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I am pleased to present Barbara Barth’s guest post about her self-publishing journey.  Barbara is the author of, The Unfaithful Widow Ten Years Later

I hope you enjoy.  Please share your thoughts in the comments.

Tell us about self-publishing your first memoir

I was naïve about writing and publishing with my first memoir, The Unfaithful Widow. My goal was to get my story out into the real world, to help myself heal, and maybe help others who had lost a mate, too. Writing had given me purpose late at night. How to publish was a mystery to me. I wasn’t getting any younger (my husband died three months before I turned sixty). Now I was almost sixty-two. Turning to Google I typed publishing in the search bar. My head spun on my shoulders with so much information. It didn’t take long for me to decide to self-publish. Of course, I hadn’t read fully, and my idea of self-publishing was to turn to a vanity press.

Which company did you use to publish your first book?

The company I used was Outskirts Press and they did a fantastic job with my book. There were some bumps along the road, but for a first-timer I was in heaven watching my book design become a reality. It was an expensive learning experience. If I had been a better editor or had taken the time to hire an editor, I would have saved the expense of the corrections after the fact. The layout of the interior was exactly how I’d envisioned it. I told them what I wanted, worked with their design team, paid my money, and they brought my memoir to life. My book was an art project for me from the initial writing, to the placement of photos, text font, and odd little poems and quotes. My sister created the altered art pictures and photos used throughout.

How did you go about creating your book’s cover design?

While Outskirts Press designed the interior PDF, I chose to handle the cover differently. My sister asked a graphic artist friend to help come up with something special. Between the two of them, my cover was birthed. A cover that has been the subject of several online discussions because of the mostly white background and the question about the sunglasses. Are they mine or do they belong to my late husband?

Do you have any regrets?

Am I sorry I used a vanity press? No. The book is awesome looking. I am proud of it. And somehow for a gal who didn’t know the first thing about writing or publishing I got it done. In April 2010 my first box of books arrived and later that summer I took my book on my first blog tour with WOW! Women on Writing. The Unfaithful Widow placed as a finalist in the 2011 USA Best Book Awards. I’ve made incredible friends through my widow memoir. I think I have the man upstairs to thank for helping me find the right path to follow.

Over time I learned more about the real world of self-publishing, so my fictional naughty thriller (yes, every gal needs one) was self-published in 2014 under my imprint Gilbert Street Press, as was my picture book A Dog Dreams of Paris in 2015. My sister does my design work and has the patience of a saint because I am always correcting something. And while I say self-publishing, she is the genius behind how my books look. I’d be lost without her. Sometimes she takes on another client. Her company is  PD King Design. But don’t get in my way, I’ve got another book in the works, and I get priority!

After the book is completed, my sister loads it up to Amazon and Kindle. Originally, she did this through Create Space which is now Kindle Direct Publishing. There other avenues for self-publishing, but I’ve been happy going this route and amazed at the help they offer if we hit a snag.

From your experience, it sounds like self-publishing was a good decision

I love self-publishing because I have a total vision in my head when I see a story, from the written word to the final product. It’s about control (I’m a Leo, you know how they are) and the excitement of figuring out what works, what doesn’t. The only vanity this time is mine, wanting to have the best-looking book I can.

Writing, editing, and publishing. I’m still learning. Aren’t we all as writers? The most wonderful process of putting words on paper is a never-ending joy. Self-publishing is my way of doing it. If a famous agent shows interest, well, call me. We’ll talk. Just remember, I’m seventy-one now and can’t wait forever!

About Barbara Barth

Author, blogger, sometimes antique dealer, dog hoarder, bedazzled by life. Widowed eleven years ago, Barth writes about finding a creative path back to happiness. Her recent move to a 1906 historic cottage brought many surprises, including discovering the Monroe–Walton Center for the Arts where she started the monthly Walton Writers group and is on the MWCA Board as Literary Arts Chair. Barth is a contributor to Walton Living Magazine and a former blogger for The Balancing Act, Lifetime Television’s morning show for women. Currently she lives with six dogs, rescue dogs that rescued her. Visit her website here.  Her books are available on Amazon and Kindle. To visit Barbara’s author page, click here .