TL:DR
· I’ve got a Pope-sized Vern!
· I quit my job and am busier than ever
· Gapman delayed—but going into serial
· I’m on Instagram! (Yes, finally—don’t judge me!)
· July and August classes (Scene fixes, promotion packages, loading books onto Amazon)
LOOK! It’s VERN!!!!
Isn’t he adorable? The officers (on behalf of the Catholic Writers Guild) presented me with the super fuzzy, portable Vern. The wings are pink, but who cares? He’s so fluffy!!!! And yes, he’s the size I imagined him after his fight with St. George, meaning he’s Pope-sized!
This was just one of the many wonderful things that happened at the Catholic Writers Conference – Live this year. As the president, I did a lot of networking with the publishers, suppliers, and the members of the Association of Catholic Publishers. I think I made some great connections that will result in more opportunities for Guildies.
I also did a 40-minute comedy routine on Tuesday night. It was an absolute blast. I joked about my fading memory (I’ve named my executive function “Madison” so I can blame her when I forget things.), my conflicted feelings about “Bless Your Heart” (2nd Commandment violation?), saints, and even Purgatory. Oh, and about 50 writer jokes. I totally want to do this again. Anyone need a comic?
Quitting Your Job Does Not Mean Getting a Break
So, I mistakenly thought quitting my major client would give me some breathing space, but nope. Between prepping for the conference and the comedy routine, May was jam-packed. Then, after the conference, my sister visited for a week…a week we spent deep cleaning/decluttering my parent’s house. Two trips to Goodwill and at least six bags of shredding! I was there from nine in the morning to as late as eleven at night. We had a great time, though, going through old paperwork and junk jewelry, sharing photos with Mom (as we got rid of the faded photos of random scenery), and just being sisters together.
Now, I’m trying to go through the already huge list I had for June plus the new list of To-Dos that came from the writers’ conference. If I was working on top of all this, I would be tearing my hair out!
Gapman delayed—but paid subscribers will get to read it first!
Of course, no job means no income, so I’m looking into some passive income streams. One will be a paid substack subscription. For $5 a month, you’ll get the first drafts of the novels as I write them, and an ebook copy when they publish. We’ll start with Gapman. Stay tuned for the launch!
Find me on IG
The conference finally convinced me that I needed to join Instagram and folks showed me how to make it (relatively) easy. I’m still confused about parts, but I’m learning. Find me at @karinafabian_author
Writing Classes for June and July
Scene Fixes (June 24)
Not every scene comes out the way we hope, and when a scene does not work, it can bring the whole book down--or worse yet, lose your reader. We'll cover the most common scene problems with suggestions on what to look for and how to fix them. We have real examples. If there's time, we might even crit a scene or two. Join Karina Fabian for this insightful look on scene fixes every author should know.
Building a Promotions Package (July 22)
Having a complete publicity package makes it easy to promote your book and yourself. It's an investment of time up-front that can save you hours of work, even years down the road. We'll cover the basics for your promotion package, talk about some shortcuts for making one, and go over how to use it.
Loading Your Book on Amazon (class and demo using Gapman) (July 29)
Sometimes, the most intimidating part of self-publishing is simply dealing with the nuts and bolts of getting your book into Amazon. When I first started, I'd have loved to have had someone walk me through the process, in real-time, and while publishing a book.
That's what this webinar is all about. I'll take you step by step through the how-to of working with KDP, from what to prepare ahead of time to how to adjust prices before publication. We'll be using an actual book of mine that will go live immediately following the webinar (as soon as Amazon approves, at any rate.:) )
The focus is purely practical--it's like the lab class for self-publishing! I'll provide everyone with a worksheet so you can have your own books ready as well.
Plushy Vern is adorable!!