Be Patient, Wait... It'll Happen. Adventures in Self-Publishing

"Be patient," I tell myself.

"Wait," I tell myself.

"It'll happen," I tell myself.

It's been nearly a year since I wrote and published two children's books, The Cloud Show and The Little Bear and the Lollipop Tree, but since my friends purchased Little Bear when it first came out I haven't sold anything more. Not even one copy.

Yes, I've been a bit lazy in the promotion department lately mostly because of frustration at having no results. I did advertise one of the books once which created some traffic, but still no purchases. I've come to the conclusion that I need to pay for advertising on Facebook, Nextdoor, as well as my website, Visages Gift Store on GoDaddy.

I was hoping for better results without using money I can ill-afford to spend. It appears as though that's not going to happen.

So, this is what I'm doing to bring in more income so that I can afford a small advertising budget. First, I amped up marketing my Zazzle store, Visages Gift Store. Again, I don't have an advertising budget for my store, but I'm doing more blogging and I'm making a sale here and there. It takes a bit to reach my payout threshold, but I eventually will which will give me a little for advertising.

Second, I've begun taking surveys at GoBranded.com. Sure, it takes a few hours out of my day to earn a buck (per day), if I'm lucky, but that money goes toward my grocery bill. I don't spend a whole lot for food and such. Last week, the $17 I earned doing surveys went toward my $28 grocery bill. This week, $14 went toward my $20 grocery bill. What I don't spend on groceries will go towards advertising this year.

So, between Visages Gift Store on Zazzle and leftover grocery money, I'll be able to begin advertising.

As always, I try and keep my blogs short and sweet. I don't want to overstay my welcome. Hopefully, I'll have some good news in a few months.

The Little Bear and the Lollipop Tree

The Cloud Show

Fun Prank Pulled on Dad 1

My kids had a hilarious idea for a Thanksgiving prank on their dad. They ordered some pajama pants online with his face printed all over them.

The night before the big day, they put on the pants and acted like nothing was wrong. They waited for their dad to notice the weird pattern on their clothes. It took him a while, but when he finally did, he was speechless.

He rubbed his eyes, adjusted his glasses, and looked again. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

“That's awesome,” he said, cracking up. He loved the joke and appreciated the creativity behind it.

The point of the story is: I have no clue where they got those pants from, but they were not only funny, but sweet. And that gave me an idea: Why not do something similar for Christmas? You could surprise someone with a pair of pants with their own face on them or mix it up with different faces of your family or friends.

Imagine the reactions when dad wears pants with mom's face on them, or mom wears pants with her bestie's face on them, or the kids wear pants with their grandparents' faces on them. It would be a blast!

Sadly, after searching Zazzle, I find they don't carry blank pajama pants. However, they do have women's leggings. I'm thinking gifts for bridesmaids or for yourself with a picture of that goof-ball sibling plastered all over them.

Of course, there are always t-shirts...

And, here's another idea:

Custom Elegant Best Sister since 1995 7 photo Apron

Custom Elegant Best Sister since 1995 7 photo Apron. Add 7 photos and edit text to customize.

The Adventures of a Senior.

I'm over 65 now and let me tell you, it's an adventure. From watching my features and body change to accepting the aches and pains that come with age to navigating health insurance options.

Yup. Medicare is something we pay for all of our working lives. Well, that and Social Security. Okay... Okay... And all those dang taxes, but I'm off track here.

Once you turn 65, you automatically get Medicare part A which is hospitalization only. Even then, part A pays 80% of the hospital bill. The other part of Medicare is part B. You have to pay for that. It covers doctors visits.

When I signed up for Medicare, I wasn't in need of part B because I'm healthy and I couldn't afford the $180 a month premium. Honest to gosh, I swear that I read in the (thick) handbook that our government allowed us two years to ponder that expense before the penalty applied, so, I opted out of part B.

Now, two years later, I find out that I had misread the two year delay and I now owe a penalty if I want part B.

I decided to apply for Medicaid since I live on a very limited income. I headed to the designated website and began the application.

Needless to say, working to navigate the government online application was a bust. I had made a mistake and couldn't go back to correct it. (I later found out through an insurance agent that she had had the same problem.)

Now what am I going to do?

The saints be praised! I was in Walmart this morning and sitting along the wall behind the cash registers was a gal signing people up for Medicare. It honestly was a blessing. She listened to my woes and completely understood the problems I had. She navigated the state government website and got me signed up for Medicaid. Now all I have to do is wait three weeks to see if I'm accepted.

