How to Self-Publish a Book in the UK: Step-by-Step Guide

To self-publish a book in the UK, you finish and format your manuscript, open a free Amazon KDP account (and any other store accounts you want), and upload your ebook and paperback files yourself. You only need to buy ISBNs from the UK ISBN agency if you want to be the named publisher or sell print books outside Amazon. Once your print book is published, the UK's legal deposit rules usually require you to send a copy to the British Library.

The steps below follow the order most UK authors use. Each store's rules and royalty rates can change, so confirm the details in your own dashboard before you publish.

What you need before you start

Have these ready before you open any accounts:

• A finished, edited manuscript. Get it properly edited before you think about uploading. Our guide to editing your own book covers the basics if you are working without a professional editor.
• A cover. Ebooks need a front cover image. Paperbacks need a full-wrap cover (back, spine and front) sized to your page count.
• A UK bank account to receive royalties.
• Your UK tax details. Amazon is a US company, so it asks you to complete a tax interview. The interview tells you which UK tax reference it accepts.
• A publishing name decision. You can publish under your own name, a pen name, or an imprint name you create.
• A rough budget. Self-publishing can cost very little or quite a lot, depending on editing, cover design and ISBNs. See how much it costs to self-publish a book.

Step 1: Prepare your files

Most stores want two kinds of file:

1. An ebook file. EPUB is the standard format. KDP also accepts DOCX and converts it.
2. A print interior PDF for the paperback. It must be set to your chosen trim size, with correct margins and embedded fonts.

Choose your trim size before you format the paperback, because it changes your page count, and the page count sets your spine width and printing cost. Once you know the page count, the book spine width calculator gives you the spine measurement for your cover.

If you write in Inkora, you can export an EPUB 3 file, a print-ready interior PDF in eight trim sizes (including A5 and 6x9), and a full-wrap cover PDF with the spine width calculated from the page count. You then upload those files to each store yourself.

Step 2: Check whether you need an ISBN in the UK

You might not. ISBN needs differ by format and store:

• Ebooks: KDP, Apple Books, Google Play Books and Kobo do not require an ISBN for ebooks, according to their published terms. Amazon gives your Kindle ebook a free ASIN instead.
• Paperbacks on KDP: An ISBN is required, but KDP offers a free one. That free ISBN can only be used for that edition on KDP, and your book's imprint will show as "Independently published".
• Print with other distributors: IngramSpark requires your own ISBN for each format. A free KDP ISBN cannot be used there.

Each format needs its own ISBN. A paperback, a hardback and an ebook would each need a separate number if you assign ISBNs to all three.

Our guide do I need an ISBN? gives a fuller breakdown.

Step 3: Buy ISBNs from the UK ISBN agency

The official ISBN agency for the UK and Ireland is the Nielsen UK ISBN Agency, part of Nielsen BookData. If you live in the UK and want your own ISBNs, buy them there and not from a reseller. Resold ISBNs can list someone else as the publisher.

The process is broadly:

1. Go to the Nielsen ISBN Store and create an account.
2. Choose how many ISBNs to buy. Nielsen sells single ISBNs and blocks. Check the current prices on the Nielsen site, since they change, and work out whether a block is better value if you plan more than one format or book.
3. Enter the publisher name you want recorded. This is the name that appears as the publisher in the book trade's records. It can be your own name or an imprint name.
4. Once the ISBNs are issued, assign one to each format of your book.
5. Register your title details (title, author, format, price, publication date) with Nielsen so the book appears in the bibliographic data that bookshops and libraries search. Nielsen explains how to do this when you buy.

Keep a simple spreadsheet of which ISBN went to which edition. Mix-ups between formats are one of the most common ISBN problems. If you need a 10-digit version of an ISBN-13 for an older system, the ISBN converter handles that.

Step 4: Write your copyright page

In the UK, copyright arises automatically when you create an original work. There is no official registration system to join. A copyright page still matters because it records the key details in one place:

• © year and the copyright holder's name
• The edition and ISBN for that format (if you have one)
• The publisher or imprint name
• Any disclaimers, permissions or credits

Our guide to writing a copyright page includes example wording you can adapt.

Step 5: Set up Amazon KDP from the UK

KDP accounts are free, and UK authors use the same KDP site as everyone else.

1. Create your account at Kindle Direct Publishing using an Amazon login.
2. Complete your author and payee details: name, address and UK bank account for royalty payments.
3. Do the tax interview. As a UK resident, you will usually complete the form for non-US individuals. The UK–US tax treaty can reduce the US tax withheld from your royalties, and the interview walks you through claiming it. Take your time on this step, because errors can lead to tax being withheld.
4. Remember UK tax. Royalties count as income. You may need to declare them to HMRC through Self Assessment, so check HMRC's guidance for your situation.

The Amazon KDP publishing guide walks through each screen of the account setup.

Step 6: Publish your Kindle ebook

From your KDP Bookshelf, create a new Kindle eBook and fill in three sections:

1. Details: title, subtitle, author name, description, keywords and categories. Write your description for readers, not search engines.
2. Content: upload your manuscript and cover. KDP's published cover guidance is a JPEG or TIFF, ideally 1600 × 2560 pixels, in RGB. Preview the book in the online previewer before moving on.
3. Pricing: choose territories, set your price for Amazon.co.uk and the other marketplaces, and pick a royalty option.

KDP's published terms offer a 70% royalty for list prices from $2.99 to $9.99, minus a delivery fee, and 35% otherwise. The qualifying price range in pounds is different from the dollar range, so check the GBP band in your KDP pricing screen before you set your Amazon.co.uk price.

