The Complete Self-Publishing Checklist: 40 Steps From Draft to Published

Publishing a book is not one thing. It's forty things, spread across months, requiring different skills, different vendors, and different decisions at every turn. The authors who navigate this process confidently are not the ones who know more about books — they're the ones who've mapped the process.

This checklist covers all 40 steps across 5 stages: Writing, Editing, Formatting, Publishing, and Marketing. Bookmark it, print it, or use it as the basis for your own project tracker. Work through it in order — each stage builds on the last.

Stage 1: Writing (Steps 1–8)

The writing stage is where most authors are comfortable. But it's also where important foundational decisions get made that will affect everything downstream.

☐ 1. Define your genre and ideal reader

Know exactly who you're writing for and what genre conventions your book operates within. This decision drives your cover, your metadata, your marketing, and your comp titles.

☐ 2. Set your manuscript target word count

Genre norms exist for a reason. Romance: 70,000–90,000 words. Fantasy: 90,000–120,000. Thriller: 70,000–90,000. Nonfiction: 50,000–80,000. Know your target before you start, not after.

☐ 3. Create your outline or story plan

Even a minimal outline (major beats, ending, character arcs) dramatically reduces the chance of stalling mid-draft. Here's a full guide to outlining methods if you need it.

☐ 4. Build your Story Bible (for fiction)

Characters, world-building, timeline, rules of the fictional world. Start this before or during drafting, not after — you'll need it when you can't remember what color eyes you gave your protagonist in chapter three.

☐ 5. Complete a full first draft

This sounds obvious. It isn't. Many authors never finish the first draft. Write the whole book before you start revising.

☐ 6. Do a self-edit pass (structural)

Read your draft with fresh eyes, looking at the big picture: plot holes, pacing problems, character arc consistency, scenes that aren't pulling their weight. Mark everything; fix nothing yet.

☐ 7. Do a self-edit pass (prose)

A second read focused on line-level issues: awkward sentences, repetition, overused words, dialogue that doesn't sound like how people talk. Don't submit this draft to a professional editor — get it as clean as you can first.

☐ 8. Get beta reader feedback

Send the manuscript to 3–5 readers who are in your target audience. Ask specific questions: Where did you get bored? What confused you? Did the ending satisfy you? Use their feedback before going into professional editing.

Stage 2: Editing (Steps 9–16)

Amateur manuscripts fail not because of bad ideas but because of insufficient editing. Professional self-publishing means going through every editing stage.

☐ 9. Hire a developmental editor

Structural and conceptual editing — story arc, character motivation, pacing, argument structure (for nonfiction). This is the most important editing stage. It often requires significant revision.

☐ 10. Revise based on developmental feedback

Take the developmental notes and actually revise the manuscript. This may take weeks. Do not rush this stage.

☐ 11. Hire a line editor

Line editing works at the paragraph and sentence level: voice, clarity, rhythm, transitions. This is the pass that makes your prose sound like you on your best day.

☐ 12. Revise based on line edit notes

Implement the line editor's suggestions, accepting changes where they improve the work and making judgment calls where you disagree.

☐ 13. Hire a copy editor

Copy editing catches grammar, punctuation, and consistency errors — the kind your brain auto-corrects because it already knows what you meant. Essential.

☐ 14. Implement copy edits

Go through the copy edit carefully. Confirm every change. Query anything that seems wrong.

☐ 15. Send to sensitivity readers if applicable

If your book features experiences, identities, or cultures outside your own lived experience, sensitivity readers are worth the time. Better to catch issues here than in reviews.

☐ 16. Lock the manuscript

Once copy editing is complete, declare the manuscript locked. No more content changes after this point — only the proofreading pass (step 22) will catch further issues, and only typos.

Stage 3: Formatting (Steps 17–24)

Formatting is technical and unforgiving. Errors here produce rejected files or books that look unprofessional.

☐ 17. Choose your trim size (print)

6×9 is standard for most nonfiction and trade fiction. 5.5×8.5 works for commercial fiction. Check your distribution platform's size specifications before choosing.

☐ 18. Design the interior (print)

Choose a readable serif body font (Garamond, Palatino, Minion), set appropriate margins (accounting for gutter), establish chapter heading styles. Hire a book interior designer if this isn't a strength.

☐ 19. Format the ebook (EPUB)

Ebooks are reflowable — readers control font size. Focus on logical structure: proper heading hierarchy, no manual line breaks for spacing, clean paragraph styles. Export to EPUB.

☐ 20. Commission the cover design

Your cover is your most important marketing asset. Hire a designer who specializes in your genre. Get a front cover, back cover, and spine (for print), plus a 3D mockup for marketing. Budget $200–$500 minimum.

☐ 21. Write the back cover copy (blurb)

Your blurb is a sales page, not a summary. Open with a hook, establish stakes, end with a question or promise that makes readers want to start page one. Study the top-selling titles in your category.

