What Can I Say

When I started Lady Dragonfly Publishing, frustrated with traditional publishers, I couldn't imagine the emotional rollercoaster I was about to take a ride on. It takes more than just being excited about your book to keep you going. It is a long term committment. And if your not ready to commit to this, good or bad, win or lose, then it probably isn't for you. My company is still new, and so is my first book. I'm very happy with the end result, but it was not easy. It still isn't.

Luckily, I found an angel. Theresa Butler. As I was setting things up for my networking, I was on myspace and she sent me a friend request. I added her, but was too busy to take a look at her profile. I really should have, because it would have saved me so much time and frustration. It wasn't until later that I took time to look at her page and I realized we had so much in common. We were both authors, turned publishers, and our books were about to be released within a week of each other. However, my book release was not as successful as hers. I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong, so I started following her around the web. There's no other way to say it. I'm ashamed to say this but at times I felt like a virtual stalker. I read her blogs, went to her marketing communities, and social networking, and what I found was a phenominal woman. She was so willing to help others. In all of her blogs she never failed to mention what worked for her, and that began to be my guide. Finally, I reached out to her, and told her how much she inspired me, and told her this story. I wasn't sure of what her reaction would be. I didn't want to scare her away and cause her to stop sharing her story because someone was actually listening. It wasn't much of a surprise, when in response, she shared even more with me. Amazing!

Most people that find success, even just a little, tend to keep it to themselves for fear of someone using their methods and doing better. She never held anything back. On top of that, her book concept, Simon Says is phenominal. I was begining to get frustrated but she inspired me to try new routes and revamp and reorganize my plan. Sticking with a plan that isn't working for you, just because its 'the' plan, is harmful to your vision. It's just as harmful as quiting just because its not working. The whole point is don't quit. What I've learned is it doesn't matter if your plan doesn't work. It's continuing the path even if there is a detour. Stay positive, you'll soon get right back on track.