Jane is Back!

Jane Mackay is the copy-editor at Medusa's Muse who dedicates HOURS to the Medusa cause. She is also my very dear friend and writing partner. She's been away at college in Boston for the last two years but has graduated and is now back in California. To that, I say...

YIIIIIIIPEEEEEE!

Jane helped me start Medusa's Muse and is one of the people who continues to support my struggles and keep the press alive. Without her incredible grammar talents and creative vision, and the technological know-how of Rick, I couldn't be a publisher. So having her back in the hood is not only wonderful for me personally, it is fantastic for the press. Even though we've stayed in touched and worked together via email while she's been away, having her nearby makes running my press less daunting. It's given me a jolt of energy that I've been missing these last few months while slogging through school. And it's perfect timing, because the Punk Anthology is (believe it or not) ready for the final version and I will definitely need her help to get it ready for the designer.

Trying to do all the work a book publishing company needs all on your own is pretty much impossible. I've heard of a few people who've done it, but I'm not convinced they're sane. It's important to surround yourself with people you can share some of the work with and bounce ideas off. Jane is that person for me, and she usually has chocolate in her purse.

Now I get why people love Disneyland

I just returned from several days at Disneyland Park in LA with my daughter. It's her birthday, so we went down with Tama and her daughter Boo-Bug for a Princess loving adventure in the "Happiest Place on Earth."

I have never been a Disney person. I could care less about Mickey Mouse and Sleeping Beauty (although I do like Pirates of the Caribbean). But after this trip, I understand why people fall in love with all things Disney.

My daughter has a disability so I was a little concerned about taking her there. Would she be able to cope with the chaos and noise of an amusement park? Disneyland turned out to be the perfect place for her. The staff are well trained and supportive of people with disabilities and the grounds are completely accessible. We had a fantastic time exploring and chatting with Micky Mouse and Tinker Bell. She even went on a couple of rides (although that dang song is still stuck in my head! You know the one, so I'll spare you).

When it was time to leave she asked, still grinning, "Can we come again next year?"

Absolutely!!!!

Of course, the work at Medusa's Muse has piled up while I was away and the Punk Rock anthology deadline is looming. I'll update the blog with publishing news and how-to's soon. But for now, I'm gonna pop in Pirates the Caribbean one more time and enjoy an extra day of lounging.

On Vacation, See You Next Week

I won't be posting for a while: I'm going to Disneyland! My last class for this semester is tomorrow and after that my daughter and I are going to D-Land to hunt for Cinderella. She's never been, and I haven't been since high school (grad night. mostly I remember looking for good spots to make out with my boyfriend).

Have a great week everyone!

Blogging has Hit the Big Time

Remember when a blog was a fun way to keep a journal that you could share with your friends and any random stranger who happened upon it? Then blogging became part of the way we got our news, with bloggers reporting on events that were previously reserved for the New York Times. Sure, some of those bloggers didn't check their facts and a lot of it was well written gossip, but the opinion makers were often bloggers. Now it seems that everyone has a blog, from President Obama and Nike, to your grandma. And it's mandatory for writers to have blogs.

Now, Amazon is allowing any blogger with an RSS feed to add their content to Amazon.com for Kindle users to download and read. The terms of service are here.

And,even more impressive, there is a special "blogger signing schedule" at Book Expo America this year. Fans can meet and chat with their favorite bloggers, including Jason Boog of Galley Cat, and Amy Riley of My Friend Amy. What should the bloggers sign? Laptops?

Yes, the book industry has changed. No longer are bloggers maligned and scorned; now they have author signings at BEA.

Tamarian Graffham on The Joy of Owning Your Own Business

If you haven't read Tamarian Graffham's blog, Tales From the Den of Chaos, now's your chance to check her out. She wrote a post about the joys and trials of being an entrepreneur and why she wouldn't give it up, despite the lack of a steady paycheck. Here is an excerpt:

Times like these are both the worst and the best for thinking about doing what you love, rather than whatever puts food on the table. I wouldn’t swap a steady paycheck for opening my own business right now if I had the choice, frankly; but not having that choice, and having been forced to do it…it’s good.

