What does Amazon.com Provide Independent Publishers?

Part Three of the Amazon Questions.

Last week I broke down the cost of using POD printing through Amazon.com to try and decide if I could afford to use two POD printers. The answer was yes. The overall cost would only go up by $50.00 if I used Amazon and continued using LSI. Now the question is, what does Amazon provide Independent Publishers that makes it worth the extra $50.00?

Amazon.com helped launch the publishing revolution. With their built-in search engine that allows consumers to find any niche book they can dream of easily and quickly, Amazon helped micro and self-publishers directly compete with bigger publishing houses. Combined with Print-On-Demand technology, a revolution in book publishing was born.

Can a small press survive without the Amazon.com marketing muscle?

Shopping on Amazon.com has become a part of our American culture. You can buy everything from clothes, lawn furniture, electronics, and books. I have been asked many times if our book is available from Amazon, and so far I've been able to say yes. Buyers know they can easily get Laura's book for a good price, delivered quickly to their door. What happens if I say no. Will I lose the sale? Where else will they go for Laura's book?

Consumers want to use Amazon much like Bookstores want to use book distributors. A bookstore only wants ONE catalogue to find books for their shop and doesn't want to wade through the thousands of publishers websites and catalogues to order books. A book buyer would rather search one store, Amazon.com, and find books on their chosen topic rather than wander the internet hunting for that one book that will satisfy their need. And even if Google can provide better book search results for their topic, the consumer would rather pay one shipping fee from one source. Publishers can not compete with the convenience of Amazon.com and it just might be worth that extra $50.00 to continue providing that convenience to our customers.

So why bother using Lightning Source/Ingram at all? Is getting into the Ingram catalogue so important? If you want your book in other bookstores and on other websites, such as Powells.com, then you need Ingram. This will also help get your book into libraries. Not every book needs to be in the Ingram catalogue so the choice should be made book by book. If you have a very niche book, for example, a book about the different types of aquarium lights, then you might want to skip Ingram completely and focus all of your energy on Amazon. But if your market is wider than just fish tank aficionados, having a broader base from which to sell those books may be important.

To answer the question: Amazon provides marketing muscle I may not be able to duplicate on my own, as well as customer convenience through its order fulfillment process. I think that is worth $50.00.

Next, I'll do more math and tactical planning to see if I could duplicate Amazon.com's marketing and fulfillment. Will it be as hard as I assume?

Taking the Weekend Off

Yes, I know I've been slacking. I haven't posted in a while. But I've decided to join my Muse for the weekend in the back yard and do nothing but drink wine and watch the day's heat shimmer off the leaves. Every now and then we all need a break from our to-do lists and homework. I have a final in business class on wednesday, a project due in xhtml class on friday, a book to write, a full length play and an essay to revise, more Punk edits, bills, housework and a yard trying desperately to survive this drought. But you know, I'm just going to keep sitting here with my Muse and enjoy the color of the red wine as it reflects sunlight. My daughter is visiting her dad, so I'm off mommy duty and I had a full nights sleep for the first time in weeks. I got out of bed at 9:30 this morning a little disoriented, but feeling good. Calm. I realized I don't have to be productive every second of every day. For one quiet weekend, I can close the Medusa office and go to the movies with my hubby (I saw Iron Man. It was excellent. Go see it). I can stay in my pj's and ignore the phone while reading new blog posts by Elijah Brubaker. I don't have to be responsible.

Tomorrow I'll be Mommy again and will tackle that homework after I drive my daughter to Stanford for a doctor's appointment. That's tomorrow. Today... well... that's for day dreaming.

Amazon questions, part 2

Last week, I asked questions about using Amazon.com's Booksurge/Create Space for my POD printing rather than only using Lightning Source. Here are those questions again:

1)How much will Amazon's new policy of requiring POD printers to use Booksurge cost?

2)How does that affect my book production budget?

3)What exactly am I getting for my money?

4)What are the marketing benefits of continuing to sell books through Amazon that I will lose if I decide not to use Amazon?

5)How much will those lost marketing benefits cost? How does that affect my book marketing budget?

6)What is the advantage of just using Lightning Source, and therefore Ingram?

After crunching the numbers, I can now answer questions 1 and 2.

1) How much will Amazon’s policy cost?

I contacted Amazon and asked customer service about Booksurge and how much their new policy will cost. The email from the representative directed me to Create Space. Booksurge is only for larger publishers. Create Space is geared toward self-publishers and they offer many services, such as editing and design. Since I don’t need any of that, I went directly to their print pricing list.

Create Space charges .85 per book plus .13 cents per page for a book with more than 108 pages. Laura’s book is 209 pages.

209 x .013 = 2.71 + .85 = $3.56

There is no set-up fee, unless I go with their “Pro-plan” which is $50.00 more. The pro-plan allows me to keep more of the royalties on each sale and the cost per book is cheaper.

Lightning Source, who I am currently using for my POD printer, charges $.90 per book plus .13 cents per page.

209 x .013 = 2.71 + .90 = $3.61 Lightning also charges a 1.50 handling fee on fulfillment orders (orders from stores directly through Ingram).

There was no mention of handling fees or shipping costs on the Create Space site.

Lightning charges a $50.00 set up fee, the same price as the Create Space Pro-plan.

Because I don’t know how much shipping and fulfillment are through Create Space, I don’t have all the information needed to determine the exact cost. However, based on the fact that Lightning and Create Space are almost identically priced, I can make a pretty good guess that they will be similarly priced in shipping and fulfillment as well. However, because books printed by Create Space will be sold directly through Amazon, those “handling costs” may be lower. To know for certain, I need more information about how books sold via Amazon will be handled.

2) How does that affect my overall budget?

Basically, I will need to use TWO printers to get my books in Amazon and the Ingram and Baker and Taylor catalogues. That means two set up fees of $50.00. After that, it’s a per book charge. Both printers are similarly priced, so I don’t see too many extra costs. Since I do my own design and editing, I don’t need the other services Create Space offers. I think my book production budget will only go up by $50.00.

Again, I don't have all the information I need, and a fellow publisher mentioned that Create Space is NOT the right Amazon POD service for me. There still seems to be some confusion about who will use BookSurge and who Create Space. Also, I don't know how the Associates Program fits into all this. For the time being, Amazon is still ordering Laura's book from Ingram, so now isn't the time to make changes.

Next, I'll try to answer question 3; What exactly am I getting for my money (besides POD)?

Panic at the Play

Friday was opening night of the New Works Festival of Plays at Mendocino College. I spent most of the day just trying to figure out what to wear (seems like the more nervous I am, the more outfits I try on). Should I dress as the serious writer, complete with black beret, casual writer in jeans and Keen shoes, or whimsical writer in flowy, blue skirt and scarf? Whimsical writer won, and at last it was time to go to the theatre. As my hand grabbed the door knob, I suddenly felt like I didn't want to go. Nope, I think I'll just stay home and hear about it from the director. Way safer! Coward, my Muse declared, and kicked me out the door.

At the theatre, I waited in the auditorium and watched it fill up with people. My brother and nephew were coming, but were unfortunately late. That gave me plenty of time to sit alone and fight the butterflies in my stomach while my palms got sweaty.

My Muse leaned over from the seat behind me and asked, "What are you so worried about?"

"I have no idea. But right now, I really want to leave."

She gripped my shoulder. "You're not going anywhere. Besides, no one came to see you, remember. You're just the play write. They came to see the actors perform the work. No one knows who you are."

"Right." I took a deep breath. Then the director of the festival took the stage and welcomed everyone while the staff closed the theatre doors. Oh just great, I thought. Now my brother can't get in!

The director talked about the festival and the selection of plays, then asked each director and play write to stand as he called our names. What! Ack! Now they'll know who I am. My Muse laughed.

"The writer of Choices, Terena Scott." I slowly stood, holding down my "whimsical" skirt so it wouldn't be lifted by the seat chair flipping up. Then I slowly sat, smoothed my skirt around me, and tried not to pass out.

The house lights dimmed just as my brother and nephew walked in, so they were stuck on the opposite side of the theatre and I was left alone in the dark with my sadistic Muse, surrounded by 100 spectators who I was convinced were all watching me twitch.

After the second play, I got up and dragged my brother and nephew to the seats I'd aggressively saved for them. Now that they were near, I felt a little better. No longer alone. But as soon as the fourth play began, my play, the butterflies in my stomach got so frantic I felt like throwing up. My heart pounded. I clenched my jaw, gripped the arms of the seat, and hyperventilated. I focused on the actors and willed myself not to pass out. I could see the headline in our local paper: Play write collapses at Festival of Plays. Doctor's say it was Stage-Fright.

My play was beautiful. The set was an exterior garden complete with greenery and tivoli lights. The opening music was Time After Time by Cindy Lauper. The actors were strong and their performance riveting. The audience laughed in unexpected spots. I tried to enjoy the moment, but I still had the feeling that they were actually watching me from the invisible eyeballs in the back of their heads. When my play ended, I wanted to cry.

Three more plays followed mine and at last the festival ended. My brother was impressed and even my 15 year old nephew "wasn't too bored." People congratulated my work. Friends gave me hugs and cheered for me.

My Muse asked, "How do you feel now?"

"I want to cry."

I went home and tried to figure out what had happened. I've acted in plays, stage-managed even more, and directed a few, but never have I suffered from such severe stage-fright, and I wasn't even on stage! The one thing all of my prior theatre experience have in common is the barrier of the stage. I was either on it, or behind it. I've never sat in the audience of any production I've been a part of. I could never hear the shuffling, sighing, squeaking of seats, and whispering sounds of an audience so close to me. The lack of the stage barrier was terrifying.

