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Elizabeth Aman's avatar

I'm hoping to self-pub next year, so this is so valuable to hear! Thanks for sharing and best of luck <3

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Mariah Friend's avatar

You're so welcome! I was totally intimidated at first (still kinda am?) but taking it step by step and hiring some experts to help has really made it so much more doable! What kind of book are you hoping to self-pub?

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Elizabeth Aman's avatar

I'm trying to do as much of it as I can myself, but I think hiring an editor will be the one thing I pay for!! I'm hoping to pub a cozy sci-fi novel! The rough draft is baaaasically finished, and hopefully I can do several round of edits and get it published by the end of next year! (Might be ambitious.)

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Caroline in the Garden's avatar

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!

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Mariah Friend's avatar

That’s so exciting! I love all the ways we can make our work more tangible. Let me know if there’s any way I can help!

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Caroline in the Garden's avatar

I will thank you!

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Sarah Shotts (they/them)'s avatar

Always exciting to see how a self pub book comes to life! Be sure to let me know when this is live. I tend to hibernate a lot from socials & blogs in winter months, but I want to be sure and help you hype!

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Mariah Friend's avatar

Thank you so much, that means a lot! And I totally get it, my plan is to take most of December off and then focus on more of the marketing next year. Still finding my rhythm, but excited to experiment with gentle perseverance and sacred collaboration! 🦋

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Maria's avatar

I am self publishing too and have been nervous about it, but I have a designer to help me and then an editor once I'm ready for that! My book is mostly art, but still wordy some. I hope it brings joy to others! Thanks for sharing this, it's really helpful! Good luck with your book!

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Mariah Friend's avatar

Thanks Maria! Exciting about your book, too! What kind of art is it? I love a good coffee table book with all the beautiful visuals. Do you have a pub date you're aiming for?

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Maria's avatar

Hi Mariah! Thank you so much! The art is watercolors and gouache. There will be inspiring quotes by others (the copyright stuff has been quite the research to make sure everything is safe to use), and also an interactive section! Its been fun, though, collaborating with others on the interactive section! Its set to release in April! Im excited for your book and can't wait to hear more about it as you share with us! Thank you so much!

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Mariah Friend's avatar

That sounds really cool! Especially the quotes part. Make sure to share all the info with us when you're ready to publish!

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Maria's avatar

Thank you! Absolutely!!!❤️❤️❤️

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Rainbow Roxy's avatar

Wow, the part about dopamine hits vs. deep focus is so real, I totally get that strugle, it's brutal.

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