First Time Author Checklist: Everything You Need to Do to Publish Your First Book
By Abdul Moeed
This checklist from Nova Publishers covers the 12 steps to publish your first book in 2026: get a professional read on the manuscript, edit it, commission a cover, format it, set up the ISBN and metadata, choose where it's sold and plan the launch, in that order. Skip steps and your launch leaks money.
1. Get a manuscript readiness check
Before you spend a dollar on production, get a structural reader. Beta readers, a developmental editor's evaluation letter, or a paid manuscript evaluation, which Nova Publishers offers, done by a human editor. Fixing a weak chapter costs nothing in the manuscript; fixing it after layout means paying for new typesetting. Take the free readiness check for a starting baseline.
2. Define your readers in one sentence
Not 'people who like good books.' Specific: 'Working moms in their 30s reading cozy mystery on Kindle Unlimited' or 'B2B SaaS founders looking for a positioning framework.' Every later decision (cover, blurb, pricing, ad targeting) comes from this sentence.
3. Pick your editing layers
If this is your first book and your beta readers raised structural concerns, do developmental + copy. If structure is solid but prose feels stiff, do line + copy. Always do copy editing. Always.
4. Commission the cover (early)
Start cover design as soon as editing begins. Good designers are often booked weeks out, and the cover drives every visual asset later: your social posts, your bookmarks, your ads. Early start = no scramble.
5. Choose your distribution path
KDP for Amazon first launch. IngramSpark for bookstore + library reach. Both for maximum coverage. A hybrid publisher if you want someone else to handle this entire path. (See our path comparison guide.)
6. Sort out your ISBNs
Each format (paperback, hardcover, ebook) needs its own ISBN. If you want your own name or imprint as the publisher, buy a 10-pack from Bowker for $295, about $30 each across formats and future books. The ISBN KDP assigns works only on Amazon. If you publish with Nova Publishers, every package includes an ISBN: Nova's by default, or your own if you'd rather.
7. Format both print and ebook
Print PDF with proper bleed, gutters, and trim margins. Reflowable EPUB for ebook. Formatting software can do the job if you learn it; a professional typesetter is the fastest route.
8. Write the metadata
Title, subtitle, blurb (book description), seven Amazon keyword strings and up to three Amazon categories. This is the work that determines whether anyone ever finds your book. Spend a few hours here, not 20 minutes.
9. Decide on audiobook
If your readers are commuters, runners, or busy professionals, audiobook is non optional in 2026. Produce it alongside the print and ebook launch if you can, because launching formats together concentrates reviews and attention. ACX covers Audible and Amazon, and a wide distributor covers Apple Books, Spotify and library apps. If budget is the question, ask Nova Publishers about an AI-voice audiobook from $1,800.
10. Build the launch list
Email subscribers, social followers, beta reader friends, anyone who said 'tell me when it's out.' Aim for 50 to 100 people committed to buying in launch week. Launch-week sales are what lift your early ranking on Amazon.
11. Launch, but quietly first
Set the book live, fix any uploaded file issues, then announce. A 24 hour 'soft launch' to catch typos in the live edition before your audience sees it has saved more than one author from a 1 star review of preventable errors.
12. The 90 days after launch
Most authors stop here. Don't. Launch is one event; the 90 days after launch are when your book gets traction or doesn't. Run small Amazon ads, follow up with podcasters who didn't reply pre launch (they're more receptive once you have reviews), submit to genre awards, list on BookBub features. The book that 'flopped' often just stopped getting attention three weeks in.
If reading this list made you tired, that's a good sign you might want a publishing service to handle steps 3 through 9. Send Nova Publishers your manuscript and we'll reply within 1 business day with a fixed quote and a plan for your book.