Author: selfpublishingadvisor

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ORIGINAL BOOK REVIEW: “Rambling with Milton” by Richard Siciliano

OFFICIAL DESCRIPTION*:

After a long, successful career as the author of an esoteric newspaper column, “Rambling With Milton,” Jock Petitte finds himself unfulfilled and at loose ends. Two failed marriages have not diminished his romantic ideals or his youthful desire to become an actor, so he begins to compose one-man plays based upon historical events and to perform them at senior centers and retirement homes.

Prudence Rogers, beautiful and intelligent, has struggled with clinical depression and chronic anxiety throughout her life. When Jock meets her at the rehabilitation facility where she is recovering from an overdose and he is performing a Christmas play, he is instantly smitten. Rambling with Milton is the deeply touching story of their romance and their attempt to save each other and themselves.

REVIEW:

Rambling with Milton opens with a most unique dedication, which informs readers that the book was inspired by and contains excerpts from Senator Charles Sumner’s “Rape of Kansas” speech on the Senate Floor in 1856. This speech, also known as the “Crime of Kansas” speech, was delivered by Sumner in response to what was called the “Bleeding Kansas” crisis, a series of deadly disputes over the boundaries and slavery-related policies of Kansas. (There’s a lot of history here, and I went way down the rabbit hole on Wikipedia reading up on the context.) Sumner, a fiery abolitionist, specifically denounced one specific (and influential) slave-holder, who happened to be directly related to another senator, Preston Brooks, who went the extra mile in supporting South Carolina’s own official stance on politics––by viciously attacking Sumner on the Senate floor and stopping barely short of killing Sumner. The incident helped inflame the intense emotions and political devisions of the wider American population in the years leading up to the Civil War. The event was considered symbolic in 1856, and Richard Siciliano utilizes excerpts from Sumner’s speech symbolically in Rambling with Milton in 2020.

With such an opening, you can be certain that I was hooked … even before I’d started the first page! If there’s something that I love, it’s a great historic textual reference, and even more specifically, a reference to an historic speech, as well as a reference to abolition, the Founding Fathers, and the hard work of shaping a new way of living. That I happen to be rewatching the drama John Adams on dvd with my father for the third time (a number that does not include my own personal private rewatches) is completely incidental. (Ha.)

I am happy to report that Rambling with Milton more than lives up to its source material. And for those coming from the same place as me––not quite convinced that there’s a romance book out there for you––I would argue that this book is the perfect introduction. It’s a beautifully written, incredibly detailed, and thoroughly compelling novel about triumphing in the midst of a truly difficult moment of life. It follows many characters, but centers on Prudence and Jock, who meet when he is living the life of a starving artist, performing one-man plays at community centers like retirement homes––and rehabilitation facilities. It is at one of these rehabilitation facilities where he stumbles across Prudence, a patient recovering from an overdose. He, an author whose bestseller days are far behind them, connects with her, a former librarian who remembers having seen his book on one of the library’s displays, and read his newspaper column “Rambling with Milton”––way back in the days before they became who they are at the book’s start: two people very far from the golden days of youth.

But, having found each other, they also find that their lives are filled with opportunities they had never before expected, and that there is still the possibility of finding joy, no matter how difficult the present moment. Having found each other, they find a way forward. What follows is itself a bit of a ramble, but a pleasant and delightful one, one that elevates “ramble” to the heights of a slow-but-steady romance of the highest quality. It is a romance that cares about its characters, and in so doing, convinces its readers to love them as well. And that’s the kind of romance I can unabashedly and publicly recommend.

I think I’ve mentioned before in one of my reviews that I am somewhat at sea when it comes to reviewing romance novels, simply because I haven’t read many of them to date. For many years, I steered clear deliberately, thinking that the genre was limited when it came to the literary qualities that I look for in books, but I have since learned that even old dogs can learn to like new genres, and to both honor and celebrate the sheer diversity of books and qualities that appear in and are specific to the romance genre. All of this is an awkward way of explaining that: if a romance novel impresses me, the grumpy hermit with a really high bar when it comes to new things and changing my mind about something, it truly is an exceptional book.

