The Process

Hello, Everyone!

~ He knows what is on the next page. We don't have to know. We just need to trust and turn the page. ~

In June 2010, I had just left a job as a barista; was

business law homework 

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celebrating my younger sister's high school graduation; was celebrating my mother's recent book publication; and was taking summer classes at NGTC. Needless to say, my life has never been tame. My summer classes that quarter (yes, this was before NGTC moved to semesters) were business law, english, and marketing. I had no idea what kind of job I wanted to end up with or what industry I was headed, but I loved learning from these classes and instructors. I completed my homework assignments with the idea that I would manage a bakery with my younger sister who was about to begin college as a Culinary Arts major. It was toward the end of this summer quarter when an opportunity to sell and promote products became crystal clear.  I started Purple Butterfly Pages seven years ago to sell and promote the book my mother had written and was recently published at the time. I switched gears from guessing I would work as a manager in my sister's bakery to being in the book sales industry.

Purple Butterfly Publications 

is a business aiming to publish quality novels that we believe in and know that readers will benefit from in a positive way. We strive to help produce and promote literature that inspires, comforts, and entertains.

A brief summary of Purple Butterfly Pages before I began publishing division: Purple Butterfly Publications in September 2013. My company scheduled book signings, festival appearances, and speaking engagements for PBP's featured author, Stephanie Townsend Ayers, my mother. Since I started publishing, the work has been different. Because I published an ebook, Their Inheritance, the work I do in sales & marketing is different than face-to-face sales. This required me to switch to mostly online work.

While the author works on writing and bringing an encouraging read to life, I work on the potential marketing plan. The book market changes frequently. Once the author is finished writing, it takes a move to the editing department. The editing process includes editing of grammar, story flow, and overall story coherence. Once the editing is complete, it is the creative department's turn! The book's formatting steps include setting the margins, putting the paragraph separator symbols in place, the credits page, the copyright page, the contents page (if included). The cover art is also part of the creativity process. The placement of the ISBN number is also part of the book cover creation.


Boom! The book is edited, formatted, and looks great then it is published and ready to sell. I work all departments of my publishing company. The different processes can be time consuming, but unquestionably rewarding.
Now you have an idea of what I do in my corner of book world. 

***questions, comments, and shares are all welcome***

Believe.

Caitlin,

Proprietor & Publisher

Happy Birthday, Purple Butterfly Pages!

Hello everyone! 

Since June marks five years since I stated Purple Butterfly Pages, I wanted to answer some questions in this month's post that you have had about my book retail business, Purple Butterfly Pages, and recap the journey so far!

When I found out that Momma's book was going to be published in the summer of 2010 I was proud and ecstatic for my mother, but I did not know God was going to use me to get the book to readers worldwide. As a college freshman majoring in Applied Business at the time, I knew I could sell my mom's books. I knew her and her work, 'Alexandra: A Williams Family Journal', better than any other book retailer. My niche was knowing the personal side of 'Alexandra' and its author. I had a sales angle that nobody else had. I started Purple Butterfly Pages. I was not in any place to open a store front so I started a website. With a printed book, I realized I wanted to give its readers the opportunity to do more than purchase the book online and wait for it to arrive in the mail. Momma was willing to travel for book signings; so we set up dates around her home state of North Carolina and locally, in Georgia. For the next couple of years, I focused mainly on school while I continued to sell books.

"When I found out that Momma's book was going to be published I was proud and ecstatic for my mother. I did not know God was going to use me to get the book to readers worldwide."

Time to Grow

After the adverse ending of Momma's contract, I knew I could make her work as an author more than it had been. In deciding whether or not to reprint 'Alexandra' or to go straight to ebook, I decided to rerelease under a new title and published the book electronically. I expanded Purple Butterfly Pages with Purple Butterfly Publications and 'Their Inheritance' was born. I was going to publish Momma's book in ebook form! That publishing process involved finding the best ebook market for 'Their Inheritance'. I chose Amazon's Kindle. I found it the best fit for my company. The publishing process has been a learning experience as is any time of risk and growth. (Just like a caterpillar's transformation into a butterfly). By becoming a publisher, I added editing, layout designing, and a whole new level of marketing and promotions to my responsibilities.
I love doing it all. 

  For the Author

   I wanted to publish books because I saw the lack of control that an author can have over their     "child". Most publishing companies allow very little, if any, author involvement in the layout and  creative design of their books. I chose not to close out the author from her work. I believe in the vision of artists. To truly get the entire story and most beautiful results, I believe the author needs to be involved in most every aspect of their "child's" life changes. Momma was involved in the publishing process of her 'baby'. I am glad she was. I believe the readers of 'Their Inheritance' can feel a stronger connection and relate more to the story because the author was more involved in the creative processes.

To the Next Five years!

As I continue to work to spread 'Their Inheritance' to its worldwide market, I want to let everyone know what is coming up next. More books are in the works for Purple Butterfly Publications! The future of PBPublications will contain more stories from Stephanie Townsend Ayers a.k.a. Momma and other authors being added to the list of featured authors over the next several years.

"THANK YOU!" 

I thank you all for supporting me and my "featured author", Momma! To all of you I met at festivals, book signings, speaking events: Thank you! To everyone who has bought a book through Purple Butterfly Pages: Thank you! I could not attempt to make a difference in this world without the support of you all. Thank you for being a part of my Butterfly journey.

If I did not answer your question, so sorry! Ask me anytime!

Caitlin Ayers
Proprietor & Publisher
Purple Butterfly Pages & Purple Butterfly Publications
www.PurpleButterflyPages.com