Set up an email newsletter, they said. It’ll be easy, they said.

As of this writing, I have spent nearly a week in trying to figure out how to set up an email newsletter that delivers a free story as a thank-you for signing up.
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Set up an email newsletter, they said. It’ll be easy, they said.

As of this writing, I have spent nearly a week in trying to figure out how to set up an email newsletter that delivers a free story as a thank-you for signing up.


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I don’t know who said this, but in my opinion, it is the single most brilliant statement ever made about marketing, sales, and/or publicity.
Obviously, people in other sectors can substitute whatever product or service they like in place of “book,” but the principle stands. In fact, these days, it races around in my head like a deranged chipmunk.
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matt. 7:7-8
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that when Jesus spoke these words in the Sermon on the Mount, He wasn’t thinking about indie publishing. For one thing, none of the Big 5 publishing houses existed yet. Plus, Jesus didn’t have to worry about who would publish His sermons.
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The good news is that I’m moving forward. Here are the things I’ve accomplished in the past two weeks.
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Credit: Open Clip Art Vector on Pixabay
There’s no doubt in my mind that I’ve made my indie publishing journey more complicated (and more expensive) than it absolutely needs to be. Plenty of people find a premade cover they love, give their book a final proofreading, upload it to Amazon, and voilà! The book is published. Continue reading

Photo credit: Quince Creative on Pixabay
As my research into indie publishing continues, I’ve come face to face certain less-than-pleasant truths, such as how much it costs to publish a book that looks like . . . well, a real book, as opposed to something I printed on the ancient laser printer in my home office and hawked on Instagram.
Turns out, indie publishing ain’t cheap. Continue reading

I discovered this lovely artwork last week. Talk about perfect timing!
This gorgeous piece was created by author Meagan Schultz (@meaganschultzwrites on Instagram) and is used with her gracious permission. Thanks, Meagan!

Photo credit: Sincerely Media on Unsplash
The most important thing to know is what you don’t know.
In my case, this includes a wide array of topics. Luckily, I’m a researcher by trade and by nature. This has upsides and downsides.
The upside is obvious: people pay me to research things, which pays my bills. Having the time, experience, and inclination to dig deeply enables my clients to advise their clients of their options and rights. Knowledge is power, or so Sir Francis Bacon is believed to have said. Continue reading

Photo credit: Chris Galbraith on Unsplash
Once upon a time, I awoke on a Wednesday morning in August. The sun was bright and summer-hot. My workload was summer-light. I called my friend, K, who was also a freelancer, and said, “Let’s go to the beach!”
“When?” she asked reasonably.
“Now,” I replied. Continue reading