This month on the Christian Writers blog chain, we’re talking about the word “savor” and its many possibilities. What have I been savoring lately? Oh, that’s an easy one – I’m savoring the experience of being a published writer.
It started earlier this week, when I uploaded Chantal’s Call to Amazon as a Kindle e-book. I was expecting 12 hours or so to elapse before the book went live, so I went to bed that night at my usual time, around 10:30. Four hours later, I woke up needing a bathroom visit. When I returned to my room, I thought, Wonder if the book is live yet?
It was.
So much for sleep.
I spent the next three hours on Facebook, here and anywhere else I had an account, announcing my baby’s birth to cyberspace. Even tried to notify my entire Yahoo address book via an email BCCed to everyone, but Yahoo would have none of that – its spam police “detected suspicious activity” on my account and blocked the message from going out. What, I can’t tell everyone I’ve ever exchanged emails with about my book? How rude… 
So now, I’m savoring the feeling of being in freefall as I monitor book sales (yes, I’ve sold a few copies in the two days it’s been available), look for ways to increase distribution, discover my mistakes (why didn’t I just use Smashwords instead of separate uploads to Amazon and B&N?), reacquaint myself with the formatting needs of a print book (oops, forgot the page numbers; gotta fix that before CreateSpace can release the POD edition), and even consider creating a business for my hobbies turned kudzu. I have no idea where I’ll land, but I’m skydiving in tandem with God, so I know I’ll survive and even enjoy the fall.
While I have you here, let me bounce an idea off you: I’m thinking about incorporating as Bonney Enterprises LLC, with Bonney Designs (my Etsy shop) and JTH Publishing as divisions. Any thoughts?
I can hear you now – what’s JTH? That’s Jumping Through Hoops, my friends. I even have a logo idea in mind…
One last thought: Yesterday’s Cryptoquote puzzle offered a bit of wisdom I found especially well timed as I continue making small steps into publication: “The road leading to a goal does not separate you from the destination; it is essentially a part of it.” – Charles de Lint
May you savor the road you’re on as you journey toward your goals.
Update 3/31: The Nook version went live this morning! Now Mom’s co-workers who’ve been waiting three days can download it. 
lol… when I first read the title of your post Traci… “savor the insomnia…” – my thought was What, is she loosing it?? Yep, you are!! And I am so very excited for you and can feel your energy all the way down here in Fla. !! Hats off and congrats to you… btw, LOVE the Jumping Through Hoops thing too
Thanks, Chris! I’m glad you got the humor in my title and my prospective publishing label. I’m all about making people smile…
I think JTH is an excellent idea, and I’m so glad that you’ve already sold a few copies! Also, the reason you were good to upload separate copies to pubit (B&N) and Kindle is because I’m not so certain they are populated from Smashwords Premium any longer, as I have done the same thing with my books.
Good to know! When I read on the Smashwords site that they distribute to all the e-reader format sites, I thought I would have saved a lot of time going there. But maybe I did it right by accident.
I’m glad you like JTH – it was one of those ideas that felt right from the moment it popped into my head.
Congratulations,oh published one! Loved the humor and loved the corporation idea altho in California, having a corporation is so expensive as to make it not realistic until you’re making megabucks. Wishing you the megabucks level soon!
Thanks, Carol! In Mississippi the filing fees are only $50 (from what I read online), so it’s a matter of choosing which incorporation service to go through (LegalZoom or something similar). The site I looked at yesterday will cost me $249 (including the state fee) for all the paperwork, filing fees and even a kit with member certificates and a company seal. If I do it right now, I’ll have to put it on the plastic, so I’m thinking and praying about it before I move forward. I may go ahead and start using JTH in my information uploads now, if it won’t get me into legal trouble with the distributors. More research to do…
Congratulations on the birth of your baby!
I pray the book does very well and blesses many hearts. I know what you mean about bad writing habits. I’ve had to work on some punctuation challenges. In college, I was dubbed the “comma queen.” How embarrassing, since, I don’t know, about what, if anything, they were speaking. ???? 
Lol! Sandigrace, I feel your pain. I pause a lot when I talk, so in my writing I use more commas than is perhaps necessary. In fact, I really wanted to put at least one more comma in the previous sentence…
Thanks for the good wishes and prayers.
Whoops. I read a few of your blog entries, and had them all in mind when I commented.
That’s perfectly fine, my sister. I figured that might have been the case.
Congratulations Traci. I hope to be savoring the same thing by the end of the year.
Thanks, Bill! I look forward to celebrating your publication too.
Congratulations on publication! So happy for you. Savor away!
Thanks, Pegg! I’m definitely savoring, but also looking at the next steps. I wrote a book, which birthed a series, and now it seems to be launching a business. Not what I was expecting – not at all…
Congratulations Traci, I bet you’re hooping with joy.
biiiiiiiiig hug
Haven’t had time to do much hooping, Jack; too busy exploring the options for forming a business. I do intend to do some hooping today, though. Thanks for the congratulations and the hug.
First and foremost – congratulations on your book. I love the cover by the way. Second, I think the idea of incorporating is brilliant. You have some great ideas and a cool name with which to market them under one umbrella so to speak. Good luck with all your endeavors . PS: I also caught your little ‘hoops’ joke. Nice!
Thanks, Tracy! My mind has been spinning out ideas so fast the last day or so that I forced myself to step back a bit. I’ve decided the first step is to write a business plan, even if it’s just a one-page mission statement and outline. After that, I’ll find out what’s required to form an LLC in Mississippi and go from there.
Congratulations Traci!!! It couldn’t come at a sweeter moment! Your cover looks wonderful and I know that you will work out the tweaks needs to make it available on many more outlets. This is the moment to SAVOR!!
Thanks, Terrie! I just finished tweaking the print format to my satisfaction. I need to convert it to pdf with the font embedded (not entirely sure how to do that, but I’ll figure it out), and then upload it to CreateSpace. I was going to wait until after I incorporated and bought a block of ISBNs, but I’d rather go ahead and get it out now. I can do all that other stuff between now and release time for Brigitte’s Battle, the sequel.
Cute post, Traci. Congratulations on your new book! How awesome for you.
Thanks, Deborah. It’s been an exciting and exhausting week.
Congrat’s and thanks for sharing.
Thank you, Debra.
I know I already said this to you in a comment on my own blog, but – CONGRATULATIONS!
It must be an awesome feeling. I wish you all the best with the success of your book.
I like the cover design you have – it gives the book quite a professional look.
I’d be happy to post a little announcement about your book on my blog if you like. I don’t have a huge readership but every little bit helps. Let me know if there is anything specific you’d like me to say – or even if you want to contribute some words or make it a little interview.
Thank you, Adam! I’d love it if you could post an announcement. If you want to do an interview, I’d really appreciate that. I can also email you a pdf copy of the book if you want to do a review.
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