I work harder and longer than I would at a conventional job for returns that are not quite equal to what I’ve made in the past for a lot less effort…but it doesn’t feel that way. In fact, I usually don’t realize I’ve had a “rough” week until I start totaling up the hours for our record keeping.

Put in a lot of hard work, add a dollop of good old horse sense and some meticulous business practices, and the money will follow, almost no matter what you’ve decided to make Your Business.

Put a lot of hard work, a dollop of good old horse sense and some meticulous business practices into something you love and the money will follow and all of the above will feel almost effortless.

It isn’t that simple, of course. Someone who loves making one-of-a-kind Christmas ornaments out of dog poop, for example, may find their gross (in more ways than one, ahem) income is a little…um…less than spectacular.

Some things just aren’t going to be fah-buu-los money makers, no matter how hard you try.

But here’s another thing about doing what you love: It can make sacrificing other things a much easier pill to swallow.

Follow the above link for the full post.

And did I mention Medusa's Muse will be publishing her book?

Article About Publish on Demand

To try and make up for scaring so many people with my workshop on self-publishing, here is an article from CNN on-line about successful authors who used Publish-on-Demand.

(excerpt) "If you believe in your book, I think you should give it a chance," Genova said. "Still Alice" "was a book that people already identified with and [Simon & Schuster] saw the book's potential in a very real way."

Genova is not alone. As the economy takes its toll on traditional publishing houses -- HarperCollins dropped its Collins division in February, losing major executives and editors, and Random House continues with cutbacks -- more authors are looking to online self-publishing companies.

Companies like Author Solutions or Lulu.com allow any budding author to submit a digital file of their manuscript on any subject matter. Unlike traditional publishing companies, these publishers only produce hard copies of the books when a customer buys one, a process known as print on demand

Go to the article for the full story.

I'd like to clarify something, though: what this article is reporting on is actually PUBLISH-ON-DEMAND, not Print-on-demand. If you want to publish your book via Lulu or XLibros, you are using a Publish-on-demand company. Print-on-demand is what I use to digitally print my books one at a time as the orders come in (I like Lightning Source for this). Let's all be clear on the terminology.

(And yes, I know there is no standard, industry wide definition of either and they are used interchangeably. I'll be very surprised if I don't get a few comments from publishers and writers arguing with me about my definition. The debate over the difference between publish-on-demand and print-on-demand still rages, but this is the definition I mean when I use those terms.)

In the article, Lisa Genova, author of Still Alice, talks about her frustration when trying to get her book published traditionally and why she turned to Publish on Demand. Lisa's book was eventually picked up by Simon & Schuster and is now a New York Times best seller.

But this article isn't just about one self-publishing success story. The article also interviewed Melinda Roberts, author of Mommy Confidential: Adventures from the Wonderbelly of Motherhood, who comparatively has had lower sales, but still expresses feeling successful.

Publish-on-demand isn't cheap, in fact, the only one earning a living is the publish-on demand-company. The article explains the process and some of the costs. But it is often the best choice for authors who are tired of banging their heads against the traditional publishing wall, or who don't want to deal with managing their own publishing company. It all depends on what you want and how you define your own vision of success.

I think I'm Scaring People Away from Publishing

(image by Robin Mills)

Last Saturday, May 2nd, I taught a workshop with Amy Wachspress about starting a small press. 22 people came with their notebooks and questions, eager to learn how we did it.

I think I scared them.

Half way through the class, after Amy had talked about marketing her book and I talked about why I started a press and all the steps I had to take, I realized the room had grown quieter. People stopped jotting notes and instead stared at me with huge, quasi-vacant eyes. Their bodies slumped into their chairs, and the woman closest to me gripped her pen with exasperated tension. A few hardy souls continued to ask questions, but their eager little voices faded into a dull, weary, tone. Luckily, the class was only an hour long, otherwise half the group would have run for the door, fleeing from their dreams of publishing.

I wasn't trying to scare them; I was being honest. Hearing about all the work and money it takes to start a press or self-publish seems to elicit the same kind of terror as the Swine Flu; it's too big, too incomprehensible, and too difficult to deal with.

