From Wiggles to Wins: What Publishing Goodnight, Wiggles Really Taught Me
When I decided to publish Goodnight, Wiggles, I thought the hardest part would be writing the book.
That was adorable of me.
Turns out, writing the book was the easy part.
The real challenge came after. Publishing. Marketing. Learning how to talk about something I created without feeling awkward. Figuring out how to believe in my own work out loud. Showing up for a dream long after launch day came and went.
That part? Much harder.
Goodnight, Wiggles began with two best friends who wanted to create something joyful. I wrote the story, and my best friend, Cassandra Ross, brought it to life through her illustrations. Together, we made a playful bedtime book built around movement, laughter, and connection.
Seeing something that once lived only in my head become a real book still feels surreal.
Like many first-time authors, I chose a vanity publishing company because I wanted to make the dream real. Was I fully educated on every publishing path at the time? No. Was I determined? Absolutely.
And honestly, I do not regret betting on myself.
What I did not fully understand was this: publishing a book and selling a book are two very different things.
Once the excitement of release day passed, I quickly learned books do not magically sell themselves. Rude, honestly.
You have to learn how to market. How to advocate for your work. How to speak about it with confidence. How to keep posting when it feels cringe. How to keep going when growth feels slow.
I was not naturally comfortable with that at first.
But a year later?
I am better now.
I understand that marketing does not have to be loud or fake. It can be human. It can be honest. It can be community-based. It can look like introducing yourself. Sharing your process. Asking local stores to carry your book. Posting even when your inner critic says not to.
Sometimes growth looks glamorous.
Sometimes it looks like making a TikTok in your kitchen.
Both count.
One of the most meaningful moments of this journey was returning to the elementary school I attended as a child. Cassandra and I read Goodnight, Wiggles to the kindergarten classes all together—and if you know kindergarteners, you know it was delightfully chaotic.
There was laughter. Movement. Little voices. Big reactions.
Exactly what the book was meant to create.
After the reading, I donated a signed copy to the school library.
A little girl who once sat in those classrooms now had her own book on the shelves.
That one stayed with me.
I have also had the chance to do signings at Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million—which reminded me that readers are not analytics or numbers on a screen.
They are families. Teachers. Grandparents. Curious kids. Supportive strangers.
They are real people choosing to spend time with something you made.
And recently, Goodnight, Wiggles was named a Finalist in the 2026 Children’s Book International Awards.
That meant a lot to me.
Not because awards define success, but because sometimes they pause you long enough to realize how far you have come.
The cover is currently being redesigned to include the finalist seal, which feels like another full-circle moment for a book that keeps surprising me.
If I have learned anything through all of this, it is that publishing the book was only the beginning.
The real journey was becoming the kind of woman who can stand beside her work proudly.
The kind who keeps learning.
Keeps growing.
Keeps showing up.
I thought I was publishing a children’s book.
Instead, I was building confidence.
Not bad for a story about wiggles.
—Destany
Comments