On Starting a Publishing Business

 

If you follow me on Facebook, this is old news to you, if not, then you won't be completely bored by the following information. I've done some thinking and deciding, and planning. After successfully publishing the first book all by my lonesome, editing, doing the cover art, getting the ISBN numbers, copyrights, etc., I thought it might be time to start my own press. If one is going to ride the self publishing train, it seems like the next logical step. Reading up on it, it makes sense. No one wants to look on the inside cover of a book and see that the publisher is in fact, the author. It does in fact, look hokey.

So, with that in mind, I've set the wheels in motion to officially start my own press. I've got the name picked out. Research is done to make sure said name is available. Next week I'll be putting the papers in to claim the name and business. This might sound like a bigger deal than it really is. Officially, I'm just doing this for myself so that my own books have an actual publisher, instead of just me. However, if it so happens that some other newbie Indie authors want an actual publisher without going through the hassle of starting their own press, well, hey, I'll be available, and maybe I'll pick up some proceeds from it. Yes friends, it really is "All About the Benjamins." Though in my case, it'll probably be "All About the Hamiltons."

In the end though, it's not about the money (obviously because I'm not making any). I mean, I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to be Stephen King or James Patterson rich, but if I can get a story out there, and entertain even one person, then that's what it's really about in the long run. It's also about perseverance. Following a story through to fruition, editing it, editing it again, and then one more time. Choosing your cover art, setting your price, your publishing platforms, filing all the paperwork. Being stubborn enough to get shit done. I did it once, and it was awesome. Awesome when it was done, mind you. Knowing that I had it in me. The during is what really grates on you. Having these ideas swirling through your brain, but never really knowing quite how to put them down on paper, or screen.

Case in point, the short story book, the first story is out there, it's started off on a gritty note, but I fear it's treading into the contrite shit realm. I don't know what the main problem of the story is going to be. I don't know who the antagonist is going to be. Maybe the main character? How? This is shit I just don't know. I can't stop thinking about it though. I make little notes, I scribble those notes out, I make more notes, I throw the page away. It's like throwing away your feelings.

It will be done though. Someday. Probably not this year. Sure, I can shoot for November. That would give me 6 or 7 months of writing and a couple weeks of straight editing. For the typical writer, that should be more than enough time, but I'm a procrastinator, I make excuses. I choose sleep over writing most of the time. However, I may be back on the evening writing train some time soon. But, it will be done.

On Being Cheap

Since I only make so much money to get by, and since I've got the little one on the way in addition to the three fur/feather babies to support, I'm a bit stingy with my money.

We're going back to the great debate of smart phone vs. regular phone here today. Over the weekend, I received a post card in the mail with three recommendations of smart phones for me. The tag line was: "People with your phone often update to one of these three phones and love them." Two out of three of them were offered for free, the other one was $50.00. The only reason I was even entertaining the idea of checking out the "smart phone deals" was for the GPS. I thought, I'll be green by no longer printing maps for work, I'll have turn by turn directions on my phone and I can track my mileage!

I went in to the store and dealt with a variably spacey young lady, though she was polite. They didn't have the $50.00 phone advertised on the postcard, but they did have a phone for $150.00 with a $50.00 rebate. Hot damn! What a deal! I asked how much my monthly bill would go up with a new smart phone plan, about $40.00 extra dollars, bringing my monthly bill up to somewhere around $90.00.

Bullshit! I couldn't justify it. I slinked out the door empty handed overwrought with the thought of paying $90.00 a month for a phone!

The other side of cheapness came through when thinking about purchasing a new sofa for the living room. There are several factors to take into consideration when shopping for furniture. We have to test the fabric to see how "snag worthy" it is. Little cat claws would tear up certain fabrics. Leather is out of the question due to dog and cat claws and a parrot that loves to eat furniture. Our options were sort of limited. Especially since we were looking specifically for a sectional. Something cozy, that wasn't too big to fit in our little living room.

We went to the standards, Art Van, and Gardner White. Neither place had anything we really fell in love with and they seemed drastically over priced. Or maybe we were just cheap assholes. Yesterday, we passed by Big Lots of all places who advertised a "20% Today Only!" sale. We thought... what the hell, why not check it out? We found something we both liked almost immediately and decided the cat wouldn't snag it, it wouldn't get scratched by little feet, and most of all, it's comfortable. Most importantly, it was about $1,400.00 less than anything else we were looking at. Yes, we bought a sectional at Big Lots, it's a name brand, and it looks good, I'm not ashamed. I'm just excited to spread out on that thing later tonight.

On the Great Debate: Smart Phones vs. Regular Phones

I've long since been an advocate of a regular cell phone. You know, one that makes and receives phone calls, and maybe has texting ability. Because you really can't get by in today's world without texting, am I right.

I got my first cell phone when I was 16. Not because I begged my parents for one, or even wanted one for that matter. I had a pager, bitches, it was legit. Cell phones were just starting to come out, they were giant, like Zach Morris' phone. My mom insisted I have one when I started driving, "for emergencies." If I ever got stranded somewhere or thrown into someone's trunk, I'd have my giant Nokia to make a life saving call.

This wasn't your standard cell phone, you couldn't leave it on all day. It had about 5-10 minutes a charge in it before it powered off. You had just enough time to make one quick phone call and it decided you were done. So it sat in my glove box, waiting for the day to be used. It didn't happen often.

Since then, nearly 15 years later, I've had pretty basic phones. I've loved the flip phones I had aside from their obvious texting disadvantages. When texting started becoming more popular, I switched to a phone with a slide down keyboard.

Now, in 2013 while browsing for a new cell phone, I feel like I'm being steered in the direction of a smart phone. There are like three regular phones available, they all suck and they're all $150.00. You'd think they'd drop in price since only seven people might be interested in them. I guess that's just the phone company's way of phasing out old technology.

Smart phones today are expensive, between $200-$400. I mean, really? That much cabbage for a damn phone? I don't even want to spend that much on tires for my car! Not to mention, on top of what you're spending to buy said phone, you'll be dropping at least $100 a month for your "plan." That's right, at least $50 for a minutes and text plan, plus at least another $50 for a data plan.

I haven't been able to justify switching over to a smart phone simply because of the pricing. Not to mention, a few years ago, I bought an iPod touch, which basically does the same thing as a cell phone without making calls, and I don't have to pay for it monthly. I can access the Internet and other apps with wi-fi, check my email, listen to music, and so forth. I spent $200 one time, and I love the thing.

Honestly, there's only one thing pushing me toward a smart phone. The maps! I've got an old GPS which constantly leads me astray. It costs nearly $100 to update the software, come on! With a smart phone, I'd have a constantly current GPS system, not too shabby, since I do a lot of driving for work.

Still, the cheap ass side of me is holding out for as long as possible. Damn, I don't want to spend $100 for a phone every month.