Elyse Salpeter's Blog, page 19

Twitter – does it help book sales? I’m on the fence…

Let’s talk twitter. I’ve been told that in order for twitter to be effective, you need to post often. You need to be specific about your posts, the links, the #hashtags, you need to create conversations, you need to gain followers, you need to respond to questions, you need to provide relevant content and direction. But at the end of the day, all authors want to know is… will twitter help me effectively sell books?

I’m undecided on this. I’ve been steadily building my twitter platform and now have over 16K followers. What that means is that at any given moment, if any of my tweeps (my affectionate term for followers) are actively on twitter at that time, they’ll see a tweet I’ve posted AT THAT TIME. It’s just a momentary snapshot. If everyone has thousands of twitter followers, how in the world is my little tweet effective for anything?

That said, I regularly tweet authors, book promoters, reviewers and any other relevant content that catches my eye that I think other people will be interested in hearing about. I try to join in conversations and as a result, when I do have an announcement about a book, I see my tweets “retweeted” into the hundreds of thousands. Sort of a “thank you” from other folks for helping them out as well. Ten years ago, this type of “helping and sharing” on social media, from virtual strangers, just wasn’t heard of, so to me, what a great way to reach a massive amount of people I never would have “met” in my current circles. (and it wasn’t heard of, because twitter hadn’t even been invented yet, having only come on board in 2006).

So you’d think I’d get more sales from all these tweets and retweets, right? Again, I’m undecided. And because I don’t necessarily, at least right now, think Twitter helps with book sales, I use twitter differently. For me, it’s a “means to an ends.” I search and voyeur twitter voraciously. I find people who are book reviewers in my category, and then I go to their web pages and query them to see if they’d like to review my books. One of my novels has a deaf main lead, so I go to deaf sites, then find their Facebook pages, like them on FB, then post on their page and THEN I look to see what other relevant companies I should also be following. I go back and forth and it can take an enormous amount of time. But, it’s opened up a lot of avenues for me. Using this technique, my books promotionally are on other people’s blogs that I never would have gotten on before, I’ve gotten interviewed by bloggers I never would have met, been included on various websites, and I’ve gotten followers interested in my work. I use twitter to help me find other avenues of promotion, not just to tweet. That’s almost secondary. (which is a strange thing to say… tweeting is secondary…hmmm)

One thing to note. I find myself caught up in social media so much that it can take hours out of my day. And those hours are cutting into my writing time. My hope is that by steadily building up my marketing platform while I’m getting new books out into market, that eventually this “means to an ends” will become a “sales to an end.”

We’ll see about that. But, in the meantime, if you’d like to follow me on twitter, please come on over at http://www.twitter.com/elysesalpeter. And, send me a tweet and let me know you saw me here – I’ll definitely respond!

My Free Promotion Results – My best yet – here’s what worked….

I just completed my free ebook promotion on Amazon for my dark fantasy tale, THE WORLD OF KAROV, and I had my absolute best showing ever. I’ve done these promotions before and gotten 350 – 450 downloads each time. I was extremely happy to get those and figured with the dark fantasy genre, it was the reason I wasn’t seeing numbers in the thousands.

I’m rethinking that. This time I got over 3000 downloads and I believe it’s because I did a few things differently.

For starters, it lasted four days, whereas the other promotions were two days each. Second, the book finally received its 20th review. Twenty seems to be the minimum criteria for many of the free promotional sites to take your book on to promote it on their sites. #3, the book had a 4.5 star rating. That was another criteria. #4, I started promoting the book to these sites over two weeks ago. Many need advanced notice and the more time you give, the more likelihood they’ll pick your book up.

There are too many to list, but here’s one site to get you started that has a listing of many of the ones I hit up. http://bit.ly/SwVN2g I sent queries about my ebook and filled out the forms for most of them easily two weeks out. At that same time I also listed a Goodreads event and a Facebook event about the free promotion. Then the day before I started hitting up my social media sites where authors help authors by tweeting and posting. Then the day of, and the three days following, I updated the event on my blog, hit up every single FB promotional site I was a member of (easily 25-30 sites), I posted on Linkedin and Google+ and on Twitter I tweeted nearly every one to three hours. I posted on FB my updated rankings when they were good, included screen shots, kept hitting up twitter and I’m proud to say I did not land in Facebook or Twitter jail. (this is an unfortunate circumstance if you post too often – these companies consider it spamming so you need to spread everything out) I did spread everything out over hours and days. Many of the sites picked me up on various days of the promotion so my download numbers remained pretty even. On twitter you can also type in special hashtags and call outs to folks that if you put them in your tweet, they’ll retweet you. Lastly, for $5 I boosted my facebook author page post and got 2200 more views virally. It was the only paid advertising I did.

