It’s been a very exciting and busy year. Publishing an award-winning memoir has been just one of many things I am grateful for this day. And for family and friends and so many others who have been so supportive of my efforts.
Thank you readers, I appreciate your interest and patronage! See you back here on All Things Fulfilling on Friday – tomorrow! This blog is brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard.
“Happiness is not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort.” ~ Franklin D Roosevelt
About two weeks ago, a newsletter from All Things Fulfilling with the mention of my two book awards and notification of book signings that are upcoming in October was sent out via e-mail. I received an unexpected number of congratulatory e-mails in response. They came from people with whom I have made business connections over the years through the independent publishing industry. I hadn’t heard from some of them in a while. One such e-mail came from Diana who said “You motivate me to work on my own book.” I’d like to say thank you to everyone who took the time to write because you encourage me!
I have had the privilege to meet such interesting and creative people through my work in the field of independent publishing. As I look back over the past 6 years, I am astounded to think that I have published an award-winning book, written some 1,461 blog posts as of today, had 6 or 7 e-zine articles published and formed We Write Steamboat, a networking group for independent publishers with 58 members and counting! There is a lot that has come with that. I’ve also done volunteer work in the arts, for the Colorado Independent Publishers Association and for my church. Needless to say, I’ve been busy. I’ve gotten much personal fulfillment out of all of it or I wouldn’t have continued.
Why am I telling you all this? Because sometimes we do have to pat ourselves on your back and be proud of our own successes. When I moved to Colorado six years ago due to my husband’s new employment opportunity, I had no idea what I was going to do. I decided to take a leap of faith and invest in learning all I could about this thing I became so interested in called “independent publishing.” As it turned out, even though I had already worked in the industry I had just begun to wade into the waters. The industry kept evolving. At that point I hadn’t even begun to learn about good writing or public speaking either. Never, in my wildest dreams, did I think I would soon get to all that I’ve accomplished!
Leaps of faith…sometimes we need to take them. What happens when we are driven and livin’ by our heart, soul and creativity can be surprising!
Over the next 10 days or so, I will be taking a much needed break to concentrate solely on preparing for some upcoming book appearances. I invite you to peruse this site. There are hundreds of postings about independent publishing, finding motivation in the arts, writing, ideas that are an extension of my book and all kinds of fulfilling things to read about.
This blog is brought to you by the award-winning author, Sue Batton Leonard. For more information on her memoir, Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected, which has won two EVVY book awards, please follow this link.http://amzn.to/1mbmVGR
I am more convinced than ever after attending an an event on Friday evening called Stories! It Takes Roots to Bloom! that telling stories for the sake of others is so very important. Three speakers who were in different stages of life all had something of value to say about how their faith has uplifted them. As I sat with 150 other women and listened to the speakers, I couldn’t help but think if these three women’s stories were published, they could reach and inspire so many people.
One courageous young woman, a senior in high school went on to describe how finding faith led her out of drug addiction. Today, her life has been turned around and it’s looking very rosy and positive.
A second woman with a much longer life time of experience and wisdom to draw upon shared her difficult family relationships. With certain realizations that have come with age and faith she has moved forward. As an adult, she knows that she is a good person despite being told otherwise for many years.
The third woman described how even as a young child, she was raised to believe and has been nearly a “ceaseless cheerleader” in faith. Yet there have been times in her life when she’s encountered others who have made her doubt. When she found her match (her husband), she’s seen an example of someone does not question even though before the age of 15 he suffered great losses in his life.
I would like to encourage all people to write personal stories if you feel you have an uplifting message for others. People need to hear stories of HOPE. There is too much negativity in the world today and we need leaders who can change the world by communicating with positive spirit.
Don’t feel you can write a full book? Poems, song lyrics, videos and short stories are other ways to get the word out. In this day and age of digital communications and independent publishing, you need not fear rejection. There are freelance professionals who can help you with your project.
From personal experience I can tell you if you have faith anything is possible. I did it! I published my story and beat some other odds too that are inside my story.
This blog brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard, author of Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected
After my book presentation on April 4 to the Yampa Valley University Women, Beverly, who is a group member and someone who was in the audience, came up to me and said “Sue, I get the feeling you have been on a real journey with this book.” “Have I ever, Beverly, ” I replied smiling. I was thrilled that she understood the amount of work that went into it and how I was feeling, “There is no denying it,” I said.
Between writing about the publishing project throughout the process on this blog All Things Fulfilling and bringing the story alive on paper, it has been a real sojourn of sorts. It is as if I have been up in a hot air balloon looking down, and describing the publishing landscape has it has changed. I have soared as I have gone along for a ride with it.
I, like many others, was not aware when I started my memoir writing project how this would lead to enormous personal growth in so many ways that I had not anticipated. A lot of the development has come as a result of doing whatever it took to do it right, independently.
I’ve faced and recorded into words the most poignant moments in my life, tackled my shyness about reading the manuscript out loud while having it critiqued by a whole bunch of professional writers. Then I faced the fact that I need to become someone who is comfortable with public speaking, if I really want to continue to achieve my dreams of traveling around and vocally sharing my retrospective thoughts.
I have had the great fortune of being in an environment that is very supportive of writers who helped me to achieve my mission. I would like to state my gratitude to anyone who has helped me along the way. You know who you are, and so do I. I consider each one of you as one of many “personal angels.”
My advice to anyone who is embarking on an independent publishing process – do whatever it takes to make it happen. Don’t hold back, don’t limit yourself to what you are willing to do or not. In other words, remove all stops! And most of all seek out the help of others who can help you along the way.
What is the greatest lesson I have learned throughout the process? By maintaining faith, and being willing to open myself up to all possibilities, my dream has become a reality!
