Author: Betsy Horvath

Responsibility

Previously on Betsy’s Blog…

Mavis, the ambassador from the International Muse Council, has come in search of Harry, Betsy’s Quest Guide, because he has not been answering Council summons. She finds him in the gutter of Betsy’s brain, swilling orange juice (an intoxicant for the gerbil family, of which Harry is a member), and basically falling into the dark well of Betsy’s mental depravity. Further investigation uncovers the incident Betsy recently experienced with Obsessia and the Dark Voice, and Mavis determines that Harry is blaming himself for pushing Betsy over the edge.

But this cannot be! Betsy needs her Guide! Without Harry, she could easily fall into her dark well of mental depravity herself, and then who will pull her out?

Mavis and Betsy have called Harry to come meet with them, and Harry has just arrived. Let’s see if we can get down to the bottom of his behavior. Is Harry feeling responsible and blaming himself?

Hey! Whas *hic* up? *Harry weaves on his feet*

Harold. *Mavis frowns at him* We need to talk. Please have a seat. And you won’t need that. *bottle of orange juice disappears*

Hey! *Harry blinks, looks around brain, collapses on the floor* Old biddie.

Harry. *Betsy leans forward* Whatever’s wrong isn’t worth sleeping in the gutter of my brain and drinking…orange juice.

*Harry blinks up at her* Beshy? That you, Beshy?

Yes, it’s me. What’s going on, Harry? Talk to me.

My fault. All my fault. *Harry scrubs paws over his face* I told you *hic* stuff to think about and it…pushed you over!

No. *Betsy shakes her head* *reaches towards Harry* You gave me a list of important things I needed to consider, and you were right. I do need to consider all of those things. It’s my fault that my brain started racing and Obsessia started whispering and the Dark Voice started talking…

No, I overloaded you–

No, I–

Enough!

*Betsy and Harry both jump* *Both turn to stare*

Mavis? I’d forgotten you were there. *Betsy smiles sheepishly*

*Mavis smooths skirt over knee* You are both being ridiculous. The situation in which Betsy found herself was unfortunate, but it was also valuable.

Valuable? *Harry’s fur bristles* I was supposed to lead her to success and instead I led her right into the arms of Obsessia and the Dark Voice! She lost days of her life because of where I led her! What kind of a Guide does that make me?

*Mavis smiles at him and her stern features soften* A caring one. *She raises a long, thin finger when Harry starts to protest* The situation Betsy ended up in was unfortunate, but your Guidance was given freely and was good advice.

But– *Harry raises a paw*

*Mavis ignores him* It was not meant to harm, but to uplift. You can only be responsible for your words and the intent of your words. However, sometimes even words uttered with the best of intentions have unfortunate consequences you cannot foresee and for which you do not bear responsibility.

But– *Harry waves paw*

After all, my dear. *Mavis smiles* we cannot control the actions of another. All we can do is our best under the circumstances.

*Betsy’s eyes drop* *blushes* It was all my fault anyway.

*Mavis sighs* Dear, you must let go of guilt. What’s happened, happened.

But I should have–

Betsy. *Mavis looks severe* You must not dwell on could or should. They don’t exist. What exists is, well, what exists. What’s there. The state you’re at.

Wow. *Betsy blinks* Deep.

*Mavis draws in breath through her nose and lets it out again slowly* I mean, you must start where you are at. You cannot start from where you might have been.

*Betsy blinks* Huh?

Oh, for heavens… *Mavis casts eyes skyward* *draws in deep breath* *pins Harry with steely stare* *points at him with thin finger* You.

*Harry straightens* Ma’am.

Get over yourself, get off the juice and get Guiding the best you can.

*Harry snaps a salute* Yes, ma’am.

*Mavis nods* *Points finger at Betsy* You.

*Betsy blinks* Ma’am?

Make with the writing and pick up the pace. I’m not immortal, you know.

No, I didn’t–

And neither are you. *Mavis frowns* Get the freaking book done before you have to finish it in a nursing home.

*Betsy salutes clumsily* Yes, ma’am.

Good. *Mavis nods* And don’t make me come here again.

