Affordable Design Services
Graphic Design
Desktop Publishing | Video Book Trailers
Videography | Video Editing | DVD Mastering
Brochures | Banners | Newsletters | Souvenir Books
Obituaries| Workshop Manuals | Children’s Book Designer
www.CreationStationCGLC.com/media-arts
TheCreationStationCGLC@gmail.com
For More information:
3132882252
On Jan 19th, Join Beverly Jenkins & Founder of Motown Writers Network, Sylvia Hubbard for Writing 101, Publishing and Marketing in the 21st Century at the Belleville Public Library.
Click here to download your form and find out more information.
Affordable Design Services
Graphic Design
Desktop Publishing | Video Book Trailers
Videography | Video Editing | DVD Mastering
Brochures | Banners | Newsletters | Souvenir Books
Obituaries| Workshop Manuals | Children’s Book Designer
www.CreationStationCGLC.com/media-arts
TheCreationStationCGLC@gmail.com
For More information:
3132882252
Publish & Market in the 21st Century!
January 22nd & 29th, 2013 at 6pm
Detroit Impact Center
9930 Greenfield, Detroit, MI 48227
Participants will learn 21st Century Publishing techniques for paperback and eBook, along with marketing techniques for writers & businesses.
The object of these workshops is to help people get through the intricacies of getting your book out, and share resources for cover art, advertising, formatting and social media. Participants will receive resources and handouts to assist them in getting to their goals.
$50
Register online at: DetroitLiteraryNetwork.com | Registration will be available at the door
For more information, please call 313.289.8614
Metro Detroit native Laura Lee divides her time equally between writing and producing ballet educational tours with her partner, the artistic director of the Russian National Ballet Foundation. She is the author of more than a dozen non-fiction books with such publishers as Harper Collins, Reader’s Digest, Running Press, Broadway Books, Lyons Press and Black Dog and Leventhal. Her Pocket Encyclopedia of Aggravation has sold more than 85,000 copies. She has also written one collection of poetry (Invited to Sound), and a children’s book (A Child’s Introduction to Ballet). She brings to her writing a unique background as a radio announcer, improvisational comic and one-time professional mime.
The San Francisco Chronicle has said of her work, “Lee’s dry, humorous tone makes her a charming companion… She has a penchant for wordplay that is irresistible.”
Angel is her first novel.
Questions with Laura:
Where are you from?
I live in Rochester Hills.
Tell us your latest news?
I am promoting my debut novel, Angel. I have a non-fiction book with Reader’s Digest coming out in the near future.
When and why did you begin writing?
I started writing as a child and published my first article at the age of 12. It was called “My first day of junior high school.” My
father was a writer and insisted I was a “born writer” but it didn’t occur to me until much later that writing was a special skill.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
There was a series of little things. My father pushed me in that direction– he suggested I write about junior high and submit the
article, for example. I wanted to be an actress and majored in theater in college. I never got cast in anything, and in my senior year, when I auditioned my last time and failed to be cast, I took my anger and frustration and turned it into a one act comedy, which a
group of students performed and I got great feedback for it. Realizing acting was not going to be my calling, I went to broadcast
school to become a radio announcer. As the other students struggled to write ads and news copy, I whipped them off and got praise. I
started to get the idea that I could do something maybe everyone else didn’t find easy. I started writing articles for local papers in a
half-hearted way when I worked in radio, encouraged by my father. It wasn’t until I burnt out on radio that I started taking the writing
seriously. I got a job at the Times Union in Albany, NY as a reporter and feature writer beginning as a temp, filling in for someone on
maternity leave. I had no formal training in journalism or writing and was hired on the strength of my clips. It was great training in
writing quickly and not waiting for the muse or to get your artistic thing together. I published my first book while working at the paper,
and I didn’t look back from that point on. Now I’ve written 14 books, both non-fiction and fiction.
What inspired you to write your first book?
