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A few months ago, I did something that felt equal parts thrilling and terrifying—I got the rights back to all of my previously published romance novels, due to my publisher closing after more than a decade. Years of work, passion, and heartache were finally mine again. No contracts. No gatekeepers. Just me, my stories, and a blank page.
I thought it would feel like freedom. And it did… until the reality hit.
No cover designer. No editor. No marketing team. It was just me, staring at a to-do list that felt a mile long. But despite feeling overwhelmed, I knew I had been given a gift—a chance to reintroduce my work on my terms.
Rediscovering My Words
The first step was reading through every book. Some made me laugh, some made me cringe, and others made me fall in love all over again. I tweaked dialogue, cleaned up pacing, and in some cases, rewrote whole chapters.
It was like revisiting an old version of myself—an author who was still finding her rhythm, her voice. And while I wanted to honor that writer, I also wanted to elevate the work for my readers, old and new.
Learning to Design (and Learning to Breathe)
Next came the covers. I studied genre trends, color palettes, typography—I even got picky about font pairings and image resolution (who am I?!). I already used and LOVED Canva, so it was an easy decision to use Canva to create my covers. (Not my first book, Wolf's Castle--too sentimental I guess)
There were moments I wanted to cry. But when I saw my redesigned covers—the ones that actually matched the mood and heart of each story—it felt like magic. Like I was finally giving my books the visual identity they deserved.
Becoming My Own Publisher
Once the edits were done and the covers were polished, it was time to figure out Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing. Metadata, keywords, categories… ISBNs! I took notes, watched YouTube videos, read posts from other authors who'd met the same fate, and asked a million questions.
Uploading that first book was nerve-wracking. I checked it a dozen times before hitting “publish.” And when it went live? I danced around my kitchen like I’d just won a literary award.
What I’ve Learned
I’m still learning. I’m still tweaking blurbs, trying new marketing strategies, and figuring out what works. But here’s what I know now: reclaiming my books was never just about the business side of publishing—it was about reclaiming me.
Every revised chapter, every redesigned cover, every upload to KDP has been a reminder that I’m capable of more than I thought. That this journey is mine to shape.
So if you’re an author staring down a similar path, let me tell you this: starting over isn’t easy. But it’s powerful. And it’s worth it.
Because you’re not starting from scratch—you’re starting from experience.
Madelyn Hill
Romance Author | Self-Published | Reformed Font Snob 💕
