My life has been full and rich. The time spent writing and promoting my book, “The Yield,” has been the scariest. It is almost completely out of my league. At the prompting of family and friends, I decided to self-publish the book. It sounded interesting to me on the internet.
The first round of editing brought strange wriggly marks all over the nice clean script I had e-mailed to the editor. She sent me a sheet with all the marks’ meanings. It was cumbersome and time-consuming making the corrections. Though I learned much from my high school English teachers, it was not enough. Months and rewrites flew by. I was getting comfortable with the correction process.
The gardens were calling me to rid them of the weeds. I turned off the computer and vowed never to let the weeds go so long again. Had I worked daily, the gardens would have been better. I learned to do a little gardening in between the heavy, tiring time at the computer.
I bit my tongue each time I had contact with the editing team. I wanted to ask, “How much longer? Is it good enough?” They were encouraging and, as I learned, I felt in high spirits as the pages turned into a book.
The reviews were positive. Short one- or two-page attachments became bedtime reading. The book could be carried in a purse or pocket and be read while waiting. Gradually the ideas turned into reality. I would be proud to sell the books.
This was another learning experience. How could we draw people? Stan said, “Jesus went to the places of action. We could do the same thing with all the fairs, auto shows and farm events. Why not go to them for the book signings?”
Friends and families helped with encouragement. Advertising helped. “We saw your poster in the bank, post office, at the grocery store.” They produced the book ready for me to sign. There was little complaint as they offered their book for the signing. I was glad they smiled and visited when the signing was done.
I was shaky when autographing at first. It was exciting that they bought the book and I could hardly sign my name without making a mistake. Thank you to all The Land readers, going the extra mile to come to the signing and encouraging me with your compliments.
May God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you rich blessings and peace-filled hearts and minds. 2 Thessalonians 1:2 TLB
Sue Peterson has been writing “The Yield” column since 1978 and has been a staple of The Land. She may be reached at sustan2@bevcomm.net or 1010 East 5th St., Blue Earth, MN 56013.
Matthew 6; Psalm 37:5-7
