When I realized what all God wanted me to write about and share in my spiritual memoir, On the Other Side, I made a decision that if I were putting out those vulnerable AF stories about myself, then I would write them in the best possible way so my readers would be engrossed in my book. I didn’t take shortcuts or skip hiring an editor even though it costs money — because I didn’t want my readers to put my book down out of frustration over grammar errors. I recommend you don’t take shortcuts either.
Below is a list of resources I used and highly recommend when writing and self-publishing a book.
These resources are listed in the order I used them. You’ll also find many of my writing stories, experiences, and other info that will help you understand some of the ins and outs of the book publishing world at My Book Journey blog.
Hay House In-Person Writers Workshop I found it super helpful learning live from experts. We had opportunities to ask questions and practice writing exercises. Because I attended this workshop, I was eligible to enter their writing contest. (They haven’t hosted an in-person one since 2020)
Hay House Online Writers Workshop is equally valuable as the in-person writer’s workshop. I devoured it listening to many Hay House authors like Dr. Wayne Dyer, Nick Ortner, Gabby Bernstein, Kris Carr, Gregg Braden, and many more. I garnered so many tips and oodles of inspiration that I carried with me throughout the months as I was writing.
KN Literary Arts offers a variety of services to support authors. I am grateful I hired them for their book proposal package. I made a decision to enter the Hay House Writer’s Workshop contest and to do that, I needed to submit a book proposal… but I had no clue what I was doing. The writing coach they paired me with helped me have a clue and feel more confident during this process.
Although I didn’t win the contest or end up going through a traditional publisher, let me tell you – the investment was well worth it. Initially, creating the outline and book proposal really helped me get a solid handle on my book’s purpose and the stories I would share in it. It also helped me understand where I fit in the marketplace compared to my competitors. Throughout my writing process and literally, all the way to the end, when I was writing the back cover of my book, I referred to my outline to help guide me. It was an invaluable tool that I was grateful for over and over.
I will go through the book proposal process again for future books, even if I decide to self-publish again.
Wise Ink Creative Publishing – Once I made a decision to self-publish my book, the very next decision I made was to have a team support me – because I didn’t know what I was doing. I checked into multiple self-publishing companies (they are called Indie Publishers) and made the best decision for what I needed. I wanted a team of experts to support me at my pace, to teach me and guide me along the way.
The services I purchased included coaching, developmental edits, copy edits, book cover design, proofing, ebook set-up, and audiobook set-up.
This is another investment that was worth every penny especially when I receive compliments like “Wow, your book is so beautiful. It’s so much better than a self-published book.”
I will absolutely use Wise Ink again and will confidently refer them to others.
YouTube Videos by Kelly Notaras I met Kelly at the Hay House live writer’s workshop. She launched her book while I was writing mine and recorded many helpful videos during her launch and afterward. She a delight to listen to and an expert in the industry who offers great tips. She is the owner of KN Literary Arts that I mentioned above.
Self-publishers Legal Handbook I don’t know how I heard about this gem but it was a very helpful book! I read it cover-to-cover and used many of the tips I found here. If you’re self-publishing, it’s a must-have.
Kelly Notaras, who has the YouTube videos, also has a book you may find helpful. The Book You Were Born to Write.
On the Other Side-A Spiritual Memoir is about my healing and forgiveness journey after childhood sexual abuse. My book includes other people in the stories I share, and some of the people aren’t in the limelight. In fact, some caused harm to me. But let me be clear, even though they caused harm to me in the past, that doesn’t mean I can cause harm to them in my book. If I do, then they can sue!
With that in mind, I was referred to attorney Aaron Hall and hired him to review particularly concerning parts of my memoir. After reviewing those parts of my book together, he gave me a list of specific actions to take which would better protect myself and others. Aaron was kind, personable, and clearly knowledgeable. The feeling of peace I had afterward was worth the investment.
The companies, products & services that share here are ones I buy from and believe in. Some of the links like to Hay House or Amazon I have an affiliate relationship with and some I don’t, which means when you purchase from them I receive a small percentage of the purchase price at no extra cost to you. Regardless, I only share with you products I have used myself and support 100%.