So, I published a book. Self-published to be exact. It was a big goal of mine last year to finally take all of my favorite poems from the blog that I’ve written over the past decade or so, and compile them all into a book. Ok, I ended up adding quite a few photos, illustrations, and some handwritten stuff as well. Which all tied it together.
I started the “project” in May, and finally hit publish on December 14, 2022.
Although my eyes have grown numb to it from staring at each page for so long, and it’s really hard to write about it at this point. I can still say it’s a rad and gorgeous little book. And I’m proud of it.
So, if you want some sunshine to sit down and flip through, be sure to grab a copy of my book, Sunny Thoughts for Salty Souls.
You can find it over on Amazon, Target, Barnes & Noble, and Books A Million (as of right now. Just google the title and it’s cool what shops pop up. I just saw one in Italy.)
But, I love independent bookstores, boutiques, and libraries so darn much, and my goal of this was to get this out there as much as possible. So if you (or someone you know) own a bookstore and use Ingram to purchase inventory/books you can easily buy copies for the shop there (Just search the title or ISBN 9798218103859 over on Ingram). And they work with shops and libraries alllllllll over the globe through their global distribution channels. This is a massive reason why I went with Ingram Spark.
I just want to (hopefully) walk into a cool beach boutique or bookstore and see it on a shelf someday, ok? I’m working on my local library down the street here, too.
It’s a special book, and I specifically went with the most economical printing options (while still using color) so people could easily grab a copy or two, or three. One person told me she bought five. This is too cool.
The whole goal was this: I really wanted my poems, paired with some favorite photos and illustrations together in one tangible spot before they got lost in the noise of the internet and social media world. Which is getting noisier and more abyss-like by the day. And I think it all came together at just the right time. I still want to try out 30 more cover design options, but my husband reminded me it’s the inside that counts, and after flipping through it one final time, he was right.
Self-publishing is a trip, one I definitely am grateful I took.
Sunny Thoughts For Salty Souls: Poems, Thoughts, and Photos for a Quick Escape or Word hug. By Rebekah Steen.
Felt really good to type that.
Thanks so much for liking my writing all these years and for spreading the love.
-Rebekah
Available at bookstores worldwide (just putting that out there) And I’ll have some over at goldfishkissgoods.com soon too.