From time to time in this space, Balboa Press publishes articles written by our authors in which they share some aspect of their self-publishing journeys. These are the words of Asa Ahimbisibwe, author of Hopeful. For more information about Asa, check out his website. Download the Balboa Press free publishing guide to receive more information on self-publishing your book with Balboa Press.
Tell us a little bit about your book. What inspired you to write it?
My book is called HOPEFUL. It is about the desire of every child around the world to obtain an education, but it details how difficult it is for those children in the developing world to have an education because of the circumstances that they are born into. I wanted to tell a story about triumph, when people, even the poor, when they are determined, they can change their lives. I was inspired to write this book to help me tell a story of courage and hope which are the ingredients of majority of the children that people see on news in the developing countries. 
To tell my readers about the gift of education. That, education sets a stage for every child in developing countries to break away from the cycle of poverty and deprivation and unlocks the potential in each of us to become our best. I decided to write about my self, because my life is a testimony to what education can do, that sometimes all anyone needs is a friend to come alongside them to help them succeed, that one changed life can in turn change so many others or even a generation.
I am a passionate advocate for the girl child education which comes out in this book. I hope that my readers will get the sense of urgency with which the world should look into the issues facing women in our world today, especially those in the developing countries.
Today, at the end of the day, 20-30 young women will have died pregnant or giving birth in the African Nation of Uganda. Uganda has a population of 34 million people, with its size being approximately a quarter of Ontario province. They die of preventable causes, they die because they are having so many babies, too frequently, too close to each other, in a health system not equipped to save their lives and because they have not choice and no voice. I have had my close relatives die in child birth, and my close aunt who spent so much time caring for me as a child, died after shattering her womb (uterus) when I was a medical student. But what really drove me to the wall was seeing so many women dying in hospitals as we watch and yet, as trained health workers we could save their lives. It was time to speak up for these women, who are not given priority at school compared to the boys.
Again, women are the backbone of child raring. when mothers die, there children have increased chances of dying as well.
What are 3 things you’ve learned about self-publishing.
Self publication is challenging and amazing at the same time. There are so many lessons learned, but the important three for me were that,;
- It is self directed, I determined my own pace and explored my style of writing with no inhibition of some one telling me what to do.
- I was able to chose a publishing package that i could afford and do it over a period of time.
- I was able to work with my agents at Balboa Press, who walked me through every stage of the journey, which was so amazing. It was just like one on one coaching.
What do you love most about self-publishing and would you recommend it to other authors?
Self-publishing helps beginners to test the waters so to speak, no pressure, no deadlines, no reputation to beat. It helps one explore their writing potential in the comfort of their realm.
What advice would you give to aspiring authors?
If you have ever thought about writing a book, do not wait, start today. One sentence, one page, one chapter at a time. and soon, it will be a book.
Balboa Press authors who’d like to share a 350-600 word experience related to the self-publishing of their books, are invited to do so by sending a message through our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BalboaPress, by tweeting us @BalboaPress, or by emailing blog@ balboapress.com. We may not be able to use every story, but we will read and consider them. Balboa Press reserves the right to edit stories for content, grammar and punctuation accuracy; as well as for space.