*Betsy and Harry both cower*

No, ma’am.

*Mavis vanishes* *Betsy is dumped to floor of brain when the armchair she is sitting on vanishes as well* *Betsy and Harry stare at each other*

Wow. *Betsy blinks*

*Harry puts paw to head* I need coffee.

Ah, mah friend, but I am here!

*Betsy looks to corner of brain* Coffee? Is that you?

Naturally! *Coffee walks into brain* An’ today I am ze dark French Roast!

Awesome! *Harry staggers to Coffee* *Sips* *Turns to grin at Betsy* So, ready to get back at it?

*Betsy smiles back at Harry* *Gives a fist pump* Abso-freaking-lutely!

*Coffee beams* Wit ze caffeine!

But of course!

To be continued….

July 6, 2014
Where’s Harry?

Previously on Betsy’s Blog…

Although Betsy and the Muse have been hanging out regularly, Betsy hasn’t seen Harry, her Quest Guide, for a couple of days. In fact, she hasn’t seen him since he and the Muse came to her aid when she battled Obsessia and The Dark Voice. But Betsy’s been so busy, she didn’t notice Harry was missing until she received a summons from a familiar disembodied voice – Mavis, ambassador for the International Muse Council.

What is Mavis, ambassador for the International Muse Council, doing here anyway? And where the heck is Harry? Let’s see…

Hello? *Betsy enters brain and looks around* Mavis?

Betsy. So pleasant to see you, dear. *Mavis suddenly appears in brain sitting in a large leather overstuffed armchair*

Oh, I’m so glad to see you too! *Betsy moves forward into the circle of light surrounding Mavis* How have you been?

Quite well, thank you *Mavis crosses legs, showing her thick stockings and orthapaedic shoes* Have a seat.

Have a– Oh. *Betsy turns and sees another larger leather armchair* *Sits* *Leans forward nervously* What’s going on?

I am concerned about Harold.

Harold? Oh, Harry! *Betsy frowns* Why? What’s wrong?

He has been ignoring requests from the Muse Council for an update on your progress. I was sent to check on things.

Is he okay? *Betsy wrings hands* Does he need me? I’ll go to him.

*Mavis steeples fingers* I found him lying in the gutter in a corner of your brain, swilling orange juice. As you know, Harold is a gerbil. However, you may not know that members of the gerbil population find orange juice to be quite intoxicating.

Orange juice? *Betsy stares* Really?

*Mavis shrugs* It’s the sugar. Puts them right down on their, uh, tails.

Oh, no! *Betsy clasps hands to cheeks* That’s terrible! *She thinks* Wait, I have a gutter in my brain?

*Mavis stares at her without comment*

Oh. *Betsy looks away* Right.

*Mavis straightens her skirt* Apparently I must stage an intervention before he flushes himself down the toilet, so to speak. I need background information. What has been happening?

*Betsy gapes at her* Don’t you read my blog?

*Mavis raises eyebrows* Does anyone?

Good point. *Betsy reaches into gray matter* *Pulls out laptop* *Logs into website* Okay, here’s the page detailing my Quest. I guess you should probably read the last two or three posts.

Hmmm. *Mavis reads at the speed of thought* Okay. Yes, okay. I see. All right. *sets laptop aside*

*Betsy watches her anxiously* What?

I believe Harold might be blaming himself for your recent melt-down and the weight of guilt has thrown him into the well of your mind’s depravity.

But he shouldn’t… *Betsy blinks* My mind has a well of depravity?

*Mavis merely looks at Betsy over her glasses*

Oh. *Betsy clears her throat* Right.

*Mavis pats hair* Unfortunately, this is a situation many of our Guides face. The traveler stumbles and falls, or becomes derailed, and the Guide feels guilty and responsible.

But he wasn’t responsible! *Betsy looks at Mavis earnestly* It was all my fault.

Oh, I know that, dear. *Mavis reaches out and pats Betsy’s hand* He gave you Guidance with the best of intentions, but it triggered…unfortunate side effects. This happens sometimes and it is difficult for the Guide to realize he or she cannot bear responsibility for the way the traveler chooses to react to their Guidance.

