Guide for Hobbyist Authors, pt. 5
You made it! You're here! It's time to PUBLISH!!!!
Hey y’all, it’s KimBoo! I’m an author and a podcaster who is also a librarian, text technology historian, and former I.T. project manager. I write about a lot of interesting things, I hope you agree! Please consider supporting me (and my dog!) so I can keep throwing errata & etcetera into the Scriptorium! Find my fiction at the Bibliotheca!
This is the fifth post in the Hobbyist Author Guide series; please read the initial overview to see where we’re at and where we’re going!
Part 5: PUBLISH! (You are here! At last! …get ready for another long post, sorry.)
What does it mean to “publish a book”?
Probably not a question you’ve spent much time thinking about, but it was a hot topic for a hot minute back in 2008.
When ebooks were first on the rise after the launch of Amazon’s Kindle, a lot of people in the blogosphere (remember that? No? Just me then?) claimed that “publishing a book” was only to be used in reference to a traditional publishing house producing a hard-copy product that could be distributed to book stores and libraries. Many, many, many people claimed that “ebooks aren’t real books!” although they won’t admit they ever said that these days…probably because they have read, and possibly published, ebooks themselves.
But it raises the question: is “publishing” just the act of making something available publicly for people to read? Did I “publish” this blog post, then? Or just “post” it?
There are a lot of ways split hairs on the topic, but for the sake of this published post, I’m going to define “publishing” as “making your book available to be read by your target audience.” That’s pretty simple and straightforward and covers a lot of bases.
So! Now that you’ve got your book formatted with a cover and everything, it’s time to push the “publish” button and be done with it!
Hahahahaha! No!
There is no one button and there are multiple steps and it all circles back around to the question I keep grilling you on: what is your end goal is for the book?
Whether your plan for that family history book full of photos is to have 100 paperback copies to hand out at the reunion picnic, or if your plan is to have your magnum opus epic fantasy novel for sale on all the platforms in all the editions, you still need to make a few decisions, know what an ISBN is and whether you need one or not, and have some basic information about your book ready to go.
The Pre-Press post walked you through getting to this point, so hopefully you have most of what you need, but in addition to a formatted file and a cover in every edition you plan to publish (ebook, paperback, large print, etc.), you will need a blurb to know the category your book falls into.
First, Some Definitions
My friend
reminded me that I tend to throw around these terms under the assumption everyone knows what I’m talking about, but many people are not familiar with them the way I am. Here are explanations so you will know what they mean going forward:ISBN (International Standard Book Number): A unique code used to identify your book which is required for printed books and (usually) for wide ebook distribution. Think of it like your book’s serial number. If you open any book you own and look on the copyright page, it’s a thirteen number code usually starting with “978-”. Depending on what country you live in, ISBNs might be free, low cost, or extremely expensive. In the U.S.A., the only official source for buying ISBNs is Bowker, and they charge whatever the heck they feel like charging. Yeah, I hate it too. (It’s why a lot of U.S. authors just go with “free” Amazon ISBNs when starting out.)
Proof Copy: A printed version of your book used to check for errors before final publication. It's often ordered through your publishing platform (like Amazon KDP or Lulu) so you can review the layout, formatting, and physical quality. Proof copies are not for resale, they’re simply a preview, allowing you to catch and fix any issues before your book goes live to readers.
Book Blurb: The short description that goes on your sales page or back cover. It’s what readers see first, so if you are trying to make some sales, then make it enticing!
Book Category / BISAC Record: The genre, subject, and classification information about your book that retailers use list it correctly.
Keywords: Search terms readers might use to find books like yours. You enter these when uploading your book to retailers, and are either single words or short phrases.
Wide Distribution: Your book is available through a variety of online stores, not just Amazon.
Direct Sales: Selling copies of your book directly to your readers through your own store, in person or online, without using Amazon or other retailers.
You might not need to use all of these things, but it’s good to know what they are before you get knee deep into the mud of publishing!