Understanding where my panic came from made the second night better. I was nervous, but not so panicked. Plus, this time my hubby came with me and I didn't spend any time by myself thinking about all those people staring at me. Yes, I know they aren't. As soon as I sat back down people forgot me and turned their attention to the stage. It's much like when I go to an author reading and once I'm introduced they forget I'm the publisher. I realize I like that anonymity.

I hope to write more plays and share them with audiences and actors. One of the directors of a play in the festival asked me if I write full length plays. Why yes, I'm currently revising a full length play now. Good, he said, and encouraged me to submit it to our local theatre company. The only thing I wonder about is how much worse will my vicarious stage fright be when the ENTIRE PRODUCTION is written by ME.

This is another torture my Muse will insist upon!

An interview with me on KMEC about raising a child with a disability.

Last week, Laura was schedule to be interviewed by Jin Gwong, a Buddhist Nun at City of Ten Thousand Buddhas on her KMEC radio program called "Compassion." That morning, Laura called me to ask if I could fill in. Her daughter had just gone into labor with Laura's first grand-child and Laura wanted to be there. Of course, I said, and sent Laura on her way. But then I realized that I had to do a one hour interview in two hours with no idea of what we would talk about!

Well, here's the interview (click on 5/3 show).I'm happy to report I actually sound articulate! A big thank you to Jin Gwong for handling the last minute change so professionally and making me feel comfortable. She's an excellent interviewer.

And a hearty congratulations to Grandma Laura and to her family, who welcomed a daughter into the world!

How much will it cost me to continue working with Amazon?

I'm late posting to my blog because I've been spending time trying to figure out how much extra it will cost my press if I add Booksurge to my printing bill. I'd like to continue working with Amazon, but can I afford it? After several days of hunting, I still don't know.

I'm trying to discover:

1)How much will Amazon's new policy of requiring POD printers to use Booksurge cost?

2)How does that affect my book production budget?

3)What am I getting exactly for my money?

4)What are the marketing benefits of continuing to sell books through Amazon that I will lose if I decide not to use Amazon?

5)How much will those lost marketing benefits cost? How does that affect my book marketing budget?

6)What is the advantage of just using Lightning Source, and therefore Ingram?

I'm trying to look at the Amazon/Booksurge issue with clear, hard, business eyes, setting aside whatever emotional response I have to the perceived strong-armed tactics of Amazon. This isn't easy, because if I feel that I'm being bullied, I get terrifically stubborn and fight back. You think you can push me around? Hah! I'll show you just how tough this short-chick can be!

Not always the right response when you're running a business. Sometimes making decisions for your small business based on emotions, without clear facts to back up those emotions, can get your business into financial trouble. You have to ask yourself, what is the ultimate goal?

So, back to my list of questions. How much will Amazon's new policy cost? This question has been surprisingly difficult to answer.

I went to the Booksurge website and found information for publishers:

Maximize Sales Potential

Titles available as “in stock” on Amazon.com
Extend book lifecycle indefinitely
Publish more books with lower risk

Reduce Costs and Increase Profit

No inventory or small-order risk
No shipping or logistics overhead
Decrease excess costs in your supply chain
Low setup fees and printing rates

However, there was zero information about the ACTUAL cost of printing. For that info, you have to "contact publisher's services for information." That irks me. I had to do that too at Lightning Source, but then they quickly sent me the info I needed regarding pricing and set up costs without being hounded by a sales-rep. Maybe Booksurge will do the same? Usually when I contact a company for more information, they give me the "sales-pitch" rather than answering my questions. Just give me the cost, please, and leave the rap out of it. I can make up my own mind. But this is another one of those moments when I need to hold back my immediate emotional response (just tell me how much it costs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) and go through the process to collect the best information I can.

The one thing on that above list that stands out to me is Titles available as “in stock” on Amazon.com . That is disconcerting. I have seen publisher's buy-buttons vanish. So far, my buy button is still there, but for how long?

I also went to the Amazon Advantage website to learn more about that program. It states, "The annual fee for Advantage is $29.95, regardless of the number of titles you enroll." Okay, not bad. $29.95 for your press, not per each book. I read more: "There is an annual fee of $29.95 to be a member of Advantage. Your fee includes unlimited title enrollment. Advantage is a consignment inventory strategy. The standard commission rate is 55% - you keep 45% of the List Price."

"The standard 55% commission rate means that Amazon.com is entitled to 55% of the List Price for each unit that sells. You, the vendor, receive 45% of the List Price. You set the List Price, also known as Suggested Retail Price, of your products, and all payments made to you are calculated based on the List Price. If Amazon.com decides to further reduce the sales price to the customer below the List Price, the customer discount comes out of Amazon.com's percentage. For example, if the List Price is $39.95, you will make $17.98 from each copy sold, even if the Customer Price or Our Price on Amazon.com is discounted from the List Price."

55% is the standard in the industry, meaning Amazon's cut on the sale is the same as Barnes and Noble or any other bookstore. It's the percentage I gave Ingram when I signed my contract with Lightning Source. Lightning Source lets you set the percentage at anything (I know many small publishers who do only 40%) and I decided for the broadest potential sales I should follow the industry standard. Amazon has set the percentage.

Currently, Advantage is for publishers who are not listing their books with Ingram. I couldn't find any specific information about the relationship between the Advantage program and Booksurge. I thought there was one, but maybe I'm wrong?

I will contact Booksurge and request info. Once I have pricing information, I can compare that to what I know Lightning Source charges. Then I can answer the next question, how does that affect my book production budget? Can I afford to use both Booksurge and Lightning Source? Can I afford not to?

Etymologists Corner

There's another Etymologists Corner post at Blood and Ink from Andrew David King (this time I got the name right!).

The word is Tatterdemalion

If you're a word nerd like me, or just need something interesting to read while you wait for your work day to end, head over to Blood and Ink to read about this "tattered" word.

Why Don't I Publish My Own Books?

My Muse is happy right now, a state that is hard to achieve and impossible to maintain. She's pleased with the progress of Medusa's Muse Press, and very excited to be working with a new author. She's also impressed by the growth of Laura's book. And she'll give me points for actually writing a full length play in one month. All bases are covered in my Muse's view. I am being productive AND creative. However...

"Why aren't you publishing you're own work?" she asked, flipping through my play for the hundredth time looking for things to revise.

"Um... I don't have anything ready yet."

"But you have a project in the works, right?"

"Yeah. It's not ready."

"It will be in a few months, IF you get working on it again." She stared at me so hard the end of my nose got cold.

"I will. Don't worry. I haven't dropped the project. If you haven't notice, I've been a little busy lately." I nodded toward the play in her hands. She smiled.

"Yes. I know. And I'm happy you finished something for a change." She set the play aside and leaned toward me. "But I think you're scared to publish you're own book and you'll keep hunting for things to keep you busy so you won't be able to finish it."

"I am not!" I folded my arms and tried to look confident. "Right now I prefer to work with other writers, not just myself."

"Sure you do." She twirled a snake around one finger thoughtfully and waited. I hate it when she does that.

"I like working with other people," I continued. "I'd much rather do that than have to do it ALL. I can't imagine trying to write a book AND make all the desicions about its design and cover AND try to market it. Publishing other people's work helps me gain perspective. I'm not so attached to every word on the page. I can make the tough choices. I'm not so sure I can wear both hats; author and publisher."

"Sounds rational." She kept twirling that snake until I feared its poor little head would pop off.

"The press is very important to me, more important than my own books. I love writing and I'll always do it, but I don't know if I'm ready to publish my own work."

"I think you're scared."

"Of course I am. That's not a surprise."

"I think you're also afraid of the stigma."

"What stigma?"

"That you can only get published by yourself."

There was a long awkward silence while we stared at each other; me trying to think of something intelligent to say and she trying not to grin. She knew she was right but I was darn sure not going to validate that.

I took a deep breath and said, "Don't be ridiculous. I have no bias against self-publishers."

"Yes you do."

"No I don't! I have a bias against bad writing, whether it's self-published or not. If the writing is good, then who cares who published it? In fact, people who can write well and self-publish are brilliant in my book. I sure can't do it."

She let go of the snake which sprung back against her head and gasped for breath, then she pointed her bony finger at me. "Exactly."

"Exactly what?"

"You're afraid. You think your writing might be so bad people will scoff and think you're one of the unprofessional publishers, incapable of seeing the problems with your own work."

All I could do was fold my arms around myself tighter and say, "I am not."

She stood and moved closer, resting her hand on my head. "It's okay. You can be afraid. You were afraid to start Medusa's Muse and now look at you. A full fledged publisher with one succesful book and two more on the way. So in time, you'll stop being afraid about publishing your own book."

"I never stopped being afraid you know."

"I know. But you did it anyway. Just like one of these days, you'll publish you're own book."

I knew she'd make me do it one of these days, whether I want to or not. She's that kind of muse.

Script Frenzy Finish Line

I did it! After a grueling day of almost non-stop typing only interrupted by my daughter needing something (ever try to type and serve dinner at the same time?), I actually finished writing a 119 page play in one month! I even got a certificate from Script Frenzy to print out and a new logo for my blog which announces I WON! I'm so dang proud of myself that I pulled this off!

