligible.
Rights and copyright
Copyright and who owns what
Is my book copyrighted automatically?
Under US law, copyright exists as soon as the work is fixed in a tangible form, such as a saved file. You do not need to register for the copyright to exist.
Should I register my copyright?
For US works, registration with the US Copyright Office is required before you can file an infringement lawsuit, and registering early can affect which damages are available. Many authors register for that reason. Other countries have different systems.
Do I keep my rights when I self-publish?
When you publish directly on platforms such as KDP, you keep your rights and give the platform permission to sell. If you pay a service to publish for you, check the contract does not transfer rights or keep your files.
Not sure which option fits?
Send us the brief. You will get a scope, a timeline and a fixed price within 24 hours — no obligation.
Money
Costs, royalties and pricing
Uploading to the major self-publishing platforms is free, and print-on-demand means you pay nothing per copy up front. The costs are in producing a book worth buying: editing, cover design and interior formatting, plus any ISBNs you buy and any marketing. How much those cost depends on length, genre, the level of editing needed and whether the book has images.
Royalties are paid by each platform. On Amazon KDP, ebooks priced within a band starting at $2.99 can take the 70% royalty option, less a delivery charge, and books outside it earn 35%; paperback royalties are a percentage of the list price after the printing cost. Our pricing guide explains how to set prices for each format.
Platforms and distribution
Where and how your book is sold
What is print-on-demand?
Each copy is printed when a reader orders it, so there is no stock to buy or store. The printing cost is taken out of the sale price before your royalty is calculated.
What is KDP Select?
An optional programme that makes your Kindle ebook exclusive to Amazon for 90-day periods, in return for Kindle Unlimited page-read earnings and promotional tools. Print editions are not affected.
Can I sell outside Amazon?
Yes. Other retailers and distributors sell ebooks and print books to further stores and libraries. If your ebook is in KDP Select, it cannot be sold digitally elsewhere during the enrolment period.
How soon will my book appear?
Amazon KDP says a newly published book can take up to 72 hours to appear in search. Print detail pages can take longer on marketplaces outside Amazon.com.
Getting help
When it makes sense to hire help
You can self-publish entirely on your own. Many authors hire help for the parts that need specialist skills, most often editing and cover design, and sometimes formatting, setup and marketing. The test is simple: hire out the work you cannot do to the standard readers expect, and keep the work you enjoy and do well.
Our in-house team covers each stage of self-publishing, and you can use us for one task or for the whole book. Send us your manuscript or a sample and we will tell you which stages it needs, with a quote and a timeline of its own.
Free proposal
Tell us the goal. We’ll send the plan.
Share your requirements and a strategist gets back to you within 24 hours with scope, timeline and a fixed price. No obligation, no sales pressure.
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Response within 24 hours
Usually much sooner during business hours.
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Talk to a strategist
Not a call centre — the person who scopes your work.
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Fixed pricing upfront
You approve the number before anything starts.
Prefer to talk?
[email protected]Questions
Questions about self-publishing
Still unsure about something? Talk to a specialist — no script, no sales pitch.
Several months from a finished draft is typical, mostly because of editing. Cover design, formatting, proofreading and a printed proof add weeks; uploading takes days. Our process and timeline guide breaks each stage down with realistic durations so you can plan a launch date.
Yes. Self-publishing platforms let you publish under a pen name, while your account, tax details and payments stay in your legal name. Use the pen name consistently across every book and platform so readers and retailers link your titles together.
No. Agents sell books to traditional publishers. When you self-publish, you deal with platforms directly and manage production yourself or through a service. Some agents do work with self-published authors on rights such as translation or audio once a book has sold well.
Short quotations for comment or review may fall under fair use in the US, but song lyrics and poetry are commonly licensed even for a few lines, and permission can take weeks. Ask the rights holder early, or paraphrase. We can flag quoted material during editing, but we do not give legal advice.
Yes. You can upload corrected interior files, a new cover, or revised descriptions and keywords, and the changes go through review. A substantially revised new edition normally needs a new ISBN; minor corrections such as fixing typos do not. Readers who already bought the ebook may receive the update automatically, depending on the retailer.
Finish and revise your manuscript, then decide on formats and whether you will hire help. Our beginner's guide explains how the pieces fit together, and if you would like a professional view of what your book needs, send us a sample for a free quote.
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Diving Into Self-Publishing
A beginner's guide to how self-publishing works.
Learn moreProcess and Timeline
Each stage from draft to launch, with durations.
Learn moreHow to Price Your Book
Ebook and print pricing explained.
Learn morePrivate ISBN
Publishing under your own ISBN and imprint.
Learn moreReady when you are
Ready to work with the pros?
Get a free proposal in 24 hours — scope, timeline and fixed price. No obligation, no lock-in contract.
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