HOW LONG IS YOUR WRITING “TO-DO” LIST?

On Friday, I sat down and started to write down what I needed to do to get caught up with my writing over the weekend. I stopped at line 15 knowing I already had more than I could accomplish.

When you are self-published author trying to build a personal brand, it’s easy to overwhelm yourself. After all, you are doing the jobs a team would be assisting you with had you gone the traditional route.

The good news is, things are starting to pay-off for me. Hard work is getting recognized. My latest project, The Bourbon Show, which is a podcast/collaboration with Evan Haskill and Seth Brown, is really doing well. People seem to really like it both in terms of feedback received and the all-important download stats.Also, the industry is taking note. We are lining up some incredible guests for future shows.

I honestly don’t know what the endgame is with my writing/online magazine publishing/podcasting career, but I do know it’s fun. Yes, I have a list of over 15 things I need to be doing right now… and I will get to them, but I have to say everything that is going remains something I like to do.

As long as it stays that way, and I continue to work hard, I’m convinced everything else will simply fall into place.

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Write Steve Write! is a weekly blog by author Steve Akley. Typically it is posted on (most) Sundays and features insight about his writing… though there is an occasional movie review or random thought post. It should be noted it’s posted as a live feed… no editing, no planning beforehand, it’s typed out on Sunday morning and the “publish” button is immediately hit. Apologies for any errors but you get this just as Steve thinks it!

Coming Sunday: More random thoughts on my writing career.

In the meantime, follow check in on Steve in a variety of ways:

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BOURBON BOOK ONE – DONE — BOURBON BOOK TWO – DONE SOON

Just finished my upcoming book, Small Brand America: Special Bourbon Edition today. I’ve still got the editing to do, but you can’t believe how great it feels to complete that last chapter. Writing my Small Brand America books is a long process involving research, interviews, writing and tracking down busy small business owners to get photos, logos and approvals for their chapter. I can’t wait to get this one in the hands of bourbon fans everywhere!

My second upcoming book, Bourbon Mixology will be done this week. It will feature bourbon-based cocktails from the companies featured in the first book.

We’re still a little more than a month from getting these books published, but these milestones represent small celebrations during the process of writing my books!

1 CHAPTER TO GO

I had an interview get postponed last week so I have one chapter to go in my Special Bourbon Edition of my Small Brand America series. One chapter!

The reschedule is set for next Tuesday. I should have that final chapter written by Friday. Normally, the editing process would start immediately. Unfortunately, my editor just had eye surgery so she’s out for a bit as she recovers.

Luckily, I started the second bourbon cocktail book. I can focus on getting it done and ready for a mega session of editing as we’ll have two books to look at.

Look for both Small Brand America V: Special Bourbon Edition and Bourbon Mixology to come out in late March!

BOURBON COCKTAIL ANYONE?

I’ve been blogging here about my new book coming out soon titled, Small Brand America V: Special Bourbon Edition. In fact, this coming week is the last round of interviews and I should have writing wrapped up shortly thereafter. The final product is going to be a fantastic look at craft distilleries making their own bourbon and their struggles in getting established in an industry dominated by titans.

One of the ways these small companies stand out is by connecting with their customers. One of the ways they do this is by adding value to their product by creating cocktail recipes with their bourbon. I’m gathering cocktail recipes from them and will be publishing a second book called Bourbon Mixology, which will share their cocktail recipes.

I plan on releasing the two books at the same time. I’m thinking the ultimate would be to have someone reading Small Brand America V while sipping on a cocktail they just read about in Bourbon Mixology!

BOURBON

Right now I am consumed with bourbon. Thinking about bourbon. Writing about bourbon. Yes, even drinking some bourbon.

Hey, it’s not a bad gig!

I have three chapters written of my upcoming Small Brand America book focusing on craft bourbon distilleries. I am talking to some really cool people. I have to say the stories of these individuals, their companies and their brands has proven to be fascinating thus far. The owners of these companies are passionate, adventurous, risk-taking and each has a unique take on creating the most unique bourbon possible.

Bourbon has gotten so popular the big companies in Kentucky, the epicenter of the bourbon world, have to cut corners to maintain profitability. That means there is room in the market for small brands looking to make their mark by delivering a superior product to their customers. I look forward to telling the stories of these companies and I hope you look forward to reading the stories from these companies.

Small Brand America V: Special Bourbon Edition… look for it in the spring of 2015!

MY JUGGLING ACT

No, I haven’t joined the circus. I’ve been busy writing. I am juggling three projects right now, though.

Here is an update on each:

My next Small Brand America Book – The next edition of this series focuses on bourbon. I figured I would go back to why I started writing… write about what interests me.

Bourbon certainly fits the bill.

I have seven companies already onboard to participate. My first two interviews are this week so I am rolling with this one. I am enthused about telling the stories of these small brands and the people behind them.

My Buddy Book – My first foray into fiction beyond short stories and children’s books focuses on two friends living on the Hawaiian Island of Kauai. This one is starting to take shape and I really like the idea of transitioning into writing a real book with the character development and storytelling it represents. Right now I’m in the process of taking the outline I developed for the story and expanding upon it. Each chapter is getting a full page outline where I am filling in the details. I believe I should begin writing the actual story some time later this month.

Coffeehouse Jazz 2 – I’ve done just a little bit of work on my follow-up to this first book in this series. I’ve identified a handful of songs which will be included in the second offering. Still, this represents only a small amount of the actual work I will need to do to complete this one. Even though I’m light on content, I have already completed the cover design and I have to say it’s a dandy. My best cover work to date (I design my own covers for my eBooks). I’ve included a preview of the cover here so you can check it out. Look for Coffeehouse Jazz 2, the eBook, to hit the virtual shelves sometime the first half of next year.

So it’s true. I am doing some real juggling right now, but so far I’ve managed to not drop the ball on anything yet!