How To Self-Publish A Non-Fiction Book
There are two main ways to self-publish a non-fiction book: you can take the DIY route using free tools and services available online, or you can work with a professional publishing company to handle the heavy lifting for you:
In this article, we’ll walk you through both approaches so you can understand what’s involved, compare the options and decide which one’s right for you:
The DIY Approach
If you want to self-publish a non-fiction book for free (or very low cost), it’s absolutely possible in 2025 and beyond using a variety of free online tools and services.
Many authors are surprised at just how accessible the process has become. And while it does take a fair amount of time and effort, you can absolutely do it yourself without breaking the bank.
In this section we’ll share exactly how that works, keeping costs to an absolute minimum.
Step 1: Write And Proofread Your Manuscript
To start, you need to map out your idea, create a clear outline and then draft the chapters. You can use free tools like Google Docs, which is an online alternative to Microsoft Word. This can be really helpful because it’s free and means all your work is saved automatically to the cloud and accessible anywhere (even on your phone during long train rides).
Once you’ve got the full draft written out and you’re happy with it, the next stage is editing. If you’re going down the DIY route, you’ll usually handle the first couple of rounds yourself. Go through and tighten sentences, remove any unnecessary repetition and make sure the ideas flow logically.
After you’ve checked through it, it’s always worth bringing in a fresh set of eyes.
If you’re trying to keep the costs at an absolute minimum, you could bring in a friend or family member that owes you a favour. Though you will always get a much better job done using a professional.
Freelance proofreaders are easy to find on platforms like Fiverr, and you’ll often see rates as low as $0.015 per word. This can be a really cheap way to get your book proofread because many freelancers on these platforms are based in countries with a lower cost of living, which allows them to offer lower rates.
That said, you obviously won’t get the same level of service as you would from a professional editing company that’s based in the UK. But if you don’t have the budget for that, hiring a freelancer can be a very affordable way to get your manuscript into good shape without the huge upfront cost.
Step 2: Design A Professional Cover
We’ve all heard the phrase “you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover”. And the reason we’ve all heard it, is because we all do it – whether we should or not. Having a strong, professional looking cover can be the difference between someone clicking ‘buy’ or scrolling past without a second thought.
If you’re doing it yourself, a good place to start is Canva, which is another free online tool that’s got lots of templates specifically sized for Amazon KDP. You can pick a layout, customise the colours and fonts, and even upload your own imagery if you want to give it a personal touch.
That said, if you’ve got a bit of money to invest, you can again find a freelancer on a platform like Fiverr or Upwork who offer very cheap services.
Similar to the point we made about proofreading, the quality will vary depending on the person you hire but a good tip is to always ask them for examples of previous covers they’ve created for similar books and really take the time to find the freelancer who’s most likely to create a cover that aligns with what you want.
Another important question to ask is “how many copies did it sell?” – because ultimately, you’re not just writing a book for the sake of it. You want it to reach people. Knowing how similar covers performed gives you a better sense of whether this designer can help your book do the same.
Step 3: Format The Inside Of Your Book
Once your manuscript is properly proofread, your next step is to format it for both digital and print. This part is crucial, because even if the content is amazing – sloppy formatting can make your book look amateurish.
For the eBook version, you’ll need to make sure it displays cleanly on devices like the Kindle and other e-readers. Some of the most important factors are: clear headings, consistent spacing, and no weird layout issues.
For the print version, the layout needs to meet specific requirements like trim size, page numbers, line spacing and margins. This is an aspect that will make your book look messy if you get it wrong, and could even end up getting rejected by the publishing platform.
There are again some good free tools you can use for this. Kindle Create is a good one, once you get your head around it, if you’re using KDP since it lets you import your manuscript and tweak the design for Kindle devices.
There’s also Reedsy’s formatting tool, which is another good option that lets you export clean files ready to be published to the different platforms.
Step 4: Upload To Your Publishing Platform
After you’ve completed the previous steps, it’s time to choose where you’re going to publish it. And for most self-published authors, there are 2 main platforms: Amazon KDP & IngramSpark.
Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) is by far the most popular. It’s free to use, fairly easy to navigate once you’ve done it once, and lets you publish both eBooks and paperbacks with global distribution via Amazon. For most DIY authors, this is the best place to start.
If you want to go wider, for example: getting your book stocked in independent bookshops or available in libraries – IngramSpark is a strong option too. It gives you broader distribution, though it does charge small setup fees and can be a bit more complex to use.
