Category: Uncategorized

Jodee Speaks, Uncategorized

Happy President’s Day, Self-Publishing Authors!

For many people, President’s Day is just another day off work, or another day that you’re stuck at work while everyone else is off. However, it should be a day to celebrate presidents both past and present. As a country, we’ve been blessed with some wonderful leaders who’ve made great changes and who are an inspiration to us all. For those of you interested in history or current issues, President’s Day is a great opportunity to start a self-publishing project in honor of your favorite leaders. Here are a few ideas to help you generate some book ideas.

  • Get current – Read a newspaper. Watch the news. Browse online news sources. Find out what is happening in our country, and decide if you have an opinion on any of the topics. This research might spark an idea for your next project.
  • Get personal – One of the most interesting history genres is biographies. If you have a favorite president, start doing some research and consider writing a biography.
  • Interview others – Biographies and news sources only offer a limited perspective. Sometimes history is more interesting when you hear it from ordinary people. If there is an event or leader who interests you, interview people about that event or person. Their stories might just make an interesting book.
  • Make it up – If you enjoy history but prefer writing fiction, consider writing historical fiction. This genre offers creative freedom while appealing to your inner historian.

No matter what you decide to write, take a moment this holiday to celebrate the great presidents our country has had and remember that today is more than just a day off work.

ABOUT JODEE THAYER: With over 20 years of experience in sales and management, Jodee Thayer works as the Manager 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.
Conversations with a Self-Publishing Writer, Royalene Speaks, Uncategorized

Friday Conversations With A Self-Publishing Writer 2/14/14

PICTURE THIS!

When a person includes 95 photos and a few illustrations in a memoir, readers will enjoy a unique and very personal adventure through time.  Such was my consulting/ghostwriting experience a couple years ago at the completion of the beautifully expressed life-stories of two exceptional people.  An extra bonus for me was that their project reinforced my understanding of the relation between photos (or illustrations) and story-telling.

During my school years, I remember several teachers telling me, “Royalene, you are definitely a visual learner.”  I think they were frustrated by that revelation because it created a challenge for most educators of that era—except the art teacher, of course.  However, as I grow into my chosen profession of writing—creating visual images with words—I appreciate their early analysis and I continue learning how to use this element to my benefit.

“Art,” they say, “evokes emotion,” and the artist/photographer will utilize this to express the essence of a moment captured in a millisecond of time and space.  The writer must carry this concept further by selecting words, and combinations of words, that transport instant images into the readers’ view—images that evoke emotion.  This ability will not only communicate their story well, it will also carry an author to the top of the Best Books list and possibly set them up for movie and/or television acclaim.

The visually shared experience will also have a greater sustained impact—one that will bring about contemplation of the various elements of the story and lead readers to discuss your book as their next Book Club selection!  Here are a few tips for writing visually:

LOOK FOR the emotion in your characters AND their environment.  Dissect the emotional anatomy of each of these elements, such as:

  • What is the motivation behind a character’s actions, attitude, and perspective?  What has your character experienced that brings about their reaction(s) to the events?  Did they suffer physical trauma that brought an emotional response?  What are they holding on to from their past that is creating current circumstances?
  • What is the emotional impact of their environment?  Do they live in a mansion or tent?  Is there a lawn—mown and manicured—or is it a field of weeds?  Has there been fire, flood, or drought devastation?  Can they hear the birds singing?  See flowers blooming? Watch butterflies float through the air?  Is the air so clear the brilliant blue of the sky is visible, or is the fog/smog so thick vision and breathing are severely hindered?

My client/friend’s memoir told the story using all these elements, and I am the richer for reading it.  That is my hope for all writers—that we can enrich the lives of our readers and enjoy every step of the process.  And if expressing the emotional elements are tough for you, don’t hesitate to accept help.  There are editors and ghostwriters out there—partnering with self-publishing teams of professionals who will help you complete your work.

Royalene 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.
Kelly Speaks, Uncategorized

3 Reasons You’ll Fall in Love with Self-Publishing

Self-publishing is transforming the publishing industry. Universities are beginning to offer degrees in self-publishing. Successful authors who previously used traditional publishing firms are switching to self-publishing, and the options available to self-publishing authors are constantly improving.

Once you learn more about self-publishing, you may just find that you love this option! Here are three reasons why:

1. Control

With traditional publishing, the author has very little control over the fate of his or her book. Editors and agents decide if your book is print worthy. The publishing firm decides the cover art, layout, and price point for your book. Once you hand over your manuscript to a traditional publishing company, you are giving up control. With self-publishing, you are in charge. You decide when your manuscript is ready to be published, and you control the final outcome.

2. Quality

The quality of POD books has come a long way. In addition to better printing quality and a wider variety of formatting options, many self-publishing companies offer a variety of professional services (for example, copy editing and cover design) to ensure that you publish the best book possible.

