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Self-Publishing:
Lacking the Old Stigma

Have times changed, or have I?

I think it's the times. Here's what I used to say about self-publishing children's books. (And subsidy publishing too.)

The first-hand self-publishing experiences catalogued below are frequently added to. Soto check back here regularly for updates, or subscribe to our feed by clicking in the RSS box in the left column.

Almost all of what I said is still true. (And so I really do urge you to read that page.) But what I failed to fully appreciate was that we're living in a new age. There are people who publish themselves and do so successfully. However...

Those people are still few and far between. And there's one thing they all seem to have in common:

Full realization that it was up to them to market and sell their books. Simply listing it on Amazon will not do the trick.

"Build it and they will come" doesn't work. When you take on the role of your own publisher, finishing the writing of your book is only the beginning.

(A self publisher in Australia makes that fact very clear.)

So what I want to do on this page is expose you to people who have self-published. (To read their experiences, page past the form below.) I want you to learn from their experiences, both positive and negative. Also...

I want you to read the book that inspired me to turn off my negativity about the whole notion of bypassing the traditional children's book publishers.

The Long Tail is about this new marketing age that we live in. Please read what I have to say about it. Then read why a proper website is an essential part of any effort to self publish and sell children's books.

If you have any personal experience with self-publishing or subsidy publishing, I hope you'll share, using the form below.

What Have You Learned First Hand About Self-Publishing?
(Or Subsidy Publishing?)

Have you done it? Have you done the research and decided against it? If you have any unbiased first-hand experience with self-publishing, people are eager to hear it. Please, please share!

(This is not for promotion of your book, though you are free to mention its title, and I will provide a link to it on Amazon.)

You're a writer! Give your experience a catchy title.

What the heck happened? [ ? ]

Did you self-publish? How about a picture of your book's cover? [ ? ]

Add a Picture/Graphic Caption (optional) 

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(You can preview and edit on the next page)

Self-Publishing Experiences

Read the SelfPub experiences of other visitors to this site...

Success in publishing a book with my son  starstarstarstarstar
Success in publishing a book with my son

POD with Booksurge, now Create Space

When my son was 10 years old, I noticed that his illustrations ...

Xlibris Warning  starstarstarstarstar
Self publishing through Xlibris

Whoa! Don't expect a human to look it over...my VERY costly lesson.

I have published three picture books for ...

Easy to self-publish / hard to market  starstarstarstarstar

POD with CreateSpace

Easy to self-publish / hard to market

I'm new to writing. I've been telling stories for years but only recently decided ...

Self Published Christmas Book  starstarstarstarstar
Publishing by Others, For Hire or by your SELF- Either way..it's always up to YOU.

Self Published the old fashioned way, 10 years ago, inventory ...

Self Publishing: Learning by Doing  starstarstarstarstar
I have no idea what I'm doing. Ain't it great!!

Hi, it's me. I would love to be able to sit here and spew out the ultimate genius information about ...

Self Publishing Without Fear  starstarstarstarstar
The Comfort of Self Publishing. Fear Dispelled....

I did it. I did self publish my book and I have actually sold copies of it. This is a rewarding ...

A Drawing Game Book  starstarstarstarstar
POD by Virtualbookworm.com . I choose them because they would produce my books from my Publishing Company. Which means that I could use my own ISBN.

In ...

Blurb.com helps and hurts self publisher  starstarstarstarstar
Print-on-demand (so far...) by Blurb.com

Pros and Cons of Blurb.com

I'll start with the down side of this adventure in the life of my amazing children'...

Childrens Book Self Publishing - Fun, Fast Experience!  starstarstarstarstar
I started down the path of writing a full color childrens book to help me work through a parenting challenge with my 9 year-old daughter. Mainly dealing ...

Writer with His Own Bookstore Proves Book Has Appeal  starstarstarstarstar
Hobo Did Indeed Find a Home

Print on demand by Booklocker

I love books and I don't remember not being able to read. So, I guess it's natural ...

Book of Poems Finds Common Thread  starstarstarstarstar
Self published, Outskirts Press

I began writing poems over 20 years ago. My wife and i were always big fans of Shel Silverstein. The poems for children ...

