Rosepoint Publishing

Just Enjoy Reading or Bibliophile Qualified?

Just Enjoy Reading or Bibliophile Qualified?

There are usually one or more bibliophiles in your life–besides yourself! Whether they are out having fun, reading, or just too busy for interviews is another whole subject.

However, I did get a response from my former Yuma RV lot-mate, retired librarian, Roberta, who wrote, “I do love books, but I’m not a voracious reader. I probably read a few books a month on average. I belong to a book group, so I read what we’ll be discussing each month. Depending on how long that takes me, I’ll read one or two books that I want to read. I listen regularly to NPR & it’s a great source of recommended books for me.”

Roberta enjoys her book group and actively participates at times leading a book discussion. As part of that responsibility, she admits to doing quite a bit of research on the author and topic. Reading for her own enjoyment, she gleans books from all the major sources: public library, Kindle and Barnes and Noble online, although she admits to be more kinesthetic, as she prefers the “real books”, soft or hard cover to digital or eBooks.

Not wedded to any one genre, Roberta enjoys historical fiction, mysteries, family sagas and psychological fiction as well as travel. Extending into non-fiction, topics that hold her interest are history, biography, and the arts, and that incorporates many of her favorite authors, including Ivan Doig. She will follow some contemporary authors on Facebook, but does not join e-mail lists and although aware of Goodreads, doesn’t use it. The librarian in her still makes notes to herself about books that she’s read, although she does not rate or review them publicly.

Roberta is married, has grandkids in another state and enjoys an active life outdoors including traveling, hiking, cycling, Jeeping, cooking, writing in her journal and keeping up with personal letters. While she is not sure she qualifies as a true bibliophile, I’m not sure there is an absolute number that would elevate you to the category. However–three or four books a month?? There are people who haven’t read anything since high school! I’d say she does very well! Virginia Williams

Books Are Books? Print, eBooks, or Audiobooks?

Books Are Books?

DAY 20 PROMPT: Did you publish your book as a traditionally printed book, an eBook, an audiobook, or all three? How did you come to your decision?

When I worked in graphics creating flyers for gospel concerts, I had a boss whose mantra was “they don’t know what they are doing.” That went for some of the most successful acts he engaged as well as anyone in his band who displeased him in rehearsal and upon occasion included me.

I certainly had my share of bluffing my way into jobs or events, his position being one, but probably the biggest and most recent was the publishing of my grandfather’s manuscripts. Talk about clueless….

It wasn’t like I came to a decision whether or not to create a printed book, eBook, or audiobook as much as I was steered into making a simple stock print book, soft cover, 6 x 9. The biggest decision there was glossy or matt cover? It was only with the fifth book that I chose not to do a print book as the total word count created a novella-length book and I saw no reason to go to the expense of creating a formally printed book.

Also, having no other experience than the one NaNoWriMo steered me into–CreateSpace–I came to appreciate the quality of their binding, if not the cover paper (which tends to curl slightly at the corner) and the speed with which they completed orders. CreateSpace also steers you into distribution, so there again it’s not as if you are making any big decisions.

After having created those print books, it was (again) a natural progression to find the road into “Kindle” and from there eBook formatting, becoming ever more complicated entering the world of Smashwords. While it was felt that Smashwords gave me a far greater reach for the eBook version than did Kindle, I’d yet to see a big sales advantage (and eventually dropped it in favor of Amazon).

One of the first notices I had of the choice of eBooks over print books is that I’d used the stock format for CreateSpace which uses a font less friendly to older folks. The common complaint until I got that first book into the second edition with larger print was that the font was too small and difficult to read. I suspect as we see the progression of the aging population the push to eBooks will become ever more popular as they discover the option of making the print as large as needed for comfortable reading. Rather than getting bigger and better bookcases, we’ll be looking for ever larger eBook storage capacity or flash storage. Perhaps the bookcases will hold thousands of books–but on Kindles, Cruzer’s, SanDisks, or the Cloud?

Walking Is Good For The Mind

Walking Is Good For The Mind

Really, I miss riding. You could get in the breeze with nothing but the sound of the rushing air and the occasional major diesel engine whizzing by. It was the solitude, with nothing but your mind generating random thoughts–which was great until you had something you really wanted to remember–but couldn’t stop to write it down.

So now, I’ve substituted walking my 12 lb Bichon Frise–that fluffy little white faced dog with the black eyes that look up and grin at me. I can see she is enjoying the air as well–never mind smelling every bush, shrub, or tree.

Interesting how other dog walkers approach you–either knowing their dog will behave or won’t–and tugging them tightly to the side. My little girl, Frosty (actually Frosty Dancer Nampa Dandy–Frost for short), exhibits a mild interest unless the opposing dog becomes aggressive. On the walk today, I was struck by how many little white tailed bunnies were about–noteworthy because one block away my little dog and I met with a coyote just a few days before. No, we aren’t out in the country–merely greenbelts and golf courses.

The walks give me the same pleasant drop in blood pressure, leaving the cares of the world back home, and while not “in the wind” at 75 mph, still the quiet privacy of alone time. Thinking; making those mental lists, generating ideas, blog prompts, and snapping those mental pictures of scenes to be remembered.

