We all need to remember that these
thoughtful,
beautiful activities
do not have to cost a lot of money.
The currency of love,
respect,
and mindfulness
is much more valuable!
~ Elizabeth Herbert Cottrell (heartspoken.com)
One of my dearest writer friends shared those words with me and they have been a guiding principle for Simple Books. I did not have a budget in mind for this venture, so I started by writing and drawing and sharing ideas on my website. This continues to be a place where I can use “the currency of love, respect, and mindfulness” when I write and create work I wish to share.
I really didn’t have anything extra to give to the idea of bringing books into print. But, I can use the internet to research what is possible.A friend suggested wix.com for a free template. I found iBooks Author and Apple publishing that had no up front costs. I could write a blog about what I do and go from there. That was 2018.
I also joined Facebook as a way to join a creative group, a writing group, and to post personal information. That is as far as I could go comfortably. I do have a twitter account, and an instagram account but I could not get past the surprise of people popping into my day. I went from 1 Facebook friend to 10 and then kept it to that number. I feel I can keep up with a small select group. I like to say that my circle of trust is still growing.
I don’t mind technology. Far from it. Technology that is used wisely has the possibility to spread a lot of goodness. I like to use it as an ally in bringing my work to print. So far, I have 3 print books for adults finished and 1 children’s book still in process. Because I have gone slowly, I can use a modest budget and share my work where it is likely to do some good.
I have enjoyed writing an author profile and setting up my Amazon Author Page.
The next step is one to reach outside my circle of friends to expand my readership. There are literary magazines that have online submissions. This would get my work out to more readers. I believe my words will do some good. I have started with The Missouri Review and submitted one of my books to them.
Each step of this journey with Simple Books has begun this way. There is little pressure when I take my time and a wonderful sense of accomplishment in sharing my progress.
What I am suggesting is that as writers and artists, we look inside to what we are comfortable creating and sharing and then find the creative outlets that are receptive to our work. Keeping in touch with a few like minded creatives gives us company in our work and life.
Now that I have a few books in print to share, I feel comfortable naming the resources that have worked for me. I use lulu.com for printing my books and amazon.com as an outlet for sharing an easy way to purchase the work I have completed.