I changed my focus and talked about what was so great about owning your own press: the creative freedom, control, and collaboration with other artists. I tried to make my voice more cheerful when I explained what an ISBN was. When someone asked what programs Lightning Source wants, I fielded it to Rick (my designer) who explained the process of transforming a file into and Acrobat format they would accept. Someone else asked about editing. These kinds of questions were concrete and specific, so the mood seemed to lighten a bit. But I still had the feeling that I'd tried to cram too much info into one hour and had overwhelmed my students in the process. Had I just deterred a whole room of people from wanting to publish?

The thought annoyed me. If they don't want to hear what creating and managing a press is like, then they shouldn't bother starting a press at all. This is why I wrote my book! The world is full of too many wanna-be publishers who don't take the work seriously and end up with a garage full of books they'll never sell. Serves them right!

Then I remembered how I felt when I was starting, how insurmountable the work seemed, and how I almost quit numerous times. I remember sitting in a room taking notes at a workshop and trying to figure out why the hell I wanted to start a press at all. Was I crazy? It felt impossible, but I had to try. So I kept at it, and slowly I figured it out (mostly), and now I have two published books.

I wrote my book to help people, not frighten them: to give them a road map to follow as they figure out how to start a press and publish their own, or another's, work. I am rethinking the way I present the material so they will understand that YES, the work is hard, but the rewards are addictive. I want people to have success, not a garage full of unsold books.

Or maybe it's a good thing that a bunch of people may have decided self-publishing is not for them before they invest too much money in the process. Instead, they can think about other options.

20 Things to do Before You Publish

In preparing for my workshop tomorrow, I created a list of twenty things everyone who want to publish their own work, or start a small press, should do BEFORE publishing. This is what I'll be discussing at the workshop, as well as book marketing.

I hope you find this useful. And if you think of something to add to this list, please leave it as a comment. I'd love to hear your perspective.

20 Things to do Before You Publish


1) Define your dream. What do you want to do and how will you accomplish it?
What is your personal definition of success?

2) Examine your book with an open mind and critical eyes. What are its
strengths, limitations, and potential?

3) Understand who your reading market is and what they need from your book.

4) Write down your Resources (money, knowledge, equipment, etc), Abilities
(what you know and who you are), and Limitations (time, money, knowledge,
etc). How will you mange them?

5) Find people who can help you. No one can do it all. (book designer, editor,
proof reader, book keeper, CPA, etc…)

6) Study the process of creating and publishing a book! The more you know the
more effective you will be and the better your book will sell.

7) Join a Publishing Association, such as Independent Book Publishers
Association or Small Publishers Association of America. Membership can give
you discounts on printing and marketing, as well as support from experts.

8) Make a budget for your business (not just the book). How much can you
realistically spend and still earn a profit?

9) Choose a name for your company that reflects the image you want to convey.

10) Register your domain name to lock in your spot on the internet.

11) Buy your ISBNs. A block of ten will save you money in the long run.

12) Decide your business structure: Sole Proprietor, Partnership or Corporation?

13) File the paperwork: Business License, Resale License, DBA, etc…

14) Open a Business Checking Account. Keep your business and personal
money separate!

15) Create a Logo for your business.

16) Make a Marketing Plan for your book, including a budget.

17) Explore printing options (digital or offset?)

18) Have your book professionally edited!!!!!!!!!

19) Find a designer who does books. Book design, including cover design, is
different from other types of design.

20) Keep meticulous records of all your start-up expenses to make life easier at
tax time.

Join Amy Wachspress and Me at Lit Fest for a Workshop on Book Publishing.

This Saturday, May 2nd, Amy Wachspress and I are teaching a workshop on independent publishing, called Perspectives in Publishing, at the Mendocino Community College LitFest, a free, annual event, celebrating authors and publishers. Authors such as Jody Gerhman, Jean Hegland, Charlotte Gullick, Jordan Resonfeld, Hal Zinna Bennett, and many other writers, are reading and teaching workshops at the college from 10:00 to 4:00.

