Let’s talk about the real glamorous life of an indie author: one part ambition, one part caffeine, and ninety-seven parts Googling “how to fix this weird Canva thing at 2 a.m.”
When I first entered the world of self-publishing, I quickly realized I had two choices: learn the skills myself… or open a direct line between my wallet and the nearest freelance marketplace. Don’t get me wrong—I respect the heck out of hiring professionals. I’ve done it. I still do it. But if there’s a skill I can learn, and a free YouTube tutorial out there showing me how? You’d better believe I’m diving in.
Why?
Because I actually like learning. Because I want creative control. And yes, because I’d rather spend that extra $500 on cover art than a basic video edit I could do myself—with enough tea and enough trial and error.
🎬 Video Creation: From “Oh No” to “Pro-ish”
Once upon a time, I thought adding text to a video in Windows Movie Maker was groundbreaking tech. Fast forward to today, and I’m juggling Canva, After Effects, and enough transitions to make a ‘90s PowerPoint proud. My first attempts were shaky—literally. Pretty sure my dog Violette thought she was filming an action movie during an earthquake. But now? I know my way around editing tools well enough that I don’t have to panic every time I need a book trailer.
(Also: Pro tip? Don’t add the Wilhelm scream to your romance scene. Or do. Depending on your audience.)
📹 Insert my first video for the Whispers of the Selkie Kickstarter here for proof I survived the process.
🎨 The Watercolor Adventures (a.k.a. Tea Is Not Rinse Water)
Custom graphics are gorgeous. They’re also pricey. So I asked myself the question every creatively possessed person asks at least once: How hard can watercolor be?
Answer: hard. Especially when you keep dipping your brush into your tea.
But I stuck with it, learned to digitize my work with Photoshop (hello, Udemy tutorials!), and eventually produced art that didn’t look like a hyperactive jellyfish made it. I even survived a brief psychedelic color phase. We don’t talk about the purple week.
🖌️ Sneak peek: A work-in-progress watercolor of Victor from Song of the Drowned
🎁 Craft Queen Chronicles: Merch Mayhem
Next up: merch. Bookmarks, stickers, and yes—even those sparkly tassels that give everything a slightly chaotic Renaissance Faire vibe.
With my Cricut Explore 4 and a small mountain of cardstock, I’ve become a one-woman Etsy factory. My craft room now looks like a cross between a Victorian paper shop and a crafting tornado. I’ve laminated things I probably shouldn’t have. I’ve wielded a paper cutter like a weapon of creative justice. And I’ve had deep philosophical arguments with Violette about whether sticker paper counts as food. (She says yes. I say emergency vet bill.)
📚 Formatting: The Final (Frustrating) Frontier
Enter: Vellum. The magical, mystical software that takes your raw manuscript and turns it into something readable. I could have outsourced formatting, but I wanted to know how it worked. Besides, who hasn’t accidentally formatted an entire chapter in Wingdings just once?
Now I can format faster than I can come up with an author bio that doesn’t sound like I live in a lighthouse with thirteen cats and a curse.
💸 The Real Reason I DIY (Spoiler: It’s Not Just the Money)
Let’s break this down:
- Video creation? $500+
- Custom graphics? $300–$1,000
- Book formatting? $200–$500
- Merch? $300–$800+
That adds up fast—especially when you’re just starting out. So yes, learning these skills has saved me money. But more than that? It’s empowered me. I know how my brand looks. I can make creative decisions without emailing someone six times and waiting two weeks.
And when things go wrong (they do), I know enough to fix it—or at least Google like a boss.
🎓 Final Thoughts From the Indie Trenches
Is DIYing for everyone? Nope. It takes time, patience, and a sense of humor that borders on concerning. But if you're curious, a bit stubborn, and have access to YouTube and caffeine? You can absolutely learn.
And hey—every new skill is one more tool in your indie author arsenal. Even if your superpower right now is just not crying when your Canva file crashes for the third time.
So here’s to the self-taught, the late-night learners, and the authors figuring it out as they go. Whether you do it all yourself or hire help, your creative vision matters.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to stop Violette from trying to nap on my Cricut mat again. (It’s not a bed. She remains unconvinced.)
P.S. Big thanks to Splash and Render Studios for the gorgeous Whispers of the Selkie artwork, and to Blue Raven Book Covers for the stunning special edition cover. Some things are totally worth outsourcing—especially when they make your book baby shine.