☐ 22. Complete the proofreading pass

After everything is formatted and laid out, a fresh proofreading pass catches typos introduced during layout, formatting errors, and missed mistakes. This is not the copy edit — it's a final cleanup.

☐ 23. Purchase your ISBNs

In the US, ISBNs are purchased at myidentifiers.com (Bowker). Each format (ebook, paperback, hardcover) requires its own ISBN. Using your distributor's free ISBNs lists them as publisher — buy your own if publisher name matters to you.

☐ 24. Write the copyright page

Include: copyright year and your name (or pen name), "All rights reserved," ISBN, publisher name, and a permissions/contact note. Don't skip this.

Stage 4: Publishing (Steps 25–32)

The actual publication process — uploading, configuring metadata, and getting your book live.

☐ 25. Choose your distribution strategy

Amazon KDP for ebook and print (required for KDP Select / Kindle Unlimited). IngramSpark for print distribution to bookstores and libraries. Draft2Digital for ebook distribution to Apple Books, B&N, Kobo, and others. Most authors use a combination.

☐ 26. Upload files to KDP

Upload your manuscript file, cover file, and ebook file. Preview using Kindle's online viewer. Set pricing.

☐ 27. Set up your metadata (title, subtitle, keywords, categories)

Amazon allows 7 keyword strings. Use multi-word phrases your target reader searches. Choose two specific categories — narrow categories give you a better shot at a bestseller flag.

☐ 28. Configure pricing

Research your genre's typical price range. For fiction: ebooks are typically $2.99–$4.99 for debuts, $4.99–$9.99 for established series. Print is typically cost-plus a $3–6 margin.

☐ 29. Upload to IngramSpark (if using)

IngramSpark requires a separate account and file upload. Set your wholesale discount (55% is typically required for bookstore ordering). Pay the setup fee if applicable.

☐ 30. Upload to Draft2Digital (if going wide)

D2D handles aggregated distribution to Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Smashwords, and others. The process is straightforward — their formatting tool is also worth knowing.

☐ 31. Set your publish date

Coordinate across platforms so all versions go live simultaneously. Amazon typically takes 24–72 hours from submission to live; IngramSpark can take several days.

☐ 32. Claim your author pages

Amazon Author Central, Goodreads Author Program, BookBub. These pages are often the first result when someone searches your name — make them accurate and professional.

Stage 5: Marketing (Steps 33–40)

The book exists. Now people have to find it.

☐ 33. Build your ARC team

Advance review copies should go out 4–6 weeks before launch to 20–50 readers in your target audience. Their honest reviews should post on or around launch day. ARC readers are your most valuable early asset.

☐ 34. Create your email launch sequence

If you have an email list, build a 3–5 email launch sequence: cover reveal, release announcement, review push, post-launch update. Email converts better than every social media platform combined.

☐ 35. Set up your author website

At minimum: a bio page, your book page with buy links, and an email sign-up form. You don't need to be a web developer — a simple page on Squarespace, Wix, or your existing platform is fine.

☐ 36. Plan your launch week activities

Concentrate marketing activity in the first week to signal velocity to Amazon's algorithm. Coordinate your email announcement, social media posts, ARC review posting, and any paid ads to overlap.

☐ 37. Execute launch day

Email your list. Post on social media. Ask ARC readers to post reviews. If you have a community (Facebook group, Discord, newsletter), engage them personally.

☐ 38. Submit to book promotion sites

Sites like BookBub Featured Deals, Fussy Librarian, and Written Word Media run email promotions that can significantly boost visibility. Submit weeks in advance — acceptance is competitive.

☐ 39. Track reviews and respond to feedback

Monitor Amazon and Goodreads. Don't respond to negative reviews publicly (ever). Do notice patterns — if five people mention the same issue, it's signal for the next book.

☐ 40. Start the next book

The best marketing for any book is the next book. Backlist builds discoverability, email lists, and long-tail sales in ways no ad campaign can match. Authors with 3–5 titles consistently outperform authors with one.

Track All 40 Steps in One Place

The hardest part of this checklist isn't knowing what to do — it's keeping track of where you are across a months-long project while you're also writing the next book.

PublisherMate™ has a built-in Publishing Checklist that walks you through every stage, tracks what's complete, and shows you what's blocking your release date — all connected to your manuscript, your cover assets, and your Story Bible in the same workspace.

Stop managing your publishing process across sticky notes and spreadsheets. PublisherMate™ tracks every step from draft to published — with your manuscript, assets, and launch checklist all in one workspace. Start free at PublisherMate™ →

Publishing a book is a project. Projects need systems. The authors who publish confidently and consistently aren't necessarily more talented — they just have a clearer process. Work through these 40 steps in order, and you'll have done the same.