Ramblings: the highs and lows of self publishing

So I have been having fun, but it's also been a bit stressful. When I got my book together I had no idea of all the little pieces involved with getting it out into the world.
I started the 100 day project with an open mind and a willingness to learn and when it was suggested that I create a book - I just went with it!

I had developed a momentum that wouldn't just stop and so it made sense to have a follow on project. There was a lot to learn - from working out how to format something on the iPad and finding out that actually that's not quite the best way to do it. That working on PDF's isn't as easy as you would hope and that Adobe software is crazy expensive. All things crucial to creating a book.

There is not a clear guide map. There is plenty of information out there and reading blogs really helped me, but it was quite time-consuming and sometimes a bit overwhelming. I had moments when I wondered what I done and why I had started this.

I saw that there was no way I could compete with people with publishers on their side to help them with marketing and everything else that goes along with releasing a book. It's not just a financial thing but an emotional thing to. Simply having someone on your side that believes in you goes a long way. There are people out there that believe that self published authors are somewhat inferior simply because they do not have that backing and that can be quite demoralising.

Thankfully I have an amazing husband and an amazing support system of friends and supporters online who have kept me going in moments of doubt.

Everybody's support has enabled me to carry on with renewed belief. I discovered that I needed to carry on having the confidence in myself that I expected a publisher to have and this meant that I needed to do the relevant marketing. So, I've been sending sending out books for review, contacting bloggers, putting up posters and designing flyers!

I worked out how to get my book on Amazon and feel really blessed that my early supporters have given me amazing reviews.

I still need to work out how to get my book in the shops, but I will figure that out in the near future! For now I am looking forward to Friday 27th where I can finally let my fairies fly!

Thank you, for reading and thanks for your support!