Me? Write a Book?
Can you keep popcorn from popping out of the pot if you open the lid?
I had a full pot of life experiences and entertaining stories just popping inside me. I lived, and I learned, I laughed, and I cried for over sixty years. I now had the equivalent of a PhD in the school of life.
But why? For what purpose? It was too late for my kids. No one else was clamoring to hear my life experiences. Would I simply take the wisdom learned to my grave? Is there anyone who wants to hear the funny, the sad, the crazy and the inspirational anecdotes? Maybe not, but I was compelled to write about them.
How about a blog? How do I start a blog? I had no idea!
How does one eat an elephant? One bite at a time. What platform to use? What about a logo? Colors? Blog name? Bluehost? Squarespace? The internet is very handy for tech-challenged folks who don’t know North from Tuesday. I hired out anything that was beyond my capabilities. It started coming together!
I was scared silly. What would people think of my stories? Would they be critical? Could I handle criticism? I kept taking another step. Before long, lookingintherearviewmirror.com was born! It has evolved into www.elevenkidslater.com
I edited those first stories a million times. It took me days to have one ready to post. With a deep breath, I posted my first story. To promote my stories on Instagram and Facebook, I offered an imaginary ride in my jalopy to explore these written experiences. The jalopy was filled to the gills! It was so much fun!
Then someone asked me, “Will you write a children’s story for our church market?” Who, me? I guess I could try! Then someone said, “Why don’t you publish it?” Publish a book? How does a person publish a book? I had no idea!
One step at a time. I wrote and rewrote and rewrote again. Friends read the story. I hired an editor. I hired an illustrator. I hired someone to format it for publishing. It took hours and hours and months of work.
Then one scary moment, I hit the submit button on Amazon KDP and became the author of a published children’s picture book, Eeeek! So exciting!
The popcorn was popping, and it SO much fun that I published another children’s book,
I’ve sold books and signed books, written more stories and even poetry. Who knows what a person can do if they just take one step and then another.
Write a novel! Who me? I have no idea how to write a novel.
Oh, that’s right. One step at a time, just one step at a time.
How to Publish a Children’s Book on Amazon KDP
Write your amazing book! Edit, edit, edit and edit some more.
Hire an editor. Yes, it’s worth it.
Make the changes suggested by the editor. Just remember, it is YOUR story, and you don’t have to take ALL the editors suggestions.
Hire an illustrator. A good illustrator brings the story to life. Please don’t use AI, if you can help it.
Find a good techy person to format it ready for publishing.
Click the submit button!
Congratulations! You did it!! You are a published author!
