So How Do You Self-Publish

Slobbers, the Saint Bernard and the hero of my story, and I had by this time become joined at the hip.  This was our project together.  It made me think of kids who have invisible friends.  I now had an invisible dog.  I still do, though he seems very real to me. So off we went together to sort this all out.

 Boy, there are a LOT of companies who offer self-publishing services.  You can get a package deal where they literally do everything except actually write your book, or you can pick and choose the services you want.

That was all fine and dandy so I read about a bunch of them. Looking up ratings for all of them was a big help.  Disgruntled clients are more likely to comment than those pleased with a service, or so it seemed.  There were more objective comparisons too.  Looking at things like the quality they were known for, responsiveness to their clients questions, distribution and so on.  On that basis I was able to eliminate a lot of them.

I was still uneasy.  I like to know the people I'm doing business with; I like to be able to look them in the eye.

During all this my husband jumped on the band wagon and did some of his own research and in so doing found a small outfit in Missoula, MT which is just a hop, skip and jump from where I live.  The web site said, as did they all, the initial conference was free.  That made sense.  They want to lure you in. So I called them and asked if I could meet with them in person. Absolutely, I was told.

So off to Missoula I went and met for about an hour with the gal who would be my project manager. I liked her.  She seemed to like the premise of my book and the couple of illustrations I had in the manuscript.  I tried to weigh personality and enthusiasm as being real versus wanting a client. We parted company with my telling her I'd be in touch.

Once back in my office I reviewed all the research I had done on the  various companies. The choice boiled down to the 800 pound gorilla in the business or the small group in Missoula.

Next post - the decision and why.

Now It's Written - What Next?

 I had a manuscript.  I had thrown in a few illustrations just to break it up a bit.  The illustration at the left was the first one I drew. I had already fallen in love with that puppy!

People I had asked to read the manuscript - those who would be honest, but kind, loved the illustrations and said I should do them myself. More on this as we go along.

I had two options to move forward.  One was to begin researching and submitting to appropriate publishing houses, or self-publish.

Of course ego suggested going for a publishing house until a friend told me that I'd probably have to wait a couple of years before they'd get around to reading it and there was no guarantee it would be accepted. At my age I didn't feel that was viable choice.

One of my readers was with a small local house begun by a group of writers who had problems getting their own books published.  They were interested, but then they weren't, then they were again.  As with many small businesses they were having their own share of financial problems so I decided that too was not a viable choice.

The next step was finding out the pros and cons of self-publishing and how did one go about it. One thing I did know was that I was going to need all the help I could get.

Next - who helps and what exactly do they do?

A Slight Detour from the Narrative - Without Apologies

Have you ever had an 'Oh, no!  Not (name)..." moment?  I had one of those Friday evening when the daughter of a dear and long time friend contacted me to let me know her mother had died. I was shocked, for to the best of my knowledge she had no imminent illness.   Yes, she had been plagued with rheumatoid arthritis for years but other than that, no more than the aches and pains that come with aging.

Her son alluded that the isolation brought on by Covid bothered her, for she lived alone. There's a lesson here, for she was found after neighbors had noticed she hadn't picked up her mail for several days. Was Covid partially to blame?  The isolation and depression that isolation can cause?  I expect so.

My heart ached. To die so alone.  I hope when the medical examiner sorts it out it is determined she didn't suffer.

We had been friends for nearly 60 years.  We laughed together, cried together, had incredible adventures when we were young and invincible. We were there for one another when we lost our parents - and she, her husband.  It was one of those relationships where you may go for months without talking and when you do it seems like yesterday.

My first reaction to reading her daughter's message was, "Oh no!  Not....!"

Why am I writing all this?  Because I find it curious how it has related to my dogs. I can't think of a single time I wasn't on a first name basis with our vets. My dogs were so spoiled and so sweet everyone loved them. But one particular time sticks out in memory - with Louie,  one of our Bastille Day adoptees.

The head of the vet practice came to our home.  It was not a policy of theirs but he came anyway. One of the associate vets, learning of it after the fact reportedly cried, "Oh no!  Not Louie!" And broke down in tears.

That's pretty much how I've been over this long week end.  It has been a Memorial Day of a different sort. 

Weeping for and remembering what was and will never be again.

I'll get back to business in my next post.  Thanks for listening...

The Mystery Man and Then Some

I now have the dog, Slobbers, the kids, and their families. Next I needed the mystery man. Originally he would have been Big Foot but now he's just big.

Originally there was a brew master in the neighborhood.  Now he's the owner of the local pub.

Now I need an actual mystery.  Originally our neighborhood gardens were inundated with snails.  I kept it the same in the story upon the advice of my advisors who felt kids would love the icky, slimy, smelly creatures.  I couldn't disagree with that so snails it was. 

Okay, my characters were set, now get it written.  The first draft was written in the third person.  Then I was told middle grade stories were usually written in the first person and don't go into too much detail because the kids aren't interested.

Would a writing class have taught me all this?  Who knows. I never even expected to be writing a kids book! 

Just how do I do this first person bit?  Who should it be? Why, the dog, of course, I was told.  My first crack at it was terrible. Try again. I figured since I had four Saint Bernards and two mutts over the years, certainly I could get inside a dog's head. 

Once I settled down to it I found it easier than I had expected and actually quite a bit of fun.  I was falling in love with all my characters.

I felt quite good once done to my satisfaction.  I had friends who were fantastic supporters who kept me going. Then the big question arose.  Where do I go with it now?  The first thing I discovered was writing the story was the easy part! 

Coming up will be illustrating, then the agony of publishing.  Stick around!

The Whites and the Neighbors

Yesterday you met the Whites.  This is Sarah and George.

Today we'll move on the the neighbors. Aimee and Darius Brown are Deon's mom and dad.  Darius owns the local paper.  Aimee in in charge of the local library,

Darius bought the paper several years before when the previous owner was found to be in collusion with some very unsavory characters that had infiltrated the village.

Mrs. Brown took over the small library because no one else seemed to want the full time responsibility.

They were delighted to find their new next door neighbors had a son the same age as their own.  The two boys became best friends from the moment they met.

Not long after the Browns moved in on one side of the Whites, the Huangs, Lian, Liu and their daughter Lin, moved in on the other. 

Originally from Hong Kong, Liu was in the states to lecture at the university in Metroberg on Chinese art history.  Lian was an accomplished artist in her own right.

While exploring the countryside around Metroberg they discovered the Village of Serenity and immediately fell in love with it.  It was everything Hong Kong was not, so they decided to apply for and were granted residency.  They opened an art gallery and created within it studio space so Lian could continue her work.

Like Bud and Deon,  Lin and Sis also became best of friends. Lin was more quiet than Sis but the two of them made a formidable pair.

The four kids together were always up for adventure and if they couldn't find it, it would find them!

There are more characters to come so stay with me...