I’ve been absent the last couple of days because I injured my back. The pain was terrible, and I could barely walk. I’ve been resting and taking muscle relaxers and ibuprofen. I’m much better now. And our spring weather finally seems sustainable. It’s 73 degrees, sunny, and clear. I sat on the porch last night until 8 pm and watched the stars come out.
~
The exciting news is that my Ebook of Ariel’s Song: Published Poems, 1987 -2023, is now available on a new book club social networking platform called Fable. The company is based in Palo Alto, California (Silicon Valley.) I never heard of it until Draft2Digital emailed me and let me know that my book could be listed there. Of course, I agreed. Here’s the link:
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 created this front cover on Canva using a Public Domain image. The photo was downloaded for a minimal charge. I wanted something colorful but soothing and ethereal. To emphasize the colors, I chose a glossy finish for the print book. If you don’t like the cover, please let me know!
The title comes from the poem I wrote for my daughter when she was three years old. The entire book is lovingly dedicated to her.
Ariel’s Song (Poem)
Ariel sings a lusty song
Of ships upon the sea,
And ere the night is very long,
Her spell is cast on me.
~
She spins a web of intrigue,
She tells a tale of woe;
And when the sun is waxing big,
I do not want to go,–
No, I do not want to go.
~
But she folds her wings together
And whispers my release;
For her stories last forever
And her songs will never cease.
~
Then, she rises from the window,
Winging high into the light,
And I’m left alone in shadow
As she disappears from sight.
Dedication
This book is dedicated to my daughter, Ariel Therese Pisturino.
May music and books surround you wherever you go!
Acknowledgments
Since all of these poems have been previously published, there are two pages of acknowledgments; plus I give full credit to each publisher with each poem.
Long Book Description
Ariel’s Song is a collection of intensely personal poems written between 1987 and 2023 that features various styles and themes, from twisted limericks that make you laugh to traditional sonnets that make you think and feel the world around you. There is something for everyone to enjoy: dark poems, love poems, nature poems, funny poems, poems about death and grief, poems about abuse and heartache, children’s poems, and experimental poems.
Short Book Description
This collection of poems features various styles and themes, from twisted limericks that make you laugh to traditional sonnets that make you think and feel the world around you. There is something for everyone to enjoy.
NOTE: Writing the keywords and descriptions was excruciating. That’s something I need to work on.
The print book has 130-132 pages (depending on who published it) and measures 6″ x 9″. For some reason, the Ebook details on various platforms describe it as having 30 or 38 pages. I guess they have to fill in all the boxes, but the Ebook contains all the same material as the print book.
After re-doing the cover for IngramSpark, they rejected it again. The front and back covers were okay, but not the spine. I was going to use Canva to redo it, but decided they would probably reject it again. I read their guidelines again and watched a couple of YouTube videos and realized that Canva is not technologically advanced enough to fulfill their requirements. I took classes in Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, and desktop publishing some years ago and created a few projects. I decided to subscribe to Adobe InDesign and use that to recreate the cover and upload it to the IngramSpark template. If that doesn’t work, I will recruit or pay somebody to do it. It’s good that IngramSpark has such high standards, but it’s also frustrating. At least, they got back to me much quicker this time. So, progress is being made!
I’m planning the Ebook launch for Saturday, March 23, 2024. I hope to see you then!
Dawn Pisturino
March 22, 2024
Copyright 2024 Dawn Pisturino. All Rights Reserved.
I wanted to launch my first poetry book with both the Ebook and paperback live on all platforms, but IngramSpark is taking its time with the proofs, and I don’t want to wait since the Ebook is already live. I’ll have a separate launch when the IngramSpark paperback is up and running on all platforms. This is an experiment and learning experience, after all!
Thank you for your patience.
Dawn Pisturino
March 20, 2024
Copyright 2024 Dawn Pisturino. All Rights Reserved.
A MESSAGE FROM JON BARD, MANAGING EDITOR OF CHILDREN’S BOOK INSIDER:
“If you spend a fair amount of time online, perhaps you’ve noticed it:
People are becoming ruder. And angrier. And more entitled.
Really, I’m simply amazed at some of what appears in my e-mail inbox. Folks with whom I’ve never corresponded are sending me demanding messages such as “SEND ME THE EBOOK!!!!” and “I WANT TO GET PUBLISHED. TELL ME WHAT TO DO!”
People (non-customers) send us long, detailed questions out of the blue and expect immediate responses. If they don’t get one, we often receive an abusive message as a follow up.
And then there’s the magic words that many people seem to be using as a justification for curt, nicety-free missives:
“Sent via my iPhone.”
Look, I’ve been doing this a long time, and I’ve got a pretty thick skin. So I raise this not to prevent my feelings from being hurt, but rather as a cautionary message about how *not* to sabotage your writing career.
As a 21st century author, your ability to communicate is paramount to your success. Editors, agents