What I Have Learned So Far About Trust and Truth in Indie Publishing by Todd Burleson

In my first post for the GROG Blog, I shared what I had learned about stepping into the world of independent publishing, choosing an editor, launching a Kickstarter campaign, and discovering communities like Reedsy. That was the beginning of my journey.

This time, I would like to share what happened next. Two areas in particular have taught me lessons that might be useful for other writers, whether you are publishing independently or traditionally:

1. Trusting beta readers with a manuscript that has been more than a decade in the making.
2. Wrestling with cover design and learning how to make the outside of a book feel as true as the inside.

My son Jack experiencing flight for the first time, the same feeling I had when I sent the manuscript to beta readers.

Trusting Others With the Story

After thirteen years of shaping this story, handing it to beta readers felt both thrilling and terrifying. I did not choose my readers casually. Colleagues brought professional expertise. Friends knew me well enough to be honest and kind to me. Children, the very audience I was writing for, helped me see what rang true and what did not.

To make it easier for them, I prepared different file formats, including PDFs, ePubs, and print copies for adults, as well as simple tablet-ready files for kids. I created feedback forms that felt like conversations rather than assignments. Parents were invited to read alongside their children, allowing questions to be discussed together.

What I have received so far has been thoughtful and respectful, full of insights that push me to refine characters and settings. It has reminded me that feedback is not just about affirmation. It is about making the story more lifelike and rich.

Waiting for feedback is not idle. It is the work of trust.

For me, the real lesson is that independent publishing is not only about control. It also requires the courage to let go and trust others with the story.

One of my early cover drafts. Beautiful, but not the right fit.

Finding the Outside of the Book

While feedback was coming in, I faced another challenge: the cover.

My first experiments in Canva were clumsy but thrilling. For the first time, the manuscript looked like a book. But early designs worried me. Would they look unprofessional, too homemade, not worthy of the years I had invested?

I experimented with AI images and hired a designer whose work I admired. Neither approach fit. The results were too fantastical, too young, or too far from the tone of a story grounded in WWII Dayton, Ohio.

The lesson was clear: talent is not enough. Fit and truth matter most.

In the end, I returned to my own drafts, layering figures, planes, and backgrounds like a collage. I used ChatGPT as a critique partner, asking it to respond as a professional cover designer. The feedback was concrete and immediate. It was not perfect, but it helped me move forward.

A cover is not just decoration. It is the invitation to the story inside.

Would I have preferred to hire a professional? Absolutely. But working independently often means picking your battles. I invested in the best editor I could afford, which meant learning to stretch myself in other areas of my work.

Lessons for Any Writer

Independent publishing has stretched me in ways I never expected. It has asked for patience, humility, and the willingness to learn skills I had never practiced before.

For any writer, regardless of publishing path, two lessons stand out:

• Trust others with your story. Beta readers, editors, and critique partners are essential to the writing process.
• Stay grounded in truth. Do not chase trends. Make sure the inside and outside of the book reflect the story you believe in.

Independent publishing may seem like a form of control, but in reality, it demands courage —the courage to let your work leave your hands and live in the world.

A glimpse at my work over the past thirteen years, from drafts to research notes to cover iterations.

These lessons are still unfolding for me, which is why they are worth sharing now. Publishing is not only about finishing a manuscript. It is about releasing it into the world in ways that require both trust and truth.
I look forward to sharing the next installment in this process.

I would love to hear from you, what part of your own publishing journey has taught you the most, and what you wish you had known sooner?