I didn’t know it then, but this self-publishing journey began several years ago. When I first started journaling my deepest, darkest thoughts in 2020, it wasn’t until about eight months later that a book started to shape in my mind. That one is still yet to be written, but I have taken that energy and embarked on a totally new direction.

Writing has always been many things to me: relaxing, enjoyable, exciting, and, of course, confusing and sad at times. However, the excitement and rush leading up to publication have just been overwhelming at times.

The Writing Process

The inspiration behind my first book is simple. As I was learning the self-publishing process, my mentors kept going back to “stick with what you know” for your first publications. Their thoughts were that it is easier to get through the process while not having to learn about a whole new subject. I studied psychology in college and found it fascinating. Although I ended up majoring in something else, it has always been a subject I wanted to learn more about. I chose the subject matter in my first book because there is more relevant talk around it in today’s society, and self/mental health is something I’m deeply passionate about.

The writing process for a book is completely different than that for a blog article. Not only is a lot of research involved, but it takes a heck of a lot longer to complete. Organizing one’s thoughts is also a major challenge. However, in the end, being on this side of the process is also more rewarding. 

Bringing a written word creation to life from a tiny spark of imagination is beyond thrilling, to say the least; however, I’ll warn you that the journey is an emotional rollercoaster. There were many times I doubted if I wanted to continue, and many more times I doubted myself. What got me through those moments was my belief in myself (I can do anything!) and making myself sit down and get shit done. Some days, I was pleased with my results, others not, but the good days trumped the bad by far.

Navigating the Self-Publishing Process

My book is self-published, which means I am doing everything myself. I have no large firm or corporation helping me do anything. This is why I chose the platform I did. It’s very straightforward for small, independent writers like myself. Getting my book in front of readers is a matter of strategy and hard work, which I am also prepared to do.

Getting ready to publish is definitely a process outside of launch prep. There is proofreading, copyright, book description, author setup (I went with a pen name because honestly…who can really pronounce Jaremczuk???), cover design, formatting, and much more I can’t think of.

Of course, as with any new endeavor, there were unexpected challenges and pleasant surprises along the way. Although I could do everything myself, I chose to farm out some of the work I knew would take me longer than I wanted to spend. I was smart enough to realize that someone more experienced could do it better than me, like my cover design. However, I was shocked to find out deadlines are merely a suggestion to some, but hey, that’s how this business roles, or so I am learning. On the contrary, I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly some aspects come together. I could create additional writing avenues once this book concept was firmly built, and now I have a companion workbook on its way, along with ideas for more books! 

Launch and Reception

My launch strategy is simple; with all the training and info I’ve received, I didn’t have one at all. To be honest, I’ve had a rough couple of months, both mentally and emotionally, and getting this book finished was beyond difficult. Could I have done more? Of course I could. Right now, I feel like I’ve completely dropped the ball, but it’s never too late to get started.

Friends and colleagues have provided very positive initial feedback as of this writing. I’m hoping the general public will also be impressed.

I truly can’t describe the feeling I had seeing my book available for download and purchase. I decided to put all three formats up at once because I’m two months overdue from my original deadline. After looking at the calendar, I wanted to promote it over the upcoming holiday, so offering all three now just makes sense.

Lessons Learned

I got a lot of stuff wrong on my first try, which was frustrating. I also got a little bit right, which was exhilarating. For example, I spent three days just researching how to write a great book description in 300 words. I found that I could do it, but I will pay someone to do it next time. I don’t enjoy it all. Lesson learned. Outlines are the same. They are difficult for me. I like to leave that to AI actually. Say what you want about AI, but the proofreading and writing tools save much time if used properly. AI can write better meta descriptions than I can all day, any day!

My advice to any aspiring authors out there or to anyone considering self-publishing is to get a mentor. There is nothing like picking someone’s brain who has done this many times before you. That’s it for advice. Oh, and don’t beat yourself up; just keep going. Move toward the goal line; even if it’s just one step, that’s still a step taken.

Conclusion

In conclusion, my experience with my first book has been an enlightening and challenging journey. I couldn’t have done it alone, and I’ve learned a tremendous amount of knowledge about the actual steps and creation process. Getting here has been so rewarding.

My blog resulted in the idea of a book, and for that, I have to thank you, my readers. Without you, none of this would have been possible or taken shape. So, thank you to everyone reading this. I truly appreciate every single one of you.

If you want to check out my book, you can find it here: https://amzn.to/3K2NSL7. It’s free to Kindle Unlimited Readers for a couple of months, and then it’s $4.99. If you are serious about reading it and would like an exclusive copy, send me an email at bluewidowpublishing@gmail.com, and I have a treat for you.

If you have self-published or published anything or are thinking about writing or publishing, I want to hear about your experiences. You can reach me at my email or comment below. I look forward to hearing your story. 

Thanks for reading. I love you all –xxooC