At Last
Dreams are a wonderful thing. They do
not always come true. Yet, sometimes, they do.
As I began to write poetry and share it
with the world, I had the dream of becoming a published author. I did not know
how to begin, or what steps to take. Thankfully I had a conversation with a
patron in my local library, a patron who is a writer and self-published author.
He told me that yes it is possible, and that he in fact had done it. That
gave me the inspiration to publish my writing.
While I had the desire to be a
published author, I did not know how to get started. I had heard stories of
writers sending samples of their work to publishing companies, only to be
continually rejected. That prospect did not appeal to me.
I continued to do research,
to weigh the pros and cons of each option, to self-publish or not. I found
that, when signing with a publishing company, the company would take 20% or
more of the profit off the top. Stores and distribution outlets would take
another 30% of the profit. I decided to publish my poetry myself, so I could
have total control of my books, and earn the majority of the profit. After all
70% profit is better than 50%. In order to publish my own work, I would need to
start my own publishing business.
The self-published author I had been
talking to advised me on the steps of starting my own business. His first piece
of advice to me was to consult a lawyer on how to form a business. I met with a
lawyer as part of a pro-bono event at my local library. He counseled me on the
steps I needed to complete to start my own business. Within two weeks I had my
own business. La Luna Press, L.L.C. was established in 2013.
After that, I began to research how to
actually publish a book. I took an e-book class at my local library to find out
more. The class talked about formatting the document, creating a book cover, setting the
words on the page, using images, full color versus black and white, trade
sizing, ISBNs and more. I had the tools I needed to help me continue my
journey.
I did not know it then, but there were
still a million small steps that lay in front of me. I knew the goal lay
ahead-to be a published author. While had been given an outline of how to move
forward, I did not have a map in front of me to mark my exact route. Seeing
where I was on the map, and seeing my destination, I had to figure out how
to get there on my own.
There were many twists and turns in the
road ahead of me. While I felt empowered to have total control of my book, it
also felt daunting. I had to figure out how I was going to publish the book,
what formats and fonts to use, choose an online seller, as well as investigate
methods of printing. I had to purchase ISBNs, get a PCN, design the interior of
the book, design the exterior of the book, create a website for my new
publishing business, create a Facebook page for my business, establish a
presence through social media, create a book trailer for the book, and more.
It has been two years. In
2014 the book was released as an e-book. The paperback version of the book has
been formatted, edited, scanned for errors and approved.
Ladies and gentlemen, I now
present my book, "I am Hope", now for sale on Amazon:
The book is also for sale as an e-book, in PDF format, from the Silence Community store:
To celebrate the book launch, I
am having an online event on Friday May 1, 2015 in Facebook. I would love for
you to come. Guests will be able to win e-book copies of the book, gift cards,
and autographed copies of the book. Here is the page for the event. I would
love to have you attend.
I want to take the time now to say
thank you to my friends C, S, A, L, for starting me on my writing journey.
I want to thank B, P, M, P, for your continued support and encouragement along
the way.
I want to thank my family for helping
me format the book, and for checking the proofs to make sure the books were
accurate.
A final thank you to you, the reader.
Thank you for helping me reach my destination. I would not be where I am today
without you.
Self-published author. That's me. My
dream came true. At last.
© Esperanza Habla All Rights Reserved
Comments
Post a Comment