Change and Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks

By Mary Marvella (Guest Blogger)

Good morning, Lisabet. I love your name!

2013 hit with a bang. Actually, 2012 ended that way. So much to do and so little time to do everything. A couple of years ago I jumped into the self-publishing pool. I had a dozen manuscripts “gathering dust under my bed”. Well, not really under my bed, but occupying space on my computer. Some of them have moved from three or four computers. I had piles of hard copies I finally tossed. They weren’t helping my dust allergies. I kept the paper rejections, because I need the reminders that I have tried to sell my novels and how long I have been at the writing game.

In 1991 self-publishing meant paying someone to print copies of your books and then selling them from your trunk. I know folks who did that and are now rich and famous. They invested money, which I didn’t have, and worked like crazy to sell copies to folks other than family and best friends and people they barely knew. The authors taught workshops and gave speeches and sold their books at every venue possible. I wasn’t willing to try that since I KNEW I could sell my books to the New York Publishers. It didn’t happen. Small presses printed small print runs and then digital books came out and smart people sold disks and CD’s of books. I wasn’t ready to try the new tricks. When someone suggested I self-publish my books I laughed!

I’m a Mac person and am not technically inclined. (I am computer challenged! Typewriters hated me and gremlins lived in my computers and printers) The idea of e-publishing held no appeal to me. (It scared me shitless!)

Then two years ago I’d had enough rejections. I read so many emails on so many loops about how anyone could do it, that I was willing to try to publish my first e-book. I cried, and whined, and cussed, southern style, and called smarter friends who talked me off the roof and out of tall trees. I’d have jumped otherwise. Learning to reformat my manuscripts from the years of the dinosaur and blue disks strained my brain beyond belief. And then I did it again and again, glutton for punishment that I am.

Why would a stranger care what I did and why or how? For the same reason I cared when people changed their dreams instead of dumping them. I wanted my dreams to come true, even if I had to adjust them.

Now the old lady is on two group blogs and has a website of sorts.

Facebook and Linked-in don’t scare me. (Now that’s a lie!) I do try to play on their turfs, though.

And the BIG one, I finally sold a book to an e-publisher. I haven’t signed the contract with Sizzler Editions yet, but I have choices now.

What are your dreams and are you willing to change them? Are you willing to learn new tricks?

If you would like to win a free download of

Forever Love https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/57300

The Gift https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/101492

or Christmas Best Bet, Humble Pie https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/114302

all you have to do is comment and then tell me which one you want. (Include your email!)

The above books are also available at Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com

Available at Amazon.com only:

Haunting Refrain http://amzn.to/UzzatH

Margo’s Choice http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008M0U8CU

www.MaryMarvella.com

www.Pinkfuzzyslipperwriters.blogspot.com

http://99centebooks.blogspot.com

Bio

Mary has been a storyteller for as long as she can remember.  She made up stories for the other children and created the details for their “play like” or “let’s pretend” games. Sometimes the details were so real they scared Mary.

Mary taught language arts for 15 years, perfect for her BA in English.  Her M.Ed in Counseling served her well during her years as a school counselor and as a teacher later.

Now she tutors, teaches writers, and edits. Her inner English teacher loves the editing part. Her daughter is her cover artist now. She doesn’t read Mary’s books. Something about TMI.