Are you a writer with a manuscript who wants to become an author? Intimidated by the process of traditional publishing? Want to keep your creative control? The world of self-publishing is alive and thriving, and you can become a part of it!
October 15th, 2022, Tom Trimbath and I — co-hosts of the Writing On Whidbey Island podcast — are holding a day-long how-to self-publish workshop in Coupeville, WA. Along with other writers and authors, we plan to show how to prepare your manuscript for self-publication, and take it through the steps to make your own book, and what you need to do afterward. If you want to sign-up, contact Tom or myself for more information and to reserve your seat!
Want more information on our upcoming self-publishing workshop? Read Tom’s blog post!
You can also watch this video of one of our previous From Inspiration To Publication self-publishing workshops …
As you will recall I published in October 2018 — and Jacki Dilley was on it early, posting that December. She kindly gave me a 5-star review — according to GoodReads 5-stars means “It was amazing!” So, Jacki, if you’re reading this — THANK YOU. 🙂
Writing reviews for authors you like is important. If you found you enjoyed a book or e-book do the author a favor by leaving your kind review on Amazon, Smashwords, GoodReads and anywhere else. Sharing your experience helps other shoppers to know what they can look forward to and supports the endeavors of the author.
^^^ click the graphic ^^^
If you haven’t read my book yet, please download these FOUR FREE SAMPLE RECIPES. If you like them, I would appreciate it if you would share the recipes, pick up a copy of my book or e-book, and leave a review on the sites mentioned above.
New Years can be a bit funny — because what is it really? Another 365 days and 6 hours* past and another to go … a December 31st and January 1st is just the difference of a day … and yet it is also something many of us use as an opportunity. We look to the past to make changes or try something new with the future — and sometimes it’s not so much about the past as it is about trying something new to enjoy. So what does 2019 hold for you? I know a few of the things I’m looking toward…
(* Yes, 6 hours — this is how we get leap year AKA the bissextus or a or bissextile year)
It’s harder to show a picture of the e-book version…
This past October I published my first book — “Make Your Own Darn Good Cookies” — then in mid-December I followed with publishing the e-book version. I’ve had the pleasure of getting to present my book a few times during late 2018, and with the New Year I aim to get more speaking dates. I thoroughly ENJOY getting to talk with other people about baking — getting new-bakers turned on to the idea and talking with old-hats at baking to find out about their ideas!
On the heals of releasing Make Your Own Darn Good Cookies I was compelled to get to work on 2 new books — yes, “compelled“! These were not the next projects I thought I would do, but they were the two that chewed on my mind the most — I was just drawn to them…
But what are they?
I both can and can’t tell you you that…
Yours truly in my other superhero persona… (you can also find me on FB as BagpiperDon BTW)
YES, 2 books, not just 1 …. because that’s how I do things.
One of these books is an ‘official’ Highland bagpipe sheet music book for the local-chapter of a Scottish military origination I’m a part of. The aim of this is not just to create something for my group but ultimately to offer this to the national organization to become all of our ‘official’ bagpipe sheet music book ….. SO, potentially producing and publishing a book for a national (actually international) organization … it’s kind of a big deal!
As for the other book… (I’m really excited about this project!)
As a performing musician and recording artist I have learned to play certain things close to the vest. I have something in excess of 30 album ideas which I would LOVE to record — and have every intention to produce ….. HOWEVER … I generally don’t reveal those ideas to many if any people beforehand. Why? Simply because I want to make my albums — as opposed to someone hearing my idea, swiping it, and beating me to the punch. This other book is along these lines, but I will tell you this…
So far as I know there is only one other recipe book at all similar to it currently on the market &/or ever before made; it involves cookies which I am developing new recipes specifically for this project.
I may be partnering with another writer for the content of this book.
To fully and correctly publish this book I will have to learn and do things that I previously have only been familiar with however have not otherwise done.
This will probably be a coffee table book. I would like this book to have its own t-shirt. I may not make an e-book version however I definitely would like to make an audiobook version. AND it is my preference to release all of these at the same time.
AND two other things I’m working on…
Well …. not quite like this.
As an extension of being a professional musician I like to record things — and I do mean ‘things’ being not-music however are sounds I find interesting. I do this under the project name of Archive Of Resonance. I have been a busy boy over the last number of years — both getting things done and sometimes having to put a few things on the shelf. One such thing …. or moreover four such things … are AOR recordings. While there are recordings I have wanted to make*, I have captured four sets of audio which I have wanted to turn into albums …. just that finishing this work has not been a priority. By my guesstimate, each of these need about 20 hours of work. My aim is to work on these over the course of 2019, publish them, and make them available on Amazon.
(*mostly couldn’t because I lacked transportation — but that’s changed now!)
