7 Reasons Self-Publishing Is the Perfect Homeschool Writing Project

Walking your student through self-publishing on Amazon may just be the most effective homeschool writing project you assign all year. Whether your child is in elementary school or high school and looking ahead to college, how many kids do you know who have written a book? 

There are many reasons why self-publishing is such an effective means of publishing, but imagine how the admissions of your student’s dream college would react to seeing “published author” on a college application? 

The New York Times states that 81% of people want to write a book. You could help your student be one of the aspiring authors who actually achieve this dream. But before you assign “write a book” as weekend homework, let’s discuss the seven reasons self-publishing is the perfect homeschool writing project. 

Homeschool writing project: what’s covered 

• Understand the importance of creativity 
• Take a leading role in their work 
• Recognize the power of collaboration 
• Enhance critical thinking skills 
• Increase ability to communicate effectively 
• Learn business techniques in real time 
• Become a well-resourced entrepreneur 
• Example: homeschool writing project 

1. Understand the importance of creativity 

Dr. Cohan, a professor of sociology, writes that, “Educators, particularly in higher education, face institutional demands that often constrain creativity. A commitment to creativity can enhance work/life balance.” 

As a homeschool parent, you have the autonomy to assign homeschool writing projects that teach the importance of creativity in daily life. Whether your student grows up to work in the corporate world or a more stereotypically “creative” job, creativity is vital to a fulfilling life. 

Assigning a homeschool writing project such as publishing a book teaches the value of creativity in a hands on, extremely literal way. Fiction involves engaging in creativity for character development and plot structure. Nonfiction relies on realistic dialogue and chapters that engage the reader.

It’s not only the writing process itself that involves creativity, but every aspect of the publishing process. This leads us into the second reason publishing a book can help you child succeed in life.

2. Take a leading role in their work 

It’s easy for students to rely on teachers to stay on them to complete assignments. When you assign a homeschool writing project that involves writing and publishing a book, students are likely to take ownership of the process.

After all, it’s their book that will end up online for the world to purchase. Additionally, working toward becoming a published author sounds much more engaging than studying for next week’s quiz (although both are important!). 

3. Recognize the power of collaboration 

Publishing is by nature a communal endeavor. When you assign a homeschool writing project, you open the door for your child to learn just how vital outside opinions are. 

From drafting their manuscript, to developmental editing, to choosing the perfect book cover, it takes a team to successfully self-publish a book. Learning the power of collaboration early in life sets your child up for success in their future.

4. Enhance critical thinking skills 

Self-publishing requires all sorts of critical thinking. Throughout this homeschool writing project, your student will encounter issues they did not expect. 

For example, what happens when the book cover you want doesn’t fit the dimensions you chose for your book? How do you fix a plot hole? How do you launch an author website that fits your book’s genre/brand/theme?

Overcoming these issues are part of the learning process and help them learn how to: 

• Achieve results in new ways
• Deal with setbacks in a healthy manner
• Analyze how to move forward when the project is at a standstill 

Self-publishing a book teaches all of these aspects, and more. 

5. Increase ability to communicate effectively 

Much of successful self-publishing relies on effectively communicating to your target audiences. Another word for this is simply marketing. To market in a way that converts into book sales, your student must understand their target audience.

Once they understand who they should market their book to, they must learn how to communicate with their audience in a way that converts to sales. Communication is a powerful soft skill. Learning how to effectively communicate and market will help you child stand out as competent and capable in future endeavors.

6. Learn business techniques in real time 

The role of a business mindset in everyday life can’t be overstated. A homeschool writing project that requires publishing a book will teach business techniques your child can apply to the rest of their life. 

Self-publishing a book teaches students who to:

• Budget effectively 
• Meet deadlines
• Work with a team
• Delegate tasks 

If your child graduates high school with a grasp of only the above four points, they are likely to handle their own finances well, show up to work on time, be a team player, and lead with confidence. And all of this simply from assigning a homeschool writing project! 

7. Become a well-resourced entrepreneur 

The number of startups surged in 2022 and 2023, alluding to the rise in entrepreneurship. Brendan Duke, Senior Director of Economic Policy, says, “This boom shows no sign of slowing down.”

Entering the entrepreneurial world with a tool belt of business skills, the confidence that comes from self-publishing, and a published book to their name can set your child up for success in a saturated marketplace. 

Who knows, assigning a homeschool writing project could launch your child to becoming the next person to land on Forbes 30 Under 30 list, just as CEO and Founder of SelfPublishing.com, Chandler Bolt, did.

Example: homeschool writing project 

Now that you understand the importance of a homeschool writing assignment focused on self-publishing a book, what should the assignment entail? Consider the following steps as template you can base the project around.

Time lines can fluctuate, but these examples can provide scaffolding on which your student can start their self-publishing process. It targets a one semester, 18-week time frame from ideation to publication.

Week one: ideate and structure the manuscript 

Give your child one week to come up with a great idea and a rough structure to their book. This will propel them into the writing process. Encourage them to look for a cover designer and editor at this time as well (more on this in week seven). 

Why it’s helpful: Planning a book teaches the importance of preparation and future-thinking. 

Week two through six: draft and edit the manuscript 

Learning how to write a book can feel daunting. Capping the writing process at four weeks will help your student push through writer’s block and finish their draft. Encourage them to self-edit yesterday’s work before writing today’s word count. While drafting, encourage your student to reach out to friends and fellow writers who will commit to help launch the book. 

Why it’s helpful: When students complete their manuscripts it teaches them the power of overcoming challenges to meet their goals. 

Week seven through ten: professional editing and cover design 

These next three weeks are about final edits, settling on the perfect cover, and preparing for launch. Whether they work with a professional self-publishing team or create a cover in Canva, it’s important they dedicate themselves to the aesthetics of the book.   

Self-publishing tip for students: If your student is not in the place to hire a professional editor or cover designer (not many elementary or high school students are), self-publishing a book still makes a fantastic homeschool writing project. Learn how to publish a book for free in this article that details the process. 

Week eleven through thirteen: create marketing materials, finalize launch team, work with KDP

At this point it’s time for your student to research their target audience and create marketing materials geared for this audience. They should also finalize their launch team (a private Facebook group is an easy way to communicate with team members) and familiarize themselves with Kindle Direct Publishing.

This will help them feel eager and confident when it comes time to publish their book.  

Why it helps: Learning how to connect with specific people and manage a team are important life skills.

Week fourteen through eighteen: promote and launch!

The last month of the semester is all about effectively launching this homeschool writing project turned self-published book. Encourage them to go all out in marketing. Come launch day, be sure to celebrate their great achievement. 

If you follow these steps, rather than stay in the 81% of people who desire to publish a book, your student can actually self-published a book. This is a tremendous accomplishment. You now have a published author in the family and an entrepreneur ready to take on their next big challenge!

If you’re still unsure…

Remember that question I asked at the top? How many kids do you know who have written a book? Yours could very well be one of them. But what if you don’t have a high school student yet? 

Can kids publish books? Yes! Just consider one of our youngest authors, Emma Sumner. At just eight-years-old, Emma wrote and published her first book. She even booked on-air interviews with media including NBC, ABC, FOX, CBS, and PBS. If an eight-year-old can do it, chances are your child can too! 

Homeschool writing project: take your first step

If your child ready to put “published author” on their resume, college application, or job application, it’s time to take the next step in the publishing process. Use our free Book Outline Generator to help your student start week one of their writing process!