Why We Started a Self-Publishing Press (and Wrote a Book to Learn How)

Five years ago, in Napa, we hatched a plan for a podcast. That plan became Writers With Wrinkles. Today we're back in the same spot, sitting side by side (which almost never happens), glasses raised, with an announcement that's bigger than a normal episode.

We hatched a couple of other plans along the way. Today, both are real.

The book: Write, Revise, Publish

The first is our book, Write, Revise, Publish: Essential Lessons from the Writers With Wrinkles Podcast. It's out now everywhere you buy books.

We love this book because it distills what we've gathered over five seasons: advice from our guests, from our own experience, from our reading, and from simply being out in the writing community talking to people. If you've been meaning to catch up on the show's best lessons in one place, this is it. Think of it as five seasons of conversations, boiled down into something you can keep on your desk while you draft.

The second plan: Writers With Wrinkles Press

One big thing wasn't enough, so we added another. For the last year we've been building Writers With Wrinkles Press. One of the reasons we wrote the book in the first place was to learn how to self-publish a book. Writing it gave us a front-row seat to every step, including the parts nobody warns you about.

Self-publishing is more complicated than it looks

Here's what we know now: self-publishing is pretty complicated if you want to do it correctly. There are a lot of little things that are surprising, and everyone we've spoken to who has self-published a book has the same reaction: wow, that was a lot more crazy than I thought it was going to be.

That's exactly why we want to share our hard-won lessons, so you can walk in knowing what's coming instead of finding out the hard way. We took our own deep dive into the self-publishing universe so we could pass that expertise on to other writers who are wondering whether this path is right for them.

More roads to a published book

There are more ways to publish than ever: traditional, self-published, and hybrid. We think that's a good thing, because it means more stories get told. For some writers, traditional publishing will always be an uphill battle. Your book may not fit what publishers are looking for in the moment. That doesn't mean it isn't a fabulous book, and it doesn't mean it shouldn't have an audience.

Real people, real conversations

When you reach out to the press, you're talking to us. As we said on the episode, "We are actual people doing the actual work. We're not AI bots." We're physically human beings doing the behind-the-scenes work on these projects.

So if you have a manuscript sitting there looking at you, wondering whether you'll ever do anything with it, we want to hear from you. Send your questions, share your concerns, or book a phone call.

• Visit writerswithwrinklespress.com
• Pick up Write, Revise, Publish wherever you buy books
• Add us to your Goodreads shelf

We just love writers, and we want to get your stories out into the world.

Listen to the full episode

This one is short and a little celebratory, and it's the best way to hear the announcement in our own words (and a little bit of Napa). It's not a normal episode for us, and you can tell, because we're recording it side by side. Press play on this episode, then come back and tell us what you're working on. Season 6 kicks off very soon, and we're hoping for five more years of podcasting.