from the archives – Page 14 – Self Publishing Advisor

from the archives, Holidays, Kelly Speaks, Royalene Speaks, Uncategorized

From the Archives: “Conversations With A Self-Publishing Writer 12/20/13”

Welcome back to our new Tuesday segment, where we’ll be revisiting some of our most popular posts from the last few years. What’s stayed the same? And what’s changed? We’ll be updating you on the facts, and taking a new (and hopefully refreshing) angle on a few timeless classics of Self Publishing Advisor.

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[ Originally posted: December 20th, 2013 ]

‘Tis the SEASON to……BELIEVE.

You may recall from a previous blog—or two—that I’m working on a children’s book series. So…fairly often, my thoughts tune-in to those stories “dancing like sugar plums” in my head. This season of Christmas and Hanukkah cheer is no different, especially as I realize that my great-grandchildren are “aging” rapidly. So it is that I’ve gone to the bookstore shelves and selected two of my favorite storybooks—written by other authors—to share with them on Christmas Eve.

The theme or technique I most enjoy in storybooks is when writers personify animals, allowing them to offer a perspective that children easily grasp and “grownups” might have lost the capacity to imagine. This Friday-before-Christmas, I offer you one more story—a legend really—a bit of generational tradition-telling reminiscent of Native American oral-histories—written by yours truly for all my children—author/clients included.

THAT NIGHT a handsome Nubian Ibex—Samuel—stood on the high point of a knoll watching the shepherds and their flocks in the rock-strewn meadow below. His masked friend, Barney Owl, was restless and had just circled his favorite perching-tree for a third time. With a twist of his large antlers and a twitch of his tail, Samuel signaled to Barney, What bothers you, friend? With a flutter of wings and a high pitched shriek, Barney gave the warning: A crackling is in the air—the heavens are about to open. Samuel lifted his head and sniffed the cold air. He shook his huge antlers and pawed at the ground sending the message: There’s no hint of rain.

At that very moment a brilliant light removed the darkness from the night and rainbow spears of sound filled the air! Voices of thundering melody fell upon their ears waking every living creature. An announcement was being made—in every language of creation. “The Babe is born! Your King has come! He sleeps in Bethlehem; the earth is now His home.”

The shepherds fell to knees and hands; and sheep scattered the rocks and sand. Barney Owl flew to Samuel’s back, marching to-and-fro; pushing him to GO!

The unseen singing voices raised to higher pitch, then softened to mellow notes as Samuel blinked. And so they went—Samuel with friend Barney Owl—followed by squirrel, and mouse and racing deer—wooly sheep, goats and gazelle—and bevies of beautiful birds flying at all altitudes. They seemed to be dancing to the crescendo of voices—voices that vaulted from meadow to mountain tops.

Then they were there—in the Presence of the King—a wee-tiny Babe wiggling to see. It was brave Michael Mouse who first touched His Hand. The whole of the gathering pulled in a deep breath. Then Hoopie, the bird, let go a melodious coo-oo—that started everyone singing in words they never knew. The language of humans came from their throats—as the Babe laughed and giggled with each new note.

This One Night when Light came to earth—brought a gift to animals of every kind—voices to use and words to speak—in Praise of their King—their Creator and Friend. Their harmony soared with the Angels of Heaven—then softened to humming as the Babe’s eyes closed.

One tear was then seen in the eye of the Owl. He knew this gift would fade at sunrise. “Samuel,” Owl whispered in the Ibexes’ ear. “Let us all stay here—and sing while we can—so this miracle will be passed forward in the memory of man.”

by Royalene Doyle

Christmas is just days away, and there’s no better time to bring back a classic Royalene post than three days out from the big event. There’s something touching, something profoundly moving, in the words of that final paragraph–even for those of us indie authors who may not celebrate the holiday as a religious event. What better way to close out a year than with a little meditation, a little reflection on the importance of joy and memory to all of our lives?

One of my own personal favorites when it comes to Christmas stories is the short story “Finding Christmas: An Australian Christmas Story,” written by Annie Bryant. It’s sweet, as all Christmas tales are, but it manages to steer clear of saccharine in part because it revolves around a little boy named Joey and his experiences on a farm Down Under–and the details Bryant weaves in help keep the story grounded in his world.

