Hey there! I’m Crystal, a content marketing strategist and travel blogger. I’m also the creator of the Dates in the States’ Mystery Date Books, a series of fun city-themed travel adventure guides for couples.
When I first decided to publish my books, I had no idea where to start. It felt overwhelming at first, but I want to show you how simple (and doable) it actually is — no matter what kind of book you want to create. I’ve taken all the guesswork out so you can easily start today!
Step 1: Write Your Book (Keep It Simple!)
First things first: you need to write your book.
But don’t overcomplicate it — it can be super simple!
Since my Mystery Date Books are filled with lots of photos, graphics, and fun text, I created mine right inside Canva. (Yes, the same Canva you probably use for social media graphics!)
If your book is mostly text, you could easily write it in Google Docs, Microsoft Word, or Pages and just save it as a PDF. There’s no fancy formatting required when you’re just getting started.
It also can be as long or as short as you’d like to start. Like I said, don’t overcomplicate it. You have to start somewhere. I’ve worked with many doctors, digital creators, and coaches that have created and self-published their books. If they can do it, so can you.
Step 2: Decide Where You Want to Sell Your Book
I knew immediately that I was creating these books to be sold at local vendor markets, particularly our local farmers market that I was already selling things at. It was a great place to start for me, and really gave me insight as to how big the books actually could be. To see how many people were interested and have that feedback. I also knew I wanted to sell them online, like Etsy as not only physical books, but ebooks, too!
So, to put it bluntly – you have a couple of different paths you can take:
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Sell it yourself (as an ebook or printed book)
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Get it into bookstores and other retailers
If you want to sell it directly to readers, lulu.com is an awesome self-publishing platform where you can create, print, and ship your books anywhere. It’s super user-friendly and great for beginners. It’s pretty self-explanatory and it’s free to make an account. You don’t have to pay anything until you’re ready to print.
Step 3: Want Your Book in Stores? You’ll Need an ISBN
I didn’t know this at first either — but if you want your book in bookstores (like Barnes & Noble or Target), you’ll need an ISBN.
When Barnes & Noble approached me at a local market about carrying my books (super exciting moment!), they told me they couldn’t accept them unless they had ISBN numbers.
Cue: me frantically researching everything about ISBNs!
ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number. It’s a unique identifier for your book, kind of like a fingerprint. Bookstores and libraries need ISBNs to track and sell your book.
Here’s why you need an ISBN:
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It makes your book official and easy to find in book databases.
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Retailers and distributors require it to carry your book.
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It protects your work and gives it a professional presence.
I purchased my ISBNs through Bowker — it was pretty easy once I knew where to go! It is a process though and it can get pricey. Since I had many books, I bought the numbers in bulks of 10. I had to upload each book one by one and fill out information in order for them to get approved and assigned a number.
Step 4: Upload to IngramSpark
Once I had my ISBNs, I uploaded my books into IngramSpark — a platform that distributes books to major retailers like Barnes & Noble, Target, Walmart, and independent bookstores.
You’ll notice when you’re getting your ISBN numbers through Bowker, that they mention you can pay extra for barcodes. Don’t do it – IngramSpark gives you those barcodes for “free”.
Heads up:
It took a little work to make sure my files were the right size and quality for IngramSpark’s approval.
Here are a few things I learned:
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My books had to be at least 18 pages long to be eligible (some of mine were only 15 pages, so I had to expand them).
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Getting the cover just right was tricky. (Honestly? I “cheated” a little and used Lulu’s cover creator to design the covers, downloaded the PDF, and then uploaded that to IngramSpark. It was so much easier.)
Today, my books are officially in the IngramSpark system and available to big box retailers if they decide to carry them!
Amazon Self-Publishing
I’ve been asked a lot if people can find my books on Amazon. Flat answer is NO. I’ve been trying to boycott Amazon since that documentary on Netflix – Buy Now: The Shopping Conspiracy. It really opened my eyes to some of the behind-the-scenes issues. Although, I know I can’t boycott it forever as a business owner. I’d love to sell my books on Amazon, however – I have some work I need to do before I get there.
Mostly because my books aren’t long enough for Amazon. I found out they need to be over 22 pages I believe, and it was hard enough to get them over 18 for IngramSpark. Since most of my Mystery Date Books are intentionally short and sweet, I’m not quite there yet. So, maybe in time I’ll try Amazon.
However, if you think you can go through Amazon to self-publish and get your books into bookstores like Barnes & Noble, it’s actually not the case. You won’t be able to get an ISBN number that works in stores, so you’ll be in the same predicament as Lulu.com. Meaning your books would only be available online or sold through you, not in stores.
So, with this whole process – just figure out what your end goal is with your books so you know what route to go. Knowing your plan will help you choose the best publishing path from the start!
Self-publishing isn’t as scary as it seems. Once you know the steps, you can publish whatever you want — a novel, a travel guide, a journal, a children’s book, or even a photo album.
You don’t need a fancy publisher or years of experience. You just need your idea, a little persistence, and the right tools.
If I can do it — with no traditional publishing background — you can too!
Got questions? Drop them in the comments below — I’d love to help you get your dream book out into the world.