IN SUMMARY:

A well-plotted romance with more than the average novel’s quality of backstory and character development, Rambling with Milton is a thoughtful look at everything that can go wrong in a life––and everything that can go right.

WHERE TO BUY?

You can find Rambling with Milton wherever good books are sold, including Barnes & Noble and Amazon. You can also find out more about Richard Siciliano’s work on the book’s Outskirts Press author page.

WHAT NEXT?

I’m excited to report that I’m making progress on another self-published book, this one a book for children on the theme of the Nativity: Stella the Rejected Star, by Marc McCormack. I’m as charmed by the book’s backstory as I am by its content, and I love both a good Christmas storybook for kids and a kids book celebrating empathy. This is one I’m excited to review next, just before Christmas proper!

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

* Courtesy of Barnes & Noble book listing.

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ABOUT KENDRA M.: With nine years in library service, six years of working within the self-publishing world, as well as extensive experience in creative writing, freelance online content creation, and podcast editing, Kendra seeks to amplify the voices of those who need and deserve most to be heard.
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In Your Corner: An Abundance of Gratitude

Happy Thanksgiving from
Self-Publishing Advisor!

It’s hard, sometimes, to gage the tangible benefits to holidays—the quantifiable results, the data—that everyone seems to feel is required to justify holiday-centric marketing strategies. The qualifiable results are, however, incredibly easy to chart: good feeling, open pockets, generosity of spirit, and a hopeful attitude go a long way not just towards selling books, but towards building a resilient and flexible social media presence and a support network that will tide you over through the non-holiday seasons, when we don’t have pumpkin pie spice and green bean casserole to console us––and the reality of lockdown and social distancing sinks back in.

If we want to talk about “making use” of Thanksgiving—and any other holiday—-it’s well worth taking the time to consider what, exactly, it is that Thanksgiving means to you. I mean, we all know the legend of Thanksgiving, replete with kindness and hospitality amongst bygone peoples of the Eastern United States during a tenuous time, but we don’t all have a reason to celebrate in November, period—Fall is a time when stretched budgets sometimes stretch a little too far, and snap, and threadbare bank accounts become well and truly rough. So what, if anything, does Thanksgiving mean in a time of short tempers and emptied reserves? Looking at other peoples’ beautiful table settings on Pinterest will only get you so far.

thanksgiving table

Here’s my theory:

Thanksgiving is a time for doing, every bit as much as it is about giving and receiving. After all, the whole “giving and receiving” thing gets a real workout around Christmas. And in a smaller sense, at Halloween and even Veteran’s Day, when we give thanks to our servicemen and women—very important in its own way, but not the only mode of being to inhabit as a self-publishing author.

Thanksgiving is a time for activity, for wrapping up all the things that have been left unfinished at other times of year—a time for completion, for stepping back and looking at the whole and then by golly sitting down and filling in the holes. The best way to celebrate Thanksgiving isn’t just to give and receive thanks; the best way to celebrate Thanksgiving is to get ‘er done. To see yourself and your book and your marketing campaign and your social media strategy through the rough patches that inevitably accumulate on the leading edge of the end of the year. It’s not, contrary to legend, a time to sit around and kick up your feet and wait for good things to happen (or, more appropriately, to pop out of the oven and onto your dinner plate). Delicious as a fresh-baked cobbler is, it’s not quite the point.

If we wanted to look all the way back to the Quakers and the First Thanksgiving—and let’s face it, like it or not Thanksgiving is a time rife with nostalgia and historic musings—we should be honest about what it was like for them. They only celebrated because the gifted foods and skills given them by the local tribes kept them from starvation—and then, only just. The Quakers almost starved. Many of them did starve. It was not a time of plenty; it was a time for surviving, and for acknowledging those who helped them to survive. The time for celebration isn’t after everything is done and the harvest is in; the time for celebration is now, when the struggle and the busy-ness and the insanity is at its height.

