Dopamine distractions and talking about my book in the WILD
Self-publishing updates, including project costs 💸
Hi! If you’re new to Heartbeats, welcome. I’m Mariah, and I write about motherhood, creativity, and the messy, beautiful process of becoming. This is part of a new series about my debut novel, The Pattern Shop, where I share detailed excerpts and behind-the-scenes info from my self-publishing journey! 📝
Hello.
I’ve been nose down, revising THE PATTERN SHOP, working with an editor to make it cleaner and stronger, which is exciting and also a little isolating. Editing isn’t instantly gratifying or visible work.
It’s been hard not to distract myself with quick little dopamine hits on social media, just to remind myself and others that, “I’m still here! I still exist! Don’t forget me!”
It’s wild to be a creative in the era of viral content and fast-paced feeds. I keep reminding myself that the kind of deep focus that leads to lasting art—the kind that will hopefully outlive me is worth going radio silent for a bit. There’s a difference between attention (short-lived) and connection, which is what I want to share with you.
In fact, that’s what’s at the heart of THE PATTERN SHOP—Eleanorah’s search for belonging.
When her childhood home catches on fire and her parents announce their divorce just before she graduates from nursing school, both her past and carefully calculated future go up in flames. Despite her best efforts, she fails to save her family or her patients, and finally realizes something has to change. Packing a mustard-colored backpack, Eleanorah travels from Ecuador to France, and the one place she swore she’d never go back, searching for a place or person to call home.
Eleanorah smoothed her hair, making an effort to exhale all of the perfumes she’d previously worn—dried lavender and vegetables stewing in an earthenware tagine. The waft of Spanish wine that greeted nostrils just before the glass grazed soft, open lips. The memories convinced her she was alive.
But it didn’t make up for the loss. That was sharp, penetrating. There were breadcrumbs scattered across continents but she wasn’t sure where they led, or where her body was in relation to her heart.
THE PATTERN SHOP is a book for anyone who’s ever felt lost—in their chosen career, a relationship with love but no substance, or a family that tries to clip their wings.
It’s a story for the misfits with stubborn curiosity who ask too many questions, who can’t seem to quell their wanderlust or belief that there’s more to life than this.
Most importantly, it’s for the ones who encourage us to fly, despite the risk.
“With great love comes great freedom. It’s important to remember where we’ve come from, Ellie. Even if we choose not to go back,” he paused. “The patterns show us who we used to be and who we can become. That’s why I’m giving your grandmother this gift. When we truly love someone we must give them wings to fly and trust they will find their way back to us, even if it’s in a new form.”
She looked again at the butterfly in her hands.
Would she ever have a pair of wings that belonged just to her? Or someone who loved her enough to let her go?
These themes of belonging, transformation, and finding courage to claim your own path are what I hope resonate beyond the social media scroll. Speaking of which, a lot has been happening behind the scenes this month!
Keep reading for all the details on how to self-publish a debut literary fiction novel (including cost breakdowns and lessons I’m learning the hard way).
Self-publishing updates
Completed! ✅
Talking about my book in the wild
I’m realizing talking about my book in writing is WAY different than talking about it in person with friends. In fact, I botched this so badly recently, a friend thought I was writing a non-fiction book about philosophy!
The lesson? Practice makes perfect. I’ve started telling everyone I know that I’m a writer and trying different ways to talk about THE PATTERN SHOP in the wild.
Total cost: Free, but excruciatingly embarrassing.
Figuring out fair use/copyright licensing
I had a free 30-minute consultation with a law firm that works with fair use and copyright issues for authors. I had quite a few song lyrics and some poetry quoted throughout the manuscript, and after talking through the risks, I removed all of the song lyrics and kept literary quotations brief.
Total cost: Free!
In Progress 🔄️
Edits
I’ve wrapped up all developmental edits with a freelance editor I hired on Reedsy, and we’ll hopefully be starting line edits soon! Our initial goal was to wrap up all edits by the end of October, but we hit a bit of a communication snafu when I let two weeks lapse without following up in between getting her feedback on the final chapters.
I’m still learning how to be collaborative while setting boundaries and taking this project and my chosen deadline (early December!) seriously. As Caroline in the Garden mentioned in her letter about producing an indie album, it’s a bit of a learning curve managing others. Overall, I’ve really enjoyed working with my editor and her feedback has been invaluable.
Total cost for developmental + line edits: $1650
Interior Design/Typesetting
I’ve started designing the interior of the book—including the title page, copyright and fiction disclaimer, as well as the dedication and author’s note. I also finished the back cover copy! It’s making everything feel real.
For now, my goal is to do the interior design/typesetting myself, using Reedsy’s free templates. We’ll see how it goes! Sometimes the hardest part of writing is actually the formatting, and if it starts to feel like hell, I might hire someone to do it.
Total cost: Free, for now 😬
Headshots
I’m getting headshots for the book done this weekend! This feels really special as I’m driving to Knoxville to meet a friend who’s also a photographer for the first time in person. We were in a creative group coaching cohort a few years ago, when I was still working on THE PATTERN SHOP, so having her do my photos feels really full circle and lovely.
Total cost: $375
Next Steps ✏️
Acting like a real writer (aka taking myself seriously as an author)
One of my goals this year was to “put myself in the company of other writers,” whether that meant going to a writer’s conference, attending author events, or finding writing buddies to swap query letters.
I’m SO excited to be attending a local event for alixeharrow (one of my favorite authors!) for her new release, The Everlasting. I think one of the best ways we can learn to master our craft is by being in proximity to others who are also mastering theirs.
Total cost: $43.70 for the event + book = WORTH IT
Figuring out pricing for each version of THE PATTERN SHOP
I’ve decided on pricing for each version of the book (paperback, hardback, and ebook) and am going to set up a Shopify account that will have them all available for purchase.
Since this is a debut book and it’s a bit on the lighter side at 67k words (which puts me in the company of Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit and The Great Gatsby), I’m pricing slightly below classic literary fiction. Here’s what I’m thinking:
Ebook- $4.99
Paperback- $14.99
Hardback- $24.99
I’m also adding an option for signed copies, which will probably be a little more.
Choosing an e-commerce platform
One thing I learned when researching platforms was that most retail platforms (including IngramSpark) take a HUGE cut from the sale and it’s significantly more profitable to “hand sell” your own copies rather than relying on Amazon or others. This means I can also sell signed copies with personalized notes, which I’m really excited about! 😊
Total cost: Shopify Basic account (for 3 months) $117
Additional costs
Cover design $825
ISBN’s (10 pack) $295
Author copies (likely ordered from IngramSpark) $500
Merch (stickers/bookmarks) $200
IngramSpark set up $50
Total estimated project cost: $4,012
What else would you like to know about this process or the book? I’d love to hear your feedback, questions, and pro tips, if you have any! Leave a comment below or join us in the Weekly Heartbeats’ Writers Chat!
Thanks for all of your encouragement along the way. Sharing the journey with you has made it that much sweeter.
All my love,
Mariah
P.S. Want a taste of the book’s vibe? Listen along to the playlists I made for each chapter on Spotify below! 🎶
I'm hoping to self-pub next year, so this is so valuable to hear! Thanks for sharing and best of luck <3
This is so useful to me as I've be toying with the idea of putting a book together based on the essays I've written. Thank you for being so transparent about the process!