Make it Beautiful, Inside and Out

Getting your manuscript all set to be formatted for publication involves adding a few things to it and taking some final steps:

  1. Proofreading: Nothing says cheap more than extremely avoidable typos. It pays to hire a proofreader, or at least get someone you know who has eagle eyes to be merciless in proofing your manuscript.
  2. Copyright: Even though the act of putting the words on paper or in a computer file protects your copyright, it’s always a good idea to remind readers that pirating or copying is a no-no. This is also where you put your ISBN (see below) to make the identification of your book official.
  3. Dedication: I always think it’s nice to dedicate your book to someone, either in your life or someone you admire. You can also have a dedication to an idea or a group of people. For instance, I dedicated The Soprano’s Daring Duke to opera lovers everywhere.
  4. Praise for: If you have advance reviews, you can add a page with the good ones. Or if there are reviews of previous books, you can also add those.
  5. Also by: If this is your first book, this won’t apply to you, but if not, be sure your readers know of the other books you’ve published, and add purchase links for the e-book version.
  6. Newsletter signup: In your e-book, be sure to add a link to a form (a QR code is also a good idea, and works in both e-book and paperback) where readers can sign up to receive your newsletter (mentioning any giveaway or reader magnet associated with it).
  7. Author’s note: An author’s note gives you an opportunity to give some additional background, or explain what inspired you to write the story. It’s especially important if you’re writing historical romance.
  8. Acknowledgments: Anyone who helped you on the way to getting your book written should be thanked. That includes any proofreaders or editors (whether or not you paid them!), beta readers, supportive family and friends, professional organizations (I thanked Regency Fiction Writers in my acknowledgments).

The all-important ISBN

The ISBN is the catalogue number of your book, which you must have if you intend to publish any print book. It’s optional for Amazon-only e-books, which Amazon assigns its own identifier (ASIN), but it’s vastly preferable to get an ISBN even in this case. Plus, you need different ISBNs for every format of your book: e-book, paperback, hardcover, or audiobook.

To buy your own ISBNs for your e-book and paperback you must go to Bowker Identifier Services.

So why should you opt to spend the money on your own ISBNs? Lots of reasons:

1. Ownership & Publisher Control

✅ Bowker ISBN:

  • You (or your publishing imprint) are listed as the official publisher.
  • You maintain full control over how and where the book is distributed.
  • You can use the ISBN across multiple platforms (Amazon, IngramSpark, D2D, etc.).

❌ Amazon/D2D Free ISBN:

  • The distributor (Amazon or D2D) is listed as the publisher, not you.
  • The ISBN cannot be used on other platforms (e.g., an Amazon KDP ISBN can’t be used on IngramSpark or bookstores).

📌 Best for: Authors who want to establish a professional publishing identity and maintain control.

2. Wide Distribution Flexibility

✅ Bowker ISBN:

  • Works across multiple self-publishing platforms: Amazon KDP, IngramSpark, Barnes & Noble Press, Draft2Digital, etc.
  • Essential if you want to distribute to bookstores, libraries, and retailers beyond Amazon.

❌ Amazon Free ISBN:

  • Locked to Amazon—you can’t use it elsewhere (e.g., bookstores won’t accept it).
  • If you later want to publish through IngramSpark or another distributor, you’ll need a new ISBN, which can cause metadata issues.

📌 Best for: Authors who want to sell books through bookstores, libraries, and multiple online platforms.

3. Professional Credibility

✅ Bowker ISBN:

  • Makes your book look more professionally published (especially important for bookstores and libraries).
  • Shows that you, not Amazon, are the publisher.

❌ Amazon/D2D Free ISBN:

  • Many bookstores and libraries avoid books with “Amazon” as the publisher due to competition concerns.
  • Some retailers may refuse books with free ISBNs from self-publishing platforms.

📌 Best for: Authors looking to establish a professional publishing imprint and maximize bookstore/library potential.

4. Long-Term Brand Strategy

✅ Bowker ISBN:

  • You can set up your own publishing imprint (e.g., “Smith Publishing”) instead of listing Amazon or D2D as your publisher.
  • Useful for authors writing multiple books and wanting consistency in their brand identity.

❌ Amazon/D2D Free ISBN:

  • The book is tied to Amazon or Draft2Digital, which can be limiting for career authors.
  • If you decide to expand or rebrand, switching ISBNs can be a hassle.

📌 Best for: Authors planning a long-term writing career or running an independent publishing business.

5. Avoid Metadata Issues

✅ Bowker ISBN:

  • Ensures consistent metadata across platforms (title, author name, publisher info, edition details).
  • Avoids complications if you move your book to another distributor.

❌ Amazon/D2D Free ISBN:

  • If you switch distributors later, you must get a new ISBN, and some platforms may require you to re-publish the book as a new edition.

📌 Best for: Authors who want consistency and flexibility across platforms.

Are There Any Downsides to Buying an ISBN?

  • Cost: Bowker charges $125 for one ISBN, but bulk pricing is available:
    • 10 ISBNs = $295 ($29.50 per ISBN)
    • 100 ISBNs = $575 ($5.75 per ISBN)
  • Extra Work: You need to register and manage the ISBN details yourself.

Your copyright page

As I said above, you own the copyright of your work. There’s no need to register it or anything. What you do need is a page in your book that gives the following information:

[Book Title]
Copyright © [Year] by [Author’s Name]
All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the prior written permission of the publisher, except for brief quotations used in reviews or articles.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is purely coincidental.

Publisher: [Your Publishing Imprint Name]
[Your Website URL]

ISBN: [Your ISBN—you can put both the print and the e-book ISBNs here so you can use the same page in both]

Cover design by [Designer Name]
Edited by [Editor Name—if you used one]

Printed in the United States of America
First Edition: [Year]

For permissions or inquiries, contact: [Your Contact Info or Website]

Assignment

Write all the additional pieces of your manuscript and combine them into your manuscript’s single Word file in the order you want them to appear in the finished book. Buy your ISBNs.

It’s What’s Inside the REALLY Counts

Now that you have your COMPLETE manuscript, with all the additional pieces (including your ISBN), it’s time to get it formatted for e-book and print (if you’re going to publish a paperback).

This process has become much easier in recent years. There are services where you can pay to have someone do the formatting for you (I’ve used Clarity Design Works occasionally), but there are some really good options to do it yourself.

My favorite is Vellum, although there are others that are probably just as good. Vellum costs about $250, but it’s worth it if you’re planning on publishing multiple books. It’s very easy to use, and it formats for both print and e-book. You have several choices for style of your interior depending on the tone of your book.

Print formatting can be a pain, because you have to allow a gutter for the spine—Vellum does it automatically as well as create a table of contents for you. Even if you’re not planning a paperback, it’s worthwhile to format it that way, because it creates a PDF file. If you’re distributing ARCs, a PDF allows someone who doesn’t have a Kindle or doesn’t like to read in that format to read your book.

I’ve never had a Vellum interior rejected by Amazon or D2D (something that can happen if it’s not formatted correctly).

Reedsy has a free online tool, but the choices are quite limited, and when I tried it, the quality was not good. It’s really better to spend the money and make the reading experience a good one.

I must stress how important it is to review the entire manuscript once you’ve output it in its formatted state. I recommend actually printing it out, because everything looks different in different formats, and you’ll probably catch some things you missed in editing.