Firsts, Fumbles, and Finally Publishing My First Book
WELCOME to my FIRST BLOG!!!
This is where I’ll post raw thoughts about writing/publishing, mind-body-spirit fitness, life, and philosophy. It’ll be authentic and unfiltered. If you’re interested in following my work and thoughts, join my email list and tune in for monthly blog posts.
Now, to the meat of this post!
I don’t actually know what I’m doing, guys! But aren’t we all kinda winging it? At first anyway—until the unfamiliar becomes familiar. Until stress and overwhelm turn into patient confidence and knowing. Until confusion and insecurity turn into clarity and assertiveness.
First steps are always a bit wobbly.
Moral of the story: PRACTICE. PRACTICE. PRACTICE.
And then practice some more!!
I’m still in Stage 1: FIRSTS.
First book project published
First publishing company
First product to market and sell
First time putting myself out to the world in this way
It’s nothing like I imagined. I thought because I love writing and creating stories I’d feel joy every step of the way. But instead, I’ve felt a whole mix of emotions that shoved me into self-reflection and gave me a well-rounded experience of both pain and pleasure.
Some of those emotions?
Intimidation by the process.
Guilt for procrastinating.
Pride for making it to the finish line.
I’ve been working toward publishing for over a decade. I wrote my first children’s story, Amber Gets an Ant Farm, in 2012. I was sure I’d be published in no time. Now it’s finally set to come out in 2026—14 years later.
I wrote Marty Contemplates the Future in 2019 and thought it would be published by 2021, maybe ’22. It just came out in May of 2025—six years later.
In the meantime, I wrote songs, poetry, short stories, even the first draft of a novel. So what was the hold up?
I’ll tell you: me. And life.
At first, I couldn’t decide—traditional, self, or hybrid publishing? So I researched. (Honestly, every stage starts with research.) I bought Writer’s Market and learned the differences. I drafted query letters to publishers and agents and sent them out. No responses.
I looked into vanity publishers—you pay them, they handle the process—but they’ve got a bad rep. In the end, I chose self-publishing. Why? So I could learn every step and cost myself. That way, if I ever go another route later, I’ll have real knowledge and experience behind me.
You know the sayings:
Be careful what you ask for.
To whom much is given, much is required.
Entrepreneurship is trading in a 9–5 for a 24/7.
Yeah… I’ve felt the weight of all those clichés.
I hired an illustrator but did everything else myself. And let me tell you—whatever you think something’s going to take (time, effort, money), it’s going to take more. Way more.
Another saying for you: just because you think something doesn’t make it true. I learned that big time—the difference between ideals in my head and actual reality.
For example, I thought hiring an illustrator meant I’d hand over the story and get back a fully formatted book, ready to print. Wrong.
Instead, I had to create a detailed page breakdown with descriptions: what the characters look like, what’s in the setting, what colors everything should be. Cue overwhelm. (And no, AI tools weren’t a thing yet!)
My illustrator sent the drawings back—but not a formatted book. Some illustrators do that, mine didn’t. Oops.
So I decided to format it myself. I researched programs, chose Adobe InDesign, and learned my laptop couldn’t even handle Creative Cloud. Had to buy a new one. Got the program, got to work. Everyone online said the same thing: InDesign isn’t beginner-friendly. There’s a learning curve. It’s pro-level.
I could’ve gone with Canva… but I wanted the challenge. Because why not?
Then came copyright. Submitting isn’t hard—but somehow I still managed to send the wrong file type, even after triple-checking the requirements. I waited two months (normal processing time) just to find out my mistake. Had to resubmit, pay another nonrefundable fee, and wait another two months.
Finally, I got ISBNs, barcodes, and a Library of Congress number. I reluctantly chose IngramSpark as my distributor. They don’t have the best reputation, but honestly? My experience has been good. Their support team has always helped me out quickly.
On May 8, 2025, Marty Contemplates the Future was officially published—and I couldn’t be more proud.
There were plenty of moments I had to stop and catch my breath. At times I didn’t have the endurance. I felt like a baby sea turtle, just hatched, scrambling toward the ocean and dodging everything trying to take me down.
But I made it.
And I’m smarter and stronger for it. My journey as a writer and publisher is still just beginning.
I haven’t learned everything, but I have learned this:
Be patient.
Slow down. Breathe.
Trust the process.
Relax.
I enjoy doing hard things now. Facing fears. Stepping into challenges. That’s where growth and evolution live.
And I am ever evolving.
9.22.25