Released from Purgatory… Mostly…
https://samanthamullinsfantasy.wordpr...
Today is the day! (Well, almost… it’s basically tomorrow in some time zones so I’m counting it, OK?)
Guess who just got the official message that her book has gone live on Amazon?! cue fan-girl screams, dramatic fainting, and at least three slow claps from fictional characters who totally support me.
It’s only been a little over twenty-four hours since the waiting began, but it may as well have been a decade. No lie. I’m pretty sure entire civilizations rose and fell in the time it took for that status to update. Especially since, in the meantime, my book got promoted on Awesomegang.com and featured in an author interview (go me!):
👉 Interview here
👉 More here
Of course, in the grand tradition of indie publishing chaos, the link to my Amazon page was totally broken because it was set to the Draft2Digital version. Sighs in author.
Speaking of Draft2Digital, I am still waiting for them to unlist my book so I can finally, finally throw it into Kindle Unlimited’s loving (and exclusive) arms. According to their message, it’ll take 7–14 business days to process, but emotionally? That translates to 7–14 days of existential hell. I’m now on Day Two of refreshing my email inbox like a caffeinated meerkat.
On the upside: Goodreads is updated ✔️, Amazon is live ✔️, and I remembered to breathe ✔️…
But you know what I forgot?
Only everything that makes a book look professional. Like the Title Page, the Acknowledgements, the Table of Contents—you know, the fun filler bits that make your ebook not look like it was published from a toaster.
Apparently, Draft2Digital had me covered with all that, but now that I’m manually uploading to Amazon? Yeah. Guess who spent the evening frantically fixing everything, muttering “D’OH!” every five minutes like a Homer Simpson soundboard. 🙋♀️
Good news: I resubmitted the file, so the actual finished version should be live within 72 hours. Until then, if you buy the book, you get… the cover and the novel. That’s it. No frills. Just vibes.
Will I be delisted from D2D by then?
Ha! Probably not. But hope springs eternal, and caffeine helps.
🎬 Author Purgatory Coping Mechanism: Bingeing K-Dramas
Because when you’re stuck in a publishing void, what else is there to do but emotionally invest in beautifully tortured fictional people with flawless skin?
I’ve been on an Asian drama binge (mostly Korean ones this time around), and I’ve got to say: some of them are absolute gold. The drama! The romantic tension! The plot twists that make you yell into your ramen!
And then… there’s Woori the Virgin.
Do not—I repeat, do not—watch Woori the Virgin. It’s the Korean adaptation of Jane the Virgin, and I had high hopes… which were promptly dashed, set on fire, and buried in a shallow grave of cringe.
Sorry, South Korea. Love you forever, but this one? Epic fail. Hard pass. Next!
😵💫 Questions No One Asked Me But I’m Answering Anyway
(Because I’m sleep-deprived, emotionally attached to fictional people, and legally obligated to promote myself. This is satire, folks—please don’t send concerned emails… unless you’re offering snacks.)
Q: How’s publishing going?
A: Well, I’m not saying I’ve completely lost it… but I’m also not not saying that. I’ve been negotiating with metadata and cover files like a hostage negotiator. We’re currently in round six. No one’s blinked.
Q: Wait, your book is actually live??
A: YES. On Amazon! 🎉 You can technically buy it right now—just maybe wait for the version with actual title pages and acknowledgments unless you enjoy the raw, minimalist aesthetic of “Oops, I hit publish too fast.”
Q: What genre is it?
A: Fantasy with feelings. And consequences. And at least one character who’s legally required to be morally gray and emotionally unavailable.
Q: Will this be a series?
A: Absolutely. Unless I die from caffeine overdose or spiral into a K-drama hole so deep I forget what plot structure is. But otherwise, yes! I have vague outlines and dramatic intentions.
Q: Where do you get your ideas?
A: Somewhere between emotional breakdowns, shower epiphanies, and that one notebook I lost in 2017 but still think about fondly.
Q: Should I read your book?
A: 1000% yes. Especially if you enjoy witty banter, magical messes, dramatic stares into the void, and that feeling of “Wait, did that just emotionally gut me?” followed by a cozy blanket of sarcasm.
Okay, that’s the update from this corner of publishing purgatory. I’ll be here, watching K-dramas, refreshing my email, and pretending I know what I’m doing. Maybe next blog I’ll include the character art slideshow. Or an excerpt. Or just me screaming into the void, but like, in a literary way.
