Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about SelfPublishing.pro

General

Yes. In your sales report at /sales-reports you can choose 'Last 3 months' or 'Last 6 months' from the period selector to see a combined earnings summary across that window — units sold, retailer-net totals, and your estimated payout — without adding up individual monthly reports manually. The retailer and format breakdown is shown for the combined period. You can also select any single month or a full year.

You do not need an account for several tools and services. The AI Publishing Plan on the homepage generates a personalized publishing action plan instantly (no login; results emailable). The Book Readiness Scorecard at /tools/book-readiness scores your book's publish-and-promote readiness in seconds. The Book Cover Motion tool at /book-marketing-tools/book-cover-motion animates your cover and gives you a free watermarked preview (email verification only). The EPUB Validator at /epub-validator checks your ebook file for errors. The 27-site Book Promotion Network at /book-promotion and several book marketing tools also run with just an email address — no password required. Creating a free account unlocks paid AI tools, distribution, and royalty reporting.

Yes — there are two free tools for this. The AI Publishing Plan on the homepage answers a few questions about your book and generates a personalized action plan in seconds (no account needed). The Book Readiness Scorecard at /tools/book-readiness rates your book across ten questions on publishing and promotion readiness, gives you an instant score, and shows the exact next steps to close any gaps. Both tools can email you the results to keep.

Yes. The login page supports signing in with a Google account in addition to the standard email/password option. If you registered with email/password, you can also link your Google account from the account settings.

The Book Readiness Scorecard is a free interactive quiz at /tools/book-readiness. It evaluates your book across two tracks — getting published and getting promoted — through ten quick questions covering your manuscript, cover, metadata, distribution, and marketing presence. You receive an instant readiness score, an AI-written assessment of where you stand, and a list of recommended next steps for any gaps. No account is required; enter your email at the end to have your full scorecard sent to your inbox.

AuthorPass is our done-for-you book marketing membership. Single ($49/month or $490/year) covers one title and Unlimited ($99/month or $990/year) covers your whole catalog, each with a one-time $99 setup fee per book. Every plan builds and submits a full set of launch assets for each book (AI summary, book trailer, editorial review, PR kit, book club kit, ARC reader campaign, award entry, theme song with lyric video, presenter video, press release) and sets up partner memberships at AuthorMailingLists, Groops, HostingAuthors, BookToScreen and Virversity. You can add Active Author to either plan for $49/month or $490/year for podcast interviews, daily social posting and PitchBud pitch campaigns. Learn more or subscribe at /authorpass.

Yes. Current annual prices are $490 for Single and $990 for Unlimited; the corresponding monthly prices are $49 and $99. The Active Author add-on is $490 a year on an annual plan or $49 a month on a monthly one. If you are already subscribed, contact hello@selfpublishing.pro to change your billing cycle, and the team will confirm the timing before making the change.

AuthorPass Done-For-You (at /authorpass) is a fully managed book marketing launch. Choose Single ($49/month or $490/year, one title) or Unlimited ($99/month or $990/year, any number of titles); annual plans include 2 months free, and each book you add carries a one-time $99 setup fee. Once you pick your book, we build and deliver over a dozen marketing assets — an AI book summary, book trailer, editorial review, PR kit, book club kit, ARC reader campaign, award entry, an original theme song with lyric video, and a presenter video — plus recurring author memberships across our partner network, and you receive a report with every link when the work is complete. Stay subscribed past your first 90 days and everything built for you is yours to keep forever; cancelling within the first 90 days removes the one-time assets along with the memberships, though anything you have already downloaded is always yours.

After you submit a book, most partner memberships and assets are created automatically as part of its AuthorPass setup. We send one consolidated AuthorPass report with links when setup is complete instead of separate welcome emails from every partner. You can also view active entitlements in your AuthorPass dashboard; if anything is missing, contact hello@selfpublishing.pro.

The Single plan ($49/month or $490/year) covers one title at a time — add one book for a $99 setup fee and we build its full marketing launch. The Unlimited plan ($99/month or $990/year) covers your entire catalog, with no title cap, at $99 per book. Every plan includes the same done-for-you marketing deliverables per book, and annual plans give you 2 months free. Either plan can also carry the optional Active Author add-on; start at /authorpass.

You can cancel your AuthorPass subscription from your account settings or by contacting us at hello@selfpublishing.pro. Cancellation takes effect at the end of your current billing period — your access and partner platform plans continue until then. Any Account Credit balance you have is yours to keep and spend after you cancel; it never expires.

Active Author is an optional add-on for either AuthorPass plan, $49/month or $490/year, with no extra setup fee. We set up and pay for podcast interviews on AIHosts.fm (3 episodes a month), a daily social post on LazyPosts.ai, PitchBud journalist campaigns, and one PitchBud podcast guest campaign and one influencer search each month. Each needs a little of your time, since you record the interviews, connect your social accounts and send the pitches from your own inbox. Add or remove it any time from your AuthorPass dashboard.

After your payment is confirmed, you will receive an onboarding email with a link to submit your first book. You answer a few short questions about the title and your goals, then our team takes over: we build your marketing assets (AI book summary, book trailer, editorial review, PR kit, book club kit, ARC reader campaign, award entry, an original theme song with lyric video, and a presenter video) and set up your memberships across our partner network. When everything is complete, we email you a report with links to each asset and account — typically within a few business days of your book submission. If you subscribed but haven't submitted a book yet, check your inbox for our onboarding link or contact us at hello@selfpublishing.pro.

Use the secure file upload page at /dropbox/ to send manuscript files, cover art, images, or any other project materials directly to our team. No account is required — just open the page, drag in your files, and they will be delivered securely. For project-related uploads (once a project is open), you can also attach files directly through the conversations thread in your dashboard.

Log in and go to /authorpass/v2/add-title, pick the book, and we take it from there: we build its marketing assets and set up its memberships, then send you a report when everything is ready. If you are on the Single plan and add a second title, you move to Unlimited at the same step — an annual Single plan stays on annual billing. Each book added carries a one-time $99 setup fee.

Log in, open Dashboard, and choose View Books, then click "Add Book." Enter the core book details and add the ebook, print, or audiobook formats you need. From the book record you can upload files, manage metadata, and start distribution; ISBNs are assigned automatically when a format is set up for distribution.

You will get a full report with links to every asset and account shortly after each book's setup is finished. Active members also receive one consolidated monthly email summarizing that month's results across your titles. If you want a status check in between, just reply to any of our emails or contact us at hello@selfpublishing.pro.

Yes. Open your book's edit page and click Update My Book to submit changes to core details such as the title, subtitle, author name, contributors, or language. Draft-book changes apply directly at no charge; for distributed books, routine updates are included for active AuthorPass members, while other work receives a fixed-price quote for approval before work begins. A live print edition may need a new ISBN after a title or author change, but the platform and team handle that process—there is no manual ISBN assignment step for the author.

Yes, and you can do it directly from your book's edit page. Under the book details, you will find checkboxes for three types of AI usage: AI Used To Help Create Text, AI Used To Help Create Images, and AI Used With Translation. Select all that apply. Several major retailers now require or strongly recommend this disclosure, and providing it upfront helps avoid distribution issues.

Sign in, open Dashboard → View Books, and select the title and format you want to distribute. Upload the required files, complete the metadata and distribution preferences, run the preflight check, and click the relevant Distribute button. The platform assigns the ISBN automatically, so there is no separate ISBN assignment or confirmation step.

Have a completed EPUB, a finished cover image, your final title and author name, a retail price, and the book description, categories, and keywords ready. Sign in, choose Dashboard → View Books, open the title, and upload the assets before using the ebook Distribute flow. The platform assigns the ebook ISBN automatically when the format is set up for distribution.

Open Dashboard → View Projects, or go to /dashboard/projects, to see your active and past client projects. Each project shows its status, services, next action, and target date; use Dashboard → Conversations for messages and attachments. Only projects created since April 2026 appear in this view because older work was tracked in a previous system.

Yes. The BookPromos Network is free, with no fees or commissions: paste your book's Amazon link, ISBN or ASIN (or enter it by hand) and we fill in the details and show which of our 27 niche reader sites it matches on genre, format and current price. Confirm your email with a 6-digit code (no password needed) and the listing goes live straight away. Listings stay live until you delete them, and you can re-list a book to move it back to the top once every 30 days; we email you a reminder when it is due.

