Writing is the easy part. I know how to get it started, then refine, and refine, and refine. The story has been there since day one. Sure there are things that change that come and go.  Additions that pop into my head as I move through the story and think about cool new things. Sometimes they are meant for the book I am working on. Often I need to pull open one of the other books because it goes later in Specs story. She is in control of this part after all.  

This other stuff… is what I have been learning: 

An editor is the most underrated, best friend that a writer can pay for! Yes, they want money, they deserve much more than you will have to pay them. Margie will be doing my next 5 books too. I got so lucky to find her through a friend. It was perhaps the most expensive English lesson I have ever had, but far and away the best one. Next time I will know how to move this process smoother. 

Blogs Vlogs and more Blogs: yes, everyone has an opinion and their ideas are the best. I read and listened to maybe a hundred of them until I realized what I feared the most. You just have to jump in.  

This info gathering gave me the heads up that artwork was so massively needed. Thank goodness I have friends. The cover art came from a friend named glo and she is awesome! We have now talked about how I can use the same cover only with slight changes every time until the hourglass is turned over. That was the fun part for me, not so much for her. I owe her a child’s size coke, maybe some fries if I sell 8 books. 

Then the daunting learning of Amazon KDP – OMG! To think, next I have to look and B&Nook. This type of thing is upsetting on a good day, try spending many nights. It says you can publish in as little as 5 hours……….. That didn’t seem to happen. 

After 2 days of beating my head against my desk something that Margie said came back to me. Back to the blogs to look this up. YES!  There are people you can pay to do your formatting!! Oh, the headache I could have saved myself, and 2 days of time. Enter Vidya. 

The formatting process was also an amazing learning experience, and relatively cheap. Vidya at ebookpbook was amazing and worked with my ignorance. Everything is a learning opportunity. I learned what a dingus is. It is that little asterisk, swirl, or whatever that breaks up those scene jumps in books. Well you see what happened was; even my little markings have meaning. Maybe I am a little picky. Maybe I am still fighting some remaining perfectionism that this first book hasn’t taken out of me yet. Vidya persisted and we finally got them just the way I wanted them. Next time I will know how to move this process smoother. 

The blogs say too much, stop listening to them I tell myself, but no one is listening up there in my head except Spec, who just shrugs and asks why it is not done yet. Build a website! Blog! Make a FaceBook Page. Doesn’t Spec know that I hate (anti-)Social Media? WordPress has changed, But it is something I can manage, I love to blog anyways.  I have never understood and still don’t understand FB Pages. I am so sure that I will not keep up with that. I don’t even know what any of the others are.  Mailchimp? Well, I have that monkey on my back now. Who knows, maybe I will figure out what to do with this stuff. 

For now, I am almost done with the covers for the hardbound edition. I will sell one of those, it will be to myself. I have a review to write in exchange for some advertising. I need to look at different types of ads from FB, to Amazon, to Goodreads, tooooooooo.  I need to decide if it is even worth it.  I need to find ways to promote myself – yeah, that won’t happen. I count on y’all to help with that part. 

August 21rd is the date. The big release. The unveiling of Specs story.  Yes, arbitrary, but isn’t everything? I have always needed deadlines to push up against.  I will have to let Harvesters go next week. I have to let it be on its own in the world. I have to free it from my mental desk. I have to feel comfortable and give myself the go-ahead for the rest of the story. 

It is a birth, it is a death. It is joy, fear, and anxiety-producing crap. But mostly, it is a relief. It is the next move. I can say I did something tangible. Here: hold my book; now give it back; it is the only copy.