If that seems like a hard concept to make good on, that’s because true gratitude is actually a hard thing to express—and so too is true need. I hope you know that we here at Self Publishing Advisor are a part of your network, a resource to enable your resilience. We’re here for you this Thanksgiving, to help you get it done.

You are not alone. ♣︎

Do you have ideas to share? Please don’t hesitate to drop us a line in the comments section, below.
Elizabeth
 

ABOUT ELIZABETH JAVOR: With over 20 years of experience in sales and management, Elizabeth Javor works as the Director of Sales and Marketing for Outskirts Press. The Sales and Marketing departments are composed of knowledgeable publishing consultants, customer service reps and book marketing specialists; together, they all focus on educating authors on the self-publishing process to help them publish the book of their dreams. Whether you are a professional looking to take your career to the next level with platform-driven non-fiction or a novelist seeking fame, fortune, and/or personal fulfillment, Elizabeth Javor can put you on the right path.
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Self-Publishing News: Thanksgiving Week

And now for the news.

Highlights from this month in the world of self-publishing:
  • Indie Success: “The Best of All Possible Worlds” by Matia Madrona Query

The week of Thanksgiving, it seems appropriate that we stumbled upon this news in Publisher’s Weekly covering the self-publishing success story of Hugh Howey––an author launched into mainstream fame by the publication of Wool and its sequels starting in 2013. Query writes of his transitions back and forth between the indie method and the traditional publishing pipeline––once his work had already built an audience of fans online and in the first self-published print edition of Wool, his books have been picked up by publishers to re-release using their wide distribution networks. In an interview, Query concludes by asking Howey “Do you anticipate continuing to publish your future books independently?” His response on that question alone is worth reading the entire article:

I’m not sure how I’ll publish my next novel. The joy of self-publishing is that there’s little delay between a finished product and reaching readers. And, as Wool has shown, just because you publish a book on your own doesn’t mean it can’t find a publishing partner later on. The one thing I’ve learned in this business is to think about the reader first and foremost. If you do that, everything else is more likely to fall into place.

– Hugh Howey to Matia Madrona Query in Publisher’s Weekly Online

One of the aspects of self-publishing that we love the most here on Self-Publishing Advisor is its appeal to authors in all sorts of unexpected fields and its utility for all different possible kinds of content: text-heavy works like novels, educational materials, and so on––as well as visual-heavy materials such as zines, cookbooks, and photography portfolios! In this case Doug Allan, widely known for his partnership projects with the legendary Sir David Attenborough (note: for US readers, Attenborough has several spectacular documentaries and series easily accessible by way of several of the big streaming services). Allan’s photos are famous around the world for their quality, and for his ability to get right up in among his subjects. And now, Allan is advocating for self-publishing among his photographer colleagues on Digital Camera World. This is an absolute must-read!

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As a self-publishing author, you may find it helpful to stay up-to-date on the trends and news related to the self-publishing industry.This will help you make informed decisions before, during and after the self-publishing process, which will lead to a greater self-publishing experience. To help you stay current on self-publishing topics, simply visit our blog each month to find out the hottest news. If you have other big news to share, please comment below.
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In Your Corner: It’s Actually OK to NOT Participate in NaNoWriMo

NaNoWriMo––which stands for National Novel Writing Month––is a fabulous opportunity to chip away at a project or two that you’ve been thinking about all year. But it is also, as many writers have discovered, the kind of undertaking that is all-consuming and exhausting. For those of us who have found ourselves unable to participate this year––whether it’s because we didn’t know about NaNoWriMo in the first place, or (as with one of our writing staff) are helping a parent recover from brain surgery, or (as with several friends and relatives) are simply too busy with raising a family or working a 9 to 5 job––it would be nice to know that it’s actually completely acceptable not to participate in this particular yearly event.

So for all of you who feel like you need encouragement or permission to take a break from NaNoWriMo, here it is! I’m encouraging you! I’m giving you permission to do what’s best for you in the here and now, whatever that is!

