I've been so busy lately I forgot Medusa's Muse birthday! Three years old on October 1st, which is the date the press became a real, legitimate, tax paying business. Prior to that was two years of planning, which I think of as gestation. The first book published by Medusa's Muse launched in November, 2007 and was called Traveling Blind: Life Lessons from Unlikely Teachers. Then came the handbook, What You Need to Know to Be a Pro, and the latest book, Punk Rock Saved My Ass. Wow, three books in three years! How on Earth did I manage to pull that off?
Happy Birthday, Medusa's Muse. Many thanks to Jane and Rick for helping to make this crazy dream of mine come true, and thank you to all my friends who support the press and cheer me on.
And of course, thank you to my muse. Without her, I'd never have found the inspiration. This is how it began...
Showing posts with label presses. Show all posts
Showing posts with label presses. Show all posts
Saturday, October 09, 2010
Monday, March 16, 2009
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.
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.
Monday, December 08, 2008
News Updates from the Publishing Industry
Wow! What happened to the week? I catch one lousy cold and lose six days. This is also the last two weeks of grad school, so I'm preparing for finals. Between long hours of reading, lack of sleep, and catching cold all the time, I feel like I'm twenty-four years old again and in college for the first time. It's good to feel young (cough, cough... zzzzzz).
Even though I've been too busy to update my blog, the world of publishing keeps rolling on. These past two weeks have been very interesting ones in the industry.
Over at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, there's more bad news. According to Galley Cat:
The shock waves just keep coming out of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt: Executive editor Ann Patty (left) informed us this morning that she has been "fired," along with an unspecified number ("a lot") of other employees.
(go to Galley Cat for full story).
That wasn't the only thing that happened on "Black Wednesday," Dec. 3rd. According to the New York Times, the entire book industry is getting slammed by the recession.
from article: In a day of especially grim news for the book business, Random House, the world’s largest publisher of consumer books, announced a sweeping reorganization aimed at trimming costs, while Simon & Schuster laid off 35 people.
The moves signaled just how bad sales have become in bookstores and followed the news this week that the publisher of the adult division of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, the house that represents authors including Philip Roth and José Saramago, had resigned, presumably in protest of a temporary freeze on the acquisition of new books.
Industry insiders were already calling it “Black Wednesday"
Follow the above link for the full story.
Galley Cat had this article about the layoffs at Simon and Schuster:
In what we understand to be two separate developments at Simon and Schuster, Rick Richter, the president of the publishing company's children's book division, has resigned "in order to explore other opportunities in publishing," while 35 other positions throughout the company were eliminated in what was described by president/CEO Carolyn Reidy as "an unavoidable acknowledgment of the current bookselling marketplace and what may very well be a prolonged period of economic instability."
It looks like the decision by Houghton, Mifflin, Harcourt to temporarily suspend aquisitions is just the beginning of a much larger, industry wide reaction to the poor economy, as well as the changes in the industry as a whole. The big guys can't do business the same way any longer.
Whatever you do, don't start pulling out your hair while wailing, "Books are dead." No, books are NOT dead. The industry has been changing for several years, driven by technology and the desires of the reading public. Throw in a faltering economy and it's no wonder the larger publishing houses are in trouble. Stay informed about what's going on in the book industry, but do not panic. Or you can panic, and start turning your book inventory into a bed frame. It's up to you. Who knows, you might start a new trend in book furniture.
Even though I've been too busy to update my blog, the world of publishing keeps rolling on. These past two weeks have been very interesting ones in the industry.
Over at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, there's more bad news. According to Galley Cat:
The shock waves just keep coming out of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt: Executive editor Ann Patty (left) informed us this morning that she has been "fired," along with an unspecified number ("a lot") of other employees.
(go to Galley Cat for full story).
That wasn't the only thing that happened on "Black Wednesday," Dec. 3rd. According to the New York Times, the entire book industry is getting slammed by the recession.
from article: In a day of especially grim news for the book business, Random House, the world’s largest publisher of consumer books, announced a sweeping reorganization aimed at trimming costs, while Simon & Schuster laid off 35 people.
The moves signaled just how bad sales have become in bookstores and followed the news this week that the publisher of the adult division of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, the house that represents authors including Philip Roth and José Saramago, had resigned, presumably in protest of a temporary freeze on the acquisition of new books.
Industry insiders were already calling it “Black Wednesday"
Follow the above link for the full story.
Galley Cat had this article about the layoffs at Simon and Schuster:
In what we understand to be two separate developments at Simon and Schuster, Rick Richter, the president of the publishing company's children's book division, has resigned "in order to explore other opportunities in publishing," while 35 other positions throughout the company were eliminated in what was described by president/CEO Carolyn Reidy as "an unavoidable acknowledgment of the current bookselling marketplace and what may very well be a prolonged period of economic instability."
It looks like the decision by Houghton, Mifflin, Harcourt to temporarily suspend aquisitions is just the beginning of a much larger, industry wide reaction to the poor economy, as well as the changes in the industry as a whole. The big guys can't do business the same way any longer.
Whatever you do, don't start pulling out your hair while wailing, "Books are dead." No, books are NOT dead. The industry has been changing for several years, driven by technology and the desires of the reading public. Throw in a faltering economy and it's no wonder the larger publishing houses are in trouble. Stay informed about what's going on in the book industry, but do not panic. Or you can panic, and start turning your book inventory into a bed frame. It's up to you. Who knows, you might start a new trend in book furniture.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Dzanc Books Write-A-Thon
A quick shout-out to the Emerging Writer's Network and Dzanc Books Write-A-Thon happening this Saturday, November 15th, 2008. The write-a-thon supports the Non-Profit Dzanc Books, which sponsors writer's workshops, retreats, and publications of emerging writers. Dzanc is an excellent press focused on new works and new writing voices as well as supporting struggling writers everywhere. Their Emerging Writers Network is an excellent resource. If you don't know about it, you should.
Unfortunately I can't participate this year (I'm so slammed with schoolwork I can barely support my own press). If you would like to either sign up and get some sponsors (sorry, I didn't get this info out earlier), or support one of the participating writers by sponsoring a few pages, follow the link to the Dzanc Website.
Good luck, Dzanc. And keep up the excellent work.
Unfortunately I can't participate this year (I'm so slammed with schoolwork I can barely support my own press). If you would like to either sign up and get some sponsors (sorry, I didn't get this info out earlier), or support one of the participating writers by sponsoring a few pages, follow the link to the Dzanc Website.
Good luck, Dzanc. And keep up the excellent work.
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