ANNOUNCEMENT: BOOKS AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE!
Well I missed the mark announcing it on here… you know, the blog that is supposed to be updated with all the latest happenings… basically I am woefully unprepared for this entire venture. But I’ve been plugging along to make it work. Even already shipped a few books to non-friends or family which is a win in my book <Badum Tiss>.
A couple things I’ve learned
- Shipping to or from Alaska is ridiculous. Cost, wait times, all of it.
- Social media is a curse and a blessing.
- Calling something finished to point of print is hard.
- Publishing books i.e. putting yourself out there is even harder.
I never wanted to be an author, illustrator, whatever. I’ve always been a bit crafty, creative writing in school was my favorite and love to doodle but never took any of that seriously.
Shipping is the worst…
It’s hard for me to have to charge so much for shipping. $5.00?! It seems like so much. But honestly that barely covers the cost of it when including shipping supplies. I’ve toyed with charging more for the books and including shipping. Honestly the price would be about the same, but I’ve heard mixed reviews.
What do you think? If the price comes out the same does it make a difference how we market it? Would you rather pay more for the book and get “free” shipping or keep the book $9.99 plus shipping. 🤔
Oh the Socials…
Social media is free (mostly) marketing. Sure you can pay some to Boost posts and have advertisements, but ultimately the harder you hustle the more benefits you get.
The catch, it’s a lot of work. Like for real. It’s not just posting something here or there and it works… there are appropriate times, algorithms, hashtags, tricks and hacks that make it all come together. It takes a lot of work to be viral or trending on social media. Thank goodness for scheduled posts.
I guess this is why people have interns… Any takers? Would they be Butthole Interns?
Ok, print this one, wait ok, this one…
Man, that was super hard to do! Accepting that the book is done and ready for print. I still even worry that I didn’t do enough. I worry that I should have made some more changes and added more, or tweaked other things. But really that could go on forever. I had to just do it. Worst case scenario that’s why there are versions.
I did struggle with which books to print when. It all came down to capital. I was trying not to get ahead of myself. I really need to sell The Adventures of Butthole Kitty: Book One so I can print The Adventures of Butthole Kitty: in Alaska (book two). And let me tell you I really am excited about Book Two!
Who’s ready for book two?! 🙋🏼♀️
Am I publishing or baring my soul…
I think this will be a topic I reference many times. It is scary to publish something; 1) because you have to accept it is complete and hand it over, and 2) because you are putting yourself out there.
There’s not a lot of solid trustworthy information about self publishing. There’s a lot of companies who say they will help you if you give them money… So wading through the process is hard enough, but one thing is for certain, there will be negative comments. There will be people who don’t agree or like your work. I mean the title alone of mine has some people turning up their noses. If nothing else I can say do it anyway. I know it’s scary, but take that leap and put that book out there and see what happens.
Honestly I don’t entirely know how to get through this one yet. It’s still early. I’m sure I’m going to get some scathing reviews and I’ll have to deal with them when they come. Any tips on how to handle this besides getting in the fetal position under the desk sucking my thumb?
Anywho… I’ll wrap this up
Long story short,
BUY OUR BOOK PLEASE!!
The Adventures of Butthole Kitty & Briggs 