Amazon is where our readers go so as a self-publishing writer that’s where we have to go too. Putting your book up as a paperback is probably not going to make you a lot of money but as it’s print-on-demand, it’s not going to cost you either. And, it’s great to be able to hold the book you’ve written in your own two hands 

Today’s checklist takes you through the process of setting up your book as a paperback. If you missed yesterday’s checklist on marketing your book you can pop back and pick it up.

And remember, you can copy and paste the checklist below or if you’d like the full list of 18 checklists in printable (PDF) format, just send me your email address below and you’ll be able to download immediately. 

Project Name: _____________________________________  Date: __________________________
                                                                                                                                   Yes              No

1 – Project:
1 Name Your Project
2 Choose Paperback
3 Choose “Guided” Step by Step Process with Help Along The Way

2 – Title Information:
1 Enter Your Book Title, and Subtitle if present
2 Enter the Primary Author’s Name and Contributing Author’s if applicable.
3 Enter the Series Title, Edition and Language, if applicable
4 You can Leave Publication Date Blank

3 – ISBN:
1 Choose “Free Amazon-Assigned ISBN” or “Provide Your Own ISBN”
4 – Interior:
1 Choose Interior Type (B&W, Full Colour, White or Cream)*
2 Choose Book Size
3 Upload Interior File

5 – Cover:
1 Select Matt or Glossy finish for your book.
2 Upload your print ready PDF book cover.

6 – Complete Setup:
Review everything then submit files for review. This process usually takes
24 hours. While your files are being reviewed you can:

1 Choose your distribution channels
2 Set your pricing across all Amazon stores.
3 Upload your Cover and Book Description
4 Upload your Author Bio
5 Choose your book category
6 Get your Kindle Ready files for publishing on Kindle.

Once your files have been reviewed you can review and proof your book
then order a physical proof of your book. We always recommend you do
this. 

You can’t just throw your book up on Amazon and hope its greatness will shine through the thousands of other books your target readers are viewing.

Checklist 5 takes you through your marketing plan. If you missed the Publishing Your Book checklist yesterday here it is.

You can copy and paste the checklist below or if you’d like the full list of 18 checklists in printable (PDF) format, just send me your email address below and you’ll be able to download immediately. 

Project Name: _____________________________ Date: ________________________

                                                                                                                                            Yes             No
Book Marketing Assets:

1 Will you be marketing your book both online and offline?
2 Have you created your book marketing assets?
3 Have you made a list of your DREAM 100 targets for your book?
4 Have you created your book press kit?

You should make a list of at least 50-100 dream targets for your book.
Think podcast hosts, influencers, press journalists, partners, dream
clients and more – you will be sending them a free copy of your book. Your
book press kit will entail details of you, your book, sample chapters as well
as sample interview questions.

Book Marketing:

1 Have you a website/funnel built for your book?
2 Have you decided on a book sales model?
3 Have you decided how you will fulfil orders?
4 Have you high resolution images, banners posts for your book?
5 Have you a 3d mock-up of your book created?
6 Have you email marketing swipes created for your book?
7 Have you sent your book to your DREAM 100?
8 Have you collected testimonials and endorsements for your book?

When it comes to marketing and actually selling your book – you have a
number of options. You can sell your book at a normal price ($9.95 –
$19.95) or you can give your book away free and just charge shipping –
(highly recommended). Remember your book should only be the lead
in to your higher priced programs.

It’s never too late to fulfil that nagging ambition to see your name on the cover of a book. I was 54 when I published my first book and I never want to get used to the feeling I get when I hold a book I’ve written in my hands. 

Checklist # 4 is for when you’re publishing your book. If you’ve missed any of the other checlists you can start at the first one, Planning your book on this page. 

You can copy and paste the checklist below or if you’d like the full list of 18 checklists in printable (PDF) format, just send me your email address below and you’ll be able to download immediately. 

Project Name: _______________________________  Date: ____________________
                                                                                                                                      Yes No

Pre-Publishing Checklist:

1 Have you added a Table of Contents to your book?
2 Have you added a Copyright page to your book?
3 Have you added a testimonial, endorsement section?
4 Have you added an “About the Author” section?
5 Have you added a “Your Next Steps” section”
6 Have you added your ISBN to your copyright page?
7 Have you run a final proof check on your manuscript?
8 Have you run a final proof check on your book cover?

Print Book Checklist:

1 If you create a PDF file for uploading, all fonts must be printable and
embedded.
2 Pages are sized to match the Book size and are in the same orientation
(portrait or landscape)
3 Front matter (Title Page, Copyright, Acknowledgment, Table of Contents,
etc.) included in file
4 Images sized properly and inserted at 300dpi resolution
5 Margins, header/footer, and gutter are properly set

Ebook Checklist:

1 Word Files: Remove headers/footer/page numbering
2 Heading 1, Heading 2, Heading 3, are used to indicate titles, chapters,
and sub sections.
3 Heading 1 is used for Title (which must appear on the first line of the first
page)
4 All heading styles are used sequentially (1, 2. 3) in the document
5 All other text is in Normal Style
6 Automatic formatting turned off, and all automatically created elements
removed or added manually (Such as lists or numbering)
7 Images sized approximately 500 x 500 pixels, at 72dpi resolution, and
inserted “in line”
8 No text boxes or Borders.

Publishing Checklist:

1 Have you your book manuscript in a print ready PDF file?
2 Have you your book cover in a print ready PDF file?
3 Are you publishing your book on Amazon?
4 Are you publishing your book on Kindle?
5 Are you publishing your book on Nook?
6 Are you publishing your book on LULU?
7 Are you publishing your book on Apple Books?
8 Have you your book title, subtitle and description, testimonials and your
bio in a separate document for ease of access?

When it comes to publishing your book at a bare minimum we recommend
you publish on Amazon(via Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) in both
paperback and Kindle formats. You may also want to publish on the other
distribution sites to reach more audiences.

If you’re a writer you know your book will be judged by its cover. No pressure then. This Checklist takes you through the steps to producing an attention-getting cover.

You can copy and paste the checklist below or if you’d like the full list of 18 checklists in printable (PDF) format, just send me your email address below and you’ll have them by return. 

Otherwise, check back tomorrow for the Publishing Your Book checklist. You can catch up here on yesterday’s checklist Writing Your Book

 Project Name: ______________________________________Date:______________

Cover Planning:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Yes           No

1 Have you saved 5-12 book covers from Amazon for inspiration?

2 Have you “mapped” out or drawn your cover on plain white paper?

3 Have you sourced a designer for your book?

4 Have you decided on a cover size? (6×9 is most common)

For book cover design, don’t skimp here. We DO judge a book by its
cover. Freelancer sites like UpWork, Freelancer have great designers.

Cover Design:

1 Have you designed your cover in full (front, back and spine)?

2 Is your cover in print ready format at 300Dpi

3 Have you resized your cover and spine to fit the number of pages?

4 Have you added your book cover copy and description to the back?

5 Have you added a short bio and bio photo to the back cover?

6 Have you added your barcode to the back of the book?

7 Have you added the book title, subtitle and your name to the front?

8 Have you added your book title and your name to the spine?

9 Have you created a kindle cover version for your book?

For your back cover we recommend you state the book category at the
top, then have a headline, benefit driven description of the book, 5-7 bullet
points, a testimonial, and a short bio on you along with a photo, your
website and the book barcode. For resizing your cover, and spine to fit the
number of pages in your book and to generate a barcode for your book
we recommend you use www.bookow.com It’s free and instant. You
simply enter your book details and hit generate.