Hi Subscriber,
I hope you had a wonderful time with family this week and got in a little rest before you started tackling that list of New Years resolutions.
Each year, I compose a 3-part list that helps guide me in making decisions for the year ahead. Three questions, three lists.
What went well? Gallery work, first solo show, some exciting commissions, a delightful series started,..etc.
What went, eh...not so well? Serious struggle publishing my book.
What can I do to fix what didn't go so well?
Ah, now THAT's what I'm about to share with you.
I am publishing Memoirs Of A Lastling, just not in the way I had intended.
WHY?
First, the style in which I write seems to drive self-editing apps crazy and me along with. It's not about being lazy. If I were writing for a science journal or a self-help book, I would accept the auto-correction. But I write the way I think and speak, for fun and family.
That seems to be the thing people enjoy in my stories. Not giving that up!
Second, the cost to self-publish a book requires more up-front cost and technical skill than my budget or brain can handle, no matter what platform I've tried....always those hidden fees.
If you know someone who has published a book, then you know they very likely spent a small fortune up front to make that happen, knowing it might be a very long time before they recoup those costs. I just can't make myself go there.
Finally, Every time I thought I'd finished adding stories, another would pop into my head. Now how can I publish a finished book when it keeps un-finishing itself?
It got me thinking...a book isn't the only way to publish! In fact, I researched the following plan rigorously before finalizing it.
This is my way around all of these roadblocks, and I'm ready to publish right now!
Welcome to my:
"Art & Story Print Club."
Imagine going to your mailbox and there among the stack of bills and spammy junk is an honest-to-goodness letter written by a real person with actual touchable treasures inside for you to enjoy.
You open it eagerly and find a small hand-signed art print suitable for framing, a fun story, a personal note, and a couple of hand-made surprises, all created by someone whose work you already love and for less than the price of one mini-print alone.
What a fun thing to look forward to!
A subscription runs $12 per month for 12 months and you can renew at the end of that or cancel any time during. I've already had a couple of friends test this out and they were delighted with it!
By the end of 2026, you could have collected twelve different fine art prints, some artsy bookmarks, some packets of art stickers, some personalized surprises to keep or give as gifts, and twelve of the full-length stories from Memoirs Of A Lastling.
I am limiting membership to 30 people for now and will gradually open it up to more as we go forward.
I'm all set to mail out the first official batch next week.
Are you in?
(I have something extra for everyone who subscribes before that first mailing).
Click HERE to get your membership started.
You already know how I love to create for people. This is shaping up to be the most delightful year yet!
May your 2026 be filled with birdsong!!
Jan
P.S. The Strada Easel Challenge has officially begun.
Sizes will range between 4" - 8."
