What I Wish I Knew Before Writing and Self-Publishing a Book
This blog post is part of the Super Cool Scientists FAQ Series, where we answer some of the most common questions about the project.
One of my favorite questions we get asked about the project is:
What do you wish you knew when you started?
I’ve learned so much since coming up with the original idea to create a coloring book celebrating women in science to now having two published books and even a YouTube channel. Hindsight being 20/20, I can’t go back and change anything, but I can share a few things in case they might help someone else. We don’t gatekeep here.
The main lessons learned can be grouped into three parts of the project timeline:
Actually creating the book.
The crowdfunding campaign
Post publication
First, a few tips I picked up from developing the book itself.
Get a CPA up front.
Taxes stink, but you also track expenses for deductions and find ways to legally protect yourself. My first one was great, until he ghosted me. Find a tax professional you can ask questions and trust sooner rather than later, its worth the investment.
Pad your timelines a little.
It took longer than estimated for me to write the content and for the illustrator to do the design components. We adjusted our timelines and her fee to better reflect the effort once we knew what to expect. Once you know better, you can do better.
Double check all the places you may print because not all print-to-order book platforms offer the same trim sizes.
Super Cool Scientists was originally designed to be printed via Amazon’s platform. When I wanted to publish on the Barnes and Noble platform later, I learned they didn’t offer the same sizes! I had to have all the book files redesigned in order to make that happen and of course, that was an unexpected expense.
Second, I learned a lot during the crowdfunding campaign we did for the first book.
Successful campaigns take a significant amount of time to strategize and more importantly, to market.
I did have a successful campaign for launching the first Super Cool Scientists book. Here’s the thing though, I tried to do it for the second book and we failed to meet the fundraising goal. Looking back at the two, I bet that a lot of why the second one didn’t work was because I was unable to put the same level of effort into marketing it as I did the first one.
Surprises may happen and its your job to manage supporter expectations.
I remember when the book files were submitted for publication the first time, they actually got approved faster than the estimated timeframe. That meant the self-publishing company I used actually made the first Super Cool Scientists book live earlier than expected. So early that I hadn’t been able to mail out all the crowdfunding supporter rewards yet. At least one supporter expressed being upset that they could have simply waited and ordered their copy on Amazon and had it delivered in two days. So I had to apologize and be transparent about that. Overall, folks were understanding.
And finally, there are a few things I wish I’d known sooner after the book was published.
Media mail is the cheapest way to send books, but it can take longer.
I learned a lot at the post office. Shout out to all the postal workers who’ve helped me over the years.
International shipping is expensive, but you can come up with alternative digital only rewards for international supporters or maybe you limit your campaign to your country.
I didn’t realize about the international shipping difference until I was sending out crowdfunding books and the postage was more than the book’s retail value. Originally, I wasn’t expecting international backers, so I didn’t know I even know I needed to think that part through. Now though, I’d know to research that cost more to work into my budget and to think through more digital options for any international supporters.
Managing the marketing takes more time than you may think.
Social media played a big role in the successful crowdfunding campaign and I think I thought it would be easier to keep up after publication. I was wrong. Having a regular content calendar and managing multiple platforms takes planning, prep time, and time for engaging with your fans. I do better with that now by batching those tasks and pre-scheduling what I can on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
If you’re thinking about writing a book or doing a crowdfunding campaign, I hope some of these tips help. Good luck!