Publishing Pay to Play or Slay | Tips to Publsih for Free

In the last month or so, perhaps longer ago—who even knows anymore, life seems to be going at turbo speed for me right now—I connected with Paul aka P.S. Davis who admins one of the biggest and best (this label is highly subjective since we are somewhat biased) ARC (Advance Reader Copy) groups on Facebook. Since then, it’s been a boatload of fun and games, and y’all! You would not believe some of the shenanigans that go on!! But I digress…

Paul is wonderful. And he’s a big believer is helping newbie and indie authors. He’s brought so much structure and discipline to the group, and it shows in the quality of the interactions.

One of the things he’s implemented is sharing publishing tips, etc., with the group as there are as many authors as there are readers in the group, and there’s always someone new asking writing or publishing questions.

In doing so, one of his regular contributions is a post about tips to publish for free. I’m going to admit that I’m not one for checklists or lists in general when it comes to publishing because everyone is different, and therefore their needs are different. However, there are some basic fundamentals we can share and learn from.

And just to be clear, while this isn't the Deanna’s World Author Services business model, I'm a huge believer in the free and generous resources that so many people contribute to the writing community.

With that said, I have—with Paul’s permission—provided his list of tips to publish for free verbatim. All credit for this information goes to Paul. I have (though I’m not a fan of checklists) for my contribution to this effort, included after Paul’s tips, a list of most of the things a writer needs to do to get published whether they do it themselves or they do it with the help of other service providers such as editors, cover designers, or even someone like myself—a publishing partner.

So without much further ado…

Paul’s Tips to Publish for Free

Tips to publish for free:

As part of my commitment to prevent or lower the risk of scams I have written some tips of things I found useful.

Publishing, whether traditional or self-publishing, does not have to cost you a cent. This is the most important thing you can know regardless of the stage of publishing you're in.

There are paid services available, and you might choose to outsource tasks like editing or cover design. That’s entirely optional, but highly advised that you get editing done professionally. If you’re considering editing support, feel free to reach out to Breanna Egan, Author & Editor for more advice.

For book covers, you can get a design for as little as $25 through services like GetCovers. I’m not affiliated with them, but I’ve had work done there and found it reliable.

Formatting can also be outsourced, but it's completely doable on your own using programs like Word or tools such as Atticus. The formatting instructions provided by KDP are straightforward and easy to follow.

Self-Publishing:

Use platforms such as Amazon KDP and Draft2Digital (among others) to publish your books in both print and digital formats.

Note: D2D are now implementing a fee to cut back on AI-authored books. It was only a matter of time before this happened.

I’m not affiliated with Draft2Digital, but I do use them and have found their service to be excellent. One advantage they offer over KDP is the ability to send author copies while your book is still in pre-order. This feature is particularly useful for authors sending paperbacks to ARC readers.

Use Amazon KDP for your Kindle ebook, as well as for paperback and hardback editions. However, avoid Amazon’s Expanded Distribution option. Instead, use Draft2Digital for wider distribution of both paperbacks and ebooks.

Both platforms are completely free to use.

Traditional Publishing:

If you want to pursue traditional publishing, your best first step is to secure a literary agent. Two of the most common tools for this are Manuscript Wishlist (MSWL) and QueryTracker (QT), both are free to use.

With MSWL, be aware that listings are not always up to date. Always verify submission details on the agent’s official website before sending anything. QT, on the other hand, is widely regarded as reliable and well-maintained. You can also choose to donate $25 per year to unlock additional features, which many authors find worthwhile.

No matter which service you use, follow the submission guidelines closely. Many agents will reject your work without reading it if your query package is incorrect. Most expect the first three chapters or up to 50 pages, along with a synopsis, a one-line hook or blurb, and a short bio.

The golden rule of publishing is simple: it should not cost you money. If you’re looking at a service that charges to publish your book, it is most likely a hybrid or vanity press. Both options are risky and often expensive. Always do your research first. Check Writer's Beware, ALLi's Watchdog Desk or Writers Weekly blogs to investigate any company before paying for any form of publishing.

That Checklist You Didn’t Ask For

Wasn’t that a fabulous list of tips from Paul. Massive thank you to Paul for putting the effort into making this available to everyone.

And if you like lists, here’s a handy dandy but not exhaustive checklist which follows the publishing lifecycle I’ve detailed on my Author Services page. If you want more detailed descriptive information, you can check it out there.

I am also including this as a downloadable PDF document for anyone who wishes to have a printed copy, but it’s also available as its own checklist here.

