Because this is for self-publishing, your book should be DONE. DONE DONE DONE DONE, edited, proofread, edited again. Speak now or hold your peace DONE before you even think of formatting it. Is it done? Hit pause. Finish the book. Then come back. I’ll wait. You done? Good.

Okay, so the book in MS Word or Google Docs needs to be before a print interior PDF for a paperback or hardcover, a responsive ePub file for eBook, and/or finished and mastered MP3 files for an audiobook with each chapter as its own separate file.

I recommend formatting for print first, then eBook, then audio. Because you will inevitably find an error when you read through the print proof that you’ll want to be corrected in the ebook and audio. Yeah, I did say they should all be gone. There are always stubborn typos.

Formatting for print can be done in a few ways. You can try to format it in Word and pull all your hair out. You can use software like Scrivener, Vellum, or Atticus. I like this option for DIY authors because the cost isn’t too high, and then you have that software for future books as well. Yes, you need to learn the software, but give yourself time and some grace. What is great is that once the book is formatted for print in these platforms, you can press a button and you get the epub file.

You could press the easy button on all of it and hire 100covers for the cover files and formatting and call it a day. I like that route for those of you who want to hire someone to do this part for you. One team, one stop shop, easy-to-understand packages and rates for things. http://100covers.com/?ref=49

But I hear you, it is a lot of money that adds up fast after edits and design. I did the self-formatting for years. I feel you. If you can afford Atticus, I’ve found it easy to use. But you need a print-ready PDF and an ePub file for the eBook on almost every platform. Draft2Digital does have a formatting feature, and with Amazon KDP, you can upload a Word doc, and it will convert it to an ePub for you, but the others require an ePub upload. So you need to get that file made somewhere.

Audio is a whole ‘nother beast. And to date, there isn’t a cheap way to do this that doesn’t completely compromise on quality. I’ve seen indie authors wait until their print and ebook sales hit a critical mass and try to get an audio-only deal with Podium. I’ve seen authors wait for the critical mass to then fund the audiobook development and hiring narrators, and owning the files outright. I’ve seen authors do kickstarters to cover this cost. I’ve seen authors just eat the cost or do royalty share deals. Ultimately, the platforms ACX, Spotify, and InAudio need finished and mastered MP3 files. So room tone at the beginning and end, decibel levels, opening and closing credits, etc.

Formatting is such a critical step in creating and having files to upload, and I think this gets glossed over in the mad dash to just hit upload. But the most important thing to remember when you are making YOUR plan for YOUR book based on the intended audience and how they consume books, is to look at the files you need, find the best way to have those created, and have all the finished files you need BEFORE you upload.

Then, when you have all your finished files, you upload the formatted documents, the cover files, the description, the metadata, set a date, and watch the pennies roll in.

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