Let’s talk about the process of indie publishing!
You’ve written the book.
You’ve revised it. You’ve wrestled with plot holes, rewritten the ending three times, and probably spent an unreasonable amount of time deciding whether your magic system needs one more rule.
Now what?
For many fantasy and science fiction writers, finishing the manuscript is only the beginning. If you’re planning to independently publish your book, you’re also stepping into the roles of publisher, project manager, creative director, and marketer.
That might sound overwhelming, but indie publishing also gives you something incredibly valuable: control.
You get to decide how your book looks, when it launches, how it’s marketed, who you work with, and where you sell it. You don’t have to wait for someone else to decide that your story is worth publishing.
But before you hit “publish,” there’s a process to work through.
Here’s an overview of the indie publishing process for fantasy and sci-fi authors.
1. Finish Your Manuscript
The first step is the obvious one: finish the book. But finishing a first draft isn’t the same thing as having a publishable manuscript. Before investing money into professional editing, take the time to revise the story yourself. Look at the big-picture elements first:
- Does the plot work from beginning to end?
- Are the characters compelling and consistent?
- Are the stakes clear?
- Does the pacing keep readers engaged?
- Are there unresolved plot threads?
- Does the ending feel satisfying?
This is especially important in fantasy and science fiction, where your story may involve extensive worldbuilding, multiple characters, invented terminology, magic systems, technology, or complicated histories.
Your readers shouldn’t have to understand your entire world before they can understand your story.
Once you’ve completed your own revisions, consider working with beta readers or critique partners. Fresh eyes can help you identify confusing sections, pacing problems, character inconsistencies, and worldbuilding that isn’t coming across the way you intended.
Don’t rush into publishing just because you’ve finished the draft.
Your manuscript is the foundation for everything that comes next, so take the time to make sure it’s as ready as you can possibly make it.
2. Hire the Right Editor
One of the biggest advantages of indie publishing is that you get to build your own publishing team, and one of the most important people on that team is your editor.
Depending on your manuscript and budget, you might work with a developmental editor, copy editor, line editor, proofreader, or a combination of these.
Developmental editing focuses on the bigger picture: story structure, pacing, characters, plot, and worldbuilding.
Copyediting focuses on things like grammar, consistency, clarity, and style.
Proofreading is the final check for errors before publication.
You don’t necessarily need every type of editing service, and many of them you can absolutely learn to do yourself, but you should still have a professional plan for getting your manuscript publication-ready.
For fantasy and sci-fi authors, finding an editor who understands speculative fiction can be particularly valuable. You want someone who won’t mistake intentional genre conventions for errors, or suggest removing the strange, wonderful things that make your world yours.
3. Create Your Book Cover
Once your manuscript is in good shape, it’s time to think about how your book will look.
Especially in indie publishing, your cover matters a lot. It’s one of the first things a potential reader sees. It needs to communicate your genre, tone, and story while also looking professional alongside traditionally published books.
Fantasy and science fiction readers have strong expectations around genre design. An epic fantasy novel, cozy fantasy, dark fantasy, space opera, and dystopian science fiction novel will all communicate themselves differently through typography, imagery, colour, and composition.
This doesn’t mean your cover has to look exactly like every other book in your genre, but it does mean readers should be able to look at it and immediately understand what kind of reading experience they’re being offered.
If you’re not a designer and don’t feel like it’s something you could effectively tackle yourself, hiring a professional cover designer can be one of the best investments you make in your book.
4. Format Your Book
Your manuscript also needs to be transformed into an actual book.
That means formatting both the ebook and print editions.
Ebook formatting needs to work across different devices and screen sizes, while print formatting requires decisions about things like margins, fonts, trim, front and back matter, page numbers, and more. Fantasy and sci-fi books can sometimes require additional considerations, such as maps, illustrations, fictional documents, or unusual typography.
You can learn to format your own books using publishing software, or you can hire someone to do it for you. Either way, make sure you thoroughly proof your formatted files before publication. A beautiful manuscript can still turn into a frustrating reading experience if the formatting is inconsistent.
5. Choose Your Publishing Platforms
Now you need to decide where readers will actually be able to buy your book.