I had a little over 1000 downloads by Sunday morning, was coasting between #3-#5 in Epic Fantasy and Dark Fantasy lists and mostly hovered below #1000 on the rankings, sitting mostly in the #300′s – #700 range. I was extremely happy and then on Sunday, the last day of my promotion, ereadernews picked up my book on their site and I saw a huge jump in downloads. In fact, I ended up over with over 3000 downloads. I really believe they were integral to my numbers moving up so much on the last day.

So, my advice is, pre-promote, get your social media platform flushed out, hit up all the sites where readers congregate, and keep tweeting and promoting yourself.

So now it’s over. I changed the price of the book to live at $0.99 since it is Book #1 in a series and Book #2 is coming out next month. If you missed grabbing your free copy, come on over and get it here: http://amzn.to/16Gqif6

Thank you all so much for your support – I can’t tell you how much I appreciate all of you. And if you did get the book, and have a chance, I would love a review. Again, thank you so much!

FREE: THE WORLD OF KAROV on Amazon from 10/10 – 10/13

The World of Karov

Hi everyone,

From 10/10-10/13 THE WORLD OF KAROV will be free! This is a dark fantasy book about identical twins, magical worlds and a pervading evil spreading through the universe. You can download it to your kindle and if you don’t have a kindle, you can download the free app right to your computer, phone or Ipad. Here’s a recap of the novel:

Adam and Alec look like identical twins, but their personalities are as different as possible. Adam is gentle and kind, whereas Alec is the essence of nightmares. Always jealous of his twin, Alec does everything he can to destroy his brother’s happiness, including kidnapping Adam’s fiancée on their wedding day and disappearing with her deep into the Canadian mountains. Adam searches for them for months, but he never finds them. Just when Adam is at his most grief-stricken point, a stranger appears and offers him a chance for a new life in a land filled with magic, gems, and powers unimaginable; a world mysteriously led by a special tribe of children who have hidden themselves away from a great evil that is seeking to destroy them. Adam takes the chance and goes with the stranger, but his past is never far from his mind. Eventually, reality comes back to haunt Adam, resulting in a final showdown with his brother…. and this time, only one will win.

A dark fantasy that will appeal to teens and adults alike. To get your FREE copy, click here: http://amzn.to/15V9aUA

Book #2 in the series, titled THE RUBY AMULET, will be launching in November. The series continues, 400 years later…

Computer Woes: To Mac or Not to Mac…That is the Question….

I am in the midst of editing two novels… a book launch pending in November and a tentative second launch in January. During this my three year old, 15 inch Dell Laptop with Windows 7 started acting up. First the touchpad stopped working on and off, then the keyboard stopped typing on certain sites, the unit became hot, the screen froze, it wouldn’t shut off and the internet access was iffy at best. This slow death happened over a two week period and I was trying to determine the problem. After checking RAM, doing cleanups, checking everything, we determined that the motherboard was slowly failing. Not a darn thing I could do to fix it and now I needed a new computer, and fast.

But, the question was, to finally Mac or not to Mac? And my appeal to the world of social media didn’t give me any easy answers. It did give me PASSIONATE responses from both sides of the fence. So passionate that I have more than 93 comments on my appeal post, with people still chiming in. I have side emails filling my inbox, IMs and folks calling my house with their opinions. I won’t lie, the decision about what to purchase is daunting. I was scared of getting a computer that was going to possibly have only a 2-3 year lifespan, versus getting one that might have a huge learning curve. Some folks say the Mac is seamless and others have said it was a nightmare. Some wouldn’t get a Mac if it were given to them for free and others wouldn’t touch an HP or Dell with a ten foot pole. There seemed to be very few people with a middle ground.

