Self-Publishing Might Kill Me #1

Hi folks – I’m Blake.

By day, I work in the Office of the Registrar at a large public university managing a functional team as we maintain and improve software applications. By…earlier-in-the-day, I write science fiction and fantasy novels. My wife and I play board games with our friends multiple times a week and my phone is full of pictures of our two Siberian cats, Rhys and Eleri. I have an eclectic taste in music (with a slight preference for electronic) and when I really need to relax I make letters the old-fashioned way with ink, wax, stationery, and stamps.

After years of writing, consulting with beta-readers, revising, and querying agents, I’ve found myself in the position that many aspiring authors do: with a completed book and no publisher. Thanks to the encouragement and support of my wife and parents, I’ve made the decision to self-publish my first trilogy of novels. 

This blog series is about my experience self-publishing in 2026. Being absent from social media for the past several years (and without ever having a presence on several of the biggest platforms), I feel separate from the writing communities. Consider this my way of giving back to the community and thanking the bloggers, podcasters, and content creators that I’ve learned from over the last several months.

I have no aspirations to become a full-time author (though it is still a dream), so I’m taking a kind of “bare bones, best foot forward” approach. In other words: reasonable.

If you’ve ever visited this checklist, you know how easy it could be to spend upwards of $25k and countless hours on a book launch. Multiple edits, social media ads runs, ARC partnerships, travel expenses, and more can all add up, especially as you hire experts to handle these things for you. I can appreciate the value these experts bring (and will recommend them in some cases), but I knew that for me, I had to set some limits to keep it from getting out of control. My budget and free time is quite limited, so I want to spend both where they’ll have the biggest impact.

If this (or my novels) is of interest to you, subscribe below to have these posts sent directly to your inbox, or simply follow me on Bluesky, Goodreads, or Instagram.

Until next time!