My no-content journal publishing workflow (it’s simple)
From blank page to published
If you’re curious about self-publishing but feel overwhelmed by the idea of writing a whole book - start smaller :)
PS: To all my amazing students who have already taken my newest course on Skillshare - thank you so much! The growth in traffic has really helped my household last month, thank you!
Back to our topic for today! No-content journals (like sketchbooks, planners, trackers, or notebooks) are a perfect warm-up project. I tackle those in my newest tutorial because they are very accessible, and they give my students more confidence, and appetite for more :)
Here are a few of my own journals that you can check out for reference:
So why bother with journals in the first place? Such products are:
simple to design
quick to publish
a hands-on way to learn how Amazon KDP works
an easy way to give your art new life
By starting with a no- or low-content product, you’ll easily get familiar with the self-publishing ecosystem, the formatting, uploading, covers, metadata etc. Personally, it gave me also a nice confidence boost, because seeing my patterns on the covers was so amazing (just like the Amazon unboxing!):
Here’s my real-life workflow:
Let me break down my process for you a bit. Hopefully this will encourage you this summer to tackle a nice journal project, and see your art come to life on a real physical product.
1. Choose a purpose.
Every journal I create starts with a clear function: mood tracker, gratitude log, reading journal, or sketchbook. Knowing the purpose makes layout decisions easy. My sense of mission is also to “give new life”. I hate it when the patterns I love get lost on my iPad - perhaps posted once or twice on Instagram and that’s it. That’s “a waste” of my work in a way.
2. Design the interior.
I use a FREE Canva account - super easy and accessible for everybody. With a few reusable templates and some thoughtful grids, I can create clean, printable pages in just a few minutes.
3. Make the cover.
The cover is where I add personality. You can repurpose literally anything you want. What’s your favorite pattern? Maybe a favorite illustration that could decorate the front cover of your journal? This is where you can take the matters into your own hands. No more artwork stuck and forgotten in your device storage!
4. Format for KDP.
I export everything to the right size and upload it to Amazon KDP. I walk you through the process step by step in my tutorial. The first time might feel a bit fiddly - but it’s much easier than you’d think! The second time you do it, it all flows even faster.
5. Publish and move on.
I don’t obsess over perfection. These are quick, useful products that grow over time. Each one teaches me something new about publishing and design.
Thanks for being here and supporting creative work. Can’t wait to see your beautiful journals! :)
Wera
Hi! I’m Weronika Salach, a freelance illustrator specializing in children’s books, toy design and surface pattern design. Internationally I’m represented by Advocate Art. Over 40,000 happy students have taken my digital illustration courses and watched my YouTube videos. Let’s connect :)
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This is great inspiration Wera and you´re right our patterns and art are somewhat wasted and often sit in our iPad or files after posting on IG etc and then we move on. I must look into this doing this and the colouring books.