“Self-publishing was once considered the ‘Cinderella wing’ of the publishing industry – but nowadays that’s changing.”

This sentiment from author and illustrator, Antoinette Brooks, is both a joy and a relief for children’s authors – myself included – who chose the self-publishing route. 

With her work having been both self-published and traditionally published, Antoinette – whose titles include Grandma, Grandma Brave and Tall and Motherland Sweet Motherland – knows both sides of the coin. And she, like many indie authors, recognises this positive shift in the industry.

For a long time, many independently published authors felt as though they were sitting on the periphery of the industry; hampered by negative assumptions of self-published titles being of poor quality, and lampooned by those who felt that self-publishing wasn’t the ‘proper’ way to put out a book.

Thankfully, things are changing.

“The idea that self-published books are automatically poor quality is very outdated,” says Karen Inglis, bestselling self-published author of The Secret Lake series: The Secret Lake, Return to the Secret Lake and Beyond the Secret Lake.

“Serious self-publishers – many of whom are earning extremely well – use professional editors and illustrators,” Karen continues. “For production, they either learn the required formatting tools or hire professionals. One can find and hire these professionals through word of mouth, or organisations such as Reedsy or the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi) Partner Directory.”

She adds: “Today’s print-on-demand quality is exceptional. You can now produce coated colour picture books for younger ones, and special editions for MG/YA with foil, sprayed edges and ribbons using print-on-demand services such as BookVault here in the UK.”

Of course, committing to self-publishing requires a lot of work. Without the benefits that come with traditional publishing – editing, distribution, marketing etc – indie authors have to take a DIY approach and wear multiple hats.

“Unless you have a large budget, you’ll have to take on multiple roles,” Antoinette concurs. “Editor. Salesperson. Marketer. But there are many services which can help with these areas too. You also need to know you have an audience and an idea of how to reach them.

“But of course, for many self-publishers, the sense of ownership and creative freedom is what makes it so rewarding. As the self-publisher, you can shape your book exactly for your target audience. And if you’ve come from a group that has been traditionally underrepresented in publishing, that’s especially powerful. You can tell your story your way.”

Creative freedom and representation of identity were the main reasons Kirstin McNeil – author of the picture books, My Family is so Scottish and Daddies Scared of Beasties – chose to self-publish her titles.

“My Family is so Scottish is a love story to Scottish culture and heritage,” Kirstin explains. “Daddies Scared of Beasties highlights the fact that parents can be scared of things that seem silly. All my books are intentionally inclusive. They feature mixed heritage and queer families because there isn’t enough of this representation out there and it reflects our own family.”

It’s no secret that the mainstream publishing industry’s representation of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Colour) characters in children’s books has traditionally been poor.

The findings from the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education’s (CLPE) 2025 report, Reflecting Realities, showed that the percentage of UK children’s books published in 2024 featuring racially minoritised characters stood at just 24%. Though this is a welcome increase from the previous year’s report, in which that figure stood at 17%, many aspiring BIPOC authors wanting to put out diverse children’s books feel they’re better off taking the self-published route in order to bring their books to market.

For self-publishing expert, Daniella Blechner, it was the drive to showcase underrepresented voices that led her to set up her company, Conscious Dreams Publishing, through which she offers bespoke publishing and mentoring services for authors wanting to self-publish their work.

“I’m proud to see more BIPOC authors taking control, owning their narratives, and creating books that reflect our culture, identity, and lived experiences,” Daniella says. “Self-publishing has become a powerful gateway for this, giving writers the freedom, agency and representation that traditional routes have historically denied.

“Although the stats are improving, they are still low. My mission remains the same: to amplify our voices, preserve our stories, and ensure that our children grow up seeing themselves beautifully reflected on the page.”

Of course, no picture book character can be “beautifully reflected” without the all-important component: illustrations. For self-published authors – unless they double up as illustrators too – finding a suitable artist is another factor that has to be researched and secured independently.

“For picture books, my priority is always the illustrations because this is 50% of the story,” says Kirstin. “I take my time to find an illustrator who not only has the right style but understands composition, colour and movement.

“Nicci Martin, who illustrated Pirate Penguin – which was written by my son, Hunter – is experienced in animation. This adds an extra dimension to the spreads she created for the story and enhances Hunter’s words perfectly.

“Books really do get judged by their cover, so having an illustrator that understands both the market in your genre and cover design is essential.”

Among the many organisations that offer useful services for self-published authors is, of course, The Society of Authors. Through their advisory service, the SoA provides bespoke advice to members.

Whether they’re considering working with a particular company or paying for any services, the SoA can look at agreements and also talk through self-publishing options, including guidance on formats and who might stock your book; legal requirements for self-publishers, such as the copyright page, ISBNs and metadata; and many of the other fundamentals that indie authors need to know.

There is also the Self-Publishers Group – The Society of Authors to connect indie authors and to share experience, recommendations and advice.

Additionally, whereas some competitions are sadly not made open to indie authors, many of the SoA’s grants and prizes are available to self-published authors and they provide a number of resources on topics such as marketing your book and running a book launch, as well as using social media, websites and mailing lists, self-editing skills, funding, self-publishing on Amazon and much more.

There’s no doubt that there are a plethora of tools and services that make self-publishing a viable route for authors who are willing to put in the work and give it a shot. For those who have a story to tell and simply want to share that story with the world, self-publishing is a solid route to take.

And for those wanting the answer to that all-important question – can self-publishing be financially rewarding? ­– Karen explains that it certainly can be.

“With close to a million print books sold in English and rights licensed in over 12 countries, I’m fortunate to be able to call myself a seven-figure author,” she says. “This allows me to reinvest in future books, pay editors and illustrators properly, and fund ongoing marketing.

“It’s still very hard work – but I love the control. I have turned down several traditional publishing deals in recent years, mostly due to not wanting to lose control. I will never say never but for now, self-publishing has felt right for me.”

Let us also remember, when it comes to children’s authors in particular, the target audiences we serve likely don’t know (or care) whether their favourite story was self-published or traditionally published! I’ve had the pleasure of sharing my stories in numerous schools and at children’s literary events, and the young audiences are always excited and enthusiastic when engaging with my tales.

Children deserve a wide range of stories to spark their imaginations, introduce them to a variety of topics and develop their understanding of the world. Self-publishing is a powerful path to bring these stories to life.