self-publishing

Today’s Challenge

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Next Book Title Votes from my sixth graders

Can you stop thinking?

Try it.

Say, I will stop thinking now. Then, wait.        Wait.                 Wait.

How long before a thought comes?

Try it again.

This is practice and you’ll get better.

We grow up believing that people who think are smarter.

Of course, one needs to think in order to achieve or produce.

But most of the time, we have 12,000-60,000 thoughts a day and research has shown that over 90% of those thoughts are repeated thoughts from the day before. Completely unnecessary.

This is the gateway to personal power and inner peace.

 

At Last…

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I’ve published it.

On Amazon.com and a few other outlets, you can now purchase Esther, Mia and the Stars! It will say “Spanish version” but it’s in both English and Spanish, every page.

Esther and Mia are best friends. Esther must come up with a creative solution when she discovers that Mia is being bullied. Together, they overcome this painful event and tell their story in English and Spanish.

It’s imperfect, but it was a labor of love, illustrated by my daughters with a message of empowerment for children who are experiencing bullying.

Thank you to my blogging community! You provided much-needed support and encouragement along the way.

Self-Publishing Update

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I finally received my proof for Esther, Mia and The Stars today!

It looks really good. It’s not perfect. But it’s a labor of love and I’m going to publish it. Two illustrations need to be replaced and I have to figure out how to center the ISBN code on the inner cover…but that’s it!

My friend, Sierra, translated the English to Spanish and told me it was a very fun process and that she learned a lot. I felt the same way. The process was extremely satisfying. My daughters loved making the illustrations at first, but then became self-conscious and self-critical. I hope the fact that I encouraged them to complete it will impress upon them the importance of crossing the finish line.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Self-Publishing Update

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Working through CreateSpace (Amazon’s answer to self-publishing) includes the following phases:

  1. Create
  2. Setup
  3. Review
  4. Distribution
  5. Sales & Marketing

Esther, Mia and The Stars is now in the Distribution phase. This is my first book, so I’m very excited! I’m enjoying the process immensely, even when things go wrong.

I’ve been meditating an extra minute every morning. This morning, I meditated for 11 minutes and tomorrow, I will meditate for 12. What I mean by meditating is concentrating on my breath and not thinking. Why is this important? Because the mind can work in overdrive and  interfere with inner peace. Meditation has (already) helped me keep calm during challenging moments. My sixth graders were very loud and obnoxious today, but I was fine. My illustrations scanned at a dpi that was too low and I had to re-scan and crop them all over again, but I just did it and didn’t feel anxious or upset at all.

I’ve written my book description:

Esther and Mia are best friends. Esther must come up with a creative solution when she discovers that Mia is being bullied. Together, they overcome this painful event and tell their story in English and Spanish.

My “About the Author” blurb:

Caroline Chung-Wipff delights in working with children who are often much wiser than adults. She lives in the desert with the love-of-her-life (Willey), her two amazing daughters and Opal the Dog Wonder.

Amazon tells me:

Your book files are still being reviewed. A final print ready cover file is needed to continue to KDP. You will be e-mailed when the review is complete.

So I wait.

Please ping me if you have any questions about the process thus far. It’s so fun!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Self-Publishing

 

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I am a HUGE fan of James Altucher. He’s creative, honest and authentic. I absolutely believe in his assertion that we must choose ourselves. He’s the reason I’m finally self-publishing my children’s book (which I’ve mentioned before).

If you’re interested in self-publishing, check out Amazon.com’s program CreateSpace.

 

Choose yourself!

Update: all the illustrations are done. Now, I’m working on the manuscript errors. I had 3. My laptop is super old, so it’s very slow in processing.

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Tonight is all about editing. I’m enjoying the process and I’m learning a lot. My daughters, ages 13 and 15, were the illustrators. I will cherish this book for the rest of my life.

Happy Saturday night!

