Betty Joseph

Tag: self publishing

  • Awooo-ing with Santa at a book launch

    Awooo-ing with Santa at a book launch

    Someone once sent me a short clip of a bear coming out of hibernation with its fur scruffed and bunched on its head and back. And as this sleep-dazed bear slowly ambled out, it saw the outside world for the first time in months. It did not seem impressed by what it saw because without missing a beat, the bear turned around and returned to the cave. That’s how I felt when my friends from Cafe 33 in Chennai suggested a book launch event for my debut book!

    After months spent hunched over by myself over a laptop, wrangling with the text, images and layout, the last thing I wanted to do was stand in front of people. Yet, I agreed. I was sensible enough to know that my book could benefit from a widened reach. But the doubts lingered in my mind: Would people like my book? Would anyone come to the event? What would I say? What do I sign when someone buys a book?

    There was only one way to find out. I had to step forward and do this.

    Book launch flyer
    The sweetest flyer created by a talented young friend

    The book launch event was to be part of a yearly musical Christmas Night Lights program hosted by my friends in Chennai. The day of the event came around. I gathered with friends and acquaintances in a beautiful garden. There were strings of light strung all over the garden. Captivating music by a talented band added to the charm of the evening. This is the kind of atmosphere that has Christmas stamped all over it.

    Meet and greet

    And where was I? I took my place at a desk under a tree. Throughout the evening, people come over to buy a signed copy and catch up over a cup of hot cocoa. The stack of books went down with each purchase, which was a great feeling. But it was the conversations that night that made it all worth it. People shared about exciting ventures they were embarking on, some found inspiration to start long-forgotten projects, and I could also share a little about my self-publishing journey.

    Signing at a book launch
    Meet and greet

    I came away encouraged and can safely say I am inspired to do more for my next book.

  • When writing a book felt like biting more than I could chew

    When writing a book felt like biting more than I could chew

    A few years ago, an idea struck. I wanted to write and publish a delightful story about the animals in my backyard. But, I knew nothing about the finer aspects of writing a book. Without wasting time, I enrolled in an online course on the art of writing for different audiences. After sessions with published authors and writing exercises, I was finally ready.

    I wrote the first draft of my story.

    But the next day, I scrapped it.

    Then, I wrote a second draft, followed by a third.

    Two days later, I scrapped both versions.

    Seven drafts later, I buried the whole story, hiding in folders within folders. The problem was that I felt my poor little story did not measure up to what the course creators claimed a book was supposed to be like. Trying to alter the story to fit a standard only made it worse.

    In the months that followed I was drawn to book stores and libraries wherever I traveled. What I saw expanded my insight. There were so many different styles, voices and formats and some of the best ones in fact defied norms. But I still did not return to writing the book.

    For the next couple of years, I folded my book-writing desires, shoved it somewhere deep and focused on my job. But it was like trying to keep a lid down on a pot of boiling milk. When my contract finished, I knew what I had to do. The writing kicked off once again, but this time, it was fueled by rage for time wasted trying to meet some invisible standard.

    The self-publishing process was not easy and deserves its own post. My goal was simple: publish a good, readable (and enjoyable) book without errors rather than aim for a ‘bestseller’ on my first attempt.

    After rounds of revisions and collaborating with my brother from Sculpt Monkey for illustrations, “The dog who let out his awooo” got published to Indian audiences late last year. Then I shut down and went to sleep, relieved and exhausted.

    Surprisingly, I want to do it all over again, without the crippling self-doubt, of course. As I work on my second book, I remind myself of one thing alone – I can be me through the words I type.