At the end of the day, I had to decide which system was I going to be comfortable with in the long run. So, I did my homework. I took everyone’s advice and then spent hours at Microcenter playing with HP’s, Dells and Lenovas to experience their keyboards. I tried out Windows 7 machines (which I was used to and very comfortable with) and then Windows 8 models. I went to a Microsoft Kiosk in the mall and we talked for a long time about Windows 8. And then I went to the Apple store and spent a long time there. My cousin even met me there and offered his advice (thank you cuz). I played with the keyboard and marveled at how light the unit was and how cutting-edge cool the technology was. I also had a mini-heart attack at the price… (because the rep assured me I needed a model more upgraded than the one I had anticipated getting. But okay, if I needed it, I needed it.) I still kept my mind opened.

There were huge pros and huge cons to every computer I looked at. The HP’s and other models were still 15 inches and heavy. But while very affordable, their short lifespan was problematic. But, the learning curve with them would be nil. I understood their operating system like they were an old friend.

Then there were the beautiful Macs. They were super cool, cutting edge, smaller and lighter and for someone with a bad back, it was a huge pro. But there was going to be some learning curve. And the price-point was high. Very high.

I debated a lot and really thought about my personal needs and finally made my decision. I purchased my brand new laptop and the service center migrated all my work and one day later I am here typing this new blog post and happy as a clam. Really, really happy with my decision. It works for me.

And no, I’m not telling you what I bought. If I say I got an HP or Dell my Mac folks are going to be appalled and if I say I got a Mac my PC folks are going to think I sold out for glitz. So, I’m going to let it just sit out there and let you guys guess. The answer might surprise you!

Freebies – Oh, how times have changed….

The World of Karov

Think back to twenty years ago. Do you remember famous authors ever giving away their books for free? I remember them occasionally writing an original short story for a magazine and it blew me away when they’d do that. I always felt like I was getting something quite special. But times have changed. The Freebie is now the norm and even famous authors are jumping on this bandwagon… You see freebie short stories on their sites, chapters of their upcoming books on their newsletters, free contests and give-aways… The question is, why?

Is it because we’re all just trying to build fan bases? Trying to eek through the clutter of the millions of books out there? Is it because the big publishing houses are making it even more difficult for new authors to make a splash in the literary world? Is it because literary agents are taking on less and less clients? I think it’s all of the above.

I love the idea of getting my new book release in the hands of readers who may never get a chance to know me because I personally don’t have $10,000+ dollars to advertise like the big houses would. What’s disappointing though is that nowadays the dream of making a living as a writer has dwindled, especially when the majority of our “sales” are “free.” I’ve heard of authors whose promotions were so successful they gave away books in the thousands. I’m not talking 1,000, or 5,000, or 45,000, but over 100,000 free copies of their novel. And these are excellent books that twenty years ago readers would have happily shelled out $25 for a hard copy and $6.99 for a soft cover paperback had it been backed by a big house. Can you imagine a publishing house’s reaction to a 100,000 book download in a single weekend? If an indie can generate that kind of success, no wonder they’re scared. How do the big houses compete and get people to pay for their books if we’re willing to give ours away for free? It’s a catch-22. Of course, we’re doing this to generate fans so that they hopefully come back and purchase our other books. Other books we’re still selling for only $2.99 or $3.99 max.

So, that said, I’m jumping in and doing another freebie (Oct 10 – Oct 13) of Book #1 in my epic Dark Fantasy series. It’s called THE WORLD OF KAROV and I’ve gotten 20 wonderful reviews and I have Book #2 in the series, THE RUBY AMULET, launching in November.

Please come on over to my author page at http://www.facebook.com/elysesalpeterauthor for updates and follow me on twitter at http://www.twitter.com/elysesalpeter. And if you do download the book, I’d love it if you could give it a review on Amazon and Goodreads. The most valuable gift a reader can give a writer, besides purchasing and reading their book, is to write a review or share the book with others. You have no idea how helpful it is. It helps with analytics, google searches and enables the author to get on specific websites because their books have a certain number of reviews.

So thank you, I hope you come over and get your copy. 10/10 – 10/13 on Amazon! Here’s the trailer to learn more about it:

Cover Reveal – THE RUBY AMULET – coming November, 2013

I’ve made a huge decision. One that took a tremendous amount of soul searching. I always thought the holy grail was to find a literary agent and get my book into a big publishing house. But, the industry is changing and the brick and mortar stores may not even be in business in ten years. While I sit here querying and begging folks to read and represent my finished, professionally edited works, life is moving by… and fast. So, I’ve taken the plunge, I am going indie and getting my novels out. I’m going to join writing contests, going to promote and see where this dream leads.

