As the end of May quickly approaches, I now realize that my deadline to have my book all ready to be released and actually be published, may come and go, and still no book…

Now, with that being said, I truly am OKAY with that.  This past month has had many trials and tribulations.  I lost one of my proofers, but was quickly saved by another. (Thank You Mal!!!)  I had to work on some serious rewriting of a few things.  And in the midst of all this going on, life just keeps happening.  So many hiccups and bumps along the way.

A very talented author has been helping me with some of my rewrites and one evening I was so flustered, through no fault of his own, he told me to “take a break and eat a bowl of ice cream.”  Now, I didn’t eat a bowl of ice cream, but I did walk away from the computer for a while; the rest of the night actually.  Sometimes you need those reminders from others to let yourself take a break and just breathe.  (Thank you AJ & Scarlett)

So, where am I now in this process?  Mal is finishing up proofing and I’ve started over from the very beginning of my book, going through it word by word, making sure I am satisfied with what I’m reading.  Once this process is complete, it will be time to format it and prepare it for upload into Create Space.

At this point, I am hoping to have this done by this coming Saturday, May 31^st.  However, that may not be realistic and if it’s doesn’t happen then, it will soon thereafter.  AJ and Scarlett both reminded me that when I have my book in my hands, it needs to be exactly the way I want it to be.  Also, that I am Indie Author, therefore I create my own deadlines and I do this on my own time.  There is no need to rush through the process.  This is about quality now, the finished product.  So what if it releases a little later than I had hoped.  If pushing it out a little farther insures that I will have peace of mind knowing that my book is exactly the way I want it to be for my readers…..Well then, I am truly Okay with that.

It’s been a while since I have given my latest update on this whole self-publishing experience, so here is a quick re-cap. Editing, editing, editing, and more editing. Oh yeah, did I mention Editing? Work all day, edit at night. Somewhere in the middle of all that though, my graphic designer has completed my cover. I can’t wait to reveal this. It’s fantastic! Oh, and did you know that if you are uploading your cover for an e-book and hard copies, you need two different formats for those because they just won’t look quite right? I’m not a graphic designer, and I cannot begin to understand why this is or how it all this works, I just know it is what it is and One size cover does NOT fit all.

I’ve purchased my ISBNs from Bowker. Speaking of which, listen up, if you are self-publishing it is very important to purchase your own ISBN. Do your research, I did mine. I was also advised to do this. And since you’ll need a different ISBN for each site that you upload and sell your book through, whether it is an e-book or hardcopy, it’s best to buy them in a group of 10. It will save you money in the long run. But again, I repeat…. BUY YOUR OWN ISBN!!!!!!
Okay, moving on from that…….

As it gets closer to my release date I’m getting more excited…..and more stressed out. I need something to help me relax. I need something to help me slow down and just breathe.

“Just relax Nicky. Just breathe…..” Words that I hear daily from a very good friend. In fact, I find myself chanting this quite often throughout my day. Right now I am consumed with trying to get this book through the editing process. After that, I have to figure out how to format it and get it ready for upload and launching. That thought alone makes my heads feel like it’s going to spin off my shoulders and detach from my body. Thank goodness for very dear friends who have experience with this, especially my Editor and author AJ Linn. Those two have been phenomenal and so very supportive. I can’t express my gratitude enough to those two! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

I know this blog was short and sweet, but I have six chapters waiting for me in Google Docs that needs my immediate attention. My editor is busting her bum to get these done for me, I need to catch up! Until next time…

Xx
~N~