I wouldn’t call my first book particularly “inspired.” I mentioned in passing to my father that I thought it would be interesting to
write a book about the real people behind familiar names like Sears, shrapnel, Chef Boyardee and so on. He didn’t let it go until I’d
produced a proposal and some sample chapters and sent them off to everybody using Writer’s Market. I was surprised when I got a call
from a publisher that wanted me to write it.
Do you have a specific writing style?
I am focused on fiction now, and would like that to be my future direction. What works for me in fiction is to start with some sort of archetypal image and to relate it to the specifics of a character in a certain setting and situation. I have a recognizable voice, I think,
in my humorous non-fiction. Now I’ve only published one novel, but I have two more that I’ve written that I’d like to put out and I hope
that I can develop a fiction voice that people recognize and appreciate.
How did you come up with the title?
My novel is the story of a minister who sees a young man and initially confuses him for an angel, although society would view him
as anything but. His relationship with the young man changes everything in his life. So Angel seemed like the best title.
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
I hope that it presents more questions than answers. I would like people to read it, think about the story, and let it speak to them in
a personal way. The message will depend a great deal on the reader, as it should be.
How much of the book is realistic?
It is all realistic. It’s a story about two men and their relationship. It is set in a church community. No aliens or vampires
anywhere.
Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
I drew on my experience working in a church to make the setting realistic, but it is not autobiographical in any way.
What books have most influenced your life most?
When I was in high school I had to read everything by Douglas Adams. In my early twenties I had to read everything by Milan Kundera. Now
I’m reading a lot of poetry and theology.
If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
I didn’t have to choose. It was my father.
What book are you reading now?
The Big Red Book by Rumi.
Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
I have been reading a lot of really old stuff. If I haven’t read it yet, it’s new to me.
What are your current projects?
I’m seeking a new fiction agent for a novel which I actually wrote before Angel and which I recently updated and revised. I’ve finished
a sequel to Angel, but that book really has to sell a bit more to make it worth publishing. I’m waiting for the non-fiction book I finished
this summer with Reader’s Digest to come out and there are a couple of follow up projects that might spring from that. I am also working on
a more theological project. So there are a lot of directions. I have a lot of literary egg baskets.
Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.
Not surprising for a writer, but I am a solitary character by nature. One time I did have a strong community in which I was highly active
was when I lived in New York and volunteered for the Guthrie Center. (Folksinger Arlo Guthrie’s non-profit.) Since I came back to Michigan
in 2004, I’ve become much more focused on writing, and much more of a loner.
Do you see writing as a career?
It is a calling, which is a bit different from a career, but it can be a career. Don’t get me wrong, I use “calling” in a matter-of-fact
way. I don’t think there is anything special about having one. Every career has a certain aspect of that. When someone gets laid off from
any job, he has a bit of an existential crisis. There are some fields of endeavor which are skewed much more that way. A person would do
them whether he got paid or not because not doing it would be unimaginable. If you would not feel that you were you if you didn’t
write, that’s what I mean by calling. This is an area where Angel has a touch of autobiography because one aspect of the story is this issue
of having one’s calling threatened. Writers face that all the time. Is it a career if I’m not being paid? If I can’t make a living doing
what I love am I a failure? Am I not who I think I am? Paul, the protagonist of Angel, talks about the downside of having a calling.
If you believe you know what you are supposed to do, you question your ability to do it well enough. He wonders whether people are so
imperfect that they are doomed to fail God either by failing to know what their calling is or by thinking they know and not doing it as
well as they would like. So that is what I mean by calling. My sense of self and my career are tied to each other in a way that might be
unhealthy, but what can I do? If it is unhealthy, I hope I do not get well, because I like who I am. Doing writing as my career was always
important to me. Some people are happy to make their money another way. That’s probably smart. It’s a choice.
If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
No. I wrote it over the course of a decade and revised and revised and revised. I am happy with the final version. If it had not been
published, I would probably still be fiddling with it, but there is a point when you’re done and you have to stop re-thinking it.
