Road to Success
As I write this it is July 29, 2024. This morning I read my journal entry from a year earlier: A full day of frustration trying to get RG (Rayford’s Garden) on Ingram Spark (the printer’s website)—near tears and blow-up several times.
I am an older woman who is not computer savvy. Fortunately, my very capable and technologically proficient graphic designer, Sharon, had uploaded the manuscript for me earlier but when I tried to work on it, chapters were out of order, co-mingled, and missing titles. There were also problems with formatting but I couldn’t figure out how to solve them.
Online reviews had warned me IngramSpark wasn’t an easy self-publishing solution with comments such as, “notoriously clunky and difficult to use, even for the most seasoned authors and publishing professionals.” But there was also praise for the quality of the finished product, and I hadn’t been impressed with the self-published work I’d seen coming out of Amazon. I’m guessing it’s easier to go that route, but I consider myself a professional writer and wanted the finished product to reflect that professionalism. I was determined to make this option work.
One year later that day is a nasty blur. I just know I couldn’t find any instructions, or at least not any that addressed the mess in front of me, although my technical incompetence and growing irritation may have blinded me to obvious solutions. I remember being on the verge of tears, thinking this was a stupid idea, and wondering who did I think I was? Noone needs another book to read.
The rest of the journal entry explained that I gave up at 7:15, went to the grocery store as a diversion, came home and made dinner, then took an OTC sleeping pill. There was no way I’d get any sleep otherwise.
I remember the next morning very well. I sat at the kitchen table where I’d been working and took several deep breaths. I’m not a religious person but I do believe there is a creative force available to help us see the light ahead if we humbly ask for help, which is exactly what I did.
For several minutes I tried to relax into the moment and summon grace and calm and whatever wisdom I needed. I knew the anger and frustration I’d felt the day before had probably strangled my ability to think logically. Then I pulled up the printer’s website. Although I was doing basically the same thing I had been doing the day before, I realized that a vertical row of blocks was meant to match up with chapters. These blocks were not stationary, but easily and inadvertently moved on my touchscreen. That’s why my chapters were out of order!
With that discovery, little symbols at the right edge of each block suddenly made sense. By the end of the day there were still many issues, but bit by bit, and with Sharon’s help, I was learning how to fix them.
A year later—holding the novels Rayford’s Garden, and Elvis’s Beauty, Barber, Bait & Bakery in my hands—I realize how many similar “breakthroughs” followed. As grateful as I am to achieve my goal of self-publishing, I need to remember that it was the many successes along the way that made it happen.