KBR is thrilled to welcome author Claudia Rowe, as she tells us how she came to self-publish books about bums!
When I was about seven I wrote to
the Queen complaining about my status in our family as a middle child. The
Queen’s lady-in-waiting wrote back to me saying Her Majesty had been 'most
interested' to hear from me. Satisfied with this response I took the letter to
show-and-tell, then returned to the domestic status quo knowing the Queen had
my back.
I wonder if the Queen would be
interested to hear that I’m now a self-publisher? (I should write. It’s been a while and she’s probably wondering.)
I guess you have to be a little bit
audacious to self-publish, but to anyone considering it, I say go for it!
If you have a computer and access to the internet, then you have the
tools to publish your story — whether it’s a novel or a children’s picture
book. Dive in headfirst. There’s a lot to learn but it’s all totally learnable.
When my partner suggested I make a
book called The Very Hungry Bum I thought it was a great idea. I wrote the
story (though, as a parody of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, it sort of wrote
itself) and sent it off to established publishers. In the meantime, a woman in
my parents’ group had gone ahead and self-published her children’s book — Pip
& Percy Sow The Secret To Nan’s Tomato Soup by Kylie Allardice,
illustrations by Caitlin Ziegler. So by the time I received my rejection
letters from the publishers, I was well and truly inspired by Kylie to publish
The Very Hungry Bum myself.
Along the way I bought a copy of APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur by Shawn Welch and Guy Kawasaki. It’s loaded
with practical advice on self-publishing or, as Kawasaki calls it, artisanal
publishing. I took the term literally, publishing four books about bums.
Kawasaki and Welch point to a
changing publishing landscape thanks to computer programmers (creating
applications anyone can use to make an eBook) and massive resellers such as
Amazon and Apple. It’s amazing to think that last week you made an eBook and
tomorrow it will be for sale in 119 countries.
That’s not to say that
self-publishing thrives only in the electronic domain (though by eliminating
printing costs, publishing becomes feasible to all writers). When it comes to
children’s books in particular, you can’t beat that feeling of holding a
beautiful, bound, paper edition. It might have been passed along from reader to
reader, through generations perhaps, it might be a special gift. It’s something
tangible that can be fully shared.
Printing can be expensive but if you
start with a small print run in paperback format, you can test the market
without significant financial risk. The first edition of The Very Hungry Bum
was printed in Melbourne as a staple-bound paperback. I had 500 copies made
which cost $2500. This was my personal savings but I was also very lucky that
my partner was working so we were still able to pay the rent. For subsequent
editions of the bum books, I went through a printing broker to achieve a better
quality printed book. The broker was fantastic.
To sell your book, set up a website,
use social media, have market stalls and approach bookstores. Independent
booksellers, in particular, are friendly and receptive to self-publishers.
So if you have a story simmering
away and you’d like to share it with a wider audience, consider the
self-publishing option. Aim high, be a little bit audacious and have fun.
Visit Claudia's website for more information on her and her work.