Can you share a little of your current work with us?
blurb:
Since the loss of his lively, charming wife to cancer six years ago, minister Paul Tobit has been operating on autopilot, performing his
religious duties by rote. Everything changes the day he enters the church lobby and encounters a radiant, luminous being lit from behind,
breathtakingly beautiful and glowing with life. An angel. For a moment Paul is so moved by his vision that he is tempted to fall on his knees
and pray.
Even after he regains his focus and realizes he simply met a flesh-and-blood young man, Paul cannot shake his sense of awe and
wonder. He feels an instant and overwhelming attraction for the young man, which puzzles him even as it fills his thoughts and fires his
feelings. Paul has no doubt that God has spoken to him through this vision, and Paul must determine what God is calling him to do.
Thus begins a journey that will inspire Paul’s ministry but put him at odds with his church as he is forced to examine his deeply held
beliefs and assumptions about himself, his community, and the nature of love.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
One of the challenges is to resist the urge to make characters more articulate than they would be in life. As a writer you can find just
the right words to express an emotion, but your characters are not professional writers. So sometimes you have to “ugly up” the perfect
expression of something because it just wouldn’t be realistic for, say, a 24- year old recovering alcoholic to speak in poetry.
Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?
I am an eclectic reader. There is not one writer that I am focused on at the moment.
Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)?
No, but I am on tour five months out of the year with my ballet project.
Who designed the covers?
The cover artist of Angel was Anne Cain based on a concept I proposed.
What was the hardest part of writing your book?
The novel evolved out of a trip I took in 2000 to Mount Rainier in Seattle. I took a bus tour and the driver was entertaining and kept
talking about burning out on his old job. Toward the end of the tour, someone asked what his old job had been and he said “a minister.”
There were a number of things that stayed with me about that, which I thought would make a great novel. The fact that Mount Rainier was
beautiful and a dormant volcano, and the idea of someone who burned out on the ministry to become a mountain guide. I was reading a lot
of Eastern thought at the time, and it seemed to me that there could be a great story about someone having some kind of life change, maybe
a crisis of faith, or a new direction, that put him on a course that would separate him from his congregation. It would “breathe” the
beauty of the mountain, show how he was called to both. I didn’t know what the “thing” would be though, that separated the minister from the
church and brought him to the mountain. I had a feel for what itwould be, but no specifics. I spent the better part of a decade
meditating on it and trying different things. When the “thing” came to me– that he would fall in love with a man– everything fell into
place and I wrote it quickly as if a tap had been turned on. I just had to catch the water.
Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?
I became quite interested in the Bible as a result of imagining the inner life of a Christian minister.
Do you have any advice for other writers?
The main thing is not to rush it. When I first decided I wanted to be a writer, I felt pressed to write a novel and I rushed to get one
on paper and it was terrible. You have to do a lot of bad writing, and you need the patience to let an idea lay fallow for a while, maybe
for years. A professional photographer once told me that the key to taking memorable photos was just to take tons of pictures and most of
them won’t be good and a few will be brilliant. I write like mad. I don’t throw anything away. Eventually some of the stuff that I thought was trash turns out to have gems in it. The longer I work at it, the more automatic the process becomes and the better the
gem-to-trash ratio gets. So the advice is that everything takes much longer than you wold like it to. You need the patience of Job.
Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
Angel gets slapped with a lot of genre labels, and some of them scare off certain readers. Don’t be put off by the idea of a “gay Christian
romance.” It is something other than that, and I hope you will give the book a try and decide what animal it is for yourself.
Name of Author: Laura Lee
Name of Book: Angel
Author Website: angelthenovel.com
Amazon Link
http://www.amazon.com/Angel-Laura-Lee/dp/161372103X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1353081837&sr=8-2&keywords=angel+laura+lee
Twitter Link: @LauraLeeAuthor
Creative and innovative are understatements when it comes to describing her work. Well-known for transforming others’ thoughts and ideas into written masterpieces, her writing style has catapulted her into a creative writing success for over 15 years. But through perfecting the craft of writing, Tenita Johnson realized her keen eye for spelling and grammatical errors would not only lead her into a career as an editor, but enable her to start her own writing and editing business, So It Is Written LLC.
