Category: Uncategorized

Jodee Speaks, Uncategorized

What Self-Publishing Children’s Authors Need to Know About Hiring an Illustrator

 

For children’s authors, a great illustrator is essential to self-publishing a wonderful book. In children’s stories, the pictures are not only enjoyable to look at, they also help tell the story. Because an illustrator is so important to the success of your book, you need to make sure you hire a talented, trustworthy artist.

Thanks to the internet, it is easy to find an illustrator. If you simply google the term “children’s book illustrators”, you will probably get plenty of results for qualified artists. However, self-publishing authors need to be cautious when hiring third-party illustrators. Here is what you need to know.

  • Some third-party illustrators require you to share a portion of your royalties. This creates ongoing cost instead of a one-time fee for their services.
  • You need to know what the trim size of your book is prior to the illustrator beginning work.
  • The illustrator needs to know specifications about bleed and gutters for the
    self-publisher being used.
  • You should arrange for the illustrator to provide high-resolution image files, not just
    hardcopies.
  • Be sure to get a written contract.

If this sounds like a headache, there is an easier way. Instead of hiring a third-party illustrator, you could hire an illustrator through your self-publishing company. To learn more about hiring an illustrator your self-publishing company, contact a representative at your publishing company.

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 10/04/13

Inspiration; Encouragement; Hope; These are the topics that have the non-fiction shelves of the local bookstores overflowing and home libraries expanding.  This is also one of the areas of self-publishing that is a true gift to writers; the place where folks—ordinary folks—are finally able to tell their stories to those who wonder how they will ever survive their current circumstance.

Consider these examples:  The newly released book Oh What A Beautiful Mourning by Roderick G. Peters inspires and comforts our nation as he writes about the events of September 11, 2001—his story of life, history, horror, spiritual growth and development since that day.  Encouragement and inspiration ooze from the pages of Our Kids: Building Relationships in the Classroom by Chris Bowen—each chapter a lesson learned “from our children,” not just the lesson being taught.  And the true story/memoir of Terry Wadsworth Warne, TERRY: The Inspiring Story of a Little Girl’s Survival as a POW in WWII, that details those experiences with heart-rending accuracy while inspiring readers with the hope that they, too, can survive horrific things and live a happy life.

Are you one of those “folks” who has a story to tell?  Early in my ghostwriting efforts, a young man talked with me about an idea for a book that had been bugging him for a long time.  He had grown up on a pinto-bean farm experiencing many hardships and had an “I-almost-died” experience that made me consider the reality of Guardian Angels.  He was “going to” send me some of the handwritten pages he’d collected.  It’s been almost 20 years since then and even though I still recall his vivid descriptions and inspiring outcome—and we still keep in touch at Christmas—I doubt his story will see print.  Sad for him and for the reading public.  He made the assumption that publishing his story would be “next to impossible” and everything stopped there.

I love working with writers who are ready and willing to TELL their true stories.  Authors such as those listed from the book examples above write from the heart to touch the hurting hearts of other ordinary people—just like them.  These books become “helping hands” that reach out to lift up their neighbors, bring comfort and hope.  I applaud them, each and every one!

Then there are the writers who have been inspired by someone in history.  They have researched that person’s life, considered the results of that life-well-lived and want to hold them up as an example of excellence and success.  These stories become the Historical Novels—fictionalize, yet true—that show us the past, while engaging us with inspirational scenarios that can be carried into the present.

Are you the next author of one of these books?  I hope so!  Doing the writing work can take a bit of time, but there are lots of folks ready and able to help you along the way.  The self-publishing industry is growing—and offering more specific assistance—so do your homework when seeking writing and publishing support.  Listen for their passion to help you write and publish what is in your heart.

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

October Writing Challenge #1

One of the favorite months is finally here — October! Witches, ghosts, and goblins! Oh my!

In honor of Halloween, each week in October I will share a Halloween inspired writing challenge. These challenges are designed to spark creative ideas, help you stick to your writing routine, and provide a little fun in your hectic week. (After all, writing is supposed to be fun, right?)

This week, we’ll start with the Spiritual Poetry Challenge. Tap into the spirit of Halloween and write a poem about a spiritual event or encounter. Possible topics include death, ghosts, or after death communication with someone who has passed. For instance, pick a real or fictional person who has passed and imagine what he/she would say to you. Also, if you have ever had a spiritual encounter, you could write the poem about that event.