Account Credit is your platform-wide dollar balance at SelfPublishing.pro — $1 of Account Credit equals $1 off any eligible purchase, and it never expires. It's applied automatically before your card is charged on AI Book Tools, book marketing tools, translations, PDF to Word conversions, and custom work approved through Ask Higgins. View your balance and recent activity anytime at /credits. (This replaced the old SPP Credits pack system — any credits you already had converted to Account Credit dollar-for-dollar, so nothing was lost.)

The Book Marketing Tools at /book-marketing-tools are AI-powered tools, billed directly in dollars, that generate ready-to-use marketing assets from your book information. Available tools include an Amazon Ads Readiness Audit, Backlist Revival Audit, Amazon Detail Page / A+ Content Tune-Up, Podcast Guest Pitch Kit, Book Club Kit, PR Kit (with a generated press cover page and downloadable media kit), an eBook-to-Audiobook Cover Converter, the BookScout Outreach Agent (which finds book bloggers, reviewers, podcasts, book clubs, and librarians for your specific book), and Book Cover Motion (which animates your still book cover into a short, seamlessly looping video). Tools cost between $1 and $19 and produce downloadable files, with any Account Credit balance applied automatically; Book Cover Motion delivers a free watermarked video you can unlock to a clean version for $10.

Yes — the Book Cover Motion tool at /book-marketing-tools/book-cover-motion animates any still cover image into a short, seamlessly looping motion video (a forward-and-reverse boomerang loop). Upload your cover, and the AI adds subtle ambient life — soft drifting light, gentle movement — while keeping your title and text perfectly sharp and unchanged. The result is a free watermarked preview you can share immediately; remove the watermark for $10 (Account Credit is applied automatically) to get the clean, full-resolution video. No account required to try it.

The BookScout Outreach Agent at /book-marketing-tools/bookscout-outreach-agent scans the web for outreach opportunities tailored to your specific book — including book bloggers, reviewers, podcast shows, book clubs, librarians, and newsletter editors that cover your genre and topic. A free basic scan shows a preview of results; the full report with scored and filtered opportunities costs $10 (Account Credit applied automatically) and is available as a downloadable PDF. No account is required to run the free scan, but you need to be signed in to generate the full paid report.

Yes. Our page for editors at /partners/editors explains how to refer a client whose manuscript is final to our Publishing Package From Finished Manuscript. You keep the client and all the editing; we handle the cover, formatting and distribution. Referring editors join the free Archieboy affiliate program and earn a 20% referral fee on what the client pays for the package.

Yes, and we can point you to one. First, a word about how we edit. Editing at SelfPublishing.pro is done by AI, through our own BookEditor.io, and it is remarkably good. It reads your whole manuscript, corrects grammar, spelling and punctuation, rewrites awkward sentences for better flow, keeps names and details consistent from chapter to chapter with a book-wide style sheet, and shows you every change so you can accept or reject it. Its Complete Edit adds developmental feedback on the manuscript as a whole, including a story bible and a continuity check.

It is also remarkably affordable. A basic proofread is free, and paid edits are a flat, one-time $49, $149 or $299 for a manuscript of up to 500 pages, rather than a per-word rate. You can run it yourself at BookEditor.io, or have us run the Complete Edit for you through our Book Editing / Proofreading service.

But we understand the importance of a human touch that many authors prefer. For authors who want a human editor, we recommend Mandi Summit of Red Quill Editorial:

Since 2020, Mandi with Red Quill Editorial has provided thoughtful and collaborative editorial feedback through developmental editing, line/copyediting, basic copyediting, and book coaching services for the romance, sci-fi/fantasy, and mystery/thriller genres (other genres welcome). Rates vary depending on manuscript complexity, deadlines, and scope of work, but average rates are:

  • Developmental Editing: 4.5 cents per word ($45 per 1,000 words)
  • Line/Copyediting: 6 cents per word ($60 per 1,000 words)
  • Basic Copyediting: 2.7 cents per word ($27 per 1,000 words)

Visit Red Quill Editorial to view Mandi's portfolio, editorial qualifications, and client testimonials (The Bookshelf tab); learn more about her editorial and book coaching services or schedule a free 15-minute consultation (Editorial Services and Book Coaching tabs); explore her free resources and downloads (Tips for Writers tab); or request a custom proposal packet for your manuscript (Let’s Discuss Your Manuscript! tab).

New clients referred from SelfPublishing.pro receive 15% off their first editorial contract with Red Quill Editorial! Use promo code SFPRO-RQE-15 when completing your author questionnaire!

Red Quill Editorial is an independent business, so Mandi quotes, schedules and invoices her editing directly with you. Once your edited manuscript is final, our Publishing Package From Finished Manuscript takes it from there: the cover, the ebook and print formatting, and distribution.

Use Ask Higgins at /services/custom to request any change or new work on your book — pick the book, describe the outcome you want in plain language, and submit. If one of our published services already covers what you need, you pay that published price. Routine updates (short text, metadata, or link changes) are handled free for active AuthorPass members. Everything else is quoted from a standard price list, so the same job costs the same for every author:
  • $75 — a small change: a metadata fix, a single description update, one link or price correction.
  • $150 — a standard job: an interior or EPUB fix and redistribution, a description update pushed across retailers.
  • $275 — a larger job: a cover rework, a proof cycle, an update across several titles.
  • $500 — a major job: a large multi-title push, or a bespoke document set.
  • Anything bigger than that is scoped and quoted in writing before it starts.
You always see one number for the whole job and you approve it before any paid work begins. There is no hourly rate, no time balance, and no surprise work — this replaced the old by-the-hour consulting purchase. The same price list applies to custom work on any of our sites, so you are quoted the same way wherever you came in from.

Yes. If you have a human-narrated audiobook recorded as individual MP3 chapter files, upload them as a single ZIP file in the Audiobook Files section of your book edit page. Once the ZIP is uploaded, an 'Create from .zip' button appears in the Audiobook M4B Files area — click it and the site will automatically combine all chapters into a single .m4b audiobook file and store it with your book. The team can then use that M4B file for submission to ACX, Findaway, and other audiobook retailers. Make sure your ZIP follows the standard MP3 file naming and formatting requirements (see the audiobook file requirements FAQ) before building.

Yes. The book translation service at /book-translation uses AI to translate your book into over 40 languages. Packages are available for 1 translation ($49), 10 translations ($367), or 25 translations ($599). After purchase, upload your source file and select the target language — a translated file is available to download once the job is complete.

Yes. The PDF to Word converter at /pdf-to-word uses AI vision to convert any PDF into a clean, editable Word (.docx) document. It automatically strips running headers, footers, and page numbers, and stitches together paragraph breaks that span pages. Pricing is billed directly in dollars based on page count: $9 (up to 50 pages), $19 (51–300 pages), $39 (301–600 pages), or $79 (600+ pages). Any Account Credit balance is applied automatically, and the amount is only charged on successful completion — if the job fails, it's released back to your balance.

Yes. The free EPUB Validator at /epub-validator lets you upload your EPUB file and check it for structural and technical errors. No account is required — results appear immediately and list any errors or warnings found in your file.

Yes. Once your book has an active print format with distribution set up, you can order author copies directly from your books list in the dashboard — click "Order Print Copies" next to the title. Choose the format (paperback or hardcover), enter a quantity (minimum 10 copies per format; for fewer copies, purchase directly from Amazon), and provide a shipping address. Pricing includes a per-copy charge plus a shipping and handling fee. Orders are fulfilled through our print partners and shipped to your door.

If your book is in distribution through SelfPublishing.pro, you can view your monthly royalty statements at /sales-reports after logging in. Each month shows a breakdown by retailer and format, along with your payout amount and any hold reasons. From September 2026 sales onward, print royalties are shown after bookstore returns (so a month with only returns can show a negative line), and audiobook statements include Audible membership royalties alongside regular sales.

Royalties are paid when your available balance reaches $25 USD. If your balance is below that threshold at the end of a payment cycle, it carries forward and is added to the following month's balance until the threshold is met. PayPal payouts happen automatically each cycle once you clear the threshold; bank transfer balances build up and you request payment from your dashboard whenever you are ready.

Go to your dashboard and look for the "Bank Details" option, or navigate directly to /dashboard/bank-details. Enter your bank account details and preferred currency — we handle the currency conversion at the mid-market rate. Once saved, you can choose bank transfer as your payment method and request payouts directly from the dashboard.

