The Wins and Woes of Self Publishing

Verse of the Day: "Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 1 Corinthians 13:6

I chose to self-publish my work in 2022, through the company lulu. Through them I have full creative control from the type of paper, to the the style of my isbn number. After completion, it is highly advised that you order a proof copy for revival before submitting to be approved for distribution. Once in distribution, your title is given to online stores to be sold and that is how you begin to make money for your work. I have enjoyed working with lulu and I highly recommend it for authors who are looking into the self-publishing route. HOWEVER. It's not always a walk in the park, so today, I'd like to share the wins and woes I've experienced during the writing and publishing process.

The WINS

1. Full Creative Freedom

Your book can be absolutely anything you want it to be! It doesn't have to be 3,000 pages to be a "real" book, and it doesn't have to be a number one best seller to be relevant. Whatever story you want to tell, is yours and no one else can take credit for how well or bad it does. Self-publishing is a personal writing experience that gives authors the space to be themselves and really love what they do.

2. Flexible Schedule

You make the time chart and frame for when things need to be done, there's no one there to tell you when your deadline is, you ARE your boss.

3. There's Free Material on Ways to Self-Publish

Getting started, I had no idea what I was doing, fortunately there are dozens of online tools specifically tailored to benefiting authors who are self-published! (The best source being YouTube) so if you ever get caught up or stuck at a certain step, then you can always seek out some golden advise from season authors who took the self-publishing route!

The WOES

1. You're in charge (of EVERYTHING)

Aside from actually manufacturing the physical copy, you are in charge of pretty much everything else: writing the book, editing it, finding people to beta read or critique, hiring an illustrator or doing so yourself, getting an isbn number, contacting bookstores and events for signings, designing your book cover, naming your book, advertisement and promotions for sales, marketing, keeping track of your sales and maintaining your sanity while people tell you what you do isn't a real profession.

2. Self-Publishing instigates Imposter Syndrome

In many ways, I've felt in my heart of hearts that I wasn't a real author because I didn't belong with a large company (and had not been accepted by any). Doing things yourself, your way, comes with the a price: that there will be times you don't feel qualified or good enough to be considered a professional in it.

3. Money....yeah

Making money through self-publishing has been proven highly possible, the reality of it is, it may take awhile depending on how well you promote your book. (This is why knowing your target audience is crucial, and building a portfolio of free material prior to publishing can really help!) The money will come, in my first two years as, (as I was balancing my day job as a teacher and my career as an artist) My marketing campaigns didn't do very well and as a result my sales began to plummet. This happens but it doesn't mean you can't bounce back. Your book sells are only as good as you promote, so get out there and start talking!

"For the love of life and literature, stay prayerful, stay positive and write on!"