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Writers Academy

Self-Publishing

From finished manuscript to a book readers can buy, on your terms.

A practical, beginner-friendly course on publishing a book yourself. You'll learn how self-publishing compares with traditional deals, how to edit, cover and format a book to professional standards, how ISBNs, copyright and metadata work, whether to go exclusive with Amazon or sell everywhere, and how to price, launch, market and turn your book into an audiobook. Every number is sourced and dated, because royalties and platform rules change.

Beginner9 lessons 40 min
Your progress0 / 9

You’ll learn to

  • Decide whether self-publishing, a traditional deal or a hybrid press fits your book, and spot pay-to-publish scams.
  • Plan editing, cover design and formatting so your ebook and paperback meet retailer specifications.
  • Handle ISBNs, copyright registration and metadata, and choose between KDP Select and going wide.
  • Price and launch a book, gather honest early reviews within platform rules, and build marketing that lasts.
  • Choose an audiobook path, from human narration to AI voices, and meet each platform’s disclosure rules.
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Lesson 1 is open to everyone. A free account unlocks the rest.

Syllabus

  1. 1

    Self-Publishing vs Traditional Publishing: Which Is Right for You?

    How agents, advances, rights and timelines work in traditional publishing, what you gain and give up by publishing yourself, and how to tell a real hybrid press from a vanity press.

    5 min readFree
  2. 2

    Editing Before You Publish: The Four Kinds of Editing

    Developmental, line, copy and proofreading edits do different jobs in a set order. Learn what each one fixes, how to use beta readers, what editors charge and how to vet them.

    4 min read Free account
  3. 3

    Book Covers That Sell: Genre Signals, Thumbnails and Print Wraps

    A cover’s first job is to tell the right reader "this is for you" at thumbnail size. Learn genre signals, typography, ebook and print specifications, and when to hire a designer.

    4 min read Free account
  4. 4

    Formatting Ebooks and Print Books: EPUB, PDF, Trim Size and Bleed

    Ebooks reflow and print books don’t. Learn EPUB versus PDF, reflowable versus fixed layout, how to pick a trim size, set margins and bleed, and what goes in the front and back matter.

    4 min read Free account
  5. 5

    ISBNs, Copyright and Metadata: The Business Paperwork of Your Book

    Who issues ISBNs in the US and whether you need your own, how copyright and registration work, and how to write the categories, keywords and descriptions that help readers find you.

    5 min read Free account
  6. 6

    KDP Select or Go Wide? Choosing Where to Sell Your Book

    How Amazon KDP and KDP Select work, what Kindle+ (formerly Kindle Unlimited) pays, what going wide through Apple, Kobo, Google Play, Barnes & Noble and aggregators involves, and how print-on-demand royalties compare.

    4 min read Free account
  7. 7

    Pricing and Launching Your Book: Preorders, ARCs and Launch Week

    How to set an ebook and print price, when a preorder helps, how to get early reviews from advance readers without breaking Amazon’s or the FTC’s rules, and what to do in launch week.

    4 min read Free account
  8. 8

    Marketing Your Book: Blurbs, Newsletters, Ads and Backlist

    Sustainable book marketing for self-published authors: a blurb that converts, an author website and newsletter you own, the basics of paid ads, and why series and backlist do most of the work over time.

    4 min read Free account
  9. 9

    Audiobooks for Self-Published Authors: Narration, Distribution and Rights

    Your options for producing an audiobook, from hiring a narrator to digital and AI voices, where you can distribute each kind, what ACX pays, and the disclosure rules for AI narration.

    4 min read Free account

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