"Ya' gotta look to your inner network"

For someone who wrote this book under an alias, getting the news out to friends and loved ones has been challenging.  One conversation at a time has been great, and initially, it felt great!  But as the days have turned to weeks and months, the conversations have turned to, "I feel like I don't even know you!  You wrote a book and didn't tell anyone?!"

So, I finally took the plunge and outed myself to my friends via Facebook.  I feel a little exposed, but very empowered.  It is always great to have such supportive and generous friends who take the time to even read the event notice.  If any of you have clicked over to this blog, "Hi!"  I hope you are having a great day and I can't wait to see you soon :)

CC


Hello!

XXX here. Very random event notice from me, but this seems to be the best way to message everyone. I have a couple of big announcements, so this may be the first of two event/messages...

I wrote a book this year entitled "From the Proposal to Ever After: A Louisiana Woman's Guide to Marriage and Community Property Laws" and I published it online under the alias Camille Carter. The concept of this work was to provide women in Louisiana the opportunity to read a quick text on marriage law and feel like they "got" it. It is essentially a conversation about pre-nups, post-nups, marriage laws, community property laws, and more.

When I completed the book I forwarded it to Pelican Publishing, but they passed. Thus, I have been moving forward as a self-publisher. It has been an interesting venture and I have been blogging about the process as well. Over 2000 hits on my site so far! You can visit it here: http://fromtheproposaltoeverafter.blogspot.com/

Now, I know the name of the book is a little long and maybe the cover page could use some work, but if you would take take a minute to visit the Amazon page, I would really appreciate it. Heck, if I can send you a free copy, just let me know! I would definitely appreciate your feedback or perhaps your recommendation to a friend.

If you are interested in learning more, please feel free to contact me any time. My cell number is below. You are also welcome to email me here.

Sincerely,
Camille Carter ;)
318-268-7086

http://www.amazon.com/From-Proposal-Ever-After-ebook/dp/B008A0UVPG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1363294681&sr=8-2&keywords=from+the+proposal+to+ever+after

If you are interested in receiving updates from my blog, please "like" my Facebook page too: https://www.facebook.com/FromTheProposalToEverAfter

A Fork in the Road

There is something to be said about getting off your ass and ending procrastination.  It certainly does lead to activity.  Activity is great, but this ultimately leads to shit actually happening versus nothing happening.

Can you hear that?  I think I just heard the world's tiniest violin...

Prior to the holidays, I forwarded a few chapters to the leading regional publisher of trade books.  I sort of thought they might be interested, but expected a flat rejection considering the economy and that they currently have a listing on family law.  What I did not expect is a letter requesting I detail how this text differs from their current offering.

Obviously, I am going to argue my book greatly differs from their current book.  That book is BORING.  I can barely read the introduction.  It is also dated.  It was published in 2004.  Hard to believe, but that is almost a decade ago.  Plus, that text goes for $20.  Mine is only $10.  BIG DIFFERENCE.

I know.  That sounds like a stretch...

To send a proper reply, I believe I should find that book at our local law library and really glance it over.  Do a little more than just "Click for an Inside Look" off Amazon.  I believe a few paragraphs in reply are in order.

The other fork in the road is that I have joined a local Meet Up self-publishing group.  We met a little over a week ago and I feel very inspired.  It feels great to learn tips, hear others self-publishing whoa's, and find camaraderie.  It sort of makes me feel like maybe going it alone really is the best option.

Right now, I feel like a cartoon character whose car has come to a fork in the road.  Rather than choosing a left or a right lane, I am simply picking my car up around me and two wheels are going one way while the others go the opposite direction.  Let's see how long this activity lasts...

More to come,
CC

Forget Guerrilla Marketing. I Need a Publisher.

I need a publisher.  As much as I enjoyed the publication process of the publishing process, I am not loving the marketing part.  How do I write a press release?  Who do I send the press release to?  Where do I find contact information?  How much will postage cost me?

Forget it!  I finally caved and sent the first few paragraphs into a publishing house.  I am familiar with the house since Louisiana is a small place.  There are not many publishers here anyway.  Plus, the only competition I have is from one of their publications.  It is from 2004, so I am sure they may be seeking a new book.

Who knows though?  The only thing I can do is hope their slush pile isn't too deep.  I will keep you posted!!

Camille

http://amzn.com/147813884X

http://www.amazon.com/From-Proposal-Ever-After-Louisiana/dp/147813884X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1355521736&sr=8-1&keywords=from+the+proposal+to+ever+after