Amy and my workshop begins at 10:00, in room 740 (near the library). Amy will talk about self-publishing and I will talk about the steps you need to take to start a small press. We will also discuss that most mysterious and confusing aspect of book publishing, marketing. You'll leave the workshop with concrete information and your questions answered.

Remember this event is free, so take advantage of this opportunity to learn more about the world of books and what goes in to their creation.

My One-on-One with Marion Gropen

Who is Marion Gropen, you ask? Marion is a publishing-business expert with a website and blog every small publisher should bookmark and read. She just posted a piece on her blog Publishing for Profit about why she thinks publishing companies should be an S-Corp. Here is a snippet so you can see how she writes:

The old “I’m just publishing my book, not starting a business” fallacy has reared its head again. So, if you already know all there is to know about founding your press, go away. You’re going to be seriously bored by this post. Or, better, stay, and tell me what I omitted in the comments!

First, any time you’re getting money for anything, it’s a business. And no matter whether profit is your primary goal or not, if you don’t at least break even, you won’t be accomplishing any goals for long. Money does matter.

Now that we have that settled: you need to decide what type of company you should have. (read the full article on her blog).

The week before the Northern California Publisher's and Author's Conference, a post went out to the list-serve asking if anyone would like a one-on-one with Marion Gropen. I jumped at the chance. Are you kidding? Who wouldn't want 30 minutes with a publishing expert to discuss your own press, free of charge? I tried to think of my most pressing questions to make full use of my time, but realized the biggest issue my press has is with myself. I seem to have hit a brick wall when it comes to getting things done. I STILL haven't put up a page on the website for my OWN BOOK! What is that telling me?

Marion is outspoken, intelligent, and funny as hell. She tells it like it is, regardless of whether or not you want to hear it, which I respect. There's no bull, but she speaks her mind with compassion. She isn't trying to talk you out of publishing, she's trying to help you see the reality of your situation to prevent that reality from crushing your dreams. A publisher has no time for denial.

After chatting for a few minutes, during which time she asked me about my long term plans and dreams for my press, she got to the root of the problem: I am trying to do too much all by myself. What I am attempting is impossible, regardless of the fact I'm a mom and a grad student. Even a single, child-free, woman with a part-time, flexible job would find it difficult keeping up with the needs of a press, all on her own. I am marketing two books while producing another, managing the press, organizing daily operations, editing manuscripts, keeping up with a slush pile, and trying to make good, long term business decisions, all on a less-than-a-shoe-string budget and in just four hours a day.

Once again, my belief that I am Wonder Woman has kicked me in the ass!

Marion leaned forward, looked me in the eye and said, "Let go." Then she smiled and said she knows how hard that is to do because she's exactly the same kind of person I am: a control freak.

Letting go means that I need to reexamine my goals and the way I make decisions about the books I want to acquire. I need to look at the marketing strengths of the author and not just whether or not I like the book. I need to put more of the book promotion on the AUTHOR, because I simply don't have time to promote the book for them. I also need to find someone who can help me more with the business operation of the press, someone to update the records every quarter. I need to delegate as much as possible and trust that those people I delegate to will make good decisions. Of course I have the final say; I'm the publisher. But micro-managing every detail of my press and the books I publish is destroying my ability to do what I love, namely, publish books. I even micro-manage myself!

She praised me for looking at Medusa's Muse as a business early in the process, which puts me ahead of the game. So many authors don't realize they're starting a business until after the book comes out, and then they get into trouble. Maybe it's easier for me to think about Medusa as a business because I'm not usually publishing my own books. Publishing What You Need to Know to Be a Pro was difficult because I was both author and publisher, so I lost a great deal of objectivity and made mistakes. I like having that objectivity, so I want to stick with publishing other writer's works. It's time to use that objectivity, that second-sight I was born with that lets me grasp "the big picture" quickly, to make decisions about the books I CAN publish, and my own goals for Medusa's Muse.

