Life
I am thoroughly enjoying my first month as a real life honest to goodness published writer. It is a new time. A tender time of watching and waiting The unfurling and blossoming of a long-held dream. Every sale of my novel, [easyazon_link asin=”B004JU21YU” locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Life is But a Dream[/easyazon_link], is exciting. Every single sale. Should the novel be successful, my sales will increase rapidly, but right now I am enjoying “the beginning” because it will never be the beginning again. I rejoice over every copy sold and treasure every email I receive from a new reader. These sales will probably always be the most precious to me.
So – here is a report on my sales so far (in order of their appearance on the venue):
- Amazon Kindle – 55 copies in the first month
- Barnes and Noble Nook – 2 copies
- Create Space Paperback – 6 copies (with orders for 12 more)
So – that is a total of 75 copies of my book that have sold in various forms.
Marketing/Promotion venues used in the first month:
- Personal emails to a few friends and family
- Joined Kindleboards and began posting in discussion boards
- Submitted an article to Divine Caroline website which was published
- Made a few posts on Amazon’s discussion boards
Actually, I think the sales have been very good considering the very small amount of promotion I have done. I will be interested in seeing how sales go once the book is available on Amazon in paperback (should be very soon).
Looking forward to seeing what the future holds, but right now, enjoying this moment – this beginning.
Thank you so much to everyone who bought a copy during this first exciting month!
Cheryl Shireman is the bestselling author of several novels, including [easyazon_link asin=”1461026504″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Broken Resolutions[/easyazon_link], the [easyazon_link asin=”B004JU21YU” locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Life is But a Dream series[/easyazon_link], and the [easyazon_link asin=”1478153652″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Cooper Moon[/easyazon_link] series. She is also the author of ten books for toddlers including the eight [easyazon_link asin=”1475291531″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Let’s Learn About[/easyazon_link] series focusing on different animals and [easyazon_link asin=”1625660014″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]I Love You When: For Girls[/easyazon_link] and [easyazon_link asin=”1625660022″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]I Love You When: For Boys[/easyazon_link].
Read MoreA proof of my novel, [easyazon_link asin=”B004JU21YU” locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Life is But a Dream[/easyazon_link]
is scheduled to arrive in the mail today. In case you missed the point – a copy of my book (smelling of fresh ink and full of crisp pages) will be in my hands today.
I started writing books at the age of seventeen. I was fresh out of high school and working in an office for an engineers union. I was the only one in the office and this was my first job. It consisted of taking calls from businesses who needed men to run heavy equipment (bulldozers, cranes, etc.), contacting men for those jobs, and then completing and filing the required paperwork for the union. As jobs go, it wasn’t exactly challenging and there was a lot of down time. There was only so much time I could spend cleaning the office and straightening the file cabinet, so, one day I decided to write a book. At the time I was a dreamy-eyed all legs and arms girl who owned two horses, so, of course, that book would be on horses. With visions of [easyazon_link asin=”0679813438″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]The Black Stallion[/easyazon_link] and [easyazon_link asin=”0061374636″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]My Friend Flicka[/easyazon_link] in my head, I began writing a reference book on horses – sort of an encyclopedia on everything to do with horses. Five years later, I finished it. I sent it immediately to Doubleday, because I had heard of them and they seemed like a pretty good publisher (I cringe at my naivete). Amazingly, I received a full-length letter from a very kind editor there, Ann Sleeper. She was very encouraging and suggested some revisions. At the time (I was only 22), I had no idea that receiving such a letter on your first manuscript, on its first submission, is practically unheard of. I started revisions (on a typewriter!) and sent the manuscript back. I cannot remember how long those revisions took, maybe a couple of months, but I mailed my manuscript back to Ann (feeling as if we were surely on a first name basis) and waited. For a couple of months. Eventually, my manuscript was mailed back to me along with a letter saying that Ann had moved to another publishing house. Period.
This was before google or facebook or even personal computers, so it wasn’t like I could just go to Ann’s Facebook page and message her. My hopes of publishing with Doubleday quickly faded. I spent the next few years submitting that manuscript – mailing it in a box inside of another box so that it could be returned to me – one publisher at a time. On average, it took two or three months to receive a reply, another couple of weeks for me to get up enough courage to mail it out again, and then another two or three month wait. Two years passed with only a few kind letters and some really nice rejections (I still have them). Somewhere along the way, I learned about literary agents and then started submitting to them. Again, mailing the manuscript to one at a time and waiting for months to hear anything. I did have some encouraging responses. I still remember the day I received a letter from an agent from New York informing me, “We had lunch with a publisher yesterday who is very interested in your book. With luck we could have simultaneous U.S. and British sales!” Two agents and a publisher were talking about my book over lunch in New York City! Just the thought of that was enough to sustain my writing dreams for the many years to come. Ultimately, I came close to getting that book published (making it into a publishing house who ultimately decided to go with another book on horses that year), but never did.
