Your Guide to Self-Publish Like a Pro

There's a moment in every self-publishing journey when something shifts. At first, it's all about the content—the characters, plot twists, and thrills for novelists; the facts, true stories, and wisdom for nonfiction writers. No matter the genre, in the beginning, most authors just want to finish their first draft. This goal typically dominates the first phase of a self-publisher's journey.

Once you've finished all levels of editing, sent your manuscript off to layout, and received the first version of your interior book file back as a PDF (called a digital proof), you enter an important new phase of your publishing journey. Add your front cover to the top of that file, and you now have a key asset to share—an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC). For authors, ARCs are one of the most effective tools for building prelaunch buzz, gathering early reviews, and creating a strong foundation for a successful book launch and optimal sales.

Fall is publishing’s biggest season—and smart authors know that early buzz can make or break a book launch.

One of the most common questions we are asked here at Bublish is, "If I'm launching my book in six months, what should I be doing now?"

If you’re an indie author using social media to connect with readers, you’ve probably heard the phrase “link in bio.” This refers to the link you can add to your various social profiles. Most social media platforms allow only one link. While it may seem like a small detail in today’s digital book marketplace, this link is prime real estate and an effective way to connect the dots for readers.

On June 10, 2025, Amazon/KDP will be updating its royalty rates and printing costs for certain print books. Here’s a quick overview of what’s changing and what you may need to do.

Readers love a good bargain, so one way to drive discoverability and book sales is to run a price promotion. This typically means dropping the price of your eBook to free, $0.99, or $2.99 for a limited time—say 2 to 3 days. The lower price attracts more buyers, while the temporary nature of the promotion creates a sense of urgency to make the purchase. At Bublish, our price promotion partner is Bargain Booksy. They specialize in building large email lists of readers across many categories, and for an affordable price can blast your price promotion out to those readers. 

As the days grow shorter and the air gets crisper, the creative excitement of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is just around the corner! If you’ve ever wanted...

Amazon has recently changed the way it manages best-seller badges, and the move has some big implications for authors. So, today, let's unpack what these policy changes mean and how authors can still leverage best-seller status and assets to their advantage.

As a self-publisher, you are ultimately responsible for shepherding your book through the publishing process—from writing and editing to design, formatting, and distribution. Whether you work with freelancers or an end-to-end self-publishing partner like Bublish, you are still in charge and should maintain all rights to your intellectual property. We take this obligation very seriously at Bublish.

That's why it's so important to acquire and safeguard your book's source files, which are part of that intellectual property. These files—the originals that contain the full text, formatting, cover art, and other essential elements and specifications—are invaluable assets that many self-publishers fail to acquire from service providers. Many self-publishers don't even know that there's a difference between their distributed files and source files. Unfortunately, not acquiring or understanding rights around source files is a mistake that can come back to haunt self-publishers down the road.