Author Journey: November 27, 2020

 I can’t believe how fast November passed. It seemed to drag on while it was doing so, though. I despaired of winning Nano for most of the month but a few good sprints with our regional writing group helped me get over the toughest patches. It’ll be interesting to read back over this month in my life some day, if not for me, then maybe for my kids. 

Change is Painful and Sometimes Sad

I realized yesterday that I really miss my writing connections on Instagram. I’m going to miss them terribly when I cancel my Instagram account at the end of the year. Yes, you heard that correctly. I’m making the move as part of a New Year’s resolution to find websites which allow room for free speech. (I apologize if the following video doesn't display correctly. I'm still learning how Blogger displays things when uploaded directly. If it doesn't display correctly and I have time later, I'll update this to adjust for the IG Story format.)

I know not everyone has the same opinions as I do. I know I’m not going to agree with everyone and they won’t all agree with me. But I still value them as people, as fellow human beings. They have a right to express their views and I have a right to express mine. I think the trouble comes in when there are arguments concerning proof of certain events. One side will always say another side has found their proof on a false news site, or on a biased site. However, I’ve found that in so many cases, all parties involved are looking at biased sites.

 
In any case, I’m looking forward to a restful month as I recuperate from the bustle of Nano and Thanksgiving, which is my favorite holiday, and I hope you all had a lovely day of gratefulness. I find 'm ready and looking forward to putting out regular newsletters and blog posts again in 2021. I’m also eager to get back to Surge so I can publish it for my readers who have been waiting (oh, so patiently!) to see how things continue in the world of Y’Dahnndrya. 

I know I'm usually long-winded, or type-happy, but I think all my posts during December are going to be shorter than usual. I’m making most of our Christmas gifts this year and it’s time consuming. I’d buy gifts, but Covid pretty much wiped thoughts of early Christmas shopping from my mind. Buying everything all at once is out of the question, as is Black Friday shopping. I avoided that after my one experience with it years ago, so that avoidance isn't Covid related. Still, hand-made gifts are my favorite to receive, anyway, and I'd rather give a hand-made gift that I've put my heart and soul into making any day and see the look of enjoyment on someone's face when they receive a one-of-a-kind gift crafted especially for them.

Something Bookish This Way Comes

Speaking of gifts, and before I close, I wanted to remind my readers of the nifty Christmas ornaments I have available over in my Zazzle store. I know they’re kind of pricey, but I hope you’ll enjoy looking at them, maybe purchase one for the reader in your life or yourself, and share the link with your friends. You can see the new Suns and Moons of Y'Dahnndrya ornament when you click here. And if you click here, you'll be taken to the ornament that shows you support an indie author. My spirits would be encouraged and the earnings will help me get more books out to the public.

Just to give you an idea of the cost of one part of self-publishing a book, here’s a little info about ISBN numbers. Each incarnation of a book needs its own ISBN number. While many companies who cater to self-publishing authors will assign one of their own ISBN numbers to your book, that number is registered to them, not to the author. Why does this matter? It changes how the item is listed in the ISBN catalog.

In order to have an ISBN associated with both the author who wrote the book and that work, the author has to purchase their own set of ISBN numbers. I did say ‘set’ because, as I mentioned before, each kind of publication of the book needs a different number. If I sell an ebook, a paperback, and a hard back copy of one title, then I need three ISBN numbers. I'd eventually like to see audio book productions of my books, as well and those would need their own ISBNs. 

Unfortunately, the package deal offered by Bowker doesn’t allow for only three. I can buy them one at a time for $125 each, or I can buy ten of them for $295. That is a costly necessity and definitely something I can’t publish my books without. Buying in bulk makes tons more sense to the thrifty author. So any purchase you make will help me get more books into print. You may be assured of that. 

Also, if you have any suggestions of book themed items you’d like to see made available in my Zazzle store, I’d love to hear from you in the comments. One thing I can’t do is make bookmarks at Zazzle. If you’re interested in bookmarks, though, I’ll see what other options there are as this is something I've wanted to do for a while. It's just not high on my priority list right now. 

 Thank you so much for your continued support and encouragement. I hope you'll have a peaceful holiday season filled with joy in spite of the difficulties this year has presented to us.