Janel Brubaker's Blog, page 8

And Just Like That…

Well, the time has come for me to embrace the deeper parts of marketing.

Earlier in the summer, I went through a free, online 5-day Amazon Ad challenge that taught me a lot about how to effectively market my books through Amazon Ads. And while I learned a lot of helpful information, I also learned a glaring truth about myself:

I am not tech-savvy.

And I don’t just meant the use of technology, I mean the innerworkings of that technology. I did really well with the first three days of the challenge, and then on the fourth day, the instructor went into material that was mildly more intermediate than the other three days, and my neurodivergent brain decided it was done. No more. Not now. Too much already. Done.

I intend to do the challenge again to try and pick up on those last two days of information that I genuinely did not understand, so I know I’ll get there eventually, but this struggle goes beyond Amazon Ads. There is so much information out there about how indie authors and small business owners can reach a wider audience of consumers. And while I definitely believe that capitalism is a big part of what makes this world a living hellscape, I also believe that writers, artists, and workers deserve to be paid appropriately for their work.

And yeah, book sales are part of that.

So, I decided to attend the virtual InkersCon events. The convention took place in Texas over the months of July, and now it’s available online for people to access. Last night, I completed the first lecture, which was on utilizing automation effectively with your newsletter. I did try creating a newsletter earlier this year through Mailchimp, and it was horrible. So I gave up. But, after listening to her lecture, I realized that it really is important for me to have a newsletter. I spent most of the evening yesterday trying to create an account through Mailerlite, and figuring out how to get the signup form to appear on my website. (Which, look to the right and you’ll see it at the top of the page!)

It took hours. Like, no less than three, to get the signup form on my website. Again, I am not tech-savvy by any means, and it is incredibly difficult to push through and try to teach myself something that 1) does not come naturally to me, and 2) does nothing but frustrate and confuse me as I try to learn how to do it. But, I persevered. Partly because I’m stubborn and I want to be able to do shit on my own, but mostly because I am dedicated to making a living as a writer (eventually), and I won’t be able to do that if I avoid all of the parts of the running-a-small-business side of things. Because even though I’m nowhere close to earning any kind of a living on my writing yet, I am still running a small business. And giving myself the necessary tools to succeed at running said business is only going to help me more down the line.

And I think this is the crux of it: not everyone’s creative journey is going to lead to financial independence. It just isn’t. And that’s ok. Not everyone wants to earn a living through their creative efforts. My mom is an absolutely amazing graphics designer. She’s been in her career now for over 25 years and she loves what she does. She went to a prestigious art school in California and got a degree in interior design. And even though she’s not an interior designer, she does love her job. But, due to circumstances outside of her control, she hasn’t really had the time or the means to create her own art. Plus, for a lot of artists and writers, the very focus on using their art to make a living detracts from the creative experience.

And I don’t think this is because of the money itself. I think most, if not all, artists believe that they should be well paid for their work. But focusing on money can mean that a writer ends up working on projects they’re not passionate about. I’m a poet. The vast majority of people who read poetry are other poets. Unless you’re a Rupi Kaur, Nikita Gill, or other poet who made it big on Instagram, you’re not going to make thousands of dollars on your poetry.

My debut poetry collections was released last year and, since its publication, I’ve earned less than $600 in royalties, and that is considered incredible for a poetry book by a new poet. If I were to focus only on writing what would make me the most money, I’d be writing in some kind of romance category, and while there’s absolutely nothing wrong with writing romance, it’s not my thing. I would rather spend my life creating what I want to create, writing what I want to write, than focusing only on the dollar signs.

However, that doesn’t mean that I’m casting marketing to the wind. I am currently writing what I want to write, and yes, I also want to make money from it. So, I market. I advertise. I publicize. I do giveaways online. And yes, I learn how to start a newsletter. Because my writing is nothing without all of you, my readers. I want to be able to connect with all of you, give you exclusive content, update you on the progress I’m making with my books, etc. That means I have to take the marketing seriously.

I also think there’s something to be said for each writer’s individual goals. My goal is to be prolific. Not so that I can brag or toot my own horn, but because I see the internal difference when I’m constantly writing verses when I’m not. Writing fuels me. It motivates me. It gives me something to fight for. If I were to count the projects currently in my head/being worked on, there’d be…10 books inside of me, waiting to be written. And ya’ll, that’s only including the rest of the 7 novels in my current fantasy series, and the three poetry books I’m either actively working on or planning to work on.

