✏️ 5 Things I Didn’t Expect About Self-Publishing a Children’s Book
A peek behind the scenes of creating Hello Petal
When I started Hello Petal, I thought I was just writing and illustrating a story. I knew it would take time, love, and a lot of drawing — but I didn’t fully understand that I was also becoming a publisher, a designer, a production coordinator, a marketing assistant, a shipping manager… and more.
Self-publishing has been full of surprises — some beautiful, some challenging, and all of them stretching. Here are five of the biggest things I didn’t expect:
1. 📚 You become your own publishing house
When you self-publish, you don’t just write the book — you become the entire production team. You assign yourself an ISBN, manage your copyright, upload your files to distributors, research printing options, and make decisions on paper stock, size, binding, and more.
It’s not hard in the sense of being “unreachable,” but it does require time, clarity, and a willingness to learn as you go. I didn’t expect to find myself reading IngramSpark file guides or watching tutorials on book spine calculations late at night. But I did.
It’s an empowering kind of hard — the kind where you realise you’re capable of more than you thought.
2. 🎨 Printing decisions are weirdly emotional
Gloss or matte? Cream or white paper? Do I add endpapers? Will this flower look too dark in print? These questions took up far more space in my head than I imagined they would.
Seeing your art on paper feels more vulnerable than I expected. Every print decision suddenly carries weight — not just visually, but emotionally. It’s a little like choosing outfits for someone you deeply love and want the world to notice properly.
In the end, I made choices that felt true to the story — vibrant, yet whimsical. Soft, calming, and tactile — and let go of perfection. Because done with heart is better than endlessly tweaked.
3. 📦 Logistics will stretch your brain
Self-publishing isn’t just creative — it’s practical. I didn’t anticipate the rabbit hole of researching couriers, comparing packaging sizes, calculating shipping weights, and testing samples.
Sendle vs Australia Post? Mailers vs boxes? Local pickup vs flat-rate shipping? I had to learn all of it.
I even created custom labels and tested how books fit inside different packaging styles to make sure nothing would arrive damaged. I’m still tweaking and improving things, but I’ve developed a new respect for what goes into sending something beautiful — and making it feel like a gift when it arrives.
4. 📖 The magic moment isn’t “finished” — it’s “in your hands”
I expected to feel excited the day I finished writing… or when I uploaded my files… or clicked “approve.” But none of those moments hit quite the same as the first time I held my printed proof.
There’s something surreal about flipping through pages you dreamed up — especially when you’ve drawn every flower, written every word, and envisioned every detail. It felt like meeting my book for the first time.
That moment made everything real — and it reminded me why I started.
5. 🌱 Sharing the process becomes part of the story
When I began posting about Hello Petal on Instagram, it felt a little scary — would people connect with this soft little book about feelings and flowers?
But something beautiful happened. The more I shared the behind-the-scenes — the doubts, the little victories, the emotional moments — the more people leaned in. Friends, family, creatives, even strangers began rooting for the book as if it were theirs too.
I learned that storytelling doesn’t start when the book hits the shelf — it starts with the journey. The art of making something, believing in it, and inviting others along.
If you’re a fellow creative, a hopeful author, or someone quietly wondering if you could ever do this too — know this: self-publishing is absolutely possible. It’s messy, magical, and meaningful.
You can do hard things gently.
And you can learn as you go.
Hello Petal is now available for preorder. You can explore it here, or subscribe below for future stories, updates, and free creative resources.
Sarah
Sarah N. is a self-published author, illustrator, and the creative heart behind Hello Petal — a gentle, emotion-led picture book that celebrates feelings through the language of flowers. Based in South Australia, Sarah draws inspiration from nature, motherhood, and the small, meaningful moments of everyday life. Her work blends tender storytelling with whimsical hand-drawn illustrations designed to comfort, inspire, and connect with readers of all ages — especially young families and creative hearts. When she's not illustrating or writing, Sarah is building her small business, Alfie Rhodes Studio, where she plans to release future floral-inspired designs and creative goods. You can follow along behind the scenes on Instagram: @alfierhodesstudio