Listen. Find a reputable insurance agent who knows their way around Medicare and Medicaid. Don't try to apply on your own. Sure, that gal who helped me will get paid when I apply for insurance through any one of the insurance companies she represents, but – hey – that's how she makes a living. And she makes a living out of being extremely helpful.

Hitting the Snags Forces Creative Thinking

 

Snags. What a pain in the butt-kiss. Snags are small problems, still problems that need solving, none the less.

My latest? GoDaddy. Let me back up a bit. I started a website, Visages Gift Store, through GoDaddy. Having little money to spend, I opted for the cheapest plan which offered no perks. My plan was to just get up and running; get SEOs out there in the Internet world. In the world of marketing, it simply means "to get known".

One of the sections in my website is called Gift Ideas. Yeah, not so creative of a title, but what I publish truly are gift ideas. I've been publishing new gift ideas since May of this year, I think. At least somewhere around that time, but I wasn't and don't publish new gift ideas everyday. Perhaps once or twice a week.

Yesterday, I was working on marketing stuff (funny t-shirts for hunters and personalized thank you favors). I generally start with Zazzling Gifts, my Google blog, then head over to my other blog, Miller's Wrapped Expression and finally to my website's gift ideas section.

All of that takes a while. It's not instantaneous. It's time consuming.

Anyway, I opened GoDaddy, signed in then clicked "edit" to edit my website. Either GoDaddy is r.e.a.l.l.y slow or my laptop is because each action takes freaking forever. Actually, I suspect it's my laptop.

When I opened Gift Ideas and prepared to add a section, GoDaddy told me I couldn't add another section for the funny hunters t-shirts I was going to market. WHAT?! I can't add another section? What the...? Now what am I going to do?

The answer is: I don't have a clue. The Gift Ideas section is completely full. I don't want to delete anything because it's been a part of the Internet for months. If I delete a section, there goes all the keywords or tags. Pffft... gone.

What if I add another page and call it Gift Ideas Re Deux? Won't that look kind of hinky?

If any of you have a suggestion, I'll listen.

Miller out...

Patience, Grasshopper... Positive Results from Your Marketing Takes Time.

I'm Not Going to Give Up. Putting One Foot Infront of the Other and Marching On.

Marketing isn't easy when you don't have the money to spend on advertising and you simply have to rely on posting on your blogs, your website(s) and social media. It takes time out of my day instead of doing what I really enjoy which is creating.

I'm in month ten of marketing my Zazzle products and products of others. The commission is really good on promoting others' products, but - again - I really enjoy creating instead of copying and pasting into various resources.

Anyway, my Zazzle store is showing progress. Not enough for my taste, but - still - progress is progress. I should say, I actually did receive a royalty check recently that went straight to bills. Bills that I don't have to pay this month out of my SS check.

My books, on the other hand, aren't showing a lot of progress despite continuous marketing primarily on my blogs. I should do more on social media, but I don't want to dis what few followers I have by over exposing them to a constant barrage of posting about my books.

And, I constantly have to remind myself that keywords or tags take time to weave their way through the web of search engines. It can take months. Or, maybe I not using the right keywords or tags so people aren't able to find me. Ugh.

Everything you do in marketing is a test. The big guy marketers and advertisers will tell you the same thing.

In the end, patience is what is in order... Everyday, patience is the order of the day. So, I'm going to hang in there. It's only been ten months. I would suggest you also hang in there and keep putting one foot in front of the other.

That said... Please check out my children's books for toddlers and preschoolers ages 2 - 5.

Links and images are below.

The Little Bear and the Lollipop Tree

The Cloud Show

My Brother Had a Dream

Hi everyone, welcome to my blog! Today I want to share with you a little bit about my older brother, who is one of the most amazing people I know. He's four years older than me, and he's always been a role model and a mentor for me. We have two other siblings, and we're all very close.

We grew up on a small farm in the countryside, where we enjoyed the simple pleasures of life. We loved running around barefoot in the summer, feeling the grass and the dirt under our feet. We helped our parents with the chores, and we learned a lot from them.

My brother was always very smart and ambitious. He finished high school a year early, and went to college on a scholarship. He joined the ROTC program, and after graduating, he became an air force pilot. He flew an F-16 fighter jet, which is pretty awesome if you ask me. He was ready to defend our country if needed, but luckily he never had to go to war.

