DIGITAL PUBLISHING AND ME - REWARDS PART 3 OF 3

Welcome back to DIGITAL PUBLISHING AND ME, my 3-part series about how I jumped into digital publishing and ebooks in 2011—what I did wrong, what I learned, and what I've received as a result of writing and publishing ebooks.

Today, I offer Part 3 of 3, in which I regale you with more tales of my self-publishing adventure.

If you missed Part 1 of 3, Mistakes and Advice, click here to read it.

To read Part 2 of 3, Advice and Insights, just click here. 

Today, I complete the series with Part 3 of 3, REWARDS—For Me and Maybe For You.

WHAT DIGITAL PUBLISHING DID FOR ME

Becoming a self-publishing indie author offered tremendous benefits. Before self-publishing, I was a category author which meant I had no power at all. A cut above me were midlist authors. They too had no power. Self-publishing meant I could chart my own course, and here's what happened.

1. I rediscovered the fun of writing because I could write anything I wanted. I was no longe writing according to what publishing houses said they wanted. 

I was no longer waiting and waiting and waiting for an agent or editor/editorial committee to rule on a submission. I could plan, write, and publish a book, and I was limited only by my own effort.

Writing what I wanted to write without regard to genre, plot, theme, or anything was freeing because I no longer had to wait and wonder if what I submitted was still wanted. Publishers could change guidelines while an author was busy writing the requested manuscript.

2. I found an audience that loved my books. I believed in my writing and knew there had to be readers who would like what I wrote. I was right. Self-publishing allowed me to reach readers.

3. I had editors contacting me instead of the other way around. I had a very lucrative foreign rights sale because the editor read my first ebook and wanted it and others to publish abroad. Within minutes of making a call to a literary agency, I had a top agent to negotiate the contract.

4. I became a New York Times bestseller because I was part of a self-published anthology that hit their  bestseller list in 2 places. (That was before they stopped allowing ebooks on the list.) I also hit the USA Today bestseller list 3 different times. 

5. I sold video game rights to 3 of my ebooks.

6. I had audio book editions of some of my ebooks published.

WHAT DIGITAL PUBLISHING CAN DO FOR YOU

1. Give you another avenue other than traditional publishing to find an audience. With a traditional publisher, you must have the right product to attract an editor and an agent. You don't have to limit yourself to one of the other.

2. Shortcut the time required to get your books before readers by becoming a self-publisher. In fact, if you become a big success as a self-publisher, you may find it easier to get with a trad publisher if that's what you want and the deal is good.

3. Become financially stable by being a self-publisher. There are many self-publishers making a very comfortable living from their ebooks. Some self-publishers have their books being turned into Netflix series and movies.

4. Give you a platform where you make all the decisions. You get to choose the cover art, the blurb, the price, etc. As someon

5. Give you a real-world experience in writing and publishing—a superb training ground in what it takes to write, publish, and deal with every aspect with which authors must handle.

You'll learn all about the writing, the technical aspects of publishing, marketing, promoting, living with good and bad reviews, dealing with the reading public, and so many other things authors must do. It can prepare you for the long assault on traditional New York publishing if you decide to do that.

Everything I've said is from real world experience. I hope it helps and inspires you if you have the writing itch. 

Becoming a selling author may be difficult, but it's easier than when I started many years ago. If it's what you want, go for it. 

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

I wish you the same joy and rewards digital publishing has given me. Like I always say, "Nothing ventured; nothing gained."

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In Remembrance 9/11

Today I'm praying for the families of those who were killed, for those who were not yet born to learn the significance of that day, and praying for my country.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

History must be learned so that mistakes of the past are never repeated.

DIGITAL PUBLISHING AND ME - ADVICE AND INSIGHTS PART 2 OF 3

Welcome back to DIGITAL PUBLISHING AND ME, my 3 part series about how I jumped into digital publishing and ebooks in 2011.

I reveal what I did wrong, what I learned, and what I've received as a result of writing and publishing ebooks.

Today, I offer Part 2 of 3: Advice and Insights gained from my self-publishing adventure.

If you missed Part 1: Mistakes and Advice, you can CLICK HERE to read it.

Part 3 of 3: Rewards for Me and Maybe for You will publish Sunday, September 13, 2026.