The story begins:

Where do you find Christmas in your family? Is it hidden within the pages of your favourite story book? Maybe it’s wrapped up in a gift made especially for someone you love? Or perhaps, it can be found amongst the delicious smells of a Christmas feast? Well, this is the story of a little boy who went on his own search for Christmas….and you’ll never guess what he found!

I’ll leave it up to you to read the rest, since I don’t want to spoil either Bryant’s rich voice or the story’s ending. Suffice it to say, you won’t regret taking a couple of minutes to peruse the full version. Bryant, who self-publishes her stories first and foremost as songs, draws upon the imagery of her home country, which may not seem like the perfect conduit for a traditional Christmas in the Northern Hemisphere–except that, by stripping away our stereotypes of snow and cozy fires and church spires in winter, she manages to get at the real heart of what the holiday is about: discovery, human compassion, and connection with others.

I hope your Christmas season is as richly textured as those we read about in stories, and has an equally happy ending. ♠

ABOUT KELLY SCHUKNECHT: Kelly Schuknecht is the Executive Vice President of Outskirts Press. In addition to her contributions to the Outskirts Press blog at blog.outskirtspress.com, Kelly and a group of talented marketing experts offer book marketing services, support, and products to not only published Outskirts Press authors, but to all authors and professionals who are interested in marketing their books and/or careers. Learn more about Kelly on her blog, kellyschuknecht.com.

from the archives, Holidays, Jodee Speaks, Kelly Speaks

From the Archives: “Merry Christmas Self-Publishing Authors!”

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[ Originally posted: December 24th, 2012 ]

Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all my readers! Unfortunately, there are many people who will not have the joyous holiday they imagined this year. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of the Sandy Hook school shooting. Despite the tragedy they are recovering from, I hope they are able to enjoy the true meaning of Christmas: faith, love and family. For those of us who are blessed to be in the company of all of our loved ones, please keep those who need your support in your thoughts and prayers.

Too often, Christmas is associated with expensive gifts and frivolous spending, but Christmas should really be about love and family. This year, I challenge you to take a few moments to appreciate your blessings and to help those who are less fortunate. One of the easiest ways to do this is by spending a few minutes writing this holiday. You could write a poem, a letter, a short story, or even begin a chapter of the novel you’ve been putting off. Write about Christmas or your family, or use writing as a way to cope with the heartbreak that is saddening our country. Whatever you write, let it come from your heart.

Merry Christmas.

It’s hard to believe that the third anniversary of the Sandy Hook shootings is rapidly approaching; and 2015 has seen no shortage of heartbreak. Paris grieved after the Charlie Hebdo newspaper headquarters was attacked in January, then grieved again when terrorism revisited the city in November. A heatwave in India and an earthquake in Nepal killed thousands. Over 59 million people will close out the year having been forcibly displaced from their homes––and often, their countries. These are just a few of the stories which have occupied Western headlines this last year, and they barely begin to touch the devastation and sorrow many have faced and continue to face around the globe over this holiday season. Now, more than ever, we must recognize that hope isn’t just a feeling but rather an action––a determination to enact positive change in a world wrapped round and riddled with trials large and small. Now, more than ever, Jodee’s words ring true: “Christmas should really be about love and family.”

Luckily for us, we don’t enter into this world without the most powerful of weapons at our disposal: Story. Consider this poem by Mumbai-based poet Sanober Khan:

Words
are powerful
forces of nature.

they are destruction.
they are nourishment.
they are flesh.
they are water.
they are flowers
and bone.

they burn. they cleanse
they erase. they etch.

they can either
leave you
feeling
homeless

or brimming
with home.

As Jodee pointed out, the act of writing is a radical one and can reshape our world into something a little more comprehendible, a little less sad. A note from a friend has the power to make someone’s day, and every carefully crafted book or novella or poem or other piece carries the potential to change lives for the better. The holidays offer us an opportunity to step back and reframe the conversations of which we are a part, to revisit past hurts and transmute our grief and our hope into action. There’s no better time to finish that book you’ve been writing for years, or to begin writing down those ideas which pop into your head in the middle of the night, or to reach out to a friend or neighbor or family member with a letter, an email, or a post to your blog. Holidays are a chance to heal, and to be healed. I hope you have the opportunity to heal, regroup, and emerge into 2016 with a clear head and a warm heart.♠

from the archives, Holidays, Kelly Speaks, Uncategorized

From the Archives: “5 Ways to Promote Your Book in December”

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[ Originally posted: December 21st, 2011 ]

The holidays are here and while you are probably busy with holiday parties, baking, family gatherings, etc., don’t forget about book marketing. Here are a few things you can do this month to promote your book:

Give copies of your book away as holiday gifts.