He retired from the military as a lieutenant colonel, and then he became a commercial pilot for a major airline. He flew all over the U.S., and met many interesting people. He had a successful career, and he retired with honors.

Now he enjoys traveling for fun, especially to Scotland and Ireland, where our ancestors came from. He loves exploring his roots, and learning about our family history. He also likes to visit us, his siblings, and his nieces and nephews. He's always generous and kind, and he has a great sense of humor.

He's my big brother, and I'm so proud of him. He's gone from a barefooted farm boy to a lieutenant colonel to an airline pilot to a retiree. He's lived a full and adventurous life, and he's still going strong. He's an inspiration to me, and I hope to you too.

Hey, Mom and Grandma, If you have little ones or grandchildren, don't miss my books for preschoolers. They are fun and educational, and they rhyme too! You can get them as eBooks or printed copies. Sample pages below...

The Little Bear and the Lollipop Tree

The Cloud Show

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Hey, I know you hate marketing and advertising. I do too. They're annoying, intrusive, and sometimes downright deceptive. But let's face it: they're also necessary if you want to sell something.

Global advertising was expected to reach $780 billion. Of that, digital advertising was expected to reach $492 billion. It is estimated that the United States spent an estimate of $343 billion and an estimate of 63% was spent on the internet. That's an enormous amount of money.

But...

Think about it. How are people going to know about your amazing product or service if you don't tell them? How are you going to stand out from the crowd of competitors who are vying for their attention? How are you going to convince them that you're the best choice for their needs?

Marketing and advertising are not evil. They're tools. And like any tool, they can be used for good or bad purposes. It's up to you to use them ethically and responsibly.

That means being honest, transparent, and respectful. It means providing value, not just hype. It means solving problems, not creating them. It means building relationships, not spamming.

If you do that, you'll find that marketing and advertising can actually be fun and rewarding. You'll get to share your passion with the world, connect with your ideal customers, and grow your business.

I have to admit, I have very little to spend on advertising. I used all of my book royalties to advertise on Facebook, so I spend just about every day posting my products on social media, writing blogs and tending my website. It takes up most of my time, but that's the price I pay in order to get my products known.

So don't be afraid of marketing and advertising. Let loose of a bit of your income whether it's print-on-demand commissions or royalties from your book, or lots of time. Embrace marketing and advertising as an evil necessity if you're selling something.

Check out my children's books for ages 2 - 5. They're beautifully illustrated and make great bedtime stories.

The Little Bear and the Lollipop Tree

The Cloud Show

The Frustrations of an Author

I recently started advertising my new children's book, The Cloud Show, on Facebook. My book's potential reach is up to 120 possible purchasers. The demographics of those potential purchasers are women between the ages of 25 and 65. After doing research on demographics of mothers, I left the demographics broad since everything I do from now forward will be tests. And, I included older women because they're grandmothers or grandmothers-to-be. I didn't include education or interests or target parents because – again – everything is a test. My total budget for seven days was $5.

That was the easy part. The hard part? Ah... The hard part was trying to figure out why Facebook (FB) didn't accept my attempt to publish my ad. The worse thing about that is they DIDN'T TELL ME WHY I couldn't place my ad. I didn't know if it was my ad, my demographics, my credit card or the amount of money I was spending.

After working for probably 30 to 45 minutes reading and re-reading the application page, I finally threw my hands up in the air and signed out. I know when to stop, catch my breath, calm myself and take a day.

The next day, I signed into FB and headed to the ad section. Again, I attempted to place the ad. Nope. Ain't gonna happen.

Fine, let's play with the budget slider do-hickey. I slid the button to $8 and voila! The action button high-lighted allowing me to click it. Why didn't they just tell me my total reach for the budget was too low? Why?

Honest to gosh, I've had so many trip-ups self-publishing my books. Ingram doesn't furnish an ISBN number. You have to buy one. Amazon doesn't allow their ISBN numbers to be used in other print-on-demand sites. Barnes and Noble along with Google Play didn't like my meta data nor a couple blank pages. Amazon told me if I wanted to use the cheaper paper, I'd have to publish at least 72 pages. It was only after I researched that I found their paper type minimums. Again, they don't tell you outright. Amateurs don't know that crap.

