So I decided to create my own job...

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... because it seemed like if I try to get a job I am qualified for, I am always so awkward, I never get the job; like that would make me less qualified and capable. So, I am left with jobs I am overqualified for... like answering calls to refill phone cards and having to log off to go to the bathroom.

I ended up buying a little sewing shop with my husband, and have been sewing for a few years. Which is SO TOTALLY NOT what I love to do.

So I start my own company. Something I really love. I modified things and improved things and came up with different ideas to make it really really awesome, since HEY I am the boss and I can create something I can be really proud of.

Totally crazy. Put stuff on every credit card known to man, then opened new credit cards. I am up to my neck in debt.

The good news, I am making a bunch of amazing things... really, doing my BEST, pouring my ALL.

I LOVE working on it. I work on it during the night, on my free time, every chance I get, to the point that my husband took me to the beach and all I could think of was to get home and get back to work. That is love.

Am I making money? NO. NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT US.

I need MARKETING experience, which obviously is not my forte. I lack the schmooze factor.

All the money I make goes into this business. I spend all my waking hours on it. And yet, no marketing experience, and no money to contract a marketer -- it is really mainly me doing all the work. I hired a freelance editor to double check my editing, because I want to put only perfect books out there... but every penny that goes out, is so so tough.

Makes it tougher because with the economy, people are not fixing things or needing sewing. As for getting a secondary job, my husband (an ex-electronic engineer) and I moved to a really small town and we can't find any jobs unless they are cooking, bar-tending, nanny, construction or sales --- and both of us SHUDDER to think of any of these things. Give me a desk job PLEASE somewhere hidden away.

So. We eat a lot of beans.

I finally hired a freelance lady to help me make some campaigns for two of the books (she took a website design as part of the payment! Hurray for trading!); found some people to help me make book preview clips for our books; I am trying, trying really hard, but it may be that I am getting to the end of my rope here. I am not saying that I am going to give up on my dream; I am going to keep trying at it as long as I live. What I am saying is, with the little amount of sleep and all the stress of owing an arm and a leg to everyone and hoping that there will be enough customers by the end of the month so I can buy a new bag of kibble for my dog, I may just flop over dead.

But hey, look how pretty the dream is... www.brighterbooks.com

(Sorry about the yibber yabber, but I think I have had about 12 hours of sleep for the whole past week -- OH and this is where you tell me not to flop over dead!! !! ! Please! Thank you! Love you guys! It's nice to have a place where I feel at home!)

Congratulations!! ! It's the pinnacle for AS and NTs and everyone else to actually get THE dream job. I envy you and hope it goes really well for you.

Your website is beautiful! As part of your marketing campaign, you may want to devote some of your budget to SEO (search engine optimization) to increase hits on your website, as well as promoting it through social media outlets. It is possible to do SOME marketing without face-to-face schmoozing. I also had the same problem with my business...I didn't go to networking meetings or push my card into the hand of every person I met, so I had to rely on word-of-mouth for years to build up my business, which took just that...years!

Best of luck on your work. Have you tried publishing e-book versions of your books and selling them on Amazon or Barnes & Noble? Now that they have color e-readers available, your illustrated works might be a better fit with the technology.

Again, good luck! I admire your persistence, vision and VERY hard work!

Thank you for the good wishes, guys! I am so stressed out right now. I have a web designed helping me out, but they have been working on the site for a year, and they want to be "done" before they can work on the SEO...

It's funny; I thought I'd hire someone to do the web design, because I had all these crazy ideas, and my web design experience is limited to simple designs using the Wordpress engine... so I figured, if I hire someone to do everything I am envisioning, with Facebook-like experience, and a cool way to display the books, and newsletters, and a carousel for the home page, then I won't have to wait until I learn everything. Now I am thinking that if I had taken the time, it would have been faster. Also, the most important stuff they promised me have yet to materialize. But then again, I have been working on the rest of the stuff... it's so hard to delegate. They promised that they would work on SEO after it is done, but really it has been now over a year since they started! We launched in February! It's taking them so long.

I am excited about the color illustrations on e-readers! I put our books out on e-readers but haven't explored Kobo yet, and so far the color versions aren't that great... but that is my next step! The cool thing is I work in color, so even though the books have the illustrations in black and white now, I still have the color originals!

I had a really good night of sleep over the weekend right now I am working on a book about abolishing modern-day slavery, and it's almost done.

I hope we make it! I like this new job I invented! But the debt is scary!

So... I decided to get a part-time job. They have a general call this week for a call-center ( bleeech - what can I do), and I figure, they have 9 spots -- I probably can get in. This way I will have less stress paying for everything. Not sure how I am going to deal with my already extreme lack of sleep and feeling tired, but at least the stress should shrink down a bit.

There are a few books coming out that I am excited about! It's so cool, because I can never get bored... by the time I am bored, I am done and moving to the next one.

I wish every Aspie out there worked on something like this, that makes them happy and matches their personality. I mean, we need a break somehow, dagnabbit. Even if it doesn't work, it has been worth every penny.

congrats on doing what you love!
hope you get the call center job. maybe it will provide networking opportunities.

Nice site, looks like good products. Anything I can do to help? I have an invitation to a baby shower that I won't attend.....but I can send a gift. A book perhaps?

Hi Ynnep, oh! Too bad. The one book that would be perfect for young'uns is not coming out until the end of the year!

We are also working on one about a little boy with Aspergers! This author sent me the manuscript, and she didn't say anything -- but when I read the story, I could relate with it so much, I had to ask. Turns out her sister has Aspergers and the book is based on her! It's going to be fun publishing that one. It reminds me a little bit of "The Little Prince".

The interview is tomorrow! = P I do hope I get it, for bank account's sakes.

Good luck tomorrow! Keep me posted!

I'm happy that you are able to do what you love for a living. I hope that things continue to work in your favor. Congrats!

Hi guys!

I got a phone call today and I got the job as a call-center person! It ends in December, as the office is moving away from the city, but at least I will have a couple months to make a little money in the meantime.

And half an hour later, I found a large lump on my dog's neck. I emailed the vet and they agreed to see him for free this time. =(

I wonder why is it that I can't have anything go right 100%. It's almost like I am a cartoon.

aaargh! Hope all goes well at the vet. Congrats on the job.