ADVICE ON SELF-PUBLISHING, Continued

Let's pick up my List of 10 Tips with Number 6.

6. Write everything you will need to upload your manuscript prior to doing it. Don't try to wing it. Give a great deal of thought to: Categories, Keywords, Product Description, Author Profile, Pricing, etc. 

Save all your upload data in a file separate from your manuscript file so you can copy/paste where needed if you plan to publish on platforms other than Kindle. 

The same basic information may need some modifications as required by the other platforms, but you've already created the bulk of it.

7. Always use the Preview function to check what you uploaded. Take your time. Only click "publish"  when everything has been checked.

8. As soon as your upload has gone "live," buy a copy and go through it. On an ereader, you'll immediately see if something is wrong. If you find errors, take action immediately to correct the problem.

9. Make sure you have your marketing and promotion plan in place before you publish a book. Write it out and plug it into your calendar so you know what to do and when to do it.

10. Accept that sometimes things just don't go as planned and some books don't succeed. If you made mistakes, do what you can to correct them. 

If your book doesn't find an audience, do what you can to improve the situation, but don't spend all your time trying to keep it on life support. Write the next book.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

That's enough for today. Come back Friday, September 11, 2026, to read Part 3 of 3, Rewards for Me and Maybe for You, the unbelievable part of my journey—what happened for me and what digital publishing may do for you.

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DIGITAL PUBLISHING AND ME - MISTAKES & ADVICE Part 1 of 3

This year marked the 15th anniversary of my jumping into digital publishing.

I wanted to commemorate this milestone by telling you how I made that bold move, the mistakes I made, the things I learned, and what digital publishing has done for me.

The first title I slapped on this blog post once I'd writte it was Digital Publishing and Me—What I've learned in 15 Years of Writing and Publishing Ebooks.

Like the post itself, the title was way too long so I shrunk the title and broke the post into 3 parts. 

Today, you're reading  Part 1 of 3: Mistakes and Advice. I have a lot of both I guess.

Part 2 of 3: More Advice and Insights publishes Wednesday, September 9, 2026.

Part 3 of 3: Rewards For Me and Maybe For You publishes Sunday, September 13, 2026.

BACKSTORY

Recently, I came across a post I wrote for another author's website back in June 2011. I had published one of my backlist books on Amazon KDP in late March which is why she asked me to be a guest on her blog.

My post for her explained why I did something that was considered extremely radical—repubishing a  backlist book as an ebook.

Champs-Élysées Books, shows 1 of my books

Today, I decided to reprint part of my 2011 post here because it may change the opinion of readers who still think ebooks are not real books.

It may  also convince authors who believe digital publishing isn't worth the effort that they're missing a great opportunity to advance their careers—not that we who digitally publish need any more competition! 

Here's the excerpt from 2011 with my "today" comments in brackets.

EXCERPT, EBOOKS: SMART, NOT DUMB (2011)

When I announced to a group of authors that I intended to publish my backlist and even some original fiction as ebooks, many wondered why I would do that. It was easy to see they questioned the wisdom of my intention.

There's a polarity when it comes to writers and indie publishing, and there are two primary schools of thought: the best thing since sliced bread or that sucks. 

These opposite opinions are pervasive in the world. [The low opinion of ebooks is still held by many well-known authors as do some readers.]

BOLDLY GO WHERE SOME WRITERS ARE GOING

I'm a firm believer in "nothing ventured; nothing gained." When markets are drying up, left and right, it's nice to see something opening up that can directly benefit writers, and that's digital self-publishing. 

By benefit, I don't just mean making some bucks. I also mean finding an audience for your work.

I've stated before that: "I've given up on New York publishing, BUT they gave up on me first." And, I'm not the only published author who couldn't fit the square peg of their writing into New York's round hole. (No pun intended but feel free to laugh.) 

I'm a writer. I want to be read. Many authors are finding readers by becoming indie authors and publishing our own work. If you want to try the indie author route, learn all you can about the process. That's why I'm here today.

I want to give you some advice, based on my personal experience as well as that of some friends, in the hope that you may avoid some of our dumb mistakes. 

