Putting the Cart Before the Horse...

At least he can't hit the horse.

Does anyone else ever feel like this? 

Sealers's Promise is *essentially* done and it is out with betas. However, that has left me with a lot of free time, which has left me with lots of time to think. That may not be the best thing in the world. 

I'm considering several things, and I thought that I would share them with you guys.

1. Might be time for another blog makeover. Yay?

Something you might not know about me: I'm NEVER happy with how my blog looks. Ever. Okay, that's not totally true. I loved the pink design I had, but I hated my header. I think that I Write, I Read, I Review has gone through maybe four? five? makeovers since I started it last year and none of them have ever fully done "it" for me. 

Since I seem to be headed in that direction, I wanted to ask you guys if there is anything you think could make the blog look better? I realize the biggest issue--a lack of consistent content--should be receiving priority. But that's a constant issue and this is a more contained one, so I'll deal with what I can here while I work to deal with the situation there. 

The problem is that I change my darn design every few months. I'm very torn over whether I should try hiring someone to design something for I Write, I Read, I Review or whether to give it another go myself. I enjoy designing my blog, but it always feels like something is "off" and I can never seem to get past that. Which leads to the nonsense I'm spewing here. 

2. I'm debating whether to release the eBook and Print editions of Sealer's Promise at the same time, or whether to stagger them.

Each option seems to have its pros and cons. I will be releasing a print edition--that's been my goal since day one. I'm doing that for me.

But I know, from talking to a lot of fellow authors, that eBook is what most of you will be reading. It's just the way that it is because of the way I am publishing. And I'm totally fine with that.

Here are the pros and cons of each option:

If I release everything together:

-- It will make me able to do giveaways via GoodReads, on my author blog (which I DO I love the design of--miraculous! But it's not ready to be shared yet.), here at I Write, I Read, I Review, when I go to events, etc. right away. Yes, most of those can be done with eBook, too. (Excluding GoodReads)

-- The whole thing is "done" and I will have reached my major goal. (To hold my book in my hands.)

-- Options will be available for people who want print and people who want eBook.

If I do eBook first and print after the holidays:

-- The book will be out sooner, likely reaching my initial release goal. (I want to release the book on my grandfather's birthday, December 11th. It's dedicated to him and that's a Tuesday, so it seems appropriate.) 

-- I can always do physical copy giveaways later and I can gain another, smaller, wave of promotion from the print release. 

-- I can take the extra time to raise the last bit of funding needed for this. (I need to get the back and spine done and I also need to get the inside formatted.) 

-- I can (*hopes, prays, but No Guarantees.*) potentially use some of the good things said about the book by reviewers on the back cover or inside the front of the book. (This is probably the biggest thing that is making me consider separating the releases. These would make the thing feel more 'real' to me since they are normally in or on a book in those places.) 

What do you think? 

3. Organizing the Sealer's Promise book tour and launch party.

I labeled the post Cart Before Horse for really good reasons. :p Think about this: my next post is going to be a call for bloggers to sign up for the cover reveal. So take a deep breath and relax. I'm not quite ready to get knee deep in this just yet. 

There are two things that I need to consider regarding this, and I would deeply appreciate your imput.

a) Should I organize the thing or should I hire a touring company? 

As with what to do with the physical copies issue, this is something I am torn over. 

On one hand, I have made friends over the last year or so and it might be possible to organize the thing. If I go this route, I can deliberately hire who I want for every detail of the thing--the jewelry artist I want to make a necklace, bracelet and anklet for giveaways, the design company I want to do my banner and buttons, etc. I can rest assured that any of the people I've met who want to be involved can be since the thing is not tied to a single touring company.

On the other hand, I am *not* a promotions guru. Do I know How to do it? Sure. But I'm definitely the sort who errs on the side of caution, especially with twitter. If I hire someone to help me, I will still need to get this under better control, but I will also have some support with this thing. (Which is going to be a huge undertaking either way. I feel the same way about wanting a blog tour as I do about wanting a print edition of my book.) 

b) Should I actually hold off the release, etc. until 2013?

Another thing I have to realize is that I may either need to move the launch into 2013 or have the tour after the actual book release. I am bad for wanting to do things and not realizing how long they actually take. (One of these days I'll figure that out.) 

Reading takes time and I still need to get the feedback from my betas, fix any major issues, sweep yet again for typos and errors. (I will find you all, you blasted things!) and make certain it is properly formatted. 

Any advice or opinions on this are extremely welcome. 

Anyway, all I can do for now is keep moving forward, do my best to make sure the cover reveal and Cover Lover Month go over as well as I can and (big surprise here) keep reading.