I am much better at taking criticism now than I was when I was in my twenties, a time when every piece of feedback felt like a personal attack. My worst critique is still my own mind, always analyzing and second-guessing my decisions.
As I reflect on my journey, my goal as a self-publisher is to forget about the notion that some other publisher is going to do the hard work for me or make the process easier.
I sometimes lull into that trap, fantasizing about the ease that traditional publishing might bring, but I realize that true fulfillment comes from embracing my independence and creativity. My goal is to be able to continue to do it my way, crafting my narratives and connecting with my audience on my own terms, while recognizing that every piece of feedback is an opportunity to grow rather than a source of self-doubt.
Click on image to see my small books that are published Through The Seminary of Praying Mantis Publishing.
I would like to eventually print up, made from recyclable material, small books. Hand-held books. Some hand-held hard cover books some not. I love small books. They are interesting to me.
“A chapbook is a type of popular literature printed in early modern Europe. Produced cheaply, chapbooks were commonly small, paper-covered booklets, usually printed on a single sheet folded into books of 8, 12, 16 and 24 pages.
They were often illustrated with crude woodcuts, which sometimes bore no relation to the text. When illustrations were included in chapbooks, they were considered popular prints.
“The tradition of chapbooks arose in the 16th century, as soon as printed books became affordable, and rose to its height during the 17th and 18th centuries. Many different kinds of ephemera and popular or folk literature were published as chapbooks, such as almanacs, children’s literature, folk tales, ballads, nursery rhymes, pamphlets, poetry, and political and religious tracts.
The term “chapbook” for this type of literature was coined in the 19th century. The corresponding French and German terms are bibliothèque bleue (blue book) and Volksbuch, respectively. In Spain they were known as pliegos de cordel. The term “chapbook” is also in use for present-day publications, commonly short, inexpensive booklets.”
