The Self Publishing Journey

Although I've always loved writing, it's kind of wild to think that I'm now the proud author of two books—one of which just dropped yesterday! Back in the day, I was the editor of my high school newspaper and did sports reporting for my college paper. I also somehow always ended up doing the neighborhood or school newsletter. So, writing itself isn't new to me, but putting my work out there through self-publishing? That's definitely a new experience!

When I wrote my first book in 2023, I honestly had no clue what I was doing. I jotted down chapter ideas on my iPad, opened a Word doc, and just started typing. I felt like I had to spill my thoughts onto the page. In a lot of ways, it was a really freeing experience as I was moving on from my corporate life and trying to figure out this new self-employment journey.

The editor I hired in 2023 really taught me the ropes. She took my Word doc and worked her magic to transform it into a book. She handled the editing, footnotes, formatting, block quotes, copyright stuff, hired a cover designer, and probably did a bunch of other things I wasn't even aware of. Once everything was ready, she uploaded it to Amazon, ordered proof copies, debated between a matte or glossy cover, and then shot me a quick email saying we were all set to go.

The second time, I wanted to tackle this project on my own. Could I navigate the ins and outs of self-publishing by myself? Absolutely! I believe everyone has a story worth sharing, so I decided to pass along the tools and methods I used to write my book, hoping they might help others tell their stories, too.

1. Formatting - I used Atticus for formatting, and it was super easy and intuitive. You just pay once, and then you have access forever. I never worried about storing the book there and backed it up occasionally. When it came time to export the book and upload it to Amazon's KDP platform, it was a piece of cake. Highly recommend it!

2. Grammar - I like to think I'm pretty good with punctuation, but everyone could use an extra set of eyes. Grammarly catches everything. I upgraded to the pro version for 30 days, and it was totally worth it.

3. Cover Design - I made mine using Canva. I looked up cover templates for inspiration and then used my brand colors and jackfruit images. I went through four complete covers before settling on the final one. For those who don't know, the KDP platform helps you calculate your book's size based on the number of pages, and you can download that template. You design in Canva and overlay the template with your work. If you think cover design is too hard, Canva has tons of templates to help you get started!

With these tools, anyone can put a book together and get the chance to share their story. I'm really grateful it's finished, and I hope you'll check it out! Writing it was an emotional rollercoaster—I cried thinking about some tough times and laughed remembering our early married days. I bet you'll relate to all the ups and downs of life and career!