Tenita’s passion for writing helped aid her in choosing to attend the University of Missouri-Columbia, where she received a Bachelor of Journalism with an emphasis in News/Editorial. Her internship at the Columbia Missourian as not only a reporter, but also as a copy editor, helped hone her writing and editing skills to successfully compete in today’s journalistic and writing industries. Through her visionary writing, Tenita seeks to inspire and uplift others when they seem to have hope lost.
100 Words of Encouragement: Tidbits of Inspiration, her debut book, not only offers hope to make it through the current state of this economy, but to persevere through any trying situation one may encounter in everyday life. This written compilation of daily words of encouragement also emphasizes the belief that if you can condition your mind to think positively, eventually your circumstances will follow. But Tenita’s success is surely not only measured by her own.
Through her So It Is Written LLC, she helps authors around the nation perfect their manuscripts and successfully complete the publishing process. She also offers professional biographies, press releases and proposals, creating distinct brand images for authors long before their books hit the shelves. Together with her education, poise and charisma, she seeks to not only become a better writer and entrepreneur herself, but even more so, she seeks to help other authors bring their visions and dreams to manifestation. For speaking engagements or to purchase your copy of 100 Words of Encouragement, please visit www.soitiswritten.net or email info@soitiswritten.net.
Read below to find out more about author Tenita C. Johnson!
Where are you from?
Chicago, IL
Tell us your latest news?
I am looking to launch my 2nd book in the summer of 2013 titled When the Smoke Clears, the story of my life, told from the other side of victory.
When and why did you begin writing?
I began writing in high school. Both for my school yearbook as well as to release anger and hurt.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
When I had several published articles in college.
What inspired you to write your first book?
I was unemployed and began to send out emails of inspiration to 5 friends. One of them suggested that I not only keep them, but make them into a book. So I did.
Do you have a specific writing style?
I write to encourage and uplift.
How did you come up with the title?
I sent 100 emails and Googled if 100 Words of Encouragement was taken and it wasn’t. So it was pretty simple!
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
Yes, the message is always don’t give up, don’t quit, don’t throw in the towel…without the preached Word.
How much of the book is realistic?
Most of it, if not all of it, are real-life accounts of times in my life where I felt down, but pulled myself up again.
Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
My own real life
What books have most influenced your life?
The Bible, Rev Run’s Words of Wisdom
If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
Steve Harvey, because he writes the real and doesn’t sugarcoat anything.
What book are you reading now?
Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man
Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
Tonia Carter
Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.
My Greater Grace Temple church family
Do you see writing as a career?
Yes most definitely!
If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
I would change the inside layout and have a professional designer design the pages and I would remove the Bible verses.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
Offering ways for people to cope or overcome obstacles in life, when sometimes I am still struggling with those things myself.
Who designed the covers?
Rochelle Mann of Mann Made
What was the hardest part of writing your book?
Fear that it is not good enough, it is not from God and fear that Bible scholars would challenge me.
Do you have any advice for other writers?
Start marketing 6 months in advance. Hire a professional editor and even still, review the edited copy before going to final print. Don’t order 500 or 100 copies in case you do find an error. Launch your website BEFORE the book comes out and take pre-orders.
Author & Book Info:
100 Words of Encouragement: Tidbits of Inspiration
Author Website: www.soitiswritten.net
Amazon Link:100 Words of Encouragement Amazon Page
Facebook Link: 100 Words of Encouragement
Twitter Link: TenitaJohnson
This week’s spotlight is on author Jossie Marie Solheim. Join us as we talk with her about her first novel Insane Reno and more.
Where are you from?
