The Journey of Self-Publishing

Hello, my lovely writers!

As you’ve probably noticed, this blog post is all about self-publishing. You’re probably thinking, “But Jocelyn, you have never self-published.”

You’d be correct.

So today, I have some very special guests who’ve made this entire blog post possible:

Lauren D. Fulter, author of The Unanswered Questions and Of the Curatix Code.

Ariana Tosado, author of Our Mistaken Identity and The Hunter in the Room.

MC Pending, author of Untouchable.

Jessica Cecilia, author of Return of the Banished.

McKenna Rowell, author of Unmasked, Unlocked, and September Embers.

Becca J. Camp, author of Fluttering Dreams.

Naomi King, author of The Lights of Isarn and Raven Rose.

Hope Munson, author of Queen's Arrow.

Definitely check out all of these extremely lovely self-published authors and their books. They are all a huge inspiration to any writer anywhere and a great example of where hard work, perseverance, determination, and a passion for writing can lead.

These lovely people have been kind enough to grace us with their answers to 10 questions about self-publishing. And today, I’m going to be sharing their answers with you.

I hope these will help you become more familiar with self-publishing, inspire you if you're thinking about self-publishing, and just introduce you to some super cool indie authors.

1. What’s the best part of self-publishing?

"Best part is finishing and getting my book!!" - Jessica Cecilia

"The absolute control over everything! I feel more stable in my books' journeys. 😊" - Ariana Tosado

"Best part is definitely being able to control absolutely everything. You can make it your own. You just have to have the commitment to the project." - Hope Munson

"There are many things I love about self publishing! One of the best parts though, in my opinion, has been total control. I have a say in everything, and can do things at my own pace." - Mckenna Rowell

"I would sat the best part of self-publishing for me was different both times I published. With my first book, the ability to publish quickly was a big help. For my second book, the flexibility of it was so important and was something I was super glad for." - Naomi King

"The best part is being in control of everything that goes into your book and having no deadlines other than self-imposed [ones]." - MC Pending

"The best part of self-publishing is getting to see your book in every stage. You're so involved in everything that happens to it, and you get to see it slowly transform into something absolutely amazing. Plus, you get your finished copies as soon as you want." - Becca J. Camp

"The best part is most definitely the freedom. As an indie author you get to make all the decisions, like the cover art, how many books in a series you want, and when you want to release them. Having that control aspect was something that I really valued, and gives so much more room for creativity…and to give lemon cameos…" - Lauren D. Fulter

2. What’s the worst part?

"Worst part is writing the past few chapters of your book and wanting very badly to be done. 😂 " - Jessica Cecilia

"The *absolute* control over everything. 🥲 Having to do everything but not always having the professional equipment or experience you'll most likely need." - Ariana Tosado

"I would say the worst is not having the resource team to help you when you're at a low. It was really hard at times to figure out the software, and I had to ask a lot of people for help. That probably would've been included in the deal with the publisher." - Hope Munson

"The worst part for me has been marketing. Traditional publishers will help you do that because they don't make any money until you do, but with self-publishing it all falls on you. It is daunting at times!" - Mckenna Rowell

"The worst part is probably the load of it all. You have to be the one to do all the work, and that can make it super difficult and overwhelming sometimes." - Naomi King

"The worst part is that you're basically on your own. Cover art, formatting, and editing is up to you to figure out." - MC Pending

"The worst part of self-publishing is that you have to do almost everything by yourself. While I do enjoy learning how to do everything, I don't like not knowing [how] to do it right the first time. There's a lot of trial and error that goes into it all. And if you DON'T do everything yourself, you have to spend your own money to get it done." - Becca J. Camp

"The worst part has to be you’re in it alone. You have to make all the payments, the decisions, and marketing. You’re not only the author, but you’re every other role a published usually plays, and that can definitely get [to be] a lot at times." - Lauren D. Fulter

3. Why did you decide to self-publish?

"I decided to self-publish because publishing with an agent and a publisher would take maybe years, and I wanted to publish a book just for me." - Jessica Cecilia

"It was the fastest way to get my work out there, and I knew my work was meant to be out there!" - Ariana Tosado

"At the time, Queen's Arrow was just for me and my family. I didn't really expect or necessarily think it deserved a big audience. I wanted people to read it, but I didn't want to be disappointed in myself if that didn't happen, so I wanted to keep it small scale." - Hope Munson

"I heard about it, and after researching, knew it was for me. I didn't want to wait years to have my books out, wanted control over the process, and own my work 100%." - Mckenna Rowell