I have other fantasy series’ ideas, they’re just not scheduled out as projects yet. And I will have many, many more books of poetry that I write. And I know I will write at least one memoir in my lifetime.

Point is, there is a wilderness of books inside of me, waiting to be written. And I do not want to miss any opportunity of getting them out into the world. One of my faculty mentors, Vi Khi Nao (who is, by the way, a fucking outstanding human being and writer), gave a lecture at my college this summer and in that lecture, she mentioned that she’s written 50-60 books. I can’t even. I don’t know how to wrap my head around that number because it’s not like she’s an old woman who has spent her life writing. She’s young and has already written more books than some writers write in their lifetime.

She is my hero. She is my inspiration. She is who I want to model my writing career after.

Writing is the most important step. However much I can write at a time, and for however long. That’s the heart of it.

Everything else is because of what I’ve written.

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And So July Ends…

It’s the last day of July and I have exceeded my sales goal of 75 copies of my novel sold before the end of July.

I am ecstatic, humbled, grateful, and full of so many other emotions. There’s an always burning excitement that comes with realizing your work is in the hands of readers. It makes me tingle, as though my essence is connected to those who are or who have read my work.

I officially have one month until the school year starts back up and I go back to work. I’m both looking forward to it — because I really do love being a teacher — and also dreading it. The dread is less about the work itself and more about how I will manage my mental health going into my first full school year as a substitute teacher. Regardless, I intend to enjoy the month of August as much as I can before school starts up. I have at least one long trip to the coast planned and I hope that I will be able to find a sense of beauty and peacefulness before the school year starts.

I haven’t been to the beach since winter when a friend and I were snowed in for an extra couple of days. I miss the smell of the ocean, the feel of the cold sand in between my toes, the sound of the waves lapping at the shore, and the overall sense of majesty at the ocean’s power.

I’ve come to believe that the ocean itself is a deity.

I’m also happy because I have gotten myself back into reading. Where I was falling behind in my reading goal for the year, I am now several books ahead. Some online friends and I started a small reading group to support the indie writers we know. We’ve read three of each other’s books by this point, and we currently have three more to go. This small reading group has definitely reminded me that reading often is necessary for my mental health.

I need to always be reading poetry. It’s simply a must.

This week I will be mailing out book orders, getting as much marketing done for my novel as I can, reading, and writing. The writing part has been a bit hit and miss, as I’ve said in previous posts, but I’m choosing to let it be for now. I know I will get more writing done this summer. And I know that I will get my sequel novel finished when the time is right and I have the mental and emotional capacity to get it written.

This is a brief update on where I am and how I’m doing. Overall, things are going very well.

If you haven’t ordered a copy of my novel yet, follow the tabs at the top to do so. You won’t regret it!

Halfway Through July

Well, it’s been 20 days since my debut novel was released into the world and, as of today, I have officially sold 60 copies!

Wanting to keep this momentum going, I started a 5 day seminar on how to effectively understand and utilize Amazon ads. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from my research on how to boost book sales, it’s that Amazon ads are almost always necessary. The indie authors who make the most money and retain the most readers are those who use ads. Obviously which ads are most successful depends greatly on the genre you’re writing in and how many books you have out, but keeping readers engaged with your work means keeping your book in front of potential readers.

Today was the first day of the seminar and while I don’t actually expect the ads I’m creating to generate an enormous amount of royalties, I am hoping to learn how best to utilize the different types of ads available through Amazon. Then I can do whatever I need to do to adjust them to reach the right kind of reader for my book. And, as I continue to write and release more books, those ads will continue to widen that reach.

On the subject of my sequel, I’m giving myself permission not to work on it right now. I’ve had some really intense mental health issues the last month and a half (okay, realistically, it’s been years, but whatever) and I keep stressing out about being behind my initial goal for finishing the sequel, making my mental health worse. And I would rather it take me two years to complete the sequel and release a solid, well done manuscript than rush it and release a book I’m not happy with.

My psychiatrist is switching up my medications, which could mean that I get a shitload of writing done in the next month or so, or it could mean that I get nothing done at all. Adjusting/switching out meds is unpredictable. And I’m slowly weaning off of Zoloft and starting a very high dose of Wellbutrin, so I’m not sure how that’s going to impact me. I guess we’ll see starting tomorrow.