Well, originally I am from Kent; but I have lived most of my life in
Cornwall. I love Cornwall and have been so lucky to grow up here and,
although Kent is lovely, too and I enjoyed my time living there in my
teens, Cornwall will always be the place I love best.
Tell us your latest news?
Ha-ha! Well, that would be my first novel, Insane Reno, being
published. It is truly some of the best news I have ever had and a
dream come true.
When and why did you begin writing?
Oh, I started writing when I was around nine years old. My childhood
wasn’t the best, you see, and it was my way of escaping reality. I
would write myself into happy stories with happy endings and pray that
they would come true. Well, they didn’t, when I was young, but the
last few years, more and more of them are coming true; perhaps, not
quite how I imagined them, but I am enjoying the discovery process, so
I don’t mind, too much.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
Well, I have called myself a writer for a long time; but honestly, it
wasn’t until I got my publishing deal for my novel that I really felt
I had made it as a writer. For me the short stories and articles I had
published just weren’t enough, it had to be a novel.
What inspired you to write your first book?
So many things. Bodmin moor was one of my biggest inspirations. It
just held a fascination for me that just had to be explored and
understood. I read everything I could get my hands on, regarding the
moors and its myths and grew, ever more fascinated. If you spend a lot
of time there, you’ll understand what I mean. I guess they just spoke
to me, because they felt isolated, lost, and alone; things I had felt
a lot in my own life.
People also were a big inspiration. I had observed different types of
people for so long and examined human nature and I just longed to play
around with that, especially secrets and lies. I guess I experienced a
lot of secrets and lies growing up and longed for the truth to come
out. Well, I never achieved that with my own mysteries, so I wanted
Tizzy to succeed, where I had failed. That goes back to my childhood
days of writing a better outcome, I suppose; however, Tizzy is nothing
like me, she’s a far tougher cookie than I am.
Do you have a specific writing style?
I don’t think so. I tend to adapt and change and like to try different
approaches. For me, writing is an exploration. I want to play around
and dabble with different styles, because I feel that, what works for
one book, may not work so well for another.
How did you come up with the title?
Well, I think the title, more likely, came up with me; just, one day,
I got Insane Reno in my head and it would not go away and I just knew
I had to write a book with that title. I had no idea what or how it
would work at the time, but it all came together, in the end. I think
it was made to be. Perhaps, it was God giving me a helping hand and
setting the wheels in motion. Whatever the case, it’s a title I have
loved from the start and I’m sure I’ll always love.
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
Yes, kids are smarter than you give them credit for. No matter what
you try to hide from them, they see things; notice subtle signs that
something is wrong. All you do, when you hide the bad news is make
them search for it. Honesty is always the best policy, because bad
news, broken gently, in a well thought out way, is better than bad
news discovered alone or from an uncaring source.
How much of the book is realistic?
Well, the settings are real. Bodmin moor and Bude are both real life
places and Charlotte Dymond was a girl who really was murdered on the
moors and yes, people really do visit her memorial on the anniversary
of her death, in hopes of seeing her ghost. My husband and I try to
go, most years. It’s great fun and a little bit spooky, too.
Smuggling, too was common in the area. The Jamaica Inn, on the moors,
itself, is testament to that. So, I guess you could say it’s fiction
surrounded by a few snippets of reality.
Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
Well, there are a lot of my own feelings and experiences fictionalised
in the book, but I think that is true of most books; however, the
story itself comes from my vivid imagination and my characters
occasional shoves, when I am being a bit blind.
What books have most influenced your life?
I guess books that were filled with tragedy, heartache, fear,
struggle, and hope; because that was something I related to and, in
the case of hope, longed for.
Flowers in the Attic, by Virginia Andrews really spoke to me; because,
like those children, I felt abandoned, lost, and alone, and Junk, by
Melvin Burgess, too, for similar reasons. I also devoured anything
about animals, because I longed to work with animals, at that time.
