This Week in Awesomeness: Zoom Meetings, Interviews, and BrewDog!
Not a bad start to the second half of the year.
July has been an interesting month, that is for sure. That doesn’t mean it was bad…just interesting. Things are picking up rather quickly in the second half of the year, with all kinds of groovy things unfolding before me.
The trick is to explore those opportunities and not let them pass by without consideration. That’s one thing I see a lot of new self-published authors deny themselves, mostly because of impostor syndrome or a lower level of self-confidence.
However, not all “opportunities” are going to be a golden goose. A lot of bottom-feeders out there do what they can to make a buck by taking advantage of those who may not have the knowledge or funding to do what needs to be done to publish and market a good book.
So, as an author, I try to give all of those opportunities a once-over, especially through Google searches and background research. And I can tell you, there are a lot of red flags from so-called professionals out there.
As I gain popularity, I’m gaining the attention of scammers. Which, I suppose, is a good sign that I’m heading in the right direction. I’m important enough for people to think they can rip me off.
Interviews Are Gaining Traction
I have authors scheduled through August for live interviews on the YouTube channel. Plus, I can see that I have a few more waiting for responses from the contact form. I know I’ve helped a few get a couple of sales during the show, but I hope the exposure helps those authors in some way, regardless.
Hosting the interviews has been a lot of fun, and I’ve met some amazing authors over the last couple of years. It’s something that I will continue doing for a long time to come, but I wish I had a larger audience to offer greater exposure.
Now that the interviews are getting added to Spotify and other podcast platforms, perhaps they’ll reach a wider audience. That also depends on getting the shows uploaded in a timely manner. Not to mention that I need to market the show a bit better. It’s relatively new on Spotify, so it doesn’t have a lot of listens at the moment.
A Three-Hour Zoom Meeting?!?
Part of registering for the University of Colorado in Denver means sitting through a three-hour Zoom meeting with my academic advisor. Considering that SNHU only had me on the phone for, perhaps, 20 minutes, this feels a bit excessive to me. Then again, I haven’t been to college since 2003. I suppose a lot of things have changed over the years. Still, what are we doing during a three-hour meeting? Do they need my life story or something?
In any case, aside from the orientation modules and setting up financial aid, it looks like I’ll be starting classes on August 18th. Or was it the 11th? I suppose I'd better look that up, but sometime in August, I’ll start working on finishing my bachelor’s in Creative Writing. Then, the plan is to move on to the master’s program at the University of Denver. And I’m still toying with the idea of continuing for a PhD, just because I’ll be the first person in my family to have one.
It’s all about bragging rights, really. I have the career I want and I love what I do. I don’t know how much of a difference having all these degrees will make in that aspect. Well, aside from helping me tighten up my writing. But overall, I love being a writer and content creator. I just wish I made more money doing it.
Perhaps I’ll be taken more seriously with a PhD? Eh, who knows? I’m just excited to be called “doctor.”
BrewDog Book Signing
This Saturday, I’ll be at BrewDog in Denver for a book signing. There will be eight of us there at the brewery, and it looks to be a nice day. It’s only a three-hour event, but it’s a relatively popular location. The best part is that I don’t have to worry about a table fee. So, all of the money made goes into my pocket.
In reality, the money will wind up going to buy more copies for my next event and perhaps a few additions I would like to have, such as samples of the merchandise from the online store or maybe a fancy banner, like some of the other authors have for themselves.
Regardless of whether I make sales or not, I’m looking forward to getting out of the house. That’s one of the biggest reasons why I do these kinds of events. It’s not to make a ton of money selling books. For me, it’s about the networking aspect, such as meeting other authors and talking to potential readers about my books and what’s coming up next.
Continued Touchups to Shadows
I’m still working on finishing the final edits, feedback comments, and tweaks to Shadows of Atlantic City. It would have been nice to have a copy with me at BrewDog, but it is what it is. I’ll still print out QR codes and whatnot for the Shadows timeline, but I don’t know how many people will actually use it just to follow when the book comes out.
I also want to see about lightening the book cover a bit. As I pointed out previously, the first runs of Kingmaker came out way too dark. Printing a mockup here helped me determine how light to make the cover for print. It’s the age-old problem of moving from RGB to CMYK on matte paper…or vice versa. The colors are usually never what you see on the screen.
Although I highly doubt the book will be out by my birthday next week, I’d love for a July or August publishing. Of course, that all comes down to how quickly beta readers go over the manuscript and how much time I put into the final touches. This week should be an easier one to handle, so I should get quite a bit done toward that goal.
Excited for the Second Half of the Year
Between going to university, book events, interviews, and everything else that is falling into place, the second half of 2025 is already shaping up to be the best I’ve ever had. I just need to keep the momentum going and keep pushing myself to get as much done as I can without getting sidetracked by YouTube, social media, or any number of time sinks.
In the grand scheme of things, I would like to publish more than one book every two years. And although a lot of the delay from publishing Shadows has been from the sheer volume of chaos lately, a lot of the wasted time is on my shoulders.
It all comes down to how badly you want certain things in life. Do you want them bad enough to do what needs to be done to reach those goals? Or do you prefer to sit on your ass and hope things just fall into your lap? It takes effort to get to where you want to be in life, whether it’s hammering out 10,000 words per day or taking time for mental health to help focus your thoughts.
You don’t have to grind yourself to a sticky paste. However, you do need to find the areas where you’re weak and improve upon them. Any time spent improving yourself, whether physical or psychological, is time well spent.