Part Four: On creating, writing, and publishing "Journey of the Dream Team"
The easy part was writing the story!
In the previous part of this series, I shared the progression from my digitized sketchbook project to being awarded a grant that would make it financially possible for me to publish my book. I decided to go the self-publishing route as I didn’t want to get rejected by multiple publishers and avoid the goal of finding joy in publishing my story in my words.
I received my grant check from the State of CT Economic & Community Development on October 20, 2021, for a project timeframe of October 2021 through April 30, 2022. I purchased a block of ISBNs since a unique one is used for each format or type of book. For example, you would need four unique ISBNs if you were to publish your book as a hardcover, softcover, different size, and ebook. ISBNs (which stands for “international standard book numbers”) are the global standard for identifying books that help to facilitate book distribution and purchases. They are comprised of 13 digits (formerly 10) and have the following format:
I decided to proceed with IngramSpark as my self-publishing company. They provide print-on-demand (POD) and ebook publishing services to independent authors. They are connected to 40,000 libraries and retailers in person and online, worldwide, including Barnes & Noble and independent bookstores, as well as major online retailers such as Amazon and Apple. I spent quite a bit of time reviewing their information about self-publishing, including ISBNs, creating cover and interior files, and providing contact and payment methods. There is a $49 setup fee and a $25 revision fee. In their system one also has to enter wholesale percentages, and I had to do some research on what the sweet spot was for this along with other sales processing options.
I used their book-building tool to ensure a proper template for my book. This wasn’t exactly user-friendly. It didn’t save revisions, wasn’t very intuitive, and was definitely time-consuming for a new user such as me. My difficulties compounded over months because there wasn’t a phone number, my emails weren’t answered, and I started to feel the pressure of the grant report commitment. Luckily I joined Facebook groups where the group members shared that the best way to get a response was to go through IngramSpark’s Facebook page messenger. I was able to get an extension on my grant report and was able to get feedback finally that could help me finalize my book design. I had to figure out how to embed the text, utilize an ebook designer to format my ebook, select a book size, design the cover, and select fonts.
On a side note, I received an email that there was a fire that affected the Sketchbook Project in February 2022, and was not sure if my original version was affected.
Fast forward to June 2022, I upload my 6”x9” softcover book to IngramSpark.
I received the first copy in July. I sat down and opened the corrugated box it was shipped in.
My heart sank.
I didn’t like the cover material, the interior pages, the feel, or the look of it.
Gary saw it and said, “it looks like a Chinese food menu”.
I knew he was right. It looked flimsy and wasn’t the quality I wanted for my first book. I was scared about the next round of difficulties I’d be forced to encounter.
Back to the drawing board.
The pressure was really on though which heightened my anxiety, and compounded my stress. I didn’t want to start the cycle again of difficulty in recreating the whole book. The time pressure was on to do the grant reporting. I was stuck in a Catch-22 situation. The only way to break that cycle was to put my head down, find the courage to try again, and not fail.
I decided to change the cover from softcover to hardcover and change the book dimensions from 6”x9” to 8.5”x8.5”. This in turn caused me to cancel the availability of the first version for distribution, assign a new ISBN, pay a revision fee, redesign the cover, and redesign the interior pages from rectangle to square. I was initially told that I could copy it in the book-building option, but it was not the case and caused further delays. It meant that I would need to recreate my whole book design.
With determined intestinal fortitude, I found my focus, motivation, and mental energy to create the version I wanted.
Paralleling this timeline of first version disappointment and revision creation, CDHR rescued two Clydesdales and I reached out to The Big E to see if we could participate in the parade that Spencer & Oliver were in during the 2019 season that I included in my book. I didn’t hear back initially and feared we had missed the window of opportunity. However, just as I was recovering from my reaction to the quality of the first version, I got the news in August 2022 that we would be able to participate in the parade on the last Sunday of September and the first Sunday of October. Spencer was selected to be in the 2022 parade and did a phenomenal job.
This motivated me to complete and upload the revision. I received the email to approve my book proof the end of September:
To note: I almost changed the book to include Spencer featured in the parade in 2022.
Almost.
But I stayed focused on the goal to publish the original story I wrote albeit with cosmetic changes.
I waited for the shipment of my printed book, hoping that it was the look the story deserved.
And it sure did!
I shared that the book was available for ordering, and ordered author copies for me to share in person. I also was offered the wonderful opportunity to have my first book signings in East Hampton, CT, where CDHR is also located. My first took place at Willow, invited by Sheri Spaulding, and took place in December. The second took place in January at the East Hampton public library. It was incredible to have the support not only of the store and library but also friends and family who purchased the books for themselves and for holiday presents. I also had a book signing event at a brewery in East Hampton with a group of authors, and have another scheduled in early May.
In the middle of promoting my book, I received the sad news that the Sketchbook Project was closing, and it was bittersweet to request my sketchbook back - I was sad to hear about the end of an era but relieved it wasn’t burnt in the fire, and somehow this came full circle back to me.
It has been an incredible journey of my own to see this life dream come true, and even sweeter to face the multiple challenges that seemed impossible at times and achieve my goal of sharing Spencer & Oliver’s story, “Journey of the Dream Team”. Thanks for following this four-part series that means so much to me.