If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
Virginia Andrews and Daphne De Maurier, because their characters are
so vivid, they’re not afraid to be blunt, and they deal with topics
that some people would have shyed away from. I think it’s important to
deal with difficult subjects; to let other people know that they are
not alone, to give them a sense that there are other people facing
similar situations or feeling the same way as they are. That’s what
books did for me, when I was younger, and they also gave me hope that
things could get better.
What book are you reading now?
I’m currently reading a couple of good books; the first is The day I
died, by Polly Courtney, which is a really intriguing read that isn’t
what you’d expect, and the second is Patrick Patterson, by James
Fryer, which is very interesting and is keeping me very absorbed. It
also happens to be published by Raven Crest Books, the very publisher,
who has made my own dream come true by publishing Insane Reno.
Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
Absolutely, I love discovering new authors; that’s part of why I love
my Kindle, so much. Someone who has really got me hooked is Karen
Amanda Hooper. Her book, Tangled tides, made me feel like a child
again, taking me into a magical world that I longed to be a part of
and leaving me giddy for more.
What are your current projects?
My writing very much depends on what is speaking to me at the time. I
would like to say Annie, which is the prequel to Insane Reno is my
sole focus, right now; but, I actually have three books that I am
working on and with regards to which is published first, well, it
really depends on which one calls to me the most.
Annie is on its way, though and looks at Tizzy’s mum’s story; giving
us even more insight into the farm’s past and helping us to see that
life and its many twist and turns have played a huge part on how Annie
has become. I hope that it will give people a little more
understanding of Annie’s actions and also help them to understand that
we are all human and as such, capable of making mistakes.
Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.
My editor, Chuck Jolly; he pushed me, guided me, and encouraged me to
keep going, every step of the way and also helped me to have more
faith in myself. I can’t thank him enough for all of his help.
Do you see writing as a career?
Absolutely, it might not make me millions and it may be very hard;
but, it is the only career for me. I couldn’t live without it.
If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your
latest book?
There are always things I would change. Even if I did a thousand
re-edits, there would be something I would change. I’m a worrier and
so I would always worry it wasn’t good enough and, thus, always make
changes; it’s just my nature. It took a lot for me to pluck up the
courage to let it head out into the big wide world, but I am glad I
did.
Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
As I said before, it grew out of personal need. It was an escape from
an, at times, less than pleasant reality. I read books and I just
thought; maybe, if I write my own, I can, at least, imagine a better
life. It helped me get through things I probably couldn’t have,
without it.
Can you share a little of your current work with us?
Of course. I’m gonna choose something with both Jem and Tizzy in it,
as Jem is such a loveable rogue and is proving very popular with the
ladies:
I could sense Jem’s eyes on me, as I laid the table, so I added a
little extra swing to my hips and bent over a little further than was
necessary, as I set each dish in place.
“Your thong’s showing,” My dad said, making me jump out of my skin, as
he strolled into the kitchen, sniffing the air.
“Something smells good,” he added, dropping into his seat at the far
end of the table and gazing at me, with a wry smile.
“Did I interrupt something?” He asked.
“I dunno, did he?” Jem said, directing his question at me, as he
beamed like a Cheshire cat.
“No!” I snapped, mortified.
“Guess not then,” he replied, “must have just been my imagination,
playing tricks on me.” He added.
“What are you on about?” I growled.
“Oh nothing, it’s just I could have sworn you were doing your best
model swagger and making and extra point of flashing me you’re…” he
paused, mid-sentence, and looked to my father.
“Thong?” My father replied, with a laugh.
“Well, I was gonna say cute little butt, but thong works.” He added,
and joined in with my father’s laughter.
“Oh, very funny,” I snarled. “Anyway, what gave you the right to look?”
“If you wiggle it at me, I’m gonna look.”
“I didn’t frigging wiggle it.” I hissed.
“No, but you wanted to and that counts.” He replied, the smug smile,
still firmly in place.
