The Joy of Self-Publishing

By Crystal Lindell – clindell@nwherald.com (Northwest Herald)

Sara Telesz, 14, said she sees herself as an author when she grows up.

Sara Telesz, 14, a McHenry high school freshman, is working on the sequel to her first published book, "Date Disaster." (Nick Dentamaro – ndentamaro@nwherald.com)

Some might argue that the McHenry East High School freshman already is an author, considering the fact that she’s written a novel that’s for sale on Amazon.com and Barnes­andnoble.com.

But Telesz insists that doesn’t qualify her for the prestigious title.

“I only wrote one book,” she said humbly.

The nearly 150-page tale “Date Disaster” covers the lives of six teenagers and the enemies that change their lives, she said. Telesz wrote the book while in seventh and eighth grades.

“I knew school would be really adventurous for me, and then I just started writing about these six teenagers,” she said.

When she finished, she shopped it around to publishers with help from her mom and then published with Xlibris Corp., a self-publishing company.

The paperback book now sells for $19.99. Telesz gets to keep $5 from each copy sold. She’s also working to make the book available at local libraries. Telesz said her passions were reading and writing.

“When I come home from school, I do my homework and then right after, I just get on my laptop and write as much as I can,” she said.

It’s that kind of self-discipline that led her to complete a yet-unpublished second novel over the summer. It’s historical fiction about a Polish family in World War II and how their lives change in a concentration camp.

Telesz was inspired to write the story after going to Europe and touring Auschwitz.

“Right after, I just got on my laptop and started writing down the details,” she said.

The teen hasn’t stopped with the two books, though. Telesz is working on a sequel to her debut work, adding that she plans to learn from her experiences.

“I think it might be a bit better,” she said.