(And What I’d Do Differently)
Self-publishing your first book is one part exhilarating, one part terrifying, and a thousand parts eye-opening. I know this because I’ve lived it. Like many indie authors, I didn’t start out with a background in publishing—I was a writer with a story and a mission. And along the way, I made mistakes, spent money where I shouldn’t have, underestimated what I needed, and overdelivered in some surprising ways. Today, I want to share what I learned from self-publishing my first book, what I’d do differently, and how you can avoid the same pitfalls.
Coming up with a Budget
When I began this journey, I already knew self-publishing was going to cost money. I wasn’t going into it expecting everything to be free, but I did think I could do it on a shoestring budget. Spoiler alert: I couldn’t. One of my smartest early investments was purchasing Grammarly and using an online program called AutoCrit for copy editing support. Those tools were invaluable in catching grammar and structural issues, especially for someone like me who can stare at the same sentence 100 times and still miss a missing word. AutoCrit helped me view my work more critically, like an editor would, and Grammarly was like having a second pair of eyes at all times.
But then came the editor—the big decision that blew my budget wide open. I wrestled with it for weeks. Do I really need a professional editor? Can I afford it? Will it make that much of a difference? The answer to all of those, it turns out, was yes. Hiring an editor cost more than I had planned, but it changed everything about the quality of my manuscript. My editor didn’t just fix typos or clarify awkward sentences—she helped shape the voice of the book, tighten the pacing, and polish it into something I was proud to publish. If there’s one bigger expense I would encourage every new author to plan for, it’s professional editing.
eBook Formatting
Beyond the editing process, formatting my book for both print and ebook was another learning curve. I’m fairly tech-savvy, so I initially figured I’d do it myself. I purchased two beautiful fonts I used for my memoir title and subtitle and I really wanted to include them in my ebook file. But I also really wanted to save some money, so I found an online, open-source product called Sigil.
I read online that with Sigil you could import specific fonts and they would show up in the ebook file for everyone, because they would be part of the download file. To make it work, some basic HTML knowledge is required and I have that in spades. However, even with all my HTML skills, I spent hours uploading the fonts, checking the HTML code and viewing the download file over and over and the fonts never worked.
I quickly realized that formatting an ebook was not as easy as I wanted it to be. That’s when I started researching ebook statistics and fonts and all the different types of ebook readers there are out there. I found out that most ebook readers, no matter the platform, want a quick download, a well-formatted book, a table of contents and they want an error-free reading experience. Meaning, ebook readers were not at all interested in my fancy fonts. They wanted my book to download quickly, look good on their preferred e-reader, and have no obvious formatting errors.
And that’s when I found Kindle Create. Formatting an ebook for Amazon KDP or any other online platform isn’t just about uploading a Word document—it’s about creating a seamless, professional reading experience. So all my hours researching font choices, trim sizes, and margins, and troubleshooting weird layout glitches were not in vain. I had all my Sigil experience to fall back on and so formatting my ebook using Create seemed like a breeze. If I could go back, I would’ve done my ebook research first or at least used Kindle Create sooner.
Pass Pages: Print Book Formatting
I had a lot of fun with making my pass pages, which became my print PDF file. I love Word and documents and I’m good at making, editing and changing templates. I found some free print book formatting templates on the internet as a start. They came recommended from another author, but I also wanted to add the fancy fonts that I purchased and I needed to change the template layout.
I started with the title page and the inside blurb page and then moved on and copied one chapter at a time into my pass pages document. It was easier to manage that way and I was able to visually see that the chapter looked just as I wanted it to in my pass pages template.
As a bonus, I had Grammarly running in Word and if I saw any red underlines, I checked the word to make sure it wasn’t misspelled. This is the beauty of this step-by-step process, you get to check your work over again and again with new eyes in new publishing situations. I found ONE spelling mistake while making my pass pages and I’m happy to say that there are no spelling mistakes in my book, print or ebook.
Designing Just the Right Book Cover
I had a strong visual for my book cover in mind, but even with that, I knew I needed to do some research. I went into a couple of bookstores in my area and looked at memoir covers. I took photos, I compared them to self-published memoir covers on Amazon and Goodreads. I needed to know that what I had in mind for my memoir fit into the current memoir cover trends. Once I established the trend, I adapted my personal visual for my book cover to fit.
I searched on Instagram for artists that create book covers and I also searched on Fiverr, but then someone recommended a local designer who created book covers. I emailed her all the memoir photos I took at the bookstore, told her my color scheme, and I sent her the photos of my mom that I wanted included in the book cover. Next, I emailed her my fancy book fonts for my cover and subtitle, so she had those to work with.
Thanks to this local designer connection, I now offer cover design as a service because I know firsthand how hard it is to nail the visual aesthetic and meet all the technical specifications. And I’ve built a personal relationship with my designer.
Choosing My Print-On-Demand Platforms
Another area I underestimated was the setup of my print-on-demand (POD) account. Platforms like Amazon KDP make the process relatively simple, but there are still nuances—setting up your author bio, deciding if you want to use an imprint, choosing keywords, understanding your pricing and royalty structure, and selecting your categories. I spent hours tweaking metadata and second-guessing myself. I also kept logging in and looking at the preview of my ebook and print book over and over to make sure they “still” looked good.