Yes. If your country is listed on your account profile and you are not a US citizen or resident, we are required to collect a W-8BEN form before releasing royalty payments. You will see a prompt in your dashboard to upload the form. Once uploaded, our team reviews it and releases your payments. Non-US authors can download the W-8BEN from the IRS website (irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw8ben.pdf) and upload it directly from the dashboard.

The book translation service at /book-translation uses AI to translate your book into your chosen language — we support 43 languages in total. You purchase a translation package (1, 10, or 25 translations), upload your manuscript, and the translated file is prepared and made available for download. Pricing starts at $49 for a single translation. Translations are useful for ebook and print distribution in new markets.

When you cancel AuthorPass, your membership remains active through the end of the billing period you already paid for — you do not lose access mid-cycle. After the period ends, your account returns to the free plan and routine updates from Higgins and your member discounts stop. Any Account Credit balance you have remains yours after cancellation — it never expires and can still be spent on any service. You can reactivate at any time.

Sign in and go to Dashboard, then choose Tax Forms (1042-S), or visit /dashboard/tax-forms. Your Form 1042-S shows the U.S.-source royalties we paid you and any U.S. tax withheld. The first time, U.S. tax rules require you to consent to electronic delivery: open a short test PDF, type the access code it shows, and confirm. You can withdraw consent at any time, and if you would prefer a paper copy, email hello@selfpublishing.pro.

No — ISBNs are assigned automatically by the platform when your book/format is set up for distribution. There is no manual ISBN assignment step for authors. To view your ISBN, sign in and go to Dashboard → View Books, open your title, and check the "Ebook ISBN" field under Ebook Details (print and audiobook ISBNs appear in their own format sections).

A distribution profile is a saved set of retailer and territory preferences for your book. When a book is set up for distribution, a profile controls which retail channels and regions it is submitted to. You can create and manage distribution profiles from your dashboard. If you want to opt out of specific retailers, that is configured in your distribution profile before submission.

When you add a book and do not yet have a cover, SelfPublishing.pro can generate a speculative AI cover concept for your review. An AI cover is generated automatically based on your book's title, genre, and description, and a preview is emailed to you. If you like it, you can purchase the full-resolution file for use on your book. There is no obligation to buy — the generation is a no-risk preview.

The AI Publishing Plan is a free tool on the SelfPublishing.pro home page. You answer a few questions about your book and goals, and the AI generates a personalized publishing plan. A shareable link to your plan is emailed to you so you can refer back to it or share it with the team. No account is required to use it.

AI Book Tools are priced per action: book metadata costs $1, an AI cover image costs $3, and a title check costs $3. Any Account Credit on your balance is applied automatically before your card is charged. You can view your balance at /credits.

Yes. After running a title collision and risk check, a Download PDF button appears on your results page. The PDF includes the overall risk rating, risk factors, potential trademark flags, suggested alternatives, and the full list of collision matches found in published book catalogs. It is intended for sharing with co-authors, advisors, or your own records — not as legal advice.

There is no separate credit currency any more. Creating a SelfPublishing.pro account is free, and AI Book Tools are billed directly in dollars per action — book metadata $1, an AI cover image $3, and a title collision/trademark risk check $3. There is nothing to buy up front and no bundle to purchase: any Account Credit on your balance is applied automatically before your card is charged, and you can view that balance at /credits.

Yes. The free EPUB Validator at /epub-validator lets you upload an EPUB file and check it for structural and metadata issues. No account is required.

All current AuthorPass plans include ongoing memberships at AuthorMailingLists, HostingAuthors, Groops, and BookToScreen, plus a Virversity course sponsorship. The optional Active Author add-on ($49/month or $490/year on either plan) adds podcast interviews on AIHosts.fm, daily social posting on LazyPosts.ai, and PitchBud journalist campaigns, a monthly podcast guest campaign and a monthly influencer search. Members also receive routine book updates handled by Higgins, 10% off SelfPublishing.pro, and 10% off AuthorVoices.ai.

Yes. Each audiobook format has its own narrator name field, separate from the print or ebook edition. You can set or update it from the audiobook format's metadata section on your format detail page — useful when crediting a narrator, a voice actor, or using a different author attribution for the audio version. These fields feed directly into audiobook retailer metadata, so enter the name you publish under rather than an email address — a title whose author or copyright holder looks like an email address is held until it is corrected. Human narrators are credited by name; AI-narrated audiobooks are listed with the narrator shown as "Digital Voice" plus the voice name (for example, "Digital Voice Tanya Calmwood I"), as retailers now ask.

Stay subscribed past your first 90 days and everything we built for you — your book summary, trailer, editorial review, press release, kits, and other one-time launch assets — is yours to keep forever. Cancel within the first 90 days and those one-time services are removed from our network along with the monthly memberships, since the amount paid does not cover their full retail value; anything already downloaded is always yours to keep. Monthly memberships stop at the end of the paid billing period, and Single and Unlimited can be canceled at any time.

Yes. SelfPublishing.pro is the evolution of bookmarketing.pro, and accounts from that site have been migrated here. Log in with the same email address you used at bookmarketing.pro — your password from that site will work, and it will be automatically upgraded to our current security standard on first login. If you do not remember your password, use the password reset option on the login page. Your books, sales history, and royalty balance should be accessible once you are logged in. If you have trouble, contact us through /contact.

Open Dashboard → View Books and select a title. The book page organizes ebook, print, audiobook, proof, and miscellaneous files; you can drag and drop uploads, download files, and replace or remove files for that title. Ebook cover and EPUB uploads are checked automatically, PDFs that look cut off are flagged so you can re-upload a complete copy, and the separate secure upload page at /dropbox/ remains available when you need to send files without signing in.

Yes. On your book detail page, there are AI-assisted suggestion buttons for BISAC categories, keywords, and the book description. These use AI to generate suggestions based on your book information — you can review and accept or edit them before saving.

After logging in, visit /dashboard/conversations to view and reply to your project message threads. You can attach files directly in the conversation. The team monitors this regularly and replies there rather than by separate email when a conversation thread is open.

Yes. From your book's detail page, the "Send to Partner" section lets you push your EPUB or cover files to supported partner platforms — including audiobook production, ebook conversion, and author hosting services — with a single click. No separate download and re-upload is needed. Eligibility requirements (such as having a finished EPUB on file) are shown before you submit.

If you are not a US citizen or resident, US tax law requires SelfPublishing.pro to withhold a percentage of your royalty earnings — typically 30%, or a lower rate if your country has a tax treaty with the United States. Submitting a completed W-8BEN certifies your tax residency and allows us to apply the correct treaty rate, which can reduce the amount withheld. You will see a prompt in your account dashboard at /dashboard if a form is not yet on file. Upload your completed W-8BEN there and our team will review it — once approved, your withholding rate is updated for future payouts. A blank W-8BEN form is available for download from the IRS website (irs.gov).

Yes. The Book Marketing Strategies guide at /book-marketing-strategies covers how to plan and run a book marketing campaign — from defining your audience and optimizing your Amazon page, through launch coordination, post-launch measurement, and common mistakes to avoid. It is free to read with no account required.

After logging in, your dashboard at /dashboard shows an overview of your projects, books, and open conversations with the team. It also displays your Account Credit balance and AuthorPass membership status. Non-US authors will see a prompt to upload a W-8BEN form if one is not yet on file, and a Tax Forms button where any Form 1042-S we issue can be downloaded.

The platform tracks ebook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook formats for each book. Each format can have its own metadata, pricing, ISBN, and distribution settings. You can add or update format details from your book record after logging in.

Most one-time full-service work is billed by an emailed invoice with a 7-day payment window. You can pay from the invoice link, and confirmed payment creates or activates the related project. Some self-service tools use online checkout instead; Account Credit is applied automatically when eligible.

Yes. From your account, you can set a single discount promo code that applies across all your books in the eBookIt.com catalog. You choose the discount percentage, an optional expiration date, and the number of uses. The uses count down by one each time a reader redeems the code; at zero the code stops working and your page shows "No uses left," so raise the number to keep it running.

No. Our part of the job is preparing your files to each retailer's specifications and submitting them — once that submission is made, the fee is earned. Whether a retailer accepts, lists, or later removes a title is entirely up to that retailer's own policies and is outside our control, so a rejection, delay, or removal doesn't entitle you to a refund. If the issue is a defect we introduced, we'll fix it and resubmit at no charge; if it traces back to your material or a policy you didn't meet, any rework is quoted before we start, and we'll always tell you the reason the retailer gave.