And I'm taking another look at turning Medusa's Muse into a corporation. I was under the impression that becoming a corp would be expensive, but Marion assured me I could do it myself for little cost. I'd need a board of directors, which would be a great way to get the help I need making decisions about the press and managing the work load.

But I get to keep the title of Publisher/Editor in Chief. I'm far from ready to give up that much control. Any control freak knows that a control freak needs to feel that she's still in control.

The Northern California Publisher's and Author's Conference

Every writer knows how lonely being a writer can get. You spend hours by yourself, playing with imaginary people on paper. Luckily, most of us have writing groups or writing buddies who we can "talk shop" to about how dreadful being a writer can be. And there are plenty of writer's conferences out there, even in Hawaii.

Publishers aren't so lucky. I can talk to my writing friends about my slush pile and how much shipping costs are impacting the long term growth of my business, but all they can do is nod and say, "Yeah. That must suck. Hey, how's the writing going?"

Publishers need like-minded peers as much as writers do, which is why I joined Northern California Publishers and Authors. Based in Sacramento, California, NCPA is an organization which provides support, advice, information, and opportunities for networking with other publishers. There's an informative website, a newsletter, and an active list-serve where I can chat with fellow publishers about the trials and tribulations of publishing. Once a year they throw a conference where we all get together in person, get the latest info from experts, and see what each of us has been working on. The next conference is tomorrow and I'm really looking forward to it.

I think ALL publishers, especially new publishers, should join a publishing association, especially a local group. There are many organizations throughout North America, most of them affiliated with Small Publishers Association of North America. Go to the SPAN website to find a group in your area.

And it doesn't have to be in your town. Even though Sacramento is three hours away, I still get a lot out of my membership, especially through the list-serve. And going to the conference once a year is like going to a family reunion, one where the kids the grown-ups are bragging about are books. We show off our book covers and discuss our projects, all with the same gleam in the eye as any proud parent. "Yep, my book just won an honorable mention in the IPPY."

I wonder if there's a publishing conference in Hawaii?

A You Tube Video About Book Promotion

This video made me laugh! Called "Paperback," it shows a conversation between a writer and his agent in which he explains what he's planning to do to promote his book.

It made me laugh because it is so true!

How will you promote your book?

Um... well... my neighbor's book club is going to discuss my book. Website? I um... sort of haven't gotten to that yet.

"I will work on my smile." That line kills me!

(I want to give a shout-out to my pal at Inked-In for turning me on to this video).

Why I Revised My Fulfillment System

Recently I had to take another look at my book fulfillment system because it just wasn't working for Medusa's Muse anymore. In a publishing company, fulfillment is when book orders are processed and shipped. It doesn't have anything to do with sexual fulfillment, or the sense of fulfillment you enjoy when you get what you want. Nope, book fulfillment is much duller, but seeing as selling books is the reason you started a publishing company, filling book orders can feel pretty good.

Unfortunately, rising shipping costs are killing my enjoyment for book fulfillment. Right now it costs over $5.00 to send a book to someone in the US, unless I go book rate, but that can take a month to get where it needs to go. To compete with Amazon.com and other on-line retailers, I haven't been charging the full amount of shipping; instead I'm covering about $2.00 an order. Once I did the math, I realized between shipping costs and the cost of printing, I'm actually losing money fulfilling book orders. I can't sustain a small business losing money on sales. No one can.

Instead of selling all our books directly from my website and blog, I will only sell signed copies of our current book and charge the full amount for shipping. Laura's book can be bought at Powells.com, and Amazon.com of course (unless you'd like a signed copy, then you'll need to send the press an email so Laura can sign the book). I will also sell our books at workshops, readings, and other events.

It seems odd that I'm losing money selling books directly from my website, even when I take into account the huge cut in profit retailers take when they sell the book (I earn about $1.00 a book through Amazon.com sales). But most of the books we sell are sold via Amazon.com, and there's no way I can compete with their discounted price and inexpensive shipping rates.

