Today on my way into town, I met the UPS man who handed me the proof of my tenth book Funds to the Rescue: 101 Fundraising Ideas for Humane and Animal Rescue Groups. I haven't given it a really thorough once over yet, but it looks good so far. I think tomorrow I can log into Lightning Source, approve the proof, and put the book into production. Yay!

I've just about finished the Web site for the book, so by the time it's available on Amazon, the Web site should be ready too. The basics are done, but I plan to add a video of the photo shoot we did with our dog Cami for the cover image. Let's just say that the wooly white dog was less than cooperative. (I posted the cover image on Facebook if you're curious.)

As you can tell, getting a book done involves a lot of planning, which happens to be the subject of this week's article.

Enjoy!

Why Most People Fail to Finish Book Projects

by Susan C. Daffron

The reason most people don't finish their book projects is not lack of desire; it's lack of planning

At the moment, we are having a thunderstorm, which means the Big Dog is panting furiously. He really doesn't like storms. I confess that I don't either.

Between storms and distractions, it's been one of those low-concentration days for me. I had hoped to send my book off to the printer, but it was not in the cards. As Scarlett O'Hara pointed out, "tomorrow is another day."

Along the same lines, this week's newsletter is about meeting deadlines even when you're not having a stellar day.

Enjoy!

5 Easy Ways to Jump Start Your Writing

by Susan C. Daffron

If you are having one of those days where you don't want to write, try out these 5 tips to meet your deadline

James has been telling me about this Google group for the last few days. He even had me write down the recipe for the vegan rhubarb bread I made from our first week’s CSA bounty. (The bread is mighty fine, by the way.)

Visit the Group

Anyway, we’re big supporters of locally grown organic food and are members of the Greentree Naturals CSA here in Sandpoint. Every Wednesday, I head down to the farm and pick up my bag of goodies. When combined with the produce we grow ourselves in our own organic garden, you’re looking at a LOT of veggies to use every week.

However, I’m proud to say that in the last two years, we’ve been CSA members, we have had virtually no waste. As we’ve gotten more into canning, we’ve figured out ways to deal with copious quantities of vegetables. Even beets! (James loves pickled beets on his salad.) I confess that the turnips and kohlrabi are a bit challenging, but we’re working on it ;-)

The Cooking Away My CSA group is only a few weeks old and already a community has grown. It’s very cool seeing people supporting local farmers around the country!

Today, I drove down to our local organic farm and picked up our first CSA of the season. For those who don't know, CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. You buy a "share" of a farm's produce. I can report that the yummy food from our CSA is one of the best things about summer. Tonight, I'm lobbying for a salad made from some fine organically-grown leafies to accompany dinner.

When you are a member of a CSA, you also learn where your food comes from and how much work it is to produce. It gives you a new appreciation for how dedicated farmers have to be to bring food to your table. They make an amazing commitment to their work.

This week's newsletter also happens to be about commitment. Book authors commit to a book, even when the going gets tough.

Talk Versus Action: Why Isn't Your Book Done?

by Susan C. Daffron

What people say often has little resemblance to the actions they actually take.

This week, the weather has been beautiful. I love this time of year. The last two weekends we've taken our kayaks out on the "big lake" (Lake Pend Oreille), and it's been great fun paddling around, watching wildlife, and soaking up lots of sun. When it's this nice, I confess it is really challenging to sit down and write much of anything. Even now, I'd rather be sitting on the back screened-in deck sipping a cold drink and listening to forest sounds. In fact, that sounds so good, I think I'll just go do that after sending this out.

So without further ado, here is this week’s article.

Enjoy!

Why Self-Publishers Should Write a Book Proposal

by Susan C. Daffron

Creating a book proposal forces you to think about the book before you actually write the book