I have admired everything about this process, Anne, and I only observed an iota of it. You are gracious to share your learnings in so much detail with others. What an amazing journey!
Thank you, @Clare wade! That means so much. I do think it's important to capture the journey so when we look back we can see how far we've come. Fingers crossed I'm just getting started...
Totally thinking about it. I’ve been querying my book proposal and my rejection emails always say that I have a great concept but not a big enough social media platform.
I think it's all a good exercise to keep putting your proposal out there. You get clarity in that journey and the feedback. I had one friend who heard that same story (or at least would tell herself that story), and she still got traditionally published. I think it helps to reframe social media as network. Are there actual humans you can leverage instead? I have a lot of followers but it doesn't mean it moves books if I sit back passively.
I feel like this whole journey of books (and life) is learning to deeply trust ourselves along the way and to keep going even when people say we can't. (I share the story in my book about how all my grad school professors and career counselor told me I wouldn't be able to stay in France after graduating. I did. I started a business. And even became French! With time even the impossible can be possible.)
Thanks for your comment, I so appreciate it as well as your advice. And I’m learning how to do what you share: “I feel like this whole journey of books (and life) is learning to deeply trust ourselves along the way and to keep going even when people say we can't”.
Thank you so much for this post! I recently self-published a book (a street art guide to Paris!), and over the past year, I’ve felt overwhelmed by all the things I had to learn. It’s been a challenging trial-and-error process—especially since I hadn’t read your post earlier!
Now I’m focusing on distribution and promotion. I’m still hopeful that some bookshops, especially those in Paris, will stock a few copies. However, I’m realizing how complicated it is to get bookshops on board. The IngramSpark system I chose is more widespread in the USA and UK, and it seems they don’t print in Europe. This results in high shipping costs and additional custom duties.
Anyway, it’s been a learning experience, and for my next street art guide (I’m already writing the London one), I’ll definitely include an Amazon KDP version.
All this to say thank you once again for sharing your experience and tips—they’re incredibly helpful!
First off congrats on your book! I can only imagine how much effort went into it (and yours has photos!). Most of the time I LOVED LEARNING, but even some stages (like now and the final steps of my e-book [with flowable text] are so trying and exhausting—namely the steps you expect to be the easiest and straight forward.)
Bookshops are challenging. It's a down the line goal for me. I'm only in one shop (Messy Nessy's Cabinet) now and I hand deliver copies (she just ordered her 4th set!) and sign them. I was lucky to already know the owner. It's not scalable in the long term, but I've learned to savour the little moments along the way to keep me sane.
(I also hear friends trying to get payments from bookshops, so also keep in mind that the glamour we see from the outside/online isn't always the full story.)
Shipping is NUTS! My book is print on demand, and luckily worldwide (less far to travel), but in the final hours I was like, ouch this is more than I expected.
I know IngramSpark was trying to get a printer in France as part of their network too. Not sure the latest, but I can ask my contact (humans also helped me stay sane in this journey—I got a biz card of the guy I talked to at the London Book Fair—each step felt like a clue).
Why not add your book to Amazon KDP now for your Paris book? I'm on Amazon and Ingram Spark, and currently working on getting my ebook on even more platforms to truly go wide.
Yes, I know Messy (not personally, but our paths as bloggers have crossed a few times over the years). I actually emailed her shop a few weeks ago, but I haven’t received a reply yet. Unfortunately, I can’t drop by in person since I’m based in Rome.
Thank you for sharing the links! I had already come across them—that’s how I discovered you during one of my frantic Google searches on self-publishing. I’m glad I also learned about ALLi through you; I’ll register soon.
I’ve already reached out to IngramSpark’s French partner, but they told me they only work with associations and companies, not individual authors. I’ve been contacting their other Global Connect partners across Europe, but so far, no one has replied. I’m now considering adding a KDP version. From what I understand, I should have done this before uploading the book on IngramSpark because my ISBN is already on Amazon now. However, if you’ve managed it differently, it might just be another publishing myth!
Speaking of which, I completely agree with you about the importance of connecting with other humans. Unfortunately, I don’t know many writers, but if you’re aware of any support groups (even virtual ones), I’d love to hear about them.
Thanks again for all your help so far!
P.S. If you happen to have any contact at IngramSpark, it would be greatly appreciated. Their customer service has been a nightmare—different people reply to the same thread without reading the full discussion, and it’s been incredibly frustrating.
I have admired everything about this process, Anne, and I only observed an iota of it. You are gracious to share your learnings in so much detail with others. What an amazing journey!