AND LASTLY …
With pivoting WIBC from production baking to writing and publishing books and other products, I knew that I would need to get an Author’s/Musician’s Day Job. I got an initial start on my job search in the fall of 2018 and will be getting back at in during January 2019. This previous start was a decent beginning — I have some leads that look interesting and a decent idea of what my skills apply to. So the future looks …… interesting!
Nearly 3 years of work and a number of speed-bumps along the way, and my debut recipe book is finally PUBLISHED. I finished the submission to Amazon on Friday and Saturday morning it had GONE LIVE!!! I was part way through breakfast when I found out the news — then the web and my phone EXPLODED with activity. Congrats on getting published, questions about my book, someone bought a copy, someone else wants 3 signed copies as Xmas gifts, keeping up with the comments, posting on Facebook and Twitter …. and about 4 or 6 hours later things calmed down and I turned to find the rest of my cold, uneaten breakfast sitting next to me. Really, coffee shouldn’t be treated that way.
It took me a while, but I finally figured out where and how to order copies of my book. I’m getting about 60 on this first go-around. I have around 20 people to give copies to who contributed to the project and were amazingly supportive along the way — I am grateful to get reminders of how incredible people can be*. There are also two people seeking around 5 copies each (WOW!) for Christmas gifts — 10 copies already sold!
* One among them is this guy — Tom Trimbath! He also has an impressive collection of books he’s written available here.
Yeah, things started moving pretty quick — and finally, now … late Sunday evening, I’m getting to make a blog post about the highlights of what’s gone on. It’s been an amazing ride so far — testing my stick-to-it and gumption, giving me challenges to use my resourcefulness to resolve, and numerous new things and lessons learned — I love this stuff! And now…? book
Now I go from being a writer to being a published author. book
Now I get to work on converting the manuscript for my book into an e-book — and likely an audio-book too, narrated by yours-truly!
Now I remember that I need to get new business cards made. Now the pivot of WIBC from being a company that makes food to being a company about good food and people connecting with people is complete. book
As promised earlier today on Facebook
a Publishing Update!
Big or small, here’s the thing & here we go….
{Coming up – E-Readers & a Big Fat THANK YOU}
Ooh — BOOKS!
How do you like reading recipes?
When it comes to baking & cooking, I’m not particular — I prefer working from a recipe card, a piece of paper, or a book. Most of my recipes have coffee rings and other bits of ingredients decorating their edges. When it comes to working from an electronic screen I don’t mind working from my laptop, and I often do.
About a year ago I asked on the WIBC Facebook page what people prefer to work from — paper, computer screens, recipes written in pen on their forearm, etc. Largely I learned folks prefer paper, and I’m all for it. I am, however, planning to get my book published and As Soon As Possible following up with publishing for e-reader.
I have a little more work to go on my book before analogue publishing, and I’m already taking steps toward the re-format to follow. With this I have been learning that e-publishing is a different game — you have to do all sorts of different things to have your book appear right on an e-reader and there are different things you need to include in the writing — not to mention the things you CAN include …… yep, try to put a web link in your paper book!
*To That End*…. I posted a question on my personal Facebook profile lately asking about what I need to know to reformat my book as an e-book … the answer, A LOT. Okay, so, I’m working on that.
Big Tex – consummate Texas State Fair resident from 1952 to 2012
One of the responses I got was from an e-friend, Aleta somewhere in the great state of TEXAS (<– Note, everything is bigger in TEXAS), very kindly pointed out that to reformat my book for e-reader I would want to see it on an e-reader as I work, and she offered to send me one of her earlier cherished models.
My mom has been using e-readers for years … I’ve helped her figure out a few bugs with downloading her books …. but otherwise I’ve never used one & barely touched the things. I like my analogue books and have a stack of them to plow through. I asked my editor, Linda, if I needed one of these & about taking Aleta up on her generous offer. Short-story made longish by yours-truly, I took Aleta up on her offer and a smart little unit arrived by post yesterday!
Ophiuchs wrasselin’ a serpent with Hercules lending a helping club
This looks like a great device! And now I have to figure out how to work it …?… which, when it comes to electronics, I have a knack for that. I’ll just have to control my temptation to peek at it when I’m not currently working on my practical-publication — gotta get that puppy DONE!
There’s this great thing about finding passion for something & being a DIY’er — you say you want to do something and people come out and volunteer their support. Aleta has certainly helped me to go forward with her support in the new direction of Whidbey Island Baking Company.
With pivoting WIBC from production baking to writing and publishing books and other products, I knew that I would need to get an Author’s/Musician’s Day Job. I got an initial start on my job search in the fall of 2018 and will be getting back at in during January 2019. This previous start was a decent beginning — I have some leads that look interesting and a decent idea of what my skills apply to. So the future looks …… interesting!
Later that day my 
Now the pivot of WIBC from being a company that makes food to being a company about good food and people connecting with people is complete.
