How do you publish an ebook?
- Ebooks use a reflowable EPUB, not a fixed-layout PDF (except for illustrated books).
- Each store needs metadata: title, description, BISAC, keywords, categories.
- You set price, territories, and DRM at upload.
- Always preview in the store’s previewer before hitting publish.
- Publish direct to each store or use one aggregator to reach many.
You publish an ebook by formatting a reflowable EPUB, writing the store metadata (title, description, BISAC codes, keywords, categories), uploading to each retailer or a single aggregator, setting price, territories, and DRM, and previewing in the store’s previewer before publishing. Reflowable EPUB is standard; fixed-layout files are only for heavily illustrated books. Most stores review and list a book within 24-72 hours.
Chapter i·Why it matters
The ebook is the format most indie authors sell most of, and the upload step is where formatting and metadata mistakes become public. A book that looks broken on a Kindle or buries itself with weak keywords loses sales it never sees. Treating the upload as a careful, previewed process rather than a rushed final step protects the whole launch.
Chapter ii·What to include
- A validated, reflowable EPUB tested on multiple devices.
- A keyword-researched, scannable book description.
- Accurate BISAC codes and the two most relevant categories per store.
- A price set against your comps and royalty-band thresholds.
- Territory and DRM choices made deliberately, not by default.
- A previewer check on every store before publishing.
Chapter iii·Example
An author uploads her EPUB to KDP, pastes her HTML-formatted description, picks two categories, fills seven keyword slots she researched, prices at $4.99 to land in the 70% royalty band, and opens the previewer. She catches a chapter break that rendered wrong, fixes the EPUB, re-uploads, and only then publishes. The listing goes live cleanly the next morning.
Chapter iv·Related questions
WriteLoom’s Sell studio drafts your description, BISAC codes, and keywords next to the manuscript, so the ebook upload is a paste-and-preview step, not a scramble.
See the Sell studio