Yes, but international shipping is quoted by hand rather than charged automatically. When you order printed copies for a non-U.S. address, we do not charge your card right away — instead we send your request to our team, who will email you a shipping quote before anything is billed.

SelfPublishing.pro is a publishing support platform for authors and small presses. We help with book creation, editing, translation, covers, formatting, distribution, marketing, AI-assisted publishing tools, and full-service packages for people who want more hands-on help.

A new author-focused offer is scheduled each day at /deal, and each deal stays live for 48 hours with a checkout code and countdown. You can browse live and past offers at /deals. If you arrive after a deal ends, its page may issue a single-use 10% code valid for 24 hours; exact offers are not scheduled to repeat.

SelfPublishing.pro is for self-published authors, aspiring authors, and small presses. Some people use the site’s free and self-service tools, while others request fixed-price custom work or purchase full-service packages.

No. We help with ebooks, print books, audiobooks, book marketing, and related publishing services. The site is designed to support the broader self-publishing journey, not just one format.

Yes. Add the full-service items you want at /services, sign in, and choose “Send this to me as a proposal” from the cart. We will email you a PDF with an accept-and-pay link; opening it restores the quoted services and shows any current price or availability changes before checkout.

Yes. Some services are meant for people who are still at the idea, outline, or rough-draft stage, while others are meant for finished manuscripts or already-published books. Each service page lists the kind of project it is best suited for.

AI Book Launch Kit

AI Book Tools is an AI-assisted toolset for creating book launch assets. It includes three tools: book metadata generation (description, keywords, categories), AI cover image generation, and a title collision and trademark risk check. You can use each tool independently at /ai-book-tools, billed directly in dollars with any Account Credit applied automatically.

About SelfPublishing.pro

Our parent company, Archieboy Holdings, LLC., has been around since 2002. We began offering self-publishing and book marketing services through SelfPublishing.pro in 2011. The platform has since grown to cover the full publishing journey — from book creation, editing, AI tools, and cover design through distribution, marketing, and royalties — for independent authors and small presses worldwide.

Our fixed packages, the price for us doing a service for you, and the self-service routes are each listed in full below — see "What do your publishing and marketing packages cost?", "How much do your individual services cost?", and "Which of your services can I do myself, and where is that priced?". You can also browse /services and /packages. Work no published service covers is quoted at a single fixed price, starting at $75, and you approve it before anything begins — see Ask Higgins. We do not charge hourly and we do not sell blocks of time.

Not all books are destined to be bestsellers. It is not only the quality of the writing; the marketability of the book plays a significant role. Sometimes, there might just not be enough demand. The only way to know if a book has bestseller potential is to market and promote it—the right way. This means before any resources are spent attempting to make sales, ensure that the book has the best chance of succeeding by ensuring the book's presentation is professional and attractive, and it is available in the formats and on the sites/devices where the prospective readers are. Then we focus on exposure, and then sales.

Yes. Publishers who submit books on behalf of clients can receive special discounted rates. Contact us through the contact page for details.

We offer several ways to reach us. The contact form at /contact is the best option — it ensures we have your details on file and typically gets a response within hours. For quick questions, text us at +1 978 522 6530. You can also call +1 978 643 8662 — Riley, our AI phone agent, handles initial inquiries and routes your call to the right team; calls are capped at 5 minutes, and anything that needs more time is followed up by email. For extended strategy discussions about your book, use Ask Higgins to request a fixed-price quote — there is no hourly consulting rate.

These are our fixed packages. Each one has a live price and can be bought directly at /packages.

PackagePrice
Ebook Formatting, Conversion, and Distribution$250 (one time)
Ebook Only From Idea to Distribution$269 (one time)
Ebook to Print Book$552.50 (one time)
Publishing Package From Finished Manuscript$799 (one time)
Publishing Package From Rough Draft$964 (one time)
Starter Marketing Package$1,023 (one time)
Audiobook Marketing Package$1,367 (one time)
Standard Marketing Package$2,681.50 (one time)
Print Book Marketing Package$2,753.33 (one time)
Pro Marketing Package$3,935.50 (one time)

Work that no package covers is quoted as a single fixed price before anything starts — see Ask Higgins. We do not charge hourly and we do not sell blocks of time.

These are the current prices for us doing the work for you in Book Marketing / Promotion. Browse them at /services.

ServiceWe do it for you
A Screenplay from Your Book$324
AI Editorial Review$111.50
AI-Driven Author Mailing Lists$112.50
Amazon Ads Readiness Audit$28.83
Amazon Detail Page / A+ Content Tune-Up$26.83
Author On Air$242.50
Backlist Revival Audit$21.83
Book / Author Website Hosting$349
Book Club Kit$25.83
Book Press Release$63.50
Book Press Release & Journalist Pitch Service$352.50
Book to Podcast$224
BookScout Outreach Agent$21.83
BookToScreen.pro$152.50
Booky Awards$191.50
Done-For-You Book Ads & Reader List$399
GoodReads Giveaway$244
Landing Pages for Your Book$224
List Your Book for Free on Multiple Reader Websites$21.83
PR Kit$60.67
Podcast Guest Pitch Kit$26.83
Published Book Summary$161.50
Sponsor an Online Course$252.50
Video Trailer For Your Book$91.50
Your Non-Fiction Book as a Revenue-earning Online Course$449
Your Own SpokesPerson for Your Book$91.50
Zero Effort Social Media Posting$540
eBook Cover to Audiobook Cover$24.83

These are the current prices for us doing the work for you in Pre-publishing Services. Browse them at /services.

ServiceWe do it for you
AI Audiobook Creation$299
AI Book Translation Service$111.50
AI Memoir Creation$1,349
AI Non-Fiction Book Creation$144
Book Cover Design$206.50
Book Creation from Your Notes$174
Book Editing / Proofreading$424
Book Metadata Generator$21.83
Book Reviews$179
Book Title Check$23.83
Ebook Conversion$175
Print Book Interior Formatting$175
eBook Cover Image Creator$23.83

These are the current prices for us doing the work for you in Publishing & Distribution Services. Browse them at /services.

ServiceWe do it for you
Audiobook Distribution - Exclusive with ACX/Audible/Amazon$126
Audiobook Distribution - Multi Platform, Non-exclusive$93.33
Create Custom Children's Books$279
Ebook Distribution$51.67
Print Book Distribution$197.50
Amazon Print Distribution Add-On$75

These Book Marketing / Promotion services also have a do-it-yourself version you can run yourself. Each of these sites has its own plans and options, so the self-service price is on that site rather than here — the full-service price on /services is what it costs for us to do the whole thing for you.

ServiceDo it yourself at
A Screenplay from Your Bookbooktoscreen.pro
AI Editorial Reviewfeedbackfrontier.com
AI-Driven Author Mailing Listsauthormailinglists.com
Amazon Ads Readiness Auditselfpublishing.pro
Amazon Detail Page / A+ Content Tune-Upselfpublishing.pro
Author On Airauthoronair.com
Backlist Revival Auditselfpublishing.pro
Book / Author Website Hostinghostingauthors.com
Book Club Kitselfpublishing.pro
Book Cover Motionselfpublishing.pro
Book Press Releasepitchbud.io
Book Press Release & Journalist Pitch Servicepitchbud.io
Book to Podcastpoddyhost.com
BookScout Outreach Agentselfpublishing.pro
BookToScreen.probooktoscreen.pro
Booky Awardsbookyawards.com
Done-For-You Book Ads & Reader Listpromoto.io
GoodReads Giveawaygoodreads.com (a third party — their pricing, not ours)
Landing Pages for Your Bookgroops.com
List Your Book for Free on Multiple Reader Websitesselfpublishing.pro
PR Kitselfpublishing.pro
Podcast Guest Pitch Kitselfpublishing.pro
Published Book Summarybookgist.ai
Soundtrack My Bookselfpublishing.pro
Sponsor an Online Coursevirversity.com
Video Trailer For Your Bookbookreelz.com
Your Non-Fiction Book as a Revenue-earning Online Coursecoursebud.io
Your Own SpokesPerson for Your Bookbookspokesperson.com
Zero Effort Social Media Postinglazyposts.ai
eBook Cover to Audiobook Coverselfpublishing.pro

These Pre-publishing Services services also have a do-it-yourself version you can run yourself. Each of these sites has its own plans and options, so the self-service price is on that site rather than here — the full-service price on /services is what it costs for us to do the whole thing for you.

