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Short answer: for a novel, choose a classic book serif: EB Garamond, Crimson Pro, Alegreya or a Palatino-style font are the safe choices. Georgia, or its free twin Gelasio, suits readers who like a larger look. For non-fiction, Source Serif, Literata or Lora.
Short answer: most adult novels are 70,000 to 120,000 words, and around 90,000 is a typical average, according to Jericho Writers’ guidance. Genre moves the range a lot, from 50,000 for category romance to 180,000 and beyond for epic fantasy.
The full cover size, spine, safe zones and barcode space for any KDP paperback, plus a template you can download. KDP’s own cover template is a zip file you have to unpack and read.
Short answer: go to kdp.amazon.com, click Sign in, and use the email address or mobile number of the Amazon account you publish under. UK authors use the same site: typing kdp.amazon.co.uk takes you straight to kdp.amazon.com. There is no separate KDP password; it is your Amazon login.
Short answer: the standard UK book sizes are A-format 111 × 178 mm, B-format 129 × 198 mm and Demy 138 × 216 mm for paperbacks, and Demy, Royal 156 × 234 mm or Crown Quarto 189 × 246 mm for hardbacks and larger non-fiction. A5 is 148 × 210 mm.
Short answer: there is no single best UK self-publishing company, because they sell completely different things. Start with the type: Free platforms: Amazon KDP, IngramSpark and Lulu. They cost nothing and pay you the most per sale, but you do the work or hire it yourself.
How many keywords does Amazon allow? Seven. KDP’s help page says to “use up to seven keywords or short phrases”, one per box, and to keep an eye on the character limit shown in each box. I read that page on 24 September 2026: Make Your Book More Discoverable with Keywords.
The short answer Start with Reedsy Studio. It is free, and for a text novel it is enough. Buy Atticus when you hit something it will not do — a trim size it does not offer, a chapter opener you cannot design, or a second book that makes $147 look like $73.50 each.
The short answer Standard colour, unless the pictures are the product. On Amazon.co.uk a 250-page paperback prints at about £5.85 in standard colour and £11.73 in premium — £5.88 a copy, every copy, for heavier paper and richer ink. That difference is bigger than most authors’ entire royalty.
The short answer Affinity, unless somebody else needs your file. Affinity is free for individuals. InDesign is £21.98 a month including VAT — £263.76 a year, indefinitely. For laying out your own book, the free one now does the job.
The short answer Scrivener if the book is complicated or you hate subscriptions. Dabble if you want to write today on whatever device is nearest. The money is not close once you hold it still for a year.
The short answer NovelPad, and buy the $89 desktop licence unless you genuinely need sync. It is cheaper at every horizon, and it is the only one of the two that lets you stop paying without losing access.
The short answer Mac and more than one book: Vellum. Windows, or one book: Jutoh. It is a five-fold price difference and a platform wall, and those two facts settle it more often than any feature does.
Last reviewed by Robert Prime — September 2026 Quick Answer: Brief the reader, not the design. Give your designer the final page count, trim size, paper stock, blurb, genre, and three covers you like plus one you don’t.
Last reviewed by Robert Prime — September 2026 Quick Answer: Cheap marketplace covers genuinely work at the upper end — roughly $90–$130 — and that is the tier to compare against an entry-level commission, not the $5 gigs.
Last reviewed by Robert Prime — September 2026 Quick Answer: Expect $10–$35 for volume-produced custom covers, $45–$170 for premades, £90–£300 at the UK budget end, $497–$645 mid-market, and $880 average ($625–$1,250 typical) for professional commissions.
Last reviewed by Robert Prime — September 2026 Quick Answer: A premade costs $45–$170 and is usually the front cover only — expect to pay more for the print wrap. A bespoke cover runs $625–$1,250 typically. The real difference is not quality, it is fit: a premade existed before your book did.
Last reviewed by Robert Prime — September 2026 Quick Answer: Paying to be published is not automatically a scam, and being paid to publish is not automatically a service. The contract is what tells you which you are looking at.
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