Centenary Alum Teaches Students About Life as a Self-Publishing Author

Curtis Mack, self-publishing author and Centenary University alum, spoke with students about his journey through self-publishing on Monday, April 6 in Taylor Memorial Library. 

Who is Curtis Mack?

Mack grew up drawing, as his older brother made him draw various animated characters. He developed a love for it, wanting to pursue a career related to art. 

He graduated from Centenary in 2016 after getting a degree in individualized studies, which included business and sociology. During his time at Centenary, he illustrated for The Quill—CU’s past student newspaper—his junior and senior years. 

Mack expressed how he started putting himself out there his junior year of college. He discussed the importance of networking, as having connections is very important. 

“I find the value in my connections,” said Mack. 

After college, Mack worked multiple jobs. He worked at WRNJ in Hackettstown for five years, marketed in the medical field for three years, and worked as a substitute teacher in Jefferson Township in between. He currently owns his own business—CM Productions in Oak Ridge, NJ—where he shares marketing techniques with different businesses. 

The Making of Mr. Mack

Mr. Mack’s (the main character of Mack’s book) journey began with simple sketches—sketches Mack would later digitize to pursue publication. Mack wouldn’t go the traditional route; instead, he’d take the self-publishing route through Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) platform. 

Mack had an idea for his children’s book, creating the character “Mr. Mack” who wears a purple shirt and yellow tie. His book—Mr. Mack and the 13 Zodiacs—is about how the sun passes through 13 constellations instead of 12, meaning there are actually 13 zodiac signs.

“You really can do it all by yourself,” said Mack. “It'll take time, but it's definitely worth it, 100%.”

Mack’s self-publishing story came with challenges. Amazon’s KDP platform has many constraints which forced Mack into reworking his book to meet their size restrictions for children’s books. 

Mack handled that bump in the road and every aspect of production on his own. He wrote, illustrated, and formatted his book all on his own. 

“I did the illustrations. I did the copy. The production: the bleed, the trim, the digitization of it,” said Mack. 

Outside of just the creative process, Mack also handled the legal side of publishing. Not only did he secure a federal copyright, he also applied for a Library of Congress Control Number (LCCN). Both of those steps were critical to Mack. They helped him protect his work. 

“At first I was so hesitant on sharing my idea. I was afraid someone was going to steal my idea,” said Mack. “Once I got it copywritten, I was a little bit more okay with sharing it.”

Mack’s book took 10 years for him to create. He’s spent countless afternoons in schools sharing his story with young audiences to help him refine his final product. Mack is now onto his next book and is ready to face the self-publishing world once more. 

He had one very important tip for anyone in his audience looking to pursue self-publishing. 

“Visibility, visibility, visibility is key,” said Mack. “No one’s going to advocate for you. The most powerful thing is advocating for yourself.”

Mack left his audience with one last insightful reminder before he ended his speech. 

“So remember, staying on course to your desired outcomes and experiences, creating happiness, wisdom, and self-worth along the way: that's success.” 

——

Reach out to Mack through his website for a free evaluation, and follow along his Mr. Mack journey through his social media. Mr. Mack and the 13 Zodiacs is available for purchase on Amazon.