I’m buzzing with excitement here. This post marks the start of something big, and I can’t wait to share it with you.
Whether you’re an aspiring writer or someone already on the self-publishing path, my journey will give you valuable lessons on how to write and publish your first novel. Here’s how I turned my passion for writing into action—and how you can too.
But like the start of every new journey. I want to give a bit more insight about me and my vision for Authorbytrade, and how it’s going to benefit you.
This blog is where I share my ups, downs, and everything I learn along the way. My goal is to guide you, motivate you, and help you get past the challenges of writing novels and self-publishing.
So, as they say in showbiz: Let’s get this show on the road.
I had originally called the post: “Why become a self-publishing author.”, but decided to change it last moment as I thought the new title was a fit.
But “Why become a self-publshing author” is a question that has weighed a ton on my mind the last couple of weeks and I bet, since you’re here, it’s something you have thought about as well.
I’ve learned a lot about self-publishing during my journey, and the biggest takeaway has been that it’s not about perfection, but about the process.
I’m still on my way through the field and to give you some better insight, I’m going to take you on a journey behind the curtains of my life to 4 years ago where my writing journey started for real.
Chapter 1: The boredom that sparked my writing journey
It was a hot July evening. I sat at my desk scrolling through the internet. At the time I was a computer science student, but I had that weird feeling inside where you just know something isn’t for you.
The night started out like every other night: I doomscrolled for a bit before mindlessly putting on a show.
I had pretty much given up trying to find a direction in life, and each night, I sunk deeper into depression. And there was nothing more comforting than putting on another episode and pretending like your issues weren’t real.
But this night things changed.
During one of the transitions in the show, I caught my own reflection on the screen. It was just for a second, but that second showed me the reality. It was like a mirror reflecting my own despair. I stared right into the eyes of a zombie, but it was quickly over as the show switched back to a scene with vibrant colors and happy days.
After a few rounds of snacking, I had to pause the episode. My mind raged with thoughts.
“Jack, you gotta find something. There must be something better than this.”
I leaned back in my chair, the veins pulsing along the side of my head.
It was like a damn circus in there. It felt like I had a monkey slamming cymbals.
Cymbals, what a crazy word. For those of you who like me, who have absolutely no idea what cymbals are, here’s a realistic representation of what went on inside my mind:
Chapter 2: The 45-minute writing challenge that changed everything
I can’t exactly exaplain how, but somewhere inside my circus mind, a thing occurred to me.
But I’m curious to know, have you anything similar happen to you? What happened and how did it help you? Drop your story in the comments below and help inspire others.
Back to the circus.
I have always loved to write and I even won a few writing competitions in classes, but as I got older other things got more important, as other people told me it wasn’t possible.
But on this day, I said screw it and did what I do best.
I decided to challenge myself:
“Jack, put on a playlist and write the first few pages of a novel. I’ll give you 45 minutes.”
It seemed crazy, but I decided what the hell. It was 10 pm, my life was a mess, so I dimmed the light and sat down at my desk again. I opened an empty document. Started the timer, played the music and got to work.
The first few minutes of the story felt like nothing was happening. But then, suddenly, it was as if a light turned on, and my fingers skated across the keyboard. My brain worked overtime as I saw the story happen in front of my eye.
45 minutes went by and boom.
3 pages and around 2000 words. I felt ecstatic, proud, and high from all the adrenaline.
I admired my work as one of the most important revelation of my life hit me. Writing could not only be an escape. If I worked hard enough, it could lead me to self-publishing my own work.
I felt like a feather as I moved my hand to save the document. A smile stretched the skin on face as my head filled with all the thoughts of how this was my new thing.
But things didn’t turn out like that.
I saved the document and then in my bliss I never looked at it again.
Fast forward to 2 years later
I wanted to try again. And guess what came to my rescue?
The document from that specific night.
I picked it up, wrote daily for 45 minutes, and within 3 months I had my first novel: 208 pages or 107,000 words
A novel about a boy called Marcel, who decides to follow his curiosity even though it puts him through danger and situations he’s not for.
Relatable? I think, there has to be a reason why it was so easy to write.
Chapter 3: Writing isn’t just about writing – It’s about more
I learned this that day.
It was such a surreal experience to write the story. I still remember the day when I placed the last period.
The happiness and excitement that shut through my body.
