Conversations with a Self-Publishing Writer – Page 41

Conversations with a Self-Publishing Writer, Royalene Speaks, Uncategorized

Friday Conversations With A Self-Publishing Writer 11/08/13

Now that I’m actually working on my children’s book series I’m looking forward to developing the writer/illustrator partnership. My self-publishing family relationship has continued to flourish and they’ve been very supportive in giving me the information that is necessary to select “the” illustrator for my project. Now I continue my search.

What I’m discovering is that, like writers, there are many illustrators out there. I really thought I could have narrowed my list of potential collaborators to a much shorter list by now. That is not my reality at the moment. Actually, my list seems to be growing! Our world is, indeed, blessed by many extremely gifted artists/illustrators. However, through this search process, I’ve realized that I need to define my expectations and my vision in as specific detail as possible. I’ll share what I’ve come up with so far—for my personal project—hoping that some of these concepts will be useful to others.

1. The first series of stories will focus on toddlers whose minds are ready to absorb a great amount of information. However, this being a fact, my vision is to communicate one storyline from start to finish.
2. I do not want busy illustrations—ones that have a lot of characters on a page or a lot of background clutter.
3. My main character is discovering the world around him one thing at a time—so the focal point on each page will help the toddler do the same.
4. Although my main characters are not “human,” they will personify many human qualities and attitudes—so their “expressions” are important to me.
5. It is essential that my critter characters be illustrated as close to their natural appearance as possible.
6. A natural/nature environment will also be illustrated but must be kept simple.
7. There will also be the occasional human interaction. These people will look more like real people than cartoon characters.
8. LAST THOUGHT: I’m leaning more toward pencil-drawings with very minimal color shading. I want the children to SEE the basic shapes of the characters—the basic “true” colors—so that they can identify them in the world around them.

There it is—my next steps in creatively developing these books. When I did my walk-through of our local bookstore, I became even more aware of the competition on the shelves. The big-name publishers have big-name illustrators on staff. However, with much pleasure, I found several self-published children’s books that were marvelously illustrated and definitely caught my eye. As I keep my writing focus on positive, instructive, value-building storylines, so too will I continue to seek out the illustrator/collaborator to enjoy this journey with me.

ABOUT ROYALENE DOYLE: Royalene Doyle is a Ghostwriter with Outskirts Press, bringing more than 35 years of writing experience to authors who need “just a little assistance” with completing their writing projects. She has worked with both experienced and fledgling writers helping complete projects in multiple genres. When a writer brings the passion they have for their work and combines it with Royalene’s passion to see the finished project in print, books are published and the writer’s legacy is passed forward.

Conversations with a Self-Publishing Writer, Royalene Speaks, Uncategorized

Friday Conversations With A Self-Publishing Writer 11/01/13

There is a “little” secret in my house—a little book writing secret. I have always enjoyed the Winnie the Poo children’s series and actually dream about writing a collection of children’s books. Of course, not being a Big Name in the publishing world, I have already made the decision to self-publish—and selected the self-publishing press I will work with—because I want to see my grandchildren and great-grandchildren hold my books in their hands.

The stories are buzzing in my head! I’ve written the manuscript for the first one that will be published in board-book form. At least five “adventures” are planned in that series. The main characters will then graduate to the 3-5-year-old storybooks and eventually the 5-8 year-old more finely developed tales.

Now…I face the question of who will be the illustrator. Selecting and hiring a person to complete this whole series is a major priority. Here is the criteria I’ve developed so far:

1) First “the research.”

I’ll talk with my self-publishing consultant and get a name or two from them with website information so I can see their work. Having already done my research for the best self-publisher for my project, I am confident they will recommend an illustrator who can get my job done with excellence.
Also, with so much information on the Internet, I’ll look there. The established organizations—such as the Society of Children’s Book Authors and Illustrators and www.childrensillustrators.com— are good places to see a wide variety of styles.
And because I love bookstores, I’ll take a stroll through a children’s aisle or two looking at the finished products, making a list of any illustrators who seem to have the same vision I’m creating.
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2) Next comes “the conversation.”