You will also be asked whether to enrol in KDP Select. That decision affects every other store, so read Step 8 before you tick the box.

Step 7: Publish your paperback and check a proof

Create a paperback from the same Bookshelf entry so Amazon links the formats.

1. Choose your ISBN: KDP's free ISBN or one of your own Nielsen ISBNs. You cannot change this after publishing.
2. Set the trim size, paper type and cover finish. These must match your interior PDF.
3. Upload your interior PDF and full-wrap cover PDF. KDP's published cover requirements are a single PDF with back, spine and front, plus 0.125" bleed on every edge. KDP places the barcode in the bottom-right of the back cover, so keep that area clear.
4. Order a proof copy before you publish. Holding the printed book is the best way to spot margin, font and cover problems.
5. Set your price. KDP's published paperback royalty is 60% of list price minus printing cost on Amazon. On Amazon.com, books listed below $9.99 earn 50%. Expanded Distribution earns 40%. The paperback pricing screen shows your printing cost and royalty for the UK store.

Step 8: Choose between staying on Amazon and going wide

You have two broad options for your ebook.

KDP Select (Amazon only). Your ebook must be exclusive to Amazon while enrolled. In return it joins Kindle Unlimited and you get some promotional tools. See what KDP Select is for how the terms work.

Going wide. You publish your ebook on other stores too. That reaches readers on Apple, Google, Kobo and library platforms, but you give up Kindle Unlimited. Our guide to going wide covers the trade-offs.

KDP Select exclusivity applies to ebooks. Your paperback can be sold anywhere either way.

Here is how the main options compare, based on each store's published terms. Rates may change, and several are estimates that the stores themselves ask you to verify:

Store or service	ISBN required?	Royalty (published terms)	Best for
Amazon KDP (ebook)	No, free ASIN assigned	70% at $2.99–$9.99 minus delivery fee, otherwise 35%	Kindle readers
Amazon KDP (paperback)	Yes, free KDP ISBN or your own	60% minus printing on Amazon; 40% Expanded Distribution	Print sales on Amazon
Apple Books	No	About 70% of list price (verify)	iPhone and iPad readers
Google Play Books	No, GGKEY assigned	Usually 70% (verify)	Android readers
Kobo Writing Life	No	70% at $2.99+, 45% below (verify)	Kobo readers and partner stores
Draft2Digital	Optional, free ISBN available	Store royalty minus about 10% of list price (verify)	Reaching many ebook stores in one upload
IngramSpark	Yes, your own per format	List price × (1 − 30–55% discount) − printing (verify)	Bookshops and libraries ordering print

Getting your print book into UK bookshops and libraries

Bookshops and libraries usually order through wholesalers, not Amazon. IngramSpark is the common route for self-publishers. It needs your own ISBN, a full-wrap cover built on IngramSpark's template (its spine and barcode position can differ from KDP's), and a wholesale discount you set. The KDP vs IngramSpark guide explains why many authors use both.

Inkora's Publishing Hub has step-by-step checklists for KDP, Apple Books, Google Play Books, Kobo, Barnes & Noble Press, Draft2Digital and IngramSpark, which helps when you are setting up several stores in a row.

Step 9: Understand legal deposit and whether it applies to you

Legal deposit is the UK law requiring publishers to deposit a copy of each publication with the national libraries, so the country keeps a complete record of what is published. It applies to self-publishers as well as traditional publishers.

In general terms:

• Print books: the publisher sends one copy to the British Library within a set period after publication. Five other legal deposit libraries (in Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Aberystwyth and Dublin) can request copies, usually through the agency that collects on their behalf.
• Ebooks and other digital publications: these are also covered by legal deposit, but the arrangements are different and some deposit is handled through the platforms themselves.
• Who counts as "publisher": if you bought your own ISBNs and are named as the publisher, responsibility usually sits with you. If you used a free ISBN from a platform, the position can be less clear.

The British Library publishes guidance for self-publishers covering timing, where to send copies and digital deposit. Read it once your paperback is live and follow its current instructions.

Step 10: Tidy up after publishing

• Check that your ebook and paperback are linked on Amazon.co.uk and that the description shows correctly.
• Update your Nielsen title record with the final price and publication date if you used your own ISBNs.
• Order author copies for events, reviewers and local shops.
• Keep records of royalties for your tax return.

Common problems and fixes

KDP rejected or blocked my book. Read the email carefully. Most rejections relate to metadata (title or author mismatches), content quality, or rights questions. Fix the specific issue and resubmit. Our guide to what to do if KDP rejects your book covers the common reasons.

My paperback cover failed review. This is usually a spine width that does not match the final page count, text too close to the trim edge, or missing bleed. Recalculate the spine from the exact page count, rebuild the cover and upload it again.

I used the free KDP ISBN and now want to use IngramSpark. You cannot reuse it. Buy your own ISBN from Nielsen, assign it to a new paperback edition, and upload that edition to IngramSpark. Expect it to appear as a separate edition.

Too much US tax is being withheld from my royalties. Your tax interview probably did not apply the treaty rate. Retake the interview in your KDP account and check you entered your UK tax reference correctly. Future payments should then use the corrected rate.

My book is not showing in bookshop systems. Check that your Nielsen title record is complete and that your print edition is available through a wholesale distributor like IngramSpark. Amazon-only paperbacks are harder for shops to order.

I forgot about legal deposit. Send the copy now, following the British Library's current guidance. Late deposit is far better than none.

Self-publishing from the UK works much like anywhere else. The UK-specific parts are buying ISBNs from Nielsen, getting the tax interview right, and handling legal deposit. Work through the steps in order, check each store's dashboard for current terms, and order a proof before you press publish.