Ever pushed send on an e-mail and then realized you weren't quite ready yet to do that?
Ever done things out of order while cooking dinner - you know, like steaming the asparagus (1 minute) before throwing the roast in the oven (2-3 hours of cooking)?
Ever added the vanilla after the chocolate chip cookie dough was mostly made?
Or . . . pushed publish at CreateSpace before you meant to?
I've done all those things.
And one of them I did just a little over a week ago.
It's true that I had copy edited, proofed, and checked, and re-checked my manuscript at least ten times, but I wasn't intending to push the final "publish" button until I had my ebook formatted, and maybe a book release party set up . . . ok, so I was thinking of going really small on that last part, but I was having some last minute daydreams of grandeur.
And the silly button on CreateSpace wasn't that clear. It didn't say "publish by pushing this," it said "finish with proof." Well, yes, I was finished with the proof. So, I clicked that button. (That's my excuse, anyway)
And my book went live on CreateSpace ten days before I wanted it to, and before I had my ebook ready, before I had anything set other than a request for a shout out for my release party.
Um. Oops.
So, that's bad enough, and then I ran madly around the web trying to throw up last minute blasts about it coming out.
And then, createspace alerted me to 4 spelling errors in my book. Aagh! 4 spelling errors - and in actuality they only caught two spelling errors and two "Tyreanisms" - words that I made up (I like to pretend I'm Shakespeare like that). So, I was in "crazy panic" mode and I fixed them, and re-uploaded the book, and then it went to "processing" which meant that it was no longer on sale after I just told everyone that it was, and I felt like a giant loser/shmuck/doofus/embarrassment to the entire indie community. Or as I put it in a comment on my blog on Sunday afternoon:
It's been a bit of rough go with some foolish moments on my part, and my lack of inner understanding of tech showing like pink underwear under a sheer white pant suit.
So I'm feeling insecure about my own lapses, and at the same time being egotistical enough to think that I'm ruining the whole world for other indie authors - how insecure and crazy is that?
And then . . .at the same time, I'm celebrating Dragonfold and Other Adventures. It's really, actually, definitely, for sure out now. It's a fantasy short story and poetry collection that I enjoyed putting together, and it is partly dedicated to all of you bloggers who have inspired me to keep writing, despite all my faults and mistakes. Thank you IWSG!
Available at Amazon.
Now, really, I'll stop talking about it, and get back to revising Champion in Flight.
Ever make mistakes like I do? Do anything out of order? or Do you keep all your ducks in a row at all times?
38 comments:
Tyreanisms....lol..I like that term :D
We're only human and, as such, tend to make mistakes...no matter how many precautions we take to try to avoid them.
At least you're making mistakes doing something you love. That should count for something, right?
A series of unfortunate mistakes.
But it's all fine now - no worries!!
And I don't think I have any ducks...
Yay Tyrean! Congrats on your book! Even though there were a few mini fires to put out along the way I know it was worth it. Good luck!
Oh Tyrean, this post made me laugh. (Sorry.) It'll all be fine. I'm sure many have made the same mistakes before you. :) (And many will after.) :)
Are you planning a blog tour or anything like that? I'd be happy to host you, if you are. :)
Congratulations on getting it out! I had to laugh at this post. I'm always making mistakes - always. So glad you fumbled through it well :)
It sounds like the kind of thing I would do. Congratulations, anyway! :)
Congratulations! You're human. :D
And congrats on another release, even if it was premature in revealing itself to the world. :)
I am so there with you. I blew up a query the other day with a stupid mistake. I want all software fixed with "Do you really wnat to publish?" pop up warnings...
Glad you keep moving forward. New to IWSG. Hi!
Oh boy, do I relate to this post! Those publish buttons, that cookie dough debacle. Yep. Done those things, so you're not alone out there.
Oh no! LOL It's over though. And yes, I have made some huge publishing mistakes.
I agree with you on that "finish with proof" button - that doesn't mean "publish" to me either.
And that pink underwear phrase made me laugh out loud. :)
Mistakes are a part of life. Congratulations on your book release! :)
Haven't done the CreateSpace one, but I've done everything else ... multiple times. It if were me, I'd freak out if this happened to me, but it sounds like you kept a cool head and rolled with it. That's what awesome is all about. :)
You are not alone.I have made all those mistakes. We are humans, we will make mistakes and later laugh over it.
