holidays – Page 7 – Self Publishing Advisor

elizabeth speaks, Holidays, in your corner, Uncategorized

In Your Corner : Christmas Traditions!

In this busy world, our equally busy lives can sometimes get in the way of passing along traditions to our family. Publishing a novel, a memoir, a cookbook, or some other piece of writing is an oft-neglected but rewarding way to pass on our traditions–as well as our special holiday stories–to family members and to our friends!

For example, take the cookbook. There are infinite varieties and forms that the cookbook can take–no two cookbooks look or feel or read the same, even if they overlap in terms of recipes. Why is that? Well, for one, a cookbook is first and foremost an artifact of its author’s personality, history, culture, and interests. The most interesting cookbooks, in my opinion, are not the ones produced by Williams Sonoma (as swoon-worthy as we all find their copper pots to be) or even Cooks Illustrated (although, let’s face it, we like the science). Books produced by committee may have their strengths, but they don’t lock in the same quality of story.

Take these three cookbooks, for example, all of them put out by Outskirts Press:

“The Seven Fishes: An Italian Christmas Cook Book”

“Firewood, Family & Friends”

“Easy as Hell Dinner Party Cookbook”

We have Sleeping with the Seven Fishes: An Italian Christmas Cook Book (2013) by Mike KC; Firewood, Family & Friends Cookbook (2010) by Cheryl Paninder; and the Easy as Hell Dinner Party Cookbook (2013) by Bill Bjorkman with Michael Cilella of the Cox Roosevelt Inn. And as you can tell from first glance, they’re all radically different books! One is geared specifically towards the holidays, one towards the cozy kind of relationships we prize during the holidays, and one towards the home cook with ambitions at throwing a gourmet extravaganza. (I’ll leave it up to you to decide which is which!)

What’s most important to note about these books, however, isn’t the covers themselves but what the covers and titles and typography–and all of the other graphical elements–combine to imply about the stories behind the individual books. These are the things that are worth taking note of as a self-publishing author–and whether you’re thinking of publishing a cookbook or some other type of book, the same principle holds true–because these are the things that grab a reader’s attention in the bookstore and compel that person to carry your book all the way to the check-out clerk. Authorship isn’t exactly a cult of personality, but it can sometimes be useful to think of a published book the same way you might think of a person going in for a high-stakes job interview: presentation matters, because it conveys a lot about that book’s/person’s backstory.

And for better or worse, people connect with story.

The Christmas holidays is an especially important time to be thinking about helping to preserve your family’s history and legacy by self-publishing a book. That’s because Christmas, perhaps more than any other holiday, is rich with oral storytelling traditions, baking traditions, and narrative traditions of all kinds. You can both collect new material for your book and enjoy the rich conversations that will inevitably collect around the news that you’ve got a book in the works. And sometimes, at Christmas as at other times of year when our relationships with the past are the hinge upon which our lives turn, we can all do with a little reminder:

It is my hope and wish that you enjoy a wonderful, relaxing Christmas–a Christmas thickly textured with the best kinds of traditions!

Merry Christmas!

You are not alone. ♣︎

ABOUT ELIZABETH JAVOR: With over 18 years of experience in sales and management, Elizabeth Javor works as the Manager of Author Services for Outskirts Press. The Author Services Department is composed of knowledgeable publishing consultants, pre-production specialists, customer service reps and book marketing specialists; together, they all focus on educating authors on the self-publishing process 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, Elizabeth Javor can put you on the right path.

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! ♠

elizabeth speaks, Holidays, in your corner, Uncategorized

In Your Corner : Giving Thanks for Self-Publishing

Why am I thankful for self-publishing? Let me count the ways!

I’m thankful because I don’t have to wait for an agent to read and accept my next book. We just need to write a book in order for that book to exist out there in the world and be read by others!
I’m thankful because I get to keep my rights and royalties. In a competitive market, this gives us both a leg up over authors who are published through traditional forms and processes, and a leg up on an industry that constantly seeks to inflate the profit margin for the publisher or film house–at the expense of ideas and the author at the heart of it all.
I’m thankful because I will maintain control over every aspect of my book that I want to, and I have a whole host of options to turn to (including my own employer, Outskirts Press) if there are aspects I don’t want to control.
I’m thankful for more flexibility. We get to work from home, on our own timeline, meeting our own personal goals and performing according to our own expectations–and not racing to constantly measure up to someone else’s designs, or match our schedules with someone else’s calendar.
I’m thankful that we don’t live in fear of progress, but rather surf the cutting edge of the digital and silicon revolutions. We are innovators, ambitious dreamers who make change happen and get stuff done. Right now we self-publishers are masters of the ebook, including the e-audiobook. What’s next? We’ll figure it out. And we’ll embrace it, I guarantee you, before anyone else in the publishing world.
I’m thankful that as a part of my job I get to help others sidestep the “information gatekeepers” who have historically limited access to publication for reasons to do with bias, influence over the industry, and profit. When has a small group of people determining the parameters of another, larger group of peoples’ lives ever turned out well? Vive la révolution! The more voices we hear, the more lives we witness, the more we know of the world and the way other minds work, the better we can live as individuals and a collective whole. I really believe that.
I’m thankful that this has been a big year for breakthroughs in terms of mainstream recognition and presence. Ridley Scott’s adaptation of self-publishing superstar Andy Weir’s The Martian is still rocking the box office. A film adaptation of Lisa Genova’s Still Alice received its wide release this year, too, and walked away with an Oscar, a BAFTA, a Golden Globe, and a Screen Actors Guild Award (among others). And that’s just two of many self-published works that have been adapted for the big screen (and television) this year–a great litmus test and indicator of mainstream success. Countless other self-published books have seen more moderate success, too, and the indie industry is as a whole seeing diversification and stabilization.
And lastly, it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving if I didn’t mention one of my greatest joys: the indie, hybrid, and self-publishing authors that I work with day and day out throughout the year at Outskirts Press. As a company, we are so very thankful for the authors that have made us a leading self-publisher in an energetic and ever-expanding market. We never tire of learning how we have helped authors realize their dreams, how we have helped author after author to put their ideas and words into beautifully bound books to be enjoyed by others. You inspire us to better ourselves every day. You inspire me to believe in the power of the written word, and in the power of helping others sound their voices throughout the world.

I hope that you have a splendid Thanksgiving Day today. As it is at all other times of year, it’s important to remember one simple fact this holiday season: You’re not alone. ♣︎

Merry Christmas!

You are not alone. ♣︎

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