How to publish a book and start earning

Publishing on ArewaPen takes under ten minutes for your first chapter. Here is the full process, from blank page to live chapter.

Step one: create your book. Go to /create and fill in your book's details—title, cover image, genre, language, rating (Everyone or Mature), and whether the book is Ongoing or Completed. Your description is your advertisement: write it like a back-cover blurb. Short, intriguing, with a question the story promises to answer.

Step two: write or paste your chapter. ArewaPen has a built-in editor. Write directly in it, or paste from Google Docs or your notes app. Add your chapter title. Chapters between 800 and 1,500 words tend to perform best for mobile readers—short enough to finish in a commute, long enough to feel satisfying.

Step three: set free or paid. This is your monetisation decision. Free chapters grow your audience; paid chapters earn you money. The standard strategy is to make your opening chapters free to hook readers, then switch to paid from chapter four or five onward. ArewaPen lets you set this individually per chapter—you are not locked into one price for the whole book.

Step four: publish. Hit publish and your chapter is live immediately. Share the public link (arewapen.com/public/book/[your-book-id]) on WhatsApp and Instagram to start driving readers.

Understanding earnings. ArewaPen's revenue split is 70% to you, 30% to the platform. This applies to paid chapter purchases and tips. Earnings accumulate in your Earning wallet in real time as readers purchase. Once your balance exceeds ₦500, you can request a withdrawal to your bank account. Typical bank processing is within 48 hours.

Reader payments. Readers pay using a Refill wallet, which they top up via bank card, bank transfer/USSD/POS, or airtime on supported networks. Refill credits do not expire, so readers can top up when convenient and spend when they find a book they love.

Building a schedule. The single most important thing a new ArewaPen author can do is publish on a schedule. Once per week is the minimum for maintaining reader momentum. Pick a day, stick to it, and announce your schedule in your book description. Readers who know when to expect new chapters build a reading habit around your work.