What Publishing My First Book Actually Looked Like
I self-published my very first book on April 21st, and I need to talk about it because wow… I was absolutely in for it.
Let’s go over what I did, how I made it work, what worked well, what I would change, and the reality of what publishing week actually looked like for me.
Knowing what I could — and could not — do myself
Leading up to publication, I knew one thing for sure: I wanted to put my absolute best work out there. I also knew something equally important. I had absolutely no idea how to professionally edit a book or design a cover.
Listen. I see you indie authors out there doing literally everything yourselves, and I admire that so much. Truly. But one of my strengths has always been knowing where my actual strengths are, and for me, that was the writing itself.
So I wrote the manuscript, hired an editor, and hired a cover artist. In my opinion? Completely worth it.
Knowing your strengths is just as important as knowing when to ask for help.
The setup process took much longer than I expected
From there, I got my manuscript uploaded everywhere it needed to go. I knew early on that I wanted wide distribution, which also meant dealing with multiple platforms, different approval timelines, cover requirements, formatting issues, and all the glamorous little backend surprises nobody tells you about beforehand.
I also wanted enough time to:
- Approve physical proof copies
- Market the book before launch
- Reach out to local storefronts
- Plan launch content
- Actually breathe for five seconds before publication day
I ended up publishing through Amazon KDP, IngramSpark, and Draft2Digital because I wanted the widest distribution possible. I had everything uploaded and submitted by the beginning of March, including ordering proof copies.
That entire process alone took about a month between approvals, revisions, waiting for proofs to arrive, checking formatting, reviewing cover margins, and approving everything manually.
The random obstacle I absolutely was not expecting
Once I was finally happy with everything, I scheduled the publication date for April 21st.
Then came the random snag.
Amazon KDP would not allow me to schedule the future publication date because the system kept flagging duplicate ISBN issues. After a lot of panicked Googling and forum searching, I learned this may have happened because I also had the book uploaded to IngramSpark with a future release date.
The solution ended up being fairly simple. I just had to physically go in on April 20th and hit “Publish Now” myself instead of scheduling it ahead of time.
Small potatoes in the grand scheme of things, but definitely one of those moments where I stared at my screen wondering if the entire launch was about to implode.
Nobody talks enough about how much troubleshooting comes with self-publishing.
The biggest reality check
Now for the biggest reality check of all.
I did not have some giant, glamorous launch week.
I had already sold 65+ copies through family, friends, and preorders to help fund editing and cover design costs. By the time publication day actually arrived, most people in my immediate circle who wanted the book already had it.
That meant I was suddenly relying on Amazon Ads, paid promos, social media marketing, and organic discovery.
And here’s the brutally honest truth: those things do not instantly explode your sales overnight.
They help. They matter. They absolutely can work over time. I’ve gotten sales from them, and I’m incredibly grateful for every single order that comes through.
But I think I went into launch week expecting one of those picture-perfect “100 sales on day one” moments you constantly see online. When that didn’t happen, it honestly forced me to adjust my expectations pretty quickly.
Most indie launches are much slower and steadier than social media makes them seem.
What happens after launch week
Because the reality is, this is the stage where a lot of indie authors wipe their hands clean of the project and immediately move on to the next book.
And honestly? I understand why.
By the time you finally hit publish, you’re exhausted. You’ve spent months or years staring at the same manuscript, revising it, formatting it, uploading it, fixing errors, marketing it, and thinking about it nonstop. Once it’s finally out in the world, there’s a huge temptation to mentally move on.
But this is also the stage where consistency matters the most.
This is the time to keep checking back in on the book. Keep adjusting keywords. Keep testing ads. Keep posting about it. Keep learning what audiences respond to. Keep improving the product page and marketing strategy over time instead of treating launch week as the only chance the book ever had.
I’m realizing very quickly that indie publishing is much more of a long game than I originally expected it to be.
Launch week matters. Long-term consistency matters more.
Final thoughts
At the end of the day, though, I still published my very first book. Nobody can take that away from me.
I learned an unbelievable amount during this process, and honestly? I’m already excited to see where the next book takes me.
With love,
Melissa Renee