Taking it Level by Level
In every single post before this one, I’ve harangued you about “starting with the end in mind,” that is, what your goal is for publishing your book. This is where the rubber meets the road, so to speak. I’ve decided to parse this out into levels from least complicated to most complicated, so you can stop when you get to the part you specifically need for your specific, unique book!
1. Non-Distributed Books
If your goal is simply to create a printed book to share with friends and family—the aforementioned family genealogies, personal memoirs, or a poetry chapbook—then we call that a non-distributed book. You are not planning to sell it through retailers like Amazon or Barnes & Noble because it will be gifted or sold in person, and usually printed in small batches of between 50 to 500 copies.
The easiest way to do this is to use a print-on-demand (POD) service like Lulu or Canva, which is simple to use, lets you order printed copies as needed, and doesn’t require the same level of preparation that a commercially distributed book would. You will have to pay for the copies (at cost) up front, and shipping as well, but it’s one-and-done for however many copies you’ve ordered.
What You (Don’t) Need to Do:
No ISBN is required books of this kind!
No marketing needed (keywords, categories, or blurbs), since you aren’t distributing through a retailer.
No public sales or online listings necessary.
I definitely recommend getting a proof copy before putting in your final order. You might be surprised at what problems you run into, such as issues with the cover or colors not printing the way you thought they would!
Another version of a “non-distributed” book is what is known as a freebie or funnel book. These are often created by entrepreneurs or businesses as a lure to get people to sign up for newsletters or other services. These books are generally digital only and also do not need ISBNs. Since they are being given away as digital files, there is no need to fuss over blurbs or keywords.
2. Limited Distribution
This is the next step up. If you’ve written a novel or non-fiction book and you want to make it available to a wider audience but you’re not interested in tackling a complex publishing strategy, then keeping your distribution limited to one platform is the easiest way to go.
A lot of people going this route only use Amazon via Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), but you can chose a different platform like Kobo if you want.
Sticking with Amazon since that’s what most people are familiar with, there is a very important distinction to make here: “KDP” is Amazon’s publishing platform as a whole, managing ebooks, print books, and Kindle Unlimited (KU).
That last one is often used interchangeably with KDP but it is very important to understand that Kindle Unlimited is a program offered by KDP. When you publish on KDP, you can decide whether or not your book is enrolled in Kindle Unlimited. The benefit is that your book will be available to all the subscribers of the Kindle Unlimited app, who pay about $15 a month in order to read as many books as they want which are in the program (not all books on Amazon are enrolled in KU!). You get paid for “page reads” which are extremely cheap per page but add up over time. The drawback is that your book will be “exclusive” to Amazon, meaning that for a set period of time (three months at the time of writing this) you cannot sell the ebook version on any other platform, or have it available online anywhere. While this does not affect print or audio editions, it’s a significant drawback for a lot of authors who do not want that kind of restriction.
There is a lot of back and forth in the author community about whether KU is worth the terms, but that’s an individual choice. If you only plan on publishing your ebook on Amazon, anyway, though, there is really no reason not to enroll in KU.
As for ISBNs:
Ebook: If you have bought an ISBN, you can use it, but it’s not a requirement, as Amazon will assign their own in-house identification number, known as an AISN.
Paperback: Requires an ISBN, but Amazon will provide a free ISBN for your paperback. There are pros and cons to using their ISBN, though, such as if you decide to publish it anywhere else you will need a separate ISBN because the one Amazon provides is exclusively for the “Amazon edition”. Or you can purchase your own if you want to retain full control over your edition.
What You’ll Need:
ISBN: Only required for the paperback (Amazon provides one for free if you want).
Book Blurb: This is a short, enticing summary that appears on your Amazon listing and back cover. It’s like the “pitch” for the book.
Book Category / BISAC: You'll need to select the genre or subject area your book most closely fits when uploading (e.g., mystery, self-help, historical fiction).
Keywords: The 7-10 words or phrases that help readers find your book when they search on Amazon, such as “small town romance” or “time travel thriller.”
