How I Self-Published My Novel for Free (and the Mistakes I Almost Made)

On February 5th, 2025, I quietly self-published my debut novel, The Night Swimmer. At the time, my bank balance sat at exactly £85.26—not as a one-off or some temporary glitch, but as the standard state of affairs. I live a hand-to-mouth existence, where having £500 in my account would make me feel like a padishah. This is a brief reflection on how I self-published my novel for free (and the mistakes I almost made).

So, when I decided to embark on the journey of self-publishing, one thing was painfully clear: I had to find a way to do it completely free.

I scoured online guides that broke down the process step by step, and most had one thing in common—they all emphasized cost. The general advice? Hire an editor, pay a cover designer, invest in marketing and promotion… The estimated budget for doing it right ranged from £1,500 to £5,000.

For someone living on £600 a month, even the lower end of that range was pure fantasy. But this isn’t a blog post about my Dickensian living conditions—it’s about how I made self-publishing work with zero budget.

Firstly Write

If you’re reading this before finishing your manuscript, I have to ask—why? Is this just another form of procrastination? The first rule of publishing, after all, is simple: you have to write the damn thing.

In that sense, I suppose I was lucky. By the time I started exploring ways to self-publish for free, my manuscript was already complete. Like many writers, my first instinct was to pursue the traditional route—find an agent who believed in my work, sign a contract, and have them pitch my manuscript to publishing houses. A small, unrealistic part of me even hoped for a John Martin or Max Brod-type figure to come along and take care of everything for me. But, of course, the world is rarely that generous.

I spent over a year querying agents—a time-consuming, frustrating process filled with endless hoop-jumping. It’s also no secret that white, working-class, middle-aged men aren’t exactly in high demand in the modern publishing landscape. Looking back, I wish I’d skipped that year entirely and gone straight to self-publishing.

Still, I had a personal deadline—I had promised myself I would publish a book before I turned fifty. In the end, I just made it, publishing The Night Swimmer eleven days before my fiftieth birthday. And that, in itself, felt like a victory.

Proofreading and editing

This is where I almost made a crucial—no, a fatal—error. I can’t stress this enough, so here come the all-caps: YOU CAN’T EDIT AND PROOFREAD YOUR OWN BOOK. And breathe.

I was so close to doing it. Paying for an editor or proofreader seemed hopelessly expensive, completely out of reach. But something—some instinct—told me to ignore that little voice whispering, You’ve proofread it twice, you ran it through Grammarly… surely it’s not that bad? If you have a voice like that, shut it down immediately.

In the end, I lucked out. I have a friend who also writes and happens to teach English at a university (sometimes, it’s nice to have friends in high places).

Now, I hate asking people for favours. I’m the kind of person who’d watch my house burn down rather than bother the neighbours for a bucket of water. But, as with many things in life, I overcame this hurdle with alcohol. After a few beers, I finally worked up the nerve to ask him if he’d edit and proofread my manuscript.

Luckily, he agreed—on the condition that there was no pressure, no deadline. Turns out, he’s a total nerd for this kind of thing (his words, not mine). And it was a massive stroke of luck—he’s an excellent editor, meticulous and detail-oriented. He not only corrected my grammar (which, by the way, was unrelentingly appalling), but also helped with the flow and structure of the story.

Seeing just how many mistakes there were was a huge shock. Almost no pages were error-free, and continuity issues were everywhere. Frankly, without his edits, the book wouldn’t have been readable. At least now, I know what a butcher I am.

Of course, not everyone has a friend like that. And most people wouldn’t dedicate that much time and effort for free. So yeah, I got incredibly lucky.

To buy an ISBN or not?

Technically, self-publishing can be done entirely for free. Amazon’s self-publishing platform, Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), provides a free ISBN for each format of your book—eBook, paperback, and hardback. However, as with most things in life, “free” usually comes with strings attached. In this case, the catch is exclusivity. If you use Amazon’s free ISBN, your book is tied to their platform, limiting your distribution options.