I’m hoping to meet artists in person, but if not possible, a lengthy conversation (or two or three) will help me discern whether this person shares the visual concepts I’m “seeing”—the ability to complement the way I write.
Do they have experience in “maturing” characters from toddler stages through eight years old?
I will ask them to “show me” with samples of mood and emotion changes of how they “see” my main character.
Finally, I will ask if they believe they can sustain the lengthy commitment for the complete project series I’m developing
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3) Money

By this time, my list of artists should be a short one, and I will talk “money.” I have a great respect for the creative genius found in the artwork of illustrators. Their conceptual input is very important to the process of finishing a quality book. So I expect the cost to be established by the current illustration market. This means approximately $150 per full-page illustration. If the revisions and detail work is more extensive, the cost will go up. However, I must be aware that no matter how marvelous my “little” stories are, the excellence of the artwork will either make or break the final product.

I do have one final criterion. My books are developed as a labor of love for my grandchildren and great-grandchildren. So I expect to receive delivery of the illustration master files. Once these characters are created—once they come alive in these stories—they belong on the pages of my books and nowhere else. Integrity-motivated illustrators already offer these files in their “project close-out” process.

So it is that the work of a writer goes along—more ideas than we sometimes know what to do with! Join me in self-publishing and giving the reading public more visually inspiring pages to turn!

Conversations with a Self-Publishing Writer, Royalene Speaks, Uncategorized

Friday Conversations With A Self-Publishing Writer 10/25/13

When talking with a neighbor today, I mentioned my appreciation for novels of “historical” fiction and how much I’ve learned from them. She asked for an example, and I immediately thought of an exceptionally well-written book about how many Christians—living in Germany at the time Hitler was coming into power—“looked the other way” when facts were revealed about the treatment of their Jewish neighbors. My neighbor then showed me a book she’d just read, a self-published novel titled Barbed Wire and Daisies by Carol Strazer. “It is the story of a mother and her children trying to escape the hell of German occupation in WWII,” she said. “And it’s so visually written that I could almost stumble over the rubble of destruction.”

She continued, “The sadness I feel today when reading books like that goes beyond the horrific truth of those events because I become even more aware that we humans haven’t learned much from those experiences.” Then she asked me if I’d read any of the “soldier blogs” that pepper the Internet. I had to admit that I haven’t. “These are the real life histories that need to be developed into books,” she stated. “Only the truth, told from the perspective of these soldiers—these boots-on-the-ground—can make the world taste the dust storms and feel the pain of war.” After that conversation, I have a lot more to think about.

Personally, as one of the millions of people who breathe in our FREEDOM every day because of the sacrifices of our military men and women—and their families—I can only agree with my friend. I have no immediate knowledge of what it really feels like when bunk-mates don’t return from a mission. I never stood to attention at a desert memorial service as my platoon saluted each of the lost soldiers whose kevlars had been placed on their weapons, their dog tags hanging below their helmets as they should have been hanging around their necks.

So, today, I have no specific writing advice to share with you; only the hope that someone who is reading this will begin writing the true stories of the real life histories they’ve lived. Or, if you’re a writer and know one of our soldiers/warriors, maybe they could tell you their experiences and you could develop the book. Our world is being forever changed by these events. We need to know what has happened—from many perspectives—so that we have the real opportunity to make the future better and brighter.

Conversations with a Self-Publishing Writer, Royalene Speaks, Uncategorized

Friday Conversations With A Self-Publishing Writer 10/18/13

I LOVE Historical Fiction! Not only do I find inspiration, hope, and encouragement when I read these books, but I often become acquainted with a new author (new to me, anyway) who took the leap into self-publishing. When a writer dives into researching everything from footwear and clothing to politics and mores within a specific time period, readers become their beneficiaries—and learn life survival skills that are easily passed forward within this genre.

The most recent historical/biographical fiction I’ve worked with is set in the late 1800s, early 1900s. The central character is a young woman who stepped way outside her comfort zone in the world of medicine to become one of only a handful of women physicians in her generation. I can still picture the scene—during her medical school days—when a cloth screen was set up in the classroom to separate her from her male classmates. The professor thought it “indelicate” to discuss the subject matter of his class in “mixed company,” and that was his solution. This was a true occurrence and added to my understanding of how my grandparents thought about male/female relationships and why they often seemed confused—even embarrassed—by their grandchildren.

