How to Publish a Book as a Kid or Teenager: What You’ll Need
Bella Rose Emmorey
book editor, rogue behaviorist, digital marketer, writer, brand builder, plant aunt, and cheese enthusiast.
$ $ Becoming an author today is much easier than it has been historically, thanks to self-publishing. If you’re a kid or teenager and you want to publish a book, self-publishing will be your best option.
Whether it’s your dream to be an author or you just want to put your stories out there, this guide will help.
Keep in mind that you will still need someone above 18 in order to publish through Amazon, but we’ll teach you all the steps you’ll need before you get there.
What You’ll Need to Publish a Good Book as a Kid or Teenager
There’s a lot that goes into making a book. But don’t worry, you won’t need to learn how to print your book copies or ship them. Thanks to Amazon, you mostly just need the book’s content and other digital files.
Here’s what you’ll need to publish:
1. An edited manuscript
After you’ve finished writing your book, you’ll want to self-edit it. This is when you reread your writing, make note of changes you want to make, and fix any spelling or grammar issues. Otherwise known as $ revising$ , you’ll want to make your draft as good as you can make it without help.
We also recommend having some friends read it! Especially people who are readers of your genre. They’ll be able to ask questions and help you understand how a first-time reader will understand your book. You might want to make changes based on their feedback.
After that, you will want to have the book edited by someone who’s experienced in it. Usually, you’d pay for this service by a professional and it can cost anywhere from $.01 - $.15 per word.
All you want is a clean, clear manuscript you’ll be proud to publish.
2. The book files
By "files" we’re talking about the digital format you’ll upload to Amazon to either print your paperback or create an ebook for Kindle.
Most kids or teens writing a book do so in a notebook and maybe a word processor like Google Docs or Microsoft Word. If you’re taking your author dreams more seriously, you might also use a $ writing software like Novelpad$ to write and keep track of your books.
No matter what you use, you can usually export your written book to a different format.
In NovelPad, this is really easy with one step:
The format you’ll want for ebooks like Kindle is the EPUB option.
For the paperback file from NovelPad, you’ll want to use the DOCX option and then save that document and export as a PDF like in the image below.
3. A book cover
Every book needs a good cover because no matter how many times adults tell us not to judge a book by its cover, we always do.
Here are the options for getting a book cover:
- $ $ Hire a book cover designer for a custom cover. Make sure to see past examples and choose someone who often works with your genre
Your cover is your biggest selling point, so make sure it represents your book and its genre well.
4. Book formatting
When you upload to KDP, you will need to have the right book formatting for printing. This is when someone takes your book files from the first step and makes them the right size and spacing so they print correctly on the pages, allowing for the book cover and enough space at the edges (page bleed).
The reason this is usually something you hire is that, if it’s not set up right, you’ll get proof copies that are all wonky, with words going off the pages.
This also includes the size of the book’s spine, like if you’ve written a longer novel. Your book cover designer will send you the cover files, the front and back covers along with the spine, if your book is big enough for that.
These will be uploaded to Amazon through your KDP account.
5. An Amazon KDP account
Because of $ Amazon’s terms of service$ , you will need a parent or guardian over 18 years old to make the account. This is because you have to sign a contract in order to use Amazon, as well as connect to a bank account and possibly deal with taxes.
For that reason, you’ll need an adult, but your name can still be the author name. The KDP account will be set up with the parent’s name and information, but when uploading the book, when prompted with "author name," it can be your name (or pen name), rather than the name of the account creator.
This is how many authors use pen names and will work the same.
How to Hit "Publish" & Start Selling Book Copies
Once you have all the material, it’s time to self-publish your book! Here are the steps to do that.
1. Upload the book to Amazon
Log in to the KDP account you’re using and upload your book. You’ll need the correct files, and it will prompt which formats to use for the Kindle ebook or the paperback copy.
You’ll also have a place to upload your book covers—make sure to follow the directions thoroughly for this process, or you’ll have to do it again.
2. Choose your categories & enter keywords
You’ll be allowed to choose 3 categories to put your book in. These are the book’s main genre. You’ll want to make sure to choose accurately so your book will show up in the right category searches, like if someone wants to buy a middle grade fantasy book or a children’s adventure book.
If you’re not sure what yours is, do some research about genres or ask a parent or guardian what they think it is.
3. Type the title and write your description
Fill in the title of your book and write your book description. The description can be similar to the back cover, but it will appear under the buying formats on the book page, like the below example.
4. Submit your book for approval
Click to submit your book and wait for Amazon to approve it. This is to make sure all the file formats are accurate and the book complies with Amazon’s rules.
5. Order proof copies
You should now be able to order proof copies. These are samples of your book with a gray stripe printed across the title labeled "proof". It’s meant for you to check and make sure all the pages are printed correctly and that it looks right.
If it’s not right, you might need to have your book formatter redo it or adjust the file type uploaded. Sometimes Amazon just prints goofy copies, so ordering a few proof copies might be a good idea.
That’s it! You’ve now published, and your book should be live on Amazon. While it might be more difficult to publish as a kid or teenager, what with needing your parent to help, you will still be listed as the author, and it’s your book!
Keep writing and good luck!
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