But rather than force myself to meet some stringent writing goal, I’m choosing to enjoy the rest of my summer, as well as focus my efforts on reaching my sales goals for my book. Reaching 60 books sold in 19 days is…fucking wild. I’m still hoping to reach 75 books sold by the end of July, and I have another book signing this Saturday, so we shall see. But I also want to get out into nature, read as many books as I can, get back to writing poetry — even if it never sees the light of day — and hugging trees. Literally. There’s something invigorating and healing about being out in nature, and it genuinely helps me feel more grounded, more focused, more centered.

I hope to take at least two trips to the coast over the next month and a half. I need the ocean. I need the sand. I need the salty air and the brisk morning wind on my face.

On top of continuing to market my debut novel, I’m also getting myself out on TikTok, making videos related to my books, my characters, my writing process, my book sales, my poetry books, as well as meeting other writers and supporting their efforts, too. Networking, ya’ll. It’s important.

I’m also excited about a virtual writing conference that drops in a few days called Inkers Con. I don’t know exactly what to expect from it, but I’m hoping to learn as much as I can about marketing and the post-publishing necessities to widen my book’s reach and gain more readers, more ratings, and more reviews. The more I can learn now, the more I can get done in the coming school year when I’m back to teaching full time. I’m honestly so grateful that I chose to switch careers. The flexibility of substitute teaching is absolutely incredible. I get to choose what assignments I take and how often I work. And while I definitely am going back full time, I know there will be moments when I give myself breaks.

And I am absolutely fine with that.

Let’s see how the rest of July goes!

Readings & Signings & Reaching Small Goals

My debut novel, A Kiss of Glass, was released on June 30th!

I had a TikTok Live and Facebook Live virtual book launch that went extremely well. It was a fun event where I read three excerpts from my novel, talked about my writing process, and answered questions asked by those who attended. And since then, I’ve attended three different readings/book signing events where I have sold many copies of my book!

The first event was a book signing through one of my favorite book stores. In three hours, I sold nine copies of my novel. Then, the following night, I did a reading and book signing where I sold six copies of my book. And then yesterday I did another book signing where I sold six copies of my book. And online through either my linktree or Amazon, I’ve sold over twenty three copies of my book.

My initial goal was to sell 50 copies by the end of July, and I surpassed that by the second book signing event. Now, my goal is to sell 75 copies by the end of July. I have one more book signing this month and I intend to do some promotional giveaways to encourage people to buy. It’s not so much the selling as it is getting my book into the hands of readers that I’m excited by. Having people come up to my table yesterday, ask about my book, and then immediately go, “Oh! This sounds like something my daughter would love! I’ll take one,” is not only exciting, it’s encouraging and helps prove that I am doing what I was always meant to do.

And look, I don’t believe in fate. But I do believe we’re all born with certain gifts that we can either choose to nurture or not. They’re ours to do with what we will. And sometimes those gifts are deeply rooted in our souls, our existence, the very marrow in our bones, and they call to us. Writing is that for me. I could have been a signer or a dancer. I am naturally talented at both. But it’s writing that has always called to me, no matter where I’ve been in life, no matter what I’m going through; writing is what my soul craves. It is what is in my body. It is the gift I choose to nurture. It is what I devote my life to.

And people are reading my book and rating it and loving it and saying they can’t wait until the sequel comes out. What is that if not outright success for a writer? I may not yet be a best seller (although my book was in the top 600 on Amazon for Mythology and Folklore last week), but I am finding my audience. The ratings on Amazon and Goodreads are almost all either 5 or 4 stars. That honestly just blows me away.

My book is on Kindle Unlimited. It’s also available in paperback from Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Or, if you want a signed copy, you can follow this link here and order from me directly.

The rest of the summer is going to be dedicated to marketing my novel, working on the sequel, reading as many books as I can, going on writing retreats with friends, and getting out into nature as much as possible. There are some other things going on with my mental health that I’ll talk about later, but for now, I’m enjoying each day as much as I can.

Remember to nurture your gifts.

It’s Publishing Day!

We have arrived, friends!

Today is the day that my debut novel, A Kiss of Glass, is released into the world for all to read and enjoy! The paperback and ebook are available through Amazon and Barnes and Noble, currently, or you can purchase a signed paperback directly from me. (See the Novels and Books Boxes page for links for where to purchase!)

This is an absolutely incredible day! I am…almost speechless over what this means to me, how hard I’ve worked to get here, all of the obstacles I’ve faced, and now the fateful day has arrived. My debut novel is published. I wrote the very first iteration of this story back in 2015 while in undergrad. It was the very first short story fairytale retelling I attempted, and it was published by an online literary journal (find the link here). And now the book version that I have imagined for years and worked on since April of 2022 is available for purchase and is being read by lovers of literature. How fucking awesome is that?

