Tag Archives: publishing

Motivated Independent Publishers

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All Things Fulfilling

Thinking of writing your story?

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“Like anything in life when the right time comes along, and when you are fully and completely committed to the project you will find the personal resources like commitment, determination, enthusiasm, confidence and energy within to carry it out. The will to make it happen becomes much greater than your desires to let your dreams go by the wayside.” ~Independent publisher, Sue Batton Leonard

~Sue Batton Leonard, award-winning author of Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and Short Stories: Lessons of Heart & Soul.

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A Vital Option: e-Books in 2016

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“The freedom to move forward to new opportunities and to produce results comes from living in the present and not the past.” ~ Brian Koslow

Shopping-CartIf you are ready to publish your manuscript, there are many choices to consider. Offering an electronic version of a book has become a necessity if you are an author who wants to reap the benefits in the digital marketplace. More often than not, potential book buyers want to know if a title “is available as an e-book?”

According to this article from Author Earnings, in February 2016, readers downloaded one million sixty-four (1,064,000) paid e-books PER DAY!

In my opinion, there will be more technological developments coming that will blow away any remaining doubts that e-books are just a passing trend. Especially as digital publishing becomes integrated into more classrooms and library catalogs.

Authors don’t miss out on a stream of income by failing to offer an e-book version of your title. And remember “if you are selling over the internet, you must be marketing over the internet” because that is where your potential book buyers hang out!

Speaking of hang-outs, thanks for frequenting this website. Do return tomorrow.

This blog is brought to you by award-winning author Sue Batton Leonard. Check out her e-books, audio book and books in print!

Cowboy Ethics

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All Things Fulfilling

  • Real courage is being scared to death and saddling up anyway. ~ John Wayne

I doubt I would have ever become acquainted with the term “cowboy ethics” unless I had moved West. Sure, I believe and practice what it is about but I’d never attached such a term to it.

In fact, when I began this blog All Things Fulfilling, before I even knew what cowboy ethics were, I had decided I’d use all the principles associated with the term as I went about my mission of inspiring, informing and educating people about independent publishing. The fact that I found personal fulfillment in my writing was a bonus and a God-send.

In an interview on Living a Richer Life talk radio some months ago, the host, Earl Cobb,  mentioned that many people say they are going to write a book but never accomplish their mission. “How is it that…

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Reflections on the Writing Process

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All Things Fulfilling

Writing became such a process of discovery that I couldn’t wait to get to work in the morning: I wanted to know what I was going to say. ~Sharon O’Brien

This morning as I open this blank Word document, I think of the adage that “every person has a story to tell.” A white page gives us a space to create, a place to give birth to a beginning and an ending. Our imaginations can compose a fictional tale without a bit of truth or we can recount a factual story with unswerving loyalty or create a composite, with a bit of both.  Even with writing a narrative that is one hundred percent true, there is choice in the words we use and the voice we use to tell it. What an opportunity! That’s the beauty of writing.

If you are a person who has a story that needs to be told, I…

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Shared Experiences

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Today, I’d like to put a call out to anyone like me who has independently published – whether it’s a book,  film or music. Here’s the question:

If you could share one piece of advice with those who are in the process of writing and publishing independently what would it be? Post your helpful tip on this website.

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The mission of this site has been to share all kinds of fulfilling things about independent publishing and this thing called “life.” Looking for more information? Use the search bar or category archives on the right-hand side of the home page of AllThingsFulfilling.com

And for those who share their wisdom through a comment:

never surpress a generous thought.

This blog is brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard, award winning author of Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and short stories Lessons of Heart & Soul.

Award-Winning Autobiography/Memoirs

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Genealogical research often leads to writing and publishing memoirs. Today on All Things Fulfilling we will  feature 2015 EVVY award-winning memoirs. These publications were independently published and were entered into the 21st annual book award contest sponsored by the Colorado Independent Publishers Association(CIPA).

Here are this year’s award recipients in the autobiography/memoir category:

1st Place – Not in the Pink by Tina Martel

2nd Place – Goat Lips by Matthew Taylor

3rd Place – Song of the Mountains: My Pilgrammage to Maa Ganga   by Shaku Rajagopal

3rd Place – Zero to Sixty by Bruce Allen MacMullen

Merit Award – K for Katmandu by Cynthia T Kennedy

Merit Award – Peeling Back the Layers: A Story of Trauma, Grace & Triumph  by LaWayne Childrey

Penning a book about one’s life story can be heart-wrenching or joyous and fraught with human fraility. Sometimes terms like revealing and cathartic, might be appropriate when one bares ones soul through the written word.  Some stories take more courage to tell than others.

downloadToday, I’d like to congratulate this group of award-winning authors because as a 2014 EVVY award-winning author, I know first-hand the personal fulfillment that comes with writing a publication that is autobiographical in nature. To see the full list of categories in the contest and the other award-winning authors and their publishers.

