Publishing guide

Before you publish, your manuscript needs to be finished and polished. That means multiple drafts, structural editing, line editing, and a final human proofread. gowrite's manuscript analysis feature provides detailed developmental feedback to help you strengthen your story, characters, and pacing. But the last stop should always be a professional proofreader to catch those final typos and grammatical refinements.

You have two main paths: traditional publishing (querying agents, longer timelines, less control) or self-publishing. Self-publishing is where you’re in charge. You decide your price, keep the majority of royalties, publish on your timeline, and own the relationship with your readers. gowrite is built specifically for self-published authors, giving you all the tools you need in one integrated platform.

The gowrite storefront is your direct path from manuscript to readers. When you publish with us, your book gets its own professional author page at gowrite.com/author/you, where readers discover, purchase, and read your work right in their browser. You set the price, keep up to 90% of net proceeds, and maintain a direct relationship with your audience - no middleman between you and your readers. Your beautifully-designed cover will shine in the gowrite marketplace, and readers will find you through our community features and discovery tools. Early access to the gowrite storefront is coming soon for existing authors. This is the simplest path from finished manuscript to your first sale.

An ISBN (International Standard Book Number) identifies your book in retail systems. Many countries offer free ISBNs through national agencies. In the US, ISBNs are purchased through Bowker. You'll also need metadata: title, subtitle, author name, description, keywords, and category selections.

On the gowrite storefront, your ebook is read right in the reader’s browser - no files to download or sideload. gowrite's export feature also produces a clean EPUB you can take anywhere. Print books need interior formatting that matches industry standards - margins, gutters, page size, font size, and bleed - and gowrite can generate print-ready files for KDP, Lulu, and other distributors as an optional extra.

Your cover is the single most important marketing asset for your book. It needs to communicate genre at a glance, work as a thumbnail, and look professional. gowrite's cover designer lets you create a print-ready cover in the correct dimensions for major distributors.

Many successful authors publish on gowrite and expand to other platforms for maximum reach. Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) dominates the ebook market and accepts AI-assisted books as long as anything AI-generated is disclosed. Lulu offers print-on-demand and ebook distribution with global reach. Draft2Digital and Apple Books offer additional sales channels. One caution worth knowing: IngramSpark’s terms effectively bar books created with generative AI, so it is rarely the right fit if your book carries an AI authorship record. Consider these as complementary distribution - start with the gowrite storefront to establish your author presence and direct reader relationship, then expand as your audience grows.

Writing is only half the journey. Building an audience is where the magic happens. Start before you publish. Share your writing progress on social media. Build an email list of readers who want to follow your work. Connect with reader communities in your genre. Engage with other writers in the gowrite community - they’re your peers, your cheerleaders, and often your readers. The authors who thrive are the ones who treat publishing as building a long-term relationship with readers, not just launching a book.

Every published author started exactly where you are: with a manuscript and a dream. The process of finishing, polishing, designing, and publishing your book teaches you more than any course ever could. Your first book will be your greatest teacher. So start today. Finish your manuscript. Polish it. Design a cover you love. Publish it on gowrite. Connect with readers who will cherish your work. Then write your next book, stronger and wiser.