Through the years, life and marriage and babies wove their way between the pages of my writing, sometimes slowing the writing down, and sometimes inspiring it. Eventually, after going through a divorce, I gave up on the horse book, stored the box under my bed, and turned to novels. My first “novel” (and I use the term loosely) was about a writer who falls in love with a boxer. Probably inspired by the movie, Rocky. I got about half way through before realizing it was really really bad and quit writing it. I started another novel about a woman having her first baby. I finished that novel and sent it to several agents before realizing it was really bad. I started another novel about a woman who is standing in a bank lobby and is kidnapped. Probably about one hundred pages into it, and I realized it was bad. These are novels that were written, and rewritten in longhand in spiral-bound notebooks. After revising a few times, I would then type them (yes on a typewriter) and then start revisions all over again.
Somewhere along the way I started working on a computer – a Commodore 64 that had Word Perfect on it! It was an amazing tool. No more carbon paper, no more erasing, and I could make my revisions on the fly! The world suddenly became larger and full of possibilites. Until one day when my daisy wheel printer refused to cooperate. My ex-husband had taken the “good” printer and left me with the old daisy wheel. I was trying to print out a manuscript for submission and the stinkin’ thing just would not cooperate. Eventually, frustrated and angry (mostly because my ex had taken the good printer), I unplugged it, stomped to the front door of my mobile home, stepped out onto the deck, and threw it into the yard. To my dismay, it remained intact and sat in the yard looking smugly in my direction. Immediately, I retrieved a hammer from the mobile home and went out into the yard and proceeded to beat it into submission.
After replacing that printer, and that ex husband, and enrolling in college (at 30) to major in Creative Writing and American Literature, I began writing a novel about a woman who goes to a secluded lake cabin to redefine her life after a divorce. I wrote it, rewrote it, changed the storyline, added characters, removed characters, and changed it from third person to first person. I finished my degree and then went on to get a graduate degree. Eventually thousands of words written and thousands of words discarded, I honed my skills and my novel began to emerge and my characters found their voice. Sometimes I felt as if I was merely taking dictation and watching a scene between them, barely able to keep up with the action.
It is this novel, [easyazon_link asin=”B004JU21YU” locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Life is But a Dream[/easyazon_link]
, that is now available as a Kindle book through Amazon and soon to be available as a paperback. It is this book, published through CreateSpace, that I will be holding as a “real” book composed of paper and ink, in my hands today. Already, I have received kind letters (from friends and strangers) about this novel. Words so kind and encouraging that I would be embarassed to share them with you. Words that somehow validate all of those years of endless effort.
Well into his career, when John Steinbeck was a well-known, respected, and well-paid writer (he had already written [easyazon_link asin=”0143039431″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]The Grapes of Wrath[/easyazon_link] and [easyazon_link asin=”0142000671″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Of Mice and Men (Steinbeck Centennial Edition)[/easyazon_link]), he received a check for thirteen thousand dollars from his agent. He wrote back, “Many thanks for the $13,000. But remember the excitement when the N. American Review actually paid $90 (on the [easyazon_link asin=”0140187391″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]The Red Pony (Twentieth-Century Classics)[/easyazon_link])? Such excitement will never come again”.
Today, I will hold my first novel in my hands. Such excitement will never come again.
What a day! 😀
Steinbeck quote taken from [easyazon_link asin=”0140042881″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Steinbeck: A Life in Letters[/easyazon_link].
Cheryl Shireman is the bestselling author of several novels, including [easyazon_link asin=”1461026504″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Broken Resolutions[/easyazon_link], the [easyazon_link asin=”B004JU21YU” locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Life is But a Dream series[/easyazon_link], and the [easyazon_link asin=”1478153652″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Cooper Moon[/easyazon_link] series. She is also the author of ten books for toddlers including the eight [easyazon_link asin=”1475291531″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Let’s Learn About[/easyazon_link] series focusing on different animals and [easyazon_link asin=”1625660014″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]I Love You When: For Girls[/easyazon_link] and [easyazon_link asin=”1625660022″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]I Love You When: For Boys[/easyazon_link].
Read MoreWriters are weird.
Yes, I said it. Writers are weird. Let’s just face it.
In order to be a writer you must:
Isolate yourself from the rest of the world. Why would anyone choose to spend hour upon hour withdrawing from real life to, instead, write about an imaginary one. Think about it – the writer withdraws from loved ones, family and friends, to write about pretend people. Real friends invite me to lunch and I tell them I have to stay home and write. Very often, my imaginary world takes precedence over my real world. And it must. Or I will never finish the work.
