I took a bit of a break from blogging and constant social media posting over the summer. I kept things going at a minimum and popped online here and there when needed so things didn’t completely fizzle. But overall, it was really nice to get offline and spend time with family.

My son starts preschool five days a week today and I plan to jump back into blogging and my book project, plus a pile of other projects that have been on hold…right after I go get a much-needed pedicure! I need to start incorporating more of that “self-care” into my life other people blog so much about.

But First, a Little Update

Quick re-cap for those just joining the story:  Several months ago I was contacted by a Mascot Books about writing a children’s book. I got all giddy and excited until I found out they were a hybrid publisher and I’d have to pay to get the book published. Wa- wa- waaaaaa.

But I was still wound up with excitement and went ahead and wrote a little book about a child attending their first comic convention. I thought maybe I could just self-publish it. I partnered with a local artist, That Nerdy Mom, and she started creating the perfect illustrations for the book, which made me even more excited.

Working on our book while the kids play at JumpStreet!

After talking with people that have gone the self-publishing route, including local author Mike Crowder who recently published his book Wild About the Alphabet with the same company I’ve been talking to, I decided hybrid publishing just might be the best way to go so we’d have a chance of getting it into bookstores. Mike had gone the self-publishing route first and was not warmly received in local shops who complained Amazon was putting them out of business.

I think our book is unique enough to make it on bookstore shelves and want to make sure we don’t run into any self-published prejudice. So while Mascot is still considered a “vanity press” because we have to pay them, it’s not considered print-on-demand, so real bookstores will actually consider carrying it.

Next up: The Kickstarter

Our project proposal is just under $3000, so we are working on setting up a Kickstarter campaign to help reach that goal. If anyone has done a campaign on there before, all advice is welcome! The quote includes everything we’ll need- editing, putting the text on the pages, setting up the book for print, 500 printed 8×10 hardcover books and the e-book.

It’s an all-or-nothing funding site, so we figure maybe we should set the goal a little lower, like $1000. Just that much would be a lot of help to get things going! And the good thing is you can always get funded over your goal, so that’s what we are shooting for.

We still have a lot of details to put together before officially launching the Kickstarter, and a book to finish, but that’s where we’re at right now!