If you want into a library, you need their wholesaler and an ISBN number. If you want to get into Walmart, you have to have a business license and an ISBN. If you want to go through Walmart's wholesaler, you need an ISBN number.

I know I could hire a marketer/publisher, but then I'd have to split my royalties with him/her.

Yes, yes, I know it's a choice I've made. I'm just telling you that selling your self-published book isn't as easy and simple as bloggers say it is. There's a lot that goes into getting your book on shelves and into certain print-on-demand sites.

I'm not giving up, though. I'm a tenacious sort. I won't be beaten. I'll find a way to make the money I need to buy an ISBN number, find a way to get my books into Google Play and Barnes and Nobel, and – by golly – I'll get into libraries. When? Well, it won't be soon, but that's okay. Working towards those goals gives me something to do.

Please check out my children's books for ages 2 - 5. They're beautifully illustrated and in rhyme. Both are available in POD or eBook.

The Cloud Show

The Little Bear and the Lollipop Tree

To Settle to Pay the Bills or Do What You Love

Dreams and aspirations are something that we all have, but not everyone pursues them. Some people settle for a job that pays the bills, but doesn't make them happy. 

Others follow their passion and try to make a living out of it. And then there are those who do both: they have a job that they enjoy and they also have a hobby that they love.

I'm one of those people. I love writing and I always wanted to be a writer. But I also knew that writing is not a very stable or lucrative career, especially in the beginning. So, I decided to study something else that I was interested in: commercial art. I didn't get my degree in commercial art (I had two toddlers who I was neglecting so, I thought it best to quit college to tend to my babies' needs.) but I was still able to find a job as an advertising layout artist at a retail store. I liked my job because the head of the advertising department taught me the tricks of the trade, he mentored me and advised me.

But I didn't give up on my writing dream. I'm retired and can write pretty much whenever I want, but I usually write on weekends when I'm not fiddling with marketing my print-on-demand store, Visages Gift Store, and my books, The Little Bear and the Lollipop Tree plus my latest book, The Cloud Show. I write short children's poems and four different blogs. I've submitted my work to contests and have won prizes. Writing is not only my hobby, but also my side hustle. It gives me extra income and satisfaction.

Some people might think that I'm lucky to have a hobby that I love. And I agree, I am very lucky. But it's not easy to balance marketing Visages Gift Shop and two books. It takes a lot of hard work, discipline, and sacrifice. Sometimes I have to stay up late to finish a writing project or wake up early to meet a deadline. Sometimes I have to say no to social invitations or family gatherings because I need to write or work. Sometimes I feel exhausted or stressed or frustrated.

But it's worth it. Because I'm doing what I love and what makes me happy. And that's what matters the most.

I know that not everyone can do what I do. Some people might have more responsibilities or obligations that prevent them from pursuing their dreams or hobbies. Some people might have different priorities or preferences that make them choose differently. And that's okay. There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to dreams and aspirations. Everyone has their own path and their own journey.

But if you have a dream or a hobby that you love, don't give up on it. Find a way to make it happen, even if it's just for yourself. You never know where it might lead you or how it might enrich your life.

 New Children's Book Release:

The Cloud Show

Hi everyone!

Another of my dreams has come true. I've written another book for kids.

I'm super excited to announce that my new children's book, The Cloud Show, has been published on Amazon in eBook and print-on-demand formats. It's a fun and whimsical book that celebrates the different cloud shapes I see in the sky and is written in poem form for ages 2 to 5.

The Cloud Show is perfect for toddlers and kids who love to use their imagination and explore the natural world. It's also a great way to introduce them to some fun cloud shapes and weather concepts. The book is full of colorful illustrations and catchy rhymes that will make you and your kids smile.

If you're looking for a new book to read with your little ones, I hope you'll check out The Cloud Show on Amazon. It's available for only $3.99 as an eBook or $9.99 as a paperback here.

You can find sample pages below. Thank you for your support and happy reading!

 On Being an Entrepreneur

Hey there, fellow entrepreneurs! I'm sure you know how challenging and rewarding it is to pursue your dreams and create something amazing out of nothing. Being an entrepreneur requires courage, stamina, drive and creativity. You have to face uncertainty, risk, competition and rejection every day. You have to work hard, learn fast and adapt quickly. You have to be passionate, resilient and optimistic.

But you also have to be realistic. Success takes time and should be measured in small bits rather than giant leaps. You can't expect to become a millionaire overnight or to have millions of customers in a week. You have to set realistic goals, track your progress and celebrate your achievements, no matter how small they are. You have to appreciate the journey, not just the destination.

