Heads up: This is a plain-language summary, not official policy, and rules change often. Always confirm the current requirements with the official source linked in each section. BookZeta does not publish on your behalf and can't guarantee any marketplace will accept your book.

Self-publishing sounds like one big step, but it's really a short sequence of small ones. The most important thing to understand up front is the division of labour: BookZeta gives you the files; the marketplace lists and sells them. We don't have a button that puts your book on Amazon — instead, you export finished, store-ready files here and then upload them to the store of your choice. You stay the author and the rights holder the whole way through.

The general path

1. Finish and export your interior, cover and (optionally) audiobook. Each store wants files in particular formats — see Export formats explained for what BookZeta produces and what each one is for.
2. Pick a marketplace. Amazon KDP is the most common starting point for eBooks and print-on-demand, but it's far from the only option — see other distributors.
3. Create an account on that marketplace and start a new title. This is also where you'll handle tax and payment details so the store can pay you royalties.
4. Upload your manuscript and cover, then fill in your metadata: title and subtitle, description, keywords, categories, language and pricing.
5. Disclose AI involvement wherever the store asks for it — see AI content disclosure. Answer honestly; getting this wrong can put your account at risk.
6. Publish and wait for review. Most stores run an automated and/or manual check before a title goes live, which can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days.

Things worth getting right the first time

• Metadata is marketing. Your title, description, keywords and categories are how readers find you. Treat the suggestions in BookZeta's tools as a starting point and adapt them to each store's rules.
• Each format is its own listing. An eBook, a paperback and an audiobook are usually separate products, sometimes with their own identifiers (see ISBNs).
• Proof before you publish. Use the Send to Kindle preview or order a print proof so you catch layout problems before readers do.
• Specs change. A cover or interior that passed last year might not pass today. Always check the current official guidance for the store you're using rather than relying on memory.

A faster start on the writing-around-the-book

Want the marketing copy ready to paste? Generate a Publishing Kit to get a description, keywords and category ideas you can refine for each store. For the basics of our own self-publishing page, visit the self-publishing overview.

Once your files are exported and your accounts are set up, publishing is mostly careful form-filling. Take it one store at a time, read that store's current rules, and keep a copy of everything you upload so you can update it later.