I have been doing coaching for self-publishing since 2023 and have met with prospective clients for discovery calls and have helped some along the way. What I am learning (yes as a coach I am still learning new information daily) is that there are many that want to create a book but few that understand the time, energy, and MONEY investment involved. It is not an easy journey by far. There are countless times that you will want to give up just because you will come against roadblocks to getting your book launched. You must go in understanding that giving up is NOT an option. However, before venturing down the path to authorship, there are a few things I would like you to consider…
It’s not cheap to publish.
Simply put, you will spend some money. How little and how much you spend depends on the quality of the product you want to put out or the form and fashion of your book. If you just want to do eBooks, then yes you can put out a lot of eBooks at little to no cost. Now if you want to do print books AKA hard covers or soft covers, you will spend some money. And if you want to do it the cheap way, then know that this will be reflected in how your product turns out. I have come across my fair share of self-published books with poor presentation such as kitchen paper quality or enough grammatical errors to make you question if they even bothered using an editor. I don’t believe in cutting corners with your book, especially the first one. I would suggest waiting until you have the money to publish (perhaps a few thousand set aside) before you even start the self-publishing process. Or at least the disposable income; whether you have a second job to fund your publishing endeavor or a high enough income to not feel the burn in your pocket. You can publish on a budget but understand that your readers will be able to tell.
You will need a team.
It may seem like an oxymoron, but you cannot self-publish by yourself. You will need to get together a team of independent contractors that will assist you, especially if it is for a children’s book where illustrations are involved. Trying to be your own team (editor, illustrator, book formatter, marketer) will cause you to miss the mark with some of these things. It is impossible to do them all well. It’s better to let another pair of eyes to look over your work and to delegate some of these responsibilities. Plus being a one-person team is tiring! You will burn yourself out before you even get to the finish line. This is why you need to see that publishing a book is an investment just like everything else in your life (house, car, degree, etc.) and that you must be willing to pony up the money if you want things done right.
You need to be flexible.
Even the best planners know that things don’t always happen as planned no matter how much you prepare. Self-publishing is not going to go the way you want or expect. Unfortunately, it is not a linear process. There will be bumps and bruises along the way and many detours. Deadlines might get delayed due to what might be going on with your contractors or you making mistakes that delay the progress. I would urge you to have at least two publishing deadlines rather than just one. That way you won’t be disappointed if you don’t meet one and can have the other one to look forward to. You also always want to remain on the contractors’ good side and not get into power struggles with them. Give them grace and keep them happy. This will prevent any further barriers in getting your book published.
Maintain a positive mindset.
This is by far the most important thing to remember when self-publishing. It can be easy to fall into the trap of becoming despondent or frustrated when the publishing process begins to drain your energy. We all have lives to live and people we care for and when things are not going your way with your book, it’s easy to throw in the towel and give up. Don’t allow some barriers or pitfalls to make you give up on your dream. Take a break and do something else to maintain your stamina but always go back to working on your book. There is nothing wrong with a re-set to replenish your energy because of the tedious process of self-publishing. I know all too well how it feels to be fed up with the process, but I also remember how happy I was when I made it to the finish line!
Do know that I’m here for you if you need me. I am a children’s book publishing coach not a writing coach which means that I only work with folks with finished manuscripts. I help you go from manuscript to market by teaching you about the self-publishing process. I also have an eBook coming out soon that will act as a guide to walk you through the steps to self-publishing success. I specialize in shelf ready books due to my keen eye and expertise as an author and mom to optimize your ability to get into bookshelves everywhere. Feel free to reach out to me here.
See you soon,
Kira
