How to Self-Publish an Ebook

You can self-publish an ebook for free. Finish and edit your manuscript, make a cover, export an EPUB, upload it to a store such as Amazon KDP, Kobo, Apple Books or Google Play Books (or to an aggregator that sends it to several), set a price and publish. The big stores do not charge to publish. They keep a share of each sale.

This guide walks through the whole route in order, compares the stores, and tells you what it really costs. Each store has its own full guide, linked below. We checked every store’s help pages in October 2026, and we say where a page was unclear.

Before you start: choose your route

There are four ways to publish an ebook, and the right one depends on your goal.

If your ebook is a lead magnet to grow an email list, you may not need a store at all. See our guide to creating a lead magnet ebook. If it is a book you want to sell, read on.

Step 1: Finish and edit the manuscript

Write the whole book before you think about stores. If you have not started, our guide to how to write an ebook covers it, and our guide to how long an ebook should be shows how long a book of your type usually is.

Then edit it. There are three levels, and you can do some of the work yourself:

• Developmental editing looks at structure and ideas.
• Copyediting fixes grammar, style and consistency.
• Proofreading catches the last typos.

For nonfiction, also check these before you format: a clear table of contents, consistent headings, images and charts with captions, and an ending that tells the reader what to do next, such as joining your email list.

Step 2: Make the cover

Readers see the cover first, at thumbnail size. Amazon says the ideal ebook cover is 2,560 pixels tall by 1,600 pixels wide, saved as a JPEG or TIFF. Other stores accept different sizes, so our ebook cover size guide lists them all. For design advice, read how to design an ebook cover. You can make a free cover with our AI ebook cover generator.

Step 3: Format and export the file

Formatting turns your manuscript into the file the store expects. The safe choice is an EPUB, because every store in this guide accepts it.

• Amazon KDP accepts EPUB, DOCX and KPF (a file made with Amazon’s Kindle Create tool). Amazon no longer accepts MOBI for new fixed-layout books.
• Apple Books accepts EPUB, and the file must pass EPUBCheck.
• Kobo accepts EPUB, DOCX and some other formats and converts them.
• Google Play Books accepts EPUB and PDF.

If you wrote in Word, our free Word to EPUB converter makes an EPUB in your browser. Then run it through the free EPUB checker before you upload, since Apple rejects files with errors. Add a title page, a copyright page, a table of contents and an end page with your call to action. If you are unsure about EPUB versus PDF, read PDF vs EPUB.

Step 4: ISBN and copyright

ISBN. You do not need one for an ebook on Amazon KDP, Apple Books, Kobo or Google Play. KDP says an ISBN is optional for ebooks. Kobo says you can publish without one, and Google Play gives your book its own internal ID if you skip it. Paperbacks are different: KDP requires an ISBN for print and gives you one free. An ISBN costs $125 for a single number from Bowker in the US, and an ebook and a paperback need separate ones. Our guide to whether you need an ISBN for an ebook covers when buying one makes sense.

Copyright. In the US, your work is protected the moment you write it down in a fixed form. Registering is optional, but the US Copyright Office says you must register a US work before you can sue for infringement. Online registration for one author and one work costs $45 to $65 at the time we checked. This is general information, not legal advice. If someone else writes the book for you, check your contract, because ownership can depend on it.

Step 5: Choose where to publish

Here is how the main stores compare. All amounts are as published on each store’s own pages in October 2026.

A few notes on the table:

• Amazon’s price band changed on July 7, 2026. The top of the 70% band went from $9.99 to $12.99 on Amazon.com. Delivery costs still apply to the 70% option, and KDP says they average $0.06 per sale, depending on file size. Use our KDP royalty calculator to see what a sale pays.
• Kobo’s 70% rate also needs your price to be at least 20% below the print edition, according to its terms of service.
• Google’s rates depend on the terms your account accepted, so check your own account.
• Barnes & Noble Press is still open for ebooks as of October 2026, but we could not confirm its ebook ISBN rules or review time.

Our post on where to sell ebooks covers more places, including direct-sale tools.

KDP Select or all stores?