He couldn’t know… *Betsy looks away* *Bites lip*

Well, perhaps he could have been wiser in his choice of words, and he did try to talk to you about too many things at once, but he’ll learn how best to work with you in time. *Mavis purses her lips* If he burdens himself with responsibility for this incident, he will never be an effective Guide for you and we will be forced to replace him.

No! *Betsy reaches out a hand* I don’t want to lose Harry! He’s my friend!

*Mavis nods* I am quite pleased you feel that way. Shall we speak to Harold and see if we can work through these difficulties?

Yes. *Betsy nods* *Straightens in her chair* Let’s get him.

Wonderful *Mavis smiles thinly* And here he is.

*Harry staggers into the light, a small carafe of orange juice clutched in his tiny paw*

To be continued…

July 2, 2014
Status Update

~~~~Intermission~~~~

And now a few words from our sponsor…

Hi, everyone!

Well, I haven’t seen Harry today, so I thought I would just give you a quick update on a couple of things.

First, I hope you’re enjoying the story of my Quest to become a successful Indie Author / Indie Publisher / Indie Authorpreneur / Self Publisher / Whatever-You-Want-To-Call-It. I’m having more fun writing the blog than, well, ever. Plus I don’t feel like I’m being as much of a drama queen when I’m writing about myself in the third person. And being a fiction author means there’s always voices talking in my head, so why not take advantage of them?

On the other hand, I hope it’s not confusing for readers who are NOT voices in my head. Because I know everyone doesn’t sit patiently waiting on Sunday’s and Wednesday’s for my blog posts, I’ve created a page of just the Quest posts. You can find it –>here. That way if you join me in the middle of something, it’s easy to read posts you might have missed to get caught up.

To show you just how obsessive I can be, I spent literally hours trying to decide if the posts should sort oldest to newest or newest to oldest on the Quest page. I stuck with newest to oldest mostly because I couldn’t easily figure out how to make it sort the other way. It’s kind of a pain, but there you go.

Regarding the writing, I am moving along full steam ahead. As I mentioned in the Quest posts, the first draft of Handling It is finished and now it’s actually all typed too (well, except for the Epilogue)! Woohoo! Man, that typing took a lot longer than I thought it would. Probably because it was boring. But now I’m pretty much ready for the second draft (or will be as soon as the epilogue is in).

Now the next step will be interesting because I was stupid. The first half of the book is almost in final form. The second half of the book is definitely a first draft. Which gives me the fun of piecing them together. Let this be a lesson to you kids – don’t get caught up editing the first draft writing until you are finished with the first draft.

As you may have guessed if you read the last couple of posts, my productivity has been impacted by some other issues as well. In other words, I’ve been stressed, eating like crap, the diabetes is out of control, and I’ve lost hours and days to food-induced comas. I’ve decided this must end once and for all, and it must end now. I am sick to death of regretting my past actions, and I’m sick to death of losing my precious time and energy because I’ve been eating things my body considers poison.

I’ve been eating appropriate for my medical condition for the last couple of days and I’m starting to feel more clear-headed. I don’t feel especially GOOD, because now my poor body has to adapt to lower (normal) blood sugar levels, but so far I’ve been able to push through. The writing and the anchor it gives me have proven essential in this endeavor.

So that’s all for now. I’m off to start the second draft and I hope that will move along much more quickly.

Now, where is that Harry?

June 25, 2014
Swirling Storms

Previously on Betsy’s Blog…

Betsy and her Muse come face to face with Obsessia. Obsessia lives in Betsy’s brain, prodding her this way and that, directing her to travel down paths of pursuit that get her all twisted up and confused. As Betsy realizes what’s going on and tries to follow the Muse out into more productive pathways, Obsessia calls for her boyfriend – Compulsion, aka the Dark Voice.

