Updated June 26, 2020 – self-publishing tips for absolute beginners

All the links now work, and a few tips have been taken out. They relate to Lulu specific info. that I can no longer check. Apologies for that but better no info. than out-of-date info.

1. Print-On-Demand [POD for short] is new tech that allows books to be printed one at a time instead of in the hundreds.
2. Print-On-Demand [POD] means authors don’t have to BUY 100’s of their own print books.
3. The 3 biggest Print-On-Demand printers are Lulu, IngramSpark, and Amazon KDP.
4. Lulu & IngramSpark have print facilities in Australia. Both are more expensive than KDP but Aussie authors save a lot in postage [and time].
5. Aussie authors wanting to print with IngramSpark must have an ABN and pay a $53 setup fee for each book [$49USD]. IngramSpark periodically has ‘free setup’ promotions.
6. Aussie authors wanting to get an ABN should read this how-to first: https://acflory.wordpress.com/2018/04/22/how-to-apply-for-an-abn-the-basics/
7. Print-On-Demand works with standard trim sizes only. For a table of trim sizes see : https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G201834180
8. Trim size = physical size of book after pages glued inside cover & trimmed.
9. Page size templates for all trim sizes can be found on the KDP website: https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G201834230
10. Convert Word A4 pages to trim size pages via the Word Page Setup dialog box.
11. ISBN = 13 digit no. that identifies your book worldwide. Buy your own ISBN or accept the free one offered by KDP.
12. The downside of a free ISBN is that it can only be used with the company that issued it.
13. Aussie authors can buy ISBNs from Thorpe-Bowker: https://www.myidentifiers.com.au/
14. As a rule of thumb, print, ebook & audiobooks all need their own ISBN.
15. Books printed via KDP are listed on Amazon automatically.
16. To publish Kindle ebooks go to: https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/
17. Amazon supplies ebooks with ASIN identifiers so ISBN not strictly necessary.
18. If you want to ‘go wide’ & sell with other retailers as well as Amazon, your own ISBN is a must.
19. Most POD printers prefer PDF files but will accept Word files.
20. Before converting from Word to PDF, ensure all Word fonts are embedded in the document. See:  https://acflory.wordpress.com/2020/02/10/exporting-your-document-to-pdf/
21. File/Export completed Word doc. to PDF [see 20 above]. Then upload that PDF to the POD printer of your choice.
22. With KDP print, royalty = List Price – Print costs.
23. With KDP, Print costs= Sales Channel % + Fixed Charges + Per Page Charge.
24. With KDP, Standard sales channel % = 40% of List Price, Expanded sales channel % = 60%.
25. Spine of [paperback] cover = trim size & no. of pages.
26. KDP cover template from:  https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/cover-templates  Select trim size from drop down list, enter page count & paper colour, then download template.
27. IngramSpark cover template from: https://myaccount.ingramspark.com/Portal/Tools/CoverTemplateGenerator
28. Barcodes for KDP – included at no cost.
29. Barcodes for IngramSpark – included at no cost.
30. When converting covers to PDF for KDP paperback, “Press Quality” and “PDF/X-1a” both work.
31. Total page no. of book = pages AFTER conversion to chosen trim size [not A4 Word pages].
32. Amazon deducts 30% withholding tax from each sale. Aussies can claim exemption to reduce tax to 5%.
33. Withholding tax exemption: US TIN = Australian Tax File No.
34. Aussie authors must deposit 1 copy of each published book with the National Library of Australia: https://www.nla.gov.au/legal-deposit
35. Aussie authors must also deposit 1 copy of each published book with their state library: https://www.nla.gov.au/legal-deposit/australia-wide
36. Aussie authors – for Legal Deposit FAQ see:https://www.nla.gov.au/legal-deposit-faq