Some time ago, I posted on Instagram that I was working on a new (Dutch) book. I asked my readers for input for the project (working title: Handbook for an Autastic Life), a guide meant to help autistic people shape their lives in a way that works for them. I received many enthusiastic responses and got to work. Then things went quiet for a while—and not without reason. I had received the draft contract from my publisher and was just about to sign it. But something held me back…

“What if you just did it yourself?” a little voice in the back of my head whispered. “You’ve done it before with your English and German books, you know how it all works.”

And that’s true. For the English translation of But You Don’t Look Autistic at All, I hired a translator and a proofreader myself, launched a crowdfunding campaign, and asked the same designer for the interior who had worked on my Dutch edition. Nice and consistent. I had already designed the cover myself, so it was just a matter of adjusting some text and sizes, and done. Marketing wasn’t exactly my strongest suit, but I sent some copies to English-speaking influencers in the autism community, and I was lucky that the book was picked up by a wider audience. Would things have gone better with a foreign publisher? Maybe. But this way I earned about seven times as much per book. And with over ten thousand English copies sold, that means I would have needed to sell at least seventy thousand through a publisher to make the same profit.

That got me thinking. Original books usually earn a bit more than translations, but even so, the difference is huge. If you self-publish a book using print-on-demand (meaning the book is only produced when it’s ordered), you end up with roughly 35% of the sales price. You earn more if you print in bulk, but then you risk being stuck with a large inventory. If you go through a publisher, your share starts at 10% of the sales price. That can rise to 15% at higher sales volumes, but even then, the difference remains substantial.

The downsides of self-publishing are that it takes more time and effort, you have to pay everything upfront (editor, designer…), and you don’t automatically have professionals giving you feedback. You can hire them, of course—but see my previous point.

If you were to plot both options in a graph, the publisher’s line would start at zero (well, technically you get an advance, but that’s later recouped) and then climb slowly. Self-publishing starts a few thousand euros in the negative, but then rises much more quickly. The crossover point—where self-publishing becomes more profitable—is around one thousand copies. And yeah, well… didn’t I sell 35,000 of my first book?

“You’d be pretty stupid not to do it…” said the little voice in my head. “But what about your publisher? Won’t they be really angry?” said the other voice. “They’re already counting on this book…” Yeah, that was a bit of an issue. But at the same time, business is business.

And you know what? I also just think it’s fun. I’ll probably curse myself if everything goes off the rails in a few months because of my wish to have “fun”, but at the core, I absolutely love making things. I have a very strong vision, I know what I want, and I’ve always fought hard for it—even with my previous books at my publisher. That reversible cover for Ik ben autastisch!? Yes, that was Toeps refusing to choose and digging in her heels. The illustration on the new edition of Maar je ziet er helemaal niet autistisch uit was made by a design agency, but who opened Photoshop to mock up the exact changes she wanted? Exactly. Toeps the control freak.

Of course I need feedback, too. And pushback. I still don’t know if This Autistic Girl Went to Japan was the best possible title for that book, and I would’ve liked to think longer and harder about it. But I’ve got a solution for that as well: I’m just going to run everything by you! Here on the blog, on Instagram… You’re all invited to think along, give feedback, and help shape this process.

The book will probably come out in April next year, and soon I’ll start taking pre-orders to cover part of the up-front costs. I’d have loved to start already, but since I’m right in the middle of switching from a Japanese KK (corporation) to a sole proprietorship, I have to wait a few more weeks to get everything in order. In the meantime, you can sign up for my newsletter (in Dutch) with the form on this page. I’ll keep you posted and email you as soon as the pre-order goes live.

I also have a few questions for you right away, which you can answer below:

1. What absolutely has to be in this book? (Living, planning, sensory input, food, emotions, ideals, friends, children, your body, hobbies…?)
2. Who should I definitely talk to for this book? For inclusion in the book, but also later, during the promo tour?
3. What do you think of the title? Should it be shorter? Do you have alternatives? Is the wordplay “autastic” clear enough? Is “handbook” confusing if it’s not a workbook?
4. How can I raise as much money as possible with the pre-order campaign? What would you be willing to pay extra for? A signed copy? A donate option? Your name in the acknowledgments…?

I’d love to see your answers!