Self Publishing FAQ

What are my self publishing options?

Most self published authors use KDP and / or Ingram Sparks. KDP is Amazon’s print on demand book service and your book will be available to buy on Amazon which has a huge audience. Ingram Sparks is great for wider distribution, and getting into bookstores and libraries. Ingram Sparks also offer hardback options for picture books, KDP only offers paperback.

You can also print with a printing company like Ex Why Zed. Printing companies are great if you want a special edition book with gold foiling on the cover etc. However you would have to pay the printing company upfront and may have to handle the shipping and distribution. Some printing companies do offer shipping and distribution, but that would be an additional cost.

What is an ISBN and do I need one?

ISBN stands for International Standards Book Number. It’s used to identify your book and what format / edition it is.

I would 100% recommend buying your own ISBN as you then have the option to get your book into bookstores and libraries.

If you only want to sell on Amazon KDP then technically you don’t need to buy an ISBN, but I think it’s good to have more options.

In the UK you buy them from Nielsen. In the US you buy them from Bowker.

You need a different ISBN for each format of your book, ie paperback, hardback etc

Do I need to buy a barcode?

If you’re using KDP and/ or Ingram Sparks they will generate a barcode from the ISBN number and place it on your back cover.

How many pages is a picture book?

Most traditionally published books are 32 pages, your book can be more or less! The minimum page count for KDP is 24. If you don’t have enough pages you could add additional pages such as a title page, about the author and illustrator page, activity pages etc

How long does it take to illustrate a picture book?

This depends on the complexity of the illustrations. My current timescale is 3-6 months.