Publishing Roadmap
Use a realistic manuscript stage and goal. Save the suggested next actions, then adjust them to your personal schedule and budget.
THE INDIE AUTHOR HUB
Your Next Chapter Starts With a Plan.
Free interactive tools designed to help you understand, prepare and confidently publish your book.
TOOL 01 / YOUR ROADMAP
Discover Your Next Step.
Tell us where you are in the process, and this simple planner will suggest a realistic set of priorities.
Your custom next steps will appear here.
TOOL 02 / ROYALTY ESTIMATOR
Explore the Numbers.
Compare simple royalty scenarios to support early pricing discussions. Estimates are illustrative, not official retailer calculations.
Actual royalty terms, territory eligibility, taxes, delivery fees and promotional adjustments differ by retailer and can change.
Illustrative total royalties
$349.30
$3.49 estimated per copy · 100 copies
Formula: max(0, price × selected rate − assumed per-copy fees) × estimated copies. This deliberately simplified example excludes taxes, territory restrictions, refunds and other terms.
TOOL 03 / DESCRIPTION STARTER
Find the Right Words.
Give your book a strong introduction. This helper assembles a first-draft description from your ideas, ready for you to revise in your own voice.
This is a structured writing starter, not an AI-generated or professionally edited final blurb.
Your description will appear here after you complete the prompts.
TOOL 04 / YOUR LAUNCH CHECKLIST
One Small Step at a Time.
Keep track of your prelaunch tasks. Your checklist is saved only in this browser, not sent to Indie Publishers.
Open printable checklist ↗
0 of 12 completed
Use each tool at the right moment
The Author Hub is designed as practical decision support, not as a replacement for human editorial review. Try the roadmap when you are uncertain about next steps, the description builder when you need a clearer pitch, the earnings estimator while comparing basic scenarios, and the checklist when you are organizing a release.
Royalty Estimator
Treat results as illustrations. Actual platform terms, taxes, eligibility, prices, printing, and delivery fees can change the outcome.
Description Helper
Use the generated draft as raw material. Rewrite it in your authentic tone, test its hook, and avoid unsupported claims.
Launch Checklist
Work through tasks in order, but adapt the timeline for preorders, review cycles, print proofs, and marketing assets.
Your free 30-minute publishing audit
Set aside a short, focused session to evaluate your book rather than browsing every service at once. First write your goal in one sentence. Next, identify your most important missing asset: a stable manuscript, professional editing, cover, formatted file, or discoverable sales page. Then choose one concrete task you can finish this week.
- Write your target reader and the book’s central promise in one sentence.
- Check that your manuscript, cover, and author name use consistent information.
- List the files you already have and the retailers you want to reach.
- Record the decisions you still need help making, then bring that list to a consultation.
Your tool inputs are intended for quick on-page use. Avoid entering passwords, financial account details, or private manuscripts.
Three ways to use the Author Hub this week
If you are at the idea stage, write a one-sentence reader promise and use the roadmap to identify the next missing milestone. Do not rush into cover design or store selection before the manuscript direction is clear.
If you have a finished draft, use the roadmap to review editing, design, and format needs. Create a short description with the blurb helper, then revise it into your own voice. Compare the description to the actual manuscript: does the opening introduce the correct genre and promise?
If your book is already available, use the checklist to audit live retailer links, correct author information, a current cover, and a workable landing page. Use the royalty tool only as a simplified illustration and verify any actual calculations inside your retailer account.
- Choose one task with a clear finish point, not ten at once.
- Save your generated roadmap in your book project folder.
- Keep your own edits to generated descriptions and marketing copy.
- Review live platform terms before making account or pricing decisions.