"Where's my e-Book?" woke me suddenly last week. It was Grandma Daisy's distinctive breathy voice. "You published an e-Book for your maternal great-great-great-grandmother, Margaret Booker, on Halloween, then her paperback a week later. But WHERE'S MY E-BOOK? I'm the one who won three book awards this year, but you don't think enough of me to publish an e-Book for me? I'm very disappointed in you, granddaughter."
Wow! So what does one say to an admonishment like that? It's the truth. Grandma Daisy Dooley Marshall was the only ancestor I actually met several times. Her full life occupied my every waking moment during 2019, and I was so proud to present her story to the world late last year: Funeral Home Director, Nurse, Trustee of the St. James Church... and on and on. I was able to explore her adult life pretty easily thanks to seventy-plus articles about her in the Cleveland "Call and Post" newspaper.
But when I found out she had lied to me and everyone else in the family about where she was actually born, frenetic research efforts lead me into the Deep South, where I had never traveled before.
"That's what I'm talking about, Kathy! My story is remarkable, yet you only published a paperback about my life. My story won more book awards than any other you've written, yet all of your other books have both paperback and e-Book versions. Why do you shame me so?" Grandma chastised me incessantly from the beyond.
When an ancestor keeps telling you to do something, day after day, it's best to do what they ask. Unfortunately, to my chagrin, I learned that my original manuscript used for the paperback was somehow deleted. So I had to retrieve an older version of Microsoft Word, update the contents, then figure out how to export it to Kindle for the e-Book. I checked and rechecked the author proof online, viewing it on various platforms and font sizes to make sure all the photos and captions displayed correctly, and on and on. I was ready to press the button, submitting the e-Book to go LIVE right away, but...
Serendipity happened. I attended a virtual meeting of the Northern California Publishers and Authors group. The President, ML Hamilton, is a Super Star--the e-Book Queen, having sold hundreds of thousands of e-Books. Yes, you heard what I said. So, I took the opportunity to ask her for a few hints and tips to make my "Finding Daisy" e-Book arrive on the Kindle/Amazon scene with style. Grandma would like that.
And so... Grandma Daisy's e-Book has been submitted for a discounted presale. If People may purchase "Finding Daisy" e-Book for a discounted $8.99 before December 14, 2020, at which time the price will increase to $9.99. I think Grandma is smiling at the special treatment.
No comments:
Post a Comment