A surprise evening in with my guy

Hurray, I have the book back for editing from the publisher!  I am proud to say there are not too many edits to complete, no more than I can get done over the next few days so they can have it back by early next week to print the first full proof.  It is getting so exciting to see it all happening now.  It has a life of its own and soon I will have to let go of my little baby!  Already I am feeling some separation pains but once we are done with the publisher, it is all about word of mouth and advertising.  I have begun thinking again about YouTube commercials and videos promoting the cookbook, in a very funny, tongue in cheek sort of way, and how to create email chains that people will actually pass on to their friends and family, and how I can use social media and the internet to create interest in the cookbook.  I wonder if I should offer promotions to college dorms or social clubs just so people could see the cookbook.  Even better, get the college campus bookstore to carry it!

And I got a nice surprise tonight. My guy rather than having to work tonight as he usually does (he works with residential deaf clients and works from one in the afternoon until eleven each evening), will be home for dinner. We get to spend a mid week evening together; such a rare treat.  He has been working really hard lately, at work and on the new house, that he is really exhausted.  I think tonight I will just spoil him with treats, kindness, love and the remote control for the television and allow him to have a totally bludging kind of night!  Better run to the kitchen to figure out what to cook tonight!

Anyone know anything about sales

Ah sitting down to write my blog, feeling more centred after the rush of the last few weeks!  It feels good to be this close to publishing; we are in the editing stage now and although there is still a lot of work remaining to be completed, I can finally see that I am in the home stretch.  Just have to get through the editing, layout and proofing stages and then we are all set to start loading it to the bookseller sites like Amazon.  Now I have to start changing my mind to focus on selling strategies.  I have been compiling addresses for press releases and will start putting up a website starting end of next week so there is  a site to visit to learn more about the book but after that not sure what to do.  I may have to take some of the people in marketing at work out to lunch to pick their brains.  I don’t have a big celebrity who is willing to endorse it so it is back to the basics with selling one book at a time!  If you know of any great ideas, send them to me.  I can use all the help I can get!

I am exhausted

I am exhausted!

Keep those in Japan who have suffered such misfortune in your thoughts and prayers

I am exhausted. My guy and I went to the new house today to work.  I left this morning feeling so much better about being able to help and contribute to our new home.  I had been feeling guilty that I had been only occasionally helping with the crown moulding and painting and tearing out and building new while I was working on the cookbook.  So I left this morning with a light step to go my our new home.  And what a busy day it was.  I of course spent some time organizing, tidying up, sweeping and washing floors cause I like order and okay I admit it am a little bit obsessed with being tidy.  I am one of those weird people who feel unsettled around mess.  Then we spent the day painting doors and trim, and painting my new office.  It is beautiful, a dusty chestnut colour or maybe between chestnut and cappuccino.  It looks amazing, particularly against the stark white crown moulding.  Tomorrow installing new chrome door handles and painting base boards.  Soon the upstairs will be completely finished!  We came home here just an hour or so ago. We made a quick soup and turned on the television to watch the news coming out of Japan.  What a horrible tragedy and it quickly humbled us both how fortunate we are to be spending the day painting our new home when so many millions have experienced such heartbreak.  It is almost overwhelming to watch the news and imagine the suffering those poor people are going through.  Every day count our blessings; we have much to be grateful for.  My heart and prayers goes out to the Japanese people; keep them in your thoughts.  

The draft is done! Wooohoooo

That’s it.  I am done.  The draft is finished and ready for copy editing and proofreading.  I can hardly believe.  I keep looking at that big pile of papers and can’t believe it is actually done.  Feels like celebration time.  I am under no illusions; there will be lots more work to do, editing and polishing but the first major hurtle is over!  Yippeeee.  Hurray.  I know I always wanted this but somehow I could never imagine this day.  Actually finishing. It is really happening.  So surreal. My dream is being born.  I have been working so hard on it for so long now that I can hardly believe that there it sits.  Okay, get it ready to send off for editing.  Woohoooo. 

It is all coming together

I am feeling great.  I just finished almost the last outstanding items on my to do list for the cookbook.  I can’t believe when I look at that dog eared pile of papers on the table that I have been using to proofread that I am this close to completing the book.  I just finished logging on and setting up my ISBN number.  I just finished setting up my account with the publisher, and now just have to sign the agreements and email them back to them tomorrow.  I have selected the size of the book and even calculated the width of the spine and the weight of the book, 282 grams if you are wondering.  Not too heavy to carry around with you all the time no matter when you go, great for a night on the town or light reading on the beach!  Seriously, I can’t believe it is all coming together.  I can’t believe it.  Seriously, it really hasn’t hit me yet that in a few weeks I will be a published cookbook author with his own publishing business and getting ready to sell it to anyone who is interested. Oh don’t think I won’t be urging you all to put a link to the cookbook in any status lines you have on any social media, like Facebook or MySpace and hoping that you will tell all your friends and family that it is finally released.  But mostly I am in shock that this is really happening.  Normally I am too wordy for my own good but honestly I am speechless to describe how this feels right now.  The achievement is in sight and I can hardly believe it.  I know there will be more work ahead of me but to get to this point already is amazing to me, the struggles, the set backs, the fights with myself not be lazy, the urging I always received from my guy and his support.  This will be his success as much as mine.  He got me here, despite me getting in the way most of the time.  The night is still early so I am going to do some more editing but I wish you could see it already.  The pictures are ready, the text is ready, the publisher is ready, all just waiting for me to say I am done!

Finally, a breakthrough

Good news.  I have resolved the ISBN number issue!  This morning I talked with a colleague here at work that had a contact number for someone who works in the same department in the government that also manages the ISBN registration.  I called and spoke with an incredibly friendly woman who gave me the number of the department where they actually assign the numbers.  I called there and got through immediately. Amazingly, in both cases, I called the government and they answered on the first ring!  Anyway, I talked with the woman at the assignment department.  Poor thing, she had been out for three weeks with a car accident and was just back to work.  As a consequence they are behind in getting the work out the door.  I felt bad.  It put it in perspective, there I was worrying about a number to process a book so I can get it loaded to the publisher, she was dealing with the after effects of a car accident. It reminded me that life is going on with millions of people in millions of different circumstances.  She was wonderful, explained the process to me and told me that she would chase down my records and get me set up and assigned an ISBN number this week.  I can’t tell you what a load off my mind it is to have that last piece sorted out.  Now I can just concentrate on finishing the last push on the cookbook and I can move on to the next phase in this publishing journey.  I did quite a bit of typing last night, transcribing my chicken scratches into reflections in the cookbook and today did a few more during my lunch break. Tonight, I need to first assess what is left to complete, prioritize and for certain work on some more reflections for the book.  The end is in sight. Now I just have to fight off doubts, lingering worries and laziness to finish.  I am amazed at how fragile I can be right now. The smallest things can discourage me or demoralize me; last night I was strangely sad and I am not entirely sure I know exactly why.  I think I feel pretty vulnerable right now and really wan this to succeed.  I can almost imagine that I have accomplished this goal and yet right now so close, every little twinge makes me worry that it will not come together to happen.  So same old strategy, head down and concentrate on what is immediately in front of me and no worries about the rest for right now!