"I decided to self-publish for a lot of reasons. I think the main one was because of my age. I published my first book at 14 so I really didn't want to deal with the responsibilities of traditionally publishing. I don't think it's impossible to [traditionally] publish as a teenager, but it wasn't something I was personally ready for." - Naomi King

"I decided to self-publish because it's quicker and something I don't have to depend on a book contract for." - MC Pending

"I decided to self-publish because I wanted my book in my hands as soon as possible. I didn't want to have to deal with agents and publishing houses and all that, and I also didn't want to wait two or three or however many years it took. Plus, I was (am) pretty interested in doing a lot of the stuff myself!" - Becca J. Camp

"I decided to self-publish, again, because of the freedom! I’m not the biggest fan of the traditional market, due to the fact they prioritize books that sell well over ones with unique stories. I wanted to be able to publish my series without having to worry if one book didn’t do so well I wouldn’t get a contract for another. Self-publishing is flexible and allows me to do things the way I want to do them." - Lauren D. Fulter

4. What did you use to self-publish?

"I used KDP." - Jessica Cecilia

"KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing)." - Ariana Tosado

"I used the self-publishing website Amazon owns (kindle direct publishing). Personally, I looked into several options, but for me this was the easiest route that I knew I could manage." - Hope Munson

"I used KDP! I recommend it." - Mckenna Rowell

"I used KDP." - Naomi King

"Kindle Direct Publishing !" - MC Pending

"The first thing I used to self-publish was IngramSpark [IS]. I've since moved to Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP, Amazon) because it's free (IS is not) and it's easier to navigate." - Becca J. Camp

"I used IngramSpark, since I wanted to have wholesale as part of the deal." - Lauren D. Fulter

5. What did the process look like? Was it easy? Difficult?

"The process was very difficult. I found myself finding out a lot of things authors have to do besides just writing." - Jessica Cecilia

"The manuscript was the easiest part until it came to formatting. Cover designing... was a horrific nightmare. One that lasted for many months. 😖" - Ariana Tosado

"At times, both. You have to be willing to work with the system as it can be very picky, also give yourself grace. It's usually not you're fault, so that was hard for me since I thought I was constantly messing up. Some parts were easy since I could control my own story. There weren't people cramming for deadlines, and I could just take it one step at a time and work on it when I could." - Hope Munson

"As learning anything for the first time, it was very difficult. I didn't know where to find editors and cover designers and grew frustrated with my book multiple times. But the second book was a million times easier, and the third one like a breeze." - Mckenna Rowell

"The process had its moments of difficulty for sure. I spent a long time writing and editing my books, which was more of the difficult parts than publishing in itself. But the first time navigating publication was definitely hard. I wrote my books and after editing, beta reading, [and] MORE editing, I used KDP, and the process there was actually pretty simple. I uploaded my manuscript and cover, and I published without too many problems." - Naomi King

"For my first time publishing, it was actually pretty easy. The biggest hurdle was figuring out the formatting, which I ended up hiring a formatter instead." - MC Pending

"Formatting was the hardest part. Everything else came pretty easy to me, but formatting the interior took forever and formatting the cover was a pain in my butt. I've decided I'm never buying my own barcode again, haha. Definitely buy your own ISBN, but it's so much easier to use a free barcode." - Becca J. Camp

"The process was a LOT of making mistakes (some that even cost me!), and research. It definitely was difficult, since I wanted to do it as 'professional' as possible, though I was still learning how to make that happen." - Lauren D. Fulter

6. On a scale from 1 being nothing, to 10 being it broke the bank, how much did it cost you?

"A 10, but I broke even really fast and earned a lot of profit." - Jessica Cecilia

"1. 😁" - Ariana Tosado

"This will depend on the site you use to publish. For me, I would say about a 5 or so. I just bought my copyright which wasn't too expensive, but it definitely can get pricier, but you also don't need the copyright so it could be entirely free if you choose to go through Amazon." - Hope Munson

"As a teenager, probably about a four. I had been saving for a while, and therefore was prepared, but I probably spent around $600 to publish my first book." - Mckenna Rowell

"I would say 2. I did everything by myself: editing, formatting, cover, and advertising. Since Kindle Direct Publishing is free to use, the only money I spent was for proof copies. In total I spend about $15 for each book I published." - Naomi King

"I would say about a 3 because both my cover artist and my editor were super cheap and also my friends." - MC Pending

"If I hadn't been trying everything I found, it would've been a lot cheaper, haha. But I was new, so I didn't know what I was doing. Anyway, the answer is probably about a 7? Just because I spent so much on figuring out what worked and what didn't. I'm thinking my next published project will be more like a 4 or 5." - Becca J. Camp

