"If your ship hasn't come in, swim out to it."

by Louise R. Shaw

I doubt a publisher would have printed my first book the way I wanted it -- full color, hardback, jacket, with photographs and design to add to the feel and import of the text.

It was a moot point because no publisher accepted my manuscript, so I did what the title of this article suggests, a slogan I found on a t-shirt -- I swam out to the ship and self-published "In This Together," a book of prose and essays and photography that looks at life through the perspective of family.

Marketing does not come naturally for most writers. Generally anything business-related is tough for someone creative-minded, and self-promotion is particularly hard. Despite that, I did what I could afford to do -- sending out packets and doing radio interviews where invited and attending and presenting at conferences and more.

Books were slow to sell, so perhaps I should have known better than to self-publish a second time, but when you have something to say, you just have to say it!

Thus, "Keep the kids away from the power tools" became a reality. This memoir chronicles my experiences as a substitute teacher without any training.

I hadn't planned on writing such a book, but my experiences were so remarkable that I just had to share them in hopes they would shed light on education and people, both little and big -- in a way that would benefit the world.

The world hasn't found my book yet -- perhaps because, again, my marketing efforts are weak. But I have no regrets about publishing both books. Those who have read them are enthusiastic about the messages and they are messages I felt strongly about sharing.

Tips for those considering such rewarding folly:

1. Don't spend money you can't afford to lose.
2. Do read the books published on self-publishing -- they have invaluable information and will save you lots of grief!
3. Edit, have edited and then edit some more. Nothing reeks of average as much as a typo.
4. Do it for love, not money, and be generous with those copies that might end up in your basement.

The last page of my first book ends with my philosophy on sharing my discoveries with the world. Under a picture of two children throwing rocks in a lake it reads, "It might not change the world. One little rock, thrown as hard and as far as I can throw. It might not change the world. But I like to try."

Copyright by Louise R. Shaw

Visit Louise's site, Capes to Canyon Press.