Suffer from the delusion that to “be a writer” is the best thing in the world. There are two types of writers, and both suffer from this delusion. There is the I love to write but I don’t want anyone to read what I am writing type who writes in secret. She dreams of being a writer and would never presume to call herself one. Because to do so would be almost sacrilegious. She has no greater desire in the world than to walk into a bookstore and pull one of her books off of the shelf. She fantasizes about turning to a customer in the bookstore and saying, “I wrote this. Look, here is my picture on the cover for proof”. But the idea of that customer actually buying the book and reading it is threatening to her. Writing is so profound, such an act of intimacy, that it makes her feel too vulnerable to have others read her words. This type of writer suffers under the delusion that writing is a sacred act, words have power, and anything they write will fall short of all the glorious words already written. As a young writer, John Steinbeck wrote, “Now as always – humility and terror. Fear that the working of my pen cannot capture the grinding of my brain.”
Then there is the From the moment I picked up a pen and scribbled that first awful poem in high school I became a Writer and everyone should read and love what I have written type who loves the attention. This writer loves to write too, but they might love being a writer even more. They never fail to share their latest work with anyone who will read it, and they always find a way to mention the fact that they are working on a novel (even if that is stretching the truth a bit) into every conversation they have. They think of themselves as an artist and maybe they even dress weird to play the part. They suffer under the delusion that, as a writer and artist, they should be worshipped and anything they write is inherently wonderful and worth reading.
And the sad thing is on any given day a single writer can be either of the “types” above, depending on how the writing is going.
Believe in your writing ability with absolutely no evidence whatsoever. A writer picks up pen and paper, or sits with a laptop, and starts compiling words into a novel with the belief that someone will actually pay to read this combination of words. The writer may work for months, or even years, to create that novel. They then send it out into the world where it gets rejected multiple times by multiple agents. In the early years of his writing career, Steinbeck wrote, “I have been filled with a curious cloying despair. I haven’t heard a word from any of my manuscripts for over three months. It is nerve wrecking. I would welcome rejections far more than this appalling silence. My new novel slumbers. I doubt myself. This is a very critical time.” So, what does the writer do in the face of all this rejection? Give up and take up accounting? No. They start to write another novel. And the process begins again. Steinbeck wrote to a friend that he believed someday he would write very good novels. “The next one won’t be good nor the next one, but about the fifth, I think I will be above average.” Imagine what kind of perseverance that requires! In what other profession can you just keep plugging along until you get it right? Imagine a carpenter building one defective house after another, or a surgeon performing one failed surgery after another. The writer keeps writing, storing the failed novels on the hard drive or in a box under the bed. No one’s roof leaks and no one dies on the operating table, so the writer is able to continue writing. And keeps writing. Through rejection, self-doubt, and despair. The writer keeps writing. Again, the young Steinbeck wrote, “ I think it will take me two years to write a full length novel, counting the periods when I walk the streets and try to comb up courage enough to blow out my brains.” Even with his stunning mastery of words, he too was a writer who vacillated between self-doubt and self-belief. Had he given up, you and I would not know his name and the world would not know [easyazon_link asin=”0140186395″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]East of Eden[/easyazon_link], [easyazon_link asin=”0143039431″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]The Grapes of Wrath[/easyazon_link], [easyazon_link asin=”0140187391″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]The Red Pony[/easyazon_link], and [easyazon_link asin=”0140177396″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Of Mice and Men[/easyazon_link].
Believe that writing is not optional. The writer must write. Publication is a result of writing, not the goal. If my words were never published, I would still write them. I have been writing since I was thirteen. I have moved from house to house, state to state, been married, divorced, and married again, had my heart broken a time or two, lost friends and gained friends, achieved degrees, worked in various careers, had three children, watched those three children marry, and became a grandmother of an adorable granddaughter (don’t even get me started on her!), and the only thing in my life that has truly remained constant is my need to write. I have written words through the good times and through the bad times. I’ve put my pen down, vowing to never write again, only to eventually pick it up again with the same enthusiasm and fire. Just as being female is part of my identity, so is being a writer. Which I guess is a very good thing. I am probably too weird to do much else.
“When there is no writing in progress, I feel like an uninhabited body. I think I am only truly miserable at such times”. John Steinbeck
p.s. My first novel,[easyazon_link asin=”B004JU21YU” locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Life is But a Dream: On the Lake (Grace Adams Series)[/easyazon_link]
is up to 38 sales on Amazon (thank you Linda!). Woo Hoo!
All Steinbeck quotes taken from [easyazon_link asin=”0140042881″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Steinbeck: A Life in Letters[/easyazon_link].