Add a Kindle edition (or other ebook format). Many people will be giving away ebook readers as holiday gifts. Make sure your book is available in at least one e-bookstore for potential readers who will be browsing for books to read after they receive their gift.

Enter your book in the ForeWord Book of the Year Award contest. Deadline is January 15th, so submit it now before it’s too late.

Start planning for 2012. As you make your new year resolutions, consider your book marketing efforts and how you will increase or modify them in the new year. Reflecting on what worked well over the last year and what didn’t will help you plan for a bigger and better 2012!

Enjoy the season! Take a break for a few days to enjoy your family and maybe even begin writing your next book.

DISCUSSION: How are you planning to promote YOUR book in December?

It’s the time of year in which everything tastes like Pumpkin Spice and smells like peppermint … and along with all of the holiday buzz comes a slightly less pleasant sensation: the sinking feeling of knowing there’s just so much to do, and absolutely no time to do it in. At such times, it’s important to have a few concrete and manageable places to start–and my five-item list from 2011 remains (amazingly) a great checklist. It’s not every day that I can slip and slide back five years and find a post that ages as well as the one above, but there you go–holidays are magic, right?

Still, a couple of notes: the ForeWord IndieFab Book Awards, mentioned above, remains a wonderful resource for writers looking to get their titles out there. There is now an early bird discount if you submit before September 1, but … well, it’s now December so that’s a thought to keep in mind for next year. The final deadline (sans early bird discount) is still January 15th, and I fully believe you should bookmark that day in your calendar.

Also, you should check out my series from last year, “Christmas is Here Again: On Holidays and Happy Chaos” (see parts One, Two, and Three at the links)–a series which remains the most thorough holiday-related marketing advice that I’ve doled out to date. And my last admonition? It remains absolutely true today:

This holiday season, take time to breathe. Return to those ways and means that rejuvinate you. Cherish the stories you’ve written, and the stories you have left to write, and live.

I don’t know about you, but the holidays are as much a time of intense stress as they are a time of intense rejuvenation and joy. Sometimes I need reminding–perhaps more than many–that it’s okay to take a step back in order to re-evaluate what’s working and what still needs some finesse. Join me in regrouping this winter! ♠

Advocacy in Self-Publishing, from the archives, Kelly Speaks, Self-Publishing, Uncategorized

From the Archives: “‘Tis the SEASON to …”

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[ Originally posted: December 6th, 2013 ]

‘Tis the SEASON to …

Last year I pretty much gave up shopping—well shopping in the marketing-media frenzy sense, anyway. My passion for books—and the authors I’ve worked with—inspired me to buy their books and send them to family and friends. I enjoyed the “holiday bargains,” of course, but much more than that, I felt as if I was passing forward the legacy of writing (and good story telling) that my self-publishing clients represent.

It was also last year that I seemed to hit a wall of mounting disappointment as I listened to the younger generations of my family and friends talking about their “exasperating,” even “frightening”, holiday shopping experiences. A long-hidden rebellion within me grew and my fingers flew over the keyboard writing op-ed pieces to send to every daily or weekly print publisher. I wanted to make a statement! I wanted THE SEASON to be different! I wanted it to be PEACEFUL! Full of GOOD CHEER! LOVE and LAUGHTER abounding on every block, in every city, town and nation! However, to my own discredit, not one of my pieces was sent. Too many last minute details derailed my fervor. However, this season, I’m thinking of pulling out those pieces—developing them into a book—and self-publishing it in plenty of time for next year’s marketing-media-frenzy.

In the meantime, I hope you’ll join me in a taste of rebellion and allow your thoughts to stroll back to your favorite Holiday Season(s)—and WRITE about them. Besides finding “just what you wanted” under the tree, what other memories do you see? A favorite aunt bringing her deee-licious walnut fudge to Christmas dinner? Your grandmother telling her version of “naughty” stories about your dad? The next door neighbor stopping by with a handmade toy carved from oak wood just for you!