Now Betsy and her Muse are trapped behind walls of ice, trapped in Betsy’s brain while buffeted by dark voracious winds. Will Betsy succumb yet again to the whims of Obsessia and the Dark Voice? How will she and the Muse escape? And will she EVER get the first draft of her book typed into Scrivener? Oh, my gosh – let’s find out!

You need to get on Facebook…you need to get on Twitter…you need to manage Pinterest…you need to learn how to market… *Obsessia swirls around Betsy and the Muse, her black dress flapping*

You have to eat donuts…you have to eat ice cream…you have to eat pasta and cookies and brownies and croissants and danishes… *the Dark Voice whirls around Betsy and the Muse, clouds billowing*

You need to learn Photoshop and Scrivener and HTML… *Obsessia swirls*

You have to go shopping for software and computers and books and music… *the Dark Voice whirls*

You need to…

You have to…

You want to…

You must…

Stop it! *Betsy puts hands over ears* Stop it!

*Obsessia and the DarkVoice laugh*

*A light dawns, small, but bright in the darkness*

Betsy?

*Betsy looks up* *blinks* Muse? Muse is that you?

Yes. *Muse moves closer* *Betsy sees that she is not holding a light. She IS a light, dim, but there*

You’re shining, Muse. *Betsy rubs her eyes*

You haven’t completely turned away from me yet. You’re not ignoring me or denying me. *Muse drifts closer* You’re still listening to me.

I’m trying. *Betsy shakes her head* But I’m eating inappropriately on the physical plane, Muse. The sugar’s starting to get to me.

I know. *Muse gestures* These walls around us blocking us in, they’re not made of ice. They’re made of sugar. And fats. And pastries.

Wow! *Betsy looks around in wonder* What kind of pastries? Are they danishes?

Stop it! *Muse snaps fingers in front of Betsy’s face* Focus! Think about something else. I can feel that you’re still working on the book and you’re still writing in spite of everything. That’s good.

Yes. I’m typing up my handwritten first draft. And…well, I guess I’m writing. I’m writing this blog post anyway.

Good. *Muse’s light grows a little stronger* Focus on that. Focus on the writing.

Ahahahaha! Do you think you can save her, Muse? *the Dark Voice swells triumphantly* She is eating inappropriate and unwise food even as we speak! Bwhahahaha!

And she’s spending more time on social media! *Obsessia chortles sadistically*

No! *Muse’s light flickers* Stay with me, Betsy. Keep focusing on my light.

I’m sorry, Muse. *Betsy sounds exhausted* We’re trapped in my brain. The walls of sugar…we can’t break through. And Obsessia and the Dark Voice are swirling all around us and…and… and… I WANT ICE CREAM!

You do! You do! *the Dark Voice strengthens to a tornado of cravings* Let’s go to the 7-Eleven! Who wants to live forever!

Don’t look at him, Betsy, look at me. Focus on me. *Muse’s voice wobbles* *the light of her inspiration pulses on and off* Remember the book, Betsy. Remember the series. Remember all of the plans we made.

Plans….yes, we have plans….

If you listen to Obsessia and the Voice, you’ll lose days of your life, Betsy. Maybe weeks or months. *Muse sounds weak* Do you want to do that? Do you want to put your health, everything you want for your life on the line because of them? Do you want to give it all up for ice cream and Facebook?

She does! *Obsessia laughs*

Of course she does! *the Dark Voice preens* I have never lost her when I gotten to this point.

*Betsy cowers down on the floor of her brain* *dark winds howl* dark fog blankets her*

I still see your light, Muse. *Betsy cries* I still see you.

I’m here. *Muse gasps* And Harry’s here too. He’ll guide us out.

Harry… *Betsy wheezes* Harry’s here? Where are you?

Right behind you, doll. *Harry’s voice echoes in the dark space* Remember the Quest, Betsy. Remember all that you want to do with your life. Do you want these jackasses to steal that away from you?

No…*Betsy swallows* No… I think…. I think I’ll finish…this blog post….

NO! *the Dark Voice howls*

And…type in another…chapter… *Betsy gets to hands and knees* …of my book…

NO! *Obsessia pounds her fists together*

And then maybe…*Betsy stands* …write something new…

Yes! *Muse’s light glows brighter*

Come this way. *Harry stands before her, paw outstretched*

WE WON’T LET YOU GO! *Obsessia and the Dark Voice begin to grow* *winds swell to hurricane proportions*

