As a first time author I learned (and still are learning) a lot as I navigated getting my book out into the world.  Theoretically you should make a budget when you self publish, but so much depends on the sales numbers- which of course you can’t anticipate- that any theoretical budgeting rapidly goes out the window.

That was one reason I decided to use a Kickstarter campaign to finance the publishing of my book.  I could see how many people were actually interested in buying the book, and offer some extras to bring help offset the expense of editing and graphic design.  I was really thrilled with the results.  Having a successful campaign was a real confidence booster too!  It was a great feeling to have over half of a box of my books sold before they even arrived (and over a month before the release date).