If I knew then what I know now

In 2024, I finally broke the ice and published my first book. I had been writing short stories and poetry since I was ten, but the mere mention of publishing felt scary—honestly, I thought it was impossible. In 2020, while the world was in lockdown due to COVID-19, I had a realization: if I kept waiting for the “right time” to launch a book, I might never do it. That propelled me to join two writing clubs, one on personal essays and another on prompt writing.

Back to school

Then, I encountered another hurdle: the English language. My peers suggested that I write in Spanish and then translate it into English. A kind way of saying “my English was bad”. I decided to skip the clubs and enroll in community college for academic English and communication courses. By 2022, I joined a local writers’ guild and a children’s writing group.

It was a lot of steps to get there, right?

After spending two years reliving my childhood with personal essay classes, I decided not to write a traditional memoir. I wanted to tell my story with humor, focusing on the way I grew up rather than just myself. I dusted off a story I had written fifteen years earlier to entertain a three-year-old boy I babysat. I wrote about our guitar concerts, the café con leche, our neighbors, and the street cats. Everything we encountered in a day became part of those short stories, which eventually evolved into a chapter book.

Rebuilding the Story

A course about writing for children was enough to convince me that Patti and Barci was the right book to break the publishing ice. My mentor in Cuba made beautiful watercolor illustrations for the book, so I had nothing to lose. Finally, I hired an editor to put the finishing touches on the manuscript. The process was exhilarating; I felt empowered by every improvement we made. To put it simply: I love seeing red ink on my manuscript! By the end of 2023, I had a clean, professionally done book.

When Plans Go Awry

The feeling of momentum was multiplied by the “promise of doneness.” That was my big mistake. I had planned to launch the English version first to save the time and money needed to properly translate and launch the Spanish version later. Unfortunately, I listened to everyone but my heart.

Because I struggled to convert my document to a PDF, I hired a vanity publisher to do it for me. They convinced me to release the Spanish version at the same time. My plan to take things slow turned into a four-month publishing nightmare. Every day, I spent four hours proofreading, only to have to restart the next day. It was a disaster until, one day, the manuscript was miraculously ready—and I had a massive bill to pay.

Lessons Learned

For every dream we have, there is someone out there willing to take advantage of it. That is why we must sit down with our projects and plan meticulously. I will never again dive into a project without researching every “molecule” of it.

If I knew then what I know now, I would have used the money I paid that publisher to buy a new computer. I was better off buying and learning a formatting software myself. If only I had researched more about every publishing platform—KDP, Lulu, IngramSpark, Blurb, and Bookvault. Most importantly, if I had taken my time. After all, I am an indie author; I own my time.

The Bright Side

I see my first book as a learning journey. It has been the key to so many doors and has allowed me to meet other authors. Sadly, I found I wasn’t the only one tricked into spending more than necessary. After seeing so many authors fall for these traps, I decided to study everything I could about self-publishing. I decided to arm myself with knowledge so I could help others.

Moving Forward

In my upcoming posts, I will share more about the self-publishing world. I’ll share anecdotes from fellow writers so you don’t fall into the same traps I did. Furthermore, I am opening my inbox for anyone who would like a one-on-one consultation on how to self-publish. Just leave me a comment below or DM me on Facebook or Instagram. There are plenty of videos and blogs out there, but if you are feeling overwhelmed, like I was in 2023, having a friendly guide helps a lot.

Follow my journey for more.