Oh gosh, I haven't used Create Space but I can totally see myself doing this. Congratulations again on the book, in spite of the issues it's great that it is out there now!
Oh, that sounds like something I would do. I make mistakes all the time!
I have done that too many times to count, and now try to give myself time to sit back, relax and then hit that post, or send button. So often, I do it too quickly, so caught up in the excitement, and I've done it with grave errors that I see immediately afterward.
I've made unfortunate mistakes myself. One of the biggest for me was submitting the wrong entry for a contest. I still cringe when I think about it.
I also went out of order on my son's first birthday cake a couple of weeks ago, but thankfully the cake was still delish.
Cut yourself lots of slack :).
We all make mistakes so don't sweat yours. I'd definitely make technical ones. Congrats on your book and I love the cover.
Everyone makes mistakes, and sometimes the buttons we are pushing are not very clear....and maybe a better selection would be in order!!
Congrats on your book!!
sandysanderellasmusings.blogspot.com
Oh no! Well, mistakes happen but it looks like you handled them alright.
Congratulations on Dragonfold. There was a lot of excitement on my blog about it :)
Congrats on the book and it sounds like a scramble. I'm sure all will be well though.
- Maurice Mitchell
The Geek Twins | Film Sketchr
Woo! You've had a crazy time! Take a breath and relax now that it's fixed :)
Allison (Geek Banter)
Createspace is doing spellcheck now, too? Interesting. I know KDP is.
It happens, Tyrean. Other writers certainly understand.
Congrats on the new release! :)
I'm glad it is all well now, Tyrean. Yes, I've also had my moments so I can relate. And where will the party be?
First off HUGE CONGRATS on your AMAZING accomplishment :) But OMG you did make me LOL a bit. Only because I so relate! I do that sort of thing all the time. I think that's why I'm so hesitant to send out queries etc. I am worried I just won't have it right. I sent one all important email once, and I spelled my name wrong. MY OWN NAME! Well, I thought that the "unsend" button was a tiny miracle made for me, so I hit it. And later that day the recipient of the email sent me a message asking me if I really wanted to unsend the email. WTF? Stupid unsend button ratted me out.
With all that said, go celebrate :) You've done something I aspire to do. I admire anyone who puts their work out there. And I can't wait to go check it out :)
Meredith
Meredith’s Musings
I meticulously checked the proof of my book, then when it was published in print, my husband was reading it and found a typo. And on the first page no less! If you read Wardroids, don't be put off by that typo on the first page. The rest of the book is fairly error free. At least I hope it is. I'm afraid to re-read it!
Oh my this is why self publishing is just terrifying to me at this point. I am prone to these sorts of things! But wow, I really like your cover!
I haven't hit publish a book prematurely, but I can totally see myself doing it. ;-)
Ah, I can so relate! My ducks are not always in a row, although I'd really like them to be! I guess we are learning and building character as we go, right? Besides, if we were too perfect, we might make everyone else feel bad. lol
Happy 4th! :)
I've definitely hit "Send" too soon--too many times too. (Had to get the third "too" in there.) At least now I know who to blame for ruining the entire publishing industry. LOL
Yikes! I can't imagine how stressed you must've been. I can relate, though, since I make mistakes like this all the time. (Like, sometimes I'll upload art to my online gallery, only to finally notice I'd drawn a hand backwards or something, which leads to me scrambling to take it down before anyone sees.)
But anyway, hurray for Dragonfold officially being released! It's now on my Kindle. :)
We are all only human! & these things (new tech/sites/processes) do take time to figure out - next time you'll know what that button means. ;)
Guilty. But thankful for your post because I would have missed the chance to grab a copy of your latest work.
Glad you posted this, Tyrean. Because I'd love to support you and read your work!!! Positive vibes your way!!
xoxoxo
I know the feeling. What a great topic to post about.
Congrats on the release.
I like making up words, too. That's one of the problems with indie publishing: we have no one to blame but ourselves!
All - many thanks for all your support and your awesome comments. You made me smile, you gave me big virtual hugs, and you've made my day.
I've been by your blogs . . . but I can't seem to catch up on the comment stream at this point and I apologize for that.
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