It was such a crazy feeling seeing something you have worked on for 3 months finally being done. Let alone have a whole freaking book saved on your hard drive.
But you know what’s even crazier? I thought you had to be a special kind of specimen to be able to do.
I thought you had to be special to write a novel, let alone self-publish one, but now that I have done it, I know it’s possible for everybody and that’s the point I want to prove.
It doesn’t matter if you want to write, is in the middle of a novel or has finished a draft.
It’s possible for everybody to person who wants to write, the person who’s already writing, or the person who has already finished a draft.
Chapter 4: Confessions of a self-published author
Now, before go any further, I have a confession: The novel is still just a draft.
And it’s still just a draft because I don’t yet feel confident enough in my editing skills. I want to make sure it’s the best version of itself before I put it out there.
But those skills don’t come by themselves do they?
Heck no.
And that’s why I’ve three other novels in production, waiting to be edited and published. All, so I can get better, so I can edit my firstborn novel and publish it in a way that I am going to be proud of.
Now this doesn’t mean I waited with publishing anything (and neither should you if you have works that are done)
I have published two books through Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) platform.
Wanna hear a secret? They sucked.
Did I know it at the time? Of course not, I wouldn’t have published them if I did, but looking back at them, I know what went wrong.
They were part of another one of my challenges: Publish 12 short stories in 12 months.
It was a simple and fun challenge at first, but by the 3th month, I burned out.
The reason? I wanted to push stories out, because people said it was the easiest way to make money quickly.
Simple as that.
“I don’t care if you burned out, did it work?”
I don’t fault you, but unfortunately it didn’t.
I’m not ashamed to admit, I didn’t earn anything financially. (I mean look at those statistics, 16 sales over almost 2 years), but it was such a powerful learning experience that even though I cringe reading them now, I still keep them as a reminder of how far I have come.
They are a constant reminder that in writing and self-publishing you learn so much more from the process than the result itself. Even if it isn’t the best.
So, if you still think you have to be perfect or special to publish, you should get rid of that thought, because you don’t. You have the opportunity to publish your stuff, even if they suck. (which of course they don’t, they just need another round of editing)
But what the hell does this have to do with self-publishing then?
Let me boil it down: I might not have earned anything financially, but I learned about the processes behind how to write a novel.
Being a self-publishing author is about more than money. It’s about doing things on your terms. It’s about learning the craft, having fun, but it’s most importantly about becoming a better writer.
(Quick note: I have never done traditional publishing before and I don’t know anybody who has, but do a quick google search and I’m sure you’ll see it’ll be a waiting hell and chances are the work won’t really be yours.)
Okay. That was one hell of a long story. But we’re finally back at the main question.
Chapter 5: Why self-publishing is worth the challenge
Because it’s going to be one hell of a journey.
That’s my answer.
I’m still only at the start of my journey to become a self-publishing author. I don’t know every in and out of how to write a novel, but I have learned a lot through my little self-publishing challenge, even if it didn’t last much more than 3 months. And I believe that should be your biggest priority as a writer: To learn.
I’m expecting it to be like a crazy rollercoaster ride. The kind of rollercoaster that’s going to leave you heaving for air and sprinting to a trashcan, but you’re still willing to run back in line to feel the rush again.
Epilogue: The last bit about me and the blog
That’s the purpose of the blog. I’m going to share my progression and experiences as I write and self-publish my novels, so that you can benefit from it. To help you get past your hurdles. To show you the light at the end of tunnel when the journey seems difficult. Because I want you to become a better and more confident writer.
Oh, and the blog, it’s to satisfy the other side of my creative writing brain. The part that doesn’t want to tortured with grammar and punctuation correctness. The part that just want to spill the personal touch and say screw the world, when everything has turned to shit. (But let’s hope it doesn’t come to that – right?)
Because as much as the blog is a reminder to myself, it’s also a reminder to you: You don’t have to be special to write and self-publish your work. You just have to have a passion for writing.
That’s it for now.
I appreciate it if you stuck until now.
If you’re thinking about self-publishing or already in the thick of it, I want to hear from you. What challenges have you faced? What’s holding you back, or what have you learned along the way? I’d love to hear your story, either down below or by email.
Remember: You don’t need to be perfect to start. The journey is what matters most. So, let’s take control of our creativity and keep moving forward.
Your writing buddy,
Jack