Publishing 101 for Mummies and Grandmummies!

Publishing 101 for Mummies
and Grandmummies

In this blog, I will answer a few basic questions based on my own experience. I want to be as helpful and honest as possible. I will continue to address questions in future blogs, but I think the following three questions will get us going.  Feel free to ask questions or make comments about this blog and let me know if there are issues you would like to address in the future.

1. Should you write?

This is an easy question to answer. Of course, you should write! That is, if you feel like writing, if you think about writing, if you’re obsessed with writing, or if you can’t live without writing.  The reason the answer is “Of course!” is because you have absolutely nothing to lose. Writing doesn’t have to be a big deal, a big project, a time-consumer and it doesn’t cost money. Of course, you might argue that there is the opportunity cost and that is correct. However, if you take just a few minutes each day, perhaps when you’re waiting for your kids to get done with soccer practice or ballet or karate classes. Grandmummies might have a leg up here as we don’t have the kids 24/7.  But mummies, you CAN find the time to write. IF you make it a priority.   I remember when I was training for marathons in my (much) younger years. I had to prioritize and make “athlete” one of my highest priorities. I played a little game and numbered my priorities. Number one was wife and mom. Number two was no longer being the head of the class in my night classes. Number two priority turned into “athlete.”  I had to give up top grades so I could fit in time for my daily training runs. And guess what? When you get a job, no one cares what grades you had in college or post grad school. When you have kids, no one cares how clean your house is. When you’re enjoying life and doing what you love to do, no one can fault you. You could come up with a million excuses why not to write, but if you mentally make writing a high priority, you will do it. Practice saying, “I am a writer. I am a writer. I am a writer.” Believe it. Believing is seeing.

But there’s just one catch. To be a writer, you do have to write!

 

2.  Should you publish?

This is a question only you can answer. If you think about it all the time, if you dream of being published, if you want to leave something behind, build a legacy of words, if you want to see your name in print or make a difference in the world with something you know is important, then you should definitely pursue it. There are lots of reasons why you might want to publish or be published, and unfortunately, in years past, sometimes the decision depended on others and not you. But now, with self-publishing, anyone can publish. But like anything else, it takes hard work and diligence. The facts can be discouraging. There are thousands of books being published every day and, let’s be honest–yours and mine might not make the best seller list. That’s why for a part-time writer–someone who is driven to write the book and wants to publish it, but doesn’t write for a living–it can mean lots of work for little or no profit.

But I’m going to suggest that you write and publish anyway. Of course, it’s preferable to send your manuscript to a  large publisher who is going to pay you instead of you paying to get yourself in print. But…what a long shot. I was sending  manuscripts to publishers for quite some time and having to wait (most don’t want you to send simultaneous submissions, which means you can’t send your manuscript to anyone else while you’re waiting to hear back), and I finally just got tired of it. I’ve been published before by magazines, but I’d never had a book published. When I realized my odds for a children’s book, I decided to go the self-publishing route. I’m glad I did. I have my first book already on the market and my second will come out in about a month. If I had waited for some big publishing company, I’d still be waiting. For grandmummies, waiting is not a good thing!

 

3. Should you publish children’s picture books?

This is a question I want to spend more time on, so I will address it in a future blog. Stay tuned. And go get a pen or get on the computer and start writing. This is a good time to do it!