BOOK STUFF
A few days after I wrote my last IBL post, I received the finished edits of To Marry an English Lord from my sainted editor. That sent me into a flurry of production activities, including but not limited to:
- Assigning ISBNs to both ebook and paper editions
- Applying for a LCCN (Library of Congress Control Number)
- Submitting for copyright registration
- Formatting the book files
- Making final tweaks to the back cover copy
- Requesting a full cover treatment from my cover designer
- Forming a new Advance Reviewer Team (apply if interested)
- Sending copies to my Beta readers to catch all those typos that still made it through editing
- Sending copies out for endorsements
- Sending the script to the audiobook production company
- Setting up preorder product pages on Amazon, B&N, Kobo, and Apple
- Creating and uploading A+ Content to the Amazon product page
Later in the week, I received my first endorsement for the book which included the line “I literally could not put this book down and was up much of the night delighting in the story world and watching the characters grow, both in their faith and in their love for one another.” I confess, I love it when a book of mine keeps a reader up past her bedtime. 😀
CELEBRATION
This past Wednesday (December 13), I celebrated 13 years cancer free. In some ways my cancer journey feels like yesterday. In other ways it seems much longer ago. But what is as true now as it was true 13 years ago is my thanks to God for the life He has given me.
And before I leave this subject, have you had your mammogram this year? If not, get it scheduled. Early detection is so important!
WORD FOR THE YEAR
Many people choose a word for the year ahead. You see it a lot in the planner community. But I don’t want to choose a word for myself. So it has been my practice for the past couple of decades to ask God each fall to give me a word that will play a part in the year ahead. Something He wants to teach me. A word He wants to use to guide me. He has been ever faithful.
Every word (sometimes a combination of words) I’ve received has come with at least one Bible verse. My first year (2005) my word was ENDURANCE. Not my favorite year because endurance was truly needed. This year (2023) my word is DWELL, and God has taken me deeper in my quiet times as I have sought the ways He wanted to apply the word in my life.
For 2024, my word is SHELTER. The verses God gave me are Psalm 91:1, Psalm 27:5, and Psalm 31:20.
The shelter in Psalm 91:1 is the Temple where the godly find safety under the protective wings of the Lord. Psalm 27:5 tells me that “in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; in the secret place of His tent He will hide me.” And Psalm 31:20 tells me that He will hide me in the secret place of His presence from the conspiracies of man and keep me secretly in a shelter from the strife of tongues.
Amen. 2024 will be a year where I shelter in Him.
Do you have a word for 2024?
I pray that this Christmas, you will draw ever closer to the One who is the reason for the season. May Christ dwell in your heart, and may you know true abundance in your relationship with Him.
I look forward to seeing you in the New Year.
~robin
Robin Lee Hatcher
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What a fabulous list of production tasks. Thanks for the reality check.
My 2024 word is Endurance. As in Hebrews 10:36 and 12:1.
It does get quite crazy as a book gets close to releasing. As shared, Endurance was my word one year. My verse was 2 Corinthians 4:8-9.
What a busy beaver you have been, Robin. There is always so much to do, isn’t there? Writing the book is a huge endeavor, but the work doesn’t stop with The End. It just changes lanes and speeds up. 🙂
So thankful you are still with us and blessing so many lives with your stories and your spiritual walk. You are an inspiration!
Merry Christmas!
Thanks, Karen. Your comment blessed me back.
You know how much I liked this sweet love story, Robin. So happy it will be out in time for Valentine’s Day!