*Betsy grasps Muse* *Clutches her tightly* *buries her face in the light* *pulls Harry into the hug* *clings to his fur*

They’re so strong! How will we get out of this?

*Muse gasps, wracked by the foul winds* I know…I know how… Betsy – tell me…a story…

Yes. *Harry holds on tightly to avoid being blown away* That’s exactly right. Tell us a story, Betsy. Tell us a story.

*Betsy shakes head to clear it* *focuses on the Muse’s light* Once…upon a time…*she clears her throat* there was a girl named….Betsy.

That’s right. Keep going. *Harry encourages*

She…wrote…stories…*Betsy falters, then grows stronger* And…published…them…

NOOOOOO!!!!

*Suddenly winds die down* *sugar walls collapse and dissolve* *Obsessia and the Dark Voice wink out*

*Betsy, Muse, and Harry drop to floor of brain, panting*

Thank you. *Betsy looks at Muse* *Looks at Harry* Thank you. You both led me out.

Nah. You made a decision. *Harry settles back on his hind legs* We’re just trying to help you follow through.

Bwhahahahaha! It won’t be that easy, my friends, and this is far from over. Until we meet again….

To be continued…

June 18, 2014
Obsessia

Previously on Betsy’s Blog…

Harry, Betsy’s Guide on her Quest, has given her a list of things she will need to learn to be a successful indie author and she has gone off to think about them. Betsy being Betsy, her thoughts promptly swirled into a burgeoning tornado of confusion, indecision and doubt. But, wait – does it seem that Betsy is being prodded just a little a bit? Could there be something – or someone – helping to stir her up? Let’s see…

You don’t know how to format.

I don’t know how to format.

You need to learn to format.

I need to learn. I need to learn to format.

You don’t know how design a book cover.

I don’t know how to design a book cover.

You need to learn how to do everything now. You need to read more self-publishing blogs.

I need to learn…wait. I need to write. I have to finish the book.

No. You have to learn the things you don’t know before you get the book finished. You need to search the internet for more tips. You need to subscribe to more email lists.

But if I don’t get the book finished, I won’t have anything to publish…

You don’t have time to write. You need to read blogs on writing and publishing and you need to learn how to format and you need to make a cover and you need to learn how to market and you need to do all of this now.

I should read those blogs about writing so I can learn to how to launch a book. I should watch authors talk about writing on YouTube. I should do that now.

Yes. Then you need to check Facebook. You need to check for the fifteenth time to see if somebody “liked” that link you shared.

I should.

*Muse pokes head into cavern of brain* Betsy? Where the heck are you?

*Betsy blinks* *Appears to come out of trance* What? Muse is that you? *rubs face* What are you doing here?

*Muse walks over to where Betsy sits huddled on floor of brain clutching her laptop* Well, I’m here because we’re supposed to be writing, but we’re not getting very far.

You’re right. You’re right. *Betsy shakes self and starts to put laptop aside* We need to write.

No. You need to read more blogs about self-publishing. You need to surf the Internet for more tips about writing. You need to check Facebook and Google Plus and Twitter.

*Muse looks around* Who is….? Oh. Great. It’s you.

*Betsy appears confused* Of course it’s me.

Not you. *Muse points* Her.

*Betsy swivels to look behind her* *sees a dark fog hovering at her shoulder* *As she watches the fog coalesces into the shape of a girl* Wow. Goth.

*girl drifts forward* I am Obsessia.

*Betsy looks around* Obsessia? Oh, wait. Harry mentioned you once. How the heck did you get in my brain, Obsessia?

Oh, I’ve been here for a while. *Obsessia waves that away* You just don’t know I’m here whispering to you.

*Betsy frowns* I don’t like that much. How come I can see you now?

Because she mentioned me. *Obsessia points at Muse* Once she noticed me, you were bound to see me too.

*Betsy gathers up laptop computer* *crawls to her feet* I’m not sure that I like you, Obsessia.

*Obsessia swirls long black dress around ankles* You like me fine when I’m whispering to you.

I don’t like you. *Muse steps up next to Betsy* *Glares at Obsessia* You try to keep Betsy away from me. When you’re whispering to her, she can’t hear me sing.

