How to Self-Publish a Book

I am a sucker for dreaming big and dwelling in possibility. Our lives are so short! I have pushed myself to dream big (and be plenty scared and insecure) many times while taking a year-long sabbatical to travel by myself, planning a $2,000 wedding when everyone thought it was tacky, publishing a book about our tacky wedding, self-publishing another book with some awesome gals, building a house, starting a school.   

So when I got an e-mail from one of my internet friends with an opportunity to interview another woman who dreams big, I jumped at the chance. 

Everyone, meet Gena! Gena had the audacity to publish her own children's book, and I invited her here to share her story with us. Enjoy!

1. Gena, what was your inspiration when creating The Rainbow’s Journey?
 

• I’ve been obsessed with rainbows since a very young age, so creating a rainbow themed book felt like a really natural concept to me. One of my earliest memories is being awoken from a preschool nap so that I could get up and see a rainbow outside. My parents printed my birth announcement on rainbow stationery, and don’t get me started on Rainbow Brite! 

2. When did you begin to assemble the images and poetry that make up the book? 

• A few years ago I took a break from my job as an art teacher. My husband (then boyfriend), Brad, and I traveled throughout Asia for a year. About half-way through the trip we were on an ayurvedic retreat in India. I was sitting down sifting through my photographs when I realized they were almost all monochromatic. Seen as a collection, the images were a rainbow. We spent the rest of that day organizing images by color and Brad began writing the poetry to accompany them immediately. It’s been a lifelong dream to create a children’s book, but we definitely didn’t set out to do that while we were in Asia. Making this book wasn’t a conscious decision; it had momentum of its own. Inspiration hit and in under two weeks the rough draft was done! 

3. It’s quite a journey to leave your secure job and then create a children’s book. What inspired you? 

• I decided to leave the stability of my job and my life in the Bay Area because I was craving challenge and the personal growth that comes from that. We had just lost a close family member at a very young age and we suddenly knew we needed to embrace our lives and live them to the fullest. Traveling in Asia definitely felt like a daring opportunity, and anyone who has traveled there for a year will tell you it’s not a vacation! There was food poisoning and language barriers and a lot of missing home. Facing the obstacles of getting the book published felt like a natural continuation of the journey we embarked on in Asia. Some people thought it was crazy to leave stable jobs to travel for a year, and the same people thought it was crazy to try to publish a book. Most people would say I’m a pretty normal person, but every once and awhile, I like to do crazy!

4. What were the most challenging aspects of completing The Rainbow’s Journey? 

• The most challenging part of the creative process began when we returned to the U.S. and realized how difficult it is to get a children’s book published! Especially one that strays so far from the typical layout and content of most children’s books. Our story relies on photography, not illustration. The accompanying poems are complex and rich in detail and often incorporate the many languages we encountered on our trip. We talk about colors like chartreuse and saffron, and rhyme with words like the Indonesian “batik.” A book agent I spoke with told me “If Barnes and Noble doesn’t immediately know what shelf to stock it on, they won’t buy it.” Essentially the book was too niche to appeal to large publishers and no one would touch it. I considered taking the advice of many “experts” and re-working the entire layout and format to make it more marketable, but in the end, we decided to stay true to our vision and find a more authentic way to share it with the world. 

5. How did you publish the book? 
 

• Ultimately, we chose to self-publish and raised the money through a crowd-funding campaign. Kickstarter had just established itself as a successful crowd-funding platform and it was serendipitous timing. The ability to self-publish The Rainbow’s Journey with this amazing resource was a game-changer. I am so grateful to all our friends and family who supported us through the process. 

6. What new skills did you learn completing this project? 
 

• One important skill was learning to let go of some creative control to collaborate with other trusted artists. I had initially planned to do all the graphic design and typography on my own. I also had to figure out how to take this finished product and get it out in the world. 

7. What advice do you have for others with audacious goals?
 

• If you don’t believe in your goal wholeheartedly, there will probably come a time when it’s not worth the effort and energy to continue trying to accomplish it. Find the people in your life who are bold risk-takers and lean on them. Embrace the discomfort of trying something new. At the time, publishing this book was the most bold and intimidating thing I’d ever done (second now to having a child). The strength and determination I cultivated to succeed in that effort have propelled me into many more adventures since!

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The End of Toilet Paper?

Listening to Kelsey and Chris's podcast, Matrimoney, is introducing all sorts of new ideas and goals into my life around money. But it's also getting me interested in the idea of eliminating toilet paper from our master bathroom. 

Yes, seriously!

On the podcast, they talk about using the diaper sprayer attached to their toilet to clean their private areas before using a resusable baby wipe (the kind made out of fabric) to pat dry. Then they went on to get a bidet for their bathroom.

I am always looking for ways to reduce our environmental impact, and I'm interested in exploring this idea. Kelsey, what kind of bidet did you get? 

This article explains that bidets are actually gaining popularity in the U.S. So interesting!

I'm considering this $27 attachment. It sounds crazy--even to me--but it's worth exploring!

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Enter to Win a Dream Do Planning Consultation

During this round of Purposeful Conception, one of the participants was talking about making a career change in order to create more space in her life for pregnancy and parenthood. She mentioned that she might want to start an in-home childcare program, but she finds the idea "completely terrifying." 

