_______A Measure of Success

This weekend, I went with some friends to a craft fair to see if I could sell a few copies of my books while my friends sold their hand-made crafts.  As it turned out, I didn't get a single taker.  No one even picked up a book to look at it.  Not that I blame them.  I probably wouldn't be too quick to buy a book from an unknown writer at a craft fair either.

My friend Celeste's picture of her table of crafts.
Those are Julie's crafts on the wall and table in the background.

The thing is, this made me realize how I measure my success. Writing a book, especially a first book like MomWorks or a heart-felt and creative book like EveryMom, is a lot like running a marathon: I measure my success in my ability to see the overwhelming task through to completion.  Now, if I'm able to capitalize on the success, it's just icing on the cake.

Right now, I'm still looking for ways to get my books out there and for new inspirations for future writing projects.  In fact, I just finished reading a book called I'm Glad I'm a Mom by a company called Hearts at Home (the "Look Inside" feature won't work here!).

This is the mission statement of this company: "Hearts at Home is a Christ-centered organization that encourages, educates, and equips women in the profession of motherhood."  When I read that, I thought, "Hey, that's my mission too!" At least it's the mission of my book EveryMom.  I know it's probably just as much of a long shot to get my book published through Hearts at Home as any of the other publishers that I have already tried (this company only publishes two books a year!), but I have nothing to lose so I will be sending them a proposal during the next week.  Wish me luck!

(PS, thanks Aunt Teri for the book!)

Update as of 12/15/09: Well, I finally heard back from Hearts at Home with a no-go.  They reminded me that they only publish two books a year and informed me that they are focusing right now on practical books that moms would look to for help in certain situations...most definitely not my genre!  Oh well!  Also I just checked both my book's sales on amazon.com.  The first book, MomWorks, is actually selling more consistently than the second book, EveryMom.  This is kind of a bummer because I think EveryMom is a much better book!  I still have no new book ideas and would appreciate your prayers for guidance in this area.  Until I feel inspired, I will leave well-enough alone!