Diamond in the Rough

by Evelyn Laurine Gresham
(Magnolia, NJ, US)

African American Picture Book

print on demand from xlibris

i have been writing poetry and children's stories since i was young. i tried sending my stories to conventional publishers only to be rejected many times over.

when i was in college i had to do a class project. i had to make up a story and read it to the class. so i decided to use one of my children's stories. when i was done the whole class asked me why i did not publish the story. it got me to thinking, i should try to self publish.

right around the time i thought about doing so i got very sick and had to apply for permanent disability. it was a hard time in my life and my stories just sat there, never to be seen.

two years later i got approved for disability and they gave me money that was due me for two whole years. so i stepped out on faith and took some of the money to pay for my book.

i designed the whole book myself and discovered i can draw so i drew all the illustrations also. i really enjoyed the creative part of putting the book together. i also didn't realize how much it cost you everytime you made a mistake. it taught me to proof read ahead of time.

marketing has been the most challenging for me. because i am disabled and can not get out to advertise my book i try to do it online i have a wonderful website and my biggest dream is to sell my book online from home.

you need money to advertise. my first step was looking into ways to advertise for free on line. i market on places like, myspace, facebook, craigslist, etc. i'm striving to learn more and more about internet business and i don't ever regret any of it. i am living my dream!

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