Cheryl Shireman is the bestselling author of several novels, including [easyazon_link asin=”1461026504″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Broken Resolutions[/easyazon_link], the [easyazon_link asin=”B004JU21YU” locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Life is But a Dream series[/easyazon_link], and the [easyazon_link asin=”1478153652″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Cooper Moon[/easyazon_link] series. She is also the author of ten books for toddlers including the eight [easyazon_link asin=”1475291531″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Let’s Learn About[/easyazon_link] series focusing on different animals and [easyazon_link asin=”1625660014″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]I Love You When: For Girls[/easyazon_link] and [easyazon_link asin=”1625660022″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]I Love You When: For Boys[/easyazon_link].
Read MoreI have never been a person who has cared about money, or perhaps more accurately, I have never cared about having an excess of money. My financial goals were basically to be able to pay the bills, put the kids through college, and have some sort of retirement fund. I never really cared about trips to Europe, or lots of jewelry, expensive cars, etc. I mean, if you can afford those things, that’s great; but if you can’t that’s great too. They really just don’t matter. I have never had a single instance in my life where I suddenly longed for money to do something or buy something extravagant. Until about a week ago…
I was reading Elizabeth Berg’s blog. Okay, first of all, if you don’t know who Elizabeth Berg is, she is an amazing writer who writes beautiful novels about real women facing real issues. If you are a woman, and you have not read one of her books, stop reading this silly blog, go to Amazon, and buy one now! In fact, here is a link to three of my favorites, [easyazon_link asin=”0345423097″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Joy School [/easyazon_link] and [easyazon_link asin=”B003XLH2U4″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Range of Motion[/easyazon_link] and [easyazon_link asin=”0743411374″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Say When[/easyazon_link] (the last written from a man’s point of view) but it doesn’t matter which Elizabeth Berg novel you buy, just go buy one. Here is another link to her Author’s Page on Amazon where you can see all of her books. In fact, (and I cannot believe I am going to write this!), if I knew that you could only buy one book and you were thinking about buying my first novel, [easyazon_link asin=”B004JU21YU” locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Life is But a Dream: On the Lake (Grace Adams Series)[/easyazon_link]
, or one of her books, I would tell you to buy one of her books. Because she is a better writer. And you will love her. And you will then want to buy all of her books. And how fun will that be! In fact, if anyone reads this and discovers Elizabeth Berg through this blog, email me and tell me how much you love her. I would love to know that I introduced her work to you!
Okay, back to my story… Anyway, I am reading Elizabeth’s blog and I learn that she is going to be doing a writer’s workshop in Positano, Italy during June 11 to 17, 2011 – Saturday to Friday . The name of it is Amalfi Coast Writer’s Worshop With Elizabeth Berg: Scribing, Chef’s Kitchen & Writers Walk.
This will be a combination cooking/writing class held at a cooking school where Berg recently attended classes for cooking. She wrote about the experience for National Geographic Traveler and you can find the article online article here Amalfi Coast: A Moveable Feast .
Here is a description of the June workshop from the website:
Discuss and learn how to make your page come alive with Elizabeth Berg in outrageously beautiful Positano. While you are there, enjoy not only a marvelous stay at a seaside villa property hotel and the sumptuous cooking classes featured in her popular National Geographic Traveler cover story, but also enjoy a writing workshop. By focusing on character, place, and dialogue, you will learn what constitutes interesting detail. You will also learn how to select those things that will advance and help shape a story. You will return home with a finished piece of work, either a short story or a narrative essay based on your stay in Positano.
The workshop will be structured in this way:
- Every morning, the participants will meet with Elizabeth for half an hour over breakfast in order to have questions answered, and to discuss the assignment of the day.
- Meet Elizabeth each morning for a short briefing, and also four times during the week for Elizabeth’s 3-hour Writer’s Studio.
- Participants will have free time to prepare their finished (up to ten pages) story to be read aloud to Elizabeth and the group on Thursday night.
This workshop will teach you about what techniques work best for you as a writer. You will also have a chance to see how others respond to your work, through kind but honest critiquing. Best of all you will be given tools that you can continue to use at home.
Your accommodations are at a villa-style hotel located in the center of Positano overlooking the sea. This exquisite property, was the set location of Frances Mayes [easyazon_link asin=”0767900383″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Under the Tuscan Sun[/easyazon_link], offers private balconies for each bedroom facing the sea. Surrounded by flowered pergola, greenery and a common terrace that spans Positano, you will surely be inspired to write. Cool ceramic tiles line each large bedroom, with a private bathroom and shower in each room. Additional amenities include: hairdryer and air conditioning. Breakfast is served each morning, and daily maid service is provided for your convenience.
Okay, as if the idea of hanging out with Elizabeth and chatting about writing wasn’t enough, I read that John Steinbeck (who just happens to be my other favorite writer) lived in Positano in 1953 and wrote, “Positano bites deep, it’s a dream place, that isn’t quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone.”
