"What? You're writing a book?" Gales of laughter followed from my family. Well, it was kind of funny, considering I hadn't written anything since high school English class.

I had been working for the Women-Infants-Children Program as a lactation consultant in an indigent hospital in Florida. Many of the women who gave birth there were uneducated and had problems reading most of the educational materials they were given. So, I decided I'd write a book for them! It would be a simple question and answer format, in large print, with easy words. How hard could that be?

That was the summer of 1990. My teenage son had bought an Atari 200 computer. It did basic word processing and not much else, except, of course, games like PacMan and Frogger. Nevertheless, that is what I wrote the book on.

It took about a couple of months to get my questions and answers on paper. Then, after hiring someone to typeset it and print it out on paper, I took the camera-ready copy to my local Quick Print shop and had Why Should I Nurse My Baby? printed. It had a two-color cover, stapled. It looked good to me then. Now, I am thoroughly embarrassed when I come across one of those old books, and can hardly believe people actually bought it. But they did.

First, it was the local WIC agency that bought a few for their clients, then word speard and other agencies across Florida ordered them. I will never forget the first time I boxed up 100 of them to send across the state. I was thrilled.

Through the years, I have tweaked it time and time again to make it one of the most popular, easy-to-read, up-to-date breastfeeding guides on the market. It has a pretty four-color, glossy cover, perfect-bound binding, and professional photos and illustrations. I sell wholesale to hospitals, doctors, childbirth educators, and health departments, but my main customers are still WIC programs.

My other books are also self-published. Breastfeeding: A Mother's Gift is another "basics of breastfeeding" guide, but it is greatly expanded with more information. My third book, Life in the Family Lane, is a collection of essays I've written through the years about my family's adventures.

Self-publishing has been the only way to go for me. I like not having a middleman, and having complete control over the finished product. I wanted to make it into a family business and I succeeded. My daughter and husband work for me now. She handles the graphic design, typesetting and marketing. My husband does the shipping. It has taken a while, but the profits I've made have allowed me to be home with my children, and the business is now profitable.

I am currently finishing up The LDS Guide to Breastfeeding. I hope to have this one published by a publisher in Utah, because I don't have the time to promote it. Although I won't make nearly as much this time if someone else publishes it, I am willing to make less to get it on the shelves where LDS women will see it. However, I will self-publish if I have to.

Self-publishing is not always easy, but to me it has been worth it. My advice to others considering it is to read all you can about it (there are many good books to choose from) and identify your target market. You MUST have a market in mind. It almost always takes a non-fiction book in a niche market like I have to make a self-published book sell. It is very difficult to sell a self-published work of fiction to the general public.

The distribution of books is a complicated matter and one you have to consider if you are self-publishing. Distributors take a huge chunk out of the profits. I choose to distribute my own books, which makes distribution harder but much more profitable.

I have a successful self-publishing business. I have sold more than 800,000 books. My family no longer laughs. For more information about my books, go to www.breastfeedingbooks.com.

Please send email to anwa_lds@yahoo.com if you have any questions.