Self-Publishing

Yes, you can certainly use AI to design your book cover. But should you? For authors, AI can complete almost any task now, from outlining a story, writing the manuscript, to producing a book cover. Is that what you want to do? And more importantly, is it what readers want to read? Yes, it’s all…

A character list is an optional section in a novel. Whether you should include one depends partly on the genre and the complexity of your story. While a list of characters is usually unnecessary in most fiction, it can be useful for certain types of stories. The number of characters is another factor to consider.…

The biggest self-publishing mistake, especially for new authors publishing their first book, is being impatient. It takes a long time to write a book, but then being in a hurry to publish as soon as the first draft is complete is a recipe for disaster. Rushing to publish can be the primary cause of a…

When you’re preparing to self-publish a book, one of your very first tasks is to add a table of contents. But do you really need a table of contents for your new book? Perhaps not, because it’s not a necessity for every genre. It depends on the type and version of your book and sometimes…

Did you use artificial intelligence (AI) to write your book? It’s a question some self-publishing platforms now ask you to answer before you can publish a new book. However, to be able to answer the question correctly, you need to understand the difference between using AI assistance and AI-generated content. The two might sound confusingly…

If you’re a newly self-published author, is it a good idea to offer your first ebook for free? You’ve probably noticed on the Kindle Store that there’s always a long list of free ebooks available for readers. But is free a worthwhile marketing and promotional tool that can help your ebook sales? For authors with…

If you’re thinking about writing and self-publishing a book, you don’t need nearly as much as you might think. All you really need is something to write with, something to create a cover, and somewhere to publish it. Of course, you’ll find plenty of advice telling you that you need professional editing, proofreading, formatting, cover…

Publishing a book for the first time can feel a bit overwhelming. After writing, editing, and formatting your manuscript, you have one more challenge: choosing book categories and keywords to help readers find your new title. This free tool will help make that process easier for you. It’s a practical idea-generation tool to help you…

You’ve decided on your title, but does your book need a subtitle to help readers understand what your book is about? It’s an option most authors consider when preparing a new book for publishing. However, it’s not always a good idea for every book. A subtitle can clarify and strengthen a book title, or it…

When you self-publish a book on Amazon, you need to select your KDP book categories. You can only select three, so you need to be sure your choices will work well for you. But here’s the catch. Not every category or genre that Amazon lists for you to choose from is a category that has…