Inspiring the Next Generation

My mission is simple: to write quality stories that speak to the hearts of my readers and to provide positive messaging, leaving them feeling better when they are done. My tag line is “Light in the Darkness.” There is enough trouble in the world. I believe a book should transport us away from the trials of life for a while so we can come back refreshed and energized.

But being an author is very hard. There are so many books out on the market and it’s so difficult to rise above the noise to reach my readers. Royalties are minimal due to printing and postage costs. The financial investment in editing and hiring a graphic artist to create a book cover makes it difficult to recoup the expense of publication. Marketing books successfully takes time and money. The process can get quite discouraging. But every once in a while, something special happens that keeps me going. And that happened this week.

I recently wrote an article regarding my stance on AI. While I believe it has its place in certain venues, as a creative, I am against its use in creating book covers and text. You can read the article that I wrote about why, here:  The Use of AI in Creative Endeavors – Nancy Golden Books: Official Website of Author Nancy Golden

Because of that, I had about forty books in stock with my old book cover (the cover on the left) for Book One. While certainly vibrant and eye-catching, I decided not to sell them since AI was utilized in their creation. I have a wonderful new graphic artist who has made not only the new cover for Book One (on the right), but also did the cover for Book Two and we are in the process of collaborating on the cover for Book Three.

So, I decided to give the forty books away, since I was not going to offer them for sale. I have done so bit by bit over the last month. A librarian came over to the house to pick up ten of them for a free book fair giveaway their school will be doing soon. The rest I gave away this week by announcing on social media that I would be at a local diner, if anyone wanted to come by and get a free signed copy. Parents brought their children who were excited to meet me and prepared with questions. It was so much fun getting to interact with my readers! For me, that is one of the best parts of being an author. I also had people reach out to me in response to my social media posts and we arranged porch pickups.

To see the joy on the children’s faces holding my book is priceless. What a wonderful opportunity to get to encourage them in both reading and writing and to share the Note to My Readers in Sword of Fate with them:

My heart’s desire is to inspire the next generation. When I get discouraged about how hard it is to be an author, I look at these pictures and I remember that I really am having a positive impact. That’s what keeps me going. As we enter this new year, I would like to challenge each of you to think of what you can do to make a positive impact on your community. You don’t have to write a book, it can be something as simple as sending someone an encouraging note, visiting somebody who could use a friend, volunteering to read to children at your local elementary school (my mother did that for many years) or even just greeting your server with a smile and ask how they’re doing when you go out to eat. Small acts of kindness can have tremendous impact. We can all be a light in the darkness.

If you would like to support my mission, please consider purchasing a book, writing a review, and/or sharing about my books with your friends and family. Please join me in encouraging the next generation to keep reading – it’s one of the very best things you can do!