My Muse is quite proud too. She was the one who wouldn't let me out of the chair until I finished my play TODAY. Occasionally I was allowed to pee, and of course I could take care of my Mommy-duties, but otherwise it was non-stop, keep typing, only twenty more pages to go, work.

It's 9:30 at night, and my back, arms, shoulders, hands and neck are killing me. My whole body is screaming at me to STOP TYPING IMMEDIATELY AND TAKE A HOT BATH OR ELSE.

Okay, I'm going, but I had to announce it from the virtual roof-top that I DID IT.

Northern California Publisher's and Author's Conference

On Saturday, April 26th, I went to the annual Northern California Publisher's and Author's Conference in Sacramento, California at the Red Lion Inn. Excellent Conference! I learned more in that one day than I have at any other workshop or conference I've attended this far. With speakers like Dan Poynter, Stephanie Chandler, Micheal Larson and Elizabeth Pomoda, and Bud Gardner,how could I not?

The key note speaker was Dan Poynter, the man who wrote The Self Publisher's Manuel, which is the book that got Medusa's Muse started (as well as thousands of other presses). Not only is he THE expert on small presses, he is a lively and entertaining speaker. He talked about the future of publishing and how our society's love of portable devices and our hunger for information is creating a surge in e-book and audio book demand. If we want our books to survive in this market, we MUST make portable versions. With that in mind, I'll re tackle the audio book project and research the best way to develop an e-book version for sale on the Medusa's Muse Website. His talk also helped me realize just how competitive a small press can be. We are able to be far more responsive to the needs of the book market, which is something large presses are unable to manage. If we see a niche or need in the market, we can swoop in and fill that void within weeks, rather than the year plus it takes the large houses to develop a project. As Dan says, "It's the first book that counts." We small presses can create that first book before a large press can even get the cover designed.

The first workshop I attended was taught by Stephanie Chandler, called "Marketing Your Books Online." Very good, basic information and ideas about how to create sites and fill it with content that will get you noticed online. She also talked about effective blogging (which made me wonder if this blog is providing the kinds of information my readers need) and building your social network (you mean all that time I spend on MySpace and Tribe isn't a waste?). I bought her book, "From Entrepreneur to Infopreneur" to help me support my authors as they try to market their own books and set up speaking engagements. She's written several other books about running a small business and marketing which I intend to buy as well.

After that came lunch (which was actually quite good. Even this Gluten-Free person found enough to eat) and a presentation by Micheal Larsen and Elizabeth Pomoda, two respected and well known agents in the book industry. I was impressed that they took the time out to speak to us and learnign that agents are now looking at small press and self published books as a "testing ground" for potential new talent was heartening. It looks like the stigma against self-publishers is starting to change. They also provided excellent hand-outs packed with information on developing a manuscript, pitching a story, contacting agents, as well as one that helped us define our writing goals. How much money do you want to earn as a writer? Hmmm... I haven't thought about that. I mean, I'm happy with a hundred bucks, which I'm still hoping to make someday. But really, how much do you WANT to earn? That's an important question that will help you determine your writing focus.

After lunch I attended the workshop called "Behind the Shelves: What it takes to sell high volume through major retailers," led by Clint Greenleaf of Greenleaf Book Group, an Austin Tx. based book distributor. That one was eye opening! Did you know that to get "face-out" placement in the front of a large chain book store will cost you thousands of dollars? Not only do you have to work to get your book in there, you then have to pay to have it displayed in an area where a reader will actually find it. He also talked about returns. You should expect more than half of the books sold to be returned, and many of those returned books will not be in good condition. Also, a retailer can return the book TWO YEARS after purchase. It's crazy! I have definitely devoted my creative life to a bizarre, counter-intuitive industry.

The last workshop I attended was led by Karl Palachuk, called "Recorded Products and Other Non-Printed Spinoff Products." The best thing about this workshop was the information about specific programs, software, hardware, and technologies available to create audio and e-books. Karl is a tech guy by trade, whose written several books, including "Relax, Focus, Succeed," a book about focusing your energy to achieve your goals, rather than working so hard without a direction.

At the close of the event, a panel of the speakers talked about the future of the small press. There was a lot of talk about technology and how that is fostering the growth of the industry, while also creating monumental changes. Who really knows what the next five years will bring? The entire book industry is changing, and it is the small press which is better able to navigate that change.

I met some wonderful people, including Michele Avanti, NCPA board member and author of "Tales of Tamoor." She sat by me at lunch and we immediately started chatting. I was struck by how open and friendly everyone was. Dan Poynter said it best when he stated, "We (we the publishers) are not competitors, we're colleagues." Attending the NCPA conference showed me how true that is.

Laura Fogg Reading in Willits, Cal.

This Saturday, April 26th, Laura will read from her book, "Traveling Blind; Life Lessons from Unlikely Teachers." A discussion about her work with visually impaired children and a demonstration of white cane technique will follow, with plenty of time for your questions. The event begins at 1 p.m. at St. Francis of the Redwoods Episcopal Church, 1 North Main Street, Willits. Here is a link to the announcement in the Willits News.

Books will be available to buy and one dollar of every book sold at the event will go to the Church's building fund. I myself will not be there (I'll be at the Northern California Publisher's and Writer's Conference in Sacramento this weekend, of which I'll write about on Monday), but Jane Mackay, Medusa's Editor, will be and can answer any questions you may have about the press.

New Medusa Writer Revealed!

You waited all weekend on pins-and-needles, eagerly checking the blog, disappointed to see no new post, hungry to learn who is the NEW WRITER!!!! (I can pretend there are people out there whose entire lives revolve around what I write in my blog, can't I?). As promised, the name of the new, fabulous, extremely talented and brilliant writer, will be revealed today. Yes, TODAY! Can you stand the suspense any longer?

Her name is.....

Tamarian Graffham!

Yes, the writer of the funny and very popular blog, Tales From The Den Of Chaos, is the new Medusa's Muse author. Her book, which shows how she managed to escape crushing debt and save her family from financial ruin, is scheduled for release late Fall, 2008. The title is to be determined, but the tone and style will be in the voice you've grown to love from her blog, full of the same humor and helpful tips.

If you can't wait to read the book, go to the Den of Chaos to read her blog. And if you are already a long time reader and begin to feel frustrated that her posts are less frequent, remember she is busy finishing her novel. Send her little notes of encouragement. And check back here for updates on the book's production.

Well, now that the secrets been revealed, you can all go back to your daily lives, comforted by the fact that Medusa's Muse is alive and well and a new book is in the works (because I'm sure my readers have nothing more to worry about than Medusa).

Laura Fogg Interview About Her Quilts

There is an interview with Laura Fogg, author of Traveling Blind: Life Lessons from Unlikely Teachers, posted on the website Center For The Quilt. The site is sponsered by the Alliance for American Quilts, a non-profit organizations supporting the textile arts.

Here is a portion of that interview:

Karen Musgrave (KM): This is Karen Musgrave. I'm doing a Quilters' S.O.S. - Save Our Stories interview with Laura Fogg. It is March 8, 2007. It is 7:11 in the evening, and I'm in Philo, California. Thank you so much for agreeing to do an interview with me. Tell me about the quilt that you brought for the interview.

Laura Fogg (LF): This is a fairly typical quilt for me (photo of quilt can be seen on website). It is called "Brodiaea on Greenwood Ridge," and I love doing the landscapes. That is mostly what I do after having lived in this county for over thirty-five years. Every place I go there is just another scene that I want to capture. So I started doing this collage style raw edge landscape. The whole thing is under a layer, well in this case, I didn't use toile, I used, I'm not sure what this stuff is called, it is voile or organza.

KM: [looking at the quilt and the fabric specifically.] Organza.

LF: It is really transparent, but under that I've layered different fabrics to get the sky and the distant hillside. I have several layers of the white organza over both the sky and those distant hills to try and gray them down, make them look like they go into the distance. Fewer layers over the closer hills.

To read the rest of the interview, follow the above link.

The First Edit; What am I looking for?

Pencil in hand, I am reading the first draft of the manuscript sent to me by my new author (who will be revealed next week. Really!). This is my absolute favorite part of being a publisher and is the number one reason I do this work. It's also the reason I keep looking for more authors, even though I have more than enough projects right now. Still, being the first to read these words, the two sides of my brain working cooperatively with my heart and gut, my Muse eagerly snatching each page as I finish them, the excitement of beginning to create a new book... this is why I am a publisher.

A lot of what I do is instinct. I have a knack for finding the heart of a story; discovering the threads that tie it together while cutting out what doesn't. But I've been trying to pin down what it is I do exactly.

I begin with what the writer told me the story is about. I'm not the writer, so I don't want the author to write like me. I want them to write in their own voice. My job is to make sure they're doing that. So if the author tells me their book is about a man who hunts the world for his lost love only to discover he never really loved her in the first place, then I'm going to look for those bits in the manuscript that perpetuate that. I ask lots of questions, like, why did he go to Cuba? What is it about this girl that haunts him? How did he discover he doesn't love her? Lots of Why type questions, and then even more "What if..." If I read something in the book that doesn't add to the story directly, then no matter how beautiful or inspired the prose, I say cut it. When the man goes to Japan and meets a woman who teachers him how to play pin-ball, that might be a fun part of the story, but how does it tie in with finding his lost love?

When I was working with Laura, she had many pages of beautiful prose about the landscape of Mendocino County. Really well written and lovely, but how did it help the flow of the book? Setting is important, but was the book about Mendocino County, or the students who live there? She slowly cut those passages down. It wasn't easy and I know it probably hurt "killing her darlings." But in the end, we both agree it tightened the pacing of the book and brought the focus to her and her students, which was where it needed to be. And now she has several pages of beautiful prose sitting on her laptop, waiting for the next book she wants to write, which will be perfect for those descriptions.

