Author Freely is an Australian platform that allows authors to publish their books online for free. In other words,
authors can upload their book, determine how much they want to earn per sale, and make their book available for
purchase through our retail store (and other online retailers!) without paying anything.
Got a question? Check out the list of Frequently Asked Questions below. If you can’t find an answer, contact us.
Have questions? Check out the list of frequently asked questions.
If you can't find an answer, get in touch with our support.
How to publish your book
How do I publish my book?
The publication process through Author Freely is simple and fast! To publish your book, log in or register an account with us, then go to
New Book in your author dashboard and follow the prompts.
For a quick tutorial on how to publish your book, see the video below:
What format does my book need to be in?
You can publish your book in 6 x 9 inch (152 x 229 mm), 5 x 8 inch (), A5 (148 x 21 mm), A4 (210 x 297 mm) or Square (216 x 216 mm). Before you upload, your file must be saved in PDF format.
Download one of our MS Word templates to help you format your manuscript in the correct size:
Alternatively, you can resize your MS Word document to one of these formats manually. Firstly, highlight the whole document, click Layout > Size and choose your format from the dropdown. If you can’t
see your format, click More Paper Sizes and input your Custom Paper Size.
Who can publish their book?
With Author Freely, everyone can publish their book at the click of a button. We believe that everyone’s story is worth sharing!
Does someone review my book before it’s allowed to be published?
No, there is no gatekeeping or review process for books uploaded on Author Freely. Here, every book is worthy of being published.
Can I send my original?
No. By working in a different model, Author Freely does not make any kind of evaluation of our books. In other words, you shouldn't worry about this step.
Dimensions of the cover and spine images for each book format and the respective margins
The dimensions of the images on the cover, interior and respective margins must adhere to the instructions in the table below:
A5
A4
Pocket
Square
Cover (Partial Customisation)
1630 pixels wide by 1473 pixels length.
2224 pixels wide by 2360 pixels length.
1040 pixels wide by 1040 pixels length.
1630 pixels wide by 1473 pixels length.
Cover (Full Customisation)
1748 pixels wide by 2480 pixels length.
2480 pixels wide by 3508 pixels length.
1240 pixels wide by 1748 pixels length.
2362 pixels wide by 2362 pixels length.
Back
1748 pixels wide by 1970 pixels length.
2480 pixels wide by 3015 pixels length.
1240 pixels wide by 1370 pixels length.
2362 pixels wide by 1823 pixels length.
Ears
940 pixels wide by 2480 pixels length.
Books in A4 format do not have ears.
Books in the Pocket format do not have ears.
Books in the Square format do not have ears.
Dimensions of the Crumb
14.8cm wide by 21.0cm high.
21.0cm wide by 29.7cm high.
10.5cm wide by 14.8cm high.
20.0cm wide by 20.0cm high.
Margins
Top and Bottom: 2.54 cm. Sides: 1.91 cm.
Top and Bottom: 2.54 cm. Sides: 1.91 cm.
Top and Bottom: 1.50 cm. Sides: 1.2 cm.
Top and Bottom: 2.54 cm. Sides: 2.54 cm.
How do I generate a PDF file?
To convert your MS Word document to PDF, open your MS Word document.
Then Save As your document, choose PDF from the dropdown and click Save.
Once your PDF is saved, upload and publish it with Author Freely!
How do I set up my cover?
With our cover generator, you can set up your cover a number of ways.
If you don’t already have a cover designed, you can make one with our
cover generator by choosing from our graphics or uploading your own,
and adjusting the size, colour and font of your book title, subtitle,
author name and blurb to how you like it. If you do have a cover pre-designed,
you can upload it straight into the generator and hide the pre-filled text so
nothing is duplicated and overlaying your original design.
In both cases, the images need to be adjusted to fit the book size.
Click here to see how to adjust and edit your cover photo.
Can Author Freely help me write, edit, or design my book?
Because we are a free self-publishing company, Author Freely doesn’t do services such as ghost writing, editing, typesetting or design for the books published through us.
This also means that any type of error – spelling, grammar, or otherwise – will be printed as we don’t review our authors’ books.
If you do want assistance regarding publishing services, check out the Author Freely Marketplace for businesses recommended by us!
Note that these professional services are optional.
Hiring one of our professionals is not necessary to be published on Author Freely.
I need professional services to help me finish or market my book. How do I go about getting them?
You can find a number of professional publishing services in our marketplace to help you enhance your book.
Note that these professional services are optional. Hiring one of our professionals is not necessary to be
published on Author Freely.
Can I edit my book after I publish (including the price)?