This is why it is so important to keep an eye on your bottom line and pay attention to rising costs that affect your business. Not only am I paying for shipping, but I'm also buying mailers, boxes, packing material to protect the books during transport, paper and ink for my printer to print out the invoices, and spending a lot of time fulfilling each order, plus going to the post office. Every time I order another case of books, I have to pay shipping on those books. And, I am taxed on my unsold inventory that is just sitting in my living room.

A business is a changing, expanding, contracting, exasperating, deflating, evolving entity and it takes a lot of perseverance and know-how to keep it alive. This is just one example of the many business choices I make every month to keep Medusa's Muse Press thriving.

Now I need to go get me some of the other kind of fulfillment, like a Mocha!

Amazon Fail

Right now, there is a storm of anti-Amazon.com protests flooding Twitter and the blogosphere,called Amazon Fail. The uproar is due to Amazon.com's new policy that excludes "adult-subject matter" books from it's ranking and search system. The problem is that their criteria for what constitutes adult content is biased. While bodice rippers full of "heaving bosoms" and "throbbing members" are still ranked and promoted, anything related to gay and lesbian stories are now labeled "adult." That includes the book, Unfriendly Fire: How the Gay Ban Undermines the Military, an award winning expose on the "don't ask, don't tell" policy put into place during the Clinton administration. However, American Psycho, a novel about a serial killer which is extremely explicit in its depictions of violence and sex, is not ranked "adult content." (see the LA Times article for more information about both books.)

I can understand the need to control pornography on an Internet storefront that is frequented by children, but this goes beyond shielding kids from explicit book titles. This is censorship. If Amazon.com doesn't want to sell anything related to Gay and Lesbians, then they should be upfront and say it, rather than hiding behind a bogus, biased policy that considers a book with images of Playboy Centerfolds as "okay," but a memoir about a gay man to be pornographic. Stop playing games, Amazon.com!

And don't forget everyone, there is a viable alternative to Amazon.com. It's called Powells Books.

So, you want to publish your book. What's the very first thing you should do?

You've just completed your 300 page masterpiece and now you're trying to decide how to go about publishing it. Do you want to go traditional and find an agent? Would you rather submit your book directly to a small press? Or do you want to take full control of your book and do it all yourself?

All of those options are viable and each has its pros and cons. But before you decide how to publish your book, you need to step back and look carefully at your writing career dreams.

What kind of writer do you want to be? How do you imagine your writing career? If you'll never be happy unless you're a celebrity author at Random House with a guest spot on Oprah, then think no further. Start writing your query letter and start hunting for an agent. Sure, some people make it to the top publishing the book themselves, but you've got the same odds of winning the California lottery.

However, if your dream of publishing doesn't include that big contract from Random House, you can go the other two routes: small press or self publishing. Either route can potentially get you published with a loyal following of readers and enough earnings to keep you in espresso while you write your next book.

How do you decide which publishing road to follow? To figure that out, you need to take a long hard look in the mirror and HONESTLY ask yourself this question: how hard do you want to work?

Self-Publishing will give you the most control over your book, but you will do ALL the work.

Being published by a Small Press will split some of the workload, but you'll lose some of that control. Sometimes, you won't even have a say in the cover design.

There is always a trade off: the more control you have, the more work you have.

If you're willing to do the work and are a control nut, then self-publish. Even in that route there are two ways to go. You can start a small press, which again gives you ALL the control, or go with an online publisher like XLibros and IUniverse. If you go with the last option you'll lose some control. They will own the ISBN, not you, so you won't be able to publish elsewhere if you change your mind. But if want to focus on only writing and marketing your book and don't want to worry about all the details of managing a business, then an online publisher is a good way to go.

To decide the best way for you to be published, start with your dream, and do some homework. Make realistic decision about your needs and your desires. No option will provide everything, but if you do some research and really think before you jump into publishing, you'll be much happier when your book launches.

Unsigned Musicians Can Create and Distribute a Demo Without Stigma, so Why Can't Writers Self-Publish and Distribute their Writing?

A few weeks ago, JL Powers wrote in the blog for Catalyst Books about the stigma around self-published authors, comparing their self promoted works to demo recordings from unsigned bands. Any fledgling musician with Garageband can make a demo and post it on MySpace. No one looks down on them for doing it, in fact, many great bands have started out underground, collecting a following before being signed to a record deal.

