I've never self-published before, and honestly, I have no clue what I'm doing. I know other HolyWorlders have, but I want to make this information easy to access for those of you who are curious and don't even know what questions to ask. So, I am going to use this thread to journal my progress in the discovery of publishing so that other first-timers will have a better notion of what to expect when they too begin.

PROJECT: Sadie's Dragon

TYPE: Children's Picture Book

I've found an illustrator, so, as a children's book, the first thing I know that I need to know is what sizes the pages will be so that she may work her magic in the right size to fit the page. I really would have liked to have the book be wider than tall, but Createspace (the publish about which I have heard the most) offers more limited distribution for custom sizes and only offer one standard landscape printing size which has poor reviews. The other option I have to see the book the way I picture it, is to have the pictures span two pages rather than just one. That works well for me, but I don't yet know what that will do to the pictures and how it can be worked out without hiding anything important to the story.

I'm not really familiar with any other publishers besides Createspace, but I need to look around, because apparently there are start up fees, different percentages you have to pay per printing, varying levels of distribution, and a difference between a distributor, a publisher, and a printer.

I chose Indie publishing because I want the rights to my work to stay exclusively my own. Is that something I'll still have to worry about with Indie? Which companies will provide me with an ISBN and a barcode, and when will I have to purchase that myself? What about copyrighting? I found a free place once for a crochet pattern, but it's sure to be different in print. What if my illustrator wants to copyright her artwork independently from my storybook?

I'll definitely start with trying to find out what Createspace offers, then seeing how it compares to other distrib/print/publishing companies.

http://www.writehacked.com/writing/crea ... -resource/ Maybe this could be helpful to you, I found it awhile ago.

I will be watching your progress.. I plan to self publish, and I am grateful that you will share your experience. I feel lost about it all.

Thanks. I'll have a look at it.

Hardcover, or paperback? It's a children's picture book so, naturally, I would like to go hardcover, but Createspace, while it does offer hardcover options, does so in a very limited way and that apparently costs $99 to set up, and means you have to do all the distribution yourself. I'm not in favor of that, but I really don't want to publish a children's book as a paperback. That just seems like a really silly idea considering what books go through. I'll shop around for now, but now I also need to look out for what kind of distribution is offered since different companies will have different agreements with amazon and other stores and libraries than amazon has with itself. I don't want to get so hung up on the formatting technicalities that I end up really losing out when I publish. Blargh.

Just a quick note. I've self-published and would be willing to answer questions people may have. In fact, due to an email I received, I may be doing a series of blog posts on the subject.

Thanks, Miss Elizabeth!

*reads Indie Publishing*

You're welcome! I haven't done children's books, but I do know someone who has, so she might have some ideas for you, too.

If CreateSpace doesn't offer (or is inferior in) the sizes you want, I'd suggest looking into Lulu. From what I've been able to find, the royalty terms it offers are far worse than CreateSpace (which is far from ideal itself, in my opinion), but as it seems to be primarily aimed at the "coffee-table-book" and "photo book" markets, it'll probably be better about dimensions beyond standard trade paperback.

I have looked into Lulu, but I'm not particularly fond of its public availability. In addition, the reviews from which I have sought advice are not particularly fond of the quality of the binding. Lulu does indeed have a broader selection of printing options, but it lacks greatly in other areas. At this time, I am investigating other options that are not as common as Lulu and Createspace. I may still aim for a more independent route in which I do a great deal more of the work myself and seek services only as far as print and distribution are concerned, but it is too early now to say. However, based solely on my current hopes and expectations, Lulu is not on the table.

Fair enough.

When I investigated print-on-demand services for a class project last year (which I keep meaning to share here on HW, when I have the time sometime ...), the third option I was able to find was Ingram Spark. Because I was considering fairly standard (if theoretical) paperbacks for my analysis, I don't know how well it would fit your needs.

Currently, the requirement of primary importance, being a children's picture book, is hard cover color. I am currently investigating such services.

Ingram Spark's FAQ says they offer color printing and hardcover binding.

The service is aimed more at small presses than at individual authors, but if neither CreateSpace nor Lulu will serve, I definitely recommend at least looking into it.

I've read up more on publishing specific to children's books and have started to wonder whether I ought to attempt a redraft of the way I present the story in the words. It is a children's book, but there are still rules and formulas that will help make it the best and most interesting story it can be for itself. Perhaps my wording is too dull (as even adults have found I can be), or perhaps I can better employ literary techniques to make reading my book more interesting. It will really be the pictures that sell the book, but I can still look into improving my writing.

The nice thing about a picture book is that I don't need to stop looking at publishing and story-boarding as I look into my writing. I am interested in publishing beyond e-books, so I won't be using KDP Kids, but I've also come across BookBaby and Blurb that may be options I should consider for publishing (Blurb seems to focus on little keepsake projects though).

I'll begin looking into what styles can make and break good stories, and what pitfalls are most common to new children's writers and publishers.