The new author's book is about personal finance and day to day life. It's funny and well written, full of helpful advice about getting out of debt. So I am reading it with that in mind. What is the focus? Is this book a "how-to get out of debt" book or "personal essays about getting out of debt?" That question has to be answered early because both types of books have a different tone. Plus, the author's voice is very strong and unique, so I am looking for the places in the writing when that voice is true, and highlighting the places when the voice is weak.

It's still early in the process and I'm sure we'll go through several more revisions before we agree it is her best work (yes, the new author is a woman). Happily for Jane, there are very few spelling or punctuation problems. The copy-editing process should go smoothly.

But we don't get to that part for at least two more revisions, so I'd better get back to work on this first draft.

A New Manuscript

Our new author just sent me her manuscript. Who is this mysterious author and what did she write? Can't tell you yet, not until the contract is signed, which it will be once I read her manuscript and make sure it's something I can work with (Oh, I already know it is! But protocols are protocols). So not much longer. She and I are meeting to talk contracts and editing suggestions next week and after that, it will be Official and I can reveal her name.

Here's a hint, her funny, informative, and prolific blog is listed with my "favorite readings." Try to guess which one.

Quarter One Results

Determined to take more of an active part in the business side of running the press, my Muse helped me count up the sales figures for our first quarter of 2008. We totalled the number of books sold, amount earned, sales tax owed, cost per unit, shipping, and the remaining amount after all those deductions that we would pull Laura's royalties from.

"344 books!" My Muse said, leaping up and laughing. "We sold 344 books!"

"Possibly more because I don't have the exact count from LSI. We only got paid for December. We'll have to wait for the rest."

"Maybe more. Maybe we sold more books. More than 344! That's wonderful!" She clapped her hands. "Do you realise that most books only sell 150 copies total?"

"Yes, I know."

"And most of those books were sold right here in Mendo."

"Yep."

"And the word of mouth is growing, so her book sales will only go up."

"Probably."

"We might have a best seller! How many more books until we break even?"

"356."

"After that, you'll be able to make a profit?"

"Maybe. Depends on our overall costs. But Laura's book will be paid for."

"Excellent." She turned and walked toward the kitchen. "Well, now that that's done, I'm going to have a cup of tea."

"Um... we're not done."

She stopped and spun around to look at me. "We're not? Are there more sales to tabulate?"

"No. Not sales. Costs. We haven't totalled up the receipts to tell us how much we spent this quarter, and with the two conferences I registered for, the cost to earnings ratio will be well in the red."

"Oh." She shrugged. "You can do that part. I'm done for the day." She vanished.

So much for helping me manage the business. I turned back to the computer and sighed while reaching for the folder packed with invoices and receipts. Then I sat up. Later. I decided to have that celebratory cup of tea. In the publishing business, you've got to celebrate those little moments when you feel successful and don't know how broke you actually are.

Auditions

Last night was the auditions for the Festival of New Plays at Mendocino College. I finally got to meet the director who chose my play and together we would try to decide who would be a good choice for the parts of Chris and Laura. My Muse came along, wearing a stunning vintage 40's black skirt and red blouse with a black beret. The outfit made her look straight out of a Film Noir located in Paris. She sat behind me and whispered her opinions of the actors.

"Too young. He needs to be closer to 40 than 21."

"I like her, but I wonder if she can play Laura with the stern sultriness you wrote?"

"Ugh! Where's the proverbial cane to grab that guy off the stage?"

"Oh he's cute!"

"She's wonderful. A bit young, but she could probably play older."

The actors were auditioning for all seven plays, so the process took three hours. A long night for everyone, but I was impressed by the energy of the actors and the focus of the directors. As I watched them, I began to get nervous. I realized how quickly my little play about lost love and lust could very easily fall into a soap-opera if the characters are not played by skilled actors. One of the men was excellent, but so young. Would he be able to understand the depth of regret in my play? The director and I talked about my fear and she admitted to the same feeling. She's actually more nervous than I. As the director it's all on her shoulders to make or break the play. I'm glad I only wrote the thing!

My Muse was impressed. "I think the director will be fabulous and the play will bring tears to the eyes of the audience."

I said, "It's not supposed to be depressing."

"I know, and it's not. But I think the director will manage keep the actors away from melodrama and the honesty of the play will touch everyone who sees it." She straightened her beret and smiled. "Trust me."

The director and I also talked about how involved I wanted to be in the process. I explained that I'd like to come to the first rehearsal to hear it read so I can make any necessary changes (I already heard two lines from the two pages they used for the auditions I want to fix). Mainly though, this is her baby now. A play is a constantly evolving, transforming entity. I have to let go and allow the director and actors to create what they see from my words and to try to hold on to my original vision is counterproductive. Of course, I have no intention of rewriting it to fit an idea that is outside the play. But how much she wants to up the sexual tension or cut it back is entirely up to them. I'm curious to see what the actors will do as they make the characters their own.

My Muse is eager for me to get back to work on my Script Frenzy play.

"Imagine how it will be to watch your full length play on stage. Thrilling, yes?"

Before that can happen, I'd better finish it. Now if I only had the time. People don't need sleep, right?

Holidays and Other Time Management Problems

"I decree that there shall be no more school holidays," my Muse announced as she plopped onto the couch. "All this time interruption is giving me a head-ache." She watched me continue typing an email. "You're so far behind, and I fear we will never catch up."

"Probably not. But I've given up on catching up." I turned and looked at her. "Catching up is relative. All anyone can really manage to accomplish is throwing away a completed to-do list, which will be quickly replaced by another. It's a losing battle." Turning back to my computer screen, I said, "To do lists are fascist."

"Says the Queen of the Post-it note to do list."

"Color-coded Post-it note to do list. Don't forget that part."

"Which is pinned to the wall so you can never throw it away."

"Ah, yes. But I so enjoy crumpling up those bits of paper and throwing them across the room."

My Muse picked up the couch pillow, folded her arms around it, and sighed. "But really, what are you going to do?"

I pushed the send button for the email, then turned to look at her again. "About what?" My Muse pointed first to the Post-it note to do list, then my desk where a pile of punk rock stories needed editing, then the computer screen where 22 emails waited to be answered. "Oh. That."

"And you need to start working on your play. The challenge has already started and you've yet to write a single word. If you keep putting it off it only increases your page number quota, and as it is now, you need to complete nine pages a day."

"Nine pages? Is that all? Why I'm sure I can do twelve a day."

My Muse scowled. "Laugh all you want, but these school holidays have got to end. How do other parents manage? All these interruptions from their work; it's criminal."

"You think this is bad? Wait till summer. Then we'll have three-and-a-half months to get behind."

"I'm going on a vacation. You obviously won't be needing me this summer."

I got up and moved to the couch where we sat together silently. Then I said, "She told me she doesn't like Dora the Explorer anymore."

"Ree-ree?"

"Yes. She's loved Dora since the 2nd grade and last night she threw her Dora bath toys out of her bath and said, I hate Dora."

"She is in the sixth grade now."

"I know. And next year she'll be in Jr. High. She's growing up. That's good." I picked up the other pillow and held it against my chest. "Last year it was Madeline. The year before it was Strawberry Shortcake."

"She still likes Arthur."

"Yes, but for how long? Every year she gets bigger and more mature and eventually it will be me she says she doesn't want anymore."

"Preposterous."

"Kids go through that. They hit fourteen and decide they hate their parents."

"And then they realize how much they still need their parents and want to be with them." She touched my knee. "Don't worry. She'll always love you."

I nodded. "I know. And I'm not saying there aren't days I wish she was with her dad or times I want to ship her to her grandparents. Believe me, I'm not one of those Pollyanna parents who can't imagine life without their children. I can, and it'll be great!" I laughed. "But even when I'm tired or stressed or really want to do nothing more than sit at my lap top and work on my play for the next month, I know my daughter's childhood is ending, and that makes me sad. I want to scoop her up in my arms a little longer and forget all about writing."

My Muse sat up straighter. "Mother angst. Beautiful." She looked at me. "You should write that down. At least it will be a little bit of writing. And then I'll stop bothering you about your play."

"No you won't."

"No, I won't. But I'll give it a rest for a few hours."

So I did as she asked. My Muse read this and smiled and true to her word I didn't hear another peep from her about the play for three whole hours.

An Amazon Monopoly?

This is certainly interesting:

Writen by Angela Hoy at Writer's Weekly

Some Print on Demand (POD) publishers are privately screaming "Monopoly!" while others are seething with rage over startling phone conversations they're having with Amazon/BookSurge representatives. Why isn't anybody talking about it openly? Because they're afraid - very, very afraid.

Amazon.com purchased BookSurge, a small POD publisher/printer back in 2005. Amazon also lists and sells titles for the largest POD printer, Lightning Source, which is owned by Ingram (the large book distributor). According to their website, Lightning Source serves more than 4,300 publisher clients and has more than 400,000 titles in their system.

You'd think Amazon's purchase of BookSurge might have made things a bit uncomfortable between the two companies. However, they continued to work together, getting books on demand to Amazon.com's loyal customers. Things appeared to be cruising along just fine, but perhaps not anymore.

