Inkpunks

 

So my book is out. Well, it’s sort of out. If you go to the publisher, you can order the paperback edition. In about a week, you’ll be able to order the ebook. And if you look at the listing on Amazon, it’s due out April 15th. But basically, my book is leaving for its big adventure out in the world.

Did you ever play the Oregon Trail game? There’s a whole sequence at the beginning when you pick up supplies and load your wagons. There are a lot of decisions to be made. Do you choose oxen or mules? Do you buy one spare axle or two? How much ammunition do you bring along? And every choice you make, you know it’s going to affect your ability to survive along the way.

That’s how I’ve felt during this pre-release period. There’s so much to do that might help promote a book. And there are so many small things to think about! For example, my book cover wasn’t finalized when the information went to the book distributor’s catalog, so Amazon and Goodreads had a mock-up of my cover. Since I’m new to all of this, I had to figure out how to get it changed and then jump through the right hoops to make it happen. (In case you’re wondering, the number of people on Goodreads who added the book as “to-read” doubled the day it changed.) There are interviews to schedule, blog posts to beg for, and press releases to write. Planning a reading at the local bookstore was its own challenge. Thank goodness for all the good advice Mary Kowal has shared over the years, because while I may not have an idea of what I’ll wear to my reading, at least I know what pens to bring and how to choose the right selection to share.

I have no idea how far my little book will go or whether it will be successful. Maybe people will like it, maybe they won’t. I can only keep my fingers crossed that all the work I put into it will have created a good read. But I can’t waste too much energy worrying about it–I’ve got to focus on writing my next book and all the short stories I’ve promised people I would write. The pioneers knew that after they got done walking to Oregon, they’d have to build their own houses and start a farm.  I don’t feel too bad for myself.

Unless I get dysentery.

 

 

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