I read those words and that was it for me. I started crying (I know – pathetic) and said to my husband, “Is there any way I could do this?” Which, of course, I already knew the answer to. We just cannot afford this now. Maybe we will never be able to afford something this wonderfully selfish and extravagant. So, I went into the bathroom, cried a little and felt sorry for myself, and then began thinking of ways I can market my book and my writing. After all, Elizabeth worked her way there. Her writing, mere beautiful words on paper, earned her that week in Positano. Just as John’s writing had earned him his. So, enough feeling sorry for myself and back to writing.
But, if the reservations aren’t already taken (limited, so hurry), maybe YOU can go. If you do, email me via the contact form on this website and tell me about it. Just don’t tell me how you and Elizabeth are now buddies and you have plans to do lunch back in the states. That would just be mean.
If Elizabeth Berg teaches this workshop in Positano again (and why wouldn’t she?), maybe I will see you there next year, or the year after that, or maybe the year after that….
And now back to work.
Cheryl Shireman is the bestselling author of several novels, including [easyazon_link asin=”1461026504″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Broken Resolutions[/easyazon_link], the [easyazon_link asin=”B004JU21YU” locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Life is But a Dream series[/easyazon_link], and the [easyazon_link asin=”1478153652″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Cooper Moon[/easyazon_link] series. She is also the author of ten books for toddlers including the eight [easyazon_link asin=”1475291531″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Let’s Learn About[/easyazon_link] series focusing on different animals and [easyazon_link asin=”1625660014″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]I Love You When: For Girls[/easyazon_link] and [easyazon_link asin=”1625660022″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]I Love You When: For Boys[/easyazon_link].
Read MoreWhen I started this blog, I promised to share the process of publishing an eBook with you – both the good and the bad. Well, my book [easyazon_link asin=”B004JU21YU” locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Life is But a Dream: On the Lake (Grace Adams Series)[/easyazon_link]
has only been available for purchase through Amazon for about two weeks, and there are already some things I would have done differently. So, as promised, here are the mistakes I have made (so far). I hope you will learn from them.
1. I did not submit the final version of my novel. The version I submitted had a few typos. When I uploaded the novel, I thought I would have one more chance to review the final version before it went live. I did not. It was not until over a week later that I realized I submitted a version that had not been completely proofread. Ugh. Fortunately, Amazon has made it easy to upload a corrected version and I will have that up shortly. But still, as someone who takes pride in a clean manuscript, that mistake was a bit hard for me to swallow. Perhaps a lesson in humility? So – when you submit your manuscript, assume that this is the final copy your readers will read. Be certain that it is your most recent version! Proofread it, and if possible, ask others to proofread it too.
2. I ordered my business cards too soon. I have not received my business cards yet, but they are already out-dated. After my book was accepted as an Amazon eBook for Kindle I was so excited that I put all of that information on my business cards – How to get to the website and even how to upload Kindle for PC and Kindle for Mac if you are using your computer to read your book. Well, since then I found out that I can also submit my book to Barnes and Noble so that readers can read it on the Nook. I then found out that Amazon has a service for publishing your book as a paperback. Now I have 1500 business cards coming that do not make mention of either of those venues. So – determine all of the venues before ordering business cards.
Even with those mistakes, I have to say this has been a really fun experience. I have learned an amazing amount of information about the world of ePublishing, and I have just begun to scratch the surface. Fun!
Cheryl Shireman is the bestselling author of several novels, including [easyazon_link asin=”1461026504″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Broken Resolutions[/easyazon_link], the [easyazon_link asin=”B004JU21YU” locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Life is But a Dream series[/easyazon_link], and the [easyazon_link asin=”1478153652″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Cooper Moon[/easyazon_link] series. She is also the author of ten books for toddlers including the eight [easyazon_link asin=”1475291531″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Let’s Learn About[/easyazon_link] series focusing on different animals and [easyazon_link asin=”1625660014″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]I Love You When: For Girls[/easyazon_link] and [easyazon_link asin=”1625660022″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]I Love You When: For Boys[/easyazon_link].
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I probably started writing at around the age of 12 or 13. I vaguely remember writing about a girl named Tony, which I thought was really clever. A girl with a boy’s name. Oddly enough, as I write this, I just realized that there is a woman named Tony in my novel [easyazon_link asin=”B004JU21YU” locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Life is But a Dream: On the Lake (Grace Adams Series)[/easyazon_link]. Until this moment, I never connected that Tony with the other Tony. But, I digress…
I started writing at about the age of 12 or 13. I think I had just recently read [easyazon_link asin=”0061374636″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]My Friend Flicka[/easyazon_link] and was caught up the writing of that novel – how Mary O’Hara had described the beautiful and rugged Wyoming landscape, how she had written about the characters in such a way that I felt that I knew them. I was so enraptured by that book that for many years I harbored the notion that someday I would build a small model of the ranch home so that I could “see” it for myself. What can I say – I was a weird kid.
