Just a typical day in book publishing - or not

What’s happening in the world of DriverWorks Ink publishing?
I’ve been asked on occasion what it’s like to work in the book publishing industry. This seems as good a time as any to give you a peek into my work life as a small, sole-proprietor, book publisher in Canada. Hold on, 'cause there's a lot going on!
Since I went back to work this week after enjoying three almost-uninterrupted weeks of vacationing in Europe (with Saskatoon author and friend Janice Howden), the wheels of my publishing company – mentally and physically-speaking – have been constantly turning. (By the way, the vacation was amazing. You can view some photos and videos on the DriverWorks Ink Facebook page or YouTube channel, or my Instagram.)  Deana Driver and Janice Howden enjoying their first view of tulip fields in the Netherlands, April 2018
Within the first two days of being back at work, I mailed and/or shipped some book orders to people who ordered from our website (thank you!) and to bookstores and other purchasers (thank you!). These orders were in addition to those my daughter Dani shipped while I was away. Thank you, Dani, for taking such good care of DriverWorks Ink while I was away!
In the pile of mail waiting for me, I found a beautiful magazine from the Canadian Children’s Book Centre. They’ve named Skye Bird and the Eagle Feathers, which is Saskatoon author Mary Harelkin Bishop’s latest children’s novel, as one of the 2018 Best Books for Kids and Teens, in Junior and Intermediate Fiction! Skye Bird is about a First Nations girl who is determined to make her new school a friendly, welcoming place for herself and her friends. This great kids’ story is one of only two Saskatchewan-published books included on the Best Books list – the other book is also from a small, hybrid publisher in Saskatchewan – so that’s quite an honour that we will gratefully cherish. 
To follow up on that honour, I was delighted to ship some boxes of Skye Bird and the Eagle Feather books to Chapters Indigo to be sold on a national scale. So look for it soon at a bookstore near you. Or you can always buy it from our website. (Schools and libraries should contact me directly for a discount.)

And then there is this – two new books arrived from the printer just before I went away on vacation, so that was fun! And hectic. Once a new book arrives at my door, the hard work of creating it is done and the process continues to get it out to market. That includes sending information to all the bookstores and other vendors, to media about launch and signing dates, getting the book up onto our web page and social media pages, as well as the sites we partner with, and working our tails off (I’m talking about myself and the authors) to let people know about these great new books. (That "people" includes you. I’m telling you now.