That's why I want to share with you some tips on how to measure your success as an entrepreneur and how to keep yourself motivated and inspired along the way. These are some of the things that have helped me grow my business and stay sane in this crazy world of entrepreneurship.

Tip #1: Define your vision and mission.

• My mission is to complete “want-tos” on my bucket list. 
• My vision is to leave behind my footprint on this Earth through my art and my book(s); a legacy of sorts. That's not to say I wouldn't enjoy a bit of financial gain from my efforts. (I'm retired so my mission and vision are going to be different from someone who wants to earn a livable wage.)

Tip #2: 

• Set small goals like getting known. Blog about your adventure in starting a new business. 
• Another goal is to make sure you start at the same time every day and put in a full day. 
• Also, post on social media a discription of your business then post a little something about that day's challenge. 
• Make sure you let your friends and family know what you're doing.

Tip #3: 

• Keep at it. Don't give up. It's frustrating at times. It's discouraging at times. My son started his own business five years ago. He removes unwanted wild animals from homes and businesses. He wasn't a success overnight and Covid certainly threw a wrench in the works as well as Google changing algorithms, but he has tenacity. Plus, he has to make a living.

To end this, I'm going to do number two and work on getting myself known. Below are the latest print-on-demand designs from my Zazzle store, Visages Gift Store.

Abstract Labrador Art Coffee Mug
by Visages

Abstract Labrador Art T-Shirts
by Visages

Abstract Labrador Art Can Cooler Coozie
by Visages

Abstract Labrador Art Doormat or Rug
by Visages

Abstract Labrador Art Throw Pillow
by Visages

Abstract Labrador Art Blanket
by Visages

Abstract Labrador Art Pillar Candle
by Visages

On Being Retired

Retirement... It Can be a Challenge

I retired at 62 which is early. Official full retirement age is 65. I retired because I was working a mediocre job and wasn't kept busy enough. Since I lived with my son and his family (paying rent, of course), I felt I could afford to simply stop working. I had really been looking forward to not working anymore for several years. Forty-four years of working is plenty.

The first few years were easy peasy. I painted art pieces, made jewelry, crocheted a crap ton of Afghans for family and outfits for my new grandson, and enjoyed unlimited television.

Then the day came when I could no longer live with my son and his family. It wasn't working out as we all had hoped. I'm now living in a room in a trailer owned by a 79-year-old woman. I've no place to paint canvases or watercolor paper and I'm bored with jewelry making. Overall, I was just bored. BORED!

I thought about looking for a job, but not for long. There was no way I was going to find an Art Director job. I'd been away from it for too long. Besides, I live in an art drenched city with a killer art college just up the road. The kids coming out of that place are very talented and - frankly - I'm not up for competition. I'm 67 and done with that crap.

Ugh! A job. I didn't wanna. I didn't want to work some menial, lifeless, boring job. What to do?

I remembered I had started a Zazzle store, Visages Gift Store, back in 2011. It got to the point where I was receiving checks every other month and sometimes a couple of months in a row. Because I had neglected it for so long, there were 200 and some odd pages of product that needed attention. It took some time, but I got everything back up and available for people to see then hopefully buy.

Then I headed to my blogs, Zazzling Gifts, Dreams Come True, and Miller's Wrapped Expression. I hadn't blogged in a while, so I was a bit rusty. Still, here I am blogging away. 

Next was creating a website. I had used GoDaddy in the past so I stuck with it. As frustratingly slow as it was (and still is), I managed to get a semblance of a site up I named Visages Gift Store which is - coincidently - the name of my Zazzle store.

And I wrote a children's book, The Little Bear and the Lollipop Tree, that I'm marketing. With no revenue yet coming in from the updated Visages Gift Store, I'm having to find creative and free ways to market. Research is very time consuming. Yet, there are ways to market through social media, blogging and having a website.

Funny thing. I'm not bored anymore. I'm busier than I have been in years. I'm productive which is a must-do for retired folks. Several of my friends have bought my book, my blog stats have increased substantially, and Visages Gift Store is selling again. In two or three months, I'll have my first check from them. In another few months, I'll get a check from Amazon from my book sales.

Dreams come true, but - dang - is it ever a lot of work!

