As a graphic designer, making the book was the easy part... but building an audience from 0 for my mom’s cookbook is scaring me 😅

Hey everyone!

I wanted to share a quick reality check on what it’s actually like launching a first-time physical project as a solo creator/designer.

For the last 2 years, I’ve been designing a hardcover cookbook called FEED THE FUTURE. It preserves my mom’s 20-year career as a Head School Chef in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (she won 1st place nationally for creating balanced student meals on a $0.75 budget!).

...But now comes the part that actually keeps me up at night: audience building.

Starting from zero followers, trying to figure out social algorithms, and getting pre-launch signups on Kickstarter as a first-time author is a completely different skill set than design.

For anyone who has self-published a book or launched a physical product on Kickstarter without a pre-existing massive following:

1. What was the single most effective thing you did to get your first 100-200 followers/backers?
2. Did you find direct outreach (1-on-1 DMs/emails) or community posting more effective early on?

Would love to hear any advice or shared experiences from fellow creators! 🙏❤️