This challenge will be unique for each individual. In some religions, spiritual encounters and after death communication are significant parts of their beliefs, and the poems may reflect those beliefs. For others, this challenge may simply be a fun way to imagine an conversation with a late celebrity, famous author, or even a childhood pet.

Be sure to check back next Wednesday for the next writing challenge!

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

Friday Conversations With A Self-Publishing Writer 9/27/13

Whether you are a novice writer, experienced writer, self-publishing writer, or dreaming of seeing your name on the cover of your book—and haven’t ever submitted a manuscript, anywhere—there is one central piece of advice I was given that I share with you today: NEVER QUIT!

Years ago, when I jumped in to an unexpected teaching position—with both feet and knees knocking—my daughter gave me a poster for my classroom.  In big, bold, bright-colored lettering it read: NEVER NEVER NEVER Quit!  The miracle of learning comes when you least expect it.  The truth of that statement played out many times, and since then, I have translated it into my personal pep-talks when I’m struggling with a writing project.

Ever read any of the stats about famous writers?  Mystery writer Agatha Christie had no formal education yet taught herself to read and eventually wrote at least 66 novels plus numerous short stories, and even movies.  John Grisham’s first novel was rejected 25 times.  Frank Herbert’s science fiction novel Dune was rejected 20 times.  Even Stephen King received more rejection letters than he cares to remember.  And, it has even been documented that Rudyard Kipling received a rejection letter stating: I’m sorry Mr. Kipling, but you just don’t know how to use the English language.  J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter sagas, was turned away by 12 publishers only to be “discovered” by a very small publishing press. 

So, how do writers defeat the nay-sayers and the doubting thoughts that creep in?  We create our own, personalized, Pep Rally points:

  • Listen to your supporters!  Family, friends and other writers from your writing group who know your work and appreciate the story you’ve created can offer you the emotional support you’ll need before you publish and after you publish.Do you read the comics?  Remember when Charlie Brown was trying to kick a football and kept missing?  His good friend, Lucy, held the ball for him so that his perspective changed—just a bit—which helped him succeed.
  • Go to your first outlines and take note of the excellence in your writing! Yes, it really is okay to acknowledge that what you’ve created is well done!
  • Review the research.  If your project is based on a true story, maybe (just maybe) something slipped between the drafts. Then you can enjoy the satisfaction of enhancing the material—on your own—so that you can present the best manuscript.
  •  Re-think your publishing concepts.  If the general, mainstream publishers just don’t “get” what you’re writing, then look to the self-publishing presses. Children’s author, Beatrix Potter was not able to find a conventional publisher who would accept The Tale of Peter Rabbit.  She did not give up.  She self-published!

Someone once told me that “an apparent failure is only an opportunity to begin again; pray, reset, restart, refocus and succeed.”  I haven’t counted the numerous times this has happened in my writing life; however, I can tell you that I’ve never been happier with this gift of writing that keeps my fingers typing.  May you feel this satisfying enjoyment, too.

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.
Jodee Speaks, Uncategorized

How to Format Your Self-Published Book

One of the questions I am most frequently asked by self-publishing authors is how to format the manuscript for submission. Every self-publishing company may have its own requirements, but here is an overview of what is most common:

PAGE SIZE: A typical manuscript page will be the standard 8.5 x 11. If you want an idea of how long your book will be, you can set your page size to the trim size you plan to select. Changing to the trim size you plan to select will also help you see how your text shifts and moves.

MARGINS: It’s fine to use the default margins in Word. However, if you want to get closer to standard margins for many self-publishing companies, set the top and bottom margins to .95” and the left and right to .75”.

SPACING: Most authors prefer to use double-spacing when creating their manuscript because is allows for easier editing and proofreading. It is fine to submit it with double-spacing to most self-publishing companies. However, if you want to get an idea of the length of your book and how the text will look, change the manuscript to single-space.

PARAGRAPH INDENTS: It’s best to not use spaces or tabs, but rather to set your paragraph setting to the first line hanging .25”.

HARD RETURNS: Only use hard returns at the end of a paragraph, NOT the end of each line like a typewriter.

SPELL CHECK: Run the grammar check and spell check and have a third party proofread your manuscript. It is important to note that grammar and spell check don’t always catch every error and the suggestions aren’t always correct. It is best to have another person as well as yourself proofread the text.

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.