You Too Can Publish Your Own Book!
Local children’s author Scott “Mr. B” Bosek describes how he realized his dream of publishing children’s books.
Had you asked me three years ago what I would be doing today, writing books would probably fall somewhere near the bottom of the list. So, how did I end up publishing not one, but four children’s books without any formal writing skills? To be honest, when I look back at what I’ve done it is still hard to believe. It is only recently that I have begun to be proud of these accomplishments. And I can tell you from experience – it’s a great feeling! Obviously, writing books is not the only way to get that sense of pride, but if you love to read and write self- publishing may be just your cup of tea.
I consider myself a much better storyteller than writer and would never want to be known exclusively as a “children’s author.” I give much of the credit for my published books to my wife Michelle, daughter Molly and friends, without whom I would never have succeeded. Today, there is no one way to publish a book. Not only are there huge selections of fantastic tools available such as Adobe Print Shop, Microsoft Office, and Pages, to name few, but self publishing book companies offer their own varieties of writing services (some free and some not). The bottom line is that these companies are out to make money and would love to gain your business, so it is very important to research which one best fits your personal needs. Make sure you feel comfortable using the company’s website. Be cautious: Make sure that the company you choose is reputable and will have your best interests in mind. The best way to get started is by reading reviews from authors that have used these companies. Also, there are tutorials on YouTube that will give you a good idea what each company is like and how to publish a book using their website.
Getting a major book contract with one of the top publishers is extremely difficult. Most will not even look at your manuscript unless you have an agent. It is also unlikely that you will become the next J.K.Rowling, who had a rather “fairy tale” journey to her fame and fortune. It is very important to be truthful with yourself. Ask yourself , “ Why am I doing this?” If the reason is to become famous and make lots of money, I don’t think this article will be of much help to you. However, if you can say that the reason is because you feel that you have something important to share (like a life changing experience that could benefit others) or that you feel your book could be very entertaining, it most definitely can.
Publishing your own book is much like opening a small business, which my wife and I did for nearly three years. If you are to become successful at self publishing you need to wear many hats: writer, promoter, and salesperson, to name a few. Also, you must have some basic computer skills in order to create a website-unless you want to pay someone to do it. After telling my story of how I became a self published author, I will try to break down the process and give you as many tips as I can so that you too see your dream of publishing a book come true.
My self publishing journey began with me telling stories of my childhood growing up in Detroit and on a small farm located in Jeddo Michigan. As a substitute teacher I began telling these stories to my students when my lessons were done and I needed something to fill the time. I had a wonderful childhood full of adventure and fun and remembering these stories was quite easy for me. To my surprise the kids loved them. Every time I would return to a classroom that I had taught, the students would ask to hear another one of my stories. I was quite surprised at how this generation raised on hi-tech, fast paced video games could sit still and listen to an old fashioned story. I shared my experiences with my family who encouraged me to write them down. It is very important to get outside input on your ideas before beginning the self-publishing process. Their interest and encouragement showed me that my stories had a chance to go further than the classroom. This was the first step towards my self publishing career.
After reading several articles, blogs and watching a ton of YouTube videos, I chose Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) as my publisher. KDP is an Amazon.com affiliate. The benefits to choosing KDP are that your books are available for sale on Amazon, the website for publishing is fairly user friendly, and they have dozens of tutorials available to help you get through the process. Once your book is created it immediately becomes available on Amazon and you can order copies for resale. Your profit margin is determined by the retail price you set, your shipping cost, and the cost of creating your book. There are some very important factor that will help determine your profit margin. Those factors are: Will your book be hard or soft cover? Will your book have illustrations? How much will you pay for an editor? It is essential to have your book edited. As an educator I am fortunate to know people who are qualified to edit my manuscript. The more people you can have read your book the better. All of these factors can vary quite a bit depending on the quality of each factor. For instance, you could pay and illustrator anywhere from $20.00 to $500.00 per illustration, depending on the quality and reputation of the illustrator. I met my illustrator through a friend at my church. She lives very close to me and I love her work. So as you can see, there are lots of decisions that you will need to make before and during the publishing process. Very few people are in a position where they can say that profit is unimportant. The majority of us can not afford to absorb the costs of publishing a book on our own. Without investors or sales outside of our circle of family and friends, your book will very easily fade away after a couple of years, only to be remembered by a select few. As I said earlier, self publishing is like opening your own business. I have set a a target for success and profitability as 3 years, after which I should probably give it up. This is my second year and I am blessed to be able to say that each year has seen higher book sales and profits, so my plan is to continue writing, promoting my books.
Promoting your book is another essential part of the self publishing business. For authors of children’s books one of the best things you can do to promote your book is to get your book into local schools. This can be challenging because parents who have published books will usually get preferential treatment in the school where their children attend. A great way to overcome this is to become a substitute teacher. I found that being a district substitute really gives me an advantage because I get to know the principals of the schools and that can be a real bonus. A website and Facebook page for your book are essential, and you also need business cards. I use GoDaddy to create my website and Vistaprint for my business cards, however, there are dozens of DIY websites that are great for this. Attend as many art fairs, craft shows and farmers markets as you can. I usually don’t sell a lot of books at these events, but I hand out as many cards out as possible and meet people who help publicize my book. If you can afford to, advertising in a local newspaper is great, provided it will reach an audience that will want to purchase your book. These are just a few ways that you can promote your book. If you get creative the promotion possibilities are endless!
Clint Eastwood once said, “ What you put into life is what get out of it.” Self publishing is the same – what you are willing to to put into it is what you will get out of it, and only you can determine that.
If you would like to learn more about Mr B’s books, music and how to schedule a book assembly in your local school, please visit www.storiesfromisterb.com