3. Speed

Traditional publishing is a slow process. There is the dreaded query letters. The time spent waiting to hear back from agents or editors. If your book does get picked up by a firm, it can take over a year to see your book in print. The self-publishing process is often completed within a few months (or even just a few weeks). Not only does this mean you don’t have to wait to see your book in print, but it also opens up even more doors for authors. You can now publish books that are current and in response to readers’ desires.

I’d love to know, why do you love self-publishing?

ABOUT KELLY SCHUKNECHT: Kelly Schuknecht is the 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 at http://kellyschuknecht.com.
Jodee Speaks, Uncategorized

5 Ways to Use Self-Publishing to Express Your Love

Valentine’s Day is only a few days away, and if you are like many people, you are probably looking for the perfect way to express your love. Well, self-publishing is here to help. Here are five ways you can use self-publishing to express your love.

1. Write your true love story.

Every couple as a love story. This Valentine’s Day, honor your significant other by writing down your story. You can self-publish the story to have a printed version to cherish forever, and if you choose, you can share it with the world. Readers are always looking for the next great true love story.

2. Share those love poems.

If you are a poet and enjoy writing love poems, gather up the poems you’ve written (or use Valentine’s Day as inspiration to write some new ones) and turn them into a poetry book to share with the person you love. Poetry is one of the most romantic forms of writing.

3. Don’t forget the other people you love.

Valentine’s Day isn’t just about your significant other. It is also a chance to express your love for the other people in your life — your kids, your parents, your friends, your pets. You can write and publish a book expressing your love for them or dedicate a story you know they will love.

4. Don’t forgot the other things you love either.

Love isn’t just between living things. I’m sure there are hobbies or places or other things in your life that you have a deepen connection with. Whatever it is you love (cooking, adventure, a special vacation spot), you can write about it and use self-publishing to share your love with the world.

5. Give the gift of self-publishing.

If the person you love is a writer and dreams of publishing, you can give the gift of self-publishing. It is a gift they can cherish forever.

I’d love to know, how are you using self-publishing to express your love?

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, publishing consultants and marketing professionals; together, they all focus on educating authors on the self-publishing process in order to help them publish the book of their dreams and on assisting authors with marketing and promoting their book once published. 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.
Conversations with a Self-Publishing Writer, Royalene Speaks, Uncategorized

Friday Conversations With A Self-Publishing Writer 2/07/14

FLASH-WRITING

Back in the day, when prose and poetry readings were encouraged at coffee houses—and listeners snapped their fingers instead of applauding—editors from publishing houses frequented many of those dark rooms.  A “literary renaissance” was “happening” as individual writers stepped into church basements and back-alley saloons to give their work a voice.  Some of those we still read today were published by forward-thinking, yet mainstream, publishers.

Today’s writers live in a New Universal Renaissance—the flow of actions, events and concepts that even the Internet cannot contain.  The cultures of our world’s populations are being developed—positively or negatively—even as I write this blog.  People, politics, mega-business, health industries, Faith centers and yes, even sports, create an ebb and flow that seems to carry the world away.  Who can possibly make sense of it all?  Writers!  You and me!  And we no longer have to scribble our writings on coffee-house napkins and see them disappear.  We have a much better option!  Self-publishing!

Sitting beside the advantage of self-publishing is the necessity to write well.  I’ve talked about being organized and researching and writing from the heart—and each of those elements are essential.  But HOW do we start? WHERE do we find that one thing worth writing about?  It comes from Flash-writing, of course!  Some folks—from the 60s—might call it stream-of-consciousness writing, and the concept is similar, but not quite the same.

The similar part looks like this:  Find a comfortable spot—maybe in a favorite room and/or chair—and set your coffee, tea or Bailey’s beside you.  If this place happens to be an inspiring location, that is even better (a park, library reading room, art museum).  Setting up beside a large window-with-a-view is also a good option.  Then grab your preferred writing tool—paper and pencil, laptop, or iPad and WRITE!  Write anything that comes to mind.  Doodle.  Draw.  Scribble.  Scrawl.  PLAY with words.  If a person (character) pops into your thoughts, write about them.  If you’ve always wanted to travel to Mars, start planning the trip.  Write…write…and write some more!  That is the basic stream-of-consciousness method.

My adaptation: DO all that in 15 minutes or less!  This is Flash-Writing, and I’ve had more success, personally, by exercising my creativity in flashes than from hours of trying to force stream-of-consciousness thoughts.  Have you seen a YouTube clip of a Mob Flash-dancing?  What FUN!  And fun is exactly what writing is all about.  When the fingers are moving and the ideas are racing, we are having fun!  And the most fun of all comes when we hold our completed book IN our hands.

Did you know that some of the most well received movies/films came from short (in some cases very short) stories?  There is a 640 page book by Stephanie Harrison—a university professor—telling the true stories of some of these authors who became famous by “flash-writing” their ideas and developing them into Short Stories.

SO…GO HAVE FUN!  Let your voice be heard!  Write a short story!  Write several short stories!  Make a collection of them and GET THEM PUBLISHED!

Royalene 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.