Fu Fu's for President Obama and Diversity Publishing  starstarstarstarstar
Self publishing by Waldenhouse

Everyone reading this section hopes to have a winner of a book project or we would not be hear to listen to others. Eight ...

It's Been Rewarding and Painful....  starstarstarstarstar
Here’s my story

I believe I've found a niche that hasn't been published before. (That's what we all hope anyways).

Everyone I've talked to says,...

Building Castles and Books  starstarstarstarstar
Self publishing, via my high-speed printer in my basement!

Castle Books Publishing, my own company.

I have been a university professor (of anatomy)...

Publishing the Angry Way  starstarstarstarstar
Self publishing, subsidy, or print on demand?

We self-published, which meant we needed to publish 5,000 copies so that we wouldn't lose money if we ...

Diamond in the Rough  starstarstarstarstar
print on demand from xlibris

i have been writing poetry and children's stories since i was young. i tried sending my stories to conventional publishers ...

Never Too Young to Publish  starstarstarstarstar
Print on Demand by Xlibris

Miles Rabun and William Rabun, the 9 and 7-year-old young authors of the children's picture book, My Grandma's Backyard,...

Key to Success Multitasking/Multipublishing/  starstarstarstarstar
My book was published by an innovative publisher (Star Publish) so I am self published and have a POD book printed by Ingram.

My life crashed in ruins ...

Out of the drawer and into a book!  starstarstarstarstar
Print on Demand by Troy Book Makers

Self-publishing is a liberation - it has set me free - to see my project finished, get the book out of my drawer ...

Independent Publishing Done Right, Now on to the Marketing  starstarstarstarstar
AdventuresOfSammy.com was born from the devastating reality of childhood obesity statistics being high and on the rise. It also disturbed me that the ...

Self-publishing My Way out of Frustration  starstarstarstarstar
Print on demand by iUniverse

I am a freelance writer who earns his living mostly from contract writing and magazine articles and columns. However, my ...

Why Not Truly Self Publish?  starstarstarstarstar
Award-winning author and publisher Carol A. Miller is truly self publishing and d/b/a Defiance in Print, which is not an easy task.

The publishing ...

Publishing a book step by step  starstarstarstarstar
Here is how I created and published my picturebook step by step. If you follow these steps you won't have any problem creating your own book and taking ...

The Good, the Bad & the Ugly  starstarstarstarstar
Self published, printing by Stellar-Grafix, Singapore

As an Author I give my full, undivided attention to the task of absorbing myself in my 'work-of-...

Self-publishing, a passionate way of life!  starstarstarstarstar
Self published (lots of times) with printing by:

Net Publications
TWP Singapore/TWP America
Central Plains Publishing
Local, Kwik Kopy printer
Local,...

Another Side of the Story  starstarstarstarstar
Print on Demand, Trafford (first 2 books)
Self Publishing, Friesens (reprint of first 2 and print of #3 and #4)

I had been avoiding the self-publishing ...

Spread the Peanut Butter on thick!!  starstarstarstarstar
Self published, printing by Peanut Butter Publishing, Seattle, WA

I have written & illustrated a series about a Black cat named Miss American Bronte....

I started self publishing as a child!  starstarstarstarstar
When I created my first children's books, I was a youngster myself. It was during the summer of 1950 and I was eight years old, living in New York.

As ...

Olive's Self Publishing Journey  starstarstarstarstar
Olive Evans is no longer with us to tell her beautiful self publishing story. This piece was written by her husband, David.



When Olive Evans walked ...

Look for your niche  starstarstarstarstar
Subsidy, by Jorlan Publishing

I had been told and told that I needed to publish my cat sonnets, that I got into the minds of cats, that cat-lovers would ...

The secret to successful self publishing  starstarstarstarstar





Janet on self publishing

Believe it or not, I do know the secret. I've had my own little publishing company for almost five years,...

My book, my way  starstarstarstarstar
I went for it and it worked. I won honorable mention in the Writer's Digest International Self-Published Book Contest - finishing in the top 5 out of over ...

