When I published my first book, I thought I knew what I was getting into. I’d done my research. I’d read the blog posts. I’d watched the YouTube tutorials. I heard the tips from other authors. But still, there were some things that caught me off-guard.
So if you’re thinking about self-publishing, here are five things I didn’t know when I first started.
1. You can’t quote music lyrics in your book.
This one hit me hard because I write about music. My memoir, The Veil: Loving Beyond Time & Space, is about a connection with a musician. I wanted to reference lyrics. I wanted to let the words speak for themselves.
But you can’t.
Music lyrics are heavily copyrighted. Even a single line can trigger a copyright claim. Even a few words, if they’re distinctive enough, can be a problem. And unless you’re willing to pay for permission—which can cost hundreds or thousands of dollars—you have to find another way.
That means paraphrasing. That means describing the imagery without quoting the words. That means finding your own language for something that already has language attached to it.
It’s frustrating. It’s limiting. But it’s the reality. If you’re writing a book that references music, start thinking now about how you’ll work around it.
2. You need a commercial license to use some fonts in your book.
I didn’t know this until I was formatting my first book. I thought fonts were just… fonts. You pick one, you use it, you move on.
But that’s not how it works.
Many fonts are free for personal use but require a commercial license if you’re using them in a product you’re selling.
However, the rules change based on your book format.
While using built-in computer fonts for a print PDF or a book cover image is generally covered under your computer’s standard license, embedding a font file into an ebook (EPUB) requires an entirely separate, paid ebook license.
If you embed a font file inside an EPUB formatbook without the proper license, you could be liable for damages.
The good news is that there are plenty of fonts available under open licenses—like the SIL Open Font License found on platforms like Google Fonts—that you can use commercially for both print and ebooks for free. Or you can just disable font embedding on your EPUB files.
3. You need to get your own ISBNs—because the free ones trap you.
This is one of the most important lessons I learned.
When you publish through some platforms, they’ll offer you a free ISBN. It sounds great. It saves you money. But there’s a catch: that ISBN is tied to that platform. You can’t use it anywhere else. If you ever want to move your book to another distributor, you can’t take your ISBN with you. You have to start over.
The solution? Buy your own ISBNs. In Canada, you can get them for free from the government. In the US, you have to pay, but it’s worth it. You need one for each format you publish—paperback, hardcover, ebook, audiobook. Each one needs its own ISBN.
It’s an upfront cost. But it gives you freedom. You own your book. You own your ISBN. You’re not locked into any one platform.
4. If you allow returns through IngramSpark, you could be in for a nasty surprise.
IngramSpark is a popular print-on-demand distributor. They let you set your book to be returnable, which sounds like a good thing—bookstores are more likely to order books they can return.
But here’s the catch: if a bookstore orders your book and then returns it, you’re on the hook. You have to pay for the return shipping. You have to pay to have the book destroyed or delivered back to you. And you lose the royalties you earned on that sale.
I’ve heard horror stories from authors who enabled returns and then got stuck with bills for hundreds of dollars when books came back. It’s not worth the risk for most indie authors.
My advice: don’t enable returns unless you have a very good reason. And if you do, be prepared for the consequences.
5. Amazon can discount your book at its own discretion—but your royalties won’t be affected.
This one is actually good news.
Amazon can choose to sell your book for less than the list price. They might discount it to be competitive, or to match another retailer’s price. That can be alarming if you see your book selling for less than you expected.
But here’s the thing: your royalties are based on the list price, not the discounted price. So even if Amazon sells your book for less, you still get paid the same amount.
It’s one of the few things about Amazon that actually works in your favor. So don’t panic if you see your book on sale. You’re still getting paid.
Final Thoughts
Self-publishing is a learning curve. No matter how much you prepare, there will be things that surprise you. But that’s okay. Every mistake is a lesson. Every surprise is something you can pass on to the next person.
It’s these experiences that have shaped the way I’ve chosen to publish. I stick with fonts that came with my computer. I don’t plan to sell in bookstores, so I’m not using a distribution channel. I offer print through Amazon, but reserve the ebook version for Gumroad, where I keep more of each sale.
If you’re just starting out, I hope this helps. And if you’ve been at it for a while, I’d love to hear what surprised you.
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