Starting a company is stressful. Over the last few months I’ve been non-stop working, and FictionBrigade isn’t making any money yet.

The problem with being a co-founder of a digital publishing company is that during every possible free moment I’m using my smartphone, my tablet, or my laptop. Last week, while walking home at 10 p.m., someone called me out on it.

I’d just gotten off PATH and was walking down Washington, near Second Street. The sidewalk was empty except for me and two other people, a young man and young woman, who for some reason decided to walk so close behind me I could feel their breaths on my back.

“Yep, she’s texting,” the guy said. “Oh wait she’s—yep, definitely texting. Some people, can’t ever stop.”

I pretended not to hear him; it didn’t seem worth it. The couple kept following me.

“Girls are so rude,” the guy continued. “Why are they so rude?”

“Not all girls are rude,” the woman said, giggling. “I don’t do that.”

We parted ways after they crossed the street, and I can only assume they later laughed about how I was too absorbed in my phone to even notice they were talking about me.

Normally, I’d understand. If I was getting in someone’s way or crossing the street while texting and putting myself in danger, then yes I would have deserved those snarky, creepy comments. But since I was merely resending a text that I had pre-written on the subway, while walking on an empty sidewalk, I felt a little insulted. I guess that’s the price I have to pay for founding a start-up.

Not that starting a company is all bad. Actually I really love what I’m doing. In the past month or so, FictionBrigade has formed an LLC, redesigned the website to look more professional, and registered for a business ID so we can sell ebooks through all the major online channels, including Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Google.

I’ll start with the LLC. We decided to change our business model and start selling flash fiction ebooks. Each of our ebooks will contain 25 written flash fiction stories, plus art, haikus, and videos—if we have them. Now that we are an LLC we will be able to sell our digital items and file all the proper tax forms for our earnings. But there are still a few things to consider. A regular LLC treats a company like a partnership, which means that legally we have limited liability, we file our LLC taxes along with our personal taxes, and we pay into social security and Medicare. But, we could also request to be treated as an S-Corp, which would mean we pay a little less in taxes. There are some downsides, but I’m a little fuzzy on the details, so if anyone reading this has any advice, please email me.

Our new and improved website can now sell our ebooks. Once our first ebook is out, anyone can purchase it for $4.99 and download it to their phone, ereader, tablet, or computer. Our ebooks will be available in all formats, so you will be able to read our stories anywhere, on any device.

Now that we can sell our ebooks anywhere, we’ve been thinking about how to market ourselves more creatively. Aside from getting exposure at publishing conferences, sending out press releases, and emailing everyone we know, we decided to get more creative with social media. Instead of just posting status updates on Facebook and Twitter, we made a video pitching ourselves to Stephen Colbert**.

At the end of January, Mr. Colbert aired himself interviewing Maurice Sendak, author of Where the Wild Things Are. Mr. Colbert pitched his idea for his “children’s” book, I Am A Pole (And So Can You), which Mr. Sendak declared was “Supremely ordinary.” The two-part interview was hilarious, especially at the end when Mr. Sendak, wide-eyed and nostrils flaring, condemned ebooks, saying “They cannot be the future. They may well be, I will be dead. I won’t give a shit.”

My partner Bethany and I enjoyed the interview so much we made a funny video offering our ebook publishing services to Mr. Colbert. The video is meant to be fun and a way to honor Stephen Colbert, but also to attract attention to FictionBrigade. After two days we’ve had over 250 views, plus a few new subscribers to our newsletter, new followers on Twitter, and new likes on Facebook. Not bad for a video that was made in a total of eight hours. If you have two minutes to spare—the video is literally one minute 40 seconds long—here’s the link: http://bit.ly/xW6p3h.

Anyone else have cool marketing ideas, which have worked, they’d like to share? Please let me know!

**Note: This column was meant to be published in February. Since then, Mr. Colbert has signed a book deal with Hachette. But, we did get a few hundred views, which is something!