When I published Just One Look, a previously published book that became my first ebook on Kindle and sold thousands of copies every day for a solid month, I made every mistake possible so I'm particularly qualified to talk about how NOT to be dumb.

 [Why did that happen? Because there wasn't much "how-to" information out there in 2011.]

I've got 10 Tips for you that I first wrote in that 2011 blog post. You'll find the first 5 Tips in this post. The others will be in Part 2. 

2011 ADVICE THAT'S STILL VALID - 10 TIPS

1. Learn how to properly format your file for an ebook that looks professional. [Now there are options for the type of file you can upload besides DOCX, MS Word like Atticus, available at a relatively low-cost for a one-time fee, that can create a beautifully formated ebook or print book. 

[When I started, I had to learn how to transform a Word file into an HTML file and how to insert a black and white cover image into that file. It was a time-consuming process. 

There was no Kindle Unlimited then so an author was smart to publish her ebook in as many places as possible. That meant learning how to format for Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Apple, Smashwords, and a half dozen other publishers who have since closed their doors.]

2. A great cover was important then and now. For authors who can't afford a graphic artist, there's a new tool, BookBrush, that can produce great looking covers, and the learning curve is easy.

3. Make sure you have the legal right for anything you publish. If you plan to publish a book that was previously published elsewhere, you should have a legal reversion of rights letter.

If you're using images from the internet, you must have a license to use each image so always read the User License on image websites so you know what you can and cannot do with the image you purchase or get for free.

4. Make sure your manuascript is bullet-proof before you upload it. That means getting a good proofreader and/or editor. That also means not doing anything that might get you sued, for instance, using the names of real people who may take exception to your actions.

Some think that as long as you don't say anything negative, it's okay to use the name of a real person. That's not true. I personallly know an author who was sued by the person she mentioned in her book. What she wrote was simply Mrs. So and So, the owner of Name of Business. That got her sued.

5. Be patient and take your time so you don't make dumb mistakes like uploading the wrong manuscript file. Yes, that's obvious, but I did that the very first time and didn't realize it until I started getting bad reviews. I didn't understand what they complained about in my book until I looked at it on my Kindle. 

Wow. I still can't believe I did that. I can only chalk it up to being exhausted and bleary-eyed by the time I got around to uploading the file and clicked on the wrong file. 

Always make sure you have your wits about you. Don't try to set up a book if you're tired, frazzled, or rushed. Haste really can make waste.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

I hope you're finding this information educational or at least entertaining. 

Join me on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, for Part 2 of 3: More Advice and Insights learned from my adventures in self-publishing.

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Saturday Share Recipe - Punch Bowl Cake

Believe it or not, we're just 2 1/2 months away from Thanksgiving. From then through New Year's Day, it's going to be a marathon of cleaning and cooking and getting ready for holiday guests.

I take the easy way out and start planning now—gifts, who's arriving and when, who's sleeping where, what kind of meals do I need to prepare, etc.

Meal planning is easy when done in advance. I make out menus for breakfast, lunch, and dinner because if I know what to cook, shopping for ingredients is much easier.

Also, I like to make easy entrees and desserts. One of the easiest and really delicious desserts is Punch Bowl Cake because it's easy to make, easy to change the flavor profile by switching the pudding and fruit to other types, easy to serve—with a spoon instead of having to slice it—and it's really tasty. If you think about it, Punchbowl Cake is merely a  trifle.

Make pudding often? Buy in quantity.

PUNCH BOWL CAKE

Ingredients

1 boxed yellow cake mix

2 packages of vanilla pudding mix (instant or the kind you cook) I use the large so I have plenty of pudding for the layers. Any leftovers, the kids eat.

16 ounces whipped cream

1 can crushed pineapple, drained

4 sliced bananas

Chopped pecans, fresh or toasted. (Toasted with a caramel glazing is really good.)

1 can cherry or strawberry pie filling (To my surprise, it's much cheaper at Amazon.)

Directions

1. Bake the yellow cake according to the box direcctions. Let it cool completely. Either cut it into cubes or tear it into bite-sized pieces.

At Amazon

2. Prepare the vanilla pudding according to the boxes' instructions. If using instant pudding, let it set up. If using the kind you cook—which I think has a better flavor—make it and let it cool to room temperature.