An Author’s Start-to-Finish Publishing Checklist

Concept Brainstorming: Building from a "flicker of an idea" to a concrete story structure, and determining if the story will be a standalone or a multi-book series.
Deep Research: Researching and verifying historical, technical, scientific, or cultural nuances for authenticity in the storytelling.
World Building: Designing fully realized and internally consistent worlds or (magic) systems. Even modern and contemporary settings without magic or sci-fi require some form of world building.
Publishing Path: Determining long term publishing career goals and choosing between traditional vs indie publishing.
Drafting the Manuscript: Writing the first draft of the manuscript.
Alpha Reading: Getting early feedback on core story elements before the manuscript is polished.
Developmental Editing: High-level sculpting of plot, pacing, world-building, and character arcs.
Beta Reading: Gathering feedback from readers who fit the profile of the target audience to identify any remaining confusion or plot holes.
Line Editing: Sentence-level refining to tighten prose and ensure the writer’s unique voice remains consistent and engaging.
Copy Editing: Meticulous checking for grammar, punctuation, and spelling to industry standards (typically Chicago Manual of Style). This can sometimes be combined with line editing, depending on the editor selected and their process.
Fact-Checking: A final pass to ensure all technical or historical details within the narrative are accurate.
Cover Design: Iterative design of an eye-catching, genre-appropriate cover that serves as a book’s primary marketing tool.
Interior Formatting (Print): Setting professional margins, fonts, and headings to meet printer and distributor requirements.
Ebook Formatting: Ensuring correct display and functionality across major platforms like Kindle, Kobo, Nook, etc.
Proofreading: The final check for lingering typos or layout glitches once the book is in its final production format.
Typo Hunting: A dedicated quality gate check to ensure the reader’s experience is completely seamless.
Blurb and Metadata Optimization: Writing compelling copy that captures the emotional essence of the book while optimizing keywords for search.
ARC Team Distribution: Building an ARC team for advance readers and early reviews.
Identifier Acquisition (ISBNs): Purchasing and assigning ISBNs to ensure book ownership and control over the "Publisher" metadata.
Copyright, and Legal Review: Determining whether to copyright the book upon completion—required for US copyright registration to prove ownership. Many other countries provide free automatic copyright recognition upon publication.
Retail Sales Platform Selection, Setup, and Upload: Choosing between Amazon KDP Select versus wide distribution (Amazon,Google, Draft2Digital, IngramSpark) and managing the technical upload of ISBNs, metadata, and files.
Asset Creation for Marketing: Producing graphics and video content for social media marketing.
Author Website & Newsletter Creation/Update: Updating the author website with the book information if the website already exists, setting up newsletter platform, etc.
Release Management: Coordinating the technical launch, newsletter blasts, and release-day promotions.

But Wait, There’s More…

If you’ve read the heading above and thought “WTH Deanna, what do you mean there’s more? Isn’t that enough?” Yes, that’s enough, but alas, yes, there’s still more. Because to make writing and authoring a career, you NEED to treat it like a business and bring discipline to it.

Think of everything I’ve mentioned as prepping and then planting a veggie or fruit garden—Deanna, a fruit garden is called an orchard! You’ve planted your seeds or your seedlings, and now they are ready to grow and bear fruit. But guess what? It’s not going to happen if you don’t tend the garden, water it, weed it, fertilize it, keep the insects, birds, and other predators away from it, and then maybe you’ll get to eat those veggies and fruits.

I am not saying any of the above to scare you. But I want you to set realistic expectations. Because after the book is published, you need to find readers, go where your audience is, market your book, advertise, AND most importantly, write the next book.

The biggest and best marketing tool you have in your arsenal is to WRITE THE NEXT BOOK.

Seriously, everything else while important is secondary. Especially if you’re reading this because you’re a newbie or debut author. Nothing will sell your books more than having another book or a robust backlist for your readers to glom. That is the nature of the modern reader.

As for all the rest? Well, my advice is to always go where your energy is so that you don’t burn out, and you have the creativity left to actually write that next book.

That’s it. It’s as simple and as complex as that.

And it’s also a lot of moving parts, so be smart about which parts you choose to do yourself vs what you choose to outsource. Play to your strengths. Outsource the rest if you can.

One Final Thought

Back in the day when I first started in publishing, I chatted with an author friend of mine and I asked (because I knew nothing back then) how many books would it take to make a living as an author full time. Her response was six books. Now, bear in mind, this was about fifteen years ago. Things have changed since then. And readers have changed.

We are now in the bingeing Netflix era. This does not apply only to TV shows. It also applies to books. Readers want series. Readers want completed series. Readers want to find something they love and binge everything by that author. And if you’re self-publishing or even newly trad published (because unless you’ve already got a huge, viral following), that first book, that one book isn’t going to pay the bills.

Hence why I always say, the best thing you can do for your author career is to write the next book.

These days, based on discussions I’ve had and what industry experts are saying, the number to gain real traction is closer to twenty or thirty books. That’s A LOT of books. This is why I say being a career author is a long game. Because if you are serious about making this into your career: (One) Don’t quit your day job—I say this with an abundance of kindness, and (Two) Write that next book, and the next, and the next, and then write another one.

Most of my authors write and publish three to four books a year. A couple of them write and publish more than that, but that’s because they’ve been at it for a long time and already have a process and formula that works for them. And no, none of my authors use machines to do their writing for them. I know this because I spend countless hours editing their work. If they did, I’d know.

And you know what? It’s still hard to gain traction. It’s still hard to find an audience. It’s still hard to reach readers. One of my authors is writing the last book in his crime thriller series. There’s currently four books out, and a fifth one on the way. But there’s no point throwing money into advertising till that last book is out. And then it’s straight onto writing the next book. There’s no resting on the laurels of that one finished series. But I might have some chocolate to celebrate!

One last time, repeat after me—WRITE THE NEXT BOOK.

Let’s Chat!

I sincerely hope that this has been helpful for you. If you’re in need of ARC readers, I recommend you check out the ARC group I mentioned above. It’s a great group and we try to keep it as nonsense free as possible. It’s called ARC Readers/Authors/Reviewers. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the topic, so if you have any comments, insights, or questions, or even further tips on indie publishing that Paul and I might have left out, drop us a comment below. You can also find me on Substack (I hang out there most these days), through my newsletter, via email, or on Facebook.