THE WORLD OF KAROV, my first dark fantasy novel, came out in December, 2012. The sequel, THE RUBY AMULET, will be released in November 2013. THE HUNT FOR XANADU, a thriller about a young girl on a quest to avenge the murder of her parents, will be scheduled for January or February, 2014. I have been blessed to have a literary agent for two Young Adult Novels, FLYING TO THE LIGHT and FLYING TO THE FIRE, and he’s working tirelessly to sell them but so far, nada. Fingers crossed for them to find a home. I’ve got a few more books in my computer, just waiting to be set free. It’s time to get them into editor’s hands and send them off to the world. So, that said, here is the cover reveal of THE RUBY AMULET. I just absolutely love it. Thank you Laura LaRoche, from BZHercules.com

THE RUBY AMULET, Book #2 in the Children of Demilee series.

Would love to hear what you think! And if you ever have ideas on how to promote a series, by all means feel free to share – I take any, and all, advice.

How Publishing is like Growing Pumpkins… don’t be afraid of imperfection

I wanted to do things a bit differently this week and decided to attempt a Vlog. Have I ever done this before? No. Do I have the technical expertise to make it perfect? Again, no. But when I committed myself to learning social media I decided from the beginning that I wasn’t going to be afraid, or scared into immobility. I was going to jump in with both feet. You should have seen me the first time I opened twitter, and I still can’t get off page one of Tumblr, but I try. I realize that if I make a mistake, which I will, I’ll just fix it next time. So many of us stall in social media because we’re unsure of what to do and fear we’ll make fools of ourselves. I spoke to one woman earlier who hasn’t touched twitter because it overwhelms her, and another that won’t even get on Facebook and another that gives me a blank stare when I mention Stumble Upon. These authors are missing out on a goldmine of opportunity out of their fear of the unknown.

The issue is, if you never take the plunge, how will you ever learn?

So here is my Vlog, with its glaring imperfections. I suggest you “up” the sound because there was a lawn mower in the background (that I never heard until I stopped speaking) and in the copy I pronounced it V-Log instead of VLOG (so commence laughing at me). I did a few other takes, but this one was the best. It’s not perfect by far, but I did it and I really believe that no matter what task you’re trying to accomplish, you must make the effort. I could have waited and done a bunch of more takes. I could have changed my clothing, I could have waited for a sunnier day. But nothing is ever perfect and I was afraid that the longer I waited for perfection, the chances of me actually posting this would lessen dramatically. You might make mistakes and you might get a few snickers, but do it. Because if you don’t get out of your comfort zone, you will never learn. Doing this process taught me how to make a Vlog, it taught me how to upload it to Youtube and it taught me how to integrate a video into my blog – so you see, win-win all around.

So click the you tube link, put up your sound, feel free to comment, and enjoy my pumpkins!

Choosing the Right Cover Blurb – no stress, it can only make or break your book…

Ha! I thought I was done with all that “summation” stuff when I decided to self publish my Children of Demilee series. But, that was far from the truth. Okay, so I don’t need to write a one pg, three pg and five pg synopsis for an agent, or do an outline, but I still need to develop teasers and those difficult cover blurbs. You know, sum up the entire book to entice a reader to purchase it in just 100 or so words. Yeah, how hard can that be?

Book #1 in my series is called THE WORLD OF KAROV. It’s been out in market for a year and is about twins, magical worlds and a pervading evil spreading through the universe. It’s a very dark tale, pitting good against evil and brother against brother… and only one will win. Book #2 is called THE RUBY AMULET and continues the series four hundred years later. My beta readers have assured me it’s a good tale and people will be quite happy and mollifed with this novel after reading Book #1 (and I can be assured my aunt won’t call me up at work and yell at me about the ending for ten minutes this time). These books will appeal to a wide range of readers from YA to adults.

So, which teaser do you like better for THE RUBY AMULET and which Cover Blurb feels better to you? I’ll continue to edit them all, but would love your “interpretations.” Thanks so much for helping – you have no idea how much I appreciate it.

Teaser #1: A ruby with powers to travel between the dimensions…

Teaser #2: Some say legends are just legends… and those people would be wrong.