Over the years our family has enjoyed many traditions such as the youngest child placing the ceramic Baby Jesus in the manger on Christmas Eve and attending Christmas Eve church services. One fairly new tradition in our house is watching a made-for-TV movie titled Silent Night. This true-story, produced in 2002, stars Linda Hamilton as the German mother of a young son (age 12) who will soon be conscripted into Hitler’s army. She takes him out of the city to a cabin in the woods—not far from “enemy” lines. It is Christmas Eve, 1944, and unexpected guests arrive: first three American soldiers, then three German soldiers. She demands a truce between them—for this one night.

You may be wondering why this movie? Simple answer. It inspired me. This movie was created from an oral history interview with a high school student! Her subject was Fritz Vincken, the boy in the “story,” and the one thing he remembered most about his childhood was war. Many of us—many of our neighbors—and too many the world over hold such memories or actually live in war zones today. I don’t want to forget that. I don’t want to get so caught up in shopping or party-planning that I misplace my compassion for those who are hurting. And, for me, seeing/experiencing a well-written, well-directed, well-acted movie such as Silent Night helps me hold my center; helps me appreciate the gifts I’ve been given that cannot be wrapped.

Plus, realizing that this story was developed (written/scripted) from a collection of oral histories done by high school students is exceptionally inspiring to me. Important, vital, must-be-told stories are out there waiting for the right person to write them! Is that YOU?

– ROYALENE DOYLE

It may only have been two years since our friend Royalene first posted this piece for us on Self Publishing Advisor, but I personally think it’s worth bringing back every Christmas. Why? Because storytelling is what we do, and there’s simply no more fertile ground for storytelling than the holiday season.

“Holidays bring holiday memories, and, often a sense of nostalgia for good times long gone, perhaps even loved ones long gone,” writes Wynne Parry over at LiveScience. “This bittersweet nostalgia helps us feel connected, both around the holidays and at other times. And, it can be a salve to those suffering through hard times,” says Parry, quoting psychology professor and “nostalgia expert” Krystine Batcho, of Le Moyne College in New York.

According to Batcho, “whenever there is a major change it can be very helpful to kind of keep grounded in the sense of who you are. That sense of nostalgia helps to link you to your own personal past; it helps you remember who you have been.” By that definition, nostalgia is both an important element to our scientific understanding of the human brain and consciousness, and an important element of the way we tell stories about ourselves and to each other.

My thoughts, as we progress into yet another holiday season, following a year of both fantastic “highs” and incredible “lows”–personally, as self-publishing authors, and simply as human beings on this planet–are as follows: We ought not to be afraid of nostalgia. We should use the nostalgic impulse as we use all others: that is, we should allow it to spur us on in our writing, to compel us to create new things that make the most of old things. Do the holidays–does Christmas, specifically–make you feel something? Use that as fodder for prose. Do the holidays leave you hungering after something more substantial or just something different in your own life? Use that as impetus for transformation, as a writer as in all other things.

And yes, be a rebel. If the popularity of dystopic young adult literature has taught us anything, it’s that people–our readers–are thirsty for change, to see the world move away from the sorrows and griefs and injustices that sometimes rule it. Readers are rebels, too, and they love it when they stumble across that voice which perfectly captures the carpe diem spirit of a spirit in search of positive change. Just as that German mother portrayed in Silent Night brought a small slice of peace and change to that cabin in the woods, you can do great things in this world. We’re excited to see where the holiday nostalgia leads you! ♠

from the archives, Kelly Speaks, Uncategorized

From the Archives: “Self-publishing, Literature and Pop Culture”

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[ Originally posted: August 19th, 2009 ]

I opened the Books section in yesterday’s New York Times “Urban Eye” to read the headline, “Why Literature Doesn’t Matter.” Really? How sad. It matters to me. It matters to my family, friends, and colleagues. It matters to the self-publishing authors I work with every day. Literature doesn’t matter…. I wish someone would have told me.

