I gave birth to the idea before Mico came into the world. When I publish this book, illustrated by my husband (who goes by the single letter R on this blog), I will be a third generation writer. So, you could say I'm joining the family business. Pulikottils eat spicy seafood, and write.
I started my first blog when I was fourteen-years-old. I edited my high school year book and newspaper. I wrote articles for other newspapers in high school and college. I've maintained a journal for close to two decades now. I always knew I'd get into publishing at some point in my life but my son, Mico, has motivated me to turn my idea into a reality. I want the book to be published before he's able to use it himself so that gives me a few years. However, publishing a book is a time consuming effort. Here's how my personal project is going so far:
05/28/2019 - I pitched the idea to my parents - two Malayalees who left Kerala in their twenties and raised kids abroad i.e., my market. They recognized the value, and agreed to help me see this project to fruition.
06/05/2019 - I started a Google Doc to create the content. I wrote the English text so my parents could provide the translations.
06/15/2019 - I started researching the cost of self-publishing a book. The publishing world isn't entirely new to me. My dad is a writer, and my parents own a small publishing company. I helped select paper, proof-read manuscripts, and fulfill orders when I was a kid. I know that my final cost will involve the following line items:
- Printing costs (with a minimum order of 500-1000 copies)
- Shipping costs (from the press to my door step)
- Packaging costs (envelopes, bubble wrap, and labels)
- Shipping costs (from my door step to yours)
- Marketing
I've requested quotes from a few online companies already. I'm looking at an investment of $2500-$5000 based on the number of copies, if I want to print a children's board book. My options are limited if I'm adamant about printing a board book as there aren't many self-publishers for this medium. I'm slightly hesitant to have a garage full of children's books because I'd be more involved with the inventory management and distribution. If I'm willing to compromise on the medium, I could self-publish through Amazon. I haven't decided which route is best for our little book.
06/30/2019 - R started working on the illustrations. He's working on different styles, and how we can maximize each of the pages.
I'm usually a fast learner who fails a lot. Having a baby and pursuing my first big writing endeavor are both teaching me to take small steps, and grow sustainably. Every time I work on this project, it adds energy to my day, which is how I know I'm doing the right thing.
Stay tuned for more updates!