SquarePeg Books

So I know that IWSG is 12 years old today, and I know it is recommended that one talk about when did you discover IWSG, and How it is Positively affected you?

But I’m soooooo Insecure, that I feel the need to babble on about myself, especially since I am not nearly so well-known as IWSG.

Maybe someday I’ll take off my flaming pants like a big girl, but not today.

In my Quest to eat myself up as my own little publisher of my own little works, I have encountered a number of tribulations that are directly related to my own personal curse:

I can research anything for anybody and find an answer almost immediately, but not for myself. A month of research about Google Domains before I bought a domain, for example.

In the beginning of August I bought a domain from Google, and proceeded to hyperventilate. As cheap as a domain is, now I’ve spent REAL MONEY on this writing venture, which means the dreaded “C” word.

Commitment. (Coincidentally, this word is also why I only purchase temporary box hair dye from the supermarket rather than go for a pro job)

Several developers recommended Google Domains to me. Google Domains even advertised that I could set up a website for my domain, painlessly, with any of their partners.

They neglected to mention that their partners would insist that I transfer my domain registry to them to do that, and Oh, by the way, you have to purchase a plan to do that, because, reasons, and oh, another thing: you have to wait 60 days after your domain purchase before you can transfer it.

No one mentioned that I would have to do any of that just to have a dedicated website that probably won’t sell a damned thing for at least five years. Not even the web developers I talked to, who all unanimously said that I would be better off with a Domain from Google and a website on Wix, because WordPress website developing is a whole different thing with a hugely steep learning curve than the freebie stuff I’m used to using.

Okay. Intensely frustrating, but I’m an aspiring Big Girl Independent Author. I can handle that. I can focus on other stuff while I wait for the beginning of October—like formalizing style sheets; cobbling together an operational agreement for a sole member llc (because it costs $money$ for a lawyer to open one of their stock contract files labeled “solememllcopagree.odf’ and plug in a few names and dates, but I know legal people who will proof read an agreement I generate myself without charging me an arm and a leg); cobbling together an NDA (because, once again, I’ve unfortunately uncovered too many stories involving someone losing their IP, so my inner paranoia is having a war with my inner cheapskate); editing manuscripts to match the style sheets; maybe sell a kidney; watch tutorials on using GIMP to make books covers; watch more tutorials on making short videos; gain weight from stress eating… you know- the usual.

Two weeks later is when I get the email from Google “oh, hey, by the way, we agreed to sell Google Domains to Square back in the beginning of 2023, and now we’re approaching the point where they’re actually going to take over, which means things may be a little bumpy for a bit, but that’s life.” And this may or may not affect my ability to transfer the domain until early December, we have no need to inform you of that, Per our TOS.

Which is odd, because I did research on Google Domains and didn’t find squat about that at all. I even read every word of their TOS and nowhere was there a note mentioned that Square would be taking over. After I receive the email, though, I’m able to find a ton of articles regarding this sale plan, dating back to January. In tech mags.

None of which showed up in my initial research.

And yes, I could just throw my manuscripts out there without a company name using a free ISBN from Amazon or another outlet, but Stephen King is incapable of writing a horror story that can strike deep into my soul like a real world news story about IP rights being threatened because of free avenues taken.

Which means paranoia and cheapskate are still arguing with each other about which corner, exactly, is best to trim, since a lot of LLC’s do not have Registered Agents or filed Operating Agreements or NDA’s without a problem, so what’s wrong with a free ISBN, and why do you need a DEDICATED BIG GIRL AUTHOR WEBSITE?

A need some aspirin and a paper bag, again.

Check out the Insecure Writer’s Support Group to see more writers dish about their concerns, their solutions to various problems, or the statistics regarding how authors overthink a rather simple situation.