According to “Urban Eye,” a recent Sunday Book Review article penned by novelist Kurt Anderson was to fill me in. Anderson writes, “During the 1960s and ’70s…people who hadn’t read a word of a first-rate contemporary novel — no Cheever, no Bellow, no Salinger, Heller, Styron, Doctorow, Updike or Roth — nevertheless knew the novelists’ names… And then everything changed.”

But book sales in the US have remained strong, and are even growing over previous years in Europe. Despite the current recession effects, statistics show that readers are still buying books. Not matter? Anderson goes on to claim, “But irony of ironies, after literature was evicted from mass culture, pop culture itself began to fragment and lose its heretofore defining quality as the ubiquitous stuff that everybody consumed.”

Ah, I’m seeing to whom, or rather to what, Literature doesn’t matter to – pop culture. Wait, then this is a good thing for authors and readers. The fragmentation that Anderson talks about is the segmenting of consumers into smaller, more clearly defined profiles. What that means to self-publishing authors of fiction, non-fiction, etc., is not that your work doesn’t matter, that Literature doesn’t matter, but that it doesn’t matter to everyone. Perfect, now you can coordinate and focus your subject matter and marketing efforts to readers who will benefit from, and buy your books.

Talk to your self-publisher early on about your custom marketing plan.

Karl Schroeder

When Karl Schroeder first wrote this blog for us back in 2009, the market for self-publishing authors had already begun to (in his words) “fragment” into smaller and smaller niche genres and industries. Authors were on the lookout for that “big hit wonder” element for their books to tap into, the mode that we’re often taught to expect or at least reach for as writers in the modern West. But despite appearances–despite the rise of J.K. Rowling and Stephanie Meyer and E.L. James and Gillian Flynn and too many others to name–the superstar writer has mostly receded into the background. What we have today is a (more) stable, (more) diverse, and (more) opportunity-rich industry, and this holds true even for the oft-neglected self-publishing author.

So, yes, what Karl said remains true: literature does still matter, though not to everyone. What may have, perhaps, changed is that it no longer matters just to connoisseurs of hyper-specialized niche genres and so on … literature does in fact have a profound impact upon and presence within pop culture. And I’m not just talking about Young Adult Literature or the ever-popular megagenre of crime fiction … I’m talking about the supposedly “forgotten” or “neglected” classic literature.

Ever heard of the #IReadEverywhere hashtag? Well, it’s a thing. A very, very big thing … because it demonstrates that our favorite pop culture icons–whether Mindy Kaling or or–read. A lot. And they read a pretty fantastic cross-section of all genres, including, yes, classic literature. For example, we have:

Mindy Kaling reading Jane Austen (it doesn’t get more classic than that). And …

Judy Blume reading Wally Lamb. And …

The Big Bang Theory’s Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch reading Jonathan Safran Foer and Julia Child, while their co-star …

Jim Parsons reads Buster Keaton.

And they’re not the only ones! The #IReadEverywhere campaign has generated hundreds of pictures of celebrities catching a few classic words between subway stops, while sipping mochas at coffee shops, or playing on the floor with their cats. The age of the book may vary (Foer and Childs never overlapped with Jane Austen in the historical record, let’s just say), but the tenor of the trend remains the same: everyone reads, and a lot of people read everywhere and perhaps even often. You can’t despair for the state of classic literature or any literature at all when it’s literally a marker of “cool” to snap a selfie of you toting Hemingway along to a hip bar in NYC of a Saturday night.

And yet, Karl’s ultimate point remains as valid as ever: you still need to “[t]alk to your self-publisher early on about your custom marketing plan” if you want to create and maintain a steady stream of book sales. And you can do that most effectively by narrowing your gaze to a specific, manageable target audience. It’s better to start with a handful of very interested, very invested readers than to spread your fairy dust thinly among people who are only marginally interested. Invested fans will (sometimes quite literally) sell your book for you, and that has historically been how self-published works have come to receive broad acclaim. Think of Andy Weir and his blog readers. Think of E.L. James and her fanatically excited followers on FanFiction.net. Think of John and Jennifer Churchman and The SheepOver. You can do everything right as an author and still not sell books if you haven’t gotten your fans on board. On the flip side, you can invest just a little time and energy in wooing your readers and seizing opportunities when they arise, and sell books like hotcakes by doing so. Talk to a marketing expert at your self-publishing company, and see what magic you can make happen, together! ♠

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