2010 Archives
Bigger Than Life and Stronger Than the Grandest Oak
My great-grandmother was the type of woman who was definitely bigger than life and stronger than the grandest oak. This magnificent woman, named Minnie Edna Moment Rutherford, was born on May 1, 1873. She walked this earth for 103 years, had thirteen babies, and so many descendants that we lost count or lost touch. When she died, she ended an amazing legacy of five living generations. I was one of the few of the many descendants that knew her well. She taught me how to read before I was five. She gave me the gift of storytelling, for she was a master storyteller. I loved my great-grandmother fiercely, and she loved me and all of her babies.
Minnie Edna was lovingly nicknamed “Richard”. Back in the 1950’s, there was song with the lyrics “Open the door, Richard.” My aunt who is exactly 20 years older than me was a teenager trying to sneak in the house after a late night date. My great-grandmother had to let her in the door, and thus creating the only name I knew her by, until I was old enough to learn her full-name, and the only name she was called until her death about fifty years later.
Richard was a joyful woman, especially over her evening snack of cornbread and milk. But, she was also a lonely woman with a long history of sorrow. But, you would never know it. She greeted everyone with a smile, and her wit made you walk away laughing and feeling joyful, too. I think that must have been the God-centered heart inside of her. She wasn’t one to quote scripture, but you knew she had a relationship with the powerful One.
Richard was born to a woman whose mother must have been a true African woman, because Richard said she couldn’t understand anything the woman said, and that the woman scared her as a child. I wish I could remember all the stories Richard told us. If only I had had the presence of mind or the interest to write it all down or even record it. But, that history is loss.
Richard wasn’t a slave, but she descended from slaves and was raised in the same county where they were slaves. The environment must have been harsh for her and her family during that time. Her father was lynched when she was a young child, but not so young that she couldn’t remember the event. Later as a young teen, she married an older man and gave birth to thirteen children, eleven boys and two girls. All but two of them moved away as soon as they were old enough to leave. One by one she either lost touch with her children, or saw them less and less. By the time she passed away, she had outlived at least eight of those children. All the while, she held onto her joy, her hope, and her expectations. Her strength was a quiet strength that she passed on to her children and their children and their children and their children.
Tidbits
- Writer’s Digest announced The Self-Published Book Awards. It’s deadline is May 3, 2010 and its entry fee is $125. Grand Prize is $3000, in addition to Writer’s Digest endorsed submissions to major review publications like the New York Times. The contest is open to books published between 2005 and 2010. Go to Writer’s Digest for a list of categories and to enter.
- Beginning of an interesting series of blogs called “The Seven Book Marketing Mistakes That Authors Make” can be found on BookBuzzr. I have a portion of my book, Dreams Thrown Away, formatted for viewing by Book Buzzr. They create a wonderful widget with an inside look of your book. You get to choose the number of pages you want to share, and you can place the widget on your own website. See the product below:
- Sign up for Sandra Beckwith’s e-newsletter at Build Book Buzz. The most recent newsletter had an excellent article on book reviews. Her blogs are filled with outstanding advice. Stop by for a visit.
- Want to be interviewed on the air? Try ArtistFirst. Listen to the many interesting author interviews. Schedule yours.
Self-Publishing and Print-On-Demand – Is There a Difference?
A year ago, I was re-writing Dreams Thrown Away, my suspense novel with a dash of romance. The main character is a young woman who, weeks before going off to college, is left tragically without family or anyone who really cares. Her anchors in this world have dissipated. She is just out there, alone fending for herself. That is the feeling I have now that I have self-published a novel. Self-publishing fiction is a lot different from self-publishing non-fiction, but I wasn’t aware of the differences. Nor was I aware there was a difference between self-publishing and print-on-demand.
If you are considering swimming in the waters of self-publishing, look carefully to make sure you are prepared to go in. It could be a deep jump or a shallow jump depending on your resources and desires. First of all, let’s talk about fiction versus non-fiction. Fiction is a lot harder to sell without an anchor, the traditional publisher or the large distributor. Your mainstream bookstores don’t want to touch you and your Indie stores want to sell on consignment. Though, non-fiction that has a niche is a shoo-in (not necessarily with the bookstores, but for other reasons) and probably the best way to go as a self-publisher. I had read reference to that, but my head was like that of a teenager with a new toy. And, I couldn’t fathom waiting to go through the traditional process. I had to learn the hard way. So, I am sharing what I have learned.
Self-publishing is different from your typical print-on-demand, yet it is the same. True self-publishing means the author takes on the project of the whole book, creating a publishing company, looking for printing presses, designing the cover, page setting design, typesetting, formatting, locating distributors, purchasing your own lot of ISBN’s, submitting the paperwork for copyright and Library of Congress, creating your index, choosing the manufacturer, and more. Paying for each piece separately, hiring professionals to take on separate chunks of the project, and then pulling it together for your finished product. There are some excellent books out there to take you through each step in much greater detail, but you get the picture. You are responsible for the entire production, as well as the marketing, publicity, and sales. And, don’t forget inventory. You may order X amount of copies to store in your garage until you sell them. You become the distributor paying for shipping fees to you and shipping fees to your customer. Or, if you are really good in the non-fiction arena, all you have to do is sell them in the back-of-the-room of your speaking engagement, a popular way of selling niche books.
Now, what does print-on-demand self-publishing offer? It depends on the self-publishing company you use. Whether it is an established giant like Xlibris, iUniverse, Authorhouse, or Outskirtspress or an almost freebie, bare bones company such as Lulu.com and Createspace.com, your product is self-published in a format chosen from a menu of services to build, market, and sell your book, then sent to Lightning Source Ingram to print one or two or two thousand copies as ordered and shipped directly to your consumer, whether it is a bookstore or you. No inventory required.
All self-published and traditionally published authors are responsible for letting people know your book is out there. So we are all on the same playing field when it comes to marketing and publicity. The biggest difference is how much it is going to cost you in getting your product (book) developed, who is going to distribute it, and is your price right for the market. Self-published novels can run into a costly sum, requiring a price that may keep you from being market competitive. Something else to consider. However, if you have that great niche non-fiction book under your belt that people won’t care how much cash they are peeling out of their wallets, self-publishing may be just right for you. You will be able to control your profit margin, and increase those back-of-the-room sales as a bonus.
In essence, self-publishing is becoming more user friendly and easily accessible. It still has its reputation to overcome, and not so easily accepted by mainstream book stores and media outlets. But, its there and its industry is growing. Don’t count yourself out, if you want to self-publish. Just don’t forget to take a close look at your options.
Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Opened to Self-Published Authors
If you self-published a novel in 2009, don’t miss this opportunity to have your work recognized for its exceptional storyline and quality. Put yourself in the running for a $15,000 contract with Penguin USA and distribution by Amazon.com. For more information on how to enter the contest, go to www.createspace.com/abna. The contest opened January 25th at 12:01 am and ends February 7th at 11:59 am. Don’t delay, only the first 5,000 entries in each category of General Fiction or Young Adult Fiction will be considered. I have already entered Dreams Thrown Away by Dilsa Saunders Bailey. Wish me luck. Good luck to you, too.
