Publisher Talk

We asked our clients to share their self-publishing journey and provide suggestions for new authors.

Author: Dianne Bailey, CSCS
Book: Eating Simply

Website: http://www.theconditioningclassroom.com/eating-simply/

Please tell us a little about yourself and what prompted you to write a book:

I am the owner and head trainer at The Conditioning Classroom, a personal training studio in Denver, CO.  We always discuss nutrition with our clients and they were always bugging us to share recipes with them.  So we decided to put our philosophy of eating, along with a few recipes, into a book.

Please tell us a little about your book:

If you have ever struggled with the idea of healthy eating… here is your motivation, your guide and your easy-to-read implementation tool that will make every day a simply healthy day, adding vitality to you and everyone in your family! Discover: How to Eat Simply for weight loss Tips to simplify your food life A Pick and Choose list for simple meal creation Sample simple meals How to create a simple refrigerator salad bar 34 simple recipes and lots more.

How long did it take you to finish your book?

About 6 months.

Do you offer your book as an ebook? Yes

What has been the most challenging aspect of self-publishing and what suggestions would you give to a new author?

Our book needed to be very graphically oriented.  It needed to be visually appealing and inviting . . . not just words on a page.  So, our relationship with our graphic designer was critical in this process.  Know your own talents and then be willing to hire other professionals to help with the things that are not your strengths.

We asked our clients to share their self-publishing journey and provide suggestions for new authors.

Author: Ratindra Das
Book: Watercolor Beyond Obvious Reality- a workshop in a book

Website: http://www.ratindradas.net/

Please tell us a little about yourself and what prompted you to write a book:

It was one of my lifetime dream projects. I have been teaching watercolor painting classes and workshops for almost twenty years. I have been an artist and made a living as an architect and have always enjoyed teaching. Teaching is part sharing of your knowledge and part learning from students. Writing a book is one way of sharing with a large audience.  With the thought of writing, I have been writing and compiling materials for over ten years. The content of the book did not receive much encouragement from the big time publishers. I waited and waited until time came to be able to publish with a reasonable cost. I needed to change the format and made it attractive to readers and artists without compromising the contents. However, I had to eliminate lot of materials . Perhaps another book will cover those parts.  Like all artists I am mostly self-taught. I was able to make a successful living as a licensed architect. Somehow I kept the passion of art and teaching alive. With many unexpected turns and twists I became serious about becoming an artist and then throw all my energy in teaching and communicating my ideas in a book. From a modest local art organization, with encouragement from other artists and teachers, I started joining competitive exhibition and eventually became a signature member with Dolphin Fellowship in the American Watercolor Society. Approximately sixty plus members in the entire world can claim that status. It was well beyond my dream. I have taught workshops all over the US, as well as in Mexico, Italy, China and India. A number of articles in art magazines have been published over the years, and a DVD has been produced by a leading company.My paintings are included in museums , corporate and private collections.

Please tell us a little about your book:

This is my first book,, and with a bit of luck won’t be the last! The book is on watercolor instruction in a coffee table format, hard cover with texts and over 250 images (paintings, sketches and photographs).There are many books available for instructions in usual formats. The format and the concept of my book  is quite unique in its content and may be one of the very few published with extensive visuals. It is not intended for beginners who are just interested in some basic techniques and “how to’s”. There are many excellent books written in that area, although this book will inspire many beginners. The book is divided in four chapters- first three consists of essential elements of painting – shapes, value and color, and the fourth chapter is on Design where all these elements come together. The book is a result of acquired knowledge from others and explorations and personal experiences as an artist. There are  images that include sketches, photographs, paintings, illustrations and helpful hints with easy to understand texts. Introduction and foreword are written by my teachers and  advisors who are very well respected in the field. Large images make it attractive for readers.

How long did it take you to finish your book?

The project had been in my bucket list for almost ten years. I kept on changing as new ideas emerged. Teaching workshops for the last ten years gave me valuable insights as to the needs of students-their delights and frustrations. I tried to address all the relevant issues. Due to lack of interest by usual publishers I took it upon myself and started serious writing and editing in May of 2013 and was ready to sit down with the printer and layout designer. All books were delivered at my door in the first week of December.

Do you offer your book as an ebook? No

What has been the most challenging aspect of self-publishing and what suggestions would you give to a new author?

The subject of painting requires skill of painting demonstration and verbal communication. I didn’t realize that it requires tremendous amount of  writing ability and express ideas clearly which are easy to understand. I didn’t have an editor. An editor is useful to keep all materials organized, not to mention grammar, syntax etc. This was the most tedious part of the job. I suggest to have an editor on board to keep the author in line. The second difficulty was to be able to satisfy the printer with the quality of images. Many of the images of paintings were in 35mm slides and with not so good quality of resolution. Many of the paintings were no longer in my collection and as a result could not rephotograph. Now that we have digital cameras, I suggest anyone taking up a project like this take every potential picture with a large file (no less than 1MB) and then make a copy in a smaller file in jpeg. Images should have a separate folder and no texts. Texts should be in separate folders. This will save lot of time and money. I could have easily saved two weeks of pain. Have the copyright permission well ahead of time. Sometimes it is time consuming. Working with a reputable printing/publishing company is worth every penny. I have been a happy camper!

We asked our clients to share their self-publishing journey and provide suggestions for new authors.

Author: Patrick Harnish
Book: Darkest Depths to Brighter Beginnings

Please tell us a little about yourself and what prompted you to write a book:

I wrote about non-fiction book from personal experiences in childhood, adolescence, and into adulthood. I knew when I did speakings,  I needed a way to connect with the audience that was cheap for them, and that I could help donate to the humane society, which I did at 20% of each book sold every year. I was not about how many books I sold, it was about teaching kids to place a name to something that was bothering them internally, mentally. I knew that others were sharing stories of trauma and confusion, and lacked information. My book shares my story and what I learned.

