Self-Publishing Lessons I Learned

In this space, WestBow Press publishes articles written by our authors in which they share some aspect of their self-publishing journey. The following blog is from Jack Manilla, author of “Secrets of the Pink House For more information on the author visit his website and Facebook. To begin your self-publishing journey, get a free WestBow Press publishing guide today.

Self-Publishing Newbie

When it comes to running a successful business, I know what it takes. I have worked at many well-established companies including two Fortune 500 companies. But when it came time to publish my personal story in “Secrets Of The Pink House,” I didn’t know what that entailed. At first, I thought getting my book published would be a quick process, taking just a few months to set up the presses; but the truth is, writing and then getting your book published is a very long journey. If you want it done right, it requires patience and expertise.

The publishing team at WestBow are some of the best at what they do. We went through a very detailed process to ensure we were developing a high-quality book, and they were with me every step of the way.  The experience taught me that those considering publishing a book, especially their own personal story, should take into consideration the time and effort it will take to complete. It can be rather daunting, so they should factor that into their decision to publish or not.

Writing a Book is Like Running a Business

“Secrets Of The Pink House,” was indeed a labor of love. After being encouraged for many years to turn my story into a book, and share the lessons I learned while going through some of the roughest patches of my life, I decided to accept the challenge of putting my experiences down on paper.

Writing a book is like running a business; you have to spend serious time working on it every day for it to be successful. Not just a few minutes here and there, you have to invest at least one to four hours of time daily to make it successful and to wind up with a finished product exactly as you envision it. As with everything you do, the effort you invest determines the quality of your finished product.  If writing is not something you are truly passionate about, and you consider it more of a hobby, then taking up the challenge to write a book may not be for you.

Another thing I learned while on this journey was the importance of knowing yourself.  It is critical to stay authentic when writing your story. No one knows you or your story better than you.

Don’t Hesitate to Ask for Help

Lastly, just like when you were in school, don’t hesitate to ask for help. Reach out to your publisher, family and friends, people you trust and invite them to provide you with their opinion and feedback or bounce ideas off of them. They may help you remember a key piece of information or paint a better perspective of a moment or event.

Remember, you may be an expert on your life’s journey, but there are great benefits to bringing in others and learning from their experience like WestBow, to help you achieve the goals you hope to reach when publishing your book.

At the end of the day, I hope that those who pick up a copy of my book learn that through faith, trust and hard work, they are able to succeed in whatever path God places in front of them, and that might just include writing their own story down to share with the world.

WestBow Press authors who’d like to share a 350-600 word experience related to the self-publishing of their books are invited to do so through the Blog Guidelines Page. WestBow Press reserves the right to edit stories for content, grammar, punctuation, and length.

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