Ever since I can remember, I’ve loved to read. At night, long after I was supposed to be sleeping, I would hide under the covers with my flashlight and a worn out copy of Little House in the Big Woods.
My hobby would frustrate my family at times. I would prefer to sit on the couch and read to other family activities. Books traveled with me wherever I would go; car trips, school, family vacations, the bathtub…
I had a secret dream that I kept close to me, not letting others know my largest hopes and aspirations – I wanted to become an author. How amazing would it be to hold a book in my hands that had my name as author on the front cover?!
Going for it…
About 15 years ago, I decided to try and write a book. I thought, I’m just going to go for it. What do I have to lose? I started writing, creating characters and plot lines, and I was hooked.
Taking the next step was one of the scariest things I’ve ever had to do. I asked a colleague and friend that I highly respect, to edit for me. Clicking the send button on that first email was so difficult. I wanted to throw up as soon as I did it. I’ve never been good with technology and I wondered if there was some way for me to go back to the computer and ‘grab’ it out of his inbox. What if he hated it? How was he going to tell me if it was complete garbage?
Matt responded quickly and gave me the encouragement I needed to continue writing children’s books. He helped me edit and after awhile, I had a finished manuscript sitting on a thumb drive. It sat there for 13 years.
Self-Publishing
A couple of years ago, I came across a video about self-publishing low content books to create passive income. I remember thinking that if people are self-publishing notebooks and journals, then why can’t I publish my children’s chapter book?
I went back and rewatched the video, watched a few others, and then practiced the whole process with blank-lined notebooks. I learned all about Canva and templates. I created some reading workbooks for kids, as well as some draw & write journals. I dove head-first into a world that I had absolutely no clue about.
While practicing publishing journals and notebooks, I learned how to format my manuscript to the size that I wanted and worked on the cover. I had a dear old family friend that was an amazing artist. She had drawn pictures of my characters after reading the manuscript years ago. She had since passed away, but I received her daughter’s permission to use the drawings for my cover. I learned how to use Photoshop and was able to create a cover that I was happy with.
Finally, after procrastinating long enough, I uploaded my book onto Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) and hoped for the best. To be honest, the reason I went with Self-Publishing was because I was scared of the Query process to find a literary agent. It was just another step that I wasn’t quite ready for. Also, at that time, I really wanted to hold a tangible item in my hands.
The Big Day Finally Came
I happened to be home alone the day that my book finally came to my doorsteps. My husband was on a business trip in a totally different state, and the kids were off to practices. I really wanted to open the box with someone, but it just wasn’t meant to happen that way. I set up my camera, as some people do, so that I could record this monumental occasion.
Looking back, the video is not really anything I can share. I ended up crying. I’m not talking about cute little tears, trickling down my face because I’m overcome with joy. It was grief. Don’t get me wrong. The sadness was not because of the physical item of the book, but because my mom could not be there to see the finished outcome. She had read the manuscript before she passed away in 2020, but she would never be able to hold the finished product. Maybe in some way, she was there, smiling down at me as I made a complete fool of myself, blubbering along and holding my new book close to my heart.
Navigating Marketing & Social Media
A couple of years have passed and I’m starting to wet my feet with marketing and social media advertising. This is my least favorite part of the whole process.
I’ve been busy with:
- Creating a Pinterest account to learn how to make pins to market my books
- Creating a new TikTok account designed to target the book & writing community
- Learning how to set up Amazon ads
I also started this website earlier this past spring, however I truly enjoy writing blog posts and sharing about the different parts of my crazy life. It almost feels like a type of therapy to be able to jot down my thoughts for the day.
I’m not sure if the social media and Pinterest piece will ever make a difference. I create different ‘pins’ using Canva, upload them into Pinterest, attach links, and hope for the best. I’ve learned how to use ChatGPT to help me determine the best keywords to include in my descriptions and pin titles. I’m fumbling along and just hoping that I’m heading in the right direction.
Chasing Dreams…
Someday I would love to walk into a store and see my book on a shelf. Even more so, I would be overjoyed to know that a child took my book to bed with them and fell asleep under the covers with a flashlight and a worn copy of Life at Loon Lake. Maybe one day, I’ll actually be able to make an income from the sales of my books, even if it’s a small one.
Until that happens, I’m going to continue to dream. I will keep plugging away at the advertising pieces, while also working on the next manuscript. Life in my Writing Cabin makes me immensely happy. Who could ask for more?
Goals for Today:
- Work on the outline for the 3rd book in my Loon Lake Series
- Weed Whip/Trim up near the garage
- See if I can figure out how to take the Spanish message about a newsletter off this website (I don’t have a newsletter – at least not yet.) 🙂