To read the full article, click here

What exactly does this mean for the small publisher who uses Print-on-demand? Or the large publishers for that matter? Is this the death of Lightning Source and other competing Print-on-demand printers? Is Amazon becoming the monopoly it appears to be? Or is this a lot of panic over nothing?

I'll be keeping a close watch on this situation. So far, Laura' Fogg's book is still available for sale on Amazon. If anything changes, I'll let you know.

Beyond the threat of lost revenue for me and other publishers, this is a potential threat to free internet commerce and to free speech. How many writers will be silenced by Amazon's need to control the market? I believe keeping the internet free and information flowing is key to maintaining the health of our democracy. Any attempt to silence dissent, or corral businesses into a single resource for their product, is dangerous.

It's not the time to panic yet. Now is the time to be aware and see what happens. Perhaps Amazon will retract its position and avoid monopolizing book sales on the internet. Or if not, then it may be time for all of us to shop at Powells.

The KMEC interview is on line

Follow the link to hear to KMEC interview with Jane and I about Medusa's Muse and the Punk Anthology.

Midnite Society

(3-21-2008. the interview is split into two parts)

And a big thank you to Emilyn, who is a fabulous DJ and host. I had a great time!

Drunk on Friendship and Beauty

My Muse is satiated on beauty and inspiration; drunk on the energy of friendship and San Francisco. She and I went to The City on Saturday for a friend's baby Christening on Easter Sunday but decided to go down a day early to soak up some of that Bay Area vibe, and visit friends I haven't seen in three years. We dropped off my daughter with her dad, parked the van near the apartment I was staying at, and then hiked down to 19th avenue to catch the 28 bus toward Fort Funston. It was one of those warm, sunny days when smiling people crowd the sidewalks and the bay is full of sail boats. We walked over the hill to the Wharf where I was meeting my friends at the Wipe Out bar. I haven't been to The Wharf for years and couldn't resist walking all the way to Pier 39, dodging pedestrians and bicycles, sometimes walking in the road to get past the crowds gathered around street performers. My Muse stayed beside me, her hair flowing out like a net gathering creative energy, the snakes sticking their blood-red tongues out to taste the smell of people. I was late meeting my friends. My Muse decided to wander around the pier more, her eyes and ears wide with anticipation. A drag queen quartet grabbed her attention and she said, "See you later," as she vanished.

My friends found me at the front door of the pub and led me to a spot at the bar where we stayed for three hours, chatting, drinking, and laughing over old times. The three of us worked together at Renaissance Faire for many years and those two are more my family than just friends. After the bar they took me to the Rainforest Cafe, a cacophonies restaurant complete with a water fall and animatronic gorillas and elephants. My Muse found us after dinner and joined our evening walk along the water toward Market street where I would catch the Muni. Suddenly, she gripped my arm and whispered, "Look." Rising over the bay bridge, a full, golden moon shone brightly through the spans of the bridge. I pointed it out to my friends and they took a picture. You can't really see the moon very clearly, but the shot reminds me of that moment. Another full moon spent with my two dear friends. How many moons have we shared?

The next day I caught the bus again to Grace Cathedral on Nob Hill, a massive stone, Gothic, European inspired church, with stained glass windows copied from Medieval images. I arrived just as the procession of the priests began. Long robed priests carrying incense and candles filed through the aisle toward the altar, singing as they walked. I couldn't find my friends until we all gathered for the Christening. Grace Cathedral baptizes people four times a year, so my friends brought their three month old daughter to be baptized on Easter. I finally saw them opposite the Baptismal font and saw their daughter for the first time dressed in a white Christening gown. They took their turn with 20 other families and when everyone lined up again to return to their seats, I pushed my way through the crowd to join them. We sat together and listened to the Easter service and beautiful choir. My Muse wandered about the church, pressing her hands against the smooth stone, breathing in the age and color of the windows, and shivering every time the Gregorian sounding choir sang.

After the service was a brunch celebration at the Beach Chalet. Good food and not too pricey, with a lovely view. The weather was again warm and the wind mild, so we all walked on the beach where we showed the baby the ocean for the first time. I've been friends with her mother since the 7th grade, so this little girl feels like my niece. I remembered when my own daughter saw the ocean for the first time. She was wrapped up warmly in a front facing snuggle pack and she kicked her feet and laughed when she saw the ocean waves hissing on the sand at my feet.

I drove home after that and spent a quiet Easter dinner with Rick. The next day I went to Orr Hot Springs with another friend and spent the entire day soaking and lounging, watching the sky, talking and eating good food. My Muse sat by the cold pool and watched the white blossoms fall from the trees and land softly on the water.
By the time I got home, my Muse was practically drunk on creative energy and passed out on my bed.

Today, her skin is glowing with the hum of creativity. The snakes are singing softly. We haven't started writing anything yet, but we are both filled with enough energy to write four novels.

Terena on KMEC tonight!

If you live anywhere near Ukiah, Ca, Jane and I will be interviewed on KMEC radio on Midnight Society with Emilyn, tonight (Friday, 3/21) at 8:00. We'll be chatting about Small Press Month, starting Medusa's Muse, and our current project, a Punk Rock Anthology. If you live too far away from Ukiah to get KMEC on your radio, you can listen to it streaming from the KMEC website, or check out the mp3 archive of Emilyn's show.

KMEC LP is an independent, local, low power radio station broadcasting from the Mendocino Environmental Center. It's an eclectic mix of all types of music, politics, news, and views from Mendocino County. I love listening to this station because you never know what you'll hear. Blue-grass one hour, Hip-Hop the next, then some Punk followed by Enya. My kind of station!

Laura Fogg at the La Conner Quilt Museum

Not only is Laura Fogg a brilliant teacher and exeptional writer, she is also a gifted textile artist. An exhibit of her work opens March 23rd at the Quilt and Textile Museum in La Connor, Washington. Laura wrote in her book about the curious relationship between her two worlds, that of teacher of visually impaired students, and as a visual artist. If you are in Northern Washington State, you have the opportunity to see how these two worlds combine. Teaching students who are blind involves a great deal of hands on, tactile, exploration. The child needs to feel the object to understand what it is. Laura uses fabric and other textures to create vibrant landscapes. The act of creating a quilt is a tactile process, as well as visual.

At last, the three Medusa's Muses were all together.

Jane, punctuation wonder girl and Medusa's Muse lead editor, is on leave from graduate school for a few months. To escape the ice encrusted Boston winter that refuses to end, she loaded up her little car and drove across the US via route 66, arriving just in time for Spring, and to join Laura Fogg and I at the Association of University Women's brunch. The event was at the North State Cafe in Ukiah, and the food was delicious, complete with chocolate covered strawberries.

Our presentation focused on the creation of Medusa's Muse and development of Laura's book, "Traveling Blind; Life Lessons from Unlikely Teachers." Laura also read from the prelude and the chapter about my daughter. Afterwards, Laura answered questions before she had to leave early to begin her journey to Washington State for the gallery opening of an exhibit of her quilts. I finished our presentation by answering questions about the press and Medusa's two, new books, coming in Fall 08 and Spring 09. Overall it was a mellow, fun, stress-free event with good food and a great, interactive audience. We also sold quite a few books.

Jane stayed at my house that evening and we shared a bottle of champagne, given to me by my dear friend Jody Gehrman back in November to celebrate the launch of Laura's book. I've been holding on to it for a special occasion and having Jane and Rick, the two people who helped me start my press, together for the first time since the book launched, was perfect. We popped the champagne and raised our glasses to each other while I said a toast.

"To us. And thank you. I couldn't have pulled this off without you."

That champagne was the best I've ever had. Perrier Jouet Grand Brute from France; crisp, light, with a hint of spicy vanilla, and perfectly formed, tiny bubbles which vanished as soon as touched my tongue. None of that soda pop feel from the cheap champagne I usually grab. Dang, Jody, you know your champagne! The three of us laughed and chatted and dreamed about Medusa while sharing chocolate and cookies with our champagne.

Script Frenzy

My Muse was reading the posts on Blood and Ink when she saw this about Script Frenzy. "Terena," she yelled across the room. "I've found something for you!"

"Something else? You've found something more to fill my to-do lists?"

"Oh, hush. Look." She pointed to the computer screen where the website for Script Frenzy appeared. "It's a challenge. Write a 100 page script in one month, like that Write-a-Novel in a month challenge you wouldn't do."

"I'm really busy. I have zero time to write anything."

"Then make time." She stood and placed her fists on her hips. "You're not just a book peddler, you are a writer. You're forgetting that. And this is the perfect opportunity to write one of those scripts you have in your head that I've seen you jotting notes for."

I sighed. "I have Laura's book to promote, another book to edit and design, the Punk book to pull together, plus school. I don't have time to write."

Her eyes narrowed. "The last time you said that you almost lost me. Don't make that mistake again."

I remembered when I'd had to get a "real job" and stopped writing, and then the day I found her in the back yard, her skin baked black from lying in the sun for 2 months, the lawn littered with empty bottles of red wine. "You're right," I said. "This is getting ridiculous. I need to write the play and if a challenge like this will get me started, so be it." I sat at the computer. "When does it start?"

"April 1st."

"Great. The same day the new writer's manuscript is due."

"Terena, this is a challenge, not a test. If you can't get it done in one month, you can always finish it later. This is simply an opportunity to start."

A 100 page play in one month? I can do that.

Rocket Girls Celebrates Small Press Month

I just posted a piece about Small Press Month on the Rocket Girl's blog. Click on the link to read it.

Happy Small Press Month! Buy a small press book today.

