Self-publishing…when does it become a serious endeavor?

When I started this process, I thought of it as a bit of a lark. I had Mum’s typed airmail pages burning a hole in my subconscious and had mentally committed to doing SOMETHING with these stories. Eventually.

When I met Barbara and she agreed to take on the task of adding a few illustrations to Mum’s imaginings, I envisaged a few ivy leaves here and there and a little mouse in the corners of the pages. I had no idea how Mum’s musings would be transformed and brought to life by Barbara’s creativity.

So now I had SOMETHING. What was supposed to be a lark now required time and money and a steep learning curve about book production.

Of course, the best thing about this whole process is not the accomplishment of selling a few books, or even the thrill of hearing from a child how much they enjoy reading about Henry’s adventures. The real prize in all of this was the look of utter amazement and disbelief on Mum’s face when I presented her with the first one-off edition, printed by Blurb.

She had no idea that 20 years on I still had the stories. She had no idea I’d decided to find an illustrator and make an actual book.

The reward for me is knowing I’ve given my Mum a massive sense of accomplishment- in her eighties!  To bring her that sense of joy is the best reward and convinced me this project was now more than just a lark.

Now if only I can figure out how to link Facebook to Instagram my life will be complete!!