There are, in fact, some completely legitimate reasons to NOT participate in NaNoWriMo, and if you’re feeling extra pressure this year to join in or catch up and you’re just not ready, just remember that we are often our own greatest critics, and even well-intentioned friends and fellow writers may need the occasional reminder that you will reach your own goals in your own time as you are able.

I really don’t think that we can be our best selves, much less the best writers we can be, without first addressing those underlying issues underlying our reticence, or our struggle to write–head on.

So this November, instead of challenging you to see which excuses you’re coming up with to not participate in NaNoWriMo, I challenge you to try and figure out what is happening to throw you off of your NaNoWriMo game. Once you know the root causes, you have three options, right?

  • Do nothing, and let sleeping dogs lie (however uneasily) and run the risk of facing writer’s block indefinitely as a result;
  • Deal with them to the fullest extent possible and find a solution that allows you to write (although perhaps not today); and
  • Manage them in balance with other major ongoing concerns to an extent that allows you some freedom to write.

Understandably, I’m going to lobby for everyone to manage or solve their excuse-inducing-problems because I want all of you to feel unshackled and fully able to write … but I do understand that you have a life outside of writing. We all do. Sometimes that life is going to intrude upon your process as a writer, and that’s okay. It really is. I mean, come on, 2020 has thrown us all for a loop! Maybe this is not the year to try and hurry yourself into making NaNoWriMo work. And maybe it is. Either way, we’re here for you at SPA to support you in making the best possible decision to fit your own life and needs.

Stay strong. Take care of yourself. Know your own heart. Know your limits. Seize the day … even if you’re seizing it for a very long nap.

You are not alone. ♣︎

Do you have ideas to share? Please don’t hesitate to drop us a line in the comments section, below.
Elizabeth
 

ABOUT ELIZABETH JAVOR: With over 20 years of experience in sales and management, Elizabeth Javor works as the Director of Sales and Marketing for Outskirts Press. The Sales and Marketing departments are composed of knowledgeable publishing consultants, customer service reps and book marketing specialists; together, they all focus on educating authors on the self-publishing process to help them publish the book of their dreams. Whether you are a professional looking to take your career to the next level with platform-driven non-fiction or a novelist seeking fame, fortune, and/or personal fulfillment, Elizabeth Javor can put you on the right path.
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Self-Publishing News: 11.11.2020

Veterans Day. November 11. Honoring All Who Served.

And now for the news.

Highlights from this month in the world of self-publishing:

Here’s a fun and uplifting story for those fans of epic fantasy: Isaac Stewart, who has worked as art director for fantasy megastar Brandon Sanderson among others, has launched a Kickstarter campaign to launch his lift-the-flap picture book after struggling to find a traditional publisher willing to take on the project. The fundraising campaign for the book, Monsters Don’t Wear Underpants, was fully funded within 12 hours, and has now more than doubled Stewart’s original funding goal. (So nice things can happen on the Internet after all!) At least for now, the book is available for pre-order, and even if you don’t have children going through potty training, you can certainly take notes from Stewart’s well-orchestrated Kickstarter process if you’re thinking about taking a similar path to self-publication.

“As a ghostwriter,” Elaine Pofeldt writes in the opening to a recent Forbes article, “I often hear from prospective authors who would like to write a book but are on the fence about whether to self-publish it or try to find a commercial publisher.” Pofeldt, a longtime contributor to a number of high-profile publications on the subject of entrepreneurship and co-founder of the entrepreneur-boosting company 200kfreelancer.com , offers a well-rounded and realistic comparison of the self-publishing process in contrast to a more traditional (or “commercial”) approach. She covers topics ranging from funding through writing, editing, publishing, and promoting your book––and how each experience varies between the two options. This is a thoughtful article that despite being written by someone “in the industry” will still prove useful to those readers who are not specifically launching their books through her business.

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As a self-publishing author, you may find it helpful to stay up-to-date on the trends and news related to the self-publishing industry.This will help you make informed decisions before, during and after the self-publishing process, which will lead to a greater self-publishing experience. To help you stay current on self-publishing topics, simply visit our blog each month to find out the hottest news. If you have other big news to share, please comment below.