"Yikes. So for my first book, I must have spent about $2,000, including its revised version. But with my second book, and learning from my mistakes and finding better people to work with, I only ended up spending around $800! The spending part can be really scary for some authors, but if you’re smart about it, you can publish an amazing book on almost any budget if you have the right sources." Lauren D. Fulter

7. How difficult would you say it is on a scale of 1-10?

"9." - Jessica Cecilia

"6-7. It all depends on the route you go down and what resources you have. This includes money and people." - Ariana Tosado

"This one, again, is kinda all over the place for me. The system is very confusing at times, and also extremely easy (super easy to pick page color, size, etc. but extremely difficult to size the cover and make sure the inside of the text was formatted properly). I spent more hours sizing the book and converting files than I did for anything else—[even] the actual publishing process—so I would probably give it a 7-8." - Hope Munson

"First time going through the process, an 8. But it gets easier every time you do it! It's scary because it's new, and putting your book baby into the world is scary anyway." - Mckenna Rowell

"I think I would put the difficulty at a 6. It's not very hard to self-publish the way I did. The hardest part was the persistance it took to see the project through. Sometimes it was easy, and others it felt impossible." - Naomi King

"I would say a 5! It's as difficult as you make it." - MC Pending

"For me, I'd say it was a 6. It wasn't that difficult until I got to the barcode/cover problem. It differs for each person, though, because everyone has their own strengths and weakness. Personally, I love almost everything about self-publishing!" - Becca J. Camp

"I would say maybe a 7? But it was worth every step…and I messed up a lot more than most authors with my first book so don't take that number too personally!" - Lauren D. Fulter

8. Would you recommend it?

"Yes, I would! But only to someone who can not only be occasionally motivated, but dedicated." - Jessica Cecilia

"Yes, if you think you can give your book the cover, quality, and marketing it deserves. Otherwise, pursue traditional." - Ariana Tosado

"In short, I would. (I think in the future I would like to try traditional publishing because I know it's reasonable and my book was well received.) For a first time author, though it's a great start and you can get yourself started! Just be patient with yourself. It's very stressful at times, so make sure you have someone to help you; otherwise, you might not continue the process." - Hope Munson

"100%. Best decision ever!" - Mckenna Rowell

"I would 100% recommend self-publishing. It fits my needs super well and gives me opportunities I wouldn't have had at my age if I'd gone traditional." - Naomi King

"Absolutely! It's so awesome, and you also get bragging rights." - MC Pending

"Absolutely!" - Becca J. Camp

"YES. YES. YES. The indie market is amazing, and worth the hard work. If done right, you can make a profit and be part of an amazing community!" - Lauren D. Fulter

9. How long did it take for you to publish your book(s)?

"For publishing, it took me about two months, but the whole process took a little over a year." - Jessica Cecilia

"OMI [Our Mistaken Identity]: 14 months. THR [The Hunter in the Room]: About 2 years, but that's mostly because I took a MASSIVE break when I revamped it." - Ariana Tosado

"Most of my time was mainly me procrastinating lol, but I think the actual publishing took me about 3-4 months from first looking to it being out on shelves. If you have everything perfect first try (lucky you), then it might take an hour. And then from the completion, Amazon reviews it and that takes about two or three days, and then it's live." - Hope Munson

"Unmasked took me six months, if we are counting the first editor, of which I had to fire (Long story. get yourself a contract, friends.). If we are forgetting those months wasted, about four months wasted. But my children's novella was published within a month after I made the decision to do so, and that wasn't because of the editor or cover wait; it was because I wanted to market a bit before throwing it out there. Unlocked took about the same time as Unmasked, but only because I was marketing for the release a few months after it was ready." - Mckenna Rowell

"For me, publishing doesn't take very long. It's the writing that takes up a huge chunk of time. For my first book, it took me almost 2 years from start to finish, but only about two months of that was centered around publication. And for my second book, the process was even faster." - Naomi King

"The writing took the longest, but the publishing process took a couple months. If you count marketing pre-publishing, I would say around 4 months." - MC Pending

"Not counting the time it took to write my book, I think it took me about five months? A lot of that time was spent formatting and editing and just trying to figure everything out." - Becca J. Camp

"My first book took a total of four years, and my second book in total took about a little under two years, but I worked on them simultaneously." - Lauren D. Fulter

10. What would you say to someone who’s not sure whether to self-publish or traditional publish?

"I'd tell them to ask themselves how long they are willing to wait and who they are writing their book for." - Jessica Cecilia

"See number 8 lol. You'll actually feel if it's right for you: if you want to do it because you'll have a book quickly VS. if you want to do it because you believe you can do it. The difference will be evident, and you'll feel it." - Ariana Tosado