ServiceDo it yourself at
AI Audiobook Creationauthorvoices.ai
AI Memoir Creationmemoirmaker.ai
AI Non-Fiction Book Creationbookbud.ai
Book Cover Designbookcovers.pro
Book Creation from Your Notesconceptsofabook.com
Book Editing / Proofreadingbookeditor.io
Book Metadata Generatorselfpublishing.pro
Book Reviewsreviewcopyclub.com
Book Title Checkselfpublishing.pro
Creation of Book in Audio Human Narratorsacx.com (a third party — their pricing, not ours)
Ebook Conversionebookconvert.pro
PDF to Word Converterselfpublishing.pro
Print Book Interior Formattingdoctoprint.com
eBook Cover Image Creatorselfpublishing.pro

These Publishing & Distribution Services services also have a do-it-yourself version you can run yourself. Each of these sites has its own plans and options, so the self-service price is on that site rather than here — the full-service price on /services is what it costs for us to do the whole thing for you.

ServiceDo it yourself at
Audiobook Distribution - Exclusive with ACX/Audible/Amazonacx.com (a third party — their pricing, not ours)
Audiobook Distribution - Multi Platform, Non-exclusiveinaudio.com
Create Custom Children's Booksstarringmykid.com
Ebook Distributioningramspark.com (a third party — their pricing, not ours)
Print Book Distributioningramspark.com (a third party — their pricing, not ours)

Accounts & Billing

For products like packages, custom work, and subscriptions, registration ensures that purchases are attached to the correct user account and can be fulfilled or tracked properly.

SelfPublishing.pro currently uses Stripe for supported online purchases and subscriptions.

That depends on what you purchased. Account-linked digital tools become available after payment is confirmed, while full-service purchases create or update a project for team delivery. You will receive a payment confirmation or receipt by email.

Yes. If you are unsure which service or package is right for you, you can use the contact page to reach out before purchasing.

Audiobook Distribution

Note: These file requirements apply to human-narrated audiobooks you are submitting for ACX/Audible distribution. If you are using the SelfPublishing.pro AI Audiobook Creation service, you do not need to provide audio files — we handle production. See the services page for AI narration options.

Creating audiobook-ready files is not easy, and any deviation from the below requirements will cause the files to be rejected. Audible.com has very strict standards in order to maintain quality.

  • Opening and closing credits audio files. Two separate files are required to begin and end your audiobook.
    Opening Credits:

    [title of audiobook]
    Written by [name of author]
    Narrated by [name of narrator]

    Closing Credits:

    This has been [title of audiobook]
    Written by [name of author]
    Narrated by [name of narrator]
    Copyright [year and name of copyright holder]
    Production copyright [year it was recorded] by [company name]
  • All recordings must be human-voice (this requirement is from Audible/ACX — no computer-read files accepted for ACX submissions; for AI narration see our AI audiobook services)
  • File type accepted: MP3 (192 kbps or higher)
  • Files must be CBR (constant bit rate) as Audible does not accept VBR (variable bit rate) files.
  • Submitted audiobooks may not contain both mono and stereo files. Stereo files must not be joint-stereo. Mono files are strongly recommended.
  • Each audiobook should be encapsulated in its own folder or directory. The directory should match the full title of the audio.
  • Each file must be comprised of a single chapter, episode, or story (unless otherwise not possible). Note that each file will typically become a "track" that a customer may use for navigation.
  • If the audio has no chapters, please split the audio into segments that are no longer than 2 hours each, but no shorter than 30 minutes each (when possible).
  • Each file should be preceded by a three digit number that denotes the order in which the files should appear. The file names should appear as: 001_title.mp3, 002_title.mp3, 003_title.mp3.
  • Provide a sample file that is named, "title_sample.mp3." The sample audio must not exceed 5 minutes in duration and it must be longer than one minute. It should start with narration, not opening credits or music, and must not include explicit material. This sample is used by customers to preview your audiobook.
  • "Ripping" audio CDs is strongly discouraged as errors can often produce skipping and other audible glitches in the audio.
  • Each file must be free of extraneous sounds (mouse clicks, mic pops, mouth noises, etc.)
  • Each file must measure between -23dB and -18dB RMS and have -3dB peak values and a maximum -60dB noise floor
  • Each uploaded file must have between 0.5 and 1 second of room tone at the head, and between 1 and 5 seconds of room tone at the tail.

Audible does for Audible.com, and Amazon*. You do for the other retailers.

* and iTunes if you are not going with full distribution.

Royalty payments are sent monthly by default to your PayPal account using the email on file — we cover the PayPal transaction fees. If you'd rather use direct bank transfer, add your bank details at /dashboard/bank-details; instead of an automatic monthly send, your balance simply builds up, and you can request payment any time from your dashboard once it reaches the $25 minimum — we send it by bank transfer within a few business days.

Audible is very strict about the image, so it is best to have the person who designed your ebook/printbook cover also design your audiobook cover image to these specs:

  • Images must be no smaller than 2400 X 2400 pixels in size.
  • The resolution of these images can be no smaller than 72 dpi.
  • Images must be squared. The squared cover must be a true squared cover and cannot be rectangular with colored borders on the side. (ex. CD case cover/jacket)
  • Images should be at least 24-bit.
  • Images cannot refer to physical CDs or media other than the audio presented.
  • Pornographic and offensive materials are not allowed.
  • Image types allowed: JPEG, TIFF, PNG
  • Each image should be labeled as the full title (ex. Book_title.jpg) or ISBN (ex. 1234567890123.jpg)
  • Images must contain both the name of the title and author(s)
  • Images cannot contain any borders. Audible considers borders any kind of "filler" used to make an ebook image into a square.

Audiobook Narration

We offer three ways to turn your book into an audiobook. Here's how they compare:

Feature AI Audiobook Creation Audible AI Audiobook Human Narrator Audiobook
Price (full-service) $299
includes 1 hrs labor credits		 $299
includes 1 hr labor credits		 Varies — $240 per finished hour
Narrator AI — large curated voice library with instant previews AI — one preset American male voice Professional human voice actors (via ACX)
Turnaround A couple of days A couple of days Weeks to months (auditioning + recording + editing + proofing)
Distribution All major retailers EXCEPT for Audible/Amazon (non-exclusive) Audible exclusive only (Amazon + Apple) — 40% royalty Audible/ACX/Amazon — exclusive (40%) or non-exclusive (25%)
Chapter-by-chapter edits About 45 minutes included About 45 minutes included unlimited (within reason)/td>
Requires ebook on Amazon first? No Yes Yes
AuthorPass discount 10% off 10% off 10% off
Best for… Flexibility — AI quality with full distribution control. Fast and cheap. Fastest, cheapest path to an Audible listing Highest production value — fiction, memoir, performance-driven books, but difficult to reach profitability due to production cost

Quick guide:

All three services include real human support. Labor credits are billed in 5-minute increments, shareable across your full-service projects, and never expire (non-transferable and non-refundable).

AI narration through AuthorVoices.ai costs a fraction of traditional human narration. Our done-for-you AI Audiobook Creation service is $299, or you can do it yourself on AuthorVoices.ai from $22.50. The same 50,000-word book (~5 finished hours) with a professional human narrator through SelfPublishing.pro would run about $1,200, since human narration is priced at approximately $240 per finished hour.

 AI narration can be completed in hours — the done-for-you service typically delivers a proof within 24 hours. Human narration takes weeks to months depending on narrator availability, book length, and the revision process.

Most retailers accept AI-narrated audiobooks, including Apple Books, Google Play, Kobo, and the broader distribution network. Amazon/Audible also has its own AI audiobook program — our Audible AI Audiobook Creation service ($299 full-service) distributes an AI-narrated version exclusively to Audible using their native AI voice technology. The standard AI Audiobook Creation service ($299 full-service, or from $22.50 if you do it yourself on AuthorVoices.ai) distributes to all major retailers except Audible/Amazon (non-exclusive), giving you the flexibility to distribute everywhere else.

All of them, without exception. Human narration is universally accepted across every audiobook platform including Audible, Apple Books, Google Play, Kobo, and all others.