Cover Blurb #1: When Joshua found the ruby amulet, his life changed forever. A jewel with the power to transport him to the World of Karov; a war-torn land whose inhabitants have been kept prisoners for over four hundred years. The Karovites are desperate, because their treacherous King is searching for a fabled four pound ruby of myth. It is said this gem was hidden centuries ago by The Ancients, a mysterious race of children, in their desperate attempt to conceal its location from a pervading evil spreading throughout the dimensions. The King is closing in on Joshua and the gem. He and his friend Sean must help the Karovites win the war against the kingdom-and against time. For if the king finds this ruby before they do, he will become the most powerful being in the universe, and the great evil will have won… for eternity.

Cover Blurb #2: A ruby discovered in a mountain stream transports Joshua, and his best friend Sean, to the war-torn world of Karov. They are immediately caught up in a violent struggle between the enslaved people and their treacherous King, who is determined to find a legendary four pound ruby hidden deep in the emerald caverns. But time is running out. The King is closing in on Joshua and the gem, and the boys must help the Karovites find it before the King does. For if the King gets to it first, he will become the most powerful being in the universe and the Karovites will be enslaved… forever.

If you’re able to leave your comments and selections below, I’d truly appreciate it. Or feel free to go to my FB Author page and leave your feedback there at http://www.facebook.com/elysesalpeterauthor. Or in the comments on my newly revamped web page at http://www.elysesalpeter.com! Thank you so much!

If you’re interested in reading THE WORLD OF KAROV, Book #1 in the Children of Demilee series, please check the links here:

US: http://www.amazon.com/World-Karov-Children-Demilee-ebook/dp/B00APJ6Z6Y/ref=sr_1_1_bnp_1_kin?ie=UTF8&qid=1378565368&sr=8-1&keywords=the+world+of+karov

UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/World-Karov-Children-Demilee-ebook/dp/B00APJ6Z6Y/ref=sr_1_1_bnp_1_kin?ie=UTF8&qid=1378565416&sr=8-1&keywords=the+world+of+karov

I Wrote THE END… I’m Done, Right? Ummm… No.

We were once all Newbie writers. The first time we wrote “The End” on our first novel, we thought we had produced the world’s greatest piece of literature ever written. Why wouldn’t agents and publishers be all over it? Don’t they know we’ll make them millions?

We’ve all been there and I get it. For twenty years now I’ve been writing and those first newbie moments have come and gone. I was so green that when I once received a rejection letter from a literary agent telling me I needed my novel seriously edited, I actually called her and grilled her about “what does that even mean?” I can’t imagine her dinner table conversation that night. Still, this kind, gracious agent actually took a moment to explain what that meant and led me to the editor I use today.

This is not to say that twenty years later I know this industry inside and out, because I don’t. This business (because it IS a business) is changing constantly and with the addition of social media, I’m learning right along with everyone else. But, I know the first draft of a new novel is not the world’s greatest masterpiece. It’s just a first draft and I’m now savvy as to what comes next. The work, the editing, the tearing out of my hair as I clean this monster up.

But newbie writers are like little kids. They don’t know yet what is coming. The moment I hear someone say to me, “Oh yeah, I always wanted to write a book,” my response (years ago) used to be “ooh, how exciting, go write it!” My enthusiasm was endless for them. That’s waned after I soon realized these people had no intention of ever sitting down to write a book, much less finish it. Now I just smile because while I’m excited that person wants to step into this literary insanity, the chances of them actually doing it and completing it are extremely rare. “Wanting to write a book” is very different than “writing a book,” which is very different than “getting the novel ready for publication.” Every step along the way requires a tremendous amount of effort.

I’ve worked very hard at this craft over the years and tried to learn this industry. I finally acquired an agent and also self pubbed a book. And while I do not profess to know everything, there are some bits of advice I can impart to new writers who just finished their first draft.

#1 – Don’t say to every published author you meet: “I just wrote a book and need an agent. Can you get me one?”

Why? Because the first question they’ll ask you is “did you get the book professionally edited?” I’ve heard answers ranging from “I used spell check, it’s too expensive, I’m sure it’s fine, my mom read it and loved it and I’m sure it will sell.” I’ve also been met with blank stares and condescension that I would even ask the question. Um…. ok. So the answer is, “no, I really can’t get you an agent but I can direct you to a directory where they all are and you can start querying.”

