So you want to self publish your book? You may have considered approaching publishers, but realised you didn't have the cash to even send off proposals or manuscripts. Yes this sucks big time, being creative on a low cash flow, but this does not mean you give up. No, far from it.

I was pretty much near a zero budget for publishing my book When Everyone Shines But You I wanted it to look professional, I wanted a book cover designer, I wanted a proof-reader and editor and formatter that would do all the 'work' that was not my cup of tea, but alas, I had nowhere near the funds required, even the minimum. I was managing to keep myself on a cafe cappuccino twice a week (I like cafes, they inspire me to write more), but that was it.

Writing may seem a romantic affair to many. You sit in a cafe, gazing out of the window awaiting inspiration, and then write an amazing magical story of intrigue and adventure. Well, for self-help writers or those in the non-fiction arena it can be a tad different.

Many people may have an idea already forming, a well structured list of chapters, what goes where and off you go! My writing journey was not like this at all.

I researched a little on book-writing beforehand, but I just wanted to write. I was not sure what I was going to write; I just knew I had to write. Looking back I can see things I would do differently next time and I highly recommend it for first time authors. I will make a bullet check-list for you near the end of this post.

So you see in the photo to the left my manuscript. This was me in a cafe, trying to appear romantic and all 'writer-like' (grin), but it was not romantic. It was empowering but not romantic or idealistic. It was work, often work I did not want to do. 

If you love to write, you probably do not want to edit. You probably would rather someone else took care of editing, the formatting of the book, and the whole entire marketing admin side of things, and if you have the luxury of the resources to do this, DO IT! But if you do not, like me, you may get an awful lot of self-empowerment to think, 'HEY! I pretty much did it all myself! And I spent hardly a cent to do so!'.

In late 2013 I had reached a crossroads in my life where I knew I had to do something. 

For a long time I had been feeling there was a book inside me but never went much further than joining a Nanowrimo writing challenge and never going so far as editing or completing it. People I knew kept telling me 'Kelly you should write a book, your writing is good', but I just nodded and got on with everyday living.

One day while watching a friend talk about her book something stirred. It came from envy. I did not have the income to get an editor, or a fancy cover designer. I read all the sites on self-publishing and thought I did not even have the basic income to make it as professional as I had seen on-line, but that didn't stop me.

I made the decision on the anniversary of my father's death to write a book.