A huge part of publishing a book is promotion. If researching a story is a rabbit hole, creating promo material is a black hole. There is an entire universe of options, and it is far too easy to get sucked into each one and lose hours, sometimes days. Here is my latest creation. I made many versions in Canva* before settling on this one. For those of you doing your own promo (which falls on most writers nowadays, independently and traditionally published), I highly recommend Deposit Photos* for your photos. They have great sale packages, so keep an eye on their site, or sign up for notifications. (*These referrals are based on my experience. I do not benefit from recommending them.)
Thursday 22 June 2023
Thursday 1 June 2023
When you chase your dreams, you begin to live your dreams. —Scot McKnight
Brace yourself. Long post ahead.
My team…
It’s a big day in our house any time one of my books gets published. But, today feels even bigger because I see SPOTLIGHT as “our” book, not just mine. This baby has been handled only by Keev and me, with some help thrown in from my dear friend and beta reader, Jayne. Keev and I will be raising a glass of Zanatta bubbly later today to celebrate our collective efforts.🥂
Our tasks…
I wrote the story. I revised the story. I edited the story. Then, Keev took it on and, let me tell you, he is one hard editor. I had to come back at it several times before Jayne read it. And Jayne is eagle-eyed too, even when handed a formatting nightmare of a book.
Ugh, formatting. It made the writing and editing seem like a cakewalk. Learning how to format for eBook wasn’t too bad. For paperback? Ahhhhhhh. But, after much wailing and gnashing of teeth, I learned how to create different margins on alternating pages, how to block text so that there were more than five words on a line, how to drop the first letter of the opening word of chapters, and how to stop numbering pages when it was a new chapter. I have a copy of the paperback, and I’m very pleased with the look.
I also designed the cover. Learning what I needed to purchase for licensing was the easiest part. Designing it so that it was both eye-catching and fit all of the criteria of formatting was a challenge. Although, it was a much more pleasurable challenge than the interior text. From this, all graphic promos are built…another task that is mine alone. And, I won’t talk about uploading, timing paperback and eBook, meta data, creating advertising spread—which is waiting approval because it has the word “sexy” in it. 🤦♀️ I’m still wiping at my tears.
What I learned…
I love my publisher, Dragonblade, and have a huge appreciation for all of the work they do. I look forward to working with them again (news on the horizon). It’s doubtful I’ll go the self-publishing route again, but I’m glad I tried it. The learning curve was steep but definitely rewarding. Oh, and for the record, those who are not concerned about having a paperback copy but purchase one to support me, I make more on eBooks. So, buy that eBook guilt free! Reviews do make a difference too, so if you can bring yourself to drop by Amazon and star it (honestly) and/or say a few words, that would be greatly appreciated.🙏
Back to the story itself…
I have already mentioned that this book is not about me, but has pieces of me. Those who know me will recognize my passion for lyric writing and performing. It was a thrill to write song lyrics for the book. I dream of putting them to music. (What do you think Aldo? Jay? Wouldn’t that be a hoot? Pity neither of you live close to me anymore.)
Folks will also recognize my experience from 17 years in the hospitality industry. I know waitressing and bartending inside out and upside down. I can hear the kitchen orders, see the serving shelf, and smell the cruddy little staff room. I also remember well the orchestrated dance of busy servers. It’s a job. It’s a strategy game. It’s hard work. As for the school and learning disability scenes, it goes without saying, I have a bit of insider knowledge on those.😉
Finally, yes finally—I warned you it was going to be a long post—everyone knows that I believe in dreaming, big or small, and in chasing those dreams. I have done it my whole life. May I never stop. May you never stop.
Thank you for supporting me in my endless chase. It means more than I can truly express. 💕
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