Indie Publishing is both thrilling and daunting. Here are the top five things I learned.
1. It’s Scary Out There When You’re Publishing Your First Book
Publishing your first book feels a bit like bungee jumping without checking if the cord is attached. The fear of the unknown can be paralyzing, but it’s also exhilarating. The key is to jump anyway and enjoy the ride.
2. It’s Important to ‘Connect’ with Your Publisher
Finding the right publisher is like finding a good therapist. You need someone who understands you, supports you, and occasionally tells you when you’re being a bit crazy. Amy was my rock through the process, providing both professional guidance and emotional support.
3. Have Fun
Remember why you started this journey in the first place. For me, it was my love of photography and the desire to share my vision of France. Keeping the joy alive in your work makes the challenges worth it.
4. No Matter How Good You Think You Are, You Still Need an Editor
Even the best photographers need someone to point out when a picture is slightly out of focus or when the contrast needs adjusting. Similarly, even the best writers need an editor to help refine their work. Accepting feedback gracefully is crucial.
5. Social Media is Your ‘Friend’
In today’s digital age, social media is an invaluable tool for promoting your work. It’s a platform to connect with potential readers and buyers, share your journey, and build a community around your book. Embrace it, even if it feels a bit overwhelming at first.
My husband and I moved to France circa 1988. He would leave for work, and I would get on the train headed to Paris with my camera, a backpack filled with film and the Paris Metro map. I loved Paris! There wasn’t a thing I didn’t enjoy. Having no sense of direction, I would often get lost but being blessed with a curious nature, all I wanted to do was explore every inch of Paris and her surrounding towns!
Having amassed hundreds of black and white photos in the 12.5 years we lived there, I had been given many opportunities to display my work. However, lacking the self-confidence needed and being a master at self-sabotage, they remained as contact sheets with their strips of film in binders.
That is until I moved to Florida and joined Toastmasters. I wanted and needed that confidence that Toastmasters is famously known for. To have the ability to stand up in front of an audience and give a speech was something I had never even dreamed or thought about until I attended my first meeting. Like magic, a whole new world of possibilities and endless opportunities became available to me if I chose to open the door. And having repeatedly heard “If your dreams don’t scare you, they’re not big enough,” the gush of wind on my face as I opened the door was so exhilarating and scary!
For years I thought of putting my photos in a book but who would want to look at a bunch of black and white photos that had been taken and developed so many years ago. But with a newly gained confidence I knew I could self-publish my own Photo Book. How hard could it be? I started attending “YouTube University” and taking copious notes from 12- and 15-year-olds explaining the steps to self-publishing. They made it sound like it was as easy as making toast! They lied!
Five years ago, being diagnosed with ADHD explained how I could fall down a rabbit hole faster than Alice in Alice in Wonderland. A lack of patience and focus with a tendency for deep depression were also roadblocks. The medication prescribed did not make things any better. Knowing this, those kids were off the hook, but I needed help, and a lot of it!
But as the ancient Chinese proverb goes, “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” I was more than ready, and the teacher did indeed appear.
I was introduced to Len Tran, an author from Virginia in a Toastmasters meeting and afterward asked him many questions about self-publishing. He answered them all and gladly gave me the name of his publisher. Amy M Le, a Vietnamese author, had started her own indie publishing company called “Quill Hawk Publishing” only a year and a half earlier.
I immediately contacted her and set to work putting my photos, locations and quotes, together. After a few weeks, knowing my new photo book was absolutely perfect, I emailed it to Amy. She was so supportive and gentle with me when she returned it with necessary revisions. One of the revisions was to make my fonts justified. Fonts need to be justified? Why? Justification aligns text evenly along both margins, creating a clean and professional look.
I didn’t cry or go into a depression. I accepted her critique with aplomb (Thank you Toastmasters), and immediately set to work on all her suggestions. In between many revisions were emails and texts, tears shed, a few (?) glasses of wine imbibed, and many times wanting to give up my dream of a photo book, she kept telling me it was all about the process of putting a book together, that if you still have a full head of hair at the end, you did okay. And Amy was right!
So, there you have it – my journey through the wild world of indie publishing. I still have a full head of hair and my book “The Beauty of Imperfection” was published July of 2023. It’s been a rollercoaster of emotions, a test of patience, and a tremendous learning experience. And if my story inspires just one person to take that leap and publish their work, then every frustrating moment will have been worth it. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a font to justify and a social media post to draft. Cheers to the next adventure!
About Cathy Gorgensen
Ever since Cathy Waite-Gorgensen got her first “Real Camera,” she has been passionate about photography, and her life’s journey after that moment has offered her countless opportunities to follow that passion.
Relocating to France in 1989, Cathy took her bottle of water, a map of the Metro Underground, and her camera and set off to explore the Eternal City and the surrounding towns through her lens. It was there she fell in love with architecture, both modern and not-so-modern. Eventually, she sought to refine her skills by studying photography and printing at the Parsons School of Design in Paris, on and off, for several years.
In 2001, Cathy moved to Northern Germany, where she continued her passion. A different region brought different challenges, but she continued her joy in photographing architecture, life, and nature.
Cathy has brought those skills and passions back to the U.S. to focus on nature and life with her husband and two cats.
Cathy is also discovering new levels of passion, channeled into about others. She completes her life’s call by helping empower disadvantaged youth worldwide to find their voice through the Toastmasters International Youth Program, Speechcraft, and as a founding member of the Storm Foundation. This organization empowers those recently released from incarceration and dealing with substance abuse and mental illness.
@cathylwgorgensenphotography
@cathylwgorgensen
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