Somewhere along the line I then came across [easyazon_link asin=”0440416795″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Harriet the Spy[/easyazon_link] by Louise Fletcher and fell in love with that book too. I loved the idea of writing everything down. Harriet wandered throughout the halls of her school and through her neighborhood and wrote down every detail about everyone. I started doing the same in a cheap spiral notebook. Before long I had a lot of notes, some of them very mean spirited – about a certain girl’s weight or another girl’s terrible acne problem. Then I made a mistake. I shared one of my entries with another girl from school. She then promptly told everyone about my “book”. It wasn’t long before the mother of one of those girls was calling our house to speak to my mother. I listened as my mother assured her that she would check into this so called book.
When she questioned me, I retrieved the book and gave it to her. I told her about Harriet the Spy and how she had inspired me to write my own book of observations. She went through the notebook, and began to tear out any of the pages that had any unkind references to anyone. One by one, she tore them out, even being sure to tear out the tiny pieces that sometimes get left behind in the wire spiral. The next thing I remember was that she was showing my book to this mother. Telling her that I had never written anything unkind about her daughter, or anyone else for that matter. The pages that were left were the harmless ramblings of a preteen girl. Probably lots of stuff about Donny Osmond and what I might be wearing to school the next day. I sat silently and watched my mother lie about my writing. A victim of censorship.
Even at that young age, I knew this was wrong. My imaginary mother would have defended my right to write anything I wanted in that notebook. She would not have even asked to see it. She would have told that woman, “My daughter is a writer and she can write anything she wants to.” She would have bought me a new notebook. Perhaps advising me to keep my writing to myself and explaining that the reading public can be fickle and cruel. And maybe even buying me another Louise Fletcher novel for further inspiration. Instead, she threw my pages in the trash and told me, “Stop writing in that notebook.”
I did stop writing in that notebook.
I bought another notebook the next day.
Cheryl Shireman is the bestselling author of several novels, including [easyazon_link asin=”1461026504″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Broken Resolutions[/easyazon_link], the [easyazon_link asin=”B004JU21YU” locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Life is But a Dream series[/easyazon_link], and the [easyazon_link asin=”1478153652″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Cooper Moon[/easyazon_link] series. She is also the author of ten books for toddlers including the eight [easyazon_link asin=”1475291531″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Let’s Learn About[/easyazon_link] series focusing on different animals and [easyazon_link asin=”1625660014″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]I Love You When: For Girls[/easyazon_link] and [easyazon_link asin=”1625660022″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]I Love You When: For Boys[/easyazon_link].
Read MoreI turn on my laptop this morning, check Amazon for sales for my novel, [easyazon_link asin=”B004JU21YU” locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Life is But a Dream: On the Lake (Grace Adams Series)[/easyazon_link] (over 20 now – Woo Hoo!), and somewhere along the way come across a website with a quiz on it entitled Should You Become a Writer?
Of course, I waste time by clicking on it. It asked questions like, How would you describe your ability to listen to others and Are you always able to effectively convey your thoughts through writing, and How do you feel about talking on the telephone.
I’m not sure what any of those questions have to do with writing, so I started thinking about writing my own quiz. If you would like to waste some time today, too, please continue to read…
- Do you have a callous on the middle finger of your writing hand?
- Do you think it’s kinda cool that you have a callous on the middle finger of your writing hand?
- Do you annoy friends and loved ones by reading passages from novels or short stories to them?
- If you knew today, for a fact, that none of your words would ever be published, would you still write?
- Do you think being a writer is a fantasy job and slightly out of your reach?
- Are you hesitant to call yourself a writer because it feels like you are bragging?
- Do you have a collection of rejection slips?
- Do you have rejections slips that you consider to be “encouraging”?
- Are you able to “read between the lines” and understand that those rejection slips are only a sign of your true brilliance as a writer?
- Do you tell yourself that only the mediocre get accepted for publication immediately?
- Do you secretly hate the two women who wrote the Harry Potter books and those vampire books?
- Do you have favorite sentences?
- At the beginning of a movie, when you see the words “based on the novel by” do you feel slightly bitter?
- Would you rather write about imaginary people that spend time with real people?
- Have you written a novel that no one has ever seen?
- Have you written two or three novels that have never been published?
- Are you currently working on number four or five?
- Do you sometimes think that if this writer or that writer only knew you, then you would be best friends?
- Are you a little weird?
- Do you love the writing but already dread the book tours, even though you still aren’t published?
- Are you able to work for long periods of time, let’s say years, without any encouragement whatsoever?
- Are you slightly delusional?
- If you were given the choice between ten million dollars or a published book, would you immediately ask, “Hardback or paperback?”