“Dad,” I cried, “are you gonna let him get away with that?” I said,
knowing instantly what his reply would be.
“Hey, you were flashing him your thong, so you can fight your own battles.”
“So, if I flashed my thong at a stranger and he grabbed my butt,
you’d be ok with that?” I asked.
“I dunno,” he replied, then leaning back to look at Jem he added.
“Hey Jem, why don’t you try it and see.”
“Dad!” I cried, quickly dropping onto one of the bench seats as Jem
turned, eyes full of mischief.
“Don’t worry, I’ll get ya later.” He said, rubbing his hand together,
then turned back to the cooker, switched the hob off and scuttled
towards the table, frying pan in hand.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
Staying focused. I always have so many ideas, that I often jump from
one novel to the next and back again, trying to accommodate all the
characters and ideas that are screaming for release.
Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you
about their work?
Oh, I couldn’t possibly choose just one. There are just so many great
authors out there; however, the one I am really watching at the moment
is Karen Amanda Hooper.
Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)?
Not at present. I tend to stick with my local area for settings, that
or other places I have lived; although, there is a book planned for
the future that might require a bit of a road trip, something to
look forward to.
Who designed the covers?
Well, with Insane Reno, it was actually me; I just had such a vivid
idea of what I wanted that it just seemed easier that way, but that
might not always be the case.
What was the hardest part of writing your book?
Knowing when to let go. As I said before, I’m a worrier and letting
Insane Reno go out into the world was like waving my son off, for his
first day at school, a very emotional and nerve racking experience.
Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?
I think every book is a learning experience and, as an author, you are
always learning new things; but a big lesson I learned from writing
Insane Reno is to try not to over think things, as it just leads to
unnecessary worry and stress.
Do you have any advice for other writers?
Just enjoy what you do and don’t worry, if someone doesn’t like what
you write, because everyone is different. What some people love,
others will hate.
Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
Thank you for taking the time to read my book. Taking the step to
publish is such a scary one and knowing that people are reading and
enjoying it is a great blessing; so, thank you from the bottom of my
heart for taking a chance on Insane Reno. It truly means a lot.
By author Jossie Marie Solheim
Author Website http://jossiesolheim.ravencrestbooks.com/
Amazon Link http://amzn.to/T1kfsB
Facebook Link https://www.facebook.com/jossie.marie
Twitter Link @Jossiemarie84
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Once you’ve published your book, your goal is to sell books and make contact with your readers, so you may be surprised when you find that a lot of the attention you receive is from other would-be authors asking you questions about how you got your book published and wanting you to help them with publishing their own books.
You can help everyone and soon be overwhelmed, or you can take advantage of the situation while separating the serious from the non-serious future writers.
The next time you are approached by an author wanting your help, here are some questions to ask and responses to make to their questions. Let me first make it clear that my purpose is not to dissuade any author from writing a book, and it is not that I want to stop anyone from giving or receiving help, but we are all only human and only have so many hours in a day, so we have to use those hours wisely. If a thing is worth doing, it’s worth doing well, so if someone wants to write a book, he or she needs to be serious about it because it is a serious, expensive, and time-consuming task.
QUESTIONS TO ASK WOULD-BE AUTHORS
When asked for help by would-be authors, here are a few initial questions to ask to determine whether the person’s interest in being an author is real and whether or not you will be wasting your time by trying to help.
How much of your book do you have written, and when do you plan to have it finished?If the book is not three-quarters done and the author does not have a timeframe in mind for completing the book in the next few weeks or months, you will be wasting your time trying to help someone who is unlikely ever to finish the book. If the person says that’s the problem-he’s looking for someone to help him with writing it, run the other way. You may suggest he find a ghostwriter, and there are people who do a good job of ghostwriting, but it is tasking on a person’s energy to ghostwrite a book, and ghostwriters deserve to be well-paid. If the person is insistent, ask:
What kind of budget do you have to pay for editing (or ghostwriting)?
