In this space, WestBow Press publishes articles written by our authors in which they share some aspect of their self-publishing journeys. The following are the words of Jennifer Elig; author of “Cincy the Flying Pig.” To begin your self-publishing journey, get your free WestBow Press publishing guide today!
For years I have dreamed of writing books for children. As a previous educator, I would work into my lesson plans time for my students and I to write classroom books about a topic we were discussing in class. Instilling a love of reading and writing in each and every child was a major goal of mine. I truly enjoy every step of the writing process and love seeing the joy on children’s faces when they pick up one of my books to read for the first time. Seeing books I have written fly off of library shelves and needing to donate more of them, simply to fill the demand for the rate they are being checked out, is also a dream come true.
When the Lord first planted this dream in me, I was a young adult. I received a mailing inviting me to take a children’s writing aptitude test. After writing a short story and being reviewed by an instructor, they were very complementary of my writing skills and invited me to work one on one with an instructor to get me on a path as a professional published author. At that point in time, I had an infant and couldn’t afford that option, so I just put the idea on the back burner. Over the years I revisited the idea several times, but there were always more pressing items that needed to be taken care of first.
As my child grew and began to start his toddler years, I began looking for Bible-based counting books to assist me in teaching my son how to count, but with a Christ-centered base. As I scoured the books stores and internet, I found there were none of those resources that existed, so I decided to write my own. After completing the counting book, I naively began submitting my rough copy to big name publishing companies, not aware of the actual process and difficulty involved in getting a publisher to accept a manuscript. Time and time again, my manuscript was rejected for various reasons. With my bubble burst and feeling dejected about the whole process, I put my manuscript in a dresser drawer and left it there for several years. It was not until four years ago that a flicker of hope would re-emerge.
My husband, who has always been very supportive of my pursuits, came to me one day four years ago and said, “It’s time.” Time for what, I thought. He then explained to me that he felt it was time for me to try to get my book published again. He encouraged me to look into publishers and pricing information and told me he would support me in whatever decision I made. It was in that same time period that a friend of mine picked up a coffee side table picture book I had created with the title “A Cat’s Life,” that included photos of my cat with a story line from the cat’s perspective. She told me it was really cute and that I should look into getting it published. At this point, I really started to take the publishing process idea to heart. Enter Westbow.
After a couple of weeks of research, it soon became apparent to me that there was a vast difference in publishers. From pricing to support, to the way each business was run, I ultimately chose Westbow because of the Christian-based guideline they operate under. As a self-publish company, Westbow Press is also tied to Thomas Nelson Publishers, which opens another world of opportunities to me as an author. When I began the publishing process with Westbow, it was very clear to me that I had made the right choice. Each person I worked with was encouraging and helpful every step of the way. With payment plans that are available, I was able to not only publish “A Cat’s Life,” but also now had the ability to publish my counting book “One Lord, Two People.” When it came time to put my third book, (”Cincy the Flying Pig”) into production, I knew exactly where to go. Thanks to Westbow Press, what was once only a dream, is now the fulfillment of a dream!
– WBP –
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 by sending a message through the WestBow Press Facebook page and follow the WestBow Press Twitter account @WestBowPress. WestBow Press reserves the right to edit stories for content, grammar, punctuation and length.