How to Write A Book and Self-Publish (2022)

Have you ever wanted to write a book? If so, now is the time. In 2022, you can write a book and self-publish it. You have more opportunities than ever to get your book into the hands of readers around the world. 

The first step? Decide what kind of book you want to write and how you’ll publish it. 

In this article, I’ll show you how to self-publish a paperback on Amazon, using Amazon’s print-on-demand service, KDP Print.

How to write your book in one month

To write a book in one month, you’ll need to start by having an idea for a book.

If you don’t have an idea for your own book yet, consider writing a nonfiction book that helps readers with some aspect of their lives. Are there any topics or questions people ask you about over and over again? 

Those are great topics for books because people are already interested in them! 

Once you have an idea for your book and have done some preliminary research into what it takes to publish it, then it’s time to start working on planning out how long the process will take so that you can stay on track and write without getting distracted by other projects.

Set a schedule to write 1,000-3,000 words a day. I’ve outlined the process of writing 1,000 words a day here If you are really ambitious you can have your manuscript done with focused dedication.

How to Find the Perfect Book Idea for YOU

When you are planning on writing a book, there are certain things to consider.

• Choose a topic that you feel passionate about and can write about.
• Choose an idea that you can promote into the future
• Choose a niche that you are curious and interested in
• Write the book in a month.

It is important to remember that the goal of self-publishing is not necessarily to make money; it’s more about creating your own path, having fun and getting published. 

You will likely receive very little money from selling your book directly; it really depends on how well it sells or whether someone buys the rights to publish it (more on this later).

Having said that, a book is still a valuable source of income that can add up.

How to Discover the Bestselling Books in your Niche

Once you’ve narrowed down the niche and the topic of your book, it’s time to find out what would be a popular book in that niche. Here are some ways you can do this:

• Amazon bestseller lists
• Amazon search bar
• Google Trends
• Google Keyword Tool (for keyword research)
• Amazon’s Kindle store (to see what features are popular with readers)

If you’re writing fiction or nonfiction about a specific topic, then consider using one of these sites for more information on what people are searching for:

• [Amazon’s Keyword Tool](https://keywordsuggestions.amazon.com/) (free!) – See which keywords have the most clicks and searches through a given month/year. 
• You’ll also get an idea of how many people were searching for each keyword during that period of time. 
• For example, if someone types “how to write a book” into Google and clicks on one result, there will probably be more people who did the same thing! 
• Use this data as inspiration when creating your own marketing plan later on in this chapter.”

Get your first draft done and dusted

The next step is to make a list of all the things you need to do before you get your first draft done and dusted. Here’s what I suggest:

• Avoid worrying about publishing too early on. You can do this later when you have an idea of how long your book will be, what type it will be (fiction or nonfiction), who your target audience is, and so on.
• Don’t worry about what content goes in the book yet. Just write down any ideas, thoughts, or stories that come into your head at this stage – there will be plenty of time for editing later!
• Leave spelling, grammar, or punctuation for later. Just write whatever comes to mind without worrying about anything else!
• Making deciding the title a special process for later. They are easier said than done! Personally, I find that titles come naturally once I know who my readership is going to be… so don’t worry too much if nothing comes immediately; just keep jotting down words until something strikes gold eventually!

Hire an editor and proofreader (if you want)

• Hire an editor and proofreader (if you want).
• How to find an editor
• How to find a proofreader
• What to look for in an editor and proofreader
• How to find out if an editor or proofreader is any good.

Pick a book title and subtitle that sell books

The title of your book is crucial to the success of your book. Whether you’re self-publishing or not, the title can be a make-or-break moment for readers. 

They need to know at first glance what kind of content they will find inside.

• Make sure it is clear and concise. 
• The title should communicate clearly what the book is about before they even open up the cover page! 
• This is why it’s best to avoid using too many words in your titles (and subtitles).
• Make sure it is a good fit for your book. 
• You also want your topic and genre selection to match up well with this new title—in other words, don’t choose a boring-sounding topic just because you think its name might sell books better than something more exciting-sounding (and vice versa).
• If people aren’t going to enjoy reading about something then what’s the point?

Pick an ISBN for Your Book

ISBNs are the international standard for identifying books. 

They’re a unique identifier that helps readers find their way to your book, and they help you more easily get your work into stores and libraries. 

Each country has its own ISBN system. If you want to sell your book internationally, it’s best to check with each country’s publisher association for its guidelines on how to apply for an ISBN (or “ISBN”).

In the U.S., there are two systems: RUID (Reverse Unique Identifier) and LCCN (Library of Congress Control Number). 

Both cost $125 per title through Bowker, which is responsible for issuing U.S.-based ISBNs (you’ll need this number when applying for a Library of Congress card). You can also buy ISBNs in bulk if you plan to publish more.

The benefit of having an ISBN? It makes it easier to market your book by making sure that everyone can find it easily online—and then buy it! 

The drawback? Having one adds yet another marketing tool to your arsenal that costs money up front but may not bring in any extra income later on down the road unless someone else has already done all the hard work getting people excited about reading about what makes them tick before they’ve ever heard about yours being released onto shelves near theirs.”

Design your own book cover (or hire a pro)

You’ve got a great idea for a book, and you’re ready to bring it to life. 

You’ve written your manuscript, edited it until your eyes bleed (if you haven’t hired someone else to do that), and now it’s time to publish. 

There’s just one problem: you don’t really know anything about book cover design.

You might have heard that designing your own book cover is easy, but I’m here to tell you that’s not true at all! 

If there were any part of the self-publishing process where DIYing was warranted—and let me be clear, there are many parts where doing it yourself isn’t worth the risk—this would probably be one of them.

The good news is that hiring professional designers doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg (or even half an arm). 

In fact, if this is something that really excites you as much as writing does (and if we’re being honest here, who wouldn’t want their name on something like this?), then perhaps investing in some design services will help take some of the burden off so that attention can shift back towards completing other aspects of publishing (like marketing).

Format your book for paperback and Kindle (or hire a pro)

Once you’ve written your book, it’s time to format it. 

This can be done by using a free program like Calibre, Word, Google Docs or some of the writing software programs mentioned in this article.

You can look up tutorials and follow their instructions each on how to format for Kindle and paperback. 

If you want someone else to do this for you, then hire a professional who knows what they are doing.

Make your book available on Amazon and other online retailers

Once you’ve finished writing your book, you can make it available on Amazon and other online retailers. 

Along with selling the content of your book directly from the site, Amazon offers a number of different ways to sell your book:

• You can make it available in paperback and Kindle.
• You can make it available on other online retailers. If you want to reach an audience that primarily uses Apple products or Android devices, for example, this is a great option for doing so.
• You can make it available in hardcover. This might be worthwhile if there’s a larger amount of money involved than just printing out copies at home (eBook vs Print).
• And finally: audio!

Self-publish a paperback on Amazon, using Amazon’s print-on-demand service, KDP Print

If you want to publish a paperback, the first thing you’ll need to do is submit your manuscript and cover art files. Your book must be in Word or PDF format. 

You can create both of these with free online tools, like Google Docs and Canva.

Once your book and cover are submitted, Amazon will review them for quality and format errors. If they pass muster, they’ll then be made available on Amazon in paperback! 

Once your book becomes available on Amazon as an ebook (and/or paperback), customers can purchase it directly through KDP Print or through CreateSpace (a separate service offered by Amazon).

I hope this article has given you some of the confidence to write your book. I also hope that it has shown you how easy it is to self-publish, and how much money can be made with a little hard work.