And it isn't just bands who are allowed to self-produce; saying you're writing and producing your own short film is considered cool. Saying you're self-publishing the novel you've given five years of your life to is considered pathetic.

Why does writing have to be legitimized by a publisher while music is allowed to be independent? Is writing so hallowed that it takes finding a golden ticket to be admitted into its league of glorious prose?

What makes writing so special?

I once thought that self-published work must be inferior, just as many people still believe. If it was any good, it would be bought by a "real" publisher. But as I've spent more time in the independent publishing world, I realized the reasons people self-publish are far more complicated than just not being picked up by a publisher. Many love the control self-publishing gives them. The author makes all of the decisions and keeps all the earnings. She decides how the book will look and how it will be marketed. For control nuts, it's the only way to go. Others might dream of being discovered by a big publishing company, but rather than sit around and wait for that day to come, they self-publish their book and start finding readers. Many self-published books are just too niche oriented or controversial for a publisher to be willing to take a risk on. And sometimes the book really is just plain awful, but the author believes in their book so much they are willing to stake their life savings on it. Gotta admire that kind of dedication.

I self published my how-to book, What You Need to Know to Be a Pro: The Start-Up Business Guide for Publishers, because it's about starting your own small press. It seemed ridiculous to ask someone else to publish it for me, like I was ashamed of the work my own press produced. So, does that make me a loser, or an entrepreneur?

What do you think. Why is it okay for a band to make a demo on their own and self promote, but it's not okay for a writer to self publish and self promote?

Hey Look Ma, I'm on Internet TV

The Book Event on March 19th was filmed by Ukiah Valley TV and you can see a segment on their website here. Just scroll to 2:46 to see my 40 seconds of fame.

If you'd like a free copy of the book, be the first person to leave a comment telling me what color scarf I was wearing (sorry Medusa staff, but you can't enter).

My Very First Book Event for My Very First Published Book

Last Thursday, March 19th, was the official launch of my book, What You Need to Know to Be a Pro; The Business Start-Up Guide for Publishers. The book has been available since the beginning of March on Amazon and Powell's Books, but this was the first time I officially introduced it to the public. To say I was nervous was an understatement.

Rather than throw a typical book reading, I decided to make it an event by tying my book's launch with Small Press and Women's History Month. I invited four women publishers/writers to join me and share their work and insights into the world of small, indy presses. All of these women are highly educated and highly intelligent and I was feeling a bit intimidated by their experience. Suddenly my little handbook about starting a press felt horribly presumptive. Who I am to offer any advice to people in the industry? But I pushed that feeling aside as I shared the spotlight with these women and quickly found that I do indeed have something to contribute. I realized that my experience and knowledge is beneficial and it's time to push my fragile ego aside.

About 15 people attended, mostly my friends, which is a great turn out for a book reading. There were people there that I haven't seen in a long time; Nellie and her family, my former boss, a former co-worker, a friend who drove up from Healdsburg and another who came all the way from Reno with her husband and baby. And then, just as we were packing up, my friend Barbara walked in after fighting traffic all the way from San Francisco. I felt really loved and supported as I looked out at the audience while listening to the other presenters talk about their work. I have great friends!

I wasn't planning to read from my book because I thought it would be boring. Gather round children and I'll read to you how to work out an author contract and figure royalties . But I decided to read a bit from the intro that explained why I decided to become a publisher, which my friends seemed to enjoy listening to.

The best part of the night for me was the discussion. I started us off by asking the other presenters what their definition of success is (defining your own success is a favorite topic of mine.) They all had very insightful answers. After that we took questions from the audience and we talked about issues such as the difference between Print on Demand and Publish on Demand, whether or not to use X-Libros, what a vanity press is, how do you know when a project is "done," and what makes a good cover design. The conversation was so lively that I had to step in and stop it because the bookstore needed to close up.

