As my faithful readers know, my forthcoming novel, A Bent Tree Path, is taking a long time (understatement of the century) to prepare! It’s with beta readers now, and I recently finished the cover (stay tuned). So, just to delay things a bit more, I decided to take a side trip. I created a guided journal for inner healing, partly because it will be a great accompaniment to the novel–which is sure to stir up all your deep-seated emotions and make you want to not only cry but also get healing for yourself–and partly to gain experience publishing on Amazon KDP with a smaller piece. Here’s a brief view of how things went the last few weeks:

1. I opened an account at Canva.com
2. I created the document pages, playing with Canva’s cool text boxes, graphics and such. Fun!
3. I downloaded the document as a pdf with bleed and flattening
4. I opened a free account with Amazon KDP, navigated to Bookshelf and clicked Create.
5. Once I read through options and uploaded the book pdf file, I received their template for dimensions and layout of the cover.
6. I went back to canva.com and created the book cover design by uploading the KDP template, placing pictures (used the free resize option found in my existing software to increase pixels!) and text in the right places, and then deleting the template from the design.
7. I downloaded the cover, saving it in as a pdf with bleed and flattening.
8. Once uploading this to KDP, they generate a preview. I waited, filed my nails, got a drink of water. . .
9. Voila! It showed up. I previewed it, making sure everything lined up within the margins. Yup.
10. I ordered a proof copy and waited some more. This was excrutiating; like 5 days.
11. I excitedly opened the box (see video of this momentous occasion in my last post)
12. Then I went back to step one and made corrections, repeating the process until I was happy enough to “SUBMIT”
13. Then I waited again.
14. Oops, KDP said 36 hours later, your journal is a low-content book, not a mid-content book, because it has lines for the reader to fill in.
15. “No!” I said in an email reply. “I put a lot of effort into the content! I didn’t just post lined paper. This is good stuff! Life-changing stuff! Did you read it or just let a computer decide?” (Okay, I didn’t exactly say it like that)
16. Then, realizing it was a NO REPLY sort of email, I swallowed my pride and went back to step 6, choosing “low-content book” instead, which meant adding my own ISBN and barcode (which is available at bowkers.com) to the right spot on the back cover, downloaded the new cover, and resubmitted it on KDP.
17. Again, waiting. It is in draft form, waiting for approval by Amazon machines/people–who knows?
18. I checked it three, maybe four times a day, and decided to blog this little ditty while I wait (yes, I am still waiting as I write)
19. And of course I’m researching more on marketing, author page, and other fun options Amazon offers and checking out beta readers at Scribophile.com

I’ll post again as soon as that book, My Road to Recovery, A 12-Week Guided Journal for Inner Healing, is approved! And I assure you, even though there are lines to fill in, because what good journal doesn’t have lines to fill in, it is not low-content. It is content that I’ve lived. It is content I’ve practiced with others. It is content that is therapist-approved. It is easy to read, and, unlike many other how-to books, it doesn’t repeat itself every other page. Those books, you know, the ones that tell you the same thing over and over again, and by the time you’re half-way through, you realize there’s no point in finishing it because you got the point on the first page? Yeah, those should be low-content books. This one is concise, reader-friendly, and oh-so helpful for anyone who is hurting inside and doesn’t quite know why. Or for anyone who knows why, like the #metoo experience, but doesn’t quite know how to work through all the pain. Because recovery isn’t just about knee surgery and addiction. Recovery is about getting back what someone else took or damaged. And that, my friends, is entirely possible. Especially if you have the Power of Love in your life, and especially if you get, and read and journal through, this book. (Sorry, had to get the plug in).

By the way, if you’d like to be a beta reader for parts of The Bent Tree Path, either comment on this post or email me. I’ll do swap beta reading for you too. I’m at jtwHeart2Heart@yahoo.com. Please don’t spam me. It will only annoy me and detract from my precious time creating books for the world. I won’t send money for your dear Aunt Sally or help you transfer your billions of dollars from India. I won’t even click to see why you sent me that video you think has me in it. Sorry not sorry.

With all my heart!

Joan T. Warren

P.S. My publishing company is getting a website, too. It’s not finished as of today, but will soon be another way we’ll share health with the world. It’s called A Book to Grow On, LLC. Let me know if you find it in WordPress!