There are a variety of platforms and distributors available to indie authors, and you don’t necessarily have to choose just one. You might publish an ebook through a major online retailer, make a paperback or hardcover edition available through print-on-demand, or work with a distributor to make your book available through multiple retailers and libraries.
You’ll also need to think about whether you want to sell directly to readers through your own website or social media. Each option comes with different considerations around royalties, pricing, distribution, exclusivity, and control.
Take some time to understand your options before uploading your book to your distribution platform of choice. Your publishing strategy can have a significant impact on how readers discover and purchase your work.
6. Get Your ISBN and Book Details in Order
Before your book goes live, you’ll need to make sure all of its publishing information is ready.
Depending on where you’re publishing, this can include things like an ISBN, copyright information, author name, publisher information, categories, keywords, book description, and pricing.
You’ll also need to create your book’s metadata.
Metadata might not sound particularly exciting, but it’s incredibly important. It’s how retailers and search engines understand what your book is about and help readers discover it. It’s extremely valuable to know your book description, categories, keywords, genre, series information, author bio, and any other detail that can help people find your book in today’s marketplace.
For an indie author, these details are an integral part of your marketing strategy, not just administrative tasks.
7. Build Your Author Platform
You don’t need to become an influencer to sell books, but having a way for readers to discover your work can make a huge difference.
An author website, email newsletter, social media presence, or other platform can help you build an audience before your book launches.
For fantasy and sci-fi writers, this can be particularly fun. Your platform can become an extension of your fictional worlds: behind-the-scenes worldbuilding, character sketches, writing updates, artwork, excerpts, recommendations, or conversations about the books and stories that inspired you.
The most important thing is to start building relationships with readers rather than simply announcing, “My book is available!”
Ideally, you want people to be excited about your book before launch day.
8. Plan Your Book Launch
Publishing a book isn’t as simple as uploading a file and hoping readers find it. A launch gives you an opportunity to create momentum around your book.
Start planning several months in advance.
Your launch strategy might include:
- Cover reveals
- Preorders
- Newsletter announcements
- Advance reader copies (ARCs)
- Launch events
- Social media content
- Reviews
- Giveaways
- Influencer or book blogger outreach
- Paid advertising
Keep in mind that you don’t need to do everything. In fact, trying to do everything can quickly become overwhelming. Instead, choose the strategies that make sense for your audience, your budget, and the amount of time you actually have available. Bonus points for making your launch an enjoyable process for yourself!
9. Publish Your Book
Then comes the moment you’ve been working toward.
You upload the final files, enter your metadata, set your pricing, choose your publication date, and make your book available to readers.
Congratulations! You’re an indie author.
But publishing isn’t the end of the process, it’s the beginning of your book’s life, and a milestone in your author career.
10. Keep Marketing, and Keep Writing
One of the biggest mindset shifts for new indie authors is understanding that your launch isn’t the finish line. Your book may continue finding readers for months or years after publication.
You can experiment with advertising, promotions, newsletter swaps, social media, events, direct sales, new editions, audiobooks, or other marketing strategies. Work on learning which approaches work and adjust your strategy over time.
And then there’s the most important part:
Write the next book.
For many indie authors, building a sustainable career isn’t about making one book an overnight success. It’s about creating a growing catalogue of books and gradually building a loyal readership.
Your first book teaches you how to publish.
Your second teaches you how to improve.
Your third might teach you how to build a business around your writing.
And eventually, the process that once seemed completely overwhelming becomes part of your creative routine.
Indie Publishing Gives You the Freedom to Build Your Own Path
There is no single correct way to independently publish a fantasy or science fiction novel. You can do almost everything yourself, hire professionals for the areas outside your expertise, or build a team that works with you from manuscript to launch.
The important thing is understanding that you don’t have to figure everything out at once.
Write the book.
Revise the book.
Build your team.
Prepare the files.
Create your publishing strategy.
Launch.
Learn.
Then do it all again.
Indie publishing puts a lot of responsibility in the author’s hands, but it also puts an incredible amount of creative freedom there. So make a plan, stay consistent, keep learning and growing, and you’ll find yourself on the way to enjoying a long-term indie author career!