An Inspiring, Busy Weekend With Laura and my daughter

My daughter and I went to Laura's quilt showing at the One Earth Gallery on Saturday. Great turnout. The gallery did an excellent job with this event and the space is perfect for viewing large pieces, like Laura's "Samba" quilt which is 12 feet by 10 feet. Also, you can see the quilt "Laura takes a leap" that is featured in the Until the Violence Stops Documentary. The imagery on the quilt, from the stream made of shining blue fabric to the grinning, nude woman leaping across it, is more vibrant when seen in person. Even my 12 year old daughter loved looking at the quilts and we spent an hour examining each one, discovering the hidden treasures Laura includes with the fabric, like large feathers, shells, beads, antique earrings and heavy necklaces, lace and bone. She peered closely at the quilt with the four faces representing the seasons and said, "That one looks like it's made of leaves, like fall." I loved spending this time with my child; a reminder of how much she's grown. Gone are the days when I'd have to chase her around the gallery begging her not to touch the art with her sticky fingers. Now we can talk about the creation of the art, laugh over the images, and enjoy the beauty created from bits of fabric, thread, and buttons. Plus, I'm sure she enjoyed it because it was made by Laura her teacher, and a very important person in her life. She did like the other artist's works too, especially the mosaic tiles. We plan to attempt a mosaic together this summer.

Sunday was definitely not a good Mother/Daughter day, but she did have an ice-cream date with her dad. I sold some of Laura's books at the Women's Political Caucus/Women's Art Awards event at the Fairgrounds (see prior post). Laura received an award for her quilts, along with four other women artists. Unfortunately, we didn't sell many books. Pretty much everyone Laura knows in our little town has already bought one. Happily though, I got to hear directly from people how much they love her book and how impressed they are with the quality of the book itself. One person said she's heard nothing but praise. It was also an excellent opportunity to let people know more about Medusa's Muse. Several didn't realize we're a local press. Whether sales were good or not, going out and talking to people about the press and the project was well worth my time. I gave away a few books, chatted with several people, met someone interested in submitting her own work, and got to spend time with my favorite author, Laura.

While Ronnie Gilbert was receiving her award, I looked out across the audience and suddenly felt a profound sense of home. Mendocino County. I listened to Ronnie sing one of her songs and watched the crowd soak up every word, felt the room humm with praise and hope, and realized I am exactly where I need to be. This community, especially the Mendocino Book Company, has been incredibly supportive of this little endeavor of mine and Laura's. Of course it helps when you publish the work of someone who knows EVERYONE and is respected by EVERYONE; makes selling the book a lot easier. But the community has also been supportive of me and the press, irregardless of Laura. People here support the arts, especially women artists, and they respect the work I've done creating the physical book from Laura's manuscript. I realized just how welcome I am here.

Just listening to Ronnie was inspiration enough. Here is a tiny elderly woman who has spent her entire life fighting for Social Justice with only her passion and music. And no matter what happened, even through being blacklisted in the McCarthy era of the 1950's, she has remained true to that cause. I hope I can someday be just as strong and outspoken as she.

Next weekend Laura and I are giving a talk at the American Association of University Women's brunch. Saturday, March 15th, 11:30 to 1:30, at the North State Cafe. We'll be discussing the process of developing her book, from the moment I asked to publish it to today, and talk about working together on the book, as well as working to help my daughter grow and gain independence. And with luck, Jane, the editor of Medusa's Muse, will be there too. Books will be available.

Laura Fogg Events This Weekend

This is a busy weekend for my author, Laura Fogg, and is the beginning of an even busier month.

On Saturday, March 8, One Earth Studio will open an exhibit of contemporary artwork called Pieces, so entitled because all three artists use "pieces" of things to create their work. Elizabeth Raybee creates mosaic, Susan Hadley works with collage, and Laura creates decorative quilts. If you are in the Ukiah, Northern Californa area, drop by. The gallery is located at 310 Mason St., and the opening reception begins at 4:00. This is a great opportunity to see Laura's textile art.

Then on Sunday, March 9, Laura will receive an award for her work in the arts at the annual Women's History Gala, hosted by the National Women's Political Caucus of Mendocino County. This event, now in its 25th year, honors women in Mendocino County and features Ronie Gilbert as well as many others. This is what the Willits newspaper has to say about Laura:

Laura Fogg's collage art quilts have been shown regularly since 2000 and received awards across the United States. Among her unique art quilts, Fogg's "An Unexpected Manifestation of Menopause/Laura Takes a Leap" was included in the documentary "Until the Violence Stops" aired on Lifetime TV and shown in theaters around the country in conjunction with performances of Eve Ensler's "Vagina Monologues." Of her success Laura says, "I couldn't have done it without my community-being nurtured and inspired as an artist and growing in all ways." Working in the field of Special Education for the past 35 years, Fogg recently authored a memoir of her experiences with blind children and their families, "Traveling Blind: Life Lessons From Unlikely Teachers."

Because this event has grown so large, with over 300 people in attendance, it has moved to the Fine Arts Building, Redwood Empire Fairgrounds, 1055 N. State St., Ukiah. The doors open at noon with time to view the silent auction, and the program will begin at 1 p.m. Ticketa are $10 and must be purchased in advance. Get yours at Mendocino Book Company, in Ukiah; Leaves of Grass, in Willits; Tangents, in Fort Bragg; or Out of This World, in Mendocino.

I'll be there as well, selling Laura's book, plus CD's from Ronnie Gilbert and books from Holly Brackmann. Stop by the table and say hello.

Memoir Lies: Why do writers make up stories and call them true?

I've read several articles about recent bestselling memoirs turning out to be fiction and the subsequent outcry against the authors. Kathy O'Beirne's 2005 memoir, Kathy's Story: A Childhood Hell Inside the Magdalene Laundries, about growing up in a Catholic home for fallen women. Love and Consequences, by Margaret B. Jones, in which she chronicles her childhood as a half Indian, half white girl living in foster care and running drugs in East LA. And there is the holocaust survival story, Misha: A Memoir of the Holocaust Years, by Misha Defonseca, a story in which six year old Misha travels Europe during WW2 looking for her lost Jewish parents. At one point in her journey she is rescued by wolves.

Why are so many writers creating works of fiction and trying to pass them off as truth? And why are we readers buying these outlandish tales to begin with? Why are wild, gut-wrenching, true-tales so compelling, and therefor, so profitable?

As a publisher of memoir, I am concerned by the possible backlash against the memoir genre. Because of a hand full of writers manipulating the truth, real, well written memoirs may take the penalty. If these high profile, lucrative memoirs are proven to be fake, then the entire memoir genre can be held as suspect. Laura Fogg wrote a beautiful memoir about her work with visually impaired children which is absolutely true and which I am proud to have published. I am afraid that no matter how good the writing or authentic the story, the fact that it is a memoir will make readers doubt her life's work as true. The children's stories chronicled in the book will be dismissed as melodrama, regardless of how real these children and their stories are.

As a writer, I am concerned that other writers feel it's perfectly fine to embellish their tales to get a bigger audience. Sadly, it looks like their action is justified, if unethical. Everyone wanted to read James Frey's A Million Little Pieces because of his incredible, bloody, dramatic voyage from addiction to sobriety. It was hard to believe he managed to overcome such insurmountable odds, but he did, or so we were led to believe. We are hungry for those stories; the little girl protected from the Nazis by wolves, the half Indian foster-child who escapes the ghetto and goes to college. We want to believe humans are that resilient, because if they can change their lives for the better, so can we.

Take a look at the Medusa's Muse mission statement on the website. One of the reasons I started the press was to publish the stories of people who were able to overcome great hardship and joyfully transform their lives. Laura's book shares her journey working with children who many of us would find difficult to interact with. Each one of those children taught her something about life.

I wrote a memoir several years ago about my best friend Paul who died of AIDS. It's been sitting on a shelf for 8 years and I've finally gotten back to it. I tried transforming it into a work of fiction so I could add to the plot and make the story more compelling to more readers. But fictionalizing what happened feels inauthentic, like I'm going for the laughs. I'm returning to the memoir format and I am trying very hard to revise it in a way that brings the scenes to life without adding lies. Memory is a tricky thing. Did he say he hated me when he threw me out of our apartment? Or did I add that to my own memory as I relive each moment with him? Truth is far more complicated than simple fact.

However, claiming "this is what I remember" to a blatant fictionalized "memoir" is no excuse. Nor is saying the events in your memoir are what happened to people you "know" and you were simply trying to give a voice to the voiceless as Margaret B. Jones stated in an article in the Times. That's what fiction is for.

I will continue to publish memoir and hope the backlash won't silence the many talented writers out there with true stories of transformation and resiliency. But I can guarantee we will fact check every story thoroughly. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the publisher to ensure that what is claimed to be true is actually true. Yes, a publisher can only go so far in fact-checking, but from the articles I've read on these false memoirs, it appears the publishers didn't do their homework. Maybe they were too caught up in the story, just as we readers were.

Small Press Month

Small Press Month
March 1 - 31, 2008
Small Press Month, now in its 12th year, is a nationwide promotion highlighting the valuable work produced by independent publishers. An annual celebration of the independent spirit of small publishers, Small Press Month is an effort to showcase the diverse, unique, and often most significant voices being published today. This year's slogan is “Celebrate Great Writing”.

Celebrate Small Press Month with a good book from one of the many excellent small presses, such as Seal Press, Dzanc, McSweeneys, Percival Press, and of course, Medusa's Muse.

