Spoiler: It's More Passion Than Payday
There is a surprisingly unglamorous side to becoming a published author.
You write the book. You edit the book. You publish the book.
And then you discover that nobody arrives at your door with an oversized royalty check and a congratulatory bottle of champagne.
Rude.
When I published Oliver the Owl: The Culinary Pro in 2024, I wasn't expecting to become the next publishing phenomenon. But I don't think I fully understood how many things happen after you write the book—or how little of a book's selling price actually makes its way back to an independently published author.
A few books later, I understand it much better.
And I'm still here.
I Never Started With the Money
Oliver the Owl began with my family.
My dad spent 36 years running the White House Cafeteria in Bismarck, North Dakota. Food, cooking and the wonderfully chaotic business of feeding people were simply part of our lives.
When I created Oliver, I was taking pieces of that world and turning them into something new.
Then came A Sweet Season, with another layer of family memories woven into it.
And eventually Mix, Play, Stir, which gave kids a chance to do more than read about Oliver's world—they could play in it.
Somewhere along the way, I realized I wasn't just making children's books.
I was preserving things.
Memories. Traditions. Family stories. A little piece of where I came from.
That's difficult to put on a royalty statement.
But Let's Talk About the Money Anyway
Because this is Author Life, and pretending the financial side doesn't exist would be silly.
Independent publishing has expenses.
There are printing costs, platform fees, event supplies, advertising, marketing materials and copies to keep on hand. Then there are all the hours spent doing things that aren't technically writing at all.
Photography.
Social media.
Website updates.
Book events.
Emails.
Marketing.
And occasionally building a promotional sign in my dining room because apparently that's also part of being an author.
The amount an author earns from an individual book can also vary depending on where and how it's sold. A book purchased through a major retailer is financially different from a copy I purchase myself and sell directly at an event.
Either way, nobody needs to alert the yacht dealer just yet.
The Part Nobody Sees
Writing the book is only one part of publishing it.
When you're independently published, you're also the marketing department, creative director, event coordinator, social media person and person hauling the boxes.
I learned pretty quickly that putting a book online doesn't magically create readers.
People tend to connect with Oliver when they understand why he exists.
They hear about my dad.
They learn about the restaurant.
They see a kid making one of the recipes.
They meet Oliver at an event.
They discover there's a real family story underneath this little owl in a chef's hat.
That's the part I love.
Because suddenly I'm not trying to “market a book.”
I'm telling its story.
The Best Return Hasn't Been Financial
There are moments from this little publishing adventure that no spreadsheet could adequately measure.
Seeing a child holding my book.
Hearing that a family made one of the recipes together.
Watching someone pick up The Culinary Pro because the restaurant story reminds them of their own family.
Having someone ask me to sign something I created.
Those things still catch me a little off guard.
I made this.
Someone else took it home.
That's pretty damn cool.
So, Is Publishing Profitable?
It can be.
Books are products, and I absolutely want mine to sell. I'm building a business, not operating an elaborate book-storage facility.
But if the only reason I'd created Oliver was to make money, I probably wouldn't still be doing this.
The return has been much bigger than a royalty payment.
I've learned how to write and publish books.
I've discovered stories about my own family I want to preserve.
I've watched one little idea turn into several books and become part of something much larger than I imagined when I started.
And I've learned that creativity doesn't always have to justify itself immediately on a profit-and-loss statement.
Sometimes you make the thing because you believe it should exist.
Then you keep building from there.
More Passion Than Payday
So no, the books haven't bought me an island.
Oliver hasn't offered to contribute toward one either.
Typical owl.
But he has given me stories I wouldn't otherwise have told, experiences I wouldn't otherwise have had and another way to carry pieces of my family forward.
I'll take that return.
Although if the island eventually happens, I'm keeping it.
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