If you didn’t visit this site on Monday, it was very special day on All Things Fulfilling! I revealed a chapter of the audio book version of Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected. It is posted permanently on About the Book Page for your listening enjoyment. Listen to it as many times as you wish so you can get a sense of the voice in the story.
“Starting your book is only the first five miles of a twenty-six-mile marathon that’s one-third of a triathlon (authoring, publishing, and entrepreneuring).” ― Guy Kawasaki
I’ve been so busy I really haven’t watched much of the Olympics. For a few minutes I looked in on the ice skating. Lately, I’ve felt like a participant in a speed skating relay race – going back and forth with the publisher to make very minor, but necessary changes. Every last detail has to be in place so it is smooth sailing and there are no trip-ups to having the manuscript published. Thank goodness I finally did a hand-off and gave my manuscript to the publisher. It was time to let go, and let someone else carry the composition to the finish line.
Most people would think now it’s a straight glide to the end point ~ not quite! The marketing, promotion and advertising is a completely different dimension to a publishing project. Many authors loose steam, big-time, when it comes to that part.
It’s not just the independent publisher who has to carry the load of marketing, promotion and advertising. A traditional publishing house is committed to putting big resources behind a top selling author but, most authors are now expected to carry a good portion of the marketing load themselves. It’s understandable. After all, no one can promote a story as well as the one who wrote it because they have an intimate relationship with the characters!
Like any job, writing and publishing is not without it’s challenges. But for me, it is very personally fulfilling. Thankfully, I went into the project with realistic expectations since I had worked in the independent publishing industry long before starting my own race.
The prize for me will come as each book is sold in the marketplace. Now, it’s back to more work. This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com. The space where independent thoughts, words and views are all part of the business.
“The freedom to move forward to new opportunities and to produce results comes from living in the present and not the past.” ~ Brian Koslow
If 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 a recent article in Publishers Weekly Magazine, sales in e-books have dipped a little from when the Kindle and the Nook were initially rolled out. However, e-book sales have remained strong, jumping a total of “4,456% since 2008.” That is a big deal and e-books have become a “billion dollar industry” according to the article. Here is a link so you can see all the e-book selling statistics from 2008 – 2012. http://bit.ly/Hc3JVq. We won’t see the 2013 book sales results for a few more months.
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 to www.AllThingsFulfilling.com tomorrow, the blog of www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.
“All human wisdom is summed up in two words – wait and hope.” ~ Alexandre Dumas Pere
The April 15th income tax filing deadline has come and gone. But last Friday, income tax was not at all what I was pre-occupied with. Rather it was publishing statistics that were at the top of my list. I am wondering – is the non-traditional publishing industry still continuing to grow?
Typically, after the first quarter of the New Year, www.Bowker.com, the storehouse for all bibliographical information, releases its report on the health of the publishing industry for the previous year. On Friday I researched on-line to see whether the 2010 statistics had yet been made available. I can not find them. But I am hopeful that when the truth is known, it will be as positive as for the year 2010 as it was the year before.
When the 2009 reports were made known in April 2010, I was astonished to learn that despite our country’s economic downturn, the independent publishing industry (non-traditional publishing) had grown at an aggressive rate – up 181% between 2008 and 2009. However, traditional publishing remained flat.
I am going to cut www.Bowker.com some slack and be patient. After all, just because they released their figures last year by the 15th of April, does not mean I should expect it again this year. It is not even the end of the first quarter yet!
Perhaps I am justified in thinking optimistically. In business, bad news usually arrives on Fridays. I am going to take the fact that statistics were not published on Friday the 15th, as a positive sign. What is that terribly over-used expression? “Good things come to those who wait?”
This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com
“I think the market is converging now….This is where it has all been leading.” ~ Douglas Smith
Since my world is the non-traditional publishing industry I admittedly do not know everything there is to know about the traditional publishing world. This summer, I learned something from a person who has dealt with the traditional publishing industry for more years than she probably cares to count. She shared with me about the traditional publishing houses “the more the publishing company pays for the manuscript (or the higher the royalties), the more effort is put into marketing the book.” Well, that makes sense! The traditional publishing companies want to make sure they recapture their investment, and way more, through book sales.
Unless a writer has an established name for themselves, more and more authors in the traditional publishing world are being expected to promote themselves and their books. Many are not at all prepared for that – especially in this day and age. No longer does book publicity mean book signings and book release parties. It also means knowing how to hype your self, as an author, and your publication over the internet. Fulfilling this obligation to self-promote is more time consuming than one might think!
If writing is your primary business, do you have extra hours in your day or the knowledge of digital marketing to effectively handle this part of being in business as a writer in today’s world? If not, contact a company that handles e-marketing for independent publishers. They will help lift the burden, so you can concentrate on what you do best – writing!
This blog brought to you by www.cornerstonefulfillmentservice.com.
New Radio Show for Publishers
www.wnzf.com “Cover to Cover”
Saturday mornings 11:30 ET 8:30 PT
TUNE IN AMERICA!!! Frank Gromling’s New Radio Show is Terrific! This is one great resource for all you publishers (traditional and independents alike). Jam packed with information on the publishing world, interviews with selected authors (NY best sellers as well as local), what it takes to be successful in publishing, getting started, book marketing. Give up a 1/2 hr of your Saturday morning and listen, it will be worth it. And anyone can listen on line!
For those of you who don’t know Frank – he’s one heck of a nice guy! Past President of the Florida Publishers Association and Board member of IBPA – Independent Book Publishers Assoc. Thanks, Frank, for sharing all your knowledge on the publishing industry with the world!
This blog brought to you by http://www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com
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