A Lesson in Patience

As my first novel nears publication, I find myself living constantly in my head. At times I am like a child waiting for Santa. At other times, I am the marketing guru brainstorming ways to sell my book. At other times, I revert to the teacher I am in my real life. No matter which persona inhabits my head, they conspire to keep my from sleeping!

When children wait for Santa, they grin eagerly and positively quiver with excitement. Briona Glen Publishing targeted March 2012 for release of my first novel, ON A WING AND A DARE. All I knew about publishing came from working in a bookstore thirty years ago. At that time there were no ebooks. Hardbacks were released, and a year later the paperback came out. My novel will be released as a paperback and an ebook. When I signed with the publisher last summer, seven months seemed awfully fast to publish a book. My excitement has made it the longest seven months of my life–it truly feels like I’m having another baby! Round after round of revising has finally led to the line edit stage. The cover is almost done. Then on to typesetting. It’s tantalizingly close, like when you have half the windows open on that chocolate Advent calendar.

Meanwhile, my marketing ideas are clamoring to get out of my head. I have a blog tour on hold and three people who want to interview me on their blogs. I’ve looked up bookstores in my area to set up author signings, and was appalled to find only seven bookstores in the San Jose area! There’s a writing club at a local high school I want to contact, and of course my Facebook, Goodreads, and Twitter followers will have to be notified on the novel’s release. Two out-of-town former students have volunteered to trumpet the news in their states. I have three blogs of my own that will crow it to the stars, and local coffee shops that will put up flyers. I am looking into summer conferences to attend. If you don’t hear about the release of ON A WING AND A DARE, it won’t be for lack of my trying!

The entire process of publishing has been a good reflection on my teaching. I strive to make everything I teach relevant in the real world. I wrote and revised my novel over two years, and I have been revising the revisions for the past six months per my editor’s suggestions. None of my students are able to complain now that their story is perfect and needs no editing! If you haven’t been looking at it for multiple months, you can still make it better! Now my novel is going through a line edit. That means CUPS–capitalization, usage, punctuation, and spelling. Every day in class we work on DOL (Daily Oral Language) and I consider myself something of an expert. I know my students will have a field day if the line editor catches too many mistakes in ON A WING AND A DARE!

Release date…to be announced SOON! I just have to be patient

On my Kindle: Fablehaven #4: Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary by Brandon Mull

14 responses to “A Lesson in Patience”

  1. It won’t be long now. Sleep while you can. 🙂 I’m so looking forward to holding your book in my hands.

  2. Congratulations Mrs. Ulleseit! I’ll get one of the first copies from the local bookstore…

    1. And I’ll autograph it for you! If you miss me at a signing, bring it by school any time!

  3. Ahh patience – if only hurry-the-hell-up were a virtue…

  4. How exciting! Patience–such a hard thing to have!

  5. Patience is definitely hard to have! I guess that’s why it’s a virtue

  6. It’s sad that our class will not be having an extra field day 😉 Good luck with your blog tour!

    1. I agree with Amrita, a field day would be nice…Congrats on your almost-published book though Mrs.Ulleseit! I am very excited to see how it turns out!

    2. Okay, ‘having a field day’ is an expression that means you will enjoy it and tease me about mistakes. It does not mean a day like Field Day at the end of the year. (Sixth graders don’t do Field Day…)

  7. I am really excited to finally get to see the cover! Also, it’s sometimes easy for me to connect to characters more if I am reading it on my own. I’ll grab a copy where it comes out! It’s so exciting to know that my teacher is a published author!

    1. I agree, Anthony, that it’s easier to read than being read to. I’m glad you want to read it!

      1. I’m not sure if I want to read it or not, seeing from your second book…
        Lol, ‘course I will. If not only to make sure your book gets over ten sold =P
        XD Good luck on your second book – hopefully it’ll be awsome!

  8. Reblogged this on christinaow.

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