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Cherry Blossom Express has now wended its way through the labyrinth of distribution and is now available on major on-line retailers across the world.

Amazon
Kobo
nook
even Espresso books.

And, given the distribution channel, most booksellers should be able to order it. So, feel free to ask at your local bookshop.

I’m thrilled!

Less thrilled that it took this long, but hey, can’t have everything right?

Not everything in this business is under the control of the principals. JM and I do not have control over whether or not our books show up on sites. We really don’t. We have a distribution agreement. So, the files are under review.

They’ve been under review for almost a month now.

For validation.

Amazon? 24 hours and you’re validated and moving forward. It hurts my little, black, shriveled soul to say positive things about a company that I don’t trust in the least. (Or rather, I trust it to always have its own best interests at heart. Those interests and mine may or may not coincide.)

But right now, major distribution company? I am being forced to compare you unfavorably to Amazon. This is *not* how you want your user base to react. You are making me and my company look bad. And you are charging me money for this service. Right now? I despise you.

I don’t have a huge number of anger triggers. My number one trigger? Incompetence. I hate it when people do not do what they are supposedly hired to do. If I hire a plumber, I expect that the pipes he put in will not leak. When I hire a carpenter, the box better not fall apart. When I hire a distribution company, they better actually distribute the god damned books.

*deep breath*

So, lessons learned: Give the distribution company an extra-long time to do their thing. They are useful, but not swift, nor are they efficient.

This first book has been an excellent learning tool. I’m learning about distribution. JM is learning about file creation. We’re both learning that everything is just a little more expensive than it was during our research phase because no one tells you everything you need to know in this business. (Cut throat, shark infested, welcoming, and swamped. The book business is like the antiques business. Friendliness is encouraged, but you must at all times look out for your own interests. Nicest people you ever want to meet unless you’re in the middle of a deal and then all bets are off. We all love the same things, but it’s a very competitive business. Huh… and I used to think that the HP fans in my life were blowing smoke when they sorted me into Slytherin. *grins*)

The thing is, no matter how much I kvetch? I still love it. I love creating the content. I love reading the slush. (look for our new page: quotes from the slush read) I even love arguing about what contracts say.

Non, je ne regrette rien.

Cross-posted to The Art of Procrastination

I am only at 8.5K words for NaNoWriMo right now.

I should be at 35K by the end of the day.

So, right, that’s not happening today. I need to kick out about 4K per day to catch up. Four sessions a day at 1K each will do that. (Please imagine that in a cheerful tone with an overly bright smile.)

I haven’t lost a Nano in a few years, but it used to happen all the time. I am an excellent sprint writer. I can write 40K or more in a weekend. I am not particularly good about daily discipline. But I generally do hit deadlines, barring catastrophes. (I once lost 8K words right before the end of November. I was nearly in tears.)

The project I’m working on has a turn in date of late November of next year, to go into production in January. And when I’m doing sprints with my friends, I have actually managed to work on it consistently. It’s just that it’s not the project I really want to be working on right now. Give me a deadline and I will show you fifteen other projects that are just *so much more shiny*.

I’ve never forced myself to not work on a project though. As long as I hit my deadlines, I am always let myself also work on a new shiny. I’ve started a short story, worked on a chapter of a new series possibility, and worked on editing the project that’s got a January turn in. Standard wisdom is that you should focus only on your NaNo project during the month. December is for editing. Great idea.

I have deadlines to hit though. I have a January turn in for my next novel (which needs massive edits). I’ve got 2 books to edit for other people and I have a short story to edit for a friend. I’ve got a 9 to 5. I’ve got 2 businesses to monitor and pay for. And I’ve got a marketing campaign to manage.

I’m glad and I am stressed and I am happier than I’ve ever been. If I could simply add in a little more travel, I’d be a completely happy person. There’s only one way to do that: lose the 9 to 5. That means making a minimum of at least $5,000 a month. (I live in an expensive area. One of the businesses pays most of its own bills now, but the other does not.) This blog is probably going to start including a few more posts on how to drag money out of on-line sources and advertising as well as kvetching about writing deadlines and random music videos.

I will be adding Alice in Wonderland items in the future. There’s a book on collectables coming at some point. (When I get off my rear and actually write it and take photos for it.)

I’ve also been learning JavaScript.

Um, discipline. That’s right, this was about discipline and hitting your marks and never, ever letting the bastards see you sweat.

The ice bucket challenge videos that have been running around have done $41 million in good (and climbing.) Here’s a video that everyone involved in a challenge or not needs to see.

Antonio Carbajal has been diagnosed with ALS. As has his mother and his grandmother. This is his video. And his youtube channel. I encourage you to watch and to subscribe.

And to donate to ALS research here.

If you want to help Antonio directly, you can donate to help with his medical costs here.