Both platforms are worth exploring and are definitely achievable if you’ve got a bit of patience.
Step 5: Prepare For Your Book Launch
If people don’t know your book exists, there’s zero chance they’ll buy it. So you need to give some thought to how you’re going to launch it.
Some easy steps you can take include letting your friends and family know, posting on your social media and sharing your book in any communities you’re part of.
You could also consider building an email list so you’ve got people ready to notify on launch day, schedule a clear launch date to build anticipation, or use Amazon’s promotional tools like free book days or countdown deals to get more eyes on your book in the first week.
You might also consider experimenting with Amazon ads or promoting your book in online groups such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Reddit, forums etc. Anywhere your audience hangs out.
Anything that helps spread the word and create early momentum will give your book a much better chance of standing out, rather than fading into obscurity.
Step 6: Ongoing Marketing
You might be thinking to yourself, “I only wanted to write a non-fiction book, I didn’t want to become a marketing person”, but the truth is – learning marketing is a valuable life skill. And the effort you put into promoting your book can carry over into anything else you do in the future.
So invest the time into figuring out how to use social media to gain exposure. Try getting featured on relevant podcasts, and consider writing guest articles for blogs your target readers are already following.
On top of that, take advantage of Amazon’s built in tools like Kindle Deals or Sponsored Ads to boost your book’s visibility.
And perhaps the most important factor of all: focus on getting as many reviews as possible. Reviews are social proof, and they can make the difference between someone clicking buy or moving on.
The Professional Approach
If you’d rather focus solely on writing, you may want to consider hiring a professional company like ours to handle everything else for you. We’ve helped thousands of authors take their ideas from raw manuscripts to books that look, read, and sell like they came from a top imprint – while still allowing you to retain complete control of your work, your royalties, and your imprint.
How It Works
If you use us to help get your non-fiction book published, we take all the hard work out of it for you. It really is as simple as:
- We have a conversation
At the bottom of this page there’s a form where you can input your details and have a member of our team phone you back for a free, no obligation conversation. This will allow us to understand your goals, audience, timeline etc. – everything we need to know to work out how we can best help you. From there we’ll send over a custom quote, and if you’re happy to proceed we’ll: - Review your manuscript and map the plan
We’ll then take a look at what you’ve got so far and put together a clear publishing plan. This will show you exactly what’s needed to get your book to the finish line, and outline the steps involved at each stage. - Proofread or copy-edit while protecting your voice
The next step is up to you based on how much involvement you’re looking for – if you’re looking for proofreading, that’ll allow us to catch the grammar and typo issues. Whereas copy-editing goes more in-depth and means we’ll help tighten up the flow and structure, while still keeping your tone intact. - Work with you to create a cover that sells
Once that’s done, we’ll work with you to create a cover you’ll love. Our award winning cover designers will create initial concepts based on your audience and category, then we’ll send it over to you for feedback and we’ll revise until you’re happy. - Professionally typeset the interior
We’ll then lay out your manuscript to professional publishing standards. That means clean, readable typography, properly structured headings, polished contents/index pages, and page layouts that pass industry checks first time. - Convert it into a clean, modern eBook
We’ll create a Kindle and Apple ready ePub file that renders perfectly across devices. Plus we also do real QA checks to avoid the formatting glitches that damage reviews and reduce credibility. - Set up your imprint and ISBNs
If you want your own publishing imprint, we’ll help set it up and register your ISBNs under it. And we allow you to stay in full control – you own your rights, your files, your accounts and your royalties. - Set up print and global distribution
We’ll then set up print-on-demand and optional litho print, and distribute your book to Amazon, Apple Books, Kobo, Barnes & Noble and UK retailers via Gardners. This means your book becomes available in all the places potential customers look, all across the world. - Build your launch assets and marketing blocks
We’ll create the foundational pieces that help non-fiction authors get discovered: Amazon-optimised listings, A+ content, your own author website, and targeted campaigns to drive visibility and reviews. This helps your book gain traction and stand out in a busy marketplace. - Support you after launch
If you ever need to make updates, need reprints, or help with your next book – We’ll always be here. You’ll be working with a real in-house team – not a ticket system.
Need Help Publishing A Non-Fiction Book?
If you’d like any help publishing your non-fiction book, feel free to get in touch with our team today by submitting your details into the form below. A member of our team will call you back for a chat to find out how we can best assist you.
