Joy Bountiful Publishing

Few things feel as good as writing in your own book.

For the last two years I have been studying design. It’s been an exciting journey! In the beginning it took the form of learning how to do simple designs using iPhone apps like Over. From there I moved on to learning how to use a Mac and design apps like Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign. A lot of mornings and evenings were spent watching tutorials online, listening to podcasts, and trying to copy (and eventually modify) designs I like that others made.

At the same time I was interested in learning to resell on Amazon and Ebay. A good friend has been a seller on Ebay for many years and she taught me a lot about how that world works. Reselling is difficult, but eventually I got to the point of having some sales.

These two worlds collided when I learned about Merch by Amazon. This great program allows people to create designs, upload them to Amazon, and not need to invest in stock or work with a warehouse. After being accepted to the program I started with t-shirt design and eventually added other product designs, like hoodies, long sleeve t-shirts, and popsockets.

In late 2018 I began designing journals, notebooks, and other books. Like the Merch by Amazon program, Amazon has a neat program called Kindle Direct Publishing, or KDP, that includes paperbacks. I learned about book design and began to make my own journals and notebooks.

Throughout this process I have focused on my passions for inspiration. The Chinese language and my Taiwanese heritage, family, and the gospel of Jesus Christ play a huge part in my life, and my designs reflect these things. Joy Bountiful is the brand I use in my work, and it reflects the joy and love I feel in doing design work and throughout my life!

In 2019 I’m excited to continue to expand my work in design, as well as teaching others how to do some of the same things I do. I will have online courses on Merch by Amazon, publishing with KDP, and general design, in both English and Mandarin.

It’s exciting to look back and see how far I’ve come on this journey. If you have any questions about anything I’ve mentioned here or need help with Merch or KDP (or Mandarin!) please let me know!