Publishing guides
What Vellum and Atticus won't tell you.
Ten pieces covering the decisions a first-time self-publisher actually has to make — BISAC codes, ISBN tradeoffs, pricing, KDP Select vs wide, launch week, and the rest. Opinionated by default, exact on the numbers.
- Guide 01v1
Choosing your trim size
Three standard sizes cover ninety-plus percent of novels. Here's how to pick the right one, and what it does to your page count and print cost.
- Guide 02v1
Understanding BISAC codes and choosing yours
BISAC codes are the filing system retailers use to shelve your book. Pick wrong and Amazon puts you in the wrong category; pick right and your book shows up alongside the ones readers are already buying.
- Guide 03v1
Writing a book description that sells
Amazon gives you 4,000 characters and a handful of HTML tags. The first two lines are what most readers see. Here's the structure that works.
- Guide 04v1
Keywords: KDP's 7 slots and how to fill them
You get seven keyword fields, fifty characters each, three hundred and fifty total. No commas. No brand names. Here's how to use them without wasting them.
- Guide 05v1
Pricing strategy for first-time authors
The $2.99 to $9.99 band is where you earn 70% on ebooks. The right starting price for a first novel is lower than you think, and it moves over time.
- Guide 06v1
KDP Select vs wide distribution
Amazon exclusivity for 90 days in exchange for Kindle Unlimited reads and promo tools, or every retailer but fewer Amazon-specific levers. The decision depends on your genre, your audience, and whether you care about libraries.
- Guide 07v1
Cover design principles for genre fiction
Genre conventions are a language. Your cover's job isn't to be unique — it's to tell the right reader, instantly, that this is the book they want.
- Guide 08v1
ISBN: when you need one, when you don't
Four situations, four different answers. KDP-only ebook, KDP paperback, wide distribution, and what "wide" actually costs — Bowker's 2026 pricing spelled out.
- Guide 09v1
The launch week checklist
What to do in the seven days before publication, what to do on launch day, and the week after. Concrete tasks, not affirmations.
- Guide 10v1
What to do when KDP rejects your file
The common causes, the error messages that map to them, and the fix order that saves you the most re-upload cycles.