How to Self-Publish a Book in 2025: A Beginner’s Guide

By Chris Mbakwe · September 1st, 2025

Overview

1. ITAN Global Publishing (IGP) is Africa’s own self-publishing platform tailored for local authors.

2. Benefits of ITAN

3. Steps to publish on IGP

4. FAQ

5. SEO Tips

Introduction: Why Self-Publishing Is the Future in 2025

In 2025, self-publishing has become a powerful option for writers worldwide—especially in Africa. With traditional publishing still slow, selective, expensive and out of reach of many authors, many authors are turning to digital platforms that offer more freedom, better royalty rates, and direct access to global readers.

If you're a new or aspiring author wondering how to self-publish a book in 2025, this beginner-friendly guide will walk you through everything you need to know—tailored to African authors using ITAN Global Publishing.

What Is Self-Publishing?

Self-publishing is when an author publishes their book independently without relying on a traditional publishing house. You maintain creative control, retain your rights, and decide how your book is distributed and marketed.

With platforms like ITAN Global Publishing, self-publishing is now easier, faster, and more profitable—especially for African fiction authors.

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Why Choose ITAN Global Publishing?

ITAN Global Publishing (IGP) is Africa’s own self-publishing platform designed specifically for Local writers. Unlike Amazon KDP and other Western platforms, ITAN understands the unique challenges African writers face.

Benefits of Using ITAN:

1. Reach global and local readers

2. Earn fair royalties (up to 70%)

3. Tailored for African stories and genres

4. Support for fiction at the moment and later non-fiction, and local languages

5. Fast publishing process with no gatekeeping

6. Your own author dashboard to manage sales and readers

Step-by-Step: How to Self-Publish on ITAN Global Publishing

Step 1: Finish Writing Your Manuscript

Before you publish, make sure your book is complete and well-edited. Your manuscript should be:

1. Properly formatted (Word or PDF)

2. Free of grammatical errors

3. Clear and engaging

4. Hire a professional graphic designer to create a high-quality book cover.

If that’s not within your budget, download the Canva design app from the Google Play Store and use its customizable templates to design your own cover. Keep in mind your book is a product—and like any product, it must be presented in a way that captures attention and engages your target audience.

5. Prepare your “About the Book” and “About the Author” sections separately from your manuscript. Your author bio should be short, clear, and well-written. Draft your own version first, then refine it using ChatGPT or any AI editor.

For the “About the Book” section, upload your manuscript into ChatGPT and prompt it to generate a compelling 500-word summary and include appropriate keywords.

This summary will help readers understand the heart of your story and boost discoverability. You can use this prompt: Generate a 500 word summary of this book and include appropriate keywords.

Step 2: Create an Author Account

Go to https://publish.itan.app and sign up as an author.

Fill in your:

1. Name, address and other KYC information

2. Biography and photo

3. Payment information (for royalties)

4. Agree to the publisher Agreements

https://publish.itan.app/blog/is-right-for-you

Step 3: Upload Your Book

Once you're logged in:

1. Upload your manuscript

2. Enter your book title, subtitle, and summary

3. Add a cover. Ensure your book cover meets the required size dimensions.

4. The cover must follow a 1.6:1 aspect ratio—that is, 1.6 units in height for every 1 unit in width.

5. Select the Main Genre and Sub-Genres: This helps with shelf arrangement and placement in the bookstore. For example.

Main Category: Romance

Sub-Category: Young Adult -Coming off Age-Teen

6. Add relevant keywords and tags in the space provided.
To generate the most accurate keywords, upload your book summary into ChatGPT and prompt it to suggest five keywords and tags that best describe your book.

For better discoverability, use specific search terms like “Afrocentric romance” “African folk tales” or “Afrocentric children’s books” instead of general terms like “Romance” or “Children’s books.”

Keywords help with AI and SEO discoverability, so be sure to use relevant terms that best describe your book.

Step 4: Set Your Price and Royalties

You control how much your book sells for. ITAN allows:

1. Don’t set your price too high that it scares away potential buyers. Your price should be between $2.99 - $9.99.

Step 5: Publish and Promote

After reviewing and confirming your book, click “Publish.”

Your book becomes live on:

1. ITAN’s marketplace

2. Partner networks (where applicable)

Then, start promoting your work:

1. Share on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok

2. Open an account on Goodreads and create an author profile.Go to Goodreads Authors Program and add your books annually.

3. Add Your Book(s) Manually: You can add a book published on ITAN to Goodreads using this form: 👉https://www.goodreads.com/book/new

4. Use hashtags like #AfricanStories #ITANAuthor #SelfPublishedAuthor

Encourage reviews and reader feedback

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Common Questions About Self-Publishing in 2025

❓How long does it take to publish on ITAN?

Usually within 24–48 hours after submission.

❓Can I publish multiple books?

Absolutely! Your author dashboard lets you manage multiple titles.

❓Do I retain my rights?

Yes. You keep 100% of your publishing rights.

❓What genres can I publish?

At the moment, only fiction category are welcome—Romance, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Children Stories , African folklore, and more.

SEO Tips for Authors: Get Found Online

To maximize your reach:

Use keywords in your book title and description
Choose searchable tags like: Afrocentric fiction, Afrocentric Christian Fiction, Afrocentic Romance, Afrocentric authors
Create an author blog or website and link your ITAN author page
Use tools like Google Trends or Ubersuggest to research popular search terms

Final Thoughts: Your Publishing Journey Starts Today

In 2025, publishing your book doesn’t require an agent, a big publisher, or a miracle. All you need is your story—and a platform like ITAN Global Publishing that believes in African voices.

Visit https://publish.itan.app and begin your publishing journey today.