 Today's cloned AI voices are virtually indistinguishable from human narration. AuthorVoices.ai offers dozens of voice options across multiple accents and age ranges, plus the ability to clone your own voice. That said, if your book requires heavy emotional acting, more than four distinct character voices, or very nuanced dramatic performance, human narration may still be the better choice.

 Yes! AuthorVoices.ai offers voice cloning — you upload samples of your voice and the AI creates a narration that sounds like you. This is a great option for authors who want a personal touch without spending days in a recording booth.

Yes, with both options you retain all rights to your audiobook.

 Both! You can create the audiobook yourself on AuthorVoices.ai (it takes about 1 minute per minute of audio, with 75% of the time spent proofing). Or use the done-for-you service where the AuthorVoices team handles everything and delivers distribution-ready files.

 For AI narration, you'll need a valid .epub, .doc, .docx, .rtf, or .pages file (not PDF — it causes line break issues). For human narration, the project management team will work with you on manuscript delivery.

AuthorPass

AuthorPass is billed as a recurring subscription, monthly or annually. Your membership activates automatically once checkout is complete, and you can view its status and manage billing from your dashboard. Single and Unlimited can be canceled at any time, and the optional Active Author add-on can be added or removed from your dashboard whenever you like.

After your payment is confirmed, your AuthorPass membership activates immediately. Routine updates to your books are handled by Higgins at no charge, your member discounts apply, and partner benefits are set up during onboarding. You can view and manage your membership from your dashboard.

Book Translation

Yes. Book translation is meant for manuscripts that are already completed and proofed. The site asks for a fully proofed manuscript before translation.

The site currently supports 43 languages for book translation, including major world languages across Europe, Asia, the Americas, Africa, and the Middle East.

Yes. Translation purchases are attached to your account, so you need to be registered and logged in before checkout. Translations are billed directly in dollars — there is no translation credit to buy first — and any Account Credit on your balance is applied automatically before your card is charged.

Distribution

Yes. The site includes services related to ebook distribution, print book distribution, and audiobook distribution, depending on the format and readiness of your book.

In general, you need finished, publication-ready files before distribution. The service listings indicate whether a service requires formatted and converted book files or a completed manuscript.

Yes. The site includes both audiobook creation-related services and audiobook distribution-related services.

It is a private offer we send to SelfPublishing.pro authors: the link lets you hear three narrators read the opening of your own book, with no login needed. One $299 payment covers narrating the whole book, quality checks, the audiobook cover, all listing details, and distribution to Apple Books, Google Play, Kobo, libraries and other retailers, whatever the length. We email you the finished audiobook to approve or request changes before anything goes live, and royalties arrive in your SelfPublishing.pro account like your ebook royalties.

Distribution & Metadata

No — not for a book that's already distributed in print. Amazon (and print distribution generally) will not let us change the title, subtitle, or author of a live print edition without removing it from distribution and re-uploading under a new ISBN. That means losing the existing reviews, sales rank, and product-page history — so it is virtually always a bad idea.

What this means for marketing/audit work: for any book that already has a print edition, do not suggest title / subtitle / author changes.

What you CAN do freely (no new ISBN): change the book description, the categories/BISAC, keywords, and A+ Content. If you have a strong subtitle idea, recommend using it as an <h4> heading at the very start of the description — it does the same promise/search work without touching the ISBN.

(Ebook-only titles have more flexibility to change metadata, but leading the description with the hook is still the cleaner move.)

Generally no. Our standard print route is Ingram, and Ingram supplies Amazon as a wholesaler, so the Amazon listing for most of our books is not owned by an account the author controls. A+ Content requires KDP Bookshelf / Brand Registry access on the account that owns the listing, so neither the author nor we can add A+ Content to an Ingram-supplied Amazon page.

This holds for our Amazon Print Distribution Add-On too. That add-on puts a direct Amazon print listing on our publishing account, which gets the book its own Amazon product page and Amazon-fulfilled availability, but it does not give the author A+ Content and we do not offer A+ Content as part of it.

The exception: an author who publishes and controls the book through their own KDP account can use A+ Content there.

What we CAN improve on an Amazon page we supply: the book description, categories/BISAC, keywords, and editorial review copy. Only offer A+ Content module copy when the author confirms they manage their own KDP listing — and treat it as something they apply on their own account.

Ebook Distribution

Here is our current list of retail and library partners for ebook distribution. A few notes about distribution:

  • Not all the partners have a retail website where you can search for books. Many are back-end distributors that provide the books to many smaller retailers
  • Not all of the partners are obligated to accept all books (although most do). Some accept academic books only and some are country specific. A few are selective based on undisclosed factors.
  • If you are searching for your book, try a combination of title, author, and ISBN. Keep in mind that many retail sites do not have great searching functionality.
Partner Type Country Region
Ainosco Retail, Library China Asia
Amazon Retail USA Worldwide
Apple Retail USA Worldwide
Barnes & Noble Retail USA North America
Bibliotheca LLC (Cloud Library, 3M) Library USA North America, Europe
BibliU Retail, Library United Kingdom Europe, North America, South America
Bolinda (Borrowbox) Library USA Europe, Oceania
Bright Retail Sweden Sweden
Chegg Retail USA North America, Europe, Asia, Oceania
De Marque Retail, Library Canada North America, Europe
EBooks.com Retail Australia North America, Europe
EBSCO Library USA North America, Europe, Oceania
Fable Retail USA North America
Follett/Baker & Taylor Library USA North America
Gardners Retail, Library United Kingdom Europe, Asia
Glose (READD, Inc.) Retail USA North America, Europe, Africa, Oceania
Google Play Books Retail USA Worldwide
Hoopla (Midwest Tapes) Library USA North America
iGroup Library China Asia
ITSI Retail United Kingdom Africa
Kobo (Rakuten.com) Retail Canada Worldwide
Kortext Retail, Library United Kingdom Europe, Asia, Oceania, Africa
Legible Retail Canada Worldwide
Libreka Retail Germany Europe
Libri Gmbh Retail Germany Europe
Mackin Library USA North America
Odilo Library USA North America, South America, Europe
Overdrive Library USA North America, Europe
Perlego Retail United Kingdom North America, Europe
Perusall Retail USA North America, Europe, Oceania
ProQuest Library USA North America, Oceania
Redshelf (Virdocs) Retail USA North America, Asia, Oceania
Scribd Retail USA Worldwide
Snapplify Retail, Library South Africa Africa
Sol Retail USA North America
Storytel Retail Sweden Europe
Takealot.com (powered by Overdrive) Retail South Africa Africa
VitalSource Retail USA North America, South America, Europe, Oceania
Wheelers Books Library Australia Oceania, Africa, Europe
Wook (Porta Editora) Retail Portugal Europe, South America, North America
YouScribe Retail France Europe, Africa

Submit a withdrawal request through Dashboard by opening the relevant book or project and messaging our team, or contact us directly. We will submit the withdrawal to the applicable distributors; retailers process it on their own schedules, and some may take up to 30 days to remove a listing. A Withdrawn status means the withdrawal was recorded, not that every third-party retailer page has disappeared.

Yes. When a book or format is set up for distribution, the platform assigns its ISBN automatically; authors do not need to assign or confirm one. To view it, sign in and choose Dashboard → View Books, open the title, and look under Ebook Details; print and audiobook ISBNs appear in their format sections.

Each retailer processes submissions on its own schedule, so your listing may take time to appear after the distribution confirmation email. You do not need to take any further action, including assigning or confirming an ISBN; contact us if you need a status update.

Yes. You can opt out of individual retailers through your distribution preferences before submission. This is not Kindle exclusivity: ebooks distributed by us otherwise go wide, and we do not offer KDP Select or Kindle Unlimited enrollment.

No. Every ebook we distribute goes wide: Amazon alongside Apple Books, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, and our library and back-end partners.

We do not enroll ebooks in KDP Select or Kindle Unlimited. If you want to use KDP Select through your own Amazon account, contact us first so we can withdraw the title from wide distribution.

Opting out of individual retailers is supported and is not the same as exclusivity; audiobooks are separate, and an ACX exclusive audiobook lane is available.

Retailer take rates vary. As a general rule, most major ebook retailers keep 30-35% and pay out 65-70% to distributors, while Amazon takes up to 65% on books priced above $9.99 (dropping to 30% in the $2.99-$9.99 range). For print and audiobook formats the splits differ. It is generally recommended not to opt out of any retailer based on their take rate alone, since wider availability increases discoverability. For current specific rates, consult each retailer's published royalty documentation or contact us.