#2 – Learn Social Media. Even if you get that agent or get that book deal with a publisher, as a new writer, you will be required to create your own social marketing platform. So, get yourself a webpage, a blog, a Facebook Author Fan Page and a Twitter acct. If you’re Type “A” also get on Google+, Goodreads and a host of other author sites. Get a book trailer going on youtube. Do everything you can and link it all back to you and where someone can purchase your book. You need to build your fan base to get the word out that your novel is ready to be read.

#3 – Keep writing. Why? Because if you sit around watching your Amazon ranking #’s or sit around waiting for the agent to call, you will fall into a great, sinking depression. Always keep yourself busy with another WIP, short story, flash fiction. I don’t care what it is, but keep writing. The more books you have out there, the better off you will be and the more sane you’ll be having your mind kept busy.

So, I leave you with this new writers… yes, some badly edited works get picked up and make millions. But honestly, that’s like winning Lotto – it’s really not real life. So instead, congratulate yourself on taking the first step and finishing your book. Now take the second one and pay to get it edited by a respected editor… and then take the third step and get your ducks all lined up. It’s going to be a heckava ride!

Please feel free to check out my Dark Fantasy Tale THE WORLD OF KAROV.

US Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/World-Karov-Children-Demilee-ebook/dp/B00APJ6Z6Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377874818&sr=8-1&keywords=the+world+of+karov

UK Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/World-Karov-Children-Demilee-ebook/dp/B00APJ6Z6Y/ref=sr_1_1_bnp_1_kin?ie=UTF8&qid=1377874976&sr=8-1&keywords=the+world+of+karov

The sequel, THE RUBY AMULET is scheduled for release, December 2013.

Keep This Up and You’re Not Getting into my Book Dedication!

I’ve been writing for twenty years and before my twins were born I had the time to spend hours in front of my computer. I know of people who are capable of sitting six to eight hours straight, every single day just writing, but that was never my thing. I need breaks now and again. My largest amount of time without a break was probably three – four hours, but that was way before my children entered my life.

Now that I have kids, I find my time is quite stretched. In 2011, when my first novel got picked up by a publisher and I needed to edit it, my family was very gracious and gave me the time I needed to get it done. When I wrote the sequel to that novel, they were still generous allowing me time to do it, but not nearly as happy about it. In fact, they were quite vocal about being annoyed. Now? I swear if they give me fifteen unbothered minutes to write, it’s a miracle.

I don’t know what it is. Maybe they feel like the work I’m doing is intangible. It’s not like I’m making any real money or getting any real fame. Nor am I selling all that many books. When I say, “Please, I’m working towards a dream,” I get a strange look. I don’t know if they quite believe that dream can actually be had or not, and that’s sad. I keep telling my kids that you have to try. Nothing is easy and you just have to work hard towards anything you really wish to accomplish. Then again, it could simply be that they want my attention and I have this guilt that maybe that’s what it is. I try to do it all, but I just can’t.

Unfortunately, no matter how much I ask my family, I’m not getting the time I really need. Every single one of them are either outside my door, or sneaking into the room with me to get something, or loudly having arguments which I eventually must come out to settle. If I leave the house to write, I feel their frustration when I leave. It’s been difficult to say the least. So, I’ve tried to find ways to get this done without the constant resentment. I tried to write late at night when everyone was asleep, but frankly, I’m tired too. I already get up at 6:00 am, any earlier and I’m wiped from the night before.

So, just this past month I changed my commute that I’d been doing to NYC for the past ten years. Now I’m taking a train to work, instead of driving and standing on a crowded subway. This way I can bring my laptop on the train and write. This commute costs more money and still offers only snippets of time, 20 minutes here and 20 minutes there (because I have to change trains), but it’s something. And if I don’t have a lunch appointment, I’ll find a place, hunker down with a salad or sushi roll, and just write for an hour. It’s helped me tremendously. I got tired of telling my family that “based on their behaviors none of them are getting in the dedication of my next book!” (like a little kid having a tantrum and that’s my biggest threat, right?)

One day, when all the books are out there and maybe I can make an income at it, or not, my family will realize what I was working towards and they’ll understand. And, deep down I know they do and I know they support me. My son read this blog before I posted it and looked at me with big eyes. “I’m sorry, Mom. I don’t think what you’re doing is intangible. I think I understand now.”

That’s all I can ask for.