This approach allows you to reach readers through a well-known online platform without having to manage your own sales infrastructure. Many, many, many successful indie authors launched their careers using KDP and KU exclusively, not branching out into wide or direct sales until they were already well established with a legion of fans. Is this harder to do in 2025 then it was in 2010? Yes, definitely, because there is a lot more competition. But, it’s still a good plan if you want to keep things simple to start with, especially if you have no plans to ever write more than a book or two.
3. Wide Distribution
“Going wide” means making your book available through a range of retailers, not just Amazon. This includes stores like Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and even some library and international platforms.
Doing this manually (that is, uploading to each platform separately) is a substantial undertaking, but fortunately, we now live in a world where “aggregator” platforms do the work for you. They charge a fee and/or take a cut of your royalties, but usually not much, and also can get your book into places that indies alone don’t have access to, like libraries. The most well known is Draft2Digital, but there a few other good ones out there like PublishDrive and StreetLib as well. Each have their own fees/royalty splits, so do your research to find the best match for you!
How does this work? You upload your book once, and they handle the distribution across multiple channels, both big ones (Amazon, Apple, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, etc.) and smaller ones (international retailers, libraries, online lending services, etc.). You still control your pricing, book info, and content, but without having to maintain accounts with each store individually.
A few, like Draft2Digital, even offer a free ISBN for your print version if you don’t want to buy one (although the same limitations apply as using an Amazon ISBN).
What You Need:
Mostly it’s the same as the list above for limited distribution:
ISBN: Required for both ebook and print (most aggregators offer a free one if needed, or a substitute, but definitely read the fine print!) but not audio (if they handle audio, but many don’t).
Book Blurb
Book Category / BISAC
Keywords
The benefits of going “wide” is that this level of publishing gives your book more reach—and looks more “professional”—without dramatically increasing your workload.
The main issue is one that hobbyist authors may or may not care about, which is that discoverability (getting readers to find your work) is all on your own shoulders. Professional authors like me who are “wide” spend a lot of time (and money) on marketing and advertising for this very reason. No, it’s not fun. *cries over coffee*
4. Direct Sales
This level is best for authors interested in full control over their book sales, branding, and reader experience. Direct sales pulls you out of the “hobbyist” arena, though, and will take more work than you think it will—I don’t care how easy Shopify tells you it will be!
As you’ve probably guessed, with direct sales you bypass the major retailers entirely (or supplement them) by selling books directly to readers via a webstore.
You can use tools like Shopify, Itch.io, Gumroad, or WooCommerce (for WordPress-based author sites) to sell ebooks via download links or print books either through print-on-demand fulfillment partners or by shipping inventory yourself.
This method lets you keep more of your earnings, access customer data, and build a closer relationship with your audience.
What You Need:
ISBN: Required for all editions and formats you’re selling.
E-Commerce Setup: You’ll need a website or store platform.
Book Blurb, Category, and Keywords are still necessary, especially if you're marketing through search engines or social media.
Fulfillment Method: For printed books, decide if you’ll use a print-on-demand service (like Lulu or BookVault) or manage shipping yourself. For ebooks, you will need some kind of file delivery system/service (Bookfunnel is a popular service I use, it’s been around for a while).
Obviously, direct sales involve more setup but give you the most control and potentially the highest profit per sale. A lot of authors (including me) offer direct sales in addition to having our books available on all the major retailer sites. If you find yourself moving in this direction, congratulations, you have jumped the chasm to “professional author” status!
And that’s all, folks!
If you’ve read this far, you deserve A FREE CHECKLIST! It is a google doc that you can copy or C&P into a personal file for you to use and abuse.
Because this series was written for hobbyist authors, I won’t be doing a post on marketing/advertising, but if you have any questions, please ask! That said, I’m not a superior marketer, so I highly suggest finding and following book sales experts like Russell Nohelty and Mal Cooper for advice. Keep in mind that while there are plenty of good marketing gurus out there, a lot depends on your genre. There is a very big difference between marketing a romance novel vs. a spy thriller vs. a non-fiction business advice book!
I hope these posts help you or a loved one out on their journey to publish a book!
If you have any questions please leave a comment!
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