Launching a website, starting a business and other incidentals.

(Who knew that self-publishing would come with so many steps beyond writing a book?)

I guess I should have known. It’s in the name after all, self-’publishing.’ It’s not called self-writing. Writing is what I love. Science is what I went to school for. (Rock Science with a side of chemistry and biology.) Teaching is what I have worked at the longest. Admittedly I love each of these things too.

Yet I signed myself up for business, marketing, web design, and a host of other jobs necessary to make this work. Why? Because I have stories to tell, and I want other people to read them. So I find myself doing things like reformatting images so they don’t slow down your internet, making flyers to announce my preeminent book, commissioning a logo for publishing company I’m calling a Press (mostly just because it sounds better,)* and staying up late at night to write a blog entry to test out a few tricks for my website discovered online.

Is it worth it?

Ask me again when I hold the first physical copy of my book. Ask me when I make my first sale. Ask me tomorrow, I’m tired.

But I’ll answer now. Yes. This is just one of the first steps along a journey I’ve been planning for years. But it is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. And I’m excited to see how this turns out. Even if I end up furnishing my next apartment with boxes of unsold books.** At least I have a backup plan. :)

Anyway. I’m wordy. Something I hope my editors will help me fix.*** There’s a lot more I could say, but won’t for now. Let’s launch this website. Find out what doesn’t work, and fix it before I make a formal announcement of my upcoming book title and a formal cover release for the first book in the Junior Rangers Investigative Club series.

Stay tuned!!!!!!!

A picture I’m proud of photoshoping (another unexpectedly ‘necessary’ skill btw.)

*(admittedly the logo was mostly commissioned for my own amusement, but I hope it helps the brand.)

**(one person has already read this joke. If they read it, sorry for reusing it.)

***(novels only, anyone who reads these blogs will have to suffer through my unfiltered writing.)

Note to self: If I started on tiktok which just featured quite moments in national parks, would that be good for social media/marketing?