13 Best Resources for First-Time Self-Published Authors

Self-publishing has revolutionised the way authors share their books with readers. It’s an exciting but often overwhelming journey for first-time authors, filled with questions about writing, editing, design, marketing, and distribution. The good news? You don’t have to go it alone.

Whether you’re polishing your manuscript, designing a stunning book cover, promoting your work to readers or seeking a publisher to work with, the right tools and resources can make all the difference. These resources are essential for turning your idea into a professionally published book that stands out in today’s competitive market.

To help you along your publishing journey, I’ve compiled a list of what I think are the best resources for first-time self-published authors. From writing software to marketing platforms, these tools will empower you at every stage of the self-publishing process, ensuring your debut is as smooth and successful as possible.

Writing and Editing Tools

Every great book starts with a polished manuscript, and writing and editing tools are essential for self-published authors aiming for professionalism. There is a wide range available thanks to recent advances in technology, but there are two that I think stand out from the crowd.

Grammarly is a must-have for catching grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors. Its intuitive interface highlights mistakes in real time and suggests corrections, helping you create clean, error-free writing. It’s particularly helpful for spotting typos and common errors that might slip past your eyes, ensuring your manuscript is polished to perfection. I use Grammarly every day to write emails, and documents (and this blog article!) and I wouldn‘t write without it.

For authors wanting to go beyond corrective editorial tools, check out ProWritingAid. Providing more in-depth editing, this tool offers comprehensive insights into readability, sentence structure, and stylistic improvements. It analyses your manuscript for overused words, sentence variety, and pacing, making your prose clearer and more engaging. Stopping short of writing it for you, it is a tool that can help an author who has hit the creative brick wall get up and over it with new ideas and a fresh view of their manuscript.

Design and Formatting Tools

In self-publishing, first impressions matter, and your book’s design plays a pivotal role in attracting readers. Fortunately, for those authors who are not employing professionals to help design their book’s covers or text, easy-to-use design tools are immensely valuable.

Canva is one of my favourite applications. It is the idea that I wish I had come up with. It is a popular, user-friendly platform created by a designer who thought that professional-looking design should be accessible to everyone, not just professional designers. This makes it perfect for self-published authors. With a vast library of templates, fonts, and graphics, it makes designing eye-catching book covers, social media posts, and marketing materials easy. Whether you’re creating a sleek book cover or promotional flyers, Canva offers customization options to suit your unique style, all without requiring advanced design skills.

For authors seeking more advanced tools, the Adobe Suite (including Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator) provides unmatched creative flexibility. While these tools have a steeper learning curve (and price!), they offer precise control over every aspect of your book’s layout and design, making them ideal for authors who want to craft truly standout materials.

Publishing Platforms

One of the biggest decisions a first-time author will come up against is where to publish their book. There are many options available, from publishing through digital-only platforms to having your book available print-on-demand to having them made available to the book trade with the goal of being stocked in bookshops.

Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) is Amazon’s self-publishing platform for eBooks and print-on-demand paperbacks. It’s a favourite among authors because of its global reach, user-friendly interface, and flexible royalty options, although authors need to be aware of all the costs associated with each sale of their book before committing to publishing using KDP. Principally, KDP allows you to tap into Amazon’s massive audience, making it an excellent starting point for many self-published writers, but your book will be limited to being available on Amazon only.

For authors looking to expand beyond Amazon, IngramSpark offers access to libraries and some bookshops, as well as providing eBook distribution across a wider range of online retailers. It’s an ideal choice if you want your book stocked in more locations, but comes with other challenges such as the handling of any returns from unsold or returned physical books.

While the above platforms work wonders for many authors, authors starting out on their publishing journey need to be aware of their limitations. For example, books that are available through print-on-demand technology only will be very unlikely to be picked up by the book trade or bookshops due to stock not being readily available and the print quality being below the standard they would expect. For authors wanting that, you will need to work with a full-service self-publisher like Troubador who has the knowledge and relationships with the book trade.