It’s one thing to believe you’ll accomplish a specific goal. It’s one thing to know you’re putting in the work and making it happen.

It’s another thing entirely to actually see it come to fruition.

I’m blown away by this whole process. No one tells you just how hard it is to not only write, revise, and edit a full manuscript of over 100,000 words, but how hard it is just to keep yourself motivated enough to not give up. Working full time, being a full time grad student, and spending hours every week working on this book was a hell of a lot harder than I anticipated. And yeah, in grad school the writing load is high and the motivation peaks and dips, much like writing outside of school. It’s supposed to mimic the writing process, right?

And it does, but there are certain things that even an M.F.A. cannot capture. It’s just…so time consuming and it eats up all of your energy. But in the end, it is motherfucking worth all of it — the exhaustion, the sacrifices, the stress, to see the book come together to make this beautiful artifact of creativity and human expression.

I am celebrating today. In about one hour (3:00 pm PST), I will be hosting my very first TikTok and Facebook Live event, the virtual launch of my debut novel! I hope to see many people there. I’ll be doing give aways and reading excerpts from my book and answering any questions people have. It’s going to be an amazing time and I cannot wait!

I am so fucking excited today!

On the Innumerable Failings in this World

Well, today has been a difficult one.

A very dear friend and I had a conversation this morning on trauma and healing and the many ways in which that healing can be fueled or stifled. I won’t go into the particulars because it’s not for me to tell that story, but suffice to say, it has drudged up a lot of my own feelings about my past. Specifically, about religion and the ways in which the religious people around me either ignored or denied the trauma they caused and perpetuated.

This is related to my writing in big ways because, at their core, my books focus on trauma and its long-term effects on not only the mind and heart, but on the body as well. And these things, in turn, impact every relationship we have. Too many people in my life have ignored and avoided healing from their own trauma. People who, on the surface, acknowledge that we are all accountable for the things we do and say and the impact we have on others, but deep down will not acknowledge the very real negative impact they have on others. It’s all platitudes until it’s time for them to take accountability.

The result? Fractured friendships. If not outright ended friendships. Because the people who choose to heal no longer want to stay in a personal connection where they are taken advantage of, mistreated, mislead, and misused. And when someone doesn’t want to take accountability for the impact they have on others, there can be no salvaging the connection. Emotional abuse doesn’t always look the same from person to person, but its effects are deep and painful.

My characters face trauma. My characters suffer loss and grief. And my characters face consequences of their actions, and they learn how to heal. Even through the anger. Even through the confusion and the doubt and the uncertainty. Because the truth is that trauma always exacts a price. Avoiding it doesn’t make it go away. Ignoring it doesn’t heal the wounds. And when those wounds fester, they absolutely get projected onto other people.

Writing is a form of healing, and often it can be what gives us space to be our most authentic selves. My books reimagine fairytales, takes things like monarchy, patriarchy, gender, sexuality, and infuse them with the magic of fairytales to make finer points about corruption, trauma, personal accountability, and the ways in which people contribute to the very systems built to oppress and marginalize them. There are very poignant and emotional messages in my books that are surrounded by the fantastic and the incredible, but the messages are still there. They still breathe.

Because these things are important to examine. What does it mean when we project our insecurities onto others? What happens when we expect other people to fight our battles for us? What is the outcome of a relationship built on platitudes but lacks the substance of real, mutual accountability?

My books seek to answer these questions. My characters face these challenges. Do they overcome them? Do they learn? Or do they face more loss?

I’m angry today. I’m tired and I’m depressed and I hate that the world is what it is. But maybe through my writing I can change something for the better?

My debut novel comes out in 8 days.

It’s June!

Which means there’s only a select number of days left until my debut novel, A Kiss of Glass, is released into the world!

I’ve spent the last couple of weeks getting proof copies from Amazon, and now the ebook is up for preorders! The paperback can’t be preordered on Amazon, unfortunately, but I am also putting the ebook and paperback up on Barnes and Noble, and they offer preorders for both versions. So once they have been approved and made live, I’ll post the links to this site.

But holy shit, ya’ll! This thing is really happening! This book, the culmination of nearly a decade of hard work and studying, is actually about to be released into the world for people to buy and read. Last week I sent out four ARC copies, and this week I’m sending out six or seven ARCs. It’s just…surreal, seeing where I am now compared to where I was last year at this time.

