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Your Complete Self-Publishing Plan

The capstone project for Self-Publishing for Nigerian Authors — a free Creative course. Pass it and you earn a certificate anyone can verify.

Start the course free Download the project workbook

The project unlocks once you complete the lessons. The workbook is free to download now so you can see exactly what is expected.

What you will submit

One clear self-publishing plan for a single book covering: outline/status, cover concept + blurb, format + platform choice with reasons, price with reasoning, and a launch/marketing plan — as one shareable doc/link or full text.

What to do, step by step

  1. Describe your book: its one-sentence pitch, genre/type, target reader, and an honest status — your chapter outline and how much is written, plus a dated plan to finish and edit it (what you'll self-edit, what free/beta-reader help you'll use, and any paid editing with rough naira figures).
  2. Present a cover concept: either a Canva mock-up image, a clear description, or a designer brief with 3–5 reference covers from your genre, plus your back-cover blurb (the hook that sells the book).
  3. State your format and platform choice with reasons: which platforms you'll publish on (e.g. Amazon KDP for global/dollars, Selar for local/naira, print-on-demand if relevant) and why each fits your book and audience.
  4. Set your price for each platform with clear reasoning — your Amazon ebook price inside the 70% band, your Selar naira price based on local value, any print price — including a launch price and a standard price, and your rough take-home per sale.
  5. Write a concrete launch and marketing plan: your pre-launch momentum activities, launch-day actions, the exact channels and sample messages you'll use (e.g. a WhatsApp status with your Selar link), your plan to gather real reviews, and your ongoing marketing.
  6. Assemble all of the above into one clear, well-organised document or page (Google Doc, Notion, Carrd, etc.), make sure it's readable and shareable, then submit the single public link or the full text.

Files to work with

Project workbook (fill in, then submit)The whole brief, an evidence checklist, the grading rubric as a self-check and the link-sharing steps in one file. Opens in Word, Google Docs or WPS.Word · 6 KB

How it is graded

CriterionWeight
Manuscript clarity: a sharp one-sentence pitch, clear genre/target reader, a real chapter outline, and an honest status with a credible, dated plan to finish and edit25%
Cover and packaging: a concrete cover concept (mock-up, description or full brief with references) plus a strong, hooky back-cover blurb appropriate to the genre20%
Format, platform and pricing: well-reasoned platform choice for the Nigerian and/or global market, with prices set sensibly per platform (including the 70% band and naira value) and a launch vs standard price25%
Launch and marketing plan: a concrete, realistic plan using owned channels (WhatsApp/social/groups), pre-launch momentum, sample messages, a review-gathering approach and ongoing marketing20%
Presentation: the whole plan is organised, clear and genuinely executable, assembled on one readable, shareable doc or link10%

You need 65% overall to pass. A failed submission comes back with feedback and can be revised and resubmitted.

Before you submit: make your link public

If your work lives in Google Drive or Google Docs, open Share → General access and change “Restricted” to “Anyone with the link” (Viewer). Then paste the link into a private browser window: if it opens without sign-in, you are ready. A private link cannot be graded — it is the single most common reason a good project fails.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to finish Self-Publishing for Nigerian Authors before submitting the project?

Yes. The submission screen opens once every lesson in Self-Publishing for Nigerian Authors is marked complete. The lessons are where the methods, the Nigerian context and the worked examples the project depends on are taught.

How is the project graded?

An examiner scores each rubric criterion from 0 to 100 and weights them as shown on this page; you need 65% overall to pass. Most submissions are graded within minutes and you get written feedback on what was strong and what to improve.

Can I resubmit if I fail?

Yes. A failed project comes back with feedback; revise the weak parts and resubmit. A passed project is final — the certificate is issued and cannot be re-rolled.

What do I actually submit?

A write-up of what you did (under 5,000 characters) plus a public link to your work — a Google Drive folder, Google Doc, spreadsheet, GitHub repository or video. The link must open without sign-in; a private link cannot be graded. The free project workbook on this page walks you through all 6 steps.

Is the certificate real?

Yes. Passing this project issues a certificate with a unique verification code. Anyone — an employer, a client, a school — can open the verification page and see that the certificate is genuine and which project earned it.

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Ready to earn this certificate?

Self-Publishing for Nigerian Authors is free and self-paced. Finish the lessons, complete this project, and the certificate is yours to share.

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