For some authors, this isn’t a problem. But I wanted the flexibility to sell my book on multiple platforms—my paperback, for example, is also available through IngramSpark. That meant purchasing my own ISBN, barcode, and registration through the Independent Publishing Network, which cost me around £40.

Now, I know what you’re thinking—this post is called How I Self-Published My Novel for Free (and the Mistakes I Almost Made), and £40 isn’t free. You might feel like I’ve lured you in under false pretenses. But hold your horses—because I did get that money for free.

Here’s how:

I like to gamble. It’s a habit, and I enjoy it. But before you assume I’m suggesting rushing headfirst into total degeneracy, let me clarify—I never gamble with money I can’t afford to lose. And since I’m usually skint, that means I don’t gamble at all—at least, not with my own money.

However, modern online gambling sites offer free bets and spins, and over the years, I’ve figured out how to leverage these to my advantage. I’ve had an online gaming account for over a decade without ever depositing a penny, instead using free daily spins and promotional bets to build up small winnings. Like most working-class Englishmen, I enjoy a punt on the horses or football, but I steer clear of fruit machines and roulette—far too easy to blow your entire stack in minutes.

So, with patience and discipline, I chipped away at the free bets until I had enough to cover my ISBN costs. It might not be the most conventional funding method, but it worked for me. And hey, it even made the process a little more entertaining.

Designing a Cover

Since you’re already on my website, you may have noticed that I’m also a painter. This worked to my advantage when it came to designing my book cover—I already had a painting that aligned perfectly with the themes explored in The Night Swimmer. That’s not surprising, given that I explore similar concepts in my artwork and writing.

That said, I might be the worst person to give advice on book cover design. I completely disregarded current industry trends and took a more artistic approach. My priority was for the cover to reflect the creative and unconventional nature of my writing, and judging by the response, I think it succeeds.

Of course, I still made sure to cover the essentials:
✔ A clean, readable font
✔ A blurb that clearly conveys the book’s main concept
✔ A high-definition image (400 DPI+)
✔ Cover art that resonates with the book’s themes
✔ A clear, readable spine
✔ Consistent branding under Pigritudous.art

If I’m fortunate enough to publish more books in the future, I intend to continue this approach—each one featuring one of my paintings. The idea of combining my writing and artwork in this way really appeals to my creative obsessions.

Both Amazon KDP and IngramSpark have book cover tools integrated into their self-publishing platforms.

Formatting your book

You’re all familiar with Dante’s nine circles of hell, right? Well, he missed one—the tenth circle: book formatting.

If you’re good with MS Word or able to follow simple instructions, maybe this step will be easy for you. For me? It was seventy-plus hours of pure frustration in a single week, including two all-nighters. Part of the problem was that I didn’t have a paid version of MS Word. I usually work with OpenOffice and Google Docs, and unfortunately, all of these tools handle things like margins, mirroring, and page numbering slightly differently. Switching between them completely messed up the formatting. What should have been a straightforward process turned into a full week of hair-pulling and near insanity.

If you do have MS Word, there are tons of YouTube tutorials that walk you through the process step by step, making it relatively simple. Ebook formatting, in contrast, is much easier.

But here’s where I made a critical mistake: I published my paperback without seeing a physical copy first. (Ironically, I still haven’t held a copy of my own book because shipping to Turkey is ridiculously expensive.) The result? The margins were too tight, making the book look unprofessional and difficult to read. The print ran too deep into the spine and too close to the edges, even though I followed KDP’s guidelines. Thankfully, I caught this quickly, and only a few copies went out with these issues, but it could have been easily avoided.

So, my advice? Order an author copy before releasing your book to the public. If (like me) international shipping costs make that impossible, send it to someone you trust to check the print quality and margins for you—but be sure to explicitly ask them to do so!

