Five
weeks ago today I received an email from an elderly lady I didn’t know. But as
she explained who she was I realized that I knew three of her cousins (two of
whom have passed on in the last few years), and I also knew her mother who
passed away in 1988. She had heard about me from her one cousin I knew who was
still living and for whom I had helped publish a book a few years ago. She was
interested in seeing if I could help her publish a book of devotions and
memoirs that she had gathered.
The
last five weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind as I took all the individual
devotions and stories, gathered them and reformatted them into book format,
scanned several pictures that she sent me, proofed everything, created a
suitable cover based on the basic thought about what it should look like, and
got everything ready for printing. Now I’m just waiting for a final review by
her and I should be able to submit for printing by the end of this week.
That’s
the beauty of the new tools that are available for self-publishing. No longer
do you have to work with a publishing company and an editor, get their approval
if they see a sufficient market for it. Everything is “print on demand”, i.e.
your order through Amazon.com or some other outlet is what triggers the
printing of just the number you order – usually within minutes of you
submitting the order.
I
have an account with a company by the name of CreateSpace which is a subsidiary
of Amazon.com. And I’ve done enough different books through them that I get a
very good price for the printing. The copies of this new book, “Journeys with
God” are about 140 pages and cost less than $2.50 per copy (plus shipping,
which is pretty reasonable if I order any sizeable quantity, and taxes).
I
have enjoyed working with Marilyn for the past five weeks and the joy on her
face when I gave her a proof copy for her review earlier today makes the whole
thing worthwhile. I don’t do this as a money-making venture, I just enjoy using
the skills I have in a way that gives happiness to others.
This
is my 13th book in the last six-and-half years. Total copies printed
per book have ranged from just a few dozen to over a thousand. None of them
will ever make the New York Times best seller list. But each one has made
someone happy that the things they have written can be distributed to their
family and friends and not just be a collection of papers in a box that will
gather dust in someone’s basement or attic.
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