By the end of the evening, I felt calmly excited. The book that would never be done was done, AT LAST. It was well written and well designed and filled a need in the industry. I was proud of my hard work and my little handbook, so stuffed with info I'm surprised it's only 136 pages. So much work in such a small book. I could breath a sigh of relief and move on to the next book... a punk rock anthology that has been in development for far too long.

Of course, I'll still be marketing the heck out of my book (like putting a page on my website about it! um... yeah, that's kind of a bad thing to not do). Amy Wachspress asked me to join her at the Mendocino College LitFest in May for a presentation, and then I'll be at the Mendocino Coast Writer's Conference speaking on a panel about publishing. I'd love to do another event like the book reading in the Fall, perhaps in Healdsburg, and perhaps teach a workshop. Mostly, I'll keep answering questions about starting and managing a press while I chronicle how I manage Medusa's Muse. This is way too much fun to stop.

After an Exhilirating Evening Launching my Book Comes... The Flu!

Sorry there hasn't been an update about the book reading last Thursday. My daughter was sick all last week and she so kindly gave it to me. Isn't that sweet? As soon as I feel like I can formulate more than three words in a sentence I'll update you on the event. It went very well and the other women presenting with me enjoyed it.

I remember when I was an actress and worked crazy hours during rehearsals, then suddenly the show would end and presto, I'd be sick. So would everyone else. As long as the stress was high and you kept busy, the bug wouldn't get you. The moment you paused to relax... WHAM... 102 fever. That's what happened to me.

I'll write more soon. Got to go blow my nose now.

What You Need to Wear to Be a Pro

Tomorrow is the big book launch, reading, Women in Publishing event, and I am suddenly extremely nervous. It's the first time I'm speaking as the author, rather than hiding behind an author as the publisher. So of course I am now obsessing over WHAT TO WEAR.

My Muse isn't helping. "Wear what you want," she says.

"I don't know what I want to wear."

"Then just wear jeans and a nice sweater."

"But are jeans fancy enough?" I hold up my favorite pair of faded blue-jeans.

"Those aren't. The hem's frayed. Wear this." She pulls a polka dot dress from the closet and holds it out to me.

"That?"

"Yes. It looks smashing on you."

"But a dress might be too fancy."

"I thought you wanted to be fancy."

"No. I mean yes. I mean... maybe." I sit on my bed and stare at my closet.

My Muse raises an eyebrow as she watches me. "What's the problem?"

"Nothing. I'm just nervous. I want to give the right impression, like I know what I'm doing, but not too stuffy or uptight. I want to look pretty, but not too pretty. I don't want to be thought of as that cute girl who wrote a cute little handbook. I want to be taken seriously, but not too seriously. You know... I just want to be..."

"What?"

"Respected. But not in an uptight, literary way. I want people to feel that they can talk to me and I will be able to answer their questions correctly and really help them. But I don't want to look school-marmy or overly polished. Just mellow, laid back, down to earth, but not too granola. Does that make sense?"

"Don't wear tie dye and stay away from suits. Got it." She sits beside me and pats my hand. "Remember last time we were upset because no one cared that we were the publishers? Everyone was focused on Laura. I felt like a child sent to bed too early because the grown ups wanted to have a party."

"Now what do you feel like?" I ask.

She smiles. "Like I've just stepped into a spot light and if I don't learn to tap-dance really fast the trap door will open beneath me and I'll fall to my death."

I sigh. "Exactly."

My Muse stands and pats her head of unruly snakes. "I have to go get my hair done. I'll help you figure out what to wear tomorrow."

As she vanishes another terrifying thought pops into my brain: my hair! What am I going to do with my hair?

Why do we do this to ourselves? Any time we step into the spot-light we feel like we have to be clever to earn our keep. Why can't we just enjoy the moment of renown, recognizing that our hard work and creativity are what got us there?

I wrote What You Need to Know to Be a Pro to be of help to others. And I'm not the only one there; four other women are sharing the event with me. I need to let go of my own ego driven nerves and focus on the community spirit of the work.

Yeah, sure. Easier said than done. But not impossible.

I stand and reach into my closet, pulling out the polka dot dress once more. Spanish Gypsies say polka dots are good luck.

"This might work."