April was a turbulent month with big highs and low lows. You’d think releasing a debut book would be the ultimate mountaintop moment, but nothing prepares you for the aftermath: pressing “publish” and seeing those first orders come through. It’s nerve-wracking.
What if the book isn’t good enough? What if there are blank pages? What if I’ve priced it too high? What if everyone thinks I’m an idiot? These were the thoughts running through my mind the moment I posted on Facebook that my book was available to order. I nearly took a sabbatical from social media out of sheer fear until my niece talked me out of it and told me to “man up.” Roles reversed: just a few years ago, I’d have been the one telling her to suck it up and go to school!
But she was absolutely right. God’s word says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV)
Following this experience, I want to share a few lessons I’ve learned and hopefully they’ll help if you’re on the road to becoming a published author.
1. Self-publishing is easy.
Amazon KDP has clear, easy-to-follow guidelines for formatting your book. They also specify the trim sizes they accept and can even provide ISBNs if you haven’t secured one already from the Nielsen ISBN Store. I recommend buying your own ISBN so you have more control over your creative work. Each format will require a different ISBN (e.g. paperback and hardcover will have separate ones). If you’re on a shoestring budget and this is your first book, don’t overthink this part and go ahead use Amazon’s ISBN.
For book covers, you can use the free templates Amazon provides. I don’t recommend this as they can look plain. Put in the effort and hire a professional illustrator or designer. Amazon lets you enter your book’s dimensions and page count, then generates a template your cover designer can work from. PDFs can be fiddly; if your illustrator can also supply JPEG or PNG files for Canva, you’ll reduce the back-and-forth while you’re trying to get everything right.
2. Marketing is hard.
If you’re not a celebrity, your books won’t fly off the shelves and it’s best to prepare yourself for that. You can either build hype before publication (so you can enable pre-orders on Amazon) or start cultivating your social media presence now, so this part isn’t quite so hard later. I chose to be quiet about my journey because my first book was an act of obedience to God, and an exercise in trusting His providence in my life. I expected the aftermath of publishing could be harrowing; when it hit, I still went through a low period.
I was reminded of His words in Proverbs 3:4–6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”
The advice from fellow Fijian author Mrs Kelera Ganivatu was: “Na Madua me sa out the window.” (Throw that shyness out the window.) For introverts, this is easier said than done. But this is a good time to lean on your existing support networks as this is your tribe who will share your posts and buy your books.
I also think we need to weigh up the payoff: I can chase fame and put my face on every social media platform, or I can put my head down and consistently produce high-quality work. Or maybe we can do both? I haven’t quite figured this part out for myself yet but when I do, you can bet there’ll be an update blog post about it!
3. Self-publishing a book can be expensive.
If you’re writing books purely to make money, you might be in the wrong industry! Unless you’re J. K. Rowling with a brilliant series, or Stephen King churning out thrillers every week, you won’t be driving a Lamborghini any time soon.
Typical self-publishing costs include an ISBN (about £93 for a single one, or £174 for a block of 10) and a developmental editor (on Fiverr, editors can start from around £50 per 1,000 words). Be aware of hidden costs, too. You may also need a line editor and someone to format your book. If you’re hiring a cover illustrator, that can easily cost £80 or more.
4. Give yourself some grace.
The best advice I heard this month was simple: give yourself some grace. “My grace is sufficient for you…” (2 Corinthians 12:9) Take an honest look at what you can improve, then keep pressing on towards the vision you’ve set. If you love writing and it keeps your creative spirit alive then keep your hand to the plough and don’t look back. I decided to do just this and following the release of The Ford at Jabbok River I developed this new series called Seasons with God. Booklet 1 is titled, “Even Christians get depressed.”
You can find this booklet along with other Study Guides and Merch from our Shop.
So, if you’re at the beginning of your writing journey, don’t despise small beginnings. Start where you are, use what you have, and keep showing up: one page, one edit, one brave post at a time. The work will grow, your confidence will catch up, and God will use your obedience in ways you can’t yet see.
“For who has despised the day of small things?” (Zechariah 4:10 NKJV)
Keep writing friend.
Sincerely,
Miri