How to self-publish without spending a cent

Basics every aspiring author should know
How do people become authors?
What, or how should I write?
How do I get myself published?
How do I get paid as an author?
Who owns the copyright to the book?

How to write a book?
How to write a fiction novel?
How to write non-fiction?
How to write a children’s book?
How to write an auto-biography?
How to write science fiction?
How to write a romance novel?
How to write a short novel?

How to get published?
What is the difference between a Publisher & Literary Agent?
How to find a Publisher/Literary agent?
How to publish a poem?

How to self-publish & sell your books?
How to decide whether to self-publish?
How to self publish a book?
How to self-publish without spending a cent!
How to market a book?
How to get an ISBN and barcode?

Useful Resources and Links
Warning on scams for aspiring authors
List of Literary Agents' Websites
Facebook Poets & Writers Registry
Literary magazines directory

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How to self-publish without spending a cent!

Introduction

You can save on everything else in publishing a book, but you can’t save money on printing! However, with Print-on-Demand (POD) publishing technology and e-books, it is now possible! POD is just what it says. Instead of printing thousands of books in one print run like traditional publishers, you can print as few as one book paying only for each book printed. E-books, on the other hand are sold online, delivered electronically to a computer and read on computer screens.

Steps

Find someone to help you edit the book for free. A manuscript MUST be edited by an independent party. It is near to impossible to edit your own work well! Any author can read their own books ten times and still miss out errors. The human brain is simply wired to anticipate patterns based on familiarities. To hire a professional editor, a novel length book will likely cost you well over a thousand dollars. It is, after all, a tedious job and requires some proper training. You can do this for free by getting your family and friends to edit it. Top of the list should be people you know who have experience as writers, publishers, editors, proofreaders etc. People with degree majors in English, Literature, Journalism, Mass Communications, or Law are also good choices. Try not to compromise in this area. There’s nothing more irritating to a reader than mistakes in a book and it spoils the flow and turns them off. It also resembles too much of a cheap self-published title for readers to recommend to others.
Get an ISBN number if it is not included in the overall price of the POD publisher’s package. The ISBN number is your book’s registration number similar to a car’s registration. It is also used by bookstores in the barcodes to track inventory and order your book. (see "How to get an ISBN and barcode") This may cost you a few dollars but if you are determine to spend nothing, you can still sell e-books with your own website or some third-party sites (like e-bay) without having an ISBN.
Design your own cover. Some online publisher’s provide cover design tools for free as part of the uploading process. The covers won't look great but at least it's free.You can attempt to design your own if you are proficient with software like Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator or InDesign. Many internet websites offer free stock pictures or graphics you can download and use. Be sure to check their licensing policies first. Designing book covers require appropriate software and technical knowledge on printing requirements. If you don’t know how you can also source for freelancers or design students who are willing to do it for free by crediting them in the book and giving them some free copies for their portfolio.
Search the Internet for POD and e-book publishers and research their offerings to determine which one is right for you. BookSurge, Lulu and iUniverse are the largest companies providing self-publishing and each offers various services. Lulu is a free service and you can choose to pay for your ISBN number, promotional package and the printing price of each book ordered. For more choices, check out this website: An Incomplete Guide to Print on Demand Publishers . You can also try free online e-shop sites like Createspace.com and Cafepress.com
Prepare your manuscript and cover files in the right format. Some publishers require the manuscript to be in Adobe PDF format. I recommend Primo PDF which you can download and install for free. Others require a simple word document. Read the requirements online carefully first. You can always ask friends for a favour and use their computers with the right software if you don’t have it.
Follow the instructions online carefully and check your book after uploading to make sure it turns out right. Order a copy yourself to see how it looks like for a customer who purchases it. If you’re really hard up for cash, get your family or friends to order a copy and have a look at how it turned out.
Promote your book by setting up free websites or blogs where you can spread awareness, gather a fan base, or post excerpts. Circulate emails to your friends. Join the numerous writers’ groups and forums online, post notices, and build up a support network. You can also request for author talks in public libraries and bookstores. (That was how Christopher Paolini did it with “Eragon” at the age of 16!)

Tips & Warnings

Different online publishers have different royalty and fees, as well as terms and conditions over distribution rights. MAKE sure you read their policies carefully.
Stick to the large and well known ones. There are many dodgy folks out there prying on dreamy aspiring writers who are to eager to see their works published!
Never order a large number of books until you have proof read the first copy.
Don’t expect your book to start sell by itself. The most difficult aspect of the book business is marketing!

Important Warning!
Authors who intend to self-publish or look for publishers/literary agents are well advised to read this excellent website by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc's excellent website on scams, frauds, dodgy publishers/literary agents, writer services, writing contests, copyright issues and other important information. http://www.sfwa.org/beware