Michelle Ditter

Who would have thought that spending $3,000 to publish my first book would nearly make me quit writing altogether? When I published my first book, I believed paying a publishing service meant I was doing things “the right way.” Instead, I sold 15 copies, earned almost no reviews, and walked away discouraged and overwhelmed. Everything changed in 2020 when I met other indie authors online—writers who showed me that self-publishing was possible, effective, and affordable. That moment didn’t just change how I published. It changed why I write about publishing at all. Now I have 44k followers across social media, 20 books/short stories/novellas under my name, and I am typically booked throughout the year for author events and school visits where I get to share what I love doing. Keep going even when you feel like giving up, because you can get where you want to be.

You have a book stuck in your head. Not because you’re lazy. Not because you’re “not a real writer.” But because no one ever showed you a clear path from idea → finished → published.