Push That Book!

by Keri Gunter
(Charleston, SC, USA)

Angie the Ant and The Bumblebee Tree

You've pretty much said it all. Promotion is key. Making the decision to self-publish really worked for us since our ultimate goal is to launch Angie the Ant as an entertainment property who is also the mascot for child abuse prevention, and not to get into the business of children's book publishing.

Books DEFINITELY do not sell themselves. We had a great experience writing and producing our book "Angie the Ant and The Bumblebee Tree." Self-publishing allowed us to work at breakneck speed ... less than six months from writing the story to having it illustrated and printed in a beautiful 28-page hard cover book.

We found our illustrator through a graphic designer we met on Elance.com and printed 1,000 books with TSE Worldwide Press. We are VERY happy with the end product, and consider it a great calling card and sample of what our series can grow to become.

Word of caution to anyone considering making a living by selling their self-published children's book: the cost of selling books is EXPENSIVE! In order to be carried in major retailers, you've got to get distribution. In addition to paying annual fees to the distributors, they buy your book at a 55% discount. By the time we pay for shipping, sometimes we don't even break even. But it's worth it to have our books available to a broader audience. The Amazon Advantage program works great, selling on consignment.

Self-publishing is no picnic, but if you're committed to success, you can make it work.

Visit Angie the Ant's website.