 

Adventures in Self-publishing and Marketing My Book, The Little Bear and the Lollipop Tree

I'm going to make this as brief as possible. This is basically an outline of all that I've done since finishing my first children's book June 3, 2023. I've never self-published before so I had to learn everything from scratch.

I wrote a book and illustrated, The Little Bear and the Lollipop Tree. I uploaded it to Amazon's Kid's Direct Publishing, Barnes & Noble and Kobo after satisfying the different formats each company demanded. It wasn't easy, but I got it done.

JPG Cover Image

Now I'm marketing my self-published book rather than going through an aggregator/marketer. Aggregators/marketers take a percentage of the profits as does each of the previously mentioned companies. Remember, those companies also charge you for printing so price your book accordingly.

Researching marketing ideas was overwhelming. Where do I start? I don't have extra money to advertise so I need ideas that cost very little to nothing. I'm retired and live on Social Security.

On a phone call with my son, I told him I was a bit overwhelmed with all of the marketing research for self-publishers I was doing; that I didn't know where to start. Well, my 42-year-old is wise. “Take one at a time,” he said. With that advise in mind, that's exactly what I did and it helped a lot.

First, I hit all of my social media and registered on those that I wasn't a member of. One day, I put a picture of my book cover and wrote an announcement that I had written and published my first children's book. My friends were thrilled for me. First one friend then another then yet another bought my book.

Two days later, I took two sample pages of my book, turned them into PDFs and placed them on all of my social media. A couple of more sales came from that.

I also used the same steps with all my blogs that I had done with my social media.

Next, in my research, it was suggested that I create a website. For about $12, I created a website on GoDaddy. Creating a website is daunting and very slow. For every one thing I did, I had to wait a few seconds for the task to complete. It wasn't instantaneous as I had hoped it would be. Add several seconds to each task on GoDaddy and it adds up to many minutes.

My website, Visages Gift Store, is still in construction, but I've published the pages that I had created thus far which includes announcing my book.

Next on the list was creating a video. Again, I had to research free video-making software. I settled on Microsoft's Clipchamp.com since I'm a member of Microsoft. I spent hours learning the web-based software, but at the end of the day, it was done. I introduced myself and added illustrations from The LittleBear and the Lollipop Tree.

The following day, I added the video to all my social media (or those that allowed it. One or two didn't.) as well as to my blogs (posted here on June 19, 2023) and website.

A couple of days ago, during my research, one of the “self-publishing experts” suggested using hash tags. Since I didn't know anything about hash tags and how they work I had to read about hash tag application and usage. I headed back to all of my social media and blogs. I have to hash tag!

Now I'm writing this blog outlining my adventure. I'll copy and paste it to all of my blogs as well as my website.

If you're on this same adventure, be sure to leave me a comment about your experiences. I'd love to hear from you.

One last thought: You have essentially started a new business. You'll spend eight hours a day reading, learning and applying what you've learned. Don't forget to take breaks and eat.

Meet Me, Deborah Miller, and View Illustrations From My New Book, The Little Bear and the Lollipop Tree

You can find my book at Amazon available on eBook or in print-on-demand. Click here.

 

 

 My New Children's Book, The Little Bear

and the Lollipop Tree

My new can now be printed on demand. For just $2.99 you can order the eBook
here to see if you like it. If you enjoy the colorful illustrations and the bedtime story, the print-on-demand version is just $7.99.

Here are a couple of sample pages for you to see. My bio follows the sample pages.

Deborah Miller is a retired commercial artist, former Art Director of automotive magazines and Operations Manager of a wristwatch magazine.

She's an artist who has been commissioned to produce a variety of art. Several of her art pieces are displayed on print-on-demand products that she has sold all over the world. She has won contests for her designs and her writing.

Deborah spent the first 15 years of her life on a farm in Kansas but then moved to Lawrence, KS, with her mother who was a High School English teacher.

She has two children, three brothers, one grandchild plus four step-grandchildren. She's the aunt of five nieces and nephews, and great aunt of one.

She wrote her first short story when she was 14 and has dreamed of writing books ever since.

Children's Book: A Great Gift for Kids

It's finally published and up on three book sites now. I'm so excited.

Let me introduce The Little Bear and the Lollipop Tree. I hope you consider purchasing it for your 3 to 5 year old. It's available for $2.99 at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Kobo. Soon, it will be available on Google Play Books.

