Comments on: Charting Your Course #3: Self-Publish Online (Part 2)

By: denise

denise — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 06:19:48 +0000

Excellent information! Spot-on!

By: Louise Privette

Louise Privette — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 23:35:05 +0000

Thanks for this excellent post, Gale. I had the privilege from learning from two of the best--you and Lisa Norman. You demystified the process, gave me the equivalent of a master's class in publishing, and collaborated with me every step of the way. Before you, I thought publishing consisted of writing a book and magically having it appear on Amazon. I now know enough to appreciate the mad skills of editors and publishers.

By: Gale Leach

Gale Leach — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 19:06:57 +0000

In reply to Ellen Buikema. Thanks, Ellen -- I think you're right about the interior with certain kinds of books. Your books for children, with the pictures, were tough, and it was harder then than now, I believe. For novels with straight text and little ornamentation, the interior might be the easiest part.

By: Ellen Buikema

Ellen Buikema — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 17:32:09 +0000

Wonderful post, Gale!

Everything about the self-publishing process is made easier by your posts. So, thank you for those!

I find getting everything just so for the interior the most tedious, but practice makes perfect, right?!

By: Gale Leach

Gale Leach — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 16:41:54 +0000

In reply to Terry Odell. OMG, that's just it! But perhaps the traditional publishers are not as interested in readability as they are in conserving paper and ink. Thanks for bringing a smile today!

By: Gale Leach

Gale Leach — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 16:38:30 +0000

In reply to Lisa Norman. Thank you, Lisa. Praise from you means a lot, as I know you are in the thick of so many things and doing all of them well. And I agree—anything to make the job easier, as long as it doesn't become one size fits all.

By: Gale Leach

Gale Leach — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 16:36:50 +0000

In reply to Ken Hughes. Thank you, Ken, for the clarifications. In this ever-changing field, I appreciate all the help I can get trying to keep track.

By: Terry Odell

Terry Odell — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 15:38:29 +0000

"Margins and Gutter: Leave sufficient white space, specifically a wider inner margin (known as the gutter—at least 0.75 inches to account for binding), usually with outer/top/bottom margins around 0.5 inches. If you make the inside margin too small, the text will disappear into the spine."

Some traditional publishers need to pay attention to this one for their paperbacks. I hate having to pull the book apart in order to read it, requiring the use of 2 hands. How am I supposed to hold my wine glass?

By: Lisa Norman

Lisa Norman — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 14:11:08 +0000

Great summary Gale. And from someone who has actually done the work well, this is powerful. The part that feels most overwhelming to me these days is just getting it all done while running a publishing house. LOL I love the way the layout tools are improving daily!

By: Ken Hughes

Ken Hughes — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 13:09:30 +0000

Thanks for summing these up, Gale.

To clarify a couple of points: choosing Kindle Unlimited does mean not taking Draft2Digital or other ebook options. Also, Draft2Digital has a print option too, and IngramSpark has an ebook option, but both of those are worth avoiding.

And, Amazon, D2D, and Ingram can refuse to let you share your own ISBN between them. The fix for that is to be sure you have drafts with the ISBN saved on all of them before you publish any.