💻📚🔥
(Pictures viewable in the link above)
Today is the day! (Well, almost… it’s basically tomorrow in some time zones so I’m counting it, OK?)
Guess who just got the official message that her book has gone live on Amazon?! cue fan-girl screams, dramatic fainting, and at least three slow claps from fictional characters who totally support me.
It’s only been a little over twenty-four hours since the waiting began, but it may as well have been a decade. No lie. I’m pretty sure entire civilizations rose and fell in the time it took for that status to update. Especially since, in the meantime, my book got promoted on Awesomegang.com and featured in an author interview (go me!):
👉 Interview here
👉 More here
Of course, in the grand tradition of indie publishing chaos, the link to my Amazon page was totally broken because it was set to the Draft2Digital version. Sighs in author.
Speaking of Draft2Digital, I am still waiting for them to unlist my book so I can finally, finally throw it into Kindle Unlimited’s loving (and exclusive) arms. According to their message, it’ll take 7–14 business days to process, but emotionally? That translates to 7–14 days of existential hell. I’m now on Day Two of refreshing my email inbox like a caffeinated meerkat.
On the upside: Goodreads is updated ✔️, Amazon is live ✔️, and I remembered to breathe ✔️…
But you know what I forgot?
Only everything that makes a book look professional. Like the Title Page, the Acknowledgements, the Table of Contents—you know, the fun filler bits that make your ebook not look like it was published from a toaster.
Apparently, Draft2Digital had me covered with all that, but now that I’m manually uploading to Amazon? Yeah. Guess who spent the evening frantically fixing everything, muttering “D’OH!” every five minutes like a Homer Simpson soundboard. 🙋♀️
Good news: I resubmitted the file, so the actual finished version should be live within 72 hours. Until then, if you buy the book, you get… the cover and the novel. That’s it. No frills. Just vibes.
Will I be delisted from D2D by then?
Ha! Probably not. But hope springs eternal, and caffeine helps.
🎬 Author Purgatory Coping Mechanism: Bingeing K-Dramas
Because when you’re stuck in a publishing void, what else is there to do but emotionally invest in beautifully tortured fictional people with flawless skin?
I’ve been on an Asian drama binge (mostly Korean ones this time around), and I’ve got to say: some of them are absolute gold. The drama! The romantic tension! The plot twists that make you yell into your ramen!
And then… there’s Woori the Virgin.
Do not—I repeat, do not—watch Woori the Virgin. It’s the Korean adaptation of Jane the Virgin, and I had high hopes… which were promptly dashed, set on fire, and buried in a shallow grave of cringe.
Sorry, South Korea. Love you forever, but this one? Epic fail. Hard pass. Next!
😵💫 Questions No One Asked Me But I’m Answering Anyway
(Because I’m sleep-deprived, emotionally attached to fictional people, and legally obligated to promote myself. This is satire, folks—please don’t send concerned emails… unless you’re offering snacks.)
Q: How’s publishing going?
A: Well, I’m not saying I’ve completely lost it… but I’m also not not saying that. I’ve been negotiating with metadata and cover files like a hostage negotiator. We’re currently in round six. No one’s blinked.
Q: Wait, your book is actually live??
A: YES. On Amazon! 🎉 You can technically buy it right now—just maybe wait for the version with actual title pages and acknowledgments unless you enjoy the raw, minimalist aesthetic of “Oops, I hit publish too fast.”
Q: What genre is it?
A: Fantasy with feelings. And consequences. And at least one character who’s legally required to be morally gray and emotionally unavailable.
Q: Will this be a series?
A: Absolutely. Unless I die from caffeine overdose or spiral into a K-drama hole so deep I forget what plot structure is. But otherwise, yes! I have vague outlines and dramatic intentions.
Q: Where do you get your ideas?
A: Somewhere between emotional breakdowns, shower epiphanies, and that one notebook I lost in 2017 but still think about fondly.
Q: Should I read your book?
A: 1000% yes. Especially if you enjoy witty banter, magical messes, dramatic stares into the void, and that feeling of “Wait, did that just emotionally gut me?” followed by a cozy blanket of sarcasm.
Okay, that’s the update from this corner of publishing purgatory. I’ll be here, watching K-dramas, refreshing my email, and pretending I know what I’m doing. Maybe next blog I’ll include the character art slideshow. Or an excerpt. Or just me screaming into the void, but like, in a literary way.
💻📚🔥
(Pictures viewable in the link above)
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