I’m excited to share that my first poetry book, Ariel’s Song: Published Poems, 1987 – 2023, is now live on multiple platforms. Here’s where the Ebook and the Paperback are available right now–and all the links!
I’m excited to announce that my first poetry collection has been published!
At the end of 2023, I realized that 65 of my poems had been published — enough to compile a collection of poems. I used Atticus to design and format the book. When the manuscript was complete, I sent it to an independent publisher (with her permission). She told me she could not publish the book because all the poems had been previously published. She was concerned about copyright concerns and felt that Amazon would give me a hard time. I reassured her that I own the rights to all my poems (which I do) because they were all published with non-exclusive rights (the rights revert to the author on publication). She offered to create the files, but I had already done the work.
I considered using Amazon KPD and dealing with whatever hassles they gave me, but I didn’t like that idea. After days of pondering my options, I decided to follow a different path. I decided to use this book to learn about self-publishing and stay in control of the process. After all, if for some reason I couldn’t publish it, it was better to find out now. But I was determined to get it published.
1. I created my own imprint, Horse Mesa Press, which has been registered with the state of Arizona as a trade name so nobody else can use it.
2. I subscribed to Canva and created my own cover. Some people don’t recommend this, but I’ve seen some pretty awful covers designed by “professionals.” I know what I like. It took hours looking through public domain photos and artwork to find what I wanted. But if you don’t like the cover, please tell me!
3. I had to learn how to resize a PDF file and resize and adjust the dpi on photos.
4. I bought my own ISBN numbers.
5. I researched what other authors were doing.
6. Finally, I chose three paths to travel: Lulu, Draft2Digital, and IngramSpark.
7. I used Lulu as the testing ground. The company was really easy to work with. They produced a beautiful product. The Lulu EPUB, PDF, and paperback are currently available in the Lulu Bookstore. I wanted to get the Ebook onto Smashwords, so Draft2Digital was my next stop (they’re affiliated). D2D was easy to use with the Ebook, but not with the paperback. They accepted my print-ready book cover files but rejected all of my print-ready interior PDF files. My docx. file was not formatted for a finished project (and I wasn’t going to type up a whole new manuscript for them). The Ebook and paperback have gone smoothly with IngramSpark, but I had to use their cover generator to recreate the cover, and that was a nightmare. It took me four freaking hours! They are slow with processing but thorough. In fact, I just got an e-mail that I need to redo the back cover because some of the colors aren’t showing up. It’s very frustrating. Here’s where hiring a professional makes sense because they understand the technology better than I do. (Did I say this was a learning process?) Once the digital proof is processed and approved, they will send me the proof copy. Once that’s approved, they will publish the book.
8. I read that Lulu’s global distribution was not that great, so I passed on them and went with D2D and IngramSpark. Since I could only choose one company to get my book on Amazon, I chose IngramSpark. And yes, they got the Ebook onto Amazon and other venues without any issues. As soon as the print book is ready, they will get it onto Amazon, etc.
9. Although I had planned to launch the Ebook and print book together, I’m not sure how soon the IngramSpark print book will be ready, so I am going to launch them separately. Since several people have asked, the Ebook is available right now on Amazon and other platforms. The Lulu print book is available right now in the Lulu Bookstore.
Her Coastal Cottage by Michele Lee Sefton (2023). Available on Amazon.com.
Our very own Michele Lee has crafted a lovely romance based on several poems she wrote during the pandemic. Reading her beautiful, elegant prose is like savoring an epic love story in verse. She writes with passion, endearing sensitivity, and love.
Her main character, Mackenzie, is a writer who falls in love with Jason, a photojournalist. While Jason is overseas covering a story in a war-torn country, Mackenzie goes on a quest to fulfill her lifelong dream of discovering herself, her authentic purpose, and her “cottage by the sea.” As she builds a new home for her and Jason, events will change them forever. The twist in the story is sad, but the ending is profoundly hopeful.
Her Coastal Cottage is a delightful read short enough to fill a relaxing afternoon on the beach. Just bring your own bottle of sunscreen and a jug of herbal tea!
In the Shadow of Rainbowsby Selma Martin (2023). Available on Amazon.com.
Selma describes her debut collection of poems as “seeing rainbows on eyelashes.” What a profoundly potent image in such a simple phrase! Indeed, Selma’s poems have so many such images that I was amazed by her depth of perception. She writes clearly of simple, everyday things with sensitivity and intelligent reflection. She sees magic in the ordinary. She sees fairies where others would see butterflies.
These are excerpts from my two favorite poems in the collection:
In an interview with the blog SIX QUESTIONS, John Raab, Publisher/CEO/Editor-in-Chief of SuspenseMagazine, answered the following question:
“What can you truly expect to get out of your writing?”