Well, that is, until the advent of the smart phone. Damn.

Isn’t modern technology grand? To aid in my walking goals, I discovered the sport apps. Two in particular, because I couldn’t find one to do everything I wanted. Mind you, both are multi-purposed and will calculate everything except your decreasing checkbook balance. They will monitor your heart rate, total your miles, check your weight loss, scrutinize your running, accumulate your burned calories, keep the history, suggest exercise partners, and propose challenges. However, the “S Health” app on my Galaxy 5 won’t chart my route. Rats! The purpose was to walk 10,000 steps per day–that would equate to approximately five miles. Sure it became too much in the oppressive heat of Phoenix. So I revised that to 7,000; also a bit much. Endomondo will do much of the same, including the benefits of calculating your average speed, duration, and distance AND follow you via GPS on your route. Great! You can even note your favorite routes and “share”. (uh oh) Here’s the rub–even set to walking–Endomondo won’t calculate the steps. If I have a monumental thought, it can be recorded on that whiz-bang machine. Or, if I really don’t want to think, I can have music the entire route with both apps. What??!

No! I was seeking quiet, thinking time.

And, I think the walk was doing the dog some good, too!

Music Evokes Emotion

Day 18 of the Author Blog Challenge: Which song evokes the feeling/subject of your book? Music evokes memories, emotions, and can instantly transport us to another place.

AH! Transport us to another place–that’s it exactly! While there seems very little romance included in my grandfather’s books, except for hints of attraction, eyes that linger a little too long, hands that accidentally touch, the dialogue that is arrested, he does exude a manner of romance more common of a century ago.

I like to think these were all included in his manuscripts though it’s difficult to think of my grandfather as being a romantic. So I reached through to his proclaimed origins, the mysterious and powerful Celts, as he claimed Irish ancestors.

Talk about a rich history of music! While the English word “Celt” is fairly modern, and “Celtic” actually refers to a family of languages, the Celts were well established a century before Christ. The music can cover a wide variation of distinctive styles including the melding of Folk, Bluegrass and Country because of the impact of the English-speaking world.

Seeking to find music that would complement the book trailer I created for “Cocos Island Treasure“, I received license from Marc Gunn, my favorite Celtic musician and self-proclaimed “Celtic geek” and “Celtfather” who produces award-winning free podcasts. His Irish and Celtic Music Podcast is one of the top music downloads on iTunes. In that broad range of accepted Celtic music, he includes Irish drinking songs (you knew that though, I’m sure), bagpipes, and indie musicians from around the world. I used music licensed under Creative Commons by Kevin MacLeod for the book trailer “Lucky Joe”. Fortunately, Kevin has some great pieces and it is not difficult to find something powerful that is easily included background. While it doesn’t as closely identify the sailing origin as that of Marc Gunn’s music, it does evoke emotion, energy, and the spirit of the book. While “Take A Chance” and “Showdown” are not easily recognizable, it definitely gets the point across.

Music “takes us there” and sets the stage.

The Happy Surprises in Publishing – A Writing Prompt

Day 17 Prompt: What has been the biggest surprise about writing/publishing your book? What has been the most enjoyable or most memorable aspect?

What has been the biggest surprise? Lots of surprises! As most people know by now, I’ve published my grandfather’s manuscripts written under the pen name of Stanley McShane. He also painted and sold various paintings with some dubious success under both his pen name and that of J. Wesley Rose. The paintings I have are on little pasteboard 8 x 10’s and were meant to illustrate his books.

Surprises Include:

Discovering that my mother really knew little about her father’s life, nor had been sufficiently interested enough to ask or get some of the most basic facts.
Reading and writing his manuscripts, discovering the tale we grew up with (that of his being born on board his father’s ship the “Marguerite” off the coast of New York) may not have been wholly true. Indeed, in succeeding manuscripts, he offers two additional accounts of his birth–including the one of his birth in a maternity home in New York while his father’s ship was being loaded as it was mentioned more than once that his mother always sailed on the Marguerite (which was named after her) with her husband, the captain. There are no birth records.
Stumbling over 90-year-old English common of the day and sailing jargon also common during the turn of the 20th Century as he claimed to have sailed into the early 1900s.
Walking in his shoes through streets still dusty from the choking red clay powder surrounding ghost and near-ghost towns where he sought riches.
Among the most enjoyable or memorable aspects would have to be the people; those who’ve bought and shared their stories; authors with whom I’ve created a rapport. Among the latter, I would have to note Michael Reisig, who wrote the “Road to Key West“ series as well as my favorite of his historical swashbuckling, page-turning adventure, the “Caribbean Gold“ series.

But the most amazing and happy surprise?

The discovery of a fella named Gary Long, coincidentally from Idaho where I published the books; claimed he had been in the possession of a McShane painting with one of his poems on the back. The poem stuck with him for the rest of his life, although unfortunately, the painting went missing. He had apparently been researching the name on the internet and wrote me. I was totally astonished and asked if I could use some of his story in the anthology I’ve been working on. I’ll be sending him a copy that includes his story when I complete and release “Sole Survivor.”

