How to Save On Self-Publishing on Kindle

Aside from finishing a manuscript after all the time and sweat put into writing it, one of the biggest dreams of an author is finally publishing their work. Now, when you have a publisher, submitting your manuscript and signing those legal documents, the publishing process is a breeze, since you can focus on your writing while the experts handle the rest. However, for those who are looking towards self-publishing, the concept of paying a few thousands of dollars to edit, format and design your book can be scary. As a person who has published on Amazon, without spending a single dollar to do so, here are a couple of tips to help you save your hard-earned money.

Canva for Book Cover Designs

Here are some examples of the templates Canva offers, including two of the book covers I designed.

One of the principal aspects of a book that are integral to attracting consumers is the book cover, and I find Canva is the ideal took for that. The website offers a wide selection of distinct book cover templates for you to use for inspiration for what you want your reads to see. The website has various photos, elements and fonts for you to choose from to ensure that the book covers you design relate to your book and resonate with your readers. Another benefit of the app is that it offers the perfect size for your book cover when you click create, along with other forms of media you may use for promoting your book, i.e. posters, business cards, etc.

I must note that one particular downside to using the book cover measurements provided by Canva, is that it is only compatible with eBooks, and not a paperback which requires a front and back cover. Hence, after doing some research, I found the perfect size to help guide you to making the perfect book cover. If you plan to publish a paperback, click custom for the size and input 13.045 x 9.25 inches. I also included a template below to give you an idea of how the book cover will look.

Editing: Grammarly, ProWriting Aid and Paper Rater

Although we love writing and, for the most part, are relatively great at it, we are still prone to errors. Hence, if you are worried about missing any spelling errors or a sentence that could use some better phrasing, a wonderful tool to use is Grammarly. Since I came across the website, it has been my best friend for everything, whether it be editing the next chapter of my book or for essays for school. The website also has a thesaurus available, enabling you to have access to various synonyms when you double click on your chosen word. You can also customize your goals for the type of audience you are writing for, what the intention is behind it, and the tone. Additionally, Grammarly has an in-built feature that gives you an evaluation of what age range can understand your writing, along with bars at the side that indicate the level of clarity, correctness and engagement in your piece.

However, as much as I love Grammarly, there is one downside to the website, and that is that certain features require a monthly payment to be used. Not to worry, though, as you can also use the website, ProWritingAid to fix the mistakes that Grammarly wouldn’t. You can also download ProWritingAid on your computer, where you can use its features to check any day-to-day writing. Another great tool to use is Paper Rater, as it not only checks your spelling and grammar but also evaluates your word choice, style, passive voice misuse, vocabulary and of course a grade to represent the quality of your submission. Like the aforementioned websites, this website also offers you a choice of what type of document you are submitting, (i.e. short story, essay, article, etc.), as well as, what grade you may be in if you are hoping to use it for academic purposes. Overall, I am grateful to be able to use these websites when polishing my writing, and I am sure you will too.

Formatting: Kindle Create

As you have completed your manuscript, an important next step before publishing is formatting your book to give it the professional look. Although many of you many know that you can upload your document to Kindle and they will format the book for you, if you are hoping to customize it to your liking, a good choice is to download the Kindle Create app, as it will offer you various options for the front and back matter for your book, the theme, the colour of your subtitles for your eBook, and anything else you would find in a published novel. One flaw I noticed, however, was the absence of the feature that informs you of which page you are on, meaning you may not know how long your manuscript is until you publish it. Luckily, Kindle also has Kindle Previewer, which can show you what your pages look like and give you an idea of your novel’s length. Keep in mind that you can only see the file on Kindle and Amazon products, meaning you cannot view it on Google or Microsoft. Ultimately, the Kindle Create app is excellent for formatting and has done an excellent job which I have come to see when I received the paperback after ordering it on Amazon.

Conclusion

Overall, these tools have played a tremendous impact in helping me refine my novel to be what it is today. I highly suggest using these websites and apps, as they will offer you the guidelines needed to give your book that professional look which your readers will appreciate. Also, feel free tp comment below what you thought of these features and follow me on Instagram @anjd17.