See you back here tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling.  This blog is brought to you by EVVY award-winning memorist, Sue Batton Leonard.

Explore & Grow

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Do you remember singing these words as a kid?

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,

How I wonder what you are!

Up above the world so high,

Like a diamond in the sky.

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,

How I wonder what you are!

Now that I am much older and much wiser, I have come to realize that these lyrics go much deeper than just being a simple children’s nursery rhyme.

Did you ever stop to consider that the little star might be you?  If we don’t explore this concept we will never know who we are and what our potential might be. In order find out what we are meant to be we have to step outside our comfort zone and grow.

What are you doing this year to make you begin to twinkle and glow? How about publishing the book you’ve been meaning to write so you can move toward becoming more visible in the world of business.

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This blog is brought to you by the award-winning author, Sue Batton Leonard. For more information on her publications. 

Commotion in the Heart

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“Find what causes a commotion in your heart. Find a way to write about that.” Richard Ford

According to Malcolm Gladwell in his book Outliers: The Story of Success, it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become proficient at anything. Perhaps by penning 1540+ blogs and by writing and publishing one award-winning memoir and a book of short stories, you could say I’ve been steadily working towards mastery.

However, there are some who would say the 10,000 hour rule is arguable. You can decide that for yourself after reading this article.http://bit.ly/1wCgPNX.

Unless you co-write a book or until you hit the publishing process, writing is a solitary activity. Joining a writers group is a great way step out of your own little world and get unbiased assessment from others about your writing. Critique and feedback is guaranteed to stir up commotion in your mind about your writing because it’s not always easy to subject yourself to the comments of others. But your end product will be better because of it.  It’s also a very valuable part of the “practice, edit and revise process.”

If you have dreams of becoming a published author, start today and begin writing daily. Even if your writing is nothing more than journaling, you will be working towards accomplishment.

Don’t know where to begin? Use a writing prompt to spark your imagination and creativity.  Here’s one for you “If you took a hot air balloon ride where would you find your perfect landing place and what would it look like?

Be creative, let your imagination soar and let whatever you write make your heart flutter!

commotion-heartThis blog is brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard. Award-winning author of Gift of a Lifetime:Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and Short Stories: Lessons of Heart & Soul.

 

Heartfelt Announcement

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When you catch a glimpse of your potential, that’s when passion is born. ~Zig Ziglar

When I was growing up, “Oh My Soul” came out of my mother’s mouth as often as I heard my dear Fanny say “Lord A Mercy.” Do you think perhaps between my mother’s plea and Fanny’s, my life was saved?  Hard to say, isn’t it? Depends if you are a believer!

I am and  I follow the words of  E.B. White who says “Writing is an act of faith, not a trick of grammar.” 

So today I take great pleasure in announcing that I’ve taken another leap of faith and my new publication called Short Stories: Lessons of Heart and Soul is available http://amzn.to/1Da5fST

I can hear my mother now, saying to my father, “Oh My Soul, she’s done it again!  She’s listened to her readers and has published more Fanny stories. Come here, Fred, you’ve got to see this on the computer ….”

Lessons of Heart V4 Cover

This time, I hope I have completely surprised my family. When I published my memoir “Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected,” the release of the book got leaked a little early. No matter! Things always work out the way they are supposed to anyway!

Lessons of Heart and Soul is a limited collection of short stories cut from the original manuscript of the award-winning memoir, Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected by author Sue Batton Leonard. Readers who loved the stellar central character, Fanny, in the first publication will fall in love with her all over again.

If you are a parent who is attempting to raise children who will have their values in the right place in life, the ten stories, very appropriate for ages 12+, give a jumping off point to handling those important conversations you have been meaning to have with your children. There is nothing that helps get a conversation started better than humor – that’s inside it!

Lessons of Heart & Soul is available in e-book only.  Did you know you can give the gift of e-books to others?  http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/?nodeId=200555070

This year, instead of a Valentine’s card, give the gift of an e-book instead. Lessons of Heart & Soul is a perfect publication for giving to your loved ones.

Do return tomorrow to All Things Fulfilling. Video footage of my appearance on a program from GNAT-TV called Let’s Talk with Salley Gibney will be posted with important information about independent publishing and how to begin writing your own story.

 

 

 

In Store for the New Year

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If you hear a voice within you say “you cannot paint,” then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced. ~Vincent Van Gogh

New Year, New Opportunities!

If you are in the Steamboat Springs, Colorado area join me on Saturday January 3rd, 2015 at Come & See Christian Books & Gifts, 675 S. Lincoln Avenue (near the Hampden Inn)  for a meet the author/book signing event from 11am to 2pm.

Come & See Christian Books & Gifts picture

Are you interested in writing and publishing a book? The author will share what helped her to write and publish her award-winning book Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected.

There will be refreshments and treats and learn what’s in store for 2015.

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