Oh. Too bad. *Obsessia holds up thumb and forefinger* *saws forefinger over thumb* *nails are painted black* Here’s a little violin playing a song just for you. Boo hoo hoo.

*Muse turns to Betsy* See when she whispers to you, then you get all caught up on things that don’t matter or that are bad for you. And your thinking just gets narrowed down to one track and you can’t think of other things.

*Betsy stares at Muse* Really? I’m really like that?

Yes! *Muse throws up hands in disgust* Why do you think you’ve wasted so much time flipping back and forth between Facebook and Google Plus and Twitter instead of writing? Why do you buy so many books on writing instead of working on the book you ARE writing? Why are you worrying so much about launch strategies and marketing algorithms when the book isn’t even freaking finished yet?

*Betsy thinks* Because I’m obsessed?

Well, duh! *Muse waves hands in the air* *Er…brain* Yes! Yes, yes, YES!

*Betsy stands straighter* I believe that I want you to leave my brain, Obsessia. I believe that I am happier listening to the Muse and to Harry than I am listening to you.

*Obsessia shrugs* Too bad.

Too…. hey! *Betsy clenches fists around laptop* This is MY brain.

Is it? *Obsessia smiles* I don’t think so.

I think it is! *Betsy tries to appear confident*

Hmmm. *Obsessia taps her lips with a long, black fingernail* I think I should call my boyfriend.

Boyfriend? *Betsy exchanges a look with the Muse* Who’s that?

Compulsion. *Obsessia’s smile widens*

Hello, my sweet.

*Betsy gasps* It’s the Voice! The Dark Voice!

Betsy, we’re trapped inside walls of ice! *Muse grasps Betsy’s arm* We can’t get out!

*Betsy puts down laptop* *grabs Muse* I can’t believe it. I really am Obsessive / Compulsive?

*Muse looks at her in disgust* Really? REALLY? You didn’t know that? I think I’m going to have to buy you a clue for your birthday.

Well, I always thought I was Manic / Depressive. *Betsy sounds defensive*

Could we possibly have this conversation later? *Muse yells*

I think I should have some say in my own brain. *Betsy frowns petulantly*

This is not your brain. It is ours. *The Voice laughs* Obsessia, my dear. Perhaps we need to prove our point.

*Obsessia giggles* Oh, yes. Let’s.

To be continued…

June 15, 2014
Things To Learn, Decisions To Make

Previously on Betsy’s Blog…Betsy meets with Harry, her Quest Guide, to discuss progress on her Quest. She tells him she has finally finished the first draft of her book, but she doesn’t seem excited about it. Turns out she’s scared because now this whole thing is getting real. Harry talks her down off the ledge and they end up doing a happy dance around Betsy’s brain.It turns out Harry hasn’t been idle as he waited for Betsy and her Muse to finish writing – he’s come up with a whole lot of things Betsy will need to learn and other things she will need to consider. What are they? Let’s listen in and find out….

*Betsy collapses back down onto the sofa in Harry’s office in her brain* *Wheezes from exertion of happy dancing* Okay, I’m feeling much better now. Thanks Harry!

*Harry settles onto coffee table* *Breathes normally* No problem, babe. You done good. *He looks pained* Just tell me you’re typing the damned thing into Scrivener now.

I am. *Betsy scrunches face apologetically* It took a little bit for me to get started, but I’m working on it now.

Just remember you aren’t really finished. *Harry waggles finger of paw at her* I know if feels like you are because the first draft is written, but the book isn’t finished until it’s in the hands of the consumers.

*Betsy draws in breath* I know.

Speaking of which, I have a few things we need to talk about. *Harry jumps off coffee table* *scampers up tower of gerbil habitat* *grabs gPad* *scampers back down and jumps back up on coffee table*

Yeah? *Betsy eyes gPad nervously*

Okay. *Harry taps away on screen of gPad* While you’ve been writing, I’ve been looking at the other things you’ll need to consider to bring this book to market. Do you want me to give you a list?

Um, sure? *Betsy sinks further into sofa*

Right. I’ll make sure you have a printout later. *Harry studies screen* Some of this are things you need to learn. Some items are things we’ll need to consider as we move forward.

What do I need to learn?

