How to Format Files for Self-Publishing on Linux

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When I found myself stuck in lockdown in the wrong country, I decided to do what everyone else in my situation would do: write and self-publish a book. So started another chapter of, ‘It seemed like a good idea at the time: the story of my life.’

I use Linux. Specifically, Linux Mint KDE. This usually reduces my computer-related headaches, but it isn’t helpful when I have to deal with companies that expect me to use proprietary software. For example, when I’m trying to format a book. There are myriad self-publishing tutorials floating around the internet, but they’re almost all aimed at PC or Mac users.

Getting my book accepted by Ingram Spark and Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) was an exercise in trial-and-error, interspersed with periods of banging my head against the nearest wall. I even considered buying a PC. Fortunately, I didn’t stoop to those depths, and I did work out how to make it work.

This article summarises the steps involved. If you just want the TL;DR, scroll to the bottom.

Step 1: Write the manuscript

Contrary to my expectations, this was the easiest part of the whole saga. I like to use Wavemaker so I can work from anywhere, but any word processing program will do the job. About 15 000 words later, I had a usable manuscript.