Wow, it’s been hectic. My last post was over two months ago where I told everyone about my newest book release. That book has been doing very well with consistent sales and borrows, but when I completed it I decided I needed a break from writing. I searched around for something new I might enjoy.
I had previously dabbled a little on the redbubble site, uploading a few t-shirt designs with no luck. Another author suggested I try the Amazon merch program to sell t-shirts. I applied but not much luck there either. Then I found another site that allowed you to design and sell lots of products, not just tees. They also provided some great training on how to do it. I thought, why not use my illustration skills to try it!
So, did you notice the title? It got crazy!
At the same time I started this new venture, I decided to refinance my house. The weeks following are a bit of a blur. Many calls and emails from my bank about the house, scheduling the appraisal, answering questions, signing documents.
On the design side, I set up an Etsy shop, reopened my Ebay account, became a pro seller on Amazon and opened my very own Shopify store. I created, purchased or updated over 300 designs and placed them on t-shirts, coffee mugs, shot glasses and more.
Sounds like I was busy, huh? Well believe it or not, there was more! The designs started selling!
In August I had 75 sales for just over 100 products. This was a great surprise. I really wasn’t expecting the products to sell that quickly. As great as it was, it created problems. Mainly because the sales had to be shipped and paid for. This meant me placing and paying for them myself, then waiting for my money. Some of the sites you can sell on hold the funds to verify the seller is legit and the customer receives their purchase. Understandable, but an unexpected consequence to the sales.
So to sum it up, whew!
From blogger to book author and now a graphic designer and online salesman I guess. Great part is I really enjoy it. I sold an item and the buyer contacted me saying it was for a boot camp graduation. It was special to find out how much it meant to them. A couple others have been special gifts for loved ones. I’ve even designed a couple shirts for myself. I may never buy another t-shirt I didn’t design!
I just wanted to check in and let everyone know how things have been going. I hope all is well with my blogging friends. I did upload a coffee mug with bloggers in mind. What do you think? 
So if you want to see if my work was worth it, please download my new book. Yes it’s a children’s book, but I promise adults will enjoy it too. If nothing else all the pictures and the different characters are pretty entertaining. It’s about three mice who love to play pranks (something kids today are doing a little too much), but these pranks eventually catch up to them in an unexpected way. Think about the story of the boy who cried wolf.
So it’s been a while. I keep promising myself I’ll get back into writing regularly on this blog. I just don’t keep my promises. It’s not like I haven’t been busy. Since I got into doing my books I’ve just spent more time on them and other projects,not even thinking about my poor, nearly abandoned blog that started me in the direction of writing in the first place.
I Am Author JED 