Marketing and Promotion Resources

So you’ve published your book, and now you want people to know about it. Effective marketing is essential for self-published authors to get their books in front of readers, and using the right platforms and resources can make all the difference.

BookBub is a standout promotional platform connecting authors with readers. Known for its curated book deals and recommendations, it offers targeted marketing campaigns to reach specific audiences. A featured deal on BookBub can significantly boost sales, reviews, and visibility, something we have seen with many of the campaigns that we have run on behalf of authors.

NetGalley is another invaluable resource, allowing authors to share advance reader copies with reviewers, bloggers, and librarians. It’s a great way to build early buzz, gather reviews, and establish credibility before your official release. Our digital marketing campaigns are centred around running 4 or 8-week Netgalley campaigns for our authors, and we often see books gain valuable reviews across multiple review platforms as a result of the campaigns.

Finally, paid advertising ad platforms like Amazon Ads, Facebook Ads, and Google Ads provide powerful tools to promote your book to highly targeted audiences. These platforms enable you to reach potential readers based on their interests, reading habits, and demographics, ensuring your marketing budget delivers results. However, these platforms are incredibly complicated to run successful campaigns on and can be cripplingly expensive. Our Targeted Online Advertising campaigns help authors access these paid advertising platforms at a fraction of the cost and time commitment that would be required if authors were to run them themselves.

Knowledge Gaining

For self-published authors, gaining knowledge about the publishing world is essential to navigating its challenges and opportunities. There is a wealth of resources both online and in person for authors to make the most of, but here are a couple that I see as standouts.

As you are already here, you know about this one! While I am biased of course, we put a lot of effort into sharing knowledge via the Troubador Blog for authors who are publishing with us and for those who have chosen a different publishing journey. Packed with articles written by our team of experts, it is a treasure trove of practical advice on self-publishing. Covering topics from editing and marketing, to distribution and sales, our blog offers actionable tips and guidance to help authors make informed decisions, and we publish a new article every week.

Jericho Writers provides a comprehensive approach to learning. Offering courses, workshops, and webinars, it’s a hub for writers seeking to hone their craft and understand the publishing landscape. Their in-depth content ranges from manuscript editing tips to advice on how to secure book deals or self-publish effectively.

Community and Trade Unions

Building connections within the self-publishing community and accessing professional support will enhance your author journey and ensure that you are protected. The following organisations offer invaluable guidance, networking opportunities, and advocacy for independent authors.

The Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi) is a leading association for self-published authors. It provides resources and advice tailored to every stage of publishing, from writing and production to marketing and distribution. With ALLi, you gain access to a network of like-minded authors, expert insights, and tools to help you navigate the complexities of self-publishing. Its advocacy for independent authors ensures your voice is heard in the broader publishing industry. A must-read is their self-publishing service rating resource which highlights their opinion (ranging from Excellent to Avoid) on self-publishing service providers and helps authors engage with those they deem good and avoid those that are less so.

Did you know there is a trade union for authors?! Well, if you didn’t then you do know. The Society of Authors (SoA) is another excellent resource. Representing authors across all genres, it offers legal advice, contract reviews, and workshops. As a member, you can benefit from professional support while connecting with a diverse community of writers.

Full-Service Self-Publishing Partner

While many self-published authors choose to handle all aspects of the publishing process themselves, some prefer to work with a full-service partner for expert guidance and a professional end product. Troubador Publishing offers comprehensive services that cover every step of self-publishing, from editorial and book production to marketing and distribution. Our approach ensures your book is of the highest quality and ready for bookshop shelves.

Our team of publishing professionals work with authors directly at every step of the production process and ensure that not only does the author have a quality book at the end of the process but that they have thoroughly enjoyed the process as well. We aim to remove the stress complications and time required for authors to execute the process themselves and allow them to focus on making key decisions.

You can book a free, no-obligation consultation with our team at a time convenient to you to learn more about how we can help you turn your manuscript into a market-ready book.