The Virtue of Ignorance and My Decision to Self-publish

Published August 25, 2026

by Steven Anderson

If I had known everything I needed to learn, I might not have ever started. What a marvelous advantage it is, being ignorant and overconfident. But overconfidence is still confidence of a sort, so I enthusiastically started the journey to self-publish. Not that I went in completely blind. I read everything I could find online, watched the videos, joined the Facebook groups, and attended my first Pikes Peak Writers Conference. It knocked a little of the ignorance out of me, but only increased my enthusiasm to get my stories out into the world. There are many pros and cons to consider when choosing to not pursue traditional publishing. In my case it came down to timelines and what looked like a simpler path. I would need help. A lot of help.

I wrote every day, and still do with rare exceptions. Enthusiasm and overconfidence are great assets for getting past a blank page. Real confidence could come later once I had it all figured out (still waiting). I didn’t worry about word count, page count, what I would become or the details of how to get there. I wrote, and relished the joy of watching the story unfold line by line, of dancing with my characters as they became real to me. But writing a great book isn’t enough, whether pursuing traditional or self-publishing. My knowledge gaps became more obvious as the draft neared completion. It was way past time to figure out how to share my book with people who might want to read it.

I needed to learn how to learn, how to do effective research, understand and perform the mechanics of self-publishing, and maintain the enthusiasm that compels us to write every day. For me, I visualized the end result. I want people to read my books. (Paying me for them would be nice too.) There are wonderful people on the internet ready to guide you through the process of building an author platform, joining critique groups, and all the many, many things needed to give birth to a marketable book and see it succeed. Learning it face to face is much, much better. Groups like Pikes Peak Writers are an amazing resource for writers at all skill levels. There’s no substitute for establishing a relationship with someone whose been on your journey, knows the pitfalls, has the scars, will share the wisdom they’ve earned, and is still in love with the craft. My ignorance faded just a bit, but my enthusiasm didn’t because I’d found a community that shared my joy of putting fingers on keyboard to create something beautiful.

The most important lesson I learned is counterintuitive. The self in self-publish is only a small part of a successful book launch. You’re going to need a team. Once I digested that truth, my life as a self-published author became not easy, but easier.

You can read your book a hundred times, as I have read mine, and not find all its flaws. A good editor will make you a better writer. Find one, or maybe two or three, especially for your first book. Editors come in different flavors from developmental to proof readers. They aren’t cheap and the redlines that they put on your manuscript will make you weep, but they are irreplaceable and invested in making you and your book successful. They are the hammers that will forge you into a writer.

Once you think your draft is solid, you’ll need beta readers. This can be family or friends if you trust them to tell you the truth. Or you can swap beta reads with other authors. If they don’t give you enough redlines, find someone who will.

Then there are things you can theoretically do yourself, but probably shouldn’t. Unless you’re an artist, you need to find one whose work you love. People buy books based on the cover and cover blurb. At shows, I sell books because people like my covers as much as, and probably more, than my pitch. And don’t forget the inside of the book. A good artist to do interior layout and design will create a book people enjoy reading, increasing the odds they’ll want more of your books. The tools to format a manuscript for eBook and paperbacks have become better, but consider hiring an expert. I’ve never had a file rejected or found a page that didn’t look perfect regardless of media.

There’s at least one more person you need as part of your team. Share what you’ve learned with writers just starting out. Teaching is the best way to learn. If it’s been a few weeks since you last searched the forums and talked to fellow writers, things will have changed. Stay current. What worked when you started your journey may no longer be best practice. Welcome to self-publishing.

I’m not as ignorant as I was when I started out but I’m not an expert and never will be one. There is still so much to learn and much I need to improve. But this I know: Don’t be afraid to publish your book even when you know it’s not perfect. Is it the best you can make it at that moment? Then upload the files and share what you created in your ignorance and joy with the world. You’ll know more when you write your next book and the one after that.

And yes, I would have still started even knowing how much I had to learn along the way. I love the people who helped me on the journey, a journey I’ll never finish. They have taught me and guided me and kept my enthusiasm alive.

And why do we do it? I sold and signed a book to a girl of about thirteen a few years ago at Colorado Springs Comic Con. She held my book to her chest and told her dad, “Now I have my first autographed book.” I asked if she was enjoying the Con. She looked around at the cosplayers and other vendors and said, “I’ve found my people.”

Seeing that kind of joy propelled me another 20k words on my Work in Progress. Find your people. Keep writing.

Steven Anderson is the author of the Reunification Series and other speculative tales. A passionate fan of science fiction since age six, Steve began creating his own worlds once he was old enough to pick up a crayon. He put his creative skills to work as an aerospace IT professional for many years before writing full time. Steve lives in Colorado Springs and is often somewhere in the Rockies exploring local history and prospecting for new story ideas.

His stories are at: Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/~/e/B075KJCDGY https://www.StevenAndersonBooks.com/