A Great Big Thank You to My Contributors

While writing What You Need to Know to Be a Pro, I thought about the people who had helped me learn to create a company and publish books, either through personal contact or via their blogs and websites I subscribed to. I contacted many of those people to ask if they would share some words of wisdom to be included in the book, and happily many said yes. Here are a few of those people:

Sonia Simone. I've included links to her website many times on this blog and I was very pleased when she sent me a short piece about defining your own success. Sonia writes articles and keeps a great blog about people-centered marketing. Too many marketing gurus sound like stereotypical sales-men, but Sonia keeps it real, reminding us that we are communicating with PEOPLE and not just selling something.

Pete Masterson. Pete has been in the industry for a very long time (I won't say how long. You'll have to ask him) as a book designer and publisher. His experience and knowledge have proved invaluable time and again as I wrestle with the complicated process of creating books. I have his website bookmarked and it's the first place I check when I'm looking for information or resources.

Amy Wachspress. Amy self-published her children's book, Call to Shakobaz, which has gone on to win two awards. She has a very creative, yet down to earth approach to publishing, even turning down another publishing company who wanted to buy her book and publish the series. Some might say she's crazy, but Amy is dedicated to her craft and knows it well. By doing it on her own, she's earned the respect of many in this industry and is quite successful.

Stephanie Chandler. Stephanie is the person who got me thinking I should write this book. I saw her at a conference where she was presenting on effective Internet marketing and afterwards I asked her if she knew of any business oriented books for publishers. I was struggling with setting up my press and couldn't find a book that covered both PUBLISHING and BUSINESS. She said she didn't know of one. I said, jokingly, "I guess I'll have to write it myself." She replied sincerely, "You should." So here we are, over a year and thousands of pages of revisions and research, and it's all thanks to Stephanie.

Bruce Rutlidge. Bruce's press, Chin Music, was one of the first indy presses I found when I was wandering around the Internet looking at small presses and trying to decide if I should start my own. His blog is informative and really gives a glimpse into the life of a small press. Plus the books are great!

These are just a few of the great contributors to my handbook and I hope you'll find their inspiration and information as helpful as I did. Next time, I'll include the rest of my contributors.

Even though the official launch of What You Need to Know to Be a Pro isn't until this Thursday, the book is already available on Amazon.com. And as much as I may grimace at times over Amazon's business practices, I still get all tingly when I see my book on their website.