KDP Select is Amazon’s free 90-day program for Kindle ebooks. While your book is enrolled, you can sell the ebook only through Amazon (and public libraries). You can still sell print or audio versions elsewhere. In return you get:

• Your book in Kindle Unlimited, where you are paid by the pages readers read.
• Up to 5 free promotion days in each 90-day period.
• Kindle Countdown Deals, which are time-limited discounts.

Enrollment renews automatically unless you opt out. Selling on all stores (called going “wide”) gives you more places to be found and no exclusivity, but you manage more accounts, and you do not get Kindle Unlimited income. Neither choice is right for everyone. If you are unsure, our KENP calculator estimates Kindle Unlimited earnings.

Direct or aggregator?

An aggregator lets you upload once and reach many stores and libraries. Draft2Digital is the best known. Its own FAQ says it keeps about 10% of the retail price. It has added fees in 2026: new accounts pay a one-time $20 activation fee, and since May 14, 2026, accounts that earn under $100 in a year pay a $12 annual fee. It gives free ISBNs, but those only work inside Draft2Digital’s services. Kobo’s own help page says that going direct lets you make changes without a third party, and that aggregators take a cut of your earnings.

The trade-off is simple. Direct gives you control and a higher share, with more accounts to manage. An aggregator saves time and costs a share. Check which stores the aggregator reaches, since we could not find Google Play listed on Draft2Digital’s pages.

Step 6: Set up your accounts, tax and payments

Each store needs you to set up an account before you can publish.

• Amazon KDP: create an account, add your name and address, add a bank account, and complete a tax profile. KDP may also ask you to verify your identity.
• Kobo: add your bank details before you publish. Kobo pays 45 days after the end of each month, once you reach CAD $50.
• Apple Books: you need an Apple Account with two-factor authentication, and tax and banking details to sell.
• Google Play Books: you need a payment profile, tax information and a verified bank account. New accounts go through a review that Google says can take up to 30 business days.
• Barnes & Noble Press: pays on the last Wednesday of the month after the sale, with a $25 minimum.

Do this early. Tax and bank checks can take days, and a store review can take weeks.

Step 7: Enter your details and set a price

On every store you add the same core details:

• Title and subtitle, exactly as they appear on the cover.
• A description. The first two lines matter most, because that is what readers see before they click “more”.
• Categories and keywords. KDP lets you pick up to three categories and seven keyword phrases. Our KDP category finder and keyword generator can help.
• Your price. The royalty tiers above shape this. Pick a price inside the royalty band you want. Our KDP royalty calculator shows what you keep on Amazon.

Step 8: Check each store’s AI rules

If AI helped you write the book, the rules differ by store, and they are changing quickly. As we read them in October 2026:

• Amazon KDP requires you to tell it about AI-generated text, images or translations when you publish. KDP calls content AI-generated if an AI tool created it, even if you edited it afterward. Content you wrote yourself and only polished with AI tools is “AI-assisted”, and you do not need to disclose it.
• Apple Books says AI-generated material must be labeled with an “AI Generated by” artist role and a note in the description.
• Barnes & Noble Press asks you to confirm whether generative AI was used.
• Draft2Digital supports AI-assisted content but does not accept content generated entirely by AI that has not been extensively edited by a human.
• Kobo is the strictest. Its page on why books are rejected says it declines books that are “wholly or partially AI generated”.

Read each store’s current policy before you upload. Our guide to publishing a book written by AI goes through this in more detail.

Step 9: Publish and wait

Once you submit, most stores need a short review.

• Amazon: the book page appears within up to 72 hours, and KDP also says it takes 3 business days for a book to go live.
• Kobo: one to three business days.
• Apple Books: the book can take up to 24 hours to show in iTunes Connect, then goes through review. Apple gives no official review time.
• Google Play Books: up to 30 business days for a first book on a new account, then usually 12 to 24 hours for later books.

You can set a pre-order on Apple and Kobo. On Kobo, the final file is due at least 3 business days before release.

Publishing is the start of the work, not the end. Plan your launch with how to promote an ebook and how to get book reviews.

What it costs to self-publish an ebook

The minimum is $0. Amazon KDP is free to use, and you can edit, design and format the book yourself with free tools. Most authors spend something on editing and a cover. These ranges come from published surveys of author costs, and they vary a lot.