A Landscape Painter Creates a Children's Book  starstarstarstarstar
print on demand, Outskirts Press

Pastel landscapes is what I generally devote my full attention to, and I am a well known artist in my area.

Writing ...

It's time to consider other ways of getting into print  starstarstarstarstar
self publishing, subsidy and print on demand by Lulu , createspace.com and others

There is a certain stigma attached to so-called 'vanity presses'. These ...

Traditional vs Independent Publishing - Having Tried it Both Ways...  starstarstarstarstar
Author of The Knot Fairy and The Sock Fairy

I am the author of seven cookbooks that were published by a large publishing company, and two children’...

I finally buried traditional publishing  starstarstarstarstar
Self published with a local printer, then online distribution

I was having trouble finding a traditional publisher for my first children's books, even ...

Publishing is NOT Writing-Work is not play but can be rewarding  starstarstarstarstar
Print on demand, Lulu

It has taken years and diligence to complete the publishing process to a final near professional level. I have just finished ...

I know My Eggs Are Going To Hatch Because I am Sitting On My Eggs  starstarstarstarstar
Self published, printing by Father & Son Associates

My story began of course when I wrote my book "What's On The Other Side of The Rainbow? (The Secret ...

Self Publishing - A High Energy Endeavor  starstarstarstarstar
Self Publishing and Print on Demand by Sir Speedy and BookMasters

If a writer enjoys the complex art of publishing their work, I know for sure they ...

Self publishing the way to go?  starstarstarstarstar
Self published, print on demand, Trafford

After doing some research in whether or not self-publishing was the way to go or not, I finally decided in ...

A 42 year veteran of 1st grade self publishes!  starstarstarstarstar
Author of the Gramma Shirah books .

When I retired from 42 years as a teacher I missed being with little kids. I decided to write my book Gramma ...

Bringing Obara to Life!  starstarstarstarstar
Author of Obara the Merchant, Obara the Gatekeeper, and Well, My Teacher Said

The two picture books I've written and published are adaptations of ...

It took longer than giving birth to an elephant, but it was worth it!  starstarstarstarstar
Lisa Galjanic, Author: When Leaves Die, When Fish Are Mean, When Squirrels Try, When Caterpillars Grow Up, When Bees Win, When Flowers Dance

As a self-...

Easy Writer!  starstarstarstarstar
Print on Demand through BookSurge

Yes, the inspiration came "easy" after observing for many years the relationship between my husband and his motorcycle,...

Writing and Publishing a Father/Daughter Book  starstarstarstarstar
Print-on-demand thru Lulu

After my little girl was born, I began searching through a local bookstore for stories about fathers and daughters and ...

An online writer   starstarstarstarstar
Self published by online serialisation, followed by PDF file, and podcasts.

L. Lee Lowe is the author of the YA fantasy novel Mortal Ghost, short stories,...

One Pea Who Burst From Her Pod  starstarstarstarstar
Self published, PeasePod Books, LLC

Nestled tightly in my pod of four, I never thought I'd end up creating, printing, marketing, and peddling my picture ...

How I came to self-publish  starstarstarstarstar
Self published

From an early age I had been trying to find my niche. At the age of 27 years I penned my first poem, ‘Lulu, the gorgeous gorilla’ as ...

Good POD Spot  starstarstarstarstar
Print on Demand, Lulu

My experience of publishing on demand has been good but marketing is the issue. With my co-author, who is a photographer, I ...

Making money on your first book  starstarstarstarstar
I wrote my first book ( Pasta Pazoo. More Better Spaghetti ) in 1995 and made a few feeble attempts at getting it published through traditional channels....

Seven Stories, But Infinite Lessons!  starstarstarstarstar
I may have written Seven Stories , but I've learned that there are infinite experiences to learn from as a writer and self-publisher. Most of them are ...

Push That Book!  starstarstarstarstar
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 ...

Writing is a Bow-Wow Blast!!!  starstarstarstarstar
How did I combine my love of animals and my appreciation for the true spirit of children? I self-published a children's book about my dog, Riley.

