Hey, all! Question: is self-publishing a picture book for children (self-illustrated) a bad or a very bad idea? Not having any luck with agents I am trying to do a crowdfunding on smashwords but no luck there, no views at all. I have a blog where I post very frequently (pinkpurplerainbow on wordpress), I post my other stories for children and picture book reviews there. I also use twitter and facebook but no views from there either. I have to admit that I completely and utterly suck at social media and marketing so... Any advice from someone who's been there, done it? Would really appreciate it!
I think @Steerpike, maybe, will be able to help out? (I could have the wrong member... I know SOMEONE here has self-published a children's book...) In the meantime - I think picture books are going to require different strategies than traditional self-published books. Most self-published novels are sold as e-books, with print books making up a very small share of the market. A picture book, I would think, would sell mostly physical copies. So you'd probably be looking at doing more "hand" selling (going to the places where children's bool purchases are, selling physical copies directly to them) rather than internet stuff. Not saying you couldn't ship to people from the internet, but it'd be much less convenient than just tapping the screen and getting the book on a kindle. Do you have any ideas of how to sell your book in your community?
Wish I could help you out. Mostly I publish self-help books, short stories, adult fiction, young adult fiction, and such. Had thought about collaborating with an artist for a comic. But from what I know you can completely sell a picture book as long as you own all of the images within. You admitted to sucking at Social Media, and thats fine. It's a skill that takes time to master. If you have the funds, perhaps you can work with someone who will help manage your social media presence?