This writing thing–sure opens up the world to you–doesn’t it.

Launch That Baby!

Launch That Baby!

Day 16-Author Blog Challenge: What has been the most challenging part of your book process: writing, building the book, printing, distributing, marketing, etc.? What do you wish you’d known before you began?

So it took 6 months, a year, 4 years to write the book–all that time, effort, sweat. Finally, the baby is born, but so new, so fresh, so full of undiagnosed problems and ca-ca. Then it’s the editing portion of the manuscript–ripping and tearing. Whether you go through the book the prescribed 4 or 5 times yourself, or you are able to pay for the sharp, professional eyes of an editor, this entity almost becomes akin to that of a teenager. Are you really sure you birthed this thing??! Is it beginning to wear on you?

Well, get used to it, as in this analogy, you’re literally responsible for this baby until one of you perishes, and it’s not supposed to be the baby! It really is up to you to mold and shape what happens next–hopefully–to maturity.

The mature creation stands ready to be released into the world. Then the fun begins! No one mentions that marketing will be a life long journey. The learning curve is steep and too easy to make mistakes. Missteps can literally set you back in marketing, making sales more difficult. Marketing begins to take on monumental proportions. The snowball effect kicks in as you realize you must first master the elementary task to proceed to the next level and this adventure is multi-layered, each getting successively more difficult. Can you actually present a live presentation? Publishing doesn’t necessarily equate success.

Whether self-published or through one of the big six, you’ll be responsible for promoting and marketing–nurturing and cajoling. Marketing demands education beyond those creative writing classes or the employment of a cadre of professionals. Fortunately, as with parenthood, there are those who have been there/done that and can lend a detached and unemotional but firm and guiding hand. Thank heaven, as there are times when I feel like the babe here and I can use all the help proffered.

Seeds for NaNoWriMo

An author preparing for NaNoWriMo and a few of her exercises! Super!

A Journey of Words

Writing a novel is a daunting task, even when one is not trying to write it in a month. The important thing to remember is that you don’t have to sit down and immediately start writing it. Planning out a story beforehand, in broad measures or tiny details, can make all the difference to how well NaNoWriMo will go.

With just over six weeks until November, this is the perfect time to start generating ideas. That gives us plenty of time to come up with a lot of seeds from which to pick. Over the next several days, I’m going to post a series of images, prompts, word lists, and other such things that are meant to inspire ideas. I’m going to try to include a variety of stimuli, because everyone’s brain works differently. Some may be more visual, while others work well with words.

Below are today’s ideas to…

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NaNo What?

NANO What?

It is said that everyone has at least one book in them and it seems now with the heightened awareness and climbing popularity of self-publishing, most would-be writers are trying their hand at it.

Indeed, November was designated, “National Novel Writing Month” to take advantage of dreary winter days with forced indoor occupation and came to be known as “NaNoWriMo“.

The project was originated by freelance writer Chris Baty of the San Francisco bay area in 1999 with the help of a friend who developed a website to accommodate 140 participants including several internationally. The idea is to push 50,000 words in 30 days, which would average 1,667 words per day. The website’s motto is “No Plot? No Problem!” Quality is not the issue, plot is not the issue, characterization is not the issue. The issue is the uninhibited flurry of getting words on the (figuratively speaking) paper. There is always time after November during the succeeding winter months to develop the characters and plot more fully and/or expand the manuscript to 70k+ words. While there is no fee involved, registration is required in order to verify word count, award winners, and they do solicit and happily receive donations.

While Baty hoped his idea would grow, he was not prepared for the onslaught of eager writers who registered in subsequent years, which he credited to word-of-mouth bloggers and, of course, the event being picked up and reported by news agencies including the Los Angeles Times and Washington Post.

Given the wild growth of the event, Baty found himself launching an organized panel setting out rules and by 2003 a NaNoWriMo team began sending out pep talk emails, writing hints, and opened socialization between participants. By 2011 the website had undergone some major improvements in handling registrations, word count updates, and winner verifications. The following January found Baty stepping down to pursue a full time writing career with the installation of a new Executive Director, Grant Faulkner, and by 2013 claimed over 400,000 participants.

It was in 2011 that one of my motobuddies casually noted she’d be registering for NaNoWriMo and that she hoped to finally complete her first novel. That got my attention and researching the website quickly signed up myself! Finally, a way to begin! AND to boot, if the 50,000 words were completed and declared a winner, the participant would be eligible to receive five (yay!! Perfect! One for my daughter, son, cousin, sister, and myself) free (YEAH–free!) printed paperback copies of their books through CreateSpace, providing a natural feed into Amazon.com.

Whoa! Was I really ready for Amazon?

No! But the happy answer was that they were ready for me–from format templates to free cover (template) ideas. The rest is–as they say–history. In this case, historical fiction actually. There’s a learning curve here, no question, but one that leads to success and it began for me with one simple facebook post: “I’m going to register for NaNoWriMo”. If you’re new to the game, check it out. It works.