It's My Birthday...

And I'll beg if I want to.

Okay, it's not yet my birthday. And I wouldn't call what I'm about to spend the next two months doing begging exactly. I mean, it is, I suppose. But my requests won't all be for money and you, my dear reader, are under no obligation to supply such. Let me explain...

A wise friend of mine once told me (repeatedly, especially when I'm fussing about something and not speaking up for myself), "A closed mouth doesn't get fed". Similarly, there's a Christian Bible verse that says,

"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

Matthew 7:7–8

And since one of the Leading Lady Challenge traits I'm practicing this month is a willingness to ask for help, I'm asking.

April 2 marked my one-year anniversary as a solopreneur (a.k.a. struggling artist). In that time frame,

• I've received $2,029.78 in business revenue,

• I've sold 14 books

• I've contracted with two clients

• I have 22 subscribers to my YouTube channel,

• and 38 people in my business contact list (22 of which are members of the Nowata Press Guild).

Needless to say, while I am celebrating those wins, these numbers have fallen short of the expectations I had when I quit my day job to go full-time with my business.

There are approximately eight (8) weeks from the day this post goes live to my birthday. In the course of that eight weeks, I'd love to have the following happen:

• Sell 55 books (either paperback, digital, or a combination thereof)

• Make $5,500 in revenue

• Get to a minimum of 55, engaged, interested people in the Guild

• Reach a minimum of 55 subscribers on my YouTube channel

Ways you can help me reach my birthday goals:

• Take a moment to join the Nowata Press Guild. Guild members get all kinds of benefits, from being able to download the first chapter of each new release for free, to having guaranteed early access to those new releases at a discount, as well as discounted and reserved seating at any in-person events.

• Subscribe to the YouTube channel. Be nice if you watched a few of the videos as well but just subscribing would be most appreciated.

• Share the website, blog, and or YouTube channel with any and everyone you think might be interested.

• If you've read any of my books, posting an honest book review on your social media helps get visibility for my work and thus, helps me find potential customers.

• Attend a workshop/register for a class. Check out the events page for upcoming opportunities.

• Buy a book if you haven't already (join the Guild so you can sample those first chapters). The digital versions of my books are $2 and $3 bucks.

• Book me for your next reader or writer-centric event.

• Hire me to help you bring your book to life. Whether for a one-on-one strategy session or help with editing and formatting, I'm available to coach you through each step of production.

Alright. That's it. I'm done asking (in this post at least, lol). As always, thank you so much for stopping by and spending a few minutes with me. Comment below with suggestions of how we can celebrate reaching my birthday goals.

And until next time, sending you love and inspiration,

Dana