Yes, you can edit your book and the price at any time (unless your book is in pre-sales). To do so, go to My Books
in your dashboard, click “Published Books” and select the book you want to change. From there, click the “Edit”
option and follow the steps. You can change your content, cover, and price as many times as you want.
Can I use a pseudonym as my author name?
You certainly can! While uploading your book, you can determine the author’s name to be your real name or a pseudonym. This will not have any impact on your copyright ownership. Please note that you will need to use your legal name for the purposes of your bank details etc. The pseudonym should only be used for your book itself.
How can I promote my book?
Author Freely offers, free of charge, a series of online course to help you promote your book. To access them, go to Authors’ University.
Does my book appear on other bookstores when I publish on Author Freely?
Today, Author Freely has one of the largest distribution networks for print and eBooks among self-publishing platforms worldwide.
You can check our network (and the requirements of each specific bookstore) by clicking here.
Pricing, sales & royalties
How do I set the price of my book?
After you upload your book files to the Author Freely platform, our system will figure out the number of pages in your book
and the costs involved in printing. You’ll be presented with a field where you can specify the royalty margin you want from
each of your book sales. The price you’ll need to sell your book for to achieve your desired royalty will then be calculated.
Why do I need to register my bank details?
Bank details are used by Author Freely to make direct debit royalty payments. The details are essential to the payment process.
Who owns the copyright to books published on the Author Freely platform?
Copyright is exclusively owned by the author. Author Freely does not retain any copyright or exclusivity.
Our author can withdraw their book from Author Freely at any time through the website.
How do I receive my royalties?
There are two ways you can receive your royalty payments, and you can choose the one you prefer and change it whenever you want.
Both forms of deposit have a minimum amount receivable and vary as follows:
Deposit to account: If you want to receive your copyright directly
in your bank account, the minimum deposit is AU$ 30. That is: the deposit will be made
in your specified account on the fifth business day of the month following the month
you accumulated the minimum amount of AU$ 30.
Deposit via MOIP: This is the recommended payment option. The minimum
deposit amount is AU$ 20. That is: if you choose this method of receipt, the
transfer will be made to the account you created in MOIP as soon as you reach a
minimum amount of AU$ 20 (also on the fifth business day of the month following the month you accumulated
the minimum amount of AU$ 20). You can request to schedule the transfer
direct between MOIP and your bank account. In this case, the only difference from
Previous modality is that the minimum amount is lower, to the author's advantage.
Do I have to pay to publish my book with Author Freely?
No, Author Freely is completely free for the author! Any type of purchase or minimum circulation is not required.
For those wanting wider distribution, an ISBN is required, but you’re not obligated to purchase this from Author Freely.
I have a discount coupon. How do I use it?
Receive coupons from various promotions or partnerships between Author Freely and other companies and get discounts on book purchases.
To use your coupon, make your purchase normally and enter the coupon code at the end. To understand better, go to the link
http://authorfreely.com/webpage/coupon.
ISBN
What is an ISBN?
An ISBN (International Standard Book Number) is an identification number unique to each published book. It holds cataloguing information
that can be used to identify books, such as their title, author, country, publisher, and even edition. Every book that is intended for
distribution needs an ISBN as the majority of retailers won’t take on books without an ISBN.
Do I need an ISBN to register my book with Author Freely?
No, you don’t need an ISBN to publish on the Author Freely platform. Author Freely’s focus is to allow all authors to publish their books, so our aim is to
make it as easy and free as possible. If you’re wanting a wider distribution than the Author Freely platform, however, you will need to purchase an ISBN as
the majority of retails won’t take on books without an ISBN. You can purchase your ISBN directly from Author Freely if you’d like!
How important are ISBNs?
ISBNs are essential to the wider distribution of your book. To self through any book retailer (including both bookstores and online retailers),
you will need to have an ISBN that is assigned to your book. If you’re only wanting to bulk-print your book and give to friends and family or to self-sell,
an ISBN is not necessary for you.
Do I need a new ISBN when I make changes to my book?
In general, large changes to works should have a new ISBN assigned to it. If the changes are smaller,
such as spelling corrections, slightly changing the cover, etc.
A new ISBN should be assigned for:
Every new issue of a serial publication
Each issue of a publication in a different language
Each volume and the completed collection
Any reissue with substantial changes in content (text)
Each different type of format, finish and cover variation
Facsimile reprints
Reprints (provided they have new titles and pagination)
Note:
The reprint of a book without changes does NOT require another ISBN. In the case of electronic publications,
however, it is only required that the work is not updated frequently – without a periodicity being defined.
