I wrote my debut book, The Jealous Little Munchkin, in 2020. For two years, through several revisions, the manuscript sat on the “virtual shelf”.

In 2022, I began a pursuit of writing something that further connected to my heart.

And that was in children’s literature. Yay, KidLit!

I didn’t know anything about how to write for children or how children’s publishing worked, but that [surprisingly] wasn’t going to stop me.

One last review and one professional line edit later, I found and hired an illustrator for the manuscript that had sat for two years.

~Three months after that, I had the spreads for my very own, very first book.

And then, two years after that – After joining organizations that educate on the craft of writing for children and taking many classes and webinars – I decided to redo much of what was done in 2022.

In 2024, I republished The Jealous Little Munchkin. The book was now equipped with more polished spreads, a copyright page, and an ISBN I actually own. And it was set up for better distribution opportunities through Ingram Spark.

I’ve learned a lot through this journey of getting my first book out into the world, and have become intimately acquainted with the process of self-publishing a children’s picture book.

While there are many takeaways, I’m sharing my

Top 3 Things I’ve learned about Self-Publishing a Picture Book.

You Have Creative Control

Everything you ever dreamed to see in your book can be reality. It’s all up to you. You’re the art director and editor of your project. The look / style / feel of the illustrations, the names of your characters, what they look like, every action they take, etc.

If you prefer this level of control, self-publishing might be for you!

With that said, a picture book is a collaborative effort between the author and illustrator. Together, they tell the story through words and images.

My book would not be the visual success that it was without Vikkireds’ creativity. I put trust into Vikki’s judgement and abilities, and she took my manuscript and transformed it into a living, breathing story.

While working closely with Vikki, she sent me character designs and concept art, then storyboards and final color illustrations for approval. It was a great first experience working with an illustrator, and it was, in part, because of the organization of my partner.

And in the end, I got the book I wanted.

TIP #1

With so much creative control, it’s recommended to know exactly what you want. Have a clear vision so that you can give the needed direction to those who work with you on the project.

TIP #1a

Create a picture book dummy so you have a clear idea where words will fit from page to page and what beats you want to hit, when.

TIP #2

Request the editable project files of your illustrations once the project is done (could come as .ai or .psd files) if the illustrator is willing to share them. I won’t get into the nitty-gritty here, but because I didn’t ask for these at the end, this gave me problems later on when I went to update and republish my book in 2024.

The Art and Design Can Keep Evolving

As I’ve mentioned, The Jealous Little Munchkin was republished in 2024.

There are many reasons for this. One was that there were things I missed in the initial review of my illustrated spreads; there were a few hiccups left behind that I wanted to remedy.

Unfortunately, Vikki was unavailable to help me fix the issues. However, because this book is self-published, I had the flexibility to learn how to fix them myself. I learned photoshop and over months made the adjustments that needed fixing, page by page.

The biggest changes were new page additions to my book! I gave my book a copyright page, which was missed during the first publishing. I also added dedications and an “about author” page at the end.

All additions made created a much more professional, well-rounded look for The Jealous Little Munchkin. And a new version that I’m very proud of!

The great thing about self-publishing is that it’s yours to change, update, and evolve as needed. I didn’t go in to change the whole story, but there were things that needed improvement and I had the freedom to tweak as necessary.

You Discover the Joys & Struggles of Entrepreneurship

Becoming an author is also the act of becoming a business, and it’s a tricky business. You’ve created a book and you’re putting it into a saturated market, with the hope is that it rises above competition and sells well.

Self-publishing a book is starting a small business. It’s up to you as the author to organize production, marketing, promotion, and outreach to promote your book. And you’ll commit to doing that for as long as you intend on having your book on the market!

It’s not realistic to think that this one book is going to start paying all the bills, but self-publishing is an accomplishment. It’s taught me a lot about what it takes to create a book and sustain that book’s longevity. I’ve also gained an understanding of the work and commitment it takes to be an entrepreneur.

While I do see my books traditionally published in my future, I’m glad I began my journey self-publishing.

It’s not easy, and many authors I talk to about self-publishing are nervous by the idea.

But I think self-publishing a book prepares you for the realities of the competitive book market, finding your place in your chosen genre, and to think about all the ways you can support your work.

And you’re not done with this work once you’re traditionally published. These are practiced skills that will still be needed if your work makes it to a larger publishing house, who will require support from their authors to promote their books.

With all this said, I appreciate that self-publishing is an option for authors, and it makes publishing a realized dream for many writers.

In fact, I’m going to self-publish again! I’m hoping to have the next Munchkin and Buttercup story published by early 2026. More to come.

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I believe the ultimate goal is to be lucky enough to write a piece of your heart and share it with the world (however it gets there). Giving those stories the opportunity to reach the kids that need them most.