June of 2022, I had just been laid off from a new job. I was depressed and anxious and upset, and I decided that I would spend as much time as I could on expanding my Cinderella short story retelling into a longer piece of work. I had, I think, nearly completed the rough draft of what I thought would be a novella. I hadn’t yet accepted that the story needed to be a novel, but I was actively working on it. I was revising and editing and asking friends to read it and provide feedback and I was taking that feedback to heart.

And now it’s done.

Moreover, it’s actually in the hands of readers who are going to review it! And even if they hate it, I can say that my book has been read by people I’ve never met in person. I just…I’m in awe of this process and how I feel coming full circle. Because while I am preparing for the launch of this book, I’m also looking forward to the continued drafting of the sequel. I likely won’t actually touch the sequel until after the school year is over, but I am doing everything I can to set up this debut book launch so that I can use my time over the summer to get as much drafting and revising of the sequel done as possible.

My goal is to have the sequel published in June of 2024. We will see if that happens, but having the summer off of work should help. And instead of trying to get my full teaching license, right now I’m going to stay a substitute. It’s simpler. It’s easier (though it’s still not easy), and I can give myself extra time to rest when I need it. I’m in no rush to become a full time teacher. I may never choose to be a full time teacher, and that’s okay.

Thank you so much to those who have followed me on this journey! Big things are coming!

Small Updates and Big News

Whew, it has been a hectic and stressful couple of weeks!

As much as I love my job (and I really do), I have been absolutely exhausted the last couple of weeks. Teaching on its own is extremely hard, but especially with all of this heat taking away my energy. I’m working on finding new/more effective ways to center myself and cope with the stress because the amount of stress I carry in my body every day is simply not sustainable. Not even for the next four weeks, which is all that’s left between now and the end of the school year.

I know that I will make it. I know that I will find more strength, patience, and dedication to my job and the kids I work with. I know I can. It’s just a matter of giving myself permission to acknowledge my limitations and ask for help when I need it. Because now my mental health is starting to suffer pretty badly and I’m just not sure how I’m going to last without adjusting my expectations for myself.

On the bright side, I am completely done with the semester now. I got As on both of my final papers and in both classes. My professor for my cyberpunk lit class is also the Dean of the program and he said my final paper was “tremendous.” I have been carrying that with me ever since. As many issues as their are in academia/higher education, it really does help to hear that I am where I belong. I’m doing what I’m meant to do, which is write.

I also completed and passed my comprehensive exam, which means that I can register for my master’s thesis course for fall. I’m absolutely pumped to work on this thesis paper! I know that I’m going to write about Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion, both novels by Jane Austen. And I know I want to do a compare/contrast between Mr. Darcy and Captain Wentworth, but I’m just not sure what the thesis statement is going to be yet. So I will be rereading both novels this summer in preparation for the paper.

Now for the big news:

My debut novel, A Kiss of Glass, is about to be up on Amazon for pre-orders!

Yep, that means I did it — I completed the final edits of my novel! It’s not perfect and I’m sure I could have taken another couple of months to work on it more, but I think that would always have been true. So even though I’m absolutely petrified, I’m choosing to publish it as it is now. I have to get it uploaded to some other storefronts and distributors, which I plan to do over the next couple of weeks. But as of today/tomorrow, the ebook and paperback will be available for pre-orders on Amazon!

I can’t even begin to talk about how exciting this is for me. It’s new territory. I’ll be ordering proof copies and ARCs to send out to my ARC readers, and then it’s gonna be promotion, promotion, promotion. I’m setting up my book launch and my different readings/book signings. I’m going to be setting up my own book tour over the summer. It’s just gonna be a wild, amazing, exciting time!

So keep a look out for big updates!

In Moments of Sunshine

This week has been difficult.

Monday during work, I started to feel sick, which is unsurprising when you have children sneezing and coughing in your face everyday. I called out sick from work on Tuesday, and even today I am still recovering. It was a head cold made even worse by my allergies. So even as this first week of warm, spring sunshine graced the Pacific Northwest, I was inside sleeping and bingeing television while I recovered.

But sometimes, we just need the rest.

Teaching is hard work. It’s work I love, but it is, indeed, hard. One of the kids I work with asked another one of the substitutes to text me that she misses me; I told her I would be back on Monday, and that I miss her lots. I honestly love the kids I work with so very much. They’re good kids. They’re loving and kind and compassionate. I miss them, but it was good for my body and my mind to have this week to rest. There are seven weeks left in the school year, and then I will be off for summer.

