All About Me!

Nothing is more uncomfortable for me than self-promotion. Friends and family will tell you that I am not at all shy, but I try not to hog the spotlight or toot my own horn. (I don't mind at all if someone else blows on it like crazy, though.) So the next step in my publishing journey is to start this blog and set up a website and email address so the masses presumably can beat a path to my door. Not really likely, is it?

I mean, I had my non-fiction book (see it at right--Cherish the Gift) out for a number of years and it got merely a smattering of notice, mostly from family and friends--oh, and that one guy who called me up to chew me out because "how could I perpetuate the myth of global warming when it is all a bunch of hocum?"

I digress.

So I started the blog, which has been really fun. I loved picking the template, and the colors and some features and pictures and links. But then I had to start writing. About myself. Whoa!! That is harder than you might think. Who wants to hear from me? Who cares what I think about this and that? So I've tried to make it relevant (I do better with a theme) and casual, even humorous, if possible.

And then I started to work on the website: http://www.cindycausey.com/

It's still in its infancy along with the rest of this publishing life. But it's pretty and it has links to The Wild Rose Press and Cherish the Gift and this blog, too. Marketing is so circular.

Anyway, maybe you'll let me know if any of this is working yet.

Paperwork

Self exploration. Pages of paperwork for the publisher.
About me, about the book.

• The Contract--very legal, very wordy. I'd actually been to some workshops and knew what to look for. Everything seemed in order except they don't offer but one (read that ONE) copy of the book in electronic form and one (read that ONE) in print form. Hmmmmm.
• Author Info--contact info mostly
• Author Promo Info--what will you do to make the world beat a path to your book? Start a blog? Build a website? Sure. No problem. Got an email? Of course. A picture? Oh, God, no, not a picture. Okay, here's a picture. What can you do? Workshops on writing, public speaking about the environment, sing a little ditty. What do you want me to do?
• Manuscript Info--the most fun part. All about the book. What do the hero and heroine look like? What's the theme? When you give up what you think you want, you might just find your heart's desire. The setting? Present day New Mexico. Any animals? Yes, a wolf. The back cover blurb? Here you go. An excerpt? WHOA! That's hard. What 250 words do you chose out of the entire book that will entice someone to buy it, read it, love it?

Anyway, got it all done. Filled it all in and sent it all out. Phew! That was fun!!!

The Journey Begins

I got the call! Well, actually it was an email, but the message is the same--I've sold a manuscript to The Wild Rose Press! The book is A Different Drum, a contemporary romance novel and Wild Rose Press is a relatively new, but vigorous electronic publisher actively acquiring new authors. I couldn't be more thrilled. No details yet, but it will be online for downloads for about six months, and then come out in paperback, available on demand from a variety of booksellers online.

I'll be using this space to track this journey from first call/email until I get the paperback in hand.

In the meantime, you can find out more about me and my books at http://www.cindycausey.com

Thanks for reading.