A Time For Everything

First of all--Happy Friday. We've survived another week. The news sucks and I hate it. I have no idea what to believe. At this point all I can do or not do is what the government allows. Otherwise, I really have enough to keep me busy.

Second of all--I'm keeping busy.

Things at work have calmed down and, for me, have almost gotten back to normal. As a result, I've turned my focus on my publishing company, Knotted Hearts Publishing, if you didn't know. I started making sure I have all files for all book and that all books are consistently formatted, have consistent information, and that older books are updated with all books I've written rather than the few that were out at the time. I'm at nine at the moment!


Anyway, cleaning house in that area--going through all folders and documents to see what's old and what's still in use, what needs a quick update, what's a duplicate. It's cathartic to complete these kinds of tasks, so I'm going with it as I prepare to get back into writing mode. My office at home might need a quick de-cluttering too.

Third of all--I'm still doing well at losing weight. Despite the banana bread and mini-chocolates I eat. I do stay within my calorie count though. The targeted workouts are an adventure, I must say. I look stuff up online--I have a list for each body area, glutes, abs, arms, right now--and then I try stuff.

And then I discover that some of those specific exercises are not things I can pull off. For example, I can't do Alternating Forward Lunges right now. I just can't get that leading foot out far enough so that my knee isn't bent our over my foot. I can't stay balanced either. So it's been a lot of trial and error with regards to things I can do--because I'm also not that coordinated--and things I can't. There are also things that don't seem to feel like they're working. If there's no aching the next day, did I work hard enough? Did the exercise "work"?

All that aside...the day is coming--I've already planted the idea in my head--where I go on a carb fast for like two weeks. No more tortillas, no more pretzels, no banana bread, no chocolate. If a food has more than say 5 grams of carbs, aside from veggies, I don't eat it. I see a lot of salad and vegetables in my near future. :0) By doing so and keeping my exercise routine in place, my body will really trove those fat stores for energy, especially during exercise after I've already been fasting for nine hours.

And there will be a good reward for that fast--like a whole pint of ice cream at the end of it or something. Maybe pizza with a lot of my favorite toppings goodies. Maybe a bowl of a favorite cereal. I don't know yet.

Anyway--have a great weekend. Catch you Monday!

The short story is, for all intents and purposes, done. It even has a new title that I'm pretty pleased with. I turned in my second draft, as per the submission requirements, Sunday morning although it wasn't due until today.

I tend to work better when my work is titled so I slapped a title that sorta fit when I started writing. As I plodded along and after a pretty hefty edit, the title fit even less, so after I turned the book in, I turned my creative energies to a new title and came up with one that fit much better now that book is done.

This morning I turned my efforts to an extra for the book. Basically, the epilogue that will feature an event mentioned in the book. I'll link to it at the end of this story if anyone wants to read it.

This group is doing another anthology for Valentine's Day, so I'm hoping to participate in that as well, but in the mean time, I need to work on one of the other million books I'm in the middle of.

Okay, just kidding, one of the two other books that really needs my attention.

But this anthology gave me a boost that I could conceive a plot and write a book start to finish, short as it was. Now to apply my enthusiasm to one of these other tales and get something else done in time for my conference in October.

Speaking of my conference in October...I'm trying to apply several lessons I've learned. One from last year's experience and a couple from a recent program of my writers group.

The first lesson is to get any ordering (books or swag) done early in case there are issues.

The second lesson is author branding is important. I had a notion of that last year and anytime I did something official like the book signing, I wore business casual in the colors of my publishing company. (Yes, I have one, with a name, a dba, a logo, a website, and everything.)

Unfortunately, there were issues with the table runner (graphics) I tried to order last summer (see lesson one) and I was trying to get a lot of ducks in rows, so that fell by the wayside.

The third lesson is that, in general, people at conferences feel more comfortable walking up to a stranger if they know their name. So I solved the graphics issue for the table runner and it has been ordered. I also ordered a small standup cardboard sign, and I'll be ordering some magnetic names tags.

The fourth lesson is that SWAG doesn't sell books, but it offers name recognition. People take your stuff and use it as applicable, so choose swag that people will use. Either get your name printed directly on the item as in the case of pens or slap a sticker on them in the case of many many other items. I still have pens and some paperboard coasters left from last year, but this new story doesn't fall under the series the coaster is specific to, so that means...do more *author* branding than book or series branding.


Anyway, hope you had as lovely a weekend as I did.

