no sales for "Baby Robins Grow Up" but not detouring next endeavor.

I had mailed out 100 postcards with information on "Baby Robins Grow Up" to daycares though out the US. I used a phone app. to look up daycares in each state. Eight postcards were returned unable to deliver.  I have 25 likes on the "Baby Robins Grow Up" Facebook page. I have not paid to "promote" the page.  Not sure how much I want to spend with no return.  I may get likes but that don't mean the book will sell.  I have attempted to get my book reviewed for a preschool educational site. But no return correspondence received. My book was promoted to a lot of romance readers but you have to remember this is a preschool picture book. I was hoping the romance readers had pre-schoolers in their lives.  All I can do at this point is sit back and wait or spend more money. My choice is wait.

I placed a copy of the book in the waiting room of the office that I work at and actually seen a 8 or 9 year old child carry the book to an exam room. That was encouraging for me because the child wanted to finish the book. I placed one at my own Dr's office due to it is a Family practice office and they see pediatric patients as well.   I do have business cards to hand out but have not been in a position yet to do much handing.

I feel "Baby Robins Grow Up" is an excellent introduction to the life cycle of a bird. If only I could get the word out somehow to the people that run daycare's and parents of preschoolers.

I am working on my next endeavor and already working on a rewrite of some of it. It will not be something that will be done it two months. I don't have a lot of spare time for writing. My hopes are to increase time by "taking" it and changing priorities...i.e. TV time, Facebook time etc.  Once I feel I have the story working well I will introduce some of it here.  It will be an adult novel and not a children's book nor categorized as a romance.  

The book has already changed enough from the original idea that the title I had selected does not fit so a new title will need to be chosen.  My current block is deciding on a connection between common events in the book. I will get there but I have to get inside the head of my villain and find that connection.

Happy reading and writing.

It's Been Over A Month Since Publishing.

"Baby Robins Grow Up"was first published a little over a month ago. Sales have not been very active at this point. I've sold some actual copies to co-workers, donated some copies to be placed in patient gathering areas (with a sticker inside instructing where they can purchase their copy) and a very limited number sold online (most to family).  I was not expecting spectacular numbers but thought with the internet there might be one book a week sold. Not so much. I've started a Facebook page describing the book and have put a page, along with a link, on this blog in regards to "Baby Robins Grow Up." I have information cards (business cards) coming to hand out when the subject of the book comes up. I will be mailing out some postcards to daycares in the next week or two to try and get the word out about the book.  I know this is not a get rich endeavor but I would like others to experience and hopefully enjoy the book.  I get positive feed back continually but the music is not matching up with the words. My hopes are the mailing will help but with the cost of postage it will be quite awhile before there will be any profit made.

The Leap Has Been Made.

The spring of 2007 the Lord blessed me with a pair of robins nesting in my hanging spider plant on my front porch. I discovered the nest when I was repotting the plant into a new hanging basket. The nest was partially built. I lifted it out of the plant and set it aside while I repotted the plant. I then placed it back in the plant and rehung the basket. My thought was that due to human tampering the nest would be abandoned and built elsewhere. I was wrong! The pair finished the nest and the next thing I knew the female was sitting. I immediately searched online to determine the length of incubation before hatching. Out came the camera!

I checked the eggs a couple of days before I thought they would hatch (always approached the nest when parents were not there) no evidence of hatching. Checked the next day and the cracks were there. Thankfully it was a Saturday so I was able to take pictures throughout the day as the babies hatched. I mentioned to my youngest brother about the free loaders in my basket and he suggested purchasing some night crawlers from a bait shop to obtain the feeding photos.  I followed through with his suggestion and obtained some great feeding photos.

In 2009 I put some of the pictures together in a flip book for my grandchildren. I had one person at work inquire if I thought of publishing it. I, not knowing how to go about it, just shrugged my shoulders and that was the end of it.

In fall of 2011 my sister-in-law discovered KDP publishing. And has successfully published four books. Not costing her anything but the purchase of her own paperback copies.  She is a talented story teller and has been able to quit her day job as the result of the royalties.

Sooooo.... I have now published "Baby Robins Grow Up." through CreateSpace and KDP.  It is a picture book for the 3-5 year old preschool aged children. And it introduces them to the life cycle of a bird.

I do not believe I will be able to quit my day job but I do enjoy the opportunity to share the once in a lifetime picture series with others and possible supplement to my income as a perk.