The huge success of recent TV series period pieces should also encourage the historical fiction writer. More than other genres, the details that must accurately paint these stories are perfect for film development. Plus, the characters from days-gone-by are easily portrayed as bigger-than-life, while retaining the elements of humanity with which we can all identify.

I’ve come to discover that good fiction tells a good story, excellent fiction introduces readers to a character they will never forget, and award winning fiction compels the reader to live the life of the characters as they walk through each and every event. This happens—for me—most often within the pages of historical fiction.

Can any writer become an award winning historical fiction author? Here is a little quiz that will help you answer that for yourself.

Did you enjoy history classes in school? Could you picture yourself living in log cabins, or animal-skin teepees, or caves?
Do you like the smell of libraries? Some current writers do most of their research on the Internet; however, discovering that one “key element” and/or fact among library archives is a real treat!
Can you hear, see, smell, taste, and touch the environment of the time period you’re writing about?
Do you share the same passions of your main character? Rather than “walking a mile in his or her shoes,” could you walk a thousand miles beside them?
Do you understand the motives behind your main character, his companions and the antagonist(s)?

I’ve known folks who have worked on (and off) on their historical fiction novel for years. If you are one of those writers, I would like to nudge you (sharply) to GET IT DONE and GET IT PUBLISHED! Other people may have written about your hero, but only you can tell it with the passion that you hold.

Conversations with a Self-Publishing Writer, Royalene Speaks, Uncategorized

Friday Conversations With A Self-Publishing Writer 10/11/13

The Christian Inspirational genre is certainly one of the hottest markets for self-publishing authors. When someone’s faith mixes with experience writers communicate with their readers in a unique and extremely uplifting way—a way that enriches mind and heart to see possibilities beyond their circumstances.

Although many of the books in this genre are written (or ghostwritten) by well-known people, many more are written by people like you. Their “real life” topics cross over faith denominations into the “real world” with subject matter such as: liberation from life’s burdens; healing wounded hearts; the gift of beauty for ashes; and eternal security. No one—literally no one—can tell these experiences better than the person who has lived through them. However, there are a few unique methods to remember when developing the manuscripts, and they begin with preparing yourself to “tell the truth” to the best of your ability.

Whether you are creating your manuscript yourself, or you’re working with a self-publishing team (publishing consultant, author representative, production supervisor, designers, and production managers), and/or a ghostwriter, here are a few things to remember:

Build the timeline. Most inspiring stories come from finally seeing a positive—even miraculous—result from some not-so-pleasant experiences. The timeline (for this one book) is most easily built backwards. Starting with the conclusion of events will allow you to see all the pieces leading up to that more clearly.
List the people. Make a list of the people who were connected to this process. There will be the quickly-remembered ones; there will also be the ones who are only recalled as you work on the next guideline—the “scenes.” Depending on your decision whether or not to use their real names is not a concern at this beginning level. What is important is that the roles they played are identified.
Picture the scenes. Use your wonderfully developed imagination to “see” the scenes (as in a movie). Such as: When I tell the story of my Mother’s last days on this earth, I can see the CNA—a gentle giant of a gentleman—lifting her ever so carefully from a gurney to her bed. Any movement—even her hand raising to motion for water—caused intense pain. However, when he moved her, she experienced NO pain.

When inspirational writers begin their creative process with these three foundational exercises, it is remarkable how quickly their true story is developed. Filling in the details becomes easy. Then, once the first draft is complete, the other decisions—such as using the names of the real places and people—are also much simpler. My suggestions for those choices are twofold: If there are more than three people (other than you) in the story, consider using fictitious names. Tracking people down to get permission to use their name can be time consuming and slows down the production of the book. Also, if the place where the majority of the scenes are centered is too well-known—and would overshadow the impact of the story—then consider “setting” those scenes in a more generic place.

Final thought: NEVER hesitate to tell your story! There are many hands and hearts out here in the self-publishing world to help you through the process.

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