The ...

Tired of waiting for traditional publishers to respond? Life is just too short!   starstarstarstarstar
I submitted my children's picture book - Snailsworth, a slow little story - to a traditional publisher that claimed to respond within a month. Six months ...

"I Don't Want to Die Unpublished"  starstarstarstarstar
I never wanted to self-publish. I felt and still feel that I was/am on the bubble of getting a contract from a publisher or agent. But in April 2005, I ...

Self publisher: synonymous with working my tail off.  starstarstarstarstar
Author of: Amanda Noble, Zookeeper Extraordinaire

After dreaming of writing for years, I stepped into the nearest closet and wrote in the shadows ...

My Self-Publishing Success  starstarstarstarstar

Author of: I Went to the Party in Kalamazoo

I've dreamed of being a published writer ever since I was nine or ten years old. That was more ...

Writer fulfills dream (literally and figuratively)  starstarstarstarstar
Self-published, printing by a local printer.

Writer fulfills dream (literally and figuratively) with "Weezer the Sneezer Finds a Home"

In January ...

Book Eight Years in Making  starstarstarstarstar
Print on Demand by CreateSpace

Eight Years to Write, One Month to Publish!

I am a father of four, ranging in age from twelve to eighteen. I have ...

Out of the woods...  starstarstarstarstar
Self publishing by Lulu.com

My first book, Tales of the Tree People "To tree...or not to tree?" was traditionally published. I knew that my material ...

Dinosaur Adventure Book  starstarstarstar
Print on Demand by CreateSpace - an Amazon subsidiary

Dino-mite Children's Chapter Book, Dinosaur Adventure

My wife and I adopted an 11 mo. girl ...

Eggstremely hard work  starstarstarstar
Eddie the Egg = Eggstremely hard work

self publishing by Authorhouse

I decided to publish my book after having a kid of my own,
the book was ...

A Honey Hunt Story  starstarstarstar
Self-published, printing by Cross Blue.

A four year old student of mine learning how to play guitar and write a song were having a conversation about ...

Picture Book About Author's Adoption  starstarstarstar
print on demand, Xlibris

Why should i take NO for an answer ?

It all started about 8 years ago, when my Father became ill.

i was 41 years ...

A "Crafty" Book about Autumn  starstarstarstar
Self published, printing by Island Blue Print

Hurry, Hurry, Hurry, Hurry, we must all get fat and furry

I was taking photographs of my needle ...

Going Through the Publishing Process Myself  starstarstarstar
Self published, printing by Asian Pacific Offset

Yes, you are right. MOST self-published books - especially children's books - are blindly refused and ...

Life is short! Make your dreams come true and inspire people of all ages!  starstarstarstar
I am the self published author of Ugly as a Toad, a well loved children's picture book. I published through authorhouse publishing company.

I have ...

Smooth Sailing so far.   starstarstarstar
Print on demand by Xulon Press

The name of my book is "The Three Billy Goats Gruff and The Three Little Souls.

It is available at amazon.com and ...

Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda...so I did!  starstarstarstar
Reflecting back over the fifty-six years of my dad's life, I could hear his words echoing in my head. "Woulda, coulda, shoulda, but I didn't."

He was ...

Crabby Family of Crabby Cove  starstarstar
CRABBY FAMILY OF CRABBY COVE

i wrote this book several years ago,and only recently got it published on the advice of my children.its a story about ...

Great Experience and Easier than I thought  starstarstar
Print on demand, soft and hard cover, by Booksurge

I designed the book and prepared all of the necessary files, so it was easier and cheaper for me ...

The Bubble Truck  star
Self published

hard work marketing but fun. Next book out in spring 2009

Visit the Home of the Bubble Truck .



Book, Doll, Download and More  Not rated yet
Self-published 5,000 quality paperbacks but now Ebook and MP3 Audio file on www.Lulu.com .

Out on a Limb...or Who's the New Doll in Town?

"Most ...


Want to read many more stories like these? Visit my other site, The Shared Self Publishing Experience.

Best Children's Books - Find, Read or Write home.


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