Top 10 Steps to Self-Publishing a Novel in 2025
Well, the New Year has come in rapidly. And with My New Years Article on Wednesday, the blog schedule is out of whack. So, I did the most responsible thing possible to get the schedule back on track. I wrote one of the largest articles yet about a very niche topic, that I probably don’t know enough about to be proffering an expert opinion on.
That’s not true. I’ve been doing a lot of work over these last 4 years self-publish the right way, so I know a bit, and because of that, I would like to offer 10 or so pieces of advice to anyone hoping to self-publish a novel in 2025. (Just, don’t use this as your only source)
To break up the long article below, and to get my schedule in order, Part 1 will be released today, and Part 2 will be released along my usual weekend schedule. Because I want other writers to find this, I may place the collected article somewhere else on this website at a later date.
With all the notes out of the way, let’s get into it!
You want to be a writer? No. You want to publish a book and hold it in your hands? No. You want to share your written words with the world? No. You want all of the above and to sell your work as well? Yes! Or maybe only one of these is your set goal. That’s ok. Whether you want to write for writing’s sake and simply hold an actual paper copy at the end of your journey or to become the next best-selling author in [insert genera of choice here] all are possible.
In the era of the internet, AI, Amazon, and so much more, self-publishing has never been more daunting, but it has also never been easier. Most importantly, whether you are just starting out on your writer’s journey or nearing the end of the thirtieth manuscript edit, I thought it might be nice to know that there is an attainable destination at the end of all that hard work.
I am not seeking to turn your book into the next best-seller, (that is heavily reliant upon your writing, marketing strategy and luck) but I am happy to help guide you to the light of publication at the end of the tunnel. And, while this article will focus on advice for self-publication, much of it will also be valuable should you choose to take a more traditional route. So, here are my Top 10 Steps for Self-Publishing in 2025 and beyond.
Step #1: Write
You can’t have a novel without words, pages, and chapters. You might be able to skip some of these pieces with shorter works, but unless you are creating a picture or coloring book you need the words, at least. I also wouldn’t recommend writing a 3,000-page fantasy epic without chapters. Writing is key to being an author, and while there are all sorts of tips and tricks for writing, I will save my Top 10 Steps for Writing a Novel (Future article will be hyperlinked) for another day. The first piece of advice is to simply get your words onto the page.
Step #2: Fix your writing.
I remember reading a story about Ray Bradbury. Apparently, he would go down to the local library, use his limited funds to pay for access to a typewriter in the basement, and type out a final manuscript in one, un-edited, draft. After much later research, I am relatively certain this tale is apocryphal. Even if true, this would be an exception which proves the rule. A manuscript is an amazing thing to finish! It is not the end goal, and your complete manuscript can probably be improved upon. This may mean finding beta readers, other perspectives to shore up your writing weaknesses or soliciting editors to help polish your plot. I will be posting a separate article about Finding the Right Editor for You, at a later date. For now, it is simply enough to know that your work probably needs some, well, work.
Step #3: Decide that this is what you want to do.
Query an agent or self-publish? Now it’s time to decide.
Perhaps your goal has always been to self-publish. Maybe you are uncertain about what you want to do with your edited manuscript. Perhaps, after several rejections, you have decided to go your own way. While there will be opportunities to change your mind, and some of the remaining steps apply no matter your decision, it is time to weigh these two options. Because the path begins to diverge whether you decide to query or self-publish your work. If you want help making that decision, check out my article about the Differences Between Self and Traditional Publication. (Future article will be hyperlinked)
Step #4: Develop Your Vision
What do you want your novel to be? A professionally complete novel which could stand amongst the stacks on any bookstore shelf? A comfortably familiar collection you can share with family and friends? Do you want a hardcover? A paperback? Only an eBook? Should it fit in or stand out? Do you want interior illustrations? Real photos? What type of cover do you want? Do you want to make money off of your books or do you simply want it out there for the world to see?
The questions which shape your vision are as broad as asking who is your target audience? To as narrow as asking what dimensions you want your final book to be. Maybe you want to reach as many people as possible with an easily distributable eBook. Maybe you want a heavy hardcover tome to pass on the family stories. There are all kinds of questions to consider, but the basic question is simple. At the end of the day, once your self-publishing journey is complete and you’ve pushed the publish button on the print platform of your choice, what comes out of all that hard work at the other end?
The point is: your manuscript is an uncut gem. It’s time to think about what shape it should take because the rest of the steps, and choices, are dependent upon and determine what you make of your novel.
Step #5: Find Experts (AKA): Find an Illustrator/Cover Artist
You’ve already gone through a round of professional, or semi-professional, edits. Now it’s time to think about the other things your manuscript may need. Unless you are an exceptional artist, it might be time to find someone to help you with Cover Design along with any interior illustrations, or photography. If these are amongst your skill sets then: yay! If they are not, then it is time to find help.
Do not choose AI. If you’ve read or will read my posts about Generative AI and Art, you may think that this is a biased decision. It is. However, AI art, especially in the hands of unskilled artists, is easy to sniff out. If a reader recognizes an AI cover, they will, more often than not, assume that the words surrounded and advertised by that cover are also AI. Similarly, do not, unless you are really confident in your own abilities, make your own cover art. As much as the adage “don’t judge a book by it’s cover” has permeated our collective psyche, the saying has little effect on the actions of readers. Just as an AI cover will suggest to readers that the book within is also AI, an unprofessional cover will suggest that amateur writing is contained within. No matter how many hours you’ve spent writing the book, nor how much blood, sweat and tears you’ve poured into it, readers will never know if they don’t pick up the book because the cover scares them away. I was very fortunate to find my illustrator and look forward to a future article about How to Find the Right Illustrator/Artist for You. (Future article will be hyperlinked)
In addition to an illustrator, you may want to find someone else to do the typesetting on your novel. You can do this yourself too, so long as the formatting of your book is relatively simple. Most publication platforms provide tools to help, but there if you are uncertain about your margins, intent on avoiding spacing errors, or hoping for anything more complex than a standard chapter and paragraph format, then it might be best to let someone who knows what they are doing prep your final file. However, it’s not time for typesetting yet. Before you need your final publication-ready draft, you must . . .
Step #6: Find a way to Print Your Book
However, we will stop here for today. Check back in on Saturday’s article for the rest of the steps.
Until then, take care, and start or keep writing.