Should I self-publish my children’s book?
I just made a children’s book. Literally just finished it and shared it with you.
I’m considering self publishing through Amazon (kindle direct publishing, instagram spark, or china), but I think the book is pretty good, and maybe it’s worth pursuing a traditional publishing deal. I’ve got a couple more books that are partially completed.
Never done this before and would love your opinion.
I wouldn’t recommend self-publishing a book. The problem with self-publishing is there’s no bar to get over — anyone can do it — so it’s hard to feel accomplished from doing it.
I see you did an alphabet book. If you go the publishing route, people judge an alphabet book by the art and the originality of x y and z. You can’t really get away with yak and zebra – it’s a cliche.
Your art is good, but alphabet and counting books are something people do after they have an established careeer as an illustrator (See Z was Zapped by Chris van Allsburg, Counting Cows by Woody Jackson, Alligators Everywhere by Maurice Sendak)
So maybe send your manuscript and some other examples of your illustrations to book agents who represent illustrators. Then after you get a couple of illustration jobs, an agent will be more willing to help with a book you write and illustrate.
Penelope
I self published. I got a local girl who send stuff to printers to help me. A local artist did first sketches and recommended peopleperhour for the finished illustrations. It cost me money I won’t make back. It was fun to finish it but was it good enough for an actual publisher? Probably not. I’m glad I did it but it was a vanity project.
You sound much more talented.
That’s a great way to describe self-publishing – a vanity project. We do lots of those all the time, like gardening, a big bar mitzvah, etc. Stuff that’s totally unnecessary but we really want to do it and see what it’s like done. I think the problem comes when we start thinking people will pay us to make our own garden, throw bar mitzvahs for our kids, etc. The expectation of payment for something so inherently pleasurable is the disconnect.
Worse again – I did a course on how to do it on Amazon. I’m tempted so I can have one copy of my family history on my Dad’s side and my local area. No body else will want . It will give me a brief dopamine boost. Then that’s it.