Is Self-Publishing Worth All the Effort? My 5-Year Journey

If you’re new to self-publishing or have been doing it for a while, you might be wondering if the journey is worth the time and effort. I’m here to share my 5-year experience in the world of self-publishing, highlighting the challenges, rewards, and what to expect if you’re considering a similar path.

My Journey

I began self-publishing in December 2019. Initially, I started with high-content books before transitioning to low-content books about a year later. Over the past 18 months, I’ve focused on children's books, and the experience has been both challenging and fulfilling. In addition to publishing books, I’ve also developed a global self-publishing business, offering courses on Udemy and Skillshare, and have expanded to different platforms like IngramSpark and Draft2Digital.

Publishing wide has been key to my growth. While I primarily published initially on Amazon KDP, distributing through IngramSpark has allowed my books to reach a broader audience, including libraries, universities, and brick-and-mortar stores that Amazon doesn’t cover. This kind of exposure opens up incredible opportunities for anyone willing to put in the work.

Self-Publishing and the 'FREEDOM' Factor

Self-publishing provides the freedom to create and distribute your books across multiple formats. Whether you want to create paperback, hardback, ebook, or even audiobooks, the possibilities are endless. If you’re ambitious, you can even translate your books into multiple languages, extending your reach globally with just one piece of content.

For me, the ability to work remotely from home is another major perk. With a laptop, I can create books, explore new niches, and adjust my publishing strategy from anywhere. This flexibility makes the journey worth the effort, especially if you can turn your passion for writing into a consistent source of passive income.

The Challenges

However, self-publishing isn’t without its difficulties. One of the biggest hurdles is visibility. Simply uploading your book to platforms like Amazon KDP doesn’t guarantee sales. You need to invest time and effort in marketing and advertising to ensure your book gets noticed. Amazon ads are a powerful tool in this regard, but they come with their own learning curve and cost considerations.

Another challenge is competition. Particularly in niches that are easier to enter—like low-content books such as journals or puzzle books—standing out can be tough. The more competitive the niche, the more creative and strategic you need to be with your keywords, advertising, and pricing.

The Financial Reality

During my first year of self-publishing, I generated around $10,000 in revenue. However, after factoring in the costs of ads, I netted about $7,000. It was a considerable amount of work to achieve this, and the early months were especially tough—selling fewer than 25 books. But as my catalog grew and I received more reviews, my sales picked up. 5 Years later and the book royalties exceed $85,000 (USD) annually and this includes my Amazon Advertising costs. These royalties come from the following sources:

1. Amazon KDP (30%)
2. IngramSpark (50%)
3. Draft2Digital (10%)
4. Findaway Voices (10%)

This highlights an important lesson: self-publishing is a long game. It takes time for your books to gain traction and build an organic following. Results may not come in Year 1 or 2, but with time and persistence, the results will flow for years to come when publishing great books.

As an example, I've had two books that I published in 2020. Book copies sold would not have exceeded more than 50 in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023, but this year, book copies sold for that one book have already exceeded 2,000! I'm not sure how or why, but it shows that you never know which book might start being your next Best-Seller!

Expanding Beyond Books

Self-publishing has also opened doors to other opportunities. Over the past few years, I’ve expanded into course creation, coaching, and even book cover design. Helping others on their publishing journey has been incredibly rewarding, and it’s allowed me to grow my business in new directions.

One of the most fulfilling aspects of this journey has been seeing the success of my students. With over 40,000 people enrolled in my courses across platforms like Udemy, Skillshare, and Thinkific, I’ve had the privilege of helping countless individuals realize their publishing goals. Forming friendships and connections with other KDP experts in the industry, like Paul Marles and Chris RayDog, has also been a huge bonus.

What’s Next?

Looking ahead, I plan to dive back into publishing more books, something I’ve missed while focusing on my courses. Additionally, I’m continuing to expand my global self-publishing business, taking on more coaching clients and helping authors improve their publishing strategy.

For those of you starting or already on this journey, remember that persistence is key. If you’re passionate about writing, self-publishing offers an amazing opportunity to turn that passion into a sustainable source of income. The road may be long, but the rewards—both financial and personal—make it all worth it.

If you’d like to learn more, I’ve got plenty of free resources, including a KDP FastTrack course, available on my website, www.globalselfpublishing.com.

Watch this on YouTube HERE​

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Follow the below steps to take advantage of the offer:

Step 1: Visit the course homepage here: https://publishing-accelerator.thinkific.com​

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Step 3: 25% will be discounted from the price and will be available for you to purchase and access.

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Wishing you all the best with your self-publishing

Kind Regards,

Romney

Founder - Global Self-Publishing