Expectations

The ROI greatly varies from service to service. Before we go into more detail, consider the parable of the bucket and the pipeline. Here is the 30-second version of the story:

A village was in need of fresh water, but the only source was a stream miles away. Every day, villagers would have to make the hike to get the water. Two local entrepreneurs decided to do something about it. The first entrepreneur used a large cart that could hold several buckets to store the water and would make daily trips to the stream and return to the village to sell the water. This entrepreneur would earn 10 coins a day. The second entrepreneur invested in building a pipeline from the stream to the village. Although this took both time and investment, once the pipeline went live, the second entrepreneur would make hundreds of coins a day and not have to do any work. He put the first entrepreneur out of business.

We don't expect all authors to build pipelines and forgo the instant returns and immediate sales, but we do strongly believe that a solid marketing strategy should include both short-term and long-term investment. The goal isn't to endlessly dump money into ads and promotions and hope that the positive return continues indefinitely (spoiler alert: it won't). Nor is the goal to tirelessly search for new promotions that promise high returns on investment, only to lose money on countless "duds" before finding one that works for your particular book. The goal is to "build a pipeline" by making a name for yourself as an author and/or your book. This requires exposure and branding. However, because we know most authors typically don't have deep pockets, we mix in some promotions with short-term (one to three months) profitability potential so sales can justify continued longer-term investment in the book.

Although almost certainly, any of our services will lead to more book sales, we cannot guarantee it. There are too many factors outside of our control. For example, if you are selling ten books a month on average due to some regular promotion that you do, then you stop doing that promotion; even if our efforts increase your sales by nine books per month and would be considered successful, you are selling one fewer book per month. If your books are seasonal, or even if you happened to have a great month prior to the promotion with us, overall sales could go down despite a successful campaign. The criterion of "sell more books" (understood as more books per month) would be a flawed measurement criterion.

 

You can expect that, for at least an hour on Amazon, your book will be listed as an Amazon Best Seller. Amazon's "Best Seller" designation is given to the top 100 books in every category based on the sales that hour. You can read more details about this on Amazon's site: https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G201648140.

What this means: Once an Amazon Best Seller, always an Amazon Best Seller. But this doesn't mean your book is "currently" a best seller. Be careful how you represent your book. You will only see the "best seller" flag attached to your book, and on Amazon's Best Seller lists when your book is a best seller. With our service, this can last anywhere from an hour to over a day, depending on the competition in your category.

The "Amazon Best Seller" is a marketing gimmick, make no mistake. However, it is still an accomplishment that very few authors get to experience. It is impressive to the layperson who doesn't know how Amazon's Best Seller status works, which is virtually everyone. This is why this service is so popular with authors.

Promotion aims to get your books into the hands of more readers with the hope that it catches on organically; that is, people will start to share and write about your book, increasing sales without putting more money into it. Most people forget or don’t know that when a traditional publisher puts out a book, it usually does so with tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars of marketing to initiate this organic growth. Some books succeed (as measured by growing organically), and even with that kind of investment, most do not. Self-published authors rarely have those kinds of funds for investment. Putting a couple hundred dollars into a promotion or two one time is unlikely to spark any organic growth, but it should stimulate sales and increase readership. The bottom line is to manage your expectations if you are dealing with a small budget. Continued promotion is the way to go, but one needs to know when to accept that the book is not marketable. This is a difficult conclusion since it is essentially giving up on the book.

Marketing

Yes. SelfPublishing.pro offers a range of book marketing services and tools. AI-powered marketing tools at /book-marketing-tools generate Amazon Ads readiness audits, PR kits, podcast pitch kits, book club guides, and more, each billed directly in dollars with any Account Credit applied automatically. For broader promotion, the BookPromos Network lists your book on up to 27 reader sites for free. For custom help or anything not covered by a self-service tool, use Ask Higgins at /services/custom. For a full overview of available marketing options, see /book-marketing-services.

Not all of them. Some services are powered by AI or automated tools, while others involve more traditional promotion, strategic support, or full-service help.

Yes. You can choose individual services or use a bundled package, depending on how much support you want.

Soundtrack My Book turns your story into an original theme song plus a shareable vertical lyric video featuring your cover. Every verified account can create one free watermarked preview every 24 hours, and books purchased through SelfPublishing.pro get five free previews per book right away. If you love it, unlocking the full song and clean video files costs $49. Find it under Services → Soundtrack My Book, or go directly to /soundtrack-my-book.

Packages

The full-service packages bundle multiple services together for authors who want more handholding and a more done-for-you experience. They are designed for people who want help moving from draft to published book, or from published book to broader visibility and promotion.

Yes. You must register and be logged in before purchasing a package so the order can be attached to your account and tracked correctly.

After purchase, the package is attached to your account and recorded in our system. From there, we use your account and client record to manage the next steps and service delivery.

Yes. Package purchases use Stripe checkout for secure payment processing.

Yes. After a successful package purchase, a receipt email is sent through the site's system email flow.

Yes. The packages are specifically for authors who want more direct help, guidance, or done-for-you support instead of handling everything themselves.

Print Book Distribution

Our standard print route is Ingram. Ingram supplies Amazon as a wholesaler, so an Ingram-distributed paperback is orderable on Amazon, and it also reaches bookshops, libraries and the wider trade. The Ingram retailers are:

Some titles are also listed directly on Amazon from our own publishing account, in addition to Ingram. That direct Amazon listing is an optional one-time add-on of $75 per book — see "Can you list my print book on Amazon directly as well as Ingram?". A book will occasionally go to only one of the two channels because of a cover or file requirement that one accepts and the other does not; we tell you before distribution if that applies to your book.

Yes — it is a one-time $75 add-on per book.

Our standard print route is Ingram, which supplies Amazon as a wholesaler along with bookshops and libraries, so an Ingram-distributed paperback is already orderable on Amazon. Some authors also want a direct Amazon listing, which gives the book its own Amazon product page, Amazon-fulfilled stock, and access to Amazon author copies.

For $75 per book we create and manage that direct listing from our own publishing account, using the Amazon-spec cover wrap and print interior we already hold for your title. We enter the metadata, set the retail price and territories, and check the proof before it goes live. It is a one-time charge, not a subscription.

What it does not change: your Ingram listing stays exactly as it is, your royalty arrangement is unchanged, and Amazon A+ Content is still not available (see "Can our authors use Amazon KDP A+ Content on their book?"). If you would rather own the Amazon listing yourself, you can publish it free in your own KDP account instead — we will hand you the print-ready files, though we do not sign in to or operate an author’s own retailer accounts.

Ask us and we will send an invoice; the listing goes up once it is paid.

By default, no — our print titles are set non-returnable, and that is deliberate.

The part that surprises most authors comes first: making a book returnable will not, on its own, persuade bookshops to stock it. It is a widely held belief and it does not hold up. Shops decide what to carry based on demand, not on the returns setting. In practice a title gets stocked when it already has a real online sales history — usually more than a few hundred copies a month — or when the author is well enough known to bring people through the door. A returnable book with no sales history sits unstocked exactly like a non-returnable one.

Second, returns cost real money, and the bill lands on us rather than on you. When a shop sends a copy back, the print cost is charged to our publisher account. On a large book that can be $20 to $27 a copy, so a single returned copy can wipe out the margin on three or four sales. The exposure we have to manage is the sequence where we pay you for sales, the shop then returns the copies it did not sell, and we are left holding the bill.

Where we make exceptions. For a title with a strong sales history, or an author with genuine name recognition, we will switch returnability on and carry that risk ourselves. That is a judgement we make case by case, and you are welcome to ask.

If you would like it without that sales history, we can still do it against a $1,000 refundable deposit. The deposit is held against returns charges on your title, and whatever is not used comes back to you. It simply means the risk sits with the person who chose to take it.

If your aim is to be carried in shops, the honest route is the same one that produces the sales history: build online demand first. That is what changes a shop's answer, and the returns setting can be revisited the moment it does.

Publishing Advice

I get this question often, and here is my response.

First, remove all of the services that were already done and we done well. So if you created dozens of social media images that look great, cross that service off the list of potential services for you to use.

Next, remove all the services that don't apply to your book. For example, if your book is not a children's book, then remove the children's book service. If your book is a self-help book, then it wouldn't make the best movie, so remove the "Hollywood Here I Come" service.

