My Journey to 62 Blog Posts Book

Yesterday I approved the final proof copy of my book, 62 Blog Posts to Overcome Blogger’s Block, and I am the happiest writer, author and blogger you know right now. I will be ordering my first set of books by the end of the week.

It has been a loooooooooooooooooooooooong journey. I started drafting the book in 2012 at the advice of Dante Hamilton, the founder of Chicago Blog Awards, who told me to write a book to elevate my credibility. I did.

The most amazing part of this journey is that I did it with an inconsistent cash flow and a whole lotta persistence. I would not allow money or any other obstacle – real or perceived – to deter my dream.

The purpose of this post is three-fold:

• To provide an overview of my journey, including mistakes and successes
• To recommend professionals who helped me create an amazing book
• To help you earn money andsave time and money by not making my mistakes

My Mistakes

Editing My Own Work

This is a no no for any writer, no matter how good your editing skills are.

I was blessed with writing and editing skills. I thought could do both since it was my book. And besides, who could edit my book better than me?

Any good editor except me. While I did a pretty decent job, I was too close to my work. I edited my work so much that I started messing up my book! This was pretty costly since I had to hire another editor after I had edited the edits of my first editor, which were good.

Here are recommended editors that helped get my book together

Charisse Chambers Smiley, edit this? Edit That!, Charisse_Smiley@yahoo.com

Jennifer Brown, Pen & Prosper

Joy Shields, The Writers Beacon

Publishing on Amazon Only

Although Amazon is the most popular platform for traditional and eBook publishers, it is not the only one.

Since I didn’t have the money to print the book, I published it on Kindle in June 2013. It is almost two years later and I am just publishing it on Nook and Smashwords. I severely limited my reach and bottom line by publishing it on one platform.

Formatting Before Revising

I sent my book to the designer for formatting and images before revising the content. Then I sent the edits to the designer to do them. BIG MISTAKE. Let your designer do what he or she does best – design.

Needless to say, the edits were not done correctly, which gave me more time and opportunity to make a bigger mess of the edits.

My Successes

Asking for Referrals

Small Biz Lady Melinda Emerson referred me to her designer, Sabryna, who did a fantastic job!!!

Late last year I needed book formatting assistance to get my book through CreateSpace and was introduced to Sandra Ballenger. Her enthusiasm is amazing. When I told her what my issues were, she said, “We’re going to get your book through with no errors.” And she did.

Pre-marketing my book

It is always advised to market your book before it’s published. I did that; mostly by accident. I actually thought my book was going to be published sooner. However, I promoted my book while I worked and waited, and even captured the attention and support of influencers.

Continuing on in spite of

I could have allowed my inconsistent cash flow, which was my biggest challenge on this journey, to be a hindrance. Instead I did what I could when I could.

Even though I had freelance assignments and temp jobs over these years, there were always some financial inconveniences that needed attention.

The last incident that impacted the publishing of my book was being abandoned by a designer that was helping me. I was so close to the finished line ~aka~ a published book, and this person just disappeared. But I reached out for help and was referred to Sandra; now my book is done.

That is just the short version of the publishing journey of 62 Blog Posts to Overcome Blogger’s Block. It will be available in February, but you can pre-order your copy today!

What about you?

Are you a self-published author? Care to share the story of your journey?

 

Images: apptimize.com, www, burgesscommercial.com