My mind flooded with excitement about the possibility of helping her translate this big, audacious goal into smaller, manageable action steps. I think I might really enjoy helping people make their big dreams a reality. 

I decided to create a contest to give away one free Dream Do Project Planning Consultation to see if I'm actually good at this kind of thing before I start charging people for it. 

Do you have a dream that's lying in waiting? Do you want help translating your big goal into a step-by-step plan that is actually achievable? Enter the contest today! 

Here's how it will work:

1. I will read through all the entries and select one winner.
2. I will e-mail the winner a Dream Do Project Planning Workbook with reflection exercises to prepare for the consultation.
3. We will schedule a phone call planning session to co-create your Dream Do Project Plan that will empower you to make your dream a reality. 

Don't delay! Enter today! (Bonus points will be awarded to the folks who enter sooner rather than later...)

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Free Reflection Worksheet

I'm taking a tiny little break from revising the acknowledgements segment of my book, and I came across this lovely reflection worksheet from Andrea over at Superhero Journal. I'm eager to sit down with it and immerse myself in introspection!

I hope your holiday season is unfolding joyfully...

Miss you!

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Lessons Learned: Photography Class

Image courtesy of Bob Krist for National Geographic

I went to a photography class a few weeks ago, led by two travel photographers for National Geographic. Although the class was interesting and entertaining, I would have learned more if I actually understood the basis of using a DSLR camera. Unfortunately, this class only comes to Houston every once in a while, so I had to take it before I take my basics of photography course. I just tried to write down everything I could, so I can go back and read it when I have a more of a clue.

Here's some of the useful stuff they shared:

1. You can "shoot from the hip" to get candid shots of people by using a 35mm lens and prefocusing to one meeter.
   
2. Good photographers look for juxtapositions and anachronisms to find good shot.
   
3. Architecture is always more interesting if you add the human element.
4. When booking a helicopter for aerial shots, look for an outfitter that will open the door/window for better shots.
   
5. "Inspiration is for the amateur--professional need to be proactive."
6. The best time to shoot architecture is one hour before sunset."
7. Photography helps you be in the moment.
   
8. Switch ISO depending on the situation (preset 100 or 200; push to 400 or higher in low light).
9. Ask "What is the brightest thing in the shot? Am I blowing it out with overexposure?"
10. You can't judge exposure from the LCD monitor; you have to read the histogram to make sure it's not over the edge on the right.
11. Photography is a physical skill. The more you know your gear, the better you will be.
    
12. Use soft light and non-distracting backgrounds for head and shoulders portraits.
13. To blur the background, move the camera at the same speed as the moving object.
14. Include objects that provide a sense of scale.
    
15. Use flash in high contrast situations.
16. You can make something look like night by underexposing the background and using a flash.
17. In terms of gear, if you can't carry it all day, don't buy it.
18. Only ever show your best work (even if it's only a couple photographs!).
    

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A Living, Growing Scrapbook

I'm finalizing the present situation for this year. I've managed to pull it together, despite my rather lax attitude toward the holidays this year.

I still have a few more presents to go, namely for my beloved, Matt. I'm going to register him for a woodworking class, since he's been obsessed with the idea of using power tools to construct something for a while now.

I'm also thinking about putting together an album to chronicle our life together. We have so many pictures online, but it would be nice to have something to curl up with on the couch and flip through.

I was inspired by this post from Progressive Pioneer about pulling together a scrapbook without all the fanfare. Here's what she had to say:

I've tried to be diligent about recording Sam's life from the beginning. I decided early on that the most important thing was to simply record the important things, not to have a perfect, charming-looking album. I knew if there was too much pressure about how it looked that it would never get done. But if I could just jot things down here and there, there was a much better chance that in twenty years Sam would have something to look back on.

I feel the same way. I know I have to free myself from my perfectionist tendencies or I will never get it done.

Plus, I want a living, breathing object. One that expands and develops as our family expands and develops. I'm thinking about using a 1.5 inch binder and making a pretty binder label down the side (probably from my old Nikki McClure calendars). We can label them (probably in five-year increments?) and watch our collection grow.

I'm thinking cardstock, sheet protectors, and photo corners. I've never used photo corners in my life, but they seem like a good option. Or maybe double-sided tape? Is that archival quality? It's got to be cheap and easy...

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Delicious Recipe

Photo courtesy of fresh365

Matt and I have a good system going for meals. We try to cook together four times a week and eat out three. Ideally, we experiment with at least one new recipe a week and resort to our "Favorites Binder" for the rest of our meals. If we like our experimental meal, we print it out and add it to our binder. If we don't like it, we forget about it.

We've been so busy lately that we've resorted to our standbys instead of looking for new recipes. However, we finally tried a new recipe yesterday: Maple-Pumpkin Pasta with Blue Cheese and Sage.

We simplified the process by going with frozen rather than fresh pumpkin (but couldn't find pumpkin, so we went with sweet potato). Also, we used goat rather than blue cheese, due to personal preference. The meal was delicious! Mmm...mmm!

We're definitely adding it to the binder.

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