For a list of some of my favorite small presses, check out my links list in the right hand column.

My Muse put on a Power Suit and got to work

I was shocked to find my Muse sitting at my desk, a list in one hand, a cup of coffee in the other, and my glasses perched forcefully on the end of her nose. She was dressed in a pale blue wool business jacket and skirt, and her mass of curly snakes was pulled up tightly into a trembling bun.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

She continued to stare at the computer screen, reading an article from Publisher's Weekly about the rise of internet book sales. "Catching up."

"Catching up? On what? Reading?"

She shook her head and spun the chair around to face me. "No. I'm helping you catch up on all this work that's been piling up since you became ill. I thought you could use my help today."

"Thanks. I don't know what to say."

"Don't say anything. Just get me more coffee." She held out her mug while turning back to the computer screen.

I did as I was told, then returned with two cups of coffee. Handing her one, I sat beside her on the wooden stool. "What are you doing now?"

"Double checking you haven't missed any opportunities for book sales." She sipped her coffee without looking at me, then scowled. "Too much milk."

"Have I?"

"What?"

"Missed any sales opportunities?"

"Not sure yet. I'll let you know." She finished reading the article, then hit the browser back arrow to return to the Galley Cat website.

I said, "Nice outfit."

She smiled and smoothed her skirt. "Never underestimate the power of a costume. If you dress professionally you will be professional. It's very hard not to feel in control in a power suit." She turned to look directly at me while reading from the list. "Let's see... you need to send notes on the Punk submissions to the writers. They're waiting for your direction. It is not good to let them wait too long. You should know that from your own experience of waiting for feedback."

"Of course."

"And then you need to contact someone about that form 571-L." She rummaged around in the pile of papers on the desk until she found the yellow form. "What is this, anyway? Property? You don't have any property?" Tapping the computer she said, "Unless you count this ancient lap top."

"Eight years is not ancient."

"In technological terms, it is. Have you considered buying a new one?"

"Right after I sell the Lamborghini"

My Muse set her cup down and folded her arms. "Very funny. I'm trying to be serious. You could use new equipment."

I nodded. "Yes I can. I could also use health insurance and new shoes, so the lap top will have to wait."

Studying the list again, she said, "Very well. Back to the task at hand. Why haven't you contacted H and R Block?"

"Because every time I tried to talk I would cough."

"You're not any more. Call them. You need to finish those taxes."

"Yes Ma'am."

Her eyes narrowed. I said, "I'm not trying to be funny. I'm simply respecting the power suit."

My Muse continued. "Get the contract in the mail for the new writer, send two books to PMA for the conferences, reserve a hotel room for Expo, call KUGS again, contact the gallery for Laura's exhibit to see if they need books early, oh... and get that Audio book finished." She smiled, set down the list, took a large sip of her coffee, then stood. "There. That should get you started."

"And what will you be doing in that lovely power suit?"

"I'm going to look over that story you've been working on. Hopefully your latest revision has improved it."

I sat in the chair which felt warm from the heat of my Muse. "I think you'll be pleasantly surprised."

"Perhaps..." My Muse vanished.

This is the first time my Muse has paid any attention to the business side of publishing. It made me feel that the two sides of my creativity, the artistic and the practical, were melding, which was an excellent sign for the health and viability of Medusa's Muse. If my brooding, hungry, writing side and my optomistic, intuitive business side could work together, then I wouldn't be pulled apart by the dueling parts of my nature. I could approach publishing holistically. My Muse taking an interest in tax forms was a start.

New Rocket Girls Post

Go to Rocket Girls to read a new posting from me about Writing and Aging. Or more specifically, how hard it can be to be published when you're over 50.

Helvetica

If I had any doubt that I am not cut out to be a publisher, that doubt was completely erased last night when I watched with absolute fascination a documentary about Helvetica. You know, Helvetica? The type face/font so popular in graphic design? Yes, I sat for an hour and half and watched interview after interview with designers from all over the world talk about the creation and development of a font. I am a nerd!

The documentary is called Helvetica and is distributed through Netflix. It examines how Helvitica transformed graphic design as part of the Modern arts movement in the 1950's and how it is still the dominant type used in advertising today. Look around. Everywhere you look, you will see Helvetica. Crate and Barrel, Target, JC Penny, Mervyns, the words on your Starbucks take out cup, all use Helvetica. Even IRS forms use Helvetica.

Helvetica is not a good font to use for books, but I still found the documentary riveting. Wow! I didn't know Helvetica was named after the Roman word for Switzerland. Cool! Which is proof positive that I am a font nerd. A book slut. Because to me, a book is more than just the story it contains. It is the font used to tell the tale, the paper it is printed on, the overall weight of the book, how it is bound, what the cover looks like, how the spine crackles when you open it, and what the cover design reveals about the story inside. A book is a work of art in itself, regardless of the story. Not that the story isn't important; of course it is. But everything else that goes into the creation of that book brings the story to life. And that's what I love. The nerdiness of that creation process.

Mom's don't get sick days.

It's been quite a while since I've posted here. Blame it on the flu mainly, but also blame it on creative exhaustion. After my luxurious stay at a friend's house which got me focused into my own writing and creative energy, I'm back to feeling worn out and creatively fizzled. My Muse doesn't even want to be around me much right now. Who can blame her? I spend all my time figuring out how to squeeze a drop of advertising money from a dry well and revising my inventory and sales spread sheet. I stare at my multi-colored post-it-note to do list and feel nothing but questions. And as always happens when I get in this mood I start asking, am I cut out for this publishing life?

Just like a novelist who stares at her half completed manuscript and bemoans that she can't write, I too feel a loss of direction. What am I doing? Why am I doing this? Why don't just I go out and get a job at Starbucks and stop playing with books? Bad enough I try to write my own, now I think I can publish them? I must be insane!

"Yes, you are definitely insane," my Muse says. She snuck up on me while I was writing the above paragraph and rested one long fingered hand on my right shoulder. "But all artists are insane. What makes you think you're any different?"

"I don't feel much like an artist right now."

"I know. You're tired is all. You have a cold and you've been taking care of your sick daughter and haven't had enough sleep. No reason to shut down production."

"Maybe it is. Maybe I can't do it. Taking care of my girl while trying to work and be creative... it's too much."

"And I've never met a mother who didn't feel that way, too." My Muse sits down on the edge of my desk to look at me. "What else would you do?"

"I don't know. Clean the bathroom more often."

She smiles. "You would die of boredom in two days. Maybe less. No, face it my dear, you're an artist, and a mother, and right now you have a cold. Therefore you feel like all you want to do is hide on the couch and watch Northern Exposure reruns with four boxes of tissues."

"Why don't moms get sick days?"

"That's why I'm not a mom. I can't imagine giving up my entire existence to another human being, someone who is needy and whiney and never says thank you for anything you do. And then when they grow up they hate you. Sounds like hell."

I stare at her. "You know exactly what to say to make me feel worse."

"I try." She grins. "Come on. Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Turn off this computer and make a cup of tea. Tomorrow you'll feel better and then you can finish up that contract for the new author."

"Oh God. The new author. Can I actually take on another author?"

"This author? Definitely. I have a very good feeling in my bones about her."

"But what if..."

"Enough!" My Muse reaches over and turns off my computer.

Submissions

Medusa's Muse is starting to receive submissions from writers on a regular basis now, which makes me realize I really need to decide EXACTLY how to deal with them. So far, we've received just a few now and then, usually via a polite, but not very professional, email. One has peaked my curiosity, but I'm not sure we can even take on any more projects right now. So, how do I manage a steadily growing slush pile?

It's weird being in this position. I have written two novels and numerous short stories, as well as four plays, and from all that work I've received over seventy rejection letters. I've only been published once. Hip Mama magazine, 2001. I know how much a rejection letter hurts. I've been pummelled to the point I don't want to send out any more work. Ever! Now here I am, looking at a writer's work, trying to decide if I like it or not.

To like or not to like is a completely subjective thing. But I need to set up certain guidelines for myself when reading someone's query so that I can create the rules for how I want submissions sent. What am I looking for in a manuscript? What excites me? What annoys me? It's kind of like asking yourself what you like in a mate. My turn-on's are a well crafted, polished manuscript full of passion and honesty, and a sense of humor. Turn-off's are cleverness for cleverness' sake, poor spelling and grammar, and anything smelling of elitism. Translation: send me something that is beautiful and honest, but save the rhetoric. Write from the heart, not the ego.

Transforming Chaos into Art. That is the Medusa's Muse mission. What that means for a writer is that we like stories about people who have overcome some kind of challenge and have grown from it. If that person can craft a story around that challenge, whether fiction or non-fiction, then we're interested. It doesn't have to be a tragedy or an illness. Write about your love of baseball or dogs, just as long as it inspired a transformation in your, or the character's, life.

Do not send genre fiction such as Sci Fi or Romance, and please no Poetry. I like to read them, in fact I'm a huge Steam Punk fan, but I don't publish those books.

Now, the how to send a query part. I only accept queries via email. That is because the editor lives in Boston and the only way she and I can work together on a project is through email. If you send it to me in the regular mail, I'll just send it back. Send a query letter to medusasubmits@gmail.com, in the body of an email. No attachments. Your email should explain who you are, what your book is about, how long it is, how it fits with the Medusa's Muse mission, and if you've ever been published before. Don't worry if you haven't been, it's just nice to know. I don't care if you have an MFA or not, I only care if you can write. A well crafted query letter will show me that you are professional and know how to write a book. A rambling, disorganized email tells me you're not quite ready to work with a publisher, so really take your time with the letter. Look up examples of query letters. Have a friend help; sometimes a fresh pair of eyes can really help. I'll post a sample query later.