Kindlepreneur reports lower ranges than Reedsy for editing and covers, so sources disagree. Our self-publishing cost calculator lets you add up your own costs and find your break-even point.

What you can expect to earn

Be realistic. Income varies enormously, and most surveys count full-time authors, who earn more than a typical first-time publisher.

• The Authors Guild’s 2023 survey (income for 2022, 5,699 authors) found a median book income of $2,000 across all authors, and $12,800 for full-time self-published authors.
• The Alliance of Independent Authors’ 2023 survey (2022 earnings, 2,261 qualifying authors) found a median income of $12,749, with a few high earners pulling the average far higher. The figures are gross revenue.
• Written Word Media’s 2025 survey of its own audience found that 44% of authors earn $100 or less a month. It also found that authors with an email list reported a median of about $300 a month, against about $15 without one. That survey is self-reported and mostly fiction authors, with only 6% writing nonfiction.

The Authors Guild also found that most authors earn about half their writing income from other sources, such as editing, teaching, speaking and coaching. For coaches and consultants, an ebook often earns most of its money by bringing in clients, not through sales.

Adding a paperback

Many authors add a paperback after the ebook. KDP lets you do both from one account, and some of the details differ:

• KDP gives paperbacks a free ISBN, or you can use your own.
• Printing cost on the US store, for black ink and 110 to 828 pages, is $1.00 plus $0.012 per page.
• The paperback royalty on Amazon.com is 50% for list prices up to $9.98 and 60% from $9.99, after printing costs.
• The minimum is 24 pages, and KDP offers 15 trim sizes.

Our free KDP print cost calculator, spine width calculator and KDP cover template generator cover the numbers, and the ISBN barcode generator makes the barcode. Koobe also exports a print interior PDF.

Self-publishing checklist

FAQ

Can I self-publish an ebook for free?

Yes. Amazon KDP, Apple Books, Kobo and Google Play Books do not charge to publish. They take a share of each sale. You can make the book yourself with free tools, though many authors pay for editing and a cover. Draft2Digital now charges new accounts a one-time $20 activation fee.

Do I need an ISBN to self-publish an ebook?

No. KDP, Apple Books, Kobo and Google Play do not require one for ebooks. Paperbacks on KDP need one, and KDP provides a free one.

How long does it take to self-publish an ebook?

Writing takes most of the time. Once the files are ready, stores usually publish within a few days. Amazon says up to 72 hours, and Kobo says one to three business days. Google Play can take up to 30 business days for a first book on a new account.

Can I publish on more than one store?

Yes, unless you join KDP Select, which requires your ebook to be sold only through Amazon during each 90-day period. Outside KDP Select, you can sell on every store and use an aggregator.

Can I self-publish a PDF?

Google Play Books accepts PDF, and you can sell a PDF from your own site. Apple Books needs an EPUB, and KDP lists PDF as limited to certain languages, so EPUB is the safer file for stores. Our guide to PDF vs EPUB explains when each works.

How much money can I make self-publishing an ebook?

It varies widely. Surveys of full-time self-published authors report medians of about $12,000 to $13,000 a year, while many authors earn far less. Authors with an email list tend to earn more. See the earnings section above for the sources.

Do I have to copyright my ebook?

Copyright applies automatically when you write the work down. Registration is optional in the US, but you must register a US work before you can sue for infringement. Ask a lawyer if you need advice for your case.

Can I self-publish a book written with AI?

Often yes, but each store has different rules, and some require disclosure while Kobo declines books it considers partly AI generated. See Step 8, and read the store’s current policy before you upload.

Where Koobe fits

Koobe helps with the first part of this guide: getting a finished ebook. Describe your book in a sentence, edit the outline, and Koobe writes the chapters, designs four covers, and exports an EPUB, a PDF, a print interior PDF and a cover image, ready to run through the checker and upload. Koobe drafts chapters with AI, so under Amazon’s definition a book published from that draft counts as AI-generated, and you answer the AI disclosure question accordingly. Your first book is free to create and preview, and plans start at $23 a month billed yearly.