5 Big Lies That Stopped Me from Publishing My First Book

A first-person story from one of Bookworthy's founders.

The evening sun beamed through the living room window, highlighting the edges of everything in its path. I was only 12 years old, but the beauty overwhelmed me. I took a piece of paper and a pen and poured my heart out, stringing together words to capture what I was feeling.

That is one of millions of memories I have of loving creative writing. As I grew up, I dreamt of being a published author. I imagined my name printed on the cover of a book, and the moment my family and friends would say they were proud of me.

The years came and went. Soon I was in my late twenties, married, about to become a mom — and I had never written that book. I knew I was created to write. And yet I believed lies that smothered the passion that once motivated me.

Anybody who dreams of self-publishing has faced these lies. I want to name them, so that when you hear a voice whispering them to you, you can answer with the truth about what you are actually capable of.

1. "My content isn't good enough to be published"

A few years into college, I began writing my first novel. I could never get past the fourth chapter. I overthought every detail, wondering what people I admired would think of what I had written. The fear of people not liking my story was more powerful than the passion I had to finish.

I gave up before I ever really got started.

I belittled my work and answered on behalf of others before giving them a chance to form an opinion. The truth is that other people will have opinions about your work — that is the point. Authors give the world something to talk about and a reason to connect. You cannot please everyone, but your work is worth it for the people who are moved by it.

2. "I'm not qualified to be published"

I never finished college. I had no professional writing experience and no credentials after my name, and I feared no one would take me seriously.

If you can tell a story, you are qualified for the task.

We can't define ourselves by someone else's perceived value. People understand experience. Whether or not you are credentialed, people are storytellers — and authors are simply storytellers who finished.

3. "Writing isn't a real job"

One of my high school teachers told me a poetry book would never pay the bills. That sentence shocked my heart with a sharpness that never left, and for years it boxed me in: do the "real" work everyone expects, not the creative work you were made for.

As long as I believed the lie, I couldn't see the opportunities on the other side of it.

Be careful which voices you give weight to. Pursue your passion even if you have to keep the day job to do it — and let the impact of your words, not your bank account, be the measure.

4. "I can't understand the publishing process"

When my husband and I finally began to research publishing, I believed it was all about who you know. One of my first phone calls with an agent left me deflated — he listed my lack of clout and my young age as reasons not to represent me. Self-publishing was newer then, and good information was scarce. We felt lost.

I believed publishing was for A-listers, and I wasn't one of them.

The truth: learning comes through experience, and the learning curve is rideable. Today there is more information — and better tools — than ever. Don't let the fear of the unknown decide for you.

5. "Actually writing a book is too hard for me"

Even when I started the book that became my first published title, writing was a wrestling match with myself. I sat in front of the computer defeated. I told my husband we were wasting our time. I wanted to quit so many times.

I became a published author anyway.

Some days you will write chapters. Other days, a line or two. On the hardest days you will stare at a blank page. But just by showing up you send fear a message: you are going to persevere until you achieve your dream.

Believe that your story is worth publishing

Once I pushed past these lies I felt a sense of freedom — I finally believed my story was worth publishing. Since then I have written more than ten books.

It took me hundreds of hours (and plenty of mistakes) to figure out self-publishing the hard way. That is exactly why we are building Bookworthy — so you can publish and sell your book from your own store without the roadblocks we hit.

Your story is worth publishing. Join the launch list and be first in line when Bookworthy opens.