"You can always try the other if you don't like it or you find it doesn't work for you. With self publishing, you reserve the rights, so if you decide to change things up it's your call to remove your work and try again. I think self publishing is a good start because it's easy and everyone can access it, but try it out, and if you don't like it maybe a traditional approach is better for you." - Hope Munson

"RESEARCH! There are many pros and cons to both, and it's important to know what those are before you decide. Talk to people who have done both and get their opinion. It really helps!" - Mckenna Rowell

"I would say do your research. What do you need? There are pros and cons to both sides, and it's not an easy decision in all cases. Know what you want out of publication, and go with what you think is best. Ask people who have experience and get both sides." - Naomi King

"Honestly, you don't have to decide between them. Choosing self publishing doesn't mean you'll never be able to [traditionally] publish. I was eager to get my stories out into the world, so I decided to self publish." - MC Pending

"To anyone who doesn't know whether to self-publish or traditionally publish, how much money are you willing to spend on your book? How much time and energy? Are you prepared to market it virtually with no assistance? If the answer is no to most or all of these questions, I think you should traditionally publish. Or, heck, try an indie publishing house! Smaller houses have smaller audiences, but they won't take as much time as a big publishing house." - Becca J. Camp

"Think about your goals, and research! Both options are good for different authors, but it just takes you trying to figure out what you and your book would benefit the most from." - Lauren D. Fulter

And lastly, here’s a message to all of the writers out there:

"As Stephan King says, 'I went for years without finishing anything because, of course, when you finish something you can be judged.' Don't be afraid to be judged!!!" - Jessica Cecilia

"To all the writers of the world: of all the gifts and talents available, writing was bestowed upon you. You have the power and magic to create what never existed before YOUR mind. That's awesome. Don't let it go to waste. Pursue it if you know you love to do it. ESPECIALLY when it gets hard. Work until you're able to say, 'I almost gave up because of [this],' and then be so glad you didn't give up. 💜" - Ariana Tosado

"If you're a writer, I can't wish you more luck. However you decide to share your story, you are incredibly talented, and I can't wait for you to share your imagination and creativity with the world. You are so valid, and I'm proud of you for doing this amazing thing of being an author. You are so strong, talented, and amazing. Just remember that when you're struggling. I promise it gets better. ♥️"

"Your story needs to be shared. If you're reading this, you are most likely trying to decide which way to do that. Don't become discouraged! It's nerve racking, it's stressful at times, but it's so worth it! It gets easier each time you go through the process. And when someone tells you that your book is their favorite and changed their life, it all becomes worth it." - Mckenna Rowell

"No matter what you choose to do for publication, remember your story. Make it the best it can be and make sure you never forget WHY you write. Enjoy it. Have fun. Write the book you want to read, and never give up on your dream." - Naomi King

"To all the writers out there: how does it feel to be cooler than everyone? 😤" - MC Pending

"Hey. You, writer. You've got this. You CAN write. You're a writer. You CAN finish that project you're working on. It might take years, but you'll do it. And it'll be worth it. God bless your writing journey!" - Becca J. Camp

"Have fun! While publishing a book is stressful, don’t forget why you started, and the story you’re doing this all for. <3" - Lauren D. Fulter

And that was it, my friends. I hope you enjoyed hearing about all of these amazing authors' self-publishing journeys and that it might've inspired your own. Again, you can find all of these lovely ladies on Instagram. They are honestly some of the nicest people I've ever met, so I'd encourage you to check them out.

There is such a cool community of indie authors in this world, and I encourage you to check out all of them as well. These authors are only some of the spectacular voices we have in the world of self-published literature today.

If you’re looking for some good books to read, needing some last minute Christmas gifts for a literature lover you know, or just want to support some amazing ladies, check out all of these authors’ books in the links below!

Find Untouchable by MC Pending here.

Find Our Mistaken Identity by Ariana Tosado here.

Find The Hunter in the Room by Ariana Tosado here.

Find Return of the Banished by Jessica Cecilia here.

Find The Unanswered Questions by Lauren D. Fulter here.

Find Of The Curitax Code by Lauren D Fulter here.

Find Queen's Arrow by Hope Munson here.

Find Unmasked by McKenna Rowell here.

Find Unlocked by McKenna Rowell here.

Find September Embers by McKenna Rowell here.

Find The Lights of Isarn by Naomi King here.

Find Raven Rose by Naomi King here.

Find Fluttering Dreams by Becca J. Camp here.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them in the contact bar below. Merry Christmas and happy holidays!

And as always, happy writing!

-Jocelyn