Self-Publishing Mishaps of a 50 Something Indie Poet

 Show-and-tell oopsie: Lulu disappointment to KDP satisfaction

Image: Created by Marilyn Glover with Canva Design

Self-publishing has a high appeal: freedom, complete control, and zero wait time as opposed to the traditional book publishing route. As a 50-something poetry author, these are key factors to my art, allowing me to simply be me. Being an Indie author isn't without its mishaps, however, especially when the final printed book doesn't look like it should.

Today is a show-and-tell of my recently self-published Jungian-themed poetry chapbook, Shadow's Reprieve. While my ebook via Draft2Digital looks satisfactory, my first round of print publishing was anything but okay. Although I published a handful of books a few years ago, I am still considered a newbie indie author, which means I am open to making mistakes- mistakes that a more experienced author might bypass or see as foolish.

Transparency is important to me. I highly value open and honest communication. With that being said, I have zero qualms about displaying my mishaps for the world to see. Of course, I want my book to succeed, sell many copies, and create a loyal following of poetry lovers, but trust is vital. Maybe readers will trust me more if I am upfront.

Lulu printing mishap

Lulu is a free self-publishing platform that allows indie authors to format, print, and sell books without any upfront costs. As a print-on-demand provider, books are published only when someone buys one. Lulu is a tool provider, not a traditional publisher, which means the author is solely responsible for editing, design, and marketing.

Sounds similar to Amazon KDP, right?

Well, not exactly.

Being curious, I decided to opt for Lulu's boutique appeal and make Shadow's Reprieve my home. My first few children's books were published with KDP and sold only a handful of copies to family & friends. To be fair, I didn't self-market back then, and I didn't understand the wider concept of self-publishing.

So, a little older, a little wiser, now in my early 50s, I thought I would take a different approach. I thought I was smart. 

I uploaded my poetry chapbook manuscript, which I created with good old Google Docs, and before I knew it, my lyrics were live on Lulu.

Global distribution was not available to me; however, only Lulu's own bookstore front. I had to order an author's copy to review, then approve it and submit for further distribution, which would also entail Lulu's review and approval.

The author's copy was not free. I ordered. I waited patiently. About 2 weeks.

Finally, Shadow's Reprieve arrived.

The first thing I noticed was my book cover. My author's name was printed in white, not black, which is what I wanted and exactly how my ebook looks. After going into Canva Design, I realized this was my own oopsie- sigh...

Then the interior; oh boy, and that isn't a good sentiment.

While some pages looked okay, others looked horrible. Some of my poems began at the very top of the page, and when I say top, I mean right at the edge of the page. Ding dong here knew this wasn't right, but couldn't understand why Lulu printed my book. I knew it was already live on their storefront, and I was deeply embarrassed.

A new indie poet with a book interior looking like this; surely I was through before I even got started. No one would ever take my art seriously. I was done for!

But I just had to test the waters. I approved my book and submitted it to Lulu. I wanted to see what would happen. NOTHING!

I waited about a week just to see if someone would point out the obvious, reject, send it back, or otherwise note the formatting errors. NOPE!

Remember, I mentioned above that editing, design, and marketing are the author's sole responsibility?

Show-and-tell #1

The first picture shows my oopsie book cover, which was a personal oversight while using Canva.

Author's photo

The collage shows the poorly formatted interior, with text at the page edge.

Author's photo

title="Funny relatable reaction GIF about making a self-publishing mistake"

via GIPHY

Yep, it looks like crap! 😂

Amazon KDP return

Suffice to say, that printed version of Shadow's Reprieve is a huge NO, so I humbly returned to Amazon KDP to try publishing my poetry chapbook again.

I uploaded the same Google Doc manuscript and the correct book cover image.

My book cover looked beautiful. I was pleased.

The book interior, however, was flagged with warnings in preview mode, showing me that some of my content was outside of the margins.

AHA!

While I didn't have this issue self-publishing my earlier works, poetry writing doesn't always align correctly. I instantly knew I had to go back to Google Docs and make some formatting edits. With a little research, looky-loo, and patience, I made the necessary changes. It didn't take long, but it made all the difference.

Once again, I uploaded the revised manuscript, and presto chango, like magic, everything looked correct. Alignment was spot-on, and I moved on toward creating all the KDP details so I could submit my book for publishing.

To my surprise, KDP responded quickly, and my book was live. I ordered an author's copy, knowing exactly what it would look like, and I have the available preview mode to thank for such a lighthearted process.

Looking back, I wish I'd just gone with Amazon KDP to begin with, but with an experience always comes a lesson.

I certainly don't bash Lulu or other self-publishing platforms, but I think indie authors need to be aware of the differences among them. There are learning-curve variations; some easier, some more difficult. Personally, as a 50-something author, my strong points are publishing online and utilizing a relatively straightforward built-in editor. I'll be the first to admit that tech-related things are not my strength.

And this is precisely why I am transparent about my author experience.

So every new indie author, whether middle-aged like me, older, or younger, can see an authentic process minus filters or fluff.

Besides, I own all of my mistakes, oopsies, and mishaps; it's part of what makes me who I am. Is it always easy or convenient? No, but this is life. I just so happen to be willing to share mine with others, so maybe another indie author might not feel so alone, so invalidated, so out of touch.

Show-and-tell #2

Here is Shadow's Reprieve book cover. As you can see, it's an author's copy, but my name is now in black, which is what I wanted.

Author's photo

Now, look at the interior collage. The photograph is of the same poem above, but the format is correct. Also, note how the poem pages sit side by side. Adjusting the settings in Google Docs made a huge difference and was vital to the final look.

Author's photo

via GIPHY

Satisfactory cheers

Self-publishing is a lot of work. I don't claim to be an expert. I still have much to learn. I hope my little show-and-tell is helpful to other authors who find themselves struggling as they navigate the solo journey to producing their words into print. Moving forward, my transparency remains intact as I continue marketing Shadow's Reprieve and continue writing the full-length Jungian-themed poetry book, Archetype of the Unlived.

What about you? Are you a struggling indie author?

Are you new to the scene, and a glimpse into self-publishing here helped you?

Any stories to share?

Please let me know in the comments.

Self-promo time

Shadow's Reprieve is available via all major digital retailers for $3.99

Buy your print copy on Amazon for $6.99

Here is what it looks like on Amazon 👇

Author's screenshot

And finally,

Check me out on Substack and listen for FREE each week when I read a poem from my chapbook debut.

That's it till next time, Folks. Take care, happy book writing!

Toodle-loo, Lulu & hello again, Amazon KDP!