We published our Kindle version of the book in January of 2017, and the paperback version in April of 2017.
As far as tools go, we are fortunate to have a great tutor with years of experience in print work. He was able to guide us through the printing process as well as putting together the whole book. He taught us, via Skype, how to work the Adobe suite and gave us pro insight on how we could make our book even better.
We also had other outside help from people who provide services on Fiverr. They helped to put our logo designs into the Adobe suite since we were still brand new at the time we were making the book. We also found our illustrator on Fiverr, and he has been so awesome!
Lastly, another huge tool that was helpful during the learning process was YouTube. We were able to search for videos from other self-published authors where they share their tips to make the book publishing process as pain-free as possible. There were also many Adobe tutorials that came in handy. YouTube is especially great because you can watch the video multiple times - pause when you need - and go back to the same video if you need reminders. And it's free!
We are really grateful to have many online resources available in this day and age. :)
RE: PopSchools Daily Prompt #6