How to become a self-published author on Amazon/KDP is the topic of this article. It contains both an infographic of the steps as well as the steps listed in text form, with a full explanation for each one.
Self-Publishing (and Becoming an Author) is Easy!
Self-publishing in today’s world is easy. ANYONE can become an author, nowadays!
Many people, however, get overwhelmed with the process, because there are many steps involved in reaching their dreams of becoming an author. That is why Wording Well offers help to those who need it!
That is also why I put together this article. It outlines the steps to becoming a self-published author and how to self-publish a book on Amazon through KDP.
This article also lists the steps in the order they need to be taken, making it easier for you to understand what is required for you to achieve your dream!
An Infographic of the Steps for How to Become a Self-Published Author on Amazon/KDP)
The following infographic lists the steps for how to self-publish a book on Amazon.
Below it, you will find a full explanation for each step, so keep reading!
A special thanks to the team at AirTract for creating this infographic for me!
A huge thanks to InVideo (affiliate link) for making this video for me! InVideo (normal link) is an SaaS platform that helps anyone transform their content into great videos. They help serve publishers, media companies, and brands to expand audience engagement through the power of video content.
How to Become a Self-Published Author on Amazon/KDP
1: Write a book.
This is the hardest part of the whole process. It’s time-consuming. You might suffer from writer’s block during this step. You might lack discipline while writing your book. That is why it is important to hire a coach or find an accountability partner who will help keep you focused and on target during this phase.
There are many steps involved in writing a book and the best one I have found to help you through your journey is the post from Write to Done called The Ultimate Guide to Plan and Write Your Book. It contains the following tips you can use:
Step #0: Check That People Actually Want This Book
Step #1: Get Clear About Your Book’s Eventual Format and Purpose
Step #2: Figure Out a Working Timetable
Step #3: Get Your Book’s Outline Started by Mindmapping
Step #4: Develop Your Ideas into an Outline
Step #5: Fleshing Out Your Chapters with Key Points
Step #6: Make Writing a Breeze with Your Standard Chapter Template
Step #7: Tackle Your Writing in a Sensible Order
Step #8: Staying Focused When You Sit Down to Write
Step #9: Knowing How to Write Each Sentence of Your Book
Step #10: Follow Your Working Schedule (and Get Back On Track When Needed)
Of course, if you are writing an e-book instead of a full-length novel, this step won’t take you nearly as long!
2. Edit your book.
Hire Wording Well’s editor, Lorraine Reguly, for this! (Yes, hire me to edit your book. I am a FANTASTIC editor! Just check out the testimonials I have received from some of my clients!)
Editing is a necessary component of the writing process and is essential to your book’s success.
If your book is not properly edited, you will receive bad reviews on Amazon, you will lose readers, and you will lose money. People won’t buy your book if they see negative reviews. They also won’t buy any additional books you might write.
It’s worth it to pay for an editor’s services, skills, and knowledge ONCE. By investing in an editor, you are also investing in yourself. You are proving that you are worth listening to, too. People will, therefore, be impressed with your book, the way it was written (ergo, the way it was edited), and you will gain fans for life! You will also reap additional rewards, such as great reviews on Amazon!
3: Finalize the book’s text.
If you have hired me for Step 2, this part will already be done.
If you hire a different editor, that person might suggest you rewrite some sections of your book. In that case. you will need to have your book proofread by an experienced editor or proofreader (such as myself). Do this to ensure the quality of your book is high and your words, sentences, and paragraphs are perfect (without typos, grammatically correct, and impactful).
4: Add images, if desired.
Images are easy to add to books (to both the digital and print versions).
Many authors are now adding images to their books because it’s easy to do so.
I included many images in my book, From Nope to Hope.