Behind the Scenes Look at Our Self-Publishing Process

This blog post is part of the Super Cool Scientists FAQ Series, where we answer some of the most common questions about the project. 

A popular question we get about the Super Cool Scientists coloring books, especially from non-scientists, is: 

What was the self-publishing process like?

After making the decision to self-publish, I researched the specific platform (Amazon’s CreateSpace at the time, now called Kindle Direct Publishing) and started planning out my next steps. Before getting too in-depth into the process itself, I had to have a draft, which meant I needed to: 

• Choose the people to feature and get them on board for a book that didn’t exist yet

• Find an illustrator and come to an agreement for work on the project

• Conduct interviews of all the featured scientists and draft each person’s story, identifying key components to highlight in the illustrations   

Once the illustrator (shout out to Yvonne Page!) and I had some content, we figured out the style, size (trim size as in how big it the book’s physical dimensions would be and the number of pages to include), and design of the book. We came up with a basic template for each story and defined the other sections to include, like the resources list and glossary. 

The creative part of the process was collaborative and a lot of fun. The illustrator and I worked together closely to talk through ideas, share drafts, and drink coffee when we could get together in person. I also made the choice to share each story and illustration with the scientist before finalizing to make sure I was sharing accurately and respectfully. 

When we had a full draft, it was time to move the process over to the self-publishing platform. To get started, I had to fill out a lot of basic details: title, number of pages, page colors, etc. This involved some keyword research as well to figure out how to categorize the book. I also had to get an ISBN number and decide which networks made the most sense for distribution. 

After entering the details and writing a brief description, I got to upload the internal file and the cover file. I’m not design inclined, so it was helpful for me to have an illustrator who also helped format the files to fit the specifications of the self-publishing platform. Not all platforms use the same specs, so be sure to research what you need as it may not transfer from one to another apples to apples.

I learned you can preview the book electronically to make sure there are no glaring errors. Then comes the fun part—ordering a hard copy proof!

While I waited for the proof to arrive, I looked into the different printing costs and royalty details so I could set a retail price for the book on Amazon. There were author printing costs, shipping, and taxes to consider as well, especially since I was interested in doing wholesale orders on my own to local bookstores and school science programs. 

[I am not a tax expert, please seek advice from your own tax professional for additional information specific to your self-publishing projects.] 

Getting a copy of the book in the mail was definitely the moment when the project became real for me. I could literally hold it in my hands. 

The illustrator and I each got proofs so I could correct or edit text and they could do the same for design. Once we finalized all those little parts, I hit the “Publish” button, and we were in business!