One of the next steps in this publishing process is the purchase of ISBN numbers. Like a bar code, it's a unique identifying number for each and every book in the world and for print versus "e" versions of the same book... Also, sometimes from retailer to retailer. That means one book may have to have a different ISBN for each platform. Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, Kobo... I think. I'm pretty sure. I'll be researching that again. The point is that I'll need several ISBNs for any given book depending on who requires a unique number. Yesterday I was able to purchase a block of ISBNs at a sizeable discount, so I'm very pleased that I won't have to limit distribution of my books.

As I've been mucking about in the back matter of each book, the issue of linking to online retailers for ease of purchasing the next book has come to light. But linking to Apple from a book bought via Amazon or to Google Play from a book bought via Apple is a big no-no. So that now means, either I add no links at all or I create a separate file for each retailer containing links to the next book. It's not a lot of extra work. And I have to think a sale or two or ten is worth it because I've made it so easy and is worth an extra ten minutes, right? Yeah.

(Just one more thing--or do I count creating each version as a thing of its own??-- to add to my growing to-do list...)

(I better actually create that to-do list.)

In other news, I'm still enjoying hockey. My team won in overtime on Monday and will play the last game of a road trip in Winnipeg tomorrow. Go STARS!!

On Saturday, my writer peeps will gather at my house for the monthly get-together since our writers group does not meet in November. I'm excited to see everyone and talk writing, books, and publishing.

Hope you have a great rest-of-the-week.

That's the big question...

I've been told that October/November/December is a good time to publish, but I'm no closer to a final decision at this point. I want to publish. I do. That lure of an income stream no matter how small is pretty strong, but I also know that if I can't stick with the schedule, I'll lose momentum, and it'd just be better if I can avoid that.

My options at this point are next June to coincide with and/or start off my 50th birthday/50th year with a bang, January of 2018, or Oct/Nov/Dec of this year if I can get my act together on the last three books.

The problem is Book Six is still a big muddled mess in my brain. But I am getting help with that, so fingers crossed. Also, I plotted out one of the remaining books--which may get bumped up to "six" status, depending on how it goes--so that's encouraging. I worked on one of the other books as well, but didn't make quite as much progress. Which is fine. I just gotta keep plugging away.

The other thing that was niggling at me was lack of ideas that really excite me for the next series. I have a few written down, but I've felt kind of meh about them. And then one came to me and I was instantly stoked about it and several ideas sparked right away. So that's the one. :0) The plan is another nine books. And, unlike my current series, it's gonna have some advance planning--way advance, since it won't start until the first series is complete. It'll take approximately seven months to publish a nine-book series on the schedule I've outlined, so yeah...

That gets me into 2019. I guess I don't have to worry about the next series for awhile.

Any words of advice?

Yep, I went AWOL last week. I think I was just wiped out and my brain couldn't come up with anything exciting to talk about. I'm still at a loss, really, but figured I ought to check in.

So what's going on with Jen?

Well, Saturday was my writing group's annual conference, which was a lot of fun. I saw my favorite peeps which is always a joy and I learned about character archetypes.

In pondering the heroes of my first six books, I discovered I have four of one type with two others that also have those underlying tendencies. All the others are unique. I might have to branch out a little and challenge myself to try a new archetype.

I also made some progress finally on book five revisions. I've still got a ways to go, but I'm feeling better about the whole thing. Mostly, anyway. :0)

I've got a lot of publishing stuff to get a handle on this month too as time ticks down to publication day. I'm looking at a slight change to my plan after a conversation with a successful friend of mine--that being only publishing the first three books to start, with the fourth one coming 28 days after, and book five coming 28 days after that and book six 28 after that.

And now that I'm thinking about that schedule, books six will now be scheduled two and half weeks sooner than anticipated... Hmmm... Gonna have to think about some more. I'm not opposed, but the question becomes: can I get the book done and edited in time along with all the other stuff on my plate?

I really wanted to publish in June for my birthday, but maybe I should consider postponing for a month... I don't know.

So a good weekend over all for me. How about you?

My announcement's not as big as I'd hoped it would be because I wanted to use the logo I commissioned. But I don't care for it. It's not that it's bad quality or anything, it's perfectly fine, but it's not what I envisioned despite my best efforts to describe what I wanted. So back to the drawing board. I did make a mock up though, so the next person has an exact template to work from, and they can, you know, make it much nicer and professional looking.

