Starting a Business during a Pan-Demic

What astounding changes! The year 2020 brought unexpected shifts to every family. Health care workers, government budgets, and politicians forever seemed to be catching up to events as Covid-19 silently and invisibly spread sinister small spikes, triggering suffering and grief.

Before the end of the year, the digital world had zoomed itself into a preeminent position. Students study at home, slumping on couches, sandwiched between homework, social media, and songs sanctioned if listened to in a regular classroom. Working mothers at home bounce between work assignments and their young children’s demands for attention. Scientists’ sleepless nights supplied statistics that resulted in new vaccines, even as increasing opposition to vaccinations became a concern to health officials.

In February, I completed the banking requirements to sell books in the USA. My company, Century One Chronicles, was launched. In March, I uploaded my first novel onto Amazon, expecting that before the end of April, I would organize book-signing events in May and June.

But you know what happened! Plans to gather with friends were tossed from Windows 10. I entered the digital world—big time-for me. 

Century One Chronicles is a business that generally would demand face-to-face contact to show my books to interested persons.

Now, as we come to the last days of December, 

I have a Century One Chronicles store on Shopify.

I am organized to sell books on Facebook, eBay, Amazon, and Instagram. I aim to help other writers publish and get their books circulating without going through the demanding steep learning curve needed when forming a digital store.

Truth be told, I would far sooner write a 400-page historical novel with complex characters than face the daunting task of managing the radio buttons on Amazon’s Seller Central and other programs. After weeks of attempting to set things up on Amazon, I am still struggling to connect all the moving parts.

However, I fell blessed. Elizabeth, my daughter, has helped me set up Shopify, my digital shop. I feel like a baby just learning to crawl; such is the gap between my present knowledge of the digital world with its thousands of websites and my limited skill base.

I’m blessed to have the continuing help of three persons. A great illustrator, Dusan Arsenic, lives in Serbia, and he does fantastic things with his digital brushes. He has created the first three book covers and will continue with the next books. Jerry Whittaker is my primary editor, enhancing the story-line and making helpful suggestions. Daphne Parsekian is my final copy editor. Many people read pre-published copies of my novels. I see the Lord’s gracious hand in helping me connect with so many who have helped me at every step of the way.

Two books appeared online as e-Books and paperbacks and are being circulated:

Through the Fire: A Chronicle of Pergamum, Heartbeats of Courage, Book One, in April, and

Never Enough Gold: A Chronicle of Sardis, Heartbeats of Courage, Book Two, in November.

In 2021, Lord Willing, I have three more volumes ready to publish, and in 2022, the last two novels in the series of the Seven Churches of the Revelation.

Thanks for being a prayer partner in this enterprise. I hope to send the proceeds from the sale of these books to help widows and orphan children who need to learn to read in four of the developing countries.

Warmest regards on these chilly winter mornings! Love and prayers for the joy of it all, David