I’m also on the final draft of my debut novel! I’m reverse editing it, which means I’m starting from the end and working my back backwards through the novel. It’s proving an extremely efficient way of editing the book. Most of my efforts have been focused on the first section, which means those chapters have had the most revision. Starting at the end means that I’m giving the last chapters more of my editing effort and energy. Once these last edits have been made, I’ll be sending the manuscript off to my interior designer. Once she’s done, I’ll be uploading it all to my different distributors, ordering author proofs, and starting pre-orders! I am unbelievably excited to be at this stage.

Then, I’ll be able to focus on getting things ordered and ready for my author book box, which I will be releasing at the same time as my novel. It’s a lot of stuff to do at once, but I am extremely excited to get it done. I love the creativity and opportunities that come with being an independent author, and this is just one example.

Over summer, my goal is to complete the rough draft of my sequel, and then to also complete the second draft. I’ll be working very minimally over summer because I want to give myself the chance to rest from both work and school, and I also want to be able to focus as much on my writing as possible. My goal is to publish a novel every June, which means that I will need time to get as much writing done as I can. Fall semester will be the last of my masters, so then I’ll have from December 2023 to July 2024 without any school. And then in July 2024, I’ll be starting a teaching preparatory program so that I can obtain my preliminary teaching license. Through all of it, I will continue writing, revising, editing, marketing, and publishing.

It’s a busy life, but one that I love and enjoy. I get to see so many beautiful things, I get to be a part of so many wonderful experiences. It’s not the life I imagined even two years ago, but it’s a life that I am grateful for every single day. With any luck, I will get to add “successful fantasy author” to my list of accomplishments in the coming years.

Be on the look out for when pre-orders for my debut novel, A Kiss of Glass, open up!

Listening And Reflecting

Last week was a hard one at work.

Teaching of any kind is hard. It takes a lot of mental, emotional, and physical energy. Even the good days eat up most of my energy, leaving very little left over for the rest of my responsibilities. But last week was especially difficult. I worked with a new student and, while the student was an absolute pleasure to be with, I found myself troubled by some of the things they’ve had to go through at such a young age. And I think this, more than anything else, is what makes my job so hard. I can’t control their home life. I can’t erase their trauma. And even when they have loving, supportive parents/guardians at home, it doesn’t erase the things they’re struggling through.

The feeling of wanting to help, of wanting to change things for them, is extremely strong. And even though I can’t change the bad things in their lives, I can contribute positively to their education. It’s no small thing, but it often doesn’t feel like enough. So I do my best to give each student the best experience I can when I’m working with them. I give them smiles. I give them compassion. I give them my patience. I tell them I love them. I give them affection when they ask for it. And I trust that these seeds will take root, even if it’s slow going.

Today I was finally able to get some of my end-of-semester school work done. I’m about a page or two away from completing the final paper for one of my classes, and then the rest of the semester will be spent writing up the second paper. It’s looking like I probably won’t get anymore editing done in my novel until those two papers are turned in, which is fine. I have the whole month of May to complete my final draft. But with so many things on my plate, it feels like I’m half-assing them all if I can’t put all of my efforts into them. I guess this is part of my learning to adjust to the new job.

I also recently came up with another idea for expanding my indie author business. I announced it on my Facebook author page, but I’ll put it here too:

I’m going to create my own book box!

There are loads of different book box subscriptions out there right now, but mine is going to be unique to me. When I publish my debut novel, A Kiss of Glass, people will be able to purchase it from the different distributors I’ll be using (like Amazon), or they can come here and put in an order. The difference is that if they purchase through me, they will have an option to upgrade their purchase. Paperback boxes will include a signed paperback copy of my novel, and about three bookish items based on my novel (pens/pencils, bookmarks, posters, etc). The hardcover boxes will include a signed hardcover copy of my novel, and about five bookish items (pens/pencils, bookmarks, posters, candles, stickers, pins, etc). I’m working on getting these designed by the same person who designed my cover, my maps, and my concept art. (Pricing is yet to be determined.)

So I’m also trying to get these small business ideas sorted out, which is extremely complicated work. Pricing out the in-bulk printing of things like bookmarks and novelty pencils/pens, pins, etc. is tedious and tiring and exciting. But it does add more stress to my already unbelievably high amount of stress. At least I can look forward to the fact that there’s only six or seven more weeks of school until summer break, and I am going to do my damndest to work as little as possible over the summer.

So, be on the lookout for announcements regarding the release of my book, the book boxes, and a small Oregon-based book tour this summer!

I hope you’re all doing well! Comment below and let me know if there are other things you’d like to see from me.