If you can’t have goals, pick a project
| November 1, 2020 | Posted by Melinda under Uncategorized |
It’s been a dismal year for most things related to my hobbies (except if you count cooking. Any year I figure out what dosas are and how to make them at home can hardly be categorized as fully a failure!), but my writing and time spent with the horses took the worst hit by far.
Last month I decided enough was enough. I’m not setting goals but maybe I’m just one good project away from getting my mojo back. Looking at all my writing project, finishing up an ebook I started two years ago was the obvious choice.
So that’s what I did all last month. I wrote the parts that still needed to be written. I rewrote whole sections of the book because a lot has changed in ebook publishing since I started the book. I begged my mom to copyedit what probably has to be the most boring and dry material I’ve ever asked her to proof. I set myself a deadline of Oct 29 to publish the ebook and have a print proof on the way, so that this book could be a resource for anyone doing NaNoWriMo.
AND I DID IT.
Look. I don’t have my mojo back. How do I know? In the past, book releases have been accompanied by me obsessively updating websites and creating promotional materials. This ebook has been published for three days. What have I done? None of these things. I’ve put one post on facebook announcing its release. There’s no mention of it on my website or the blog. Oops. I’ll get around to it. Probably. But more than finishing this project, what feels even more important is to start another.
What November writing project is more perfect than participating in National Novel Writing Month?
Yep, I’m giving NaNoWriMo another try this year. 50,000 words in thirty days. Instead of working on a single novel, I’ll write blog posts for this site, and write veterinary-related stories for use in a future project. I hope you see a lot more of me here this month.
In the meantime, if you have a project sitting around that you’ve been wondering how to turn into an ebook, I have a book for you!
Yes! It’s another Bar Napkin Guide. They are so fun to write. Over the years I’ve helped several people format their manuscripts into ebooks, and I’ve sent the rough draft of this book to friends who are struggling with the process. Formatting an ebook is straightforward but full of fiddly details. This is a step-by-step guide with pictures and other helpful resources to get your manuscript into something you can upload on multiple sites.
Look, I’m going to brag a little bit. I design all my own covers for all my books. I think this one turned out really well. You’ll never see the back cover unless you buy the print book….but here it is.
Isn’t it PRETTY????? (and if you don’t think so, just pretend mmmkay?)
I’ll get around to creating a book page for this on drmelnewton.com soon, but in the meantime, if you are interested in “Format & Publish Your Ebook Today: The step-by-step guide for publishing your ebook and making money forever. Maybe.” here is the preview and the deets of where to buy:
Preview:
Ebook retailer list: https://books2read.com/formatyourbook/
Print book: expected to be live on Amazon by November 8. Other retailers TBD.
I’d normally have a book signing date for locals, but with the craziness of this year, I don’t see any happening for a while :(.
Thanks for all the support over the years.
