Traditional vs. Self-Publishing
Knowing how much I wanted to be a children’s picture book author, my daughter sent me a link for a free training. Jack Canfield (https://www.jackcanfield.com), and Miriam Laundry (https://miriamlaundry.com) provided the training. To say that both presenters were inspiring and motivating would be an understatement.
Jack Canfield inspired us as new authors and shared his journey as a best selling author. He provided several exercises telling us to visualize our completed book, focus on what we want, and how to use affirmations in our success journey.
Miriam Laundry inspired us with the success of her children’s books. Miriam is also a Guinness Book of World Record holder. She briefly discussed the 3 pillars of the program which are: writing, publishing and marketing children’s books. As part of this training, Miriam explained the pros and cons of traditional publishing and self-publishing. This started me thinking, maybe I was going about this all wrong and maybe self-publishing was something that I should seriously consider. With self-publishing I would be able to keep all of the rights to my story. I would be making all of the decisions regarding writing, illustrating and publishing my book. I decided to learn more and I signed up for the Picture Book Master Class (https://bit.ly/3xeEI5h).
Children’s Book Master Class
The 10-week CBM program did not disappoint. There were many things that I did not understand about writing, publishing and marketing a children’s book. I found the program to be very helpful and I decided that I would self-publish my children’s book with the help of the Miriam Laundry Publishing Mastermind.
If you are hearing nothing but silence from traditional publishers, you might want to consider self-publishing. I highly recommend the Children’s Book Master Class and will be sharing more about it in future posts.
Jane Friedman (https://www.janefriedman.com/key-book-publishing-path/) who is an author, has an excellent infographic that briefly explains all of the publishing options. There are many varieties of traditional publishing and self-publishing. Jane encourages you to decide which path is best for you based on your goals and career level. For me this was a great way to learn about the different publishing options. The infographic is clear, concise and even color-coded.
This week I challenge you to think about your publishing options. You may find an option that works for you.
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I also attended the free class with Miriam and Jack. Your article is very helpful. Here is what I thought about the class:
Jack Canfield really made me think about what I’ve been denying for a long time: that story is my creative nature. He made me think that I am missing a great deal in life about myself by not taking seriously the path of becoming an author.
The class was helpful, but because it didn’t give me a much better idea of what it takes to self-publish, I wouldn’t buy the course. I wouldn’t spend the money on the course without a much better idea of that, and the possible money it may take to publish a book.
It was also off-putting that there was no one to ask questions to, and that the webinar had poor sound quality at times. Those things detracted and did not help me to be convinced to purchase the course.
I think Miriam could do alot more to immediately increase her sales and to serve her potential clients better.
Leslie,
I am sorry to learn that your experience with the Children’s Book Master Class was not optimum. I am happy to hear that you are seriously thinking about becoming a children’s book author. If you have questions you can contact Miriam. I know that she would be happy to explain the program to you in more detail and address any concerns or questions you have. Thank you for sharing your comments.
Just wondering-if I am already in the midst of writing an adult fiction, would it make more sense to put off taking this course until after I complete the adult fiction?
TIA
Hi Laura,
Thank you for your question. I am glad you found the article helpful. Writing a picture book is very different than writing adult fiction. Since picture books are new to you, I would recommend waiting until you complete the adult fiction project. Miriam is very organized and there is a great deal to learn from her. I think it is best you give each project your full attention. Please let me know if I can be of any further help.