# 5 Big Lies That Stopped Me from Publishing My First Book

*2026-06-04 · by Bookworthy Team · The Bookworthy Blog*

*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](/#notify) and be first in line when Bookworthy opens.

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Bookworthy is a free Shopify app that turns any store into a self-publishing house: authors upload a manuscript, set their price, and every copy is printed and shipped on demand — while they keep their customer data, content rights, and margin.

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