But I'm official as of this past Monday...as Knotted Hearts Publishing--tying knots two hearts at a time. The mock up:


I made it to the bank on Wednesday to open a business checking so that I can create all my retailer accounts (Amazon, Nook Press, etc.) as they require banking info so as to have someplace to feed all those royalties I'm going to earn into. >>big grin<<

Also on Wednesday, I told a "stranger" what I am up to for the first time. To be honest, my business banker isn't a total stranger. He's been handling our other business accounts for years, and he and I share an affinity for hockey. In fact, we spent a lot of time while he was setting up my new account talking about the hockey trades that happened to the Dallas Stars--we lost four players!

Anywho, he asked what Knotted Hearts Publishing was for and I told him. He was very excited for me and wished me the best. I realize he wants me to succeed so his employer makes money, but I still think he was genuinely pleased for me. Anyway, it was a nice "first time" experience.

There you have it...I'm very excited and I'm still having fun. Can't forget that. Life is too short to not enjoy your endeavors. This is the first time ever--as DH noted last week--that I've planned and worked for something long term. I want to do it right, but still enjoy the heck out of the journey.

Happy Friday, ya'll. Have a great weekend.

I spent some time yesterday contemplating the new hat I'm wearing...or planning on wearing. That of publisher. No, I'm not planning on becoming the next Avon Books or Bantam Dell or anything. I'm not going to be publishing other author's books, only my own, but creating a personal publishing company will open some doors that an indie publisher on his or her own cannot enter (at this point in time).

Being a published author as well as a publisher are both business endeavors, therefore I researched writing plans and business plans. I have to write books if I want to publish books, hence the writing plan. Publishing books is a business, hence the business plan. Even if I never need to approach investors or a bank for money, a business plan will be a useful tool in helping me make the best decisions in order to reach whatever vision, mission, and goals I establish for my little feifdom.

I found several different websites dedicated to writing plans and a slew of them dedicated to business plans. Now to read and compare and decide what the best way to go about creating these plans are.

Part of me feels a bit anxious that I'm behind the eight ball even though I know I'm not, and I don't want to rush and make mistakes--although I've learned that rarely are these kinds of mistakes fatal. I'm not a brain surgeon. I'm an author, writing books I want to read and putting them into the world for others to find and enjoy. I can make mistakes and then make corrections as needed.

DH is part of this advertising and promotion group specifically for IT companies and MSPs (managed service providers), and the head of the group says just to do it--whatever "it" might be at the time. Take a website for example--all it needs to do is serve its purpose. It doesn't need to be pretty, it needs to get the job done. You can go back later and give it a face lift when you have the time or the money.

The author/publisher who's put all these crazy ideas in my head says the same. So...while there's no rush, I guess I shouldn't worry overmuch about getting it wrong either. I can revisit and adjust--which I think businesses do on a regular basis anyway as time passes and things change.

My anxiety stems more from getting the four, five, six books ready to publish in June, July, and September and juggling all the tasks involved in that. I've decided to put the cart before the horse a bit and set my deadline for the business plan for December of this year...if I get it done sooner, great. If not, then I haven't busted any of my goals.

The publishing company however will be official in the next month or so...lots to do to get ready for the big release day. I've got the plan for that started. Just need to add some target dates for the various milestones and I'll be all set.

So...what'd you do this weekend??

I've taken a mini-hiatus from writing, but it's time to get back into the groove.

As far as I know, all writers struggle with aspects of writing. Those who have publisher imposed deadlines don't have the luxury of just not working on their books. Successful indie publishers have a little more leeway, but not much.

I am a hobby writer. I'm embracing the term. I'm not looking to make a living. I have tales of good-looking heroes to tell and so I shall. But as I said a couple of months ago, this is supposed to be a no-stress endeavor, so I've tried not to worry too much about being stuck. Of course, I need to figure out why I'm stuck or how I got stuck in order to figure out how to get un-stuck, which, I admit was stressing me out.

But then I remembered: no-stress endeavor, and I took a step back. The book and the characters were set aside for a few days. And I read. A LOT. And watched some TV. Not a lot/a lot, but enough. Found a new show (or two), which I'll talk about Monday.

Yesterday I had a reminder-epiphany--I'm supposed to be writing whatever it is I want to read. So no reason to follow all the RWA/Harlequin rules of writing romance. I much prefer the fan fiction rules of romance writing. So, yeah. Time to remember the fun of telling a tale.

So looking forward to getting back to my fictional friends this weekend.

Hope you have a great weekend!