Choosing a self-publishing platform

I wanted to break into the e-book market while also exploring the possibility of selling physical books in brick-and-mortar stores—all without upfront costs or subscription fees. Given these criteria, Amazon KDP was an obvious starting point.

Why Amazon KDP? Amazon dominates the e-book market, accounting for over 90% of e-book sales. It’s free to upload, offers reasonable royalties, and provides a straightforward self-publishing process. However, KDP primarily limits sales to Amazon’s ecosystem. While there is an Extended Distribution option, independent bookshops and other retailers often avoid ordering through Amazon. Via Amazon KDP I made my book available in all three formats: paperback, hardback, and e-book

The Importance of an ISBN. If you want to sell your book outside of Amazon, owning your own ISBN is crucial. The free ISBN provided by Amazon comes with exclusivity restrictions, which is why I purchased my own for my paperback edition.

Why IngramSpark for Print Books? Since my e-book is tied to Amazon, I chose IngramSpark solely for my paperback. Ingram is the largest book wholesaler in the world, meaning any retailer can order my book. While this doesn’t guarantee bookstore placement, it does open the door for readers to order my book through local independent bookshops—something many readers prefer over purchasing from Amazon.

Both platforms offer:
✅ A range of trim sizes & paper quality options
✅ Paperback, hardback, and e-book publishing
✅ Integrated tools for book cover and interior design

By strategically using both platforms, I’ve positioned my book to reach both the massive online audience of Amazon and the broader print distribution network of Ingram.

Marketing: A Whole New Beast

Now, I think it’s fair to say I might have slightly messed this part up! I made zero effort to pre-market my book—no audience-building, no pre-launch strategy, no buzz. Any marketing professional reading this is probably facepalming right now. But the truth is, I was so focused on the publishing process that I barely considered what would happen next.

That said, I’ve had great feedback from readers who have picked up the book and a few nice reviews on Amazon. So, I figure that’s an okay foundation to build on.

I’m not a social media guru, a podcaster, or a well-known public figure. I’m just some guy—I paint, write, and spend far too much time staring into space. But from everything I’ve read, the advice seems straightforward:
📌 Use free book promo sites
📌 Pitch to media outlets, reviewers, and podcasters
📌 Leverage Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, etc.

Sounds easy, right? Well… reality check: many of these spaces are flooded with scammers. Most “book promotion” Facebook groups are overrun with bots and fake accounts. Case in point—I once spent two days messaging someone pretending to be Hanya Yanagihara (I had no idea who she was, but still, what a waste of time). My inbox is now a complete mess—sifting through spam just to find the few real opportunities is exhausting.

What Has Worked for Me
So far, my best strategy has been leaning into what makes my book unique.
✅ It’s set in Hastings—so I’ve focused on local groups and communities.
✅ It explores themes like addiction, working-class life, and small-town England—so I’ve started seeking out niche audiences that connect with those topics.

Biggest Lesson?
Marketing a book is basically a full-time job. It’s trial and error, a constant learning curve, and sometimes a battle against internet nonsense. But I’m figuring it out as I go.

For anyone else out there trying to market their work—how’s your experience been? Any strategies that have worked for you? Let’s swap notes.

What I learnt along the way

I’ve learned that the human body can survive on very little sleep—but the human mind? Not so much.

I’ve learned that if you want something done, do it yourself—because no one else is going to do it for you. That said, do not, I repeat, do not attempt to edit and proofread your own book. Even Bukowski had an editor.

I’ve learned that formatting is hard—a lot harder than I expected.

I’ve learned that using multiple print providers can expand your reach, but it also means buying your own ISBN.

I still suck at deadlines.

Designing a cover? Surprisingly fun—especially when you allow yourself a little creative freedom to break the so-called rules (within reason).

And if you’ve made it this far… congratulations! You’ve just started your new full-time job as a book promoter. Welcome to wading through epic levels of scams—sorry, I mean marketing. It’s basically like bobbing for apples in an open sewer.

Good luck. 🙂

So, all in all, that’s how I self-published my first novel for free.