Welcome to our latest Author Success Story! Our featured author, Maggie Jamerson, is an educator and children's book author and founder of the tutoring company, Remarkable Readers!
Website: https://www.remarkablereaders.co/
AHA: Hi Maggie! So, let's start at the beginning. What inspired you to become an author?
Maggie: Being a classroom teacher for 16 years, I felt as though I could reach more children if I were to write a book. My hope was to bring reading strategies and activities to those who couldn’t be in my classroom.
AHA: Vicky and I are both former teachers, so we can definitely relate to that! Writing a book is such a great transition for creative and business minded teachers! Speaking of business...What made you decide to self-publish, rather than submitting to traditional publishers?
Maggie: After discussing my tutoring business, Remarkable Readers, with At Home Author, I decided that keeping all of my rights within my company would be the best decision.
AHA: Did you have any background or experience in writing and publishing?
Maggie: I do not have any prior professional writing experience but being a teacher did give me a wealth of knowledge with reading books to my students.
AHA: For sure! How long did it take you to publish your first book?
Maggie: Well, I had the idea for at least 1 year before I could do anything with it. Then, I found At Home Author and hired them to help me stay on track and get my book published. We started working together in October of 23 and finished the book in April of 24. It launched in July.
AHA: That's a pretty good timeline! Way faster than traditional publishing! Was the process harder or easier than you expected? In what ways?
Maggie: I had NO IDEA what all went into publishing a book, and it was certainly easier having At Home Author guide me through each step. When self publishing, you are the author, publisher, marketing company, finance and website builder. Being the main person in every job is very hard work, but it can be done.
AHA: Absolutely! When you first started, how did you measure success? Has that benchmark changed?
Maggie: I wanted to see my book being sold on Amazon and being sold in a local bookstore. Of course, I dreamed it would go viral in some way and sell a ridiculous amount of copies. That hasn’t happened, yet! I was thrilled with selling online and having my book in bookstores. When I went to read my own book at a Story Time this summer, I knew Only Oliver was a success. Now, if I can make a profit, or at least get back to even, that will be a success, too.
AHA: Speaking of profit...we all know that self-publishing can be expensive. How did you fund Only Oliver?
Maggie: My business paid for it, but I hope to have a sponsor(s) for my next book.
AHA: If you could give one piece of advice to someone hoping to self-publish, what would it be?
Maggie: Stay organized! It will help you tackle each item on the checklist to get your book published. Keep digital files in folders because you will need access to multiple files after your book is launched.
Maggie's Stats:
Title: | Only Oliver |
Release Date: | 7/16/24 |
POD or offset print run? | POD, Ingram Spark |
Formats Available: | Hardcover, paperback and ebook |
Total Investment: (All amounts are rough estimates provided by the author and should not be considered 100% accurate or used as estimates for your own project. Do your own research!) | $9,772.75 |
Total Number of Books Sold To Date: | 424 |
Inspired by Maggie's story?
Ready to start your own publishing journey?
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