“I feel that many authors have false expectations and think they are writing the next NY Times Bestseller. Here is the problem with that. Just because your book is not high on a list or selling that great, doesn’t mean you can’t write. Authors have to remember that anybody can now publish an EBook on Amazon or Barnes and Noble. What does that mean? That means that readers now have to navigate through thousands of more books to find one they like and readers only have a certain amount of money to spend. If you don’t have thousands of marketing dollars behind your work, then you have to spend triple the amount of time marketing to fans than it took you to write the book. Writing the book is the easy part, getting paid from it is the difficult part. Authors should expect to not retire off their work, but instead write for the love of it, because it is your passion. Writing and music are the same thing, you see a great band in a bar and say ‘They are better than anything I hear on the radio, why aren’t they signed?’ Writing is the same way.”
Is it true? Are there too many books on the market? Writers don’t just write for the love of writing, they write to make a living. But if thousands of self-proclaimed authors are flooding the market with books, how can someone achieve that goal?
For myself, I stopped buying books because I was tired of wasting my money on mediocre crap that was marketed as best-seller material. A slick cover and a wide audience do not a-book-worth-reading make. Extensive marketing will not salvage a poorly crafted commodity. Readers might buy from you once, but they won’t come back again.
The book market is, in fact, overwhelming. Every time I go into Barnes & Noble, the stacks of unread (and unbought) books make me want to swoon. Scanning through Amazon and Goodreads makes me feel the same way.
The books shout in my head: READ ME! READ ME!
It’s the same on Facebook. Thousands of self-proclaimed authors scream at me: BUY MY BOOK! BUY MY BOOK!
Millions of blogs and online publications float around in Internet outer space, vying for attention.
TV, movies, and video games also provide tough competition. And to top it off, a recent poll suggested that only 75% of the population ever reads a book (print or digital.)
So, what’s a writer (and reader) to do in an age of information overload?
1. Write the best damned book you can, using original ideas.
2. Don’t write derivative material because thousands of others are doing the same thing. We don’t need anymore books about vampires and wizards unless the slant is so original, and the characters so unforgettable, that the world just can’t live without them.
3. Define your goals realistically. If you are only writing out of love for the craft, then be content to do so. But if you dream of making a living as a writer, then treat it as a business.
Personally, I think the publishing industry bubble is going to burst, just like the dot.com bubble and the housing bubble. Too many books means too many choices and a flattened market. After all, people don’t have the time or the money to spend on reading all the books out there. And traditional publishing houses depend on blockbuster best-sellers to keep themselves afloat.
I will continue to write because I love to write. But don’t be fooled: I want to make a living off of my writing as much as any other writer. The question is: can I beat the competition?
~
April 26, 2023:
The book industry did, indeed, undergo a massive upheaval. Publishing houses folded or merged, small presses failed, people lost their jobs, authors lost contracts, and writing scams emerged as independent authors sought alternate publishing avenues.
Traditional publishing is a challenging route to pursue. As of 2022, only 64% of the population reads a book in twelve months. Only 1% of books submitted to traditional publishers are lucky enough to get published. Nonfiction generally sells better than fiction. An author will never make big money in niche categories like poetry and short stories. People have shorter attention spans and become more visually-oriented thanks to movies, TV, and social media. Writing screenplays has become “the thing” because that’s where the demand is, a writer can make big money, and it sounds cool. Writing for TV can be incredibly lucrative, although it’s demanding, and living in L.A. is mandatory.
When I wrote my middle-grade children’s mystery novel for a children’s writing class, I spent hours editing, writing the synopsis and query letter, and submitting it to agents. And yes, agents looked at it, turned it down, and encouraged me to edit more and submit it again in two years. I re-wrote the first part of the book because it was too long. But I was so sick of that book I put it away and only recently pulled it out again. I will finish it because I love the characters and the story. I LOVE WRITING! And that’s all that matters.
And yes, I still buy a book occasionally, but it’s more likely to be a used book I haven’t read, a free Kindle pick-of-the-month, a nonfiction book I can use for education and reference, or a poetry book I want to review. I have six bookcases full of books, many not yet read. As I read them, I give them away unless there’s a good reason to keep them. I have always loved to read a good book.
Keep reading because you love it!Keepwriting because you love it!
What are your thoughts?
Dawn Pisturino
January 11, 2013; April 26, 2023
Copyright 2013-2023 Dawn Pisturino. All Rights Reserved.
Wounds I Healed: The Poetry of Strong Women anthology officially launches on Amazon and Kindle on Saturday, June 18, 2022.
Here’s the official Amazon description:
“Award-winning authors, Pushcart nominees, emerging poets, voices of women and men, come to the fore in this stunning, powerful, and unique anthology. Their poems testify to the challenges that women face in our society, and to their power to overcome them. A memorable collection of over 200 poems by more than 100 authors, this anthology is a must-have for anyone. We all can benefit from the poetry of survival, and of healing. We all can benefit from the experiences so beautifully evoked in this book. We can all come together to emerge triumphant from pain.”
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