The Biggest Mistake I Made
But here’s the other thing I did, and probably my biggest mistake. I started the entire POD process with IngramSpark. I didn’t want to be an Amazon KDP seller, mainly because the traditional publishing world is negative on Amazon. I get it. So I wanted to be different and publish my own way and that way, for me, started with IngramSpark.
IngramSpark has wider reach than Amazon. You can get your book in any bookstore, even your local store, with Ingram. They have wide ebook distribution, too. So I bought my ISBNs from Bowker and I set up my IngramSpark account BEFORE I ever logged into KDP. I set up the basic metadata about my book, I uploaded the cover, I picked my categories and keywords, and the only step left was uploading my files (print and ebook).
The ebook upload was pretty straightforward, but the print version gave me a headache that lasted for weeks. Ingram kept kicking back my print file saying there were errors with the font, the type of PDF it was, etc. I had endless versions of my book PDF file on my computer trying to keep track of every change I made. Then, finally after about two weeks of trying, I magically got the PDF file to upload and figured out the exact steps to meet Ingram’s standards for print documents.
Once the files were there, I was ready with Ingram. But then I had to set up the royalties for my book sales and I hit on Ingram’s return policy. It was not good.
Here’s the gist of it. If a local book shop bought ten of my books through Ingram, they would pay the distributor price per book, which is the same price I would pay to buy copies of my own book to sell. Okay. BUT if the bookshop returned five of my books later because they didn’t sell, I would have to pay the distributor price back to Ingram AND an additional 55% of my book printing cost to have the books destroyed. And if I wanted them shipped to me instead, I would have to pay even more.
I started looking online to see what others had to say about Ingram’s return policy and wow. People hate it and not only that, there are people out there with massive bills they owe to Ingram that they cannot pay. It was something I did not want to risk.
So I decided to keep my ebook at Ingram and “unlist” my print book. But I’d registered that ISBN already and even though I deleted it with the help of Ingram customer support, the ISBN was already registered.
What I wanted to do, after my Ingram debacle, was list my book on Amazon AND Barnes & Noble concurrently, using the ISBN I’d registered for the print book. If I only allowed sales on those networks and not “extended distribution” then I could use the same ISBN for both. But that didn’t work out.
As you can tell, this was a big mistake for me. What would I do differently? I would ONLY list my ebook on Ingram and skip putting the paperback there. I would list my paperback book on KDP and Barnes & Noble using the same ISBN and not do extended distribution on either.
This big mistake is one of the reasons I now offer POD account setup as a service. It’s not hard once you know what you’re doing—but when you’re in the thick of it with everything else, it’s overwhelming.
Making an Audiobook – It’s Easier Than You Think
An audiobook was always in my plan, but I knew it would take a long time. So I put it off, but I kept getting asked, “Will there be an audiobook version?” Eventually, I decided to get it done. I have a lot of skills in video editing, podcast recording and sound files, so I knew I could get my book read and recorded. I turned a closet into a studio in a weekend, put a power cord in there and set up my laptop and microphone.
I recorded all the raw files in about two weeks, reading the book a few hours a day. Then came the audio mastering.
I learned the technical aspects of mastering audio, creating consistent sound levels, and pick-up editing thanks to an amazing woman on YouTube (Carol Beth Anderson). She even went over how to meet Audible’s strict submission guidelines. Now that I have all these skills locked down I know how to make audiobook files sound crisp, clear, and professional—and it’s another service I offer authors through Mount Cooper Publishing.
What I’d Do Differently
What I wish I had done differently, besides budgeting more realistically, was doing more research on where to list my print books for sale. I jumped at the idea of IngramSpark because I was excited. I wish I’d looked at reviews online and read more about how ISBN numbers work.
I did a lot of the publishing process myself—writing, editing, formatting, marketing—and I’m proud of what I accomplished, but it came at the cost of time, energy, and sometimes, mental clarity.
Another thing I would do differently is picking a publishing date. I put an aggressive deadline on myself to get the book out and published and I would have gone slower and stretched out my publishing date a few more months. That way I could have launched the book and the audiobook all at the same time.
The Reality of Marketing
Marketing was another beast entirely. I created an email newsletter and I wanted 100 people on it by publication day. I got just over 50 people, which again, was a timing issue. I wanted to move fast and marketing doesn’t move that fast. Because I had a lot of friends and followers on social media, I thought posting a few times would bring in a steady stream of buyers. It didn’t. Building an audience takes time, consistency, and strategy—something I had to learn through trial and error. Now, I coach authors through this exact phase because I remember how frustrating it was to shout into the void and hear nothing back.
Final Thoughts
Looking back, self-publishing was one of the hardest and most rewarding things I’ve ever done. It stretched me, humbled me, and taught me more than I ever imagined—not just about writing, but about business, branding, and perseverance. It also sparked a passion to help other authors walk this path with a little more confidence and a lot more support.
How I Can Help You
If you’re in the early stages of self-publishing—or even if you’ve done this before but felt lost—I want you to know you don’t have to do it alone. At Mount Cooper Publishing, I offer services specifically for indie authors like you. Whether you need help formatting your manuscript, designing a cover, setting up your POD account, mastering your audiobook, or just figuring out where to start, I’ve been there. I know the road, the bumps, the shortcuts, and the scenic routes. And I’d love to help you navigate it.