Now you can look at our packages. I created these packages with this question in mind... I put all the "biggest bang for the buck" services in these packages. So for example, if you only have $500, the "Under $500" package contains those services I would suggest. You can see the services that each package contains.

I hesitate to list services here because they change and are updated frequently, but I always update the packages. So look at the packages here: https://www.selfpublishing.pro/packages

This might border on a legal question so please understand I am answering this as an author of over a dozen books and publisher of over 5000 books. No, you don't need to copyright your book. In fact, I would guess that maybe 1 in 500 authors actually bother with the official copyright process for their books, because of what is referred to as "implied copyright" that in inherent with publishing and simply declaring copyright with a date in your book's front matter. Now, if you find your book is taking off and approaching "Harry Potter" status, I would go through the expense of an official copyright to make sure all bases are covered. Otherwise, in most cases, the implied copyright is more than enough.

Publishing Forms

Amazon provides a great tool for calculating the price of your book and shows you your royalty for your chosen price. You can find this at https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/GSQF43YAMUPFTMSP  Your royalty shown must be a minimum of $2 per book. We can choose the price for you if you leave it blank. We will also set the Ingram prices based on what you enter for Amazon. Ingram prices are typically about 40% higher because profit is lower due to splitting the royalties with bookstores.

Amazon provides a great tool for calculating the price of your Amazon book and shows you your royalty for your chosen price - you can use this for Ingram as well. You can find this at https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/GSQF43YAMUPFTMSP . Your royalty shown must be a minimum of $2 per book. We can choose the price for you if you leave it blank. You can also set the Ingram prices based on what you enter for Amazon. Ingram prices are typically about 40% higher because profit is lower due to splitting the royalties with bookstores.

Royalties & Payments

Log in and visit /sales-reports to see your monthly royalty breakdowns by retailer and format. Reports are posted by the last day of the month following the sale month — for example, March sales appear by the end of April. You can also download reports as a spreadsheet from that page.

If you prefer not to use PayPal, you can receive royalty payments via direct bank transfer instead. Add your bank details (account number, routing info, and preferred currency) at /dashboard/bank-details in your dashboard. Once your details are on file, your balance builds up each cycle instead of being sent automatically — you can request a payout any time from your dashboard once your balance is above the $25 minimum, and we will send it by bank transfer within a few business days.

Payments are made on the 15th day of the month by midnight, Eastern Time (EST) unless the 15th falls on a weekend or US holiday in which case, the payment will be made on the next business day, by midnight EST.

Payments made in any given month are for sales made two months prior.

Technical

First, you need to make sure you have a Facebook Page setup—not a just a Facebook personal account, a "page" devoted to you as an author or your book. If you don't let your project manager know and they will set one up for you (and you can ignore the rest of this answer).

(You should do all of this on a desktop device rather than a mobile device).

 

If you signed up for the Amazon Ads Setup and Management Service, and a) your book is not being distributed by SelfPublishing.pro, and b) you are distributing your book through your own Amazon KDP account (not through another service), then these directions are for you.

There are four parts to this:

  1. Sign up for an Amazon Ads account if you already don't have one.
  2. Fund your Amazon Ads account if you already didn't add a credit card.
  3. Give access to our Amazon marketing specialist.
  4. Rename your account to author or book name

Skip to any section if not needed.

Sign Up for an Amazon Ads Account

Fund Your Amazon Ads Account

Give Access to our Amazon Marketing Specialist

Change Your Default Account Name

 

If your ebook is also with other retailers like Google, B&N, Apple, etc., then Amazon allows for “price matching.” Since they won’t allow you to set a price of "0.00" for your ebook, you need to change your ebook price with any major retailer to free (I suggest B&N or Google, as these are easiest and take place quickly). Then, you need to use Amazon KDP’s HELP menu to contact them and request a price match. Here I will show you how to do this using Barnes and Noble and Amazon.

/// Instructions for .m4b Files ///

To play an .m4b file, which is typically an audiobook format, you can use various media players that support this file type. Here are some options:

- iTunes or Apple Books: If you're using an Apple device, iTunes (for older versions of macOS) or Apple Books (for macOS Catalina and later) can play .m4b files seamlessly.

- VLC Media Player: VLC is a free, open-source media player that is available for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android. It can handle .m4b files and a wide range of other media formats.

- Audible App: If the .m4b file is from Audible, using the Audible app available on various platforms (including iOS and Android) is a convenient option.

- Smart Audiobook Player: This is a popular choice for Android users. It is specifically designed for playing audiobooks, including .m4b files.

- MP3 Players: Some MP3 players support .m4b files, especially those designed with audiobooks in mind. Check your device’s specifications to confirm compatibility.

- Other Media Players: Other media players like MediaMonkey, KMPlayer, or Winamp may also support .m4b files.

/// Instructions for .zip File ///

To listen to .mp3 files that are contained within a .zip file, you need to first extract the .mp3 files from the .zip archive. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to do this:

1. **Download and Save the .zip File**: Make sure the .zip file is downloaded and saved on your computer or device.

2. **Extract the .zip File**:
   - On Windows:
     - Right-click the .zip file.
     - Select "Extract All..." or "Extract Here" (depending on your version of Windows).
     - Choose a destination folder where you want the extracted files to be saved.
     - Click "Extract".
   - On macOS:
     - Double-click the .zip file.
     - The files will automatically be extracted to the same location as the .zip file.
   - On Linux:
     - Right-click the .zip file.
     - Choose "Extract Here" or "Extract to..." and select a destination folder.
   - On Mobile Devices (iOS, Android):
     - Use a file manager app that supports zip extraction. Apps like "Files" on iOS or "Files by Google" on Android can usually handle this.
     - Tap on the .zip file and look for an option to extract or unzip.



3. **Play the Extracted .mp3 Files**:
   - Once the .mp3 files are extracted, you can play them using any standard media player that supports the .mp3 format.
   - If you're on a computer, you can use media players like VLC Media Player, Windows Media Player, iTunes, or any other player you prefer.
   - On mobile devices, you can use the built-in music player or any other media player app you have installed.

By extracting the .mp3 files from the .zip archive, you make them accessible to media players, which typically cannot play files that are still compressed inside a .zip file.

Here are detailed instructions for unzipping ZIP files on both Windows and macOS:

### For Windows Users

#### Method 1: Using Windows File Explorer
1. **Locate the ZIP File:** Open `File Explorer` and navigate to the location of the ZIP file you want to unzip.
2. **Right-Click on the ZIP File:** Right-click the file, and from the context menu, choose **Extract All…**.
3. **Choose the Extraction Location:** In the `Extract Compressed (Zipped) Folders` dialog box, you’ll see a default location where the files will be unzipped. To change it, click **Browse…** and select a new folder.
4. **Extract Files:** Click **Extract**. The files will be unzipped to the location you selected.
5. **Access Unzipped Files:** Once the process is complete, the unzipped files will appear in the chosen location. You can now view or open these files directly.

#### Method 2: Using Third-Party Software (e.g., 7-Zip)
1. **Download and Install 7-Zip:** Go to [7-Zip’s website](https://www.7-zip.org/), download the installer, and follow the instructions to install it.
2. **Locate the ZIP File:** In `File Explorer`, navigate to your ZIP file.
3. **Extract with 7-Zip:** Right-click the ZIP file, hover over **7-Zip** in the context menu, and select **Extract Here** or **Extract to <folder_name>**.
4. **Access Files:** The files will be extracted either in the current location or within a new folder (if you chose **Extract to <folder_name>**). You can open and view them.

### For macOS Users

#### Method 1: Using the Built-in Archive Utility
1. **Locate the ZIP File:** Open `Finder` and go to the folder where the ZIP file is stored.
2. **Double-Click the ZIP File:** Double-clicking the ZIP file will automatically begin the unzipping process using macOS’s built-in `Archive Utility`.
3. **View the Unzipped Files:** Once unzipped, a new folder will appear in the same location as the ZIP file. This folder will contain all of the extracted files.

These methods should work on both desktop and laptop computers running Windows or macOS.

After logging in, visit your dashboard at /dashboard to see a status overview of all your books and projects. Each book may have multiple services associated with it (distribution, marketing, etc.). Projects may be Active (in progress or awaiting your action) or Completed. You can also message the team about a specific project through the conversations section.