Of course, the cost of doing either will depend on the length and type of book, but a fair number to begin with is at least in the high hundreds-after all, think about how many hours it will take and what you deserve to be paid per hour. If the would-be author says he doesn’t have money or he needs to make payments, depending on how well you know this person, you may want to run in the other direction.
Of course, you may not be an editor or ghostwriter, but if the person hasn’t considered getting the book edited and is resistant to the idea when you suggest it, chances are he isn’t serious about producing his book.
What kind of marketing plan do you have?
If the person doesn’t have a marketing plan, suggest he get one. Tell him to do some research and come back to you when he has a list of ideas and strategies written up for how to sell his book to his target audience. You might refer him to a few books to read or publications or even a writer’s group for him to join where he can share ideas with other writers. But don’t do the work for him.
ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS WOULD-BE AUTHORS WILL ASK YOU
In the end, no matter how you try to weed people out, they are inevitably going to ask you for your time. Here are some responses you can make to their questions.
Would you have coffee or lunch with me so I can ask you a few questions?
Without hemming and hawing or blinking an eye, state upfront, “Sure. I charge a consulting fee for offering publishing and marketing advice. My fee is $X.00 for one hour.” I’ll leave it up to you what kind of a fee you want to charge. The first or second time, you might settle for the other person buying you lunch, but after that, start with something you feel comfortable with, but don’t shortchange yourself. $25 an hour is reasonable for beginning. If the would-be author tells you he doesn’t need a full hour of your time, just a few minutes, tell him it’s not that easy to publish a book and to come back when he has an hour worth of questions so you know he is serious. That may sound harsh, but if you don’t make it clear upfront that you are serious about being paid for your help, one question will lead to another as he constantly seeks your free advice.
Would you be willing to read my book and tell me what you think?
You can approach this question a few different ways. A lot of traditionally published authors will say “No” to such a request because their publisher or agent has told them not to read manuscripts from fear they will later use something in another author’s book as an idea in their own book. You can take this same tactic.
However, if you’re interested in consulting, tell the person there are two options available in terms of your giving help:
If the author is serious, he will agree to pay you for one or the other. If he wants you to read the book for free, you know you will be wasting your time.
FINAL ADVICE
I would never agree to work with an author without seeing a sample of his or her writing. I hate to say it, but a lot of would-be authors out there can barely put two words together to make a readable sentence. If that’s the case, unless you are going to do serious rewriting and editing for the author, you probably don’t want to get involved. And if the author is a terrible writer, you should be upfront, although kind about it, with the writer and let him know that he will need you to help with all the other writing involved beyond just the book manuscript to promote the book.
Make sure you and the author are clear from the beginning on what you will do as editor/consultant and how payment will be made. If you’re just doing consulting on the phone or a one hour lunch, then ask for a check upfront. If you are doing a large project, such as editing a book, then ask for half the price upfront and half when the project is finished. Depending on the project, you may agree to break up payments into three or four monthly payments. If you do so, make sure you have reason to trust the person you are assisting, and you may want to draw up a contract you both sign.
Remember your boundaries. Just because you agree to help an author with his book, whether it is reading it and offering advice, editing it, or assisting with marketing it by writing marketing pieces or simply giving advice, you are not ultimately responsible for the book’s success. Once you finish the task you have agreed to do for the author, do not let yourself be roped into continual extra work without payment. For example, if you agree to edit the book, don’t agree then to write the press release, the sell sheet, the marketing brochures, and the text for the website without being paid additionally.
You and your potential author clients can have satisfying and successful relationships that are profitable for both parties, but you will save both of you a lot of headaches and frustration if you initially weed out the less than serious and potentially high maintenance clients from the future professional authors who are willing to do the necessary hard work to make their books successful.
Irene Watson is the Managing Editor of Reader Views, where avid readers can find reviews of recently published books as well as read interviews with authors. Her team also provides author publicity and a variety of other services specific to writing and publishing books.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Irene_Watson
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