The straw that broke the camels back!

As I alluded to in my last post,  author (and my mother) A. L. (Sandy) Sanderson needed a sort of motivational push to finally (after 15 years but who's counting) publish her book Timber; Fire in the Pines. Perhaps some of you writers out there can relate!  The saying about the straw breaking the camel's back sometimes has sort of a negative connotation attached to it but it  almost always involves a defining moment. 

In this case our 'moment' was defined as a result of many positive discussions we had with Aimee Bissonette.  She's a good friend (and happens also to be a cousin by marriage), successful author, attorney and college level instructor.  Aimee provided support, knowledge, information and encouragement to us both and ultimately provided the final impetus for Sandy to go forward and publish Timber.  We're almost there, so thank you Aimee!

Sometimes you just need a positive, persuasive voice that encourages you to take risks in life!  Right?  Well, we're finally on our self publishing/marketing journey.  Sandy did all the work to research and write the book.  Now it's my turn (the whole "me sell you write" concept in a nutshell) to help get the book out there so lots of people can enjoy it!

This marketing piece is an essential, albeit scary part of a successful publishing/sales endeavor.  Many writers don't feel comfortable  promoting themselves and/or their work.  Some people don't know where to begin their marketing and why should they when it's writing that they have mastered?

Fortunately I do know where to begin because for the past 15 years I've been helping people advertise and effectively market and sell their products/services to consumers using non-traditional media alternatives.  Because people consume media much differently now than they did even five years ago, we need to be even more strategic and creative about defining and delivering our message to our target audience.  In this blog I'll be sharing some of my guerrilla marketing ideas for book/author promotion from ideation to execution and results.  After all it is a JUNGLE out there and we all need knowledgeable guides along the way!

In addition to being a great guide for us and well versed on 'things' relating to writing and publishing, Aimee has written two excellent books:
Author of "Cyber Law: Maximizing Safety and Minimizing Risk in Classrooms" (Corwin Press, April 2009); contributing author "The Best of Corwin: Educational Technology for School Leaders" (Corwin Press, October 2011).  I'm planning to interview Aimee in an upcoming post so she can share some nuggets about this business with all of us.   Check out her website--www.littlebuffalolaw.com.




 

Mother and daughter team

My mom A. L. Sanderson (aka Sandy) started writing her book Timber about 15 years ago.  I always wanted her to publish it but like many writers her fears sort of immobilized her and of course--life got in the way.  We have one person in particular to thank for helping providing the impetus to forge ahead with publishing the book.  Her story is coming tomorrow.

So finally we're in the process of publishing the book so it's super exciting!  Hence the name of my first blog indicates a clear delineation of duties.  Just like Tarzan and Jane!  He bellowed "me Tarzan, you Jane!"  (As if she didn't know this!)  My mom's the writer and I'm a reader and her promoter and neither of us will be bellowing.

The whole process of self publishing is a huge deal.  The industry is changing quickly and it's been difficult to know what company to go with.  We chose bookbaby.  I'll let you know how they do.  Hopefully we'll have a finished product within about 4 weeks.

I feel passionate about Timber, it's a great story and her character's are endearing, feisty and interesting.  It's also a book I laugh out loud while reading and that says a lot because although I read a lot of fiction I can't say too many books illicit that response. 

This year I discovered another layer behind the story.  I was researching our family tree and discovered our Swedish ancestors also logged.  Although they were farmers they still had to clear the land using a homemade sawmill.  The farms my family worked were up near Hinckley, MN and the mythical town of Pine Crescent featured in Timber. 

My mom also shared stories of her life on the farm I hadn't heard before.  Doing the family tree was really interesting and fun but tons of work.  I realized that my mom was one of the last relatives who could tell me the stories behind all these black and white photos.  To actually put a name with a face and learn about their life was very fulfilling.  Having this history is grounding as well not only for me but for my children and grandchildren.