The Path to Publishing: A Guide for New Authors

A question I’ve been asked many times over the years is how I publish. When I started writing back in 2020, I admit that I had no clue what publishing looked like (or writing, for that matter, as I would soon discover). But my core purpose was clear: to write stories full of the values I wanted my kids to see, stories they would love. That’s why my first piece of advice when it comes to publishing is simple but crucial: Don’t do it for the money.

Yes, you can make money eventually, but for most indie and traditional authors, it’ll be a long road to get there. If you want to sustain your writing journey, you need to know your “why” beyond income.

Understanding Your Publishing Options

Before we dive into the nitty-gritty of writing and publishing, let’s talk about the two main paths you can take. Traditional publishing means working with established publishing houses – they handle the costs, provide professional editing, and offer marketing support. But you’ll need to find an agent first, and you’ll have less creative control over your work.

Then there’s independent (or indie) publishing, the path I chose. You maintain complete creative control and earn higher royalties per book, but you’re responsible for all the upfront costs and marketing. It’s a faster route to market, but every decision – and every task – falls on your shoulders.

The Writing Journey: Your First Steps

Let me share something I learned early on: don’t do this alone. Even if you write your first draft in solitary confinement (as many of us do), the quicker you can plug into a small, trusted group of other writers, the better. I mention Mosaic Writing Group in almost every blog post and in the acknowledgments of everything I’ve written. Community is that important to every single step of the process.

During these early stages, I’m a big fan of “always be learning.” I listened to Brandon Sanderson’s course on writing (which he shares generously for free on YouTube), podcasts like Fiction Writing Made Easy and Novel Marketing, and devoured books like Save the Cat Writes a Novel and Everybody Writes. But here’s an important tip: don’t listen to so much that you get paralyzed. Pick a few resources, learn what you can, and keep moving forward.

Writing Your Book: The Real Deal

Let’s talk about what actually happens when you sit down to write. Your first draft? It’s going to be ugly. That’s okay – it’s supposed to be. Whether you start with an outline (if you’re a plotter) or dive straight in (if you’re a pantser), the key is getting that entire first draft down without editing as you go.

I use Scrivener for my first drafts, but you can use whatever works for you – pen and paper, Word, Google Docs, anything. Some writers prefer to complete their entire first draft before showing it to anyone. That’s fine, but I found that sharing a chapter a week with my writing group kept me accountable and gave me early feedback that proved invaluable.

Personal Note: In my first book, I only kept about 10% of what I wrote in my first draft. That’s pretty extreme, I admit, but I had a lot to learn. Things got better with my second book.

The Editing Marathon

Here’s where things get serious – and potentially expensive. Professional editing isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s essential. There are different types: developmental editing (looking at big-picture story elements), copy editing (grammar and spelling), and line editing (style and clarity). For my first book, I went through four complete drafts before even reaching the beta reader stage. My second book needed fewer rounds, but still required multiple passes.

Beta readers are your secret weapon – they’re not just friends and family, but neutral readers who can give you honest feedback about what works and what doesn’t. Their input led to some of the most important improvements in my books.

The Indie Publishing Path: What It Really Takes

If you choose to go indie like I did, here’s what you need to know about the costs and processes:

Professional Editing

Remember when I said it gets expensive? Professional editing is your first big investment, typically ranging from $500 to over $1,000. Don’t try to skip this step – neither your own brain nor Grammarly can replace a professional editor’s expertise.

Cover Design

This is your next major investment, and again, don’t try to cut corners. Unless you’re a trained graphic designer, budget at least a few hundred dollars for your cover. You’ll need different versions for ebook and paperback formats, and potentially more if you plan to do hardcover or audiobook versions.

Other Needs

Other things you’ll need before publishing: ISBNs (based on the country you publish in, for the U.S. this is Bowker, and you’ll need a separate ISBN for each format of your book), author bio, back matter, blurb/description, marketing materials (website, social media, newsletter). You’ll also need to format your book. While you can pay someone for this, I found tools like Atticus (I have a Windows machine) or Vellum (Mac only) easy to use.

Publish!

There are two main platforms I recommend using: Amazon and IngramSpark (which covers all other retailers from places like Barnes and Noble to indie bookstores to libraries). The publishing part is actually “free” because I think even Ingram has removed their costs at this point. Be forewarned that there are a million little decisions you’ll need to make in this process: publish date, categories, price, and many others. One of the big decisions for ebooks is whether you want to be part of Kindle Unlimited – which means you cannot have your ebook available anywhere else. I started in KU, but ended up coming out of it because I eventually want to sell books direct on my website and elsewhere.

The Reality of Earnings

I don’t mean to start and end this blog with money talk, but I think it’s important to be transparent about what you can expect to earn. For my roughly 80,000-word books, the printing costs alone are $6-7 per book. After various platform fees and discounts, I make about $3 per book sold on Amazon and roughly 25 cents through IngramSpark.

There’s a group I belong to called 20booksto50K. It’s built on the premise that it takes about 20 books to build a sustainable income. For me, this is my retirement plan: publishing 20 books before I leave the corporate world (~1 per year).

Why It’s All Worth It

Let me end where we began – with your “why.” My author brand crystallized around “Writing to Uplift the Future.” This drives everything I do, from story selection to marketing decisions. When you’re clear about your purpose, the challenges of publishing become steps on your journey rather than obstacles in your path.

Stories are important. Whether you choose traditional or indie publishing, remember that your words have the power to impact readers’ lives. That’s worth every bit of effort this journey requires.

---

Want to learn more about publishing or share your own journey? Drop a comment below or sign up for my newsletter. I’d love to hear your story.