 

 

 

 

 

Writing Update

I’m going to share my update with you in the hopes that you feel camaraderie. Writing can be a lonely experience (albeit a very rewarding one!). I like the solitude and the quiet. It’s actually what I crave right now, after the tornado of politics, media and my husband’s 50th birthday celebrations.

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Word Count on my novella:14,176

Goal (approximate): 25,020

Children’s Book: Esther, Mia and the Stars – Spanish translation is done! Scanning of images –   80% complete!

I am strongly considering using Fiverr.com for the Mandarin, Cantonese and French translations.

My mother (I believe) will be very happy to do the Korean translation.

 

 

 

It’s Na-No-Wri-Mo Time!

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by Florian Klauer

National Novel Writing Month

I’m not quite finished with my children’s book, Esther, Mia and the Stars, but I’m close. I am short just a few illustrations and I have someone translating it into Spanish. I’m going to have my mother translate it into Korean over Thanksgiving. I will ship it! It WILL happen!

I thought I should finish that before I started another  project, but… it’s Na-No-Wri-Mo right now. I’ve been doing research in October in anticipation of this. Tomorrow, I commit to the writing. I’ve written several fiction stories, but I’m especially excited about this one.

A fellow teacher/writer asked me three weeks ago, “Why don’t you do Na-no-wri-mo?” My first thought, Yeah, right. A novel in one month. I’m working full-time, I have kids and a husband. There is no time.

And then another voice:

“You MAKE time.”

Yes, you make time. Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Marie Curie…all had the same 24 hours we have.

So, what’s it about? I can’t say.

Advice I’ve always remembered: Do not share or reveal too soon. It invites naysayers and judges at the most critical time. Focus on the content. Focus on the work. Reveal it later.

So, what do you say? Want to join me? I’d love to share our ups and downs!

Click on this link to get started now!

 

2 Quick Tips for Self-Publishing and Entrepreneurship

As my illustrators get to work, I want to apprise you of two valuable resources for self-publishing and entrepreneurship – especially if you’re a teacher – but for everyone.

Tip #1: Fiverr.com– Here, you can find every possible digital need: marketing, video animation, programming, singer-songwriters and translation work. Each gig starts at $5. You can also sell your services here.

Here is what you see when you browse for “Cartoon & Caricatures”:

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You can communicate with artists before making a decision. All you need to do is agree upon a deadline and price and then wait.  I used an artist who lives in Germany. I just needed cover art for a short story and she did a fantastic job…for $5! Providers are given reviews to hold them accountable for delivery time and customer satisfaction.

Tip #2:  Especially for teachers – is TeachersPayTeachers.com Here, you can find high-quality lesson plans  and activities for your grade level and subject matter. Almost all material has been created by teachers. Again, providers are reviewed by customers and everyone strives to attain a 4.0. There are teachers on this site who are so good, that their pay from TpT equals or exceeds their teacher salary!

Here is the Halloween page:

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Selling your work is free and easy. They have ample tutorials and advice to help you be successful. If you sell a lot, it’s recommended that you go to “premium” status, which costs you about $60/year, but you’ll get a higher percent of your sales.

Here’s the breakdown for getting paid via PayPal and Dwolla:

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Here’s to creating, learning, teaching and prospering!

Children’s Book Self-Publishing: Lessons As I Go

My illustrators (daughters, ages 13 and 14) have been busy with homework and violin concerts this week. But I hope they make a lot of progress this weekend:

 

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Unfinished Illustration (by Ava)

 

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By Ava Wipff

 

In the meantime, I am shopping for translators at our school. Fortunately, I have access to a couple Spanish teachers and one Mandarin teacher. I will be asking them today if they’d be interested in doing language translations.

This means I need to create a document with just the text. Currently, I have text and illustrations (or placeholders). Lesson learned: next time, create a text only documents first.

I’m pretty excited about this stage because it adds a lot of value to the book. Adding a language component can expose children to other languages and pique their interest if they’re not already learning Mandarin, Spanish, Korean or French.