Thank you, @Clare wade! That means so much. I do think it's important to capture the journey so when we look back we can see how far we've come. Fingers crossed I'm just getting started...
This is great Anne and congrats again on following your gut, honoring your process and bringing this gem into the world. 🤟
Totally thinking about it. I’ve been querying my book proposal and my rejection emails always say that I have a great concept but not a big enough social media platform.
I think it's all a good exercise to keep putting your proposal out there. You get clarity in that journey and the feedback. I had one friend who heard that same story (or at least would tell herself that story), and she still got traditionally published. I think it helps to reframe social media as network. Are there actual humans you can leverage instead? I have a lot of followers but it doesn't mean it moves books if I sit back passively.
I feel like this whole journey of books (and life) is learning to deeply trust ourselves along the way and to keep going even when people say we can't. (I share the story in my book about how all my grad school professors and career counselor told me I wouldn't be able to stay in France after graduating. I did. I started a business. And even became French! With time even the impossible can be possible.)
Thanks for your comment, I so appreciate it as well as your advice. And I’m learning how to do what you share: “I feel like this whole journey of books (and life) is learning to deeply trust ourselves along the way and to keep going even when people say we can't”.
Ciao Anne,
Thank you so much for this post! I recently self-published a book (a street art guide to Paris!), and over the past year, I’ve felt overwhelmed by all the things I had to learn. It’s been a challenging trial-and-error process—especially since I hadn’t read your post earlier!
Now I’m focusing on distribution and promotion. I’m still hopeful that some bookshops, especially those in Paris, will stock a few copies. However, I’m realizing how complicated it is to get bookshops on board. The IngramSpark system I chose is more widespread in the USA and UK, and it seems they don’t print in Europe. This results in high shipping costs and additional custom duties.
Anyway, it’s been a learning experience, and for my next street art guide (I’m already writing the London one), I’ll definitely include an Amazon KDP version.
All this to say thank you once again for sharing your experience and tips—they’re incredibly helpful!
Best,
Giulia
First off congrats on your book! I can only imagine how much effort went into it (and yours has photos!). Most of the time I LOVED LEARNING, but even some stages (like now and the final steps of my e-book [with flowable text] are so trying and exhausting—namely the steps you expect to be the easiest and straight forward.)
Bookshops are challenging. It's a down the line goal for me. I'm only in one shop (Messy Nessy's Cabinet) now and I hand deliver copies (she just ordered her 4th set!) and sign them. I was lucky to already know the owner. It's not scalable in the long term, but I've learned to savour the little moments along the way to keep me sane.
(I also hear friends trying to get payments from bookshops, so also keep in mind that the glamour we see from the outside/online isn't always the full story.)
Shipping is NUTS! My book is print on demand, and luckily worldwide (less far to travel), but in the final hours I was like, ouch this is more than I expected.
I know IngramSpark was trying to get a printer in France as part of their network too. Not sure the latest, but I can ask my contact (humans also helped me stay sane in this journey—I got a biz card of the guy I talked to at the London Book Fair—each step felt like a clue).
Why not add your book to Amazon KDP now for your Paris book? I'm on Amazon and Ingram Spark, and currently working on getting my ebook on even more platforms to truly go wide.
I'm sill learning too. Hopefully you clicked on this link too with loads of resources (by no means limited. There are SO many paths you can take.) https://www.anneditmeyer.com/biz-blog/2024/11/21/my-favorite-resources-for-self-publishing
Good luck with everything!
Ciao Anne,
Yes, I know Messy (not personally, but our paths as bloggers have crossed a few times over the years). I actually emailed her shop a few weeks ago, but I haven’t received a reply yet. Unfortunately, I can’t drop by in person since I’m based in Rome.
Thank you for sharing the links! I had already come across them—that’s how I discovered you during one of my frantic Google searches on self-publishing. I’m glad I also learned about ALLi through you; I’ll register soon.
I’ve already reached out to IngramSpark’s French partner, but they told me they only work with associations and companies, not individual authors. I’ve been contacting their other Global Connect partners across Europe, but so far, no one has replied. I’m now considering adding a KDP version. From what I understand, I should have done this before uploading the book on IngramSpark because my ISBN is already on Amazon now. However, if you’ve managed it differently, it might just be another publishing myth!
Speaking of which, I completely agree with you about the importance of connecting with other humans. Unfortunately, I don’t know many writers, but if you’re aware of any support groups (even virtual ones), I’d love to hear about them.
Thanks again for all your help so far!
P.S. If you happen to have any contact at IngramSpark, it would be greatly appreciated. Their customer service has been a nightmare—different people reply to the same thread without reading the full discussion, and it’s been incredibly frustrating.