 Another Dream Come True

I had a list of things I wanted to accomplish hanging on my closet door. The list wasn't anything too far out of reach. I didn't include wanting to be a millionaire (because I don't really want to be one) nor did I include travelling to Scotland (where my ancestors are from) and staying in a luxury hotel. My - we'll call it bucket list - was simple.

I wanted to write songs. I wrote one for my brother converting the letters of his first name and that of his bride's into music notes. For instance, the letter K converted to a musical note would be F on a music scale. It was my wedding present to them.

I wanted to sell my paintings and get commissioned. It happened to my delight. I also wanted to sell my art on products available through print-on-demand. I currently use Zazzle and have been categorized as a "Bronze Pro". I've sold assorted products in several countries in Europe and to someone in Australia, and - of course - the U.S.

I've entered writing and art contests and won prizes.

But the biggest of all my wants on my bucket list was to write and sell a book. Well, I've written it and it's in the midst of being published on Amazon and Barnes & Noble as an eBook. It takes three days to become live on their websites, so I don't have links to either yet. Below is the cover of The Little Bear and the Lollipop Tree.

I still have a few more publishers to upload to, but it's a chore. It isn't as easy as bloggers make it sound and believe me, I've read a lot! You have to jump through hoops providing a W-4 and other personal information. But that wasn't my problem.

'Just upload your book and earn money' is a load of crap. Well, except for Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing. Amazon has its own free book-making software you can download. It was easy to upload my illustrations and paste in my text then hit "publish".

Barnes & Noble was another story. It took two long days of trying to accommodate their requirements. The problem was my book is illustration heavy. That means if your book is text only and created in Word, you'll have no problem. If you want pictures, you're better off creating an EPUB. Did I mention Barnes & Noble doesn't accept PDFs? And, they don't have their own software like Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing.

The end of my story (because I don't want to make this too long) is that I spent over 17 hours figuring out how to turn my PDF into an EPUB. (Barnes & Noble doesn't recognize Amazon's book version.) Oh, it's done. The configuration isn't exactly the way I want it, but it's on its way to being published.

Sadly, after it's published, I need to make a correction. One of their mandatory questions I had to answer was "Contributor" with no clear explanation of what that even meant. I took it to mean who helped me with my book, so I included my brother's name because he proofread it. Turns out that they listed him as the author and when I tried changing the name in the "Contributor" section, I couldn't because it was currently under way of being published. At this point, I'm banging my head on my bed's headboard.

Maybe one day I'll blog about the assorted software different bloggers (who make themselves out to be experts) convinced me to use and that turned out to be utterly useless.

Still, another of my dreams has come true! How exciting is that?

 

 Earn a Little Extra Money

Face it, prices have sky-rocketed over the past few years. It's become a bit harder to make our dollars stretch especially for us seniors whose Social Security checks and retirement savings are minimal. For example, today while grocery shopping I took a look at a package of six boiled eggs. The price was nearly $4.00! It wasn't long ago that I could buy that same package of boiled eggs for under $3.00. On top of the rising prices of groceries, my auto insurance went up a whopping 60% from 2021 to now. After I panicked, I began to take action. Along with cutting down on my driving (I'm retired) I also cut out some grocery staples and treats then I began looking into ways to earn a few extra dollars.

First up, I opened a Zazzle account. Zazzle is a Print on Demand site that you can join as an associate/affiliate. You don't have to be an artist. Instead, you'll refer and sell other people's products to earn a commission of 15% which is a pretty nice commission. It's pretty simple to sign up and Zazzle is there to help. What benefits you, benefits them. How to Join the Associates Program – Zazzle Help Center.

Once I set up my account and was assigned an associate ID, I found popular products that I liked and began sharing links on Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter and my Google Blogger account. Most people I've noticed don't have a blog or a website but only use social media for their referral links. Within two months, I made my first sale. The next month I made two sales. That may not sound like much, but it takes a bit to rise from nothing and – honestly – every little bit helps. For the Referral Program, the minimum pay out is $50 by check or PayPal. Zazzle Royalty and Referral Percentages – Zazzle Help Center.

Along with the Referral Program, I signed up for Refer-A-Friend program (Zazzle Refer-a-Friend Program – Zazzle Help Center). For every qualified friend or family member, you'll receive $25 to spend at Zazzle. I'm thinking Christmas, birthday, and other holiday gifts for any reward I may receive. As well, your friend or family member will also receive a reward. That's it. Easy peasy.