3. In another bowl, lightly mix the crushed pineapple, sliced bananas, and the pie filling.

4. In a punch bowl or a large clear bowl—so you can see the layers—begin to build the cake.

5. Layer 1 is the cake pieces placed at the bottom.

6. Layer 2 is the vanilla pudding spooned and smoothed over the cake pieces.

7. Layer 3 is the fruit mixture.

8. Layer 4 is the whipped cream.

9. Repeat the layers, finishing with whipped cream as the last layer. Garnish with the chopped pecans.

10. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 to 8 hours or overnight so flavors meld together.

OPTIONS TO MIX AND MATCH

Pudding mix can be vanilla, lemon, pistachio, or chocolate.

Nuts can be pecans, walnuts, macadamia, or pistachios. You can also use chocolate chips if using chocolate pie filling.

Fruit can be bananas, peaches, nectarines, stewed apples, dark sweet cherries.

Pie filling can be cherry, peach, strawberry, apple, or blueberry.

Whipped cream can be Cool Whip, but I personally don't like the taste of Cool Whip.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

If you like trifles, you'll love this dessert that serves a crowd which makes it perfect for parties and big dinnerss.

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Joan participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, affiliate advertising designed to help websites earn advertising fees by linking to products on Amazon. If you click an Amazon link in her post, she may receive a small commision at no extra cost to you.

Friday Facts - September Storms

We've had several days of dark, stormy clouds racing overhead. That made me wonder whether September was known as a stormy month.

Actually, it is. Here's a little research I did on the subject.

1. September is the busiest month for tropical activity. The peak usually occurs around September 10. 

2. Statistically, there have been more hurricanes in September than in any other month. This is because of the warm surface water temperature and the low wind shear.

3. September averages 2-3 hurricanes in most years, but some years like 2020 had a record number of storms. Historically, most tropical storms and hurricane landfalls happen in early and mid-September, for example, we just had Tropical Storm Eduardo sweep through here this week.

4. On September 2, a hurricane in the Caribbean made first landfall in the Dominican Republic. 

The next day it struck Santiago de Cuba Province and then slid along the southern coast of Cuba. 

By September 6, the storm reached the Gulf of Mexico. 

5. The storm intensified to a Category 4 with 145 mph winds. Then in the early morning hours of September 9, it made landfall on Galveston Island, south of Houston. 

The storm all but leveled the island. There are no firm death count from the Galveston devastation because many people were washed out to sea. Estimated deaths range between 8,000 and 12,000.

I grew up on the Gulf Coast and have known storms all of my life. When I was in my twenties, I moved to Japan and learned all about typhoons. The one thing they both have in common is deadly danger.

One thing I've learned is to always be prepared for the unexpected with survival foods, water, flashlights, candles, charged phones, medicines and valuable papers that can be packed in a short amount of time, and a bug-out bag when evacuation becomes necessary.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Storms can be awe-inspiring and the weather effects can be dramatic and breathtaking, but they should always be respected because the power of nature is greater than any other thing on the planet.

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Let's Laugh - HumpDay Humor

One thing most people loved about former First Lady Barbara Bush was her sense of humor.

Many women remember her for her famous pearl necklace she wore. She made no bones about the fact that the pearls were fake.

Mrs. Bush was sharply intelligent and witty. Many times her spontaneous comments caught people by surprise.

One can well imagine someone doing a "spit-take" when she spouted something completely hilarious—like today's quotation.

When George H.W. Bush lost his bid for a second presidential term, many people across the country had said they hadn't want four more years of George, but they wanted to keep Barbara for four more years of Barbara.

Mrs. Bush was the second oldest First Lady after Anna Harrison, wife of President William Henry Harrison, and, generally, was one of the most popular.

One of the most common criticisms about her was her protectiveness for all members of her far-flung family. But isn't that what a matriarch is supposed to do?

During her stint as First Lady, she received more than 100,000 letters a year which was a record. She devoted her time to advocacy for Literacy and for AIDS patients and research.

She is ranked 9th on the list of Best 20th and 21st Century First Ladies. Mrs. Bush passed away April 17, 2018

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

The quote above is one of my favorite. Laugh and enjoy.

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