I Self-Published My First Poetry Book
And here’s how I did it
A few years ago, I started writing poetry for myself as a way to express my feelings. I’d been struggling with myself for a while, and I needed a healthy outlet. Fortunately, poetry was the way for me to do it. I put everything that I felt on paper, gave it words, and made it mine. All the positives, the negatives, and the memories.
After a while, I got a notification on Twitter that a person that I admired had published her own poetry book. This caught my attention because while the thought had crossed my mind, I had no idea how to turn my work into an actual book. I messaged her, and she was happy to give me advice. That’s when I had a new goal in mind: to publish my very own poetry book. It took a while, but I did it, and I’ll share my steps with you.
I continued writing
There’s no poetry without actual written work, so I continued writing. Every time I had an idea, I either put it in a notebook or in a file on my phone. Then, as soon as I got home, I put it in a Word file that I had made specifically to add all my poems together. I tried finding the right words for all feelings, but also let some stay messy. I’d look at them later.
I set a goal
About halfway through 2020, I decided that I wanted to publish my first book by the end of the year. As you can see now, that didn’t work out the way I wanted to. However, setting a goal was a great way for me to reflect on what I’d written so far. I made edits, continued writing, and created a layout that would make it easier to publish the poems in a book. By the end of 2020, I still didn’t have enough material to publish, so I decided to let go of my plan and continue writing till I felt I was done.
I set a new goal
At the end of May 2021, I had just finished writing a poem when a feeling of accomplishment came over me. “This is it”, I thought. This was going to be my book. I felt so relieved and proud of myself that I couldn’t wait to share the news with my partners and friends. Now it was time to set a new goal: the publishing date. I had no idea how to self-publish, let alone how to create an actual book, but I did have a date ready: my birthday, June 23rd.
I researched
Once my book was done, I did research to find out how to self-publish. I learned about the different methods I could use, the different websites that offered these services, and the costs I would have to make in order to make it happen. A friend recommended a website that would publish on demand, resulting in very few costs for me. I also looked into publishing on Amazon, as I wanted an international market. Once I had all the information I needed, I started working on the cover and layout of the manuscript.
I double-checked everything
With the help of the publishing website, I had everything I needed to make the perfect book. I created my own cover in Canva since I already had a subscription there. Then, I edited the manuscript to fit the requirements, and I even bought an ISBN. My partners were more than happy to proofread the book and send me suggestions and spell-checks. I also ordered a proof version of my own book and instantly saw a few mistakes that I fixed before the publishing date.
I advertised
Now, I didn’t buy any advertisements and I certainly didn’t pull out all the stops. To be honest, I was a bit afraid. I knew my family would read it, and maybe some clients too. This book was very personal and even discussed a few topics even my parents didn’t know. I always say it’s easier to let complete strangers read your life story than it is to let your family read it. Still, I posted on my Instagram account a few days before release. I did the same on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. I also asked the woman who inspired me if she was interested in reviewing it, and sent her a free copy.
The moment of truth
Finally, it was my birthday. I had everything ready to publish and clicked the buttons to launch the book. Again, I made posts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. I was nervous but happy I did it. My book was on-air, and I’d achieved my goal. On the first day, I sold two copies. In the days after, I sold six more. It’s not a lot, but I’m hopeful.
To help me learn and improve, I contacted two organizations that will review my book. If the reviews turn out well, my book may appear in the National libraries and a well-known Dutch reviewing website. If the reviews turn out bad, people will still see the reviews, but I’ll have something to learn for when I publish my next book.
I’m not sure if I’ll publish a poetry book again, I’ll have to give it time. The first one took me two years, so I don’t expect to just whip out another. However, I did find that children’s books interest me, so I may be giving those a shot.
In the end, I mainly learned that taking chances is the best way to grow. I never saw myself publishing a book, and now I did. So far, all comments have been so positive and inspiring. I can only say that if you want to publish your own book, you should do it. You can only grow, whether it works out or not.
Interested in buying my book? It’s available on Amazon in various countries in both e-book format and as a paperback. You can also find it through the website link on my profile.
