Back to school? I know, it’s November, right? Paul here and I should have written this post months ago, but I’ve been too busy. Well by now you’ve probably guessed that this post has something to do with going back to school, right? It does, and it’s me that’s going back to school.
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| Photo by Arjun Kartha |
I went to college out of high school and spent two years there. When it came time to choose a major I had no idea what I wanted to be (I still don’t) so I decided to take a break from school and pursue another dream. I joined the Air Force. I am in no way sorry that I did that, but I do wish that I had finished my degree.
Fast forward twenty-two years and here we are. I have gone back to school before. In 2007 I enrolled at my local community college to finish my Associate’s degree. I finished that in 2009 and then life seemed to get in the way again. Finally, I decided it was time. I enrolled in the Bachelor’s of General Studies Program at Eastern Illinois University. Guess what? Eastern is where I started this journey so it is only fitting that I return and finish.
The BGS program is designed for non-traditional students and allows you to pretty much pick most of the classes you want to take. It is perfect for me. I am taking most of my classes online and can tailor my curriculum to things that will benefit me directly. I’m considering focusing on marketing. I can always use help marketing my books right? This leads me to my next bit of news.
I recently completed the paperwork I needed to establish my own publishing imprint. It is called Shoe Shine Publishing Inc. In case your wondering, Shoe Shine is the nickname of a dearly loved, departed dog of mine. I do love dogs and could not resist the urge to honor him.
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| These don’t need a shoe shine |
I’m not entirely sure what I’m going to do with this, but I do know that I wanted my books to be all mine. I didn’t want the publisher to be Amazon or someone else. I want it to be mine that I control. Now that may all change if Pengiun or Scholastic come-a-calling, but since that doesn’t seem likely I’m thrilled with this arrangement.
Anyway it seems like focusing on marketing as I finish my degree may just help me in this endeavor as well. Maybe some day I’ll look to add other authors to my imprint, who knows. This I do know; just like finishing my college degree will mean less closed doors to me, having my own publishing imprint might mean the same thing. It is an exciting, albeit busy time for me, and I just wanted to take a moment to share it with all our wonderful readers and followers. As always comments are encouraged and welcomed as well as questions.
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| Click image to head to my Amazon page |
Hi Sher, congrats. I started after high school as well, did 2 yrs of my political science degree and like you “life happened”. I would later get my associates in electronics, I always told myself I would get my bachelors and will one day when time permits. Best of luck and Happy Holidays
Hey, it’s good to see you here. Paul is the one who’s going to school now, but his long journey to a degree, including the AF stint, is a lot like mine except that I went for a scientific and technical degree too. Actually, that stuff helps with editing SF, but Paul’s focus on marketing should help us both. Thanks for stopping by!
Hey, Paul, I have an author friend who did the same thing locally by making her own imprint. Lucky for her, she had a graphics background and does her own cover and trailers too. Her name is Tommie Lynn, in case you ever want to ask her questions.
Hi Sher,
That is great to know. I can use all the advice I can get. As I said, I’m not sure what I want to do with it, but the options are plenty. Thank you!
Paul
Its as inspiring as Mark Zuckerberg getting back to Harvard for his doctorate.