Think you’re ready to self-publish your eBook? Great! We’re here to help, and this eBook checklist will help you get off on the right foot in your journey from your laptop to the marketplace. Note: many of these items are needed for printed book production as well.

Manuscript

That’s your book, of course.

• Before you submit, we highly recommend you get your manuscript professionally edited.


• Digital file types. We prefer Word (.doc, .docx) or InDesign files (.ind), but we also accept .pdf, .rtf, .txt, .pages, html, and .qxl files.

Download our free guide on preparing your files.

Book Cover

• Book cover design. If you need professional book cover design services, we offer eBook cover design. You fill out a questionnaire to provide the cover designer with information about your book and design ideas, and you can upload images you want used or to provide inspiration to the designer. The more detail you can give them the better.


• If you want to provide a design, the digital files types we accept are .jpg, .tif, or .png files in RGB mode.


• Resolution. Recommended file resolution is 300 dpi, but we will accept 150 dpi.


• Size. Image needs to be 1400 pixels wide by 2100 pixels high. Must be a rectangle, not square.

Distribution Information

Also called your metadata, this is all the important information about your book.

• Author’s name. That’s you. Plus you can add in additional names of others who have contributed to your book.


• Author bio. Writing a great author bio takes time and effort, and it’s more important than you think! A strong bio can and can impact sales, your reputation, and often determines how many reviews your book may attract. One of the main factors that influence a book buying decision is “author reputation.” If your bio can establish yourself as an authority on your book topic, readers will be much more likely to buy and read your book. Try to limit yourself to 75 to 100 words. For more inspiration, read “How To Write A Great Author Bio That Will Connect With Readers.”


• Book title and subtitle.


• Book language.


• Is this book part of a series?


• Book description. Even more important than your bio, your book description might be the most important sales pitch of your literary career. Indie authors often fail to take the necessary time and effort to craft strong promotional copy. Every word and idea should work to attract readers and close the sale. If you don’t feel comfortable with this kind of writing, hire or solicit someone to help you. A well-crafted book description is also invaluable for your author website and other marketing and promotion materials. You’ll need two versions: a short description (50 to 2,000 characters) and a long description (250 to 4,000 characters). They can be the same, but why not take advantage of the opportunity to craft two different versions? Read “Five Tips For Writing A Book Description That Isn’t A Bore” for pointers


• Main subject and sub genre. You don’t have to come up with this on your own. You’ll be presented with a huge list of possible subjects and genres. Choose what most closely describes your book.


• Keywords. You can list up to seven keywords used to search for your book. We offer a free guide to help you find your very best keywords to attract buyers


• ISBN: Do you have your own ISBN? List it here. Or you can buy through BookBaby. You’ll also need any ISBNs of previously printed versions if that applies.


• Explicit content. Yes or no.


• DRM Do you want DRM (Digital Rights Management)? We recommend against it and here’s why.


• Pricing. Here’s another area that merits some consideration. Here are a few ideas for you to ponder.


• On sale date. When should your book be available for sale?


• Distribution partners. Where do you want your eBook sold? The default setting is to include all BookBaby partners. If you already distribute directly through Kindle/KDP, simply uncheck that button and we’ll send your book everywhere else.


• Distribution Territories. The default is again set to all countries. Only change if there are countries/territories you do not want your book distributed to.

Related Posts
Why Do You Need Professional Editing For Your Novel?
If You Don’t Pay For Book Editing, It’s Going To Cost You
Book Cover Design Tips For Independent Authors
Sell Them With Your Cover Design
Tell Your Book’s Story With Metadata
How To Write A Great Author Bio That Will Connect With Readers
Five Tips For Writing A Book Description That Isn’t A Bore
Your ISBN: Answers To Frequently Asked Questions
Who’s Stealing eBooks? (And Why You Shouldn’t Worry About Piracy)
The eBook Price Is Right. Or Is It?

About Steven Spatz

Steven Spatz is an author, marketer, and the President of BookBaby.