No, Self-Publishing Does Not Have to Be Expensive.

Seven years ago, I read something that made me angry enough to write a whole book refuting it: a braggadocious article from an online dude-bro “guru” talking about how he spent TEN GRAND to self-publish his book. He went on to detail everything he spent money on — having, naturally, hired out every single aspect of book production and hired only the best. Good for him! But what left a sour taste in my mouth at the time was the implication that this is the entry bar for successful self-publishing.

Having already self-published a number of books for, uh, substantially less money (in most cases, zero dollars), I wanted to make sure aspiring indie authors knew that self-publishing a publishing-house-quality book does not have to be an expensive undertaking. So I wrote a book about how to get it done on a tight, or even a non-existent, budget. While it hasn’t exactly been a best seller, it has helped a number of people over the years who were on the fence about whether to take the plunge and self-publish. And as far as I know, those people have no regrets.

A lot has changed in the publishing landscape since I published this book (which you can still purchase here, and you can get the audio version here or listen to it on Audible). Even more resources have come out that have made self-publishing even easier and more affordable. I’ve been wanting to update this book and release a second edition for a couple of years now, but it’s kept getting put on the back burner.

Until now. The time feels right to tackle this project, and I’m going to do it right here on Substack, revising each chapter and posting them here as I go, free to read for my subscribers and the Substack community.

If all goes well, after that’s done, we’ll shift the focus to book marketing, as well as highlighting new and changing resources as the self-publishing industry continues to grow and flourish. So whether you’re indeed a broke author, you’ve got a little money to invest, or you’re able to bankroll an entire team to whip your book into shape, if self-publishing is your goal, you’ll probably find something here that will help.

So subscribe if you want to come along this journey with me, and let’s see where it goes.

Who am I? I’m Jean Marie Bauhaus, author of thirteen self-published books (besides this one). I barely spent any money to produce or publish any of them. I’m currently publishing serial fiction and short stories right here on Substack at Through a Glass, Darkly. I’m also a freelance writer and editor with more years of experience than I’d like to mention. And I want to help writers achieve their dreams without going broke or in debt to do it.