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 

English PP presentation notes

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

#Inspired

Hello, Everyone!

Enjoying your summer, yet? We don't have to be children or teenagers to enjoy summertime joy. The lightning bugs are still out there at sundown and the sun still shines hot no matter your age. In summers past I have found that it was easy to get sidetracked by the long hot summer days and the summertime festivities of bar-b-ques, lake days, friends' weddings, or the summertime blues. We find excuses to distract us. If you don't, good for you. You can read on about my midsummer refocus.

As summer came this year, I was thinking of ways to stay focused on work. Well, that last full weekend in June was a weekend full of inspiration showing in places I didn't think I would find it.

Thanks to a sweet friend and my sister for surprising me with birthday gift tickets for the last weekend of June to see Maksim and Valentin Chmerkovskiy, professional dancers known for their talented work on Dancing with the Stars. The brothers co-star and co-coreographed their live dance tour, Maks and Val: Our Way. As my sister and our friend headed to the show, I ws looking forward to an exciting night of dancing, and walked away more inspired and motivated by their life journey.The show was less about the men's physique and talent, but instead focused on their parents, hard work, love, and the fun they have living their lives. Before this experience, I thought I had a pretty good work ethic...afterward the show, I realized my work ethic needs more work, more hours!

After attending "Our Way", I was pumped to get started on a new work week! I was home catching up on the week's episodes of The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and J.J. Watt, defensive end for the Houston Texans' NFL team, was one of Jimmy's guests. Watt was promoting his new cross trainers from Reebok and talking about his work ethic which has made him the defensive player of the entire National Football League three out of the past four years. Watt's message is one that gives charge to each individual to work their hardest to be the greatest they are capable of being. Yep, even more motivation for me to work harder and put more hours into publishing quality novels that I believe can impact readers' lives in a positive and encouraging way.

"If you do the bare minimum, expect bare minimum results. You want to be great, work to be great. Nothing just happens." -J.J. Watt

Sunday night was the last women's gymnastics competition before the 2016 summer Olympic Trials which begin in mid-July. The hard work that these young women put into their sport is incredible to watch. As I watched, I was inspired by the way they put all their effort and strength into each event no matter how tired they got. On top of their strength, their determination to win a place on the 2016 U.S. Olympic team was inspiring! They wanted the privilege to represent the United States of America in the Olympic games and they were not and are not afraid to work hard to get there. 


Dedication, commitment, and sacrifice (even during the long and hot summer days) are what gets the work done. I think its best to not overthink our daily responsibilities. Just do the work.

Comment with your summer time work life inspirations!

#BELIEVE
Caitlin A.

Toccoa Tuesday: The Depot

Hello, Everybody!

How about that Super Bowl 50 game?! An incredible defensive game was played. Congratulations to both NFL teams for making it to the "big game". Congrats to the Denver Broncos for earning the Super Bowl 50 Championship title! Now, I await Opening Day. :) OK, that is my sports talk for this Toccoa Tuesday. I know you want to hear about Toccoa, the spot on the globe where I live.

Yes, Toccoa, Georgia is where I work my corner of the book world. My sales and customer service representative experience did not begin with Purple Butterfly Pages. It began a few years earlier when my uncle from England opened a British antiques store in downtown Toccoa. I was in my mid-teens and selling antiques from England when the opportunity came for me to volunteer with the Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber of Commerce. I did not realize the impact that the opportunity would have on my life.

The Depot: home to Stephens County Chamber of Commerce
Welcome Center, Currahee Military Museum, and Amtrak Station

Once or twice a week, I would be dropped off at the old Train Depot which had recently been remodeled to house the Chamber of Commerce, the Welcome Center, and the Historical Society and Currahee Military Museum, and Amtrak Station. I learned to professionally answer the telephones, send emails, interact with visitors and Chamber members as well as restocking rack cards. Looking back, I believe the biggest task I did as an intern, was learn.


A few years later, when I was a college student and a new small business owner as an independent book seller, I would attend an occasional Chamber of Commerce event. The current staff at the time was the same that I had interned with as a teen. I eventually became a proud member of the Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber of Commerce!

Last week, I met with current TSC Chamber of Commerce President, Julie Paysen, at the Depot and I was honored when she asked me to be an ambassador for my Chamber of Commerce. I excitedly accepted the enjoyable and challenging volunteer position! Happy to be part of the team at Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber of Commerce.

So, encourage your family members, your friends, and your classmates to seize opportunity! I am so grateful I had the opportunity to be an intern when I was a teenager! Learn more about the historic Depot. :)

Believe.

Caitlin

Proprietor & Publisher

And That Is Why It Is Butterfly

Hello all!

Happy Spring! 

Easter sunrise at Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds on Lake Chatuge

Hope you all had a wonderful Easter and spring break! Maybe you spent the spring break reading Their Inheritance? Hope so! I have had a lot on my mind the last couple of weeks and unsure what to write about and share with you all this month. For some reason the dawn of a new season brings with it a bundle of new things to try, do, and dominate. I have been blessed to be able to spend some office time working outdoors (thankful for my MacBook Pro) which led me to open up and share with you all in this blog the purpose of my choice in using "Butterfly" in my business' name . Out of all of the characters in the stories of spring, butterflies are my favorite.

Do I publish books about purple butterflies?

I have been asked many times why I named my book selling business Purple Butterfly Pages and my publishing company Purple Butterfly Publications. I chose butterfly to represent my business, clients, and products because I simply love butterflies, and I believe that butterflies are very similar to books in the way they come to life. From a pen and paper lying around to a manuscript to the publisher to the readers' lives, a book parallels a butterfly. A caterpillar is moving around for awhile, gets to the dirty cocoon stage, and magically turns into a beautiful entity to be seen throughout nature. Beautiful!

Every time I see a butterfly, it takes my breath away. A refreshing reminder of beauty and freedom and peacefulness in a moment. No matter what is happening in the office, if there is a butterfly fluttering by the window, I am reminded of the endless possibilities that lie before me. Like a butterfly drifting through nature, I believe a book is the same way. A book is able to be read by readers worldwide.

When a butterfly goes flying by, it is a drifting kind of way that is sure to catch your eye. No matter the size or how many different colors on a butterfly, you are gonna see it flying out of the corner of your eye. Once the butterfly has your eye, it draws you into its peaceful beauty. Butterflies have a stillness that persuades you to stop whatever you may be doing as it flutters by and just look at it and wonder. Wonder how something so beautiful came from a dark and dirty cocoon to a thing of beauty. When you stop and think about a butterfly's life, its freedoms are endless. The form is no longer bound to the ground as a caterpillar or bound to entombment by a cocoon. Instead, a butterfly is free to fly, explore, and BE wherever it wants to go while completely trusting its Creator to guide its path.

It is okay to have butterflies.

Whatever you are facing today, take a minute to step outside and look for that glimpse of color fluttering by! You might be reminded that after being through so much, the butterfly comes out the other side prettier, more peaceful, and more trusting than it ever was before. Ready to face endless possibilities and reach endless goals, the butterfly confidently flutters by. Believe in yourself and you can do the same. So the next time someone asks, "Do you have butterflies? Are you feeling nervous?", remember everything a butterfly is and know that having "butterflies" can be a good thing!

Every time my logo is seen whether online or on a book's spine, I hope it serves as a reminder of all that a butterfly is!

Believe.

Caitlin Ayers, Publisher

Purple Butterfly Publications

www.PurpleButterflyPages.com