My Baby is Two Months Old!
Thanks to my constant barrage of announcements, photos, reminders, and videos (which, to be honest, are even starting to annoy me), I’m sure you are well aware that my book, Once a Prompt a Time, is two months old today. And just as with the real thing, I’ve learned those first eight weeks after giving birth are an amazing and somewhat dizzying daily patchwork of emotions: excitement, pride, and awe at odds with ignorance, panic, and a paralysis that comes from being thoroughly overwhelmed by the task at hand.
If you’re lucky, though, when you turn that corner into month three, things are a bit easier. You’ve learned a lot—sometimes the hard way, sure, but you’re more confident and capable, and allow yourself to dream big about what the future holds for your amazing offspring because you finally know what you’re doing and are confident things are going to be okay.
At my 50th High School reunion last fall I told a classmate my prevailing career goal was to NOT be in the Guiness Book of World Records as the oldest person to publish her first book. Having checked off that milestone from my bucket list, I’ve replaced it with another, even bigger goal:
I am going to sell 10,000 copies of my book by my 70th birthday—May 19, 2027.
Why 10,000 books and why this timeline?
Although I’m past the customary age for retirement, pesky things like mortgage payments demand that I keep working. The good news is that my “day job” is one I love. I do enjoyable, fulfilling work for a firm that measurably helps people, and I’m surrounded by wonderful folks who are not just fun coworkers but treasured friends.
Nonetheless, I’m ready to retire. I have six grandchildren whom I am legally required to spoil, hundreds of places around the world yet to be visited, and millions of words waiting to be rearranged into books number two, three, four and counting. Time flies when you’re having fun…and when you get older. I have a lot on my bucket list that needs to be checked off before time runs out.
Clearly, I know what I want, but needed to figure out how to make it happen. So, I set aside words and looked at the numbers. If I sold 10,000 books, I could pay off our mortgage, early and in full. Goodbye 9-5, hello writing in my jammies. What happens in between is how we arrive at:
The Count to 10(K) Book Tour
Much like one of the short stories in my book, I’ve been given a specific prompt and a strict deadline:
Character: a writer
Challenge: sell 10,000 books, burn the mortgage, and retire
Genre: up for debate. Some may say this is a fantasy, but I’m going to add my usual twist and make this hero’s journey an action/adventure, filled with drama, humor and heart.
Deadline: one year
I tend to fly by the seat of my pants in most areas of life but, ironically, am not a “pantser” when I write. I must outline, figure out plot points, and almost always “begin with the end in mind.” Creating the Count to 10(K) Book Tour was no different. To get from page one to my happy ending, over the next year I will participate in author events, vendor shows, interviews, readings, live writing sessions, fund raisers, home parties, book clubs, podcasts, and more. If I can’t find an event to join, I’ll host one myself.
I’ll post messages on all platforms (yes, even TikTok, once I figure it out) and share photos and videos. There will be contests and giveaways. I’ll network with other writers, artists, and creatives, whether old friends or new, so we can help each other promote our art and make everyone’s wild and crazy dreams come true. Everything I do will be a stop on the tour.
Throughout all of this I will keep a running tally of how close I am to my goal, with a counter here and on my facebook page, which is where details of all of the official tour stops and event photos will also be posted. As of today, I’ve sold 110 books, or 1.1% of my goal! I think that’s a pretty good start. Being a big dork, I also went old school and made a poster on my office door to cross off each block of 100 books (and further prove why I’m a writer and not an artist). One down, ninety-nine to go! My red marker is ready and waiting.
Every Stop Counts
I’m speaking in future tense about the tour, but there have already been a couple of stops.
A few weeks ago I attended the Southwest Michigan Writers’ Conference, held at Lincoln Township Public Library in Stevensville, Michigan. In addition to attending four wonderful presentations that will help me hone my craft, I hosted my first vendor table.
There was a fun and collegiate atmosphere among fellow writers and sellers, who shared my enthusiasm as the count on my tote board increased when someone bought a book and playfully rang the official mini cowbell that indicated a sale. If this event was any indication, selling the other 9,890 books is going to be a blast.
My First and Most Meaningful Tour Stop
But I’ve saved the best for last.
A week before the library event I attended my monthly The Cousins (Who Aren’t Really Cousins) Book Club meeting. It was our first get-together since publication day, and my sister, Suzie, and our cousins (who aren’t really cousins—more about that another time) surprised me with my first official book signing. This exclusive one-day-only event boasted a standing room only crowd. The furry photobomber was icing on a delicious cake.
If I sell out Madison Square Garden, with A-listers in the front rows and purple M&Ms in the green room, it will never mean as much as this unparalleled display of shared excitement and celebration in Suzie’s family room.
I’m riding that love and encouragement all the way to my goal.
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