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National Poetry Month is the largest literary celebration in the world. Every April, tens of millions of readers, students, teachers, librarians, booksellers, literary events curators, publishers, bloggers, and, of course, poets celebrate poetry’s important place in our culture and our lives. You can help spread awareness about the importance of poetry by self-publishing and promoting your own work.  Here are a few tips to help you get started:

1.  Get your book reviewed. There are various sites and publications that provide book reviews. Some self-publishing companies can also assist you in this endeavor. Book reviews are a great way to promote your book and gain creditability.

2.  Enter a book award contest. This is another great way to promote your book and gain creditability.

3. Get interviewed. Contact local news and radio stations and tell them about National Poetry month and your book.

4. Don’t forget social media. Sites like Facebook and Twitter are excellent for book promotion and sharing news about important events such as National Poetry Month.

5. Set up book signing events. Look for events in your area or contact local bookstores and other venues.

To learn more about National Poetry Month, visit http://www.poets.org/national-poetry-month/national-poetry-month-faq.

ABOUT JODEE THAYER: With over 25 years of experience in sales and management, Jodee Thayer works as the Director of Author Services for Outskirts Press. The Author Services Department is composed of knowledgeable customer service reps and publishing consultants; together, they all focus on educating authors on the self-publishing process in order 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, Jodee Thayer can put you on the right path.

SETTING THE STAGE II

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell.  If ever there was a novel—and author—to be recognized in the world of legacy writing, it is this one.  It has stood the test of time not only because the main character is a horse (utilizing the writing technique of personification), but because of excellent development of Setting, Plot and Characters.

The story is set in the Victorian Era (reign of Queen Victoria 1837-1901), an age of progress and tradition.  Although travel by train/railroads is coming into fashion, the horse was still the main mode of transportation, either by saddle or pulling a carriage.  Born in 1820, Anna Sewell experienced a unique perspective of her environment having seriously injured both ankles (about age 14).  For the remainder of her life, Anna could not stand without a crutch or walk any distance.  Her “legs” became horse-drawn carriages where she witnessed many of the episodes she wrote about.

Anna chose to begin her novel in the English countryside—on a farm where a beautiful colt was born and raised over a 4-year timeframe.  The first page offers visual and refreshing descriptions: 1) “a pleasant meadow with a pond of clear water;” 2) shade trees leaning over the pond where “rushes and water lilies grew;” 3) a plowed field could be seen over the hedge, and in the other direction was the house and the road; 4) “at the top of the meadow was a grove of fir trees, and at the bottom a running brook overhung by a steep bank.”  Can you picture it?  Many a famous artist has attempted to capture that image of peace and harmony.

Without the readers knowing it, each of us instantly created an image in our minds.  They are unique to each person, yet each one involves the basic elements of setting:

1. Time of Day. The human mind holds distinct and vivid associations with different periods of the day.  When reading a description such as the one above, most will instantly create a visual orientation of the scene—and place themselves IN it.  Although there will be other distinctive scenes throughout the book, the opening scene/setting needs to be one Readers will not forget.
2. Sense of time. The minutes, hours (days, weeks and months) encapsulated in your novel need to unfold moment-by-moment—just as we experience our daily lives.  Of course, the story cannot hold every minute of every day in the characters’ lives.  However, this sense of fluid motion (connecting one event with the next) will bring reality into focus for the Reader.  Again, the Black Beauty novel is an excellent example as the setting moves the reader from peaceful pastureland to cobblestone London streets with ease.
3. Experiencing the Setting. There are many setting factors that influence a Reader’s ability to experience your story.  With each chapter (or section change within a chapter) set the stage very specifically by including aspects of light (bright sunlight—shadowed forest, etc.), weather, and temperature. I’ve known some writers to research the allergy seasons, butterfly and geese-migration seasons, etc.  ALL of these (and many others) will add to the emotional impact felt by readers.

