Try Publishing Yourself- An Artist's Story of Moving From Outsourcing to Taking Control of Publishing

Try Publishing Yourself - An Artist's Story of Moving From Outsourcing to Taking Control of Publishing

​I never imagined becoming a children's book author from the beginning.
I have always thought of myself as an artist and an art teacher, and I have lived with a clear identity.
I have drawn pictures, taught children, and held exhibitions in the local area,
and communicated with the world through the language of "visual art."

However, I have always hesitated when it comes to the word "author."

Because I was an immigrant, and it felt like being an author required perfect writing.

I had a vague sense of burden about writing stories in English, doubts about each sentence,
and the thought, "How dare I?" always lingering in the back of my mind.

Despite all this, I really loved writing.
Since I was young, writing has been a part of my life, and when I started blogging,
I discovered the joy of sharing my inner voice with the world.

Storytelling is the fuel of drawing
While teaching drawing to children, I came to realize how important storytelling is. Without a story when drawing,
the drawing ends up being just a technical imitation.

Many artists copy others’ work or work based on photographs.

However, true creation begins with one’s own story.

In that sense, storytelling is creative fuel,
the ‘spark’ that keeps the drawing alive.

This realization led me to graduate school at Adelphi University to study storytelling in earnest.

And the first result was a book called *Hello, My Robin*.

At first, publishing was not my goal.
At that time, the book was just a mid-term assignment for my master’s degree.

However, Professor Stephanie Boggs, who read this story, showed me a new door called publishing.

Even now, the professor’s encouragement gave me great courage,
and thanks to that, I published my first book despite my fears.

Outsourced editing, and later regret
At first, I was so scared,
so I made the drawings and text into PDF files and outsourced them to an external editing company. And it literally cost me $500.

However, after some time had passed since publication,
I discovered a serious sentence error in the first chapter of the book.

“Dad put a new red birdhouse on that branch. to show it to his son.”

It was a small point,
but that one sentence broke the flow, interrupted my immersion,
and above all, left me with regret that I had not reviewed it myself.

Since then, I have done everything myself.
Now, I do all the work of the book myself—planning, writing, drawing, editing, creating PDFs, uploading, and even responding to errors.

Through that process, I truly felt that I was “becoming a writer.”

Of course, it was difficult and complicated at first,
but there is definitely a world that you can only know by doing it yourself.

It’s like the ‘materiality of creation’ that you can’t feel from any YouTube video or lecture.

What is a margin?

Why is bleed important?

Why should text be at least 0.375 inches from the margin?

How do you deal with error reports from KDP?

Why do colors look different in print?

You really have to experience all of this to learn it.

Self-publishing is a competitive market.
Amazon is literally a showcase for authors from all over the world.

With tens of thousands of books being posted every day,
it’s never easy to get your book chosen.

That’s why I learned that writing a book isn’t just about writing pretty words,
but about continuously developing, analyzing, and communicating with readers.

Doing it yourself makes you faster and more flexible.
If you outsource it, it takes more than a week to publish a picture book,

but if I have the manuscript and illustrations ready, I can publish it in a day.

I can edit it whenever I want,
and it’s much faster and more free because I’m not relying on outside parties.

And the greatest sense of accomplishment

When I finished a book,
the feeling of "I did it from beginning to end" was greater and deeper.

Through publishing, I grew as a writer,
and I felt a sense of mission to expand storytelling to the local community.

Now, I share this experience in various ways, such as a summer book camp with children,
an exhibition in conjunction with a local library,
and a picture book project that I write and create with students.

In closing,
If you were afraid because it was your first time, I would like to tell you that I was too.

And if you are afraid now, I think it is okay to get help from someone at first.

But try it yourself someday.

There is a world that you can only know by doing it yourself,
and an inner growth that you can only experience by doing it yourself.

Start with a picture book, with your own hands.
It can change more than you think.

✅ Amazon KDP Picture Book Publishing Steps

1. Complete Your Manuscript and Illustrations
   Finish your story and hand-drawn or digital artwork.
2. Create the Interior File (PDF)
   Format your pages to the correct trim size, include bleed if needed, and export as a print-ready PDF.
3. Design the Full Cover
   Combine the front cover, spine, and back cover into one complete cover file with correct dimensions and bleed.
4. Create or Log In to Your KDP Account
   Visit kdp.amazon.com to sign up or log in.
5. Enter Book Details
   Add your title, subtitle, author name, description, keywords, categories, and language.
6. Upload Interior and Cover Files
   Submit your print-ready PDF for the interior and the cover file (PDF or JPEG) to KDP.
7. Preview and Check for Errors
   Use KDP’s Print Previewer to catch bleed, margin, or text placement issues before submitting.
8. Set Pricing and Distribution
   Choose your royalty options, set the list price, and select distribution channels (Amazon.com, .uk, .jp, etc.).
9. Submit for Review and Approval
   KDP will review your files—this usually takes 24–72 hours.
10. Your Book is Now Live on Amazon!
    Once approved, your book will be available for sale. You can track sales and royalties through your dashboard.