*Harry looks up from his notes* Well, first of all, you’ll need to learn how to use Scrivener better so you can compile ebook files quickly and easily. You’ll have to learn about formatting the file to make sure the files are formatted properly for the vendors. You’ll need to learn how to download files at the vendors. And that brings up the first decision we need to make. How do you want to distribute the book?

Well, I don’t know. *Betsy frowns* Based on everything I’ve heard, it’s best to go directly to the biggest markets like Amazon, Kobo, Nook and iBooks instead of using an aggregator like BookBaby. But I do want to go to Smashwords too.

Um huh. *Harry types* I agree, but that means we’ll need to find out how to upload files on each of those vendors. We’ll also have to figure out how to put vendor-specific buy links in the backmatter once you have more books uploaded.

Buy links…? Back matter….?

*Harry looks seriously over reading glasses he is suddenly wearing* You’ll need to learn more about metadata and search engine optimization too, as well as Amazon categories.

*Betsy’s face takes on dazed expression* Metadata? Search engine…?

Hmmm. *Harry continues typing* Now, regarding the cover. You have a good base as far as I’m concerned. Are you going to want to hire a professional cover designer?

*Betsy shakes head* *Tries to catch up with the conversation* I know everyone says that you need to hire a professional cover designer, but I think the one I did is fine.

I agree. *Harry nods* I think you might want to look into a less common font, though. And while you’re at it, you should look at making the font of your name on your website stand out a little more.

Are you kidding? You want me to buy a FONT? *Betsy stares at him*

Only for the book covers. Now. *Harry swipes to a new page* I’m assuming you do want professional editing.

Yes, I think so. *Betsy frowns* I have beta readers lined up and they’ll provide some editing, but I think I should invest in a professional.

Good, good. I agree. *Harry types* I’ll do some research on that. Now, let’s talk about launch strategy.

Launch… *Betsy stares at him* Harry, the damn book isn’t even finished yet!

And well I know it. *Harry sets gPad aside to look at Betsy intently* I would like to propose that you finish at least three books before you release this one.

Three! *Betsy gapes* Harry, you know how long it took me to get this one this far finished! I might be dead before I get two more done!

No. *Harry rests his paws on Betsy’s clenched hands* Because things are different now, remember? You don’t have to be afraid anymore. And you’ve got a goal, a Quest, and a schedule.

Ookayy… *Betsy sounds uncertain*

There are a lot of advantages to releasing three at once, or three fairly close together. *Harry’s paws tighten on Betsy’s hands* You can start a funnel to drive readers to the next book in the series and there will be a next book for them to read.

Funnel…

You can have more than one book edited at the same time and maybe get a discount.

*Betsy brightens* I like discounts.

Maybe. *Harry holds up a cautionary finger* We’ll have to see.

Okay.

*Harry peers at her* Okay, like you understand? Or okay like you agree?

Okay, I agree. I think. But it sounds like I’ll have a lot to learn while I’m trying to write these next books. I’m kind of nervous about that.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. *Harry sits back* I won’t deny there’s a big learning curve. But you knew that before we started.

*Betsy chews her lip* I guess I did.

We’ll take things one step at a time. First step is getting this book in Scrivener and finished. *Harry picks up gPad* *Swipes to new page* And you’ve already signed up for a Scrivener training course. You’ll need to watch those videos soon, not old episodes of “The Big Bang Theory”.

Awww. *Betsy pouts*

Deal with it. *Harry reads his screen* You’ve also signed up for lynda.com. Use them to get some training in Photoshop and maybe some graphic design. If you want to do your own covers, you’ll need to know more about that stuff. Oh, and you should find images for the next few covers. And you need a font.

I’m starting to hyperventilate. *Betsy puts hand on her heaving bosom*

Relax, babe. It will be fine. *Harry absently pats Betsy’s leg* There’s a lot to learn, but I’m with you all the way.

*Betsy gazes at Harry with big, liquid eyes* Promise?

Sure.

To be continued…

June 11, 2014