In closing, I offer you one more thought about Anna Sewell, this very famous author. As the daughter of a well-known children’s book author—Mary Wright Sewell—she was IN the right setting for creative writing exploration.  However, Black Beauty was her only novel.  She sold her novel to a local publisher—saw it published when she was 57 years old—and died five months later. DO YOU have a novel waiting to be written?  DON’T WAIT!  Finish it and get it published!  Your publishing options are plentiful!

Book reviews are a great way for self-publishing authors to gain exposure. After all, how can someone buy your book if he or she doesn’t know it exists? Paired with other elements of your book promotion strategy, requesting reviews is a great way to get people talking about what you’ve written.

When we read good reviews, we definitely like to share them. It gives the author a few (permanent) moments of fame and allows us to let the community know about a great book. Here’s this week’s book review by Midwest Book Review:

 Surviving Mental Illness

Linda Naomi Katz

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN:9781432783990

To lose domain over one’s own mind is a frightening thing. “Surviving Mental Illness” is a memoir from Linda Naomi Katz, as she shares her struggles with psychological disorders and the pressure that comes with it. She speaks on being often labeled crazy by society and how she had to cope with such things, as well as her long road to recovery. Uplifting and poignant, “Surviving Mental Illness” is a thoughtful addition to memoir collections focusing on psychological issues.

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 every Tuesday to find out the hottest news.

 Want to Succeed in Self-Publishing? Do Your Research: Tips from an Indie Author 

When Kensington Books didn’t renew Anthea Lawson’s contract, she was at a loss. But the RITA-Award finalist and author of the traditionally published romances All He Desires and Passionate didn’t let this dissuade her. Instead, she “took the plunge” into self-publishing. Check out the full article to read her advice.

Two self-published successes sign with major publishers

This article shares the success story of two self-published romance authors who signed with major publishers. This is an interesting read all writers.

Getting Self-Published Books into Public Libraries

This informative article reveals how to get your self-published book into public libraries. Key points include making sure your book is professional and purchasing an ISBN. This is a must read for self-publishing authors who want their books in public libraries.

If you have other big news to share, please comment below.

I’m not sure how I pulled it off, but this year I’m actually getting a tax refund for the first time in years!  Now…what to do with it?  My inclination is to do something completely frivolous, but then my common sense takes over and I start thinking about practical and responsible things I should do with this unexpected mini-windfall.  Put it in my retirement account?  Boring.  Payoff my truck?  No fun at all.  Donate it to charity?  Well…maybe part of it.  Invest it in stock?  Yeah, probably not going to happen.  And then it hit me, there is a way to do something “fun” (if not outright frivolous)  with it that can still be considered practical and even responsible.

I pulled out my “dreams” board, (yes, I really have a board of “bucket list” things to do or accomplish), and I searched it thinking creatively of which item on my list I could throw this money at AND knock that item off my list AND possibly get some kind of return on the investment.  I was pretty creative with that “return on investment” as I considered several items on the list – the return could be potentially monetary, could be a sense of accomplishment, a satisfaction in getting an item checked off the list, fulfilling a need for a serious adrenaline rush I’ll obtain from many of the crazier items on the list, improved horsemanship, finally publishing Grandma’s memoir, learning a useful new skill, intellectual stimulation, the list goes on and on.

All of this was going through my head this weekend and while I haven’t made a decision yet on what, exactly, I will do with my refund, when I came across the “publish Grandma’s memoir” item on my list it made me think of many of you following this blog.  The biggest audience of this blog is folks just like me when it comes to that project – a writing and publishing project that has been put on the back burner for years.  Maybe it’s time for me to move that up on my list.  Maybe it’s time for you to do the  same.  And maybe, if you’re getting a refund too, this could be a use for that money that would be fun and practical and bring a huge sense of accomplishment to you.

Taking that first step of selecting a self-publishing company and purchasing a publishing package can certainly be daunting.  And if funding for the project has been an obstacle in getting started, then perhaps using your tax refund is the stimulus you need to get this project off the ground and finally moving forward.