Did you answer “yes” to a lot of these questions? Well, then, you are already a writer. Sorry. It’s too late for you. There’s nothing that can be done about it. Go write.
Cheryl Shireman is the bestselling author of several novels, including [easyazon_link asin=”1461026504″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Broken Resolutions[/easyazon_link], the [easyazon_link asin=”B004JU21YU” locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Life is But a Dream series[/easyazon_link], and the [easyazon_link asin=”1478153652″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Cooper Moon[/easyazon_link] series. She is also the author of ten books for toddlers including the eight [easyazon_link asin=”1475291531″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Let’s Learn About[/easyazon_link] series focusing on different animals and [easyazon_link asin=”1625660014″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]I Love You When: For Girls[/easyazon_link] and [easyazon_link asin=”1625660022″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]I Love You When: For Boys[/easyazon_link].
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You have decided to submit your book manuscript to Amazon for possible publication as an eBook. Great!
But before you do, be sure to do the following things:
1. Rewrite. Although the thought of uploading your manuscript and having it ready for purchase on Amazon in as little as 24 hours is enticing, be sure that your manuscript is ready. Go through the entire manuscript and read it carefully. As handy as the spell check feature is, it will not catch everything in your manuscript.
2. Ask someone to read the manuscript. Give your manuscript to a friend or colleague and ask them to read it. Ideally, this is someone who enjoys your genre. For example, if your reads nothing but science fiction novels, you might not want to ask her to read your romance novel. Ask your reader to proofread for you and point out any errors. Another pair of eyes might catch typos that you miss. Sometimes when you are very close to the writing it is easy to overlook errors.
3. Write a compelling book description. The “Product Description” found on the Amazon page that features your book is, in essence, the same as a book jacket. Think of the last time you picked up a book in a bookstore. Chances are, you either flipped the book over and read the back cover or opened it and read the inside of the book jacket. And it didn’t take you long to decide whether you wanted to purchase the book. Use your words wisely and sparingly.
4. Create an intriguing book cover. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that the cover of an eBook is not as important as the cover of a traditional book. Your book cover represents your book and it should be in keeping with the theme and tone of your book. If you can afford one, hire a graphic artist to design one for you. If you can’t afford a graphic artist, ask all of your friends if they know anyone who does graphic art. Or contact a local college and ask if anyone in the graphic arts department might be interested in volunteering their services for the experience. Should both of those options fail, find a good stock photo service, buy one of their photos, and superimpose your book title over the photo. Two large companies are istockphotos.com and bigstockphoto.com.
You can do this! Get started today.
I would love to hear from anyone going through the process of manuscript preparation. Post a comment and let the rest of us know how you are doing!
Cheryl Shireman is the bestselling author of several novels, including [easyazon_link asin=”1461026504″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Broken Resolutions[/easyazon_link], the [easyazon_link asin=”B004JU21YU” locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Life is But a Dream series[/easyazon_link], and the [easyazon_link asin=”1478153652″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Cooper Moon[/easyazon_link] series. She is also the author of ten books for toddlers including the eight [easyazon_link asin=”1475291531″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Let’s Learn About[/easyazon_link] series focusing on different animals and [easyazon_link asin=”1625660014″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]I Love You When: For Girls[/easyazon_link] and [easyazon_link asin=”1625660022″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]I Love You When: For Boys[/easyazon_link].
Read MoreDoes a writer need business cards? That was a question I pondered as I began to think about ways to promote my ebook, [amazon_link id=”B004JU21YU” target=”_blank” ]Life is But a Dream[/amazon_link]. Traditionally, one of the first things a small business owner does is create business cards to hand to people to tell them about their product or service. My first sales were due to an email I sent out that let friends and family know my book was available. It included a direct link to my website and the book page on Amazon. But what about the instances when you meet someone and would like to let them know about your book? Or how can your friends and family tell others about your book in a way that will result in them remembering your name and the book title. Imagine one of your friends telling a relative about your great new novel. The relative goes home, gets on Amazon, and then can’t remember your name or the name of the novel. Chances are, they won’t bother to ask again and will buy something else.
A business card gives potential readers the information they need to look up your book. Imagine the same situation just described. A friend of yours tells a relative about your great new novel and then hands the relative one of your business cards with your name and the name of your book. The friend can then go home, get on Amazon, and find you immediately. That small investment made in a card could be the difference between a sale and someone forgetting your name. If you have friends or family members who are enthusiastic about your book, be sure to give them some cards to help them promote your work.
I just ordered my business cards last week, so I cannot tell you whether they are effective or not. But I will keep you posted in future blog entries and let you know how they are working for me. By the way, I ordered mine through VistaPrint, an online service that allows you to customize your cards and see exactly how they will look before you order them. In addition, they have other personalized items you can order such as sticky notes, tee shirts, etc. My husband ordered business cards for his web design business through them and they turned out nicely, so I thought I would give them a try.
Information that should be on your business card:
- Your name
- The name of your book(s)
- Something like, “Now available on Amazon!”
- Your website URL
- Any services that you provide outside of writing (editing, proofreading, etc.)
- Your email address
- Your phone number if you don’t mind people calling you directly
In addition, you might want to think about adding information for people who do not have a Kindle. Many of my friends do not own Kindles (yet!), so I needed to explain to them that there is a free download which allows them to use their PC or Mac as a Kindle reader. So, I added the following information on my business card: Read Kindle books on your PC or Mac by using the free downloads “Kindle for PC” and “Kindle for Mac”
Think of your business card as a tiny marketing device that will give your potential reader all of the information they need to find, buy, and read your book.
Cheryl Shireman is the bestselling author of several novels, including [easyazon_link asin=”1461026504″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Broken Resolutions[/easyazon_link], the [easyazon_link asin=”B004JU21YU” locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Life is But a Dream series[/easyazon_link], and the [easyazon_link asin=”1478153652″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Cooper Moon[/easyazon_link] series. She is also the author of ten books for toddlers including the eight [easyazon_link asin=”1475291531″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Let’s Learn About[/easyazon_link] series focusing on different animals and [easyazon_link asin=”1625660014″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]I Love You When: For Girls[/easyazon_link] and [easyazon_link asin=”1625660022″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]I Love You When: For Boys[/easyazon_link].
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Self-publishing means self-promotion. Out of necessity, writers must withdraw from others in order to write. Long hours spent in silent contemplation result in words written. As an introvert, time spent alone recharges me, so writing is perfectly suited to my nature. Promoting that writing, however, does not come as easily. As I work on understanding and implementing the best methods for marketing an ebook, I will share that information with you. Thus far, these are the primary tools I have used to promote Life is But a Dream. As I write this entry, the book has been published on Amazon for a little over four days.
Website – My website went live the same week that my book was published. Luckily, my husband owns a website design and development business (webendev.com), so that process was much easier for me than it might be for others. If you are going to promote your ebooks, you need a website to promote them. I would encourage you to look at the websites of some other writers, make notes on what you like and don’t like, and then start talking to a web designer. A website will typically cost you between $500 and $2000, depending on what you want, and is definitely money well spent.
Amazon Author Page – Amazon offers their writers a free Author Page. Be sure to take advantage of this. Write an interesting biography. Readers are curious about the authors of the books they read. Give them some information they will find interesting. Try to keep it fairly short and be creative. Be sure to also include a photo. As an ebook writer, this is the equivalent of your picture on the inside flap of a book jacket. Use the same type of photo that you would want to appear on your book jacket.
Write a blog – A blog is not only a way to promote your book; it can be a great way to help others achieve their writing dreams, or to connect on a deeper level with your readers. Think of a unique angle and focus your blog topics on that. Decide whether you want to write for other writers or the readers of your books. Then create entries with that target audience in mind.
Social media – Thus far, I have not used social media to promote my book, although I intend to. My daughters, however, both immediately started posting on their facebook pages to tell the world that their mother had just published a book (thank you girls!). Their efforts have resulted in a few sales already.
Discussion forums – At the bottom of most Amazon pages you will see discussion forums where customers can post questions or comments about products. On pages featuring books you will find an assortment of forums on a variety of topics. Use these forums to start networking with other writers and to promote your book. Be sure to include a link to your book with every comment you make – which Amazon makes very easy through a little upload gadget that is attached to every comment box. I have posted a few comments in forums, but at this point the description for my book is not up yet on my book page, so it doesn’t make a lot of sense to send readers there yet. So far, the title and photo are there, but no description. Amazon states that it can take up to 72 hours for a description to be included, but my book page has been without a description for about 100 hours now. Hopefully it will be up soon!
Have any great ideas for promoting an ebook? Use the “comment” link below and share your ideas with the rest of us!
Sales report – 18 books. So close to twenty. We can definitely afford a large pizza now. Fully loaded. Oh yeah, baby, life is good!
Cheryl Shireman is the bestselling author of several novels, including [easyazon_link asin=”1461026504″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Broken Resolutions[/easyazon_link], the [easyazon_link asin=”B004JU21YU” locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Life is But a Dream series[/easyazon_link], and the [easyazon_link asin=”1478153652″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Cooper Moon[/easyazon_link] series. She is also the author of ten books for toddlers including the eight [easyazon_link asin=”1475291531″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Let’s Learn About[/easyazon_link] series focusing on different animals and [easyazon_link asin=”1625660014″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]I Love You When: For Girls[/easyazon_link] and [easyazon_link asin=”1625660022″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”cherylshire03-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]I Love You When: For Boys[/easyazon_link].
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