Please tell us a little about your book:

My book of-course is non-fiction about bullying and being abused in an Iowa school system that failed at every level, the trauma that stuck until the age of 28, until I realized I couldn’t live with it anymore. The book helps parents realize what they and their children are living with, and how to gain some signs of what to look for. In essence, how to connect.

How long did it take you to finish your book?

Around 3 months

Do you offer your book as an ebook? No

What has been the most challenging aspect of self-publishing and what suggestions would you give to a new author?

I would say the process in finding an ISBN number was confusing at first until I discovered Publisher Services. Once I read their information it was a breeze. Finding a suitable printer was a challenge as well because I had specific needs for music especially the weight of the paper. I finally found a printer that uses WEB printing process(not the internet but big Heidelberg printing presses)

We asked our clients to share their self-publishing journey and provide suggestions for new authors.

Author: Brian O’Keefe
Book: Musicians Notebook for Lecture and Notation

Website: www.lakeyboardproject.com

Please tell us a little about yourself and what prompted you to write a book:

As a graduate student in Music Education at Oakland University Rochester, Michigan I found it increasingly difficult to manage all the information on a daily basis. Hence was born “The Musicians Notebook for Lecture and Notation”. This notebook was designed by a musician for musicians to help them stay organized in their daily music studies.  I am now in my forth printing and this notebook is being used Music Schools, Junior Colleges and Universities across the country such as Berkley College of Music, California State Long Beach, California State Northridge, California Institute of the Arts  and University of Southern California to mention a few.

Please tell us a little about your book:

I  created “The Musicians Notebook for Lecture and Notation” for musicians to help them stay organized in their daily music studies. It is designed in three formats to assist in note taking for theory, ear training, history, composition and applied lessons. This is really helpful to students in that they can refer back to their notes for any semester they attended school. It really is an insurance policy to help in retrieving important, unique pedagogical teachings by instructors.

How long did it take you to finish your book?

I created several versions until I finalized my current version. All told, the process took about two years.

Do you offer your book as an ebook? No

What has been the most challenging aspect of self-publishing and what suggestions would you give to a new author?

I would say the process in finding an ISBN number was confusing at first until I discovered Publisher Services. Once I read their information it was a breeze. Finding a suitable printer was a challenge as well because I had specific needs for music especially the weight of the paper. I finally found a printer that uses WEB printing process(not the internet but big Heidelberg printing presses)

We asked our clients to share their self-publishing journey and provide suggestions for new authors.

Author: Jean Ciborowski Fahey, PhD
Book: Make Time for Reading: a Story Guide for Parents of Babies and Young Children

Website: http://www.readingfarm.net/

Please tell us a little about yourself and what prompted you to write a book:

For 15 years I worked at a Harvard teaching hospital on multidisciplinary teams that evaluated reading difficulties in children. At the end of every staff meeting, our Chief of Pediatrics read us a children’s story. We filed out to resume our work with children,  often inspired and surprisingly soothed. As my career stretched into consulting work I became intrigued with the idea of using stories to teach parents of young children. I wanted parents to know the profound impact they have on their child’s developing reading brain. I was interested in all parents but especially those learning to read or learning English. I knew how to write parent information, time lines and tips. But what moved parents to new action, I observed,  was story. So I set out to write a picture book, a once upon a time story … for parents … about how one family and 1 community raised a little girl to be ready to read. The book is called “Make Time for Reading: a Story Guide for Parents of Babies and Young Children.”

Please tell us a little about your book:

“Make Time for Reading” is a picture book written to help parents and people who work with parents prepare babies and young children for reading and school success.  The book takes only minutes to read yet it is packed with useful information to attract parents of all educational and cultural backgrounds. The book uses art and story to translate the science of how the young brain ‘gets wired’  to learn to read. Its central message is the profound difference parents can make on the earliest development of their child’s reading brain.   The book is two books in one;   1) a story that chronicles the life of a little girl’s journey to literacy; and 2) literacy practices, games and activities that parents and teachers can begin to do immediately with  babies, toddlers and preschoolers.  It is beautifully illustrated by Peter J. Thornton, designed by Elizabeth DiPalma of Design+ and printed at Universal Wilde in Westwood, Mass. It is printed in both hard and shot cover.

How long did it take you to finish your book?

The book was developed over 10 years. Each time I presented at a national, state or local educational conference, literacy event, workshop or seminar I showed the manuscript of the story on a power point slide show… each page on its own slide. Volunteers in the room took turns reading the 6-minute story aloud. After each and every presentation, I used the audience feedback to improve upon the book.  I was thrilled with the reaction to the book and the requests for copies. No matter how wonderful the book evaluations,  21 publishers rejected the manuscript.   A children’s book for grown-ups? This called for self-publsihing.

Do you offer your book as an ebook? No

What has been the most challenging aspect of self-publishing and what suggestions would you give to a new author?

The most challenging aspect of self-publishing was the money! When I was sure I was committed to the book, I raised almost $10K on Indiegogo.com, a crowd funding web site.  The money allowed me to pay my illustrator, designer, printer and attorney (who drew up contracts for my illustrator). The fund raising campaign also gave me a base of support.  In return for a financial contribution,  each investor received a copy of the book. The unsolicited book reviews poured in – each review distinct, original and web site ready! New authors, in my opinion, must prepare a financial and publishing strategy with a great team of trusted friends and colleagues. On this team is one person who will have your permission to push and push until you accomplish what you set out to do!  Without my team my book would never have happened. They continue to help spread the word of my book, my web site, hold me accountable for what I said I would do and push me, of course,  to write the next book.