If your query grabs us, we'll ask for the first chapter and a synopsis. The first chapter shows us your writing ability and tells me if you can write a book that grabs a reader from page one. The synopsis shows us what your book is about and helps us see if it is a good fit for Medusa. Please finish your book before submitting. Half written books are not accepted. And send us your BEST work. Writing is a time consuming art that takes energy and focus. Take that time. It's worth it.

Can I take on any more projects? For now, we'll take query letters any time. There may come a point when we'll have to close the reading period and only accept queries at certain times of the year. We already have two projects (possibly a third) that will take up the next year, so any other book will have to wait until 2010.

I love discovering new, talented writers. It's the judging part I don't like very much.

Correction Regarding Etymologist's Corner

I was just informed by Ray Succre, another contributor to Blood and Ink, that The Etymologist's Corner isn't written by Elijah Brubaker, but is a contribution of newcomer Andrew King.

Thank you Ray for pointing that out, and my apologies to Andrew King.

Etymologists Corner

On the collective literary blog Blood and Ink (I should tell you that I am a contributor) there is a new writer, Elijah Brubaker, who posts a regular piece called "The Etymologists Corner." Etymology is defined by Webster as:

1 : the history of a linguistic form (as a word) shown by tracing its development since its earliest recorded occurrence in the language where it is found, by tracing its transmission from one language to another, by analyzing it into its component parts, by identifying its cognates in other languages, or by tracing it and its cognates to a common ancestral form in an ancestral language
2 : a branch of linguistics concerned with etymologies

Now this might sound like dull reading, but Elijah Brubaker is a very good writer who shares his thoughts and knowledge about words in clear and thought-provoking prose. And as writers and book lovers, isn't it the word that really captures our heart? The right word at the right moment, that's what great literature is.

Is a book-store reading worth the energy?

Laura had her second reading at the bookstore in Cloverdale; a lovely, small store across from the movie theatre called Cover to Cover books. The owner is very friendly and the space lovely. Big comfy chairs, lots of books, plenty of light. I dropped off a box of books for Laura to bring with her (I couldn't go. My family was throwing a birthday party for me that day) and explained that the owner would deal with the sales.

Afterwards, Laura returned the box with a note from the bookstore saying five were sold. I called Laura and asked how it went. She explained it was fun and six people came.

"Five books sold to six people is really good," I said.

"No. Two books sold. The bookstore bought three for the shop."

Laura and I chatted about how helpful the owner of the store was, and how appreciative the people who came to the event were. She had a wonderful time and we sold a few books. It sounded like a standard, normal, kind of book-store reading. And that's the thing... sometimes you start to wonder, is it worth it? Readings take a lot of energy to set up and prepare for, as well as the time it takes the author to come and read and meet people. The gigantic turnout we had for the book launch was a once in a book's life-time event. What normally happens at a store reading is a few people come to meet the author, listen to her read, eat a few cookies while waiting to chat with her, maybe buy a book, and then they leave. Total run time: one hour tops. Preparation time: 5-8. That doesn't take into account the amount of energy spent by the author figuring out what to read, what to wear, and what to eat to help her stomach stay down where it should while her heart starts pounding from nerves. Or how about the night before, when the author lies awake asking, "What if no one comes?"

That does happen sometimes. I have a friend with three succesfull books published by big houses and she had a reading at a store where only the staff attended. She waited around for a while, then signed some books for the store and thanked the staff for setting up the chairs and putting out cookies. This had been her biggest fear, and it came true one day. It will come true at least once for every author. And every author survives.

There is a lot of talk about cutting the traditional bookstore readings by authors all together. Economically, you sell more books on Amazon.com than at a live event, and you don't have to leave your house. Some bookstores have stopped hosting readings and some publishers don't bother setting them up. I think reading at a bookstore is a wonderful event that works in certain areas and at certain times, but shouldn't be the only thing the author does to promote her book. Do readings in your local area because your community will come out to see you and local stores usually like to support its local talent. But don't expect to get a big turnout in Cupertino if you are from Ukiah, not unless Oprah's just talked about your book. And think about other places you could do a reading. What is the topic of your book? Are there any conferences or festivals where your book would be a good fit? If you're book is about home improvment you might have better luck selling your book at a home improvement workshop than a bookstore. Don't forget libraries either. You may not be able to sell books, but you usually have a greatly appreciative audience.

Part of the dream about what being a published author is like includes standing in a beautiful bookstore, surrounded by adoring fans who rapturously devour every word we speak as we read to them from our lovely manuscript. There's nothing wrong with that dream. Even if only one person comes to hear you read, or if only the woman behind the cash register is listening, you are still bringing that dream to life. Whether 5 or 25 come to your book-signing, they are there to discover you and your book, so give them a great show, thank them warmly, and sign their books with a smile.

Later, you can go home and ponder whether bookstore readings are right for you.

Dryer Update

Okay, I promise I will get back to the serious business of running a small press soon. And my Muse is around, she's just been reading a lot (she's hooked on David Sedaris at the moment). But right now, I want to talk about how great my dryer is. It's hooked up (finally!) and I started doing laundry last night and I don't know what it is but I felt so much better about the chaos in my office simply by making progress on that gigantic pile of laundry. I read the manual, transfixed by different heat levels (delicate, normal, jeans...). I giggled over the fact that when I open the front door, there is a lip at the bottom of the opening so the clean clothes don't fall out all over the dirty garage floor. And there is an actual sweater rack. I had no idea what that was, but now I have one!

I seriously need to get out more.

My Muse has looked up from her book and is staring at me while shaking her head. "I wanted Henry Miller, and instead I got Suzy Homemaker."

A New Dryer

Right in front of my bedroom/office door is a gigantic pile of laundry which has been growing since Saturday, the day I went to the laundry mat. My dryer broke, so we bought a brand new one, which Sears promised to deliver on tuesday. It arrived today, thursday. Through several scheduling mishaps and poor communication, it took two days to finally show up.

This morning, I made a cup of coffee and watched the guys haul it through the house to the laundry room, trying not to giggle about finally being able to do laundry. I know I need to get out more if I'm excited about doing laundry. But that pile of laundry has become a mental block to my sense of organization and creativity. Every time I go in and out of my room, I have to climb over dirty towels, jeans, t-shirts and socks while tripping over the idle laundry baskets. This chaos impacts the rest of the chaos in my room: the piles of paperwork. One pile for taxes. One pile for school. One pile related to book promotion. One pile of magazines and stories to read which I will never get to, but I can't throw them away until I do. But somehow, with a new dryer and full bottle of laundry soap, all those piles felt less threatening.

And then the delivery guy said he couldn't hook up the dryer because it isn't attached to the washing machine because the washing machine doesn't have the necessery holes to connect the stacking kit. "You just need to get some self-tacking screws, ma'am, to screw into your washer. I'm not allowed to drill into your exsisting appliance, but it's easy to do. Screw them in, stick the vent hose on and then plug the dryer in. You're good to go." Before I could kick him for calling me ma'am while telling me I couldn't use my dryer, he ran away.

So here I sit. I have a dryer, but I still can't do laundry. Which means I'm still tripping over a pile. Paperwork and dirty socks are intermingling. There are bills hiding under unwashed towels. My brain remains soiled, and not in a fun way.

What is a self-tacking screw, anyway?

Until The Violence Stops

V-Day is here again, a time to focus our energy on stopping violence against women. Across the country, The Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler is being performed, including this weekend in Willits (Willits High School Auditorium, Sat. at 7:00, Sun. at 2:00), just north of Ukiah on hwy 101.

There is also a documentary about the worldwide performance of the Vagina Monologues, called "Until the Violence Stops." And I just learned that my author, Laura Fogg, is in it. Ukiah is a featured city in the documentary because of the Vagina quilts (see the movie to understand) and Laura is one of the quilt makers. I hear her interview is beautiful!

Here's a link for more info about the movie:

Happy Birthday

Today is my 41st birthday. When I look at the start of my 40's, I have to say, I'm exactly where I want to be doing exactly what I want to do. More money would be nice (isn't it always?) but really, when I take away the bills and budgets and other concerns, I realize that I am doing my life's work, which is what we all long to do, especially when we hit that big 4-0. Last year, I was daydreaming about "possibly" starting a small press. What would it be like to be a publisher? Then Laura arrived serindipitously, manuscript in hand, and before I could talk myself out of it, I asked her if I could publish it. Thank goodness she said yes. A year later, Medusa's Muse Press has succesfully launched a book with two more in production.

Of course, the money part does need to be attended to, which is why I'm applying to grad school to find fulfilling work that actually pays the bills. And who knows, maybe some day, Medusa's Muse will pay my rent?

What am I planning to study? In another serindipitous turn, I am following in the footsteps of Laura Fogg and applying to my alma mater; San Francisco State's Orientation and Mobility Specialist's Program. Laura will be my master teacher.

Whose my real Muse? My daughter, of course, who is both Laura's student and my child, the person who brought Laura and I together.

Interview in Daily Journal

Dot Brovarney interviewed me about Medusa's Muse Press for the local paper. If you'd like to read that interview, follow this link

http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/frontpage

then click on Sunday (or Jan. 27).

scroll down to page two where you'll see the headline, Medusa's Muse.

Dot did an excellent job. She writes a regular column about local literary people and events called In Our Own Words.