Home/Blog/Okay, but how do you actually publish?
July 3, 2026

Okay, but how do you actually publish?

Everything between a finished manuscript and a book out in the world—and a free checklist to take with you.

It’s game time. Let’s do this.

You have a publishing company (or are publishing under your own/pen name) (if trad publishing your publisher will most likely take care of most of these things). Uhhhhhh… now what? You know where you are going to publish, but maybe you haven’t figured out how you are going to publish. That can get complicated really quickly. ISBNs, print-on-demand, a website, cover files, copyright—maybe even editing and typesetting still. It can be a lot to juggle at once, and when you realize how much it is, it can almost be discouraging.

Fear not! I want to share with you some of the things I have learned from publishing my book, Seven Minutes, through this publishing company. So, let’s get started (because you have a book to get published).

ISBNs

Okay, a lot of people have asked me, “Why do I need my own ISBN when KDP gives me one for free?” Which is very true and a very useful tool. And if you are on a super tight budget, this is for sure the way to go. I mean… it is free. KDP has its own ISBN indexing system. But what that means is you are locked into KDP. You cannot take that same ISBN (either because you want to move from KDP or add another printer on top of it) and use it elsewhere. So what do you do?

Buy your own!

It is pretty simple to buy your own: go to Bowker and purchase as many ISBNs as you need. Their bundle deal is pretty good. Go in, configure your ISBN to the book you are publishing, and BAM! You have your own ISBN and you own it. It is yours. KDP not working out or changing policies you don’t like? Pull your book/ISBN from the platform and move somewhere else. Want to have multiple print-on-demand sites? Easy, just use your ISBN there.

Just another thing to know: each format needs its own ISBN. Paperback, hardcover, ebook—three formats, three ISBNs. Which is why the bundle pack of ISBNs makes the most sense if multiple formats (and the 10 pack is great if you are going to publish more books).

I am all for owning and controlling your own content. If you own it, you get to say where it is used and when. You don’t have to ask permission or be locked out.

So, go buy an ISBN! Or… wait, they aren’t exactly going out of stock.

Website

Okay, this is where I get to speak to my strengths. I am a former programmer, educator by day, and a publishing company any other time I have free.

Let’s talk about a few things.

1. URL

This is the same as the ISBN thing and honestly is non-negotiable. Own. Your. URL. And don’t buy it from the same place you are hosting your website. Whether that is Wix, Squarespace, or Render—buy it somewhere else. Having all of your eggs in one basket is not a good idea.

I personally use Namecheap. I like their infrastructure and they offer free** whois protection (anyone can use whois to look up who owns a URL). So, if you are writing under a pen name and want to keep your URL ownership a secret (because you do have to use your legal name), whois protection is a must.

URLs on Namecheap that aren’t in hot demand right now typically run about $12**. You can also bundle things like email hosting, which isn’t bad here if you need it (you can also set up your own email host but I will stay away from that right now… this is already a lot (If you want to dip your toes in, the Proton suite is a pretty good one)).

All big website builder sites (or should, if they are any good) have step-by-step instructions with how to connect a URL from a major registrar (like Namecheap) to your hosted site.

The big thing is buy the URL so you own it yourself and so that someone else doesn’t come swoop in and take your official URL and hold it ransom.

You might have to get creative. sevenminutes.com was taken. So, I decided that all of the signed authors’ book websites would be [book title]book.com. That worked for me and I have been able to keep it consistent across all books.

So, go buy your domain (this is a now type thing).

2. Building the thing

This is where I am going to be honest. I am not sponsored by any sites here. Website builder apps (like Wix and Squarespace) will get the job done. And for a basic site announcing your book and holding basic information about it, that is probably all you need (and free plans probably work for what you need).

And if you ignore my advice above, they will allow you most of the time to use a free URL (typically [project name].[hosting business name].com). That is fine. It doesn’t look as pretty in my opinion, but it works.

If you are looking to build something more adventurous, like sevenminutesbook.com, then a custom website is the way to go. You can learn HTML, CSS, and JavaScript* (they are pretty straightforward when you get the hang of them).

Or there are individuals on Fiverr that will code the site for you. Not a bad way to go.

3. Hosting custom code

What I would not do is pay someone to handle the hosting costs. Hosting your custom code site is pretty easy. Render is a company that hosts websites (and you can hook up your custom URL to it). A static website (pure HTML and JavaScript) is free** to host on Render (there are costs if you are updating your site constantly and having it rebuild but you probably won’t hit that).

* Bonus tip: All HTML pages are able to be inspected so you can see the HTML and JavaScript a site uses on the frontend (right-click in your browser > inspect). This can give you ideas of what to do on your own site.

** As of the writing of this blog post

And if you have any questions about any of this, feel free to reach out via email: support@tkgpublishing.com or @tkgpublishing on social media platforms. I may not be able to solve every problem but I can help out if needed.

IngramSpark

Alright, this one is a balancing act. IngramSpark is honestly going to give you the cheapest ‘author printing’ costs. This is where I turn to print the books that I personally sell on my website (sevenminutesbook.com/distribute).

But IngramSpark is not a storefront—readers can’t find your books through an easy link to buy them. Think of it as the printer you buy from: you order your own copies at cost and sell them yourself. So, where do readers look? I will talk about KDP next.

IngramSpark also is the place where brick-and-mortar stores and libraries will buy your books, but there is a big risk in this. These stores most likely will only buy your book from IngramSpark if returns are turned on. It makes sense—they don’t want to be stuck with a book that doesn’t sell. Turning returns on in your dashboard might seem harmless—IngramSpark even offers a destroy service so returned books never come to your doorstep. But here is what actually happens: a store orders, say, 100 copies of your book. Then, they send back 80 of them. You are charged for the full cost of the 80 books returned either way—destroyed or delivered to your door, you are out the cost of your 80 books.

It is hard to budget when a store could buy X number of books and return all of them. So for an indie publisher or author this is not the way to go.

Going to local bookstores and seeing if they have a consignment option is better if you want a physical presence.

But there is still a way to sell to readers without the risk.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are planning on publishing to IngramSpark and KDP, then don’t select IngramSpark’s global distribution network. This will create an Amazon listing for you, which is great, but Amazon’s sales go through IngramSpark. And, again, KDP’s direct royalties are better than IngramSpark’s. (As of right now)

Direct Sales

This is really up to you. The best way I have found to do it is to use a third-party service (you don’t want the requirement of protecting credit card information). I use Stripe. It is easy to set up and hook right into your website. I get a notification when a new order comes in. I have the checkout set up to collect name, address, phone number, and email.

Then I prepare the order and ship it out. It is that easy.

They handle the transaction (with a fee on top of it (which is worth it because… again, credit cards)), and you just have to do the labor of packing and shipping.

And if you want to get fancy with it, you can have it use your own domain so it feels official. Not required but fun if you want it. (Paid feature)

KDP

Now, the other half of the equation. Amazon has some… interesting business practices. They are the best way to sell to readers that don’t want to buy through your own site (and will give you better royalties). You also avoid the whole return nightmare from IngramSpark. Amazon handles printing, sales, and returns of items.

So, if you are comfortable with Amazon as a company, KDP is the way to go for this.

You can also enroll your ebook in KDP’s Kindle Unlimited program to get more reach, because readers can read for free and you get a kickback on that download/amount read.

And if you own your own ISBN you can print at both locations.

My Setup

KDP gives better royalties. IngramSpark prints for a lower cost in bulk.

So here is what I do:

KDP — regular sales. A reader wants the book in three days (sometimes Amazon can do this with Prime, depending on location). Send readers to Amazon.

IngramSpark — I sell directly through my website. This is for signed copies. I charge a premium to cover shipping and any extras I include in the book.

Formatting

Typesetting

This is the place that I am not going to expand on too much. You can go read my other blog post, “How the hell do you typeset?”, which covers this in depth.

I will say a few things. Word and Google Docs were not made with authors in mind. So I am not sure that they are the right tool for the job. There are other programs out there worth looking into. You can also hire someone on Fiverr to do the job for you.

Typesetting is invisible until it’s bad. So it is important to get it right.

If you need a professional editor, check out Odessa Taylor. She is amazing.

Cover Formatting

Every print-on-demand company will have its own format for covers, and getting it right is important.

Wait to do this until your manuscript is finalized, because spine width differs based on page count. A marginal change of a few pages can offset your cover and make it look offset (and a lot of companies will just outright reject your cover design if it is off (good thing to do)).

What I do is download the PDF provided, upload it to Canva, add three boxes (typically a bright red so I know they are my positioning boxes) set to the exact dimensions of the spine and the front and back cover. The dimensions should be on the PDF provided so just make those boxes those numbers. Then, put the boxes over the outlined dimensions on the PDF (make sure to note where the borders are (you can turn down the opacity of the boxes to be able to see the PDF better)). Then add the elements on top of the boxes.

What I will do is create a large “background” box for the color of the cover which spans the three boxes, or you can just set the background color under the PDF to the color you want. Then I will layer a texture over that (if you want). Then you can add your title elements, and other items as needed. When you want to ensure elements are centered, select the elements for a page (not its positioning box), say the front cover, group them, then shift-click to add the positioning box to the selection, and hit center vertical and horizontal. Canva centers the group to the box. This is extremely important for the spine. Front and back cover are important too but a misaligned spine is most noticeable.

Then when you are happy with everything, delete the positioning boxes. Then select the PDF layer and turn the opacity to 0 (I keep the PDF page in the design so if I have to go back and fix something I can easily).

Bam! You have a cover. Upload that how the print company wants it and it should work.

I am not a lawyer so just keep that in mind. I would recommend that if you have real questions about this, you hire a copyright lawyer.

You own the copyright to your book as soon as you write it. It is important to keep digital receipts of your book so you can prove the day you set things into the medium it is in. Google Docs can be good for this because it has version history you can point to.

The copyright is yours even if you don’t officially register it.

However, registering it does give you bigger legal protections. I did mine through the US Copyright Office (copyright.gov)—if you are elsewhere, your country will have its own process. The cost varies, so just check what it is when you finalize your manuscript. I paid $60 for Seven Minutes.

Note: Have your manuscript finalized when you submit for copyright. That is what will go on the official filing. You will need to retain a copy of your official filing manuscript. This doesn’t mean that it is locked forever. You can add minor changes (sentence reword, spelling fix, minor details) if you spot them later. That doesn’t violate the registration. Just don’t go adding entirely new chapters or characters. You still own the copyright there, but it is not in the official filing anymore.

Again, not a lawyer and this is not legal advice. This could be wrong. Find a lawyer if you have real questions.

Final Sprint

A few things to note. Make sure to triple-check the proof PDF the printing company provides. This is the belt-and-suspenders way to ensure you don’t pay for a proof copy that doesn’t look good from the printer. Check every page and the cover design. A lot of authors will skip this because they are just excited about the print. Which you should be. This step will save you time and heartbreak from getting a bad print.

Then… hit print and get your proof copy. I typically do this through IngramSpark (the cheaper print option). But check whatever is best for your situation. Things could change after this blog.

Wait (without patience (because I know waiting is the worst)) for the proof copies to come. Then, when you get them, don’t open them immediately. Hold the box in your hands. Feel the weight. Make opening your proof copy an experience because you have already worked hard on this. This book deserves the time it needs.

Then open it. Feel the cover. If it looks a little off, that’s fine! You can fix it. A first proof copy with minor defects will be the most valuable possession you own.

I typically will read through the entire proof copy. I treat it as my last time reading the book before I send it off into the world. This will allow you to find the small things that need fixing. Then, go in and fix the things, order another copy, and you can now just spot-check what you fixed.

Once you are happy… hit publish (or wait until the right day and then hit publish).

Just a heads-up. IngramSpark’s publishing pipeline is: upload book → review from IngramSpark → allow author proofs → author approves proofs → publish. The review is before the author prints.

KDP is different: upload book → small review → author proofs → approved by the author → submit for publication (could take up to three days (or longer)).

So, my release day looks a little something like this: grab my cup of coffee, stress about EVERYTHING, then… get to work.

I publish on IngramSpark first, which technically makes it available to the general public right then. Next, hit submit on KDP. That will take somewhere around three days to get into Amazon’s systems, but it will get there. The book is out in the world, so the delay isn’t killing release day.

But it does come down to your own call: is release day a significant day to you? Does it matter if the book is published right on release day? Or can it be early by a day or so? If it is important that it is available only on or after release day, then the above release schedule is what you do. If it doesn’t really matter, then about three days before release day hit submit on KDP and your book will be available on Amazon around release day.

TKG Publishing Philosophy

Can you see what I am trying to say here? Own everything you can. ISBN. Domain name. Copyright (owned by default but register it). Protect the things that make your physical book protected.

Your book deserves as much time and attention for the real-world stuff as it did for the in-world story. It is a lot to juggle. For sure. But if you do it right, your book outside the story is as beautiful as inside, and you have secured everything you need moving forward.

I personally want my books to be the same quality in the story as they are when they exist in the real world. That is why I spend so much time on my website design, registering copyrights and domains, formatting and cover design, and everything in between. My books are important to me, and I want to give them the time they deserve.

The logistics are there to serve you in the long run. So getting them right is important.

I have compiled everything in this post into an easy PDF checklist for you to follow, with resource links as needed. I have also added a handful of blank lines for you to be able to add your own items. Download it, use it, and remember to take your time with everything.

So, you want to publish that book? Then prove it.

Download the Publishing Checklist (PDF)
← All Posts