Guides for self-publishing authors

What actually makes a cover sell, the measurements every printer checks, and how the pages inside should be set — written for authors doing it themselves.

Browse by topic

🎯
What makes a cover sell
The rules behind every cover that works: thumbnails, type, contrast, composition, and the mistakes that give a book away.
20 articles
📐
Sizes, spines and printers
The measurements a printer actually checks: trim size, bleed, spine width, and what changes between KDP, IngramSpark, Lulu and B&N Press.
34 articles
🖼️
Getting the artwork
Where the picture comes from: AI art that does not look like AI art, stock images and what their licenses allow, resolution that survives print, and when to hire someone.
31 articles
📣
Selling the book
After the file is right: the blurb that does the selling, Amazon A+ modules, mockups worth posting, and getting early reviews without breaking a store rule.
40 articles
🔍
Proofs and print quality
The last checks before a thousand copies: what to look for in a physical proof, what to preflight before you upload, and what white or cream paper changes.
19 articles
🔖
ISBNs, barcodes and listings
The paperwork end of publishing: whether you need your own ISBN, what a copyright page has to carry, barcodes and price codes, and the listing fields readers search.
39 articles
📱
Ebooks and EPUB
The other half of the book: how an EPUB differs from a print PDF, the cover size stores expect, and what makes a file pass validation.
30 articles
🎧
Audiobooks
The third edition of your book: whether to narrate it yourself, what a recording actually involves, what distributors check, and how an audiobook earns.
10 articles
✍️
From manuscript to pages
What to hand the typesetter and what it does with it: a file that imports cleanly, chapter openings and scene breaks, the faults readers feel, and images that survive print.
30 articles
📖
Inside the book
The pages between the covers: margins and gutters, front matter, body typefaces, and the large print edition most authors never make.
43 articles

Ready to make the book?

The cover, the pages and the ebook all come out of one project: name your book, bring your manuscript or your artwork, and work as long as you like. Start your book →