Day 1869: Published!

On November 16, 2017, about 2:00 pm, my book went live on Amazon.com.   I spent an hour composing a Facebook announcement and posted it around 4 pm and then I waited.  The response was instant and overwhelmingly positive.  Over the next six hours I watched the comments roll in and my heart swelled.

Hundreds of people helped make this book possible and were waiting eagerly for its publication.  When it appeared, BOOM!  I think Anna Gullo was the first to purchase a book and lots more followed.  In the next few days, the books began arriving and a few folks posted pictures of it in their hands.  That made me very happy.

It's a bit surreal to see a book I worked on for nine years finally in other people's possession. I feel a bit exposed and anxious because it's my creation, and I can't help but wonder what they think.  We mailed a book to Steve's army buddy, Chuck and he sent a lovely email in response.  My Uncle Jerry is an avid reader and very ill with cancer, so I sent him a book, too.  When we saw him last weekend in New Jersey, he raved about it.  But, these folks have personal ties and are not objective.

Plans are developing for the launch party and I've lined up a few helpers.  Colleen, a former student and excellent organizer, has agreed to run the set up, decorating, and clean up.  My friend Rachel will take photos.  Heather will oversee the cake cutting and distribution.  Amy and Laraine will be cashiers.  I still need to speak with a few more people.

We spent Thanksgiving week in NYC with Evan and Justin.  Unfortunately, Steve was horribly sick with an upper respiratory infection and upset stomach.  The 88 kids in the middle school musical hacked and coughed all over him the previous weekend and he was totally exhausted.  He hasn't been that sick in many years.  Both of our sons were also fighting colds, so I was surrounded and doomed. Sure enough, on Friday, I came down with the same garbage.  At least I'll get it out of the way before we go to Laurie's and the launch party.

This year we went to see the musical Come From Away on Broadway.  I enjoyed it very much, but Evan thought it was "cute."  Oh well, not every show  can compare to The Color Purple.  The trip home from the show was dreadful because Steve was so ill.  There are no short cuts in NYC!  Plus, in the middle of the street, I stepped on a champagne cork, rolled and fell hard on my hip.  I was so lucky not to break anything.

On Thanksgiving we stayed in, cooked in Evan's oven for the first time and watched six episodes of the new Star Trek series called Discovery.  We loved it!  All day, Steve dozed while Justin and I made the meal.  By Friday, he was much better.

Then we traveled to my cousin Rick's house in New Jersey where we had an O'Donnell family reunion.  Thirty-five people came from all over.   It was so good to see everyone.

The trip home was full of surprises.  When we arrived in White Plains, we found the car's battery had died.  I knew we did not leave the car on because I even took a photo of the dashboard to ease our minds.  But, the combination of an old battery, the cold, leaving the overhead light on, and sitting for six days must have drained it.    Within an hour, AAA was there and gave us a jump.

The weather was perfect for driving so there were no difficulties along the way.  Just after we got off Route 86,  a huge deer was standing in the middle of Route 430. Fortunately, I spotted it and Steve stopped in time.  By the time we got home around 6:45, we were completely drained.

Parent meetings started this week, so I'll write an update in a few days.  No parents showed up at Brocton last night.  We'll see how it goes in Fredonia tonight.

Here it is!

The Amazon entry on Nov. 16, 2017

Evan's new apartment building in Long Island City.

He's moving in on Dec. 30.

Walking in Central Park

The O'Donnell Clan

Day 1868: It's ready!

The fourth proof arrived this afternoon and it's perfect!  Finally!  Quest: A Guide to Backpacking With Teens will go live online at Amazon.com tomorrow night!

From November 2008 to November 2017, I wrote and deleted hundreds of thousands of words, interviewed a couple hundred people, and researched numerous subjects.  I've written, rewritten, revised, rearranged, reorganized, reviewed and revealed.  I made thousands of lists, recorded daily word counts, ruthlessly edited content and recurring words, proofread a zillion times.  My writers group has critiqued, analyzed, advised, counseled, comforted, encouraged and praised.  I've counted words, commas, of, the, that, then, with.

When I thought I had finished in January 2016, the text was 136,000 words.  Research said it had to be 100,000.  So, I went back to the computer and cut 26,000 words.

I went through ten thousand backpacking photographs multiple times.  I culled, edited, chose and arranged.  I wish the photos could have been in color, but i just couldn't justify the added cost for the book.  The photo quality is lacking, too.  But, I had to reconcile to that and recognize that it's the stories that matter most.

Tomorrow night, I should see my book listed on Amazon.  There's lots more to do now to prepare for the launch party, promote the book and program and recover.

I'm feeling very excited, satisfied, proud, exhilarated , grateful and tired.  More tomorrow.

Day 1867: Proof number 4

For thirteen days I waited for proof number 3 to arrive.  As each day passed, I grew more anxious about the time line for release.  On Monday, I realized that if I held the party on Dec. 1, I would not have time to get 200 books printed and delivered.  So, on Tuesday I moved the party date to Monday, Dec. 11.  It would make it possible to get books there on time, IF, the third proof was correct.

It's not.  When it arrived today, I was frustrated, irritated, exasperated.  For some reason, the printer wrapped the back cover image over the spine and 1/8 inch onto the front.  The color is a bit washed out, but at least the white was truly white and not pink.  Also, the hikers are in proportion and positioned correctly on the page.  So, I called the publisher.  He put together another cover that is the original image, positioned correctly with a bright green frame around the title.  If the printer just replicates the design accurately, we'll be all set.  The green is more lime than I wanted, but so be it.

Now, I have to wait 10-12 days again.  I hope it comes before we go to NYC for Thanksgiving.  If it's ok, the book will go live on Amazon within 24 hours.  If a person who has Amazon Prime orders the book, they will get it in 2 days.  That's faster than I can get copies.

My next big question is when to send the invitations to the launch party.  I should probably wait till I see the proof, but that depends on when it arrives.  This part of the process is so stressful, but I must persevere.  I wanted to be done by Dec. 1, so I could spend the month resting and focusing on family. Oh, well.

Tomorrow, we'll be speaking with the 8th graders about Quest after school.  The student leaders will be there to share their stories and I'll show the new promo video.  The next few weeks are packed with student meetings and then parent meetings just after Thanksgiving.

Over the weekend, I sat and read a novel straight through.  It felt great and I liked the book until the very end.  It will be an interesting discussion at book club tomorrow night.