Publish-It-Yourself is just like “Do-It-Yourself” before computers. Back when I was a new homeowner, I spent many off-work hours doing it myself—our household plumbing, our garage, basement, and backyard. I gave this up when I got hooked on doing computer stuff because I discovered I was less likely to cause damage to myself and others and because all those trips to the hardware store—to pick up what I forgot the last time or replace what I’d broken—got expensive. Like the guy in the picture, I exchanged my DIY’er tools for PIY’er tools.

Luckily, I knew my way around a word processing program and loved to read, so the transition was fairly painless. And I’d had some experience working for an actual publisher, so I had a basic idea of how books are made.

Enter print-on-demand. Now, the economics of making and selling books became doable because you did not need to use up your life saving printing a garageful of books, hoping you could find someone to buy them. Print-on-demand means you can print books one at a time, as you sell them.

You can absolutely learn and accomplish everything required to publish your own books on your own. And the first time around, you should keep at it until you succeed. You will then be able to say you are a published author. How about that?

Sooner or later, you will see that publishing is a collaborative art form and craft, like movies. There are freelancers and professional groups all around, and at every price-point, who can help. A good place to start looking is Reedsy.com or just by searching book editors or book printers. When you’re ready, getting a little help is the way to go. Maintain your independence, but with some help from experts. Join a community like ALLi, the Alliance of Independent Authors. Commune with other self-publishers as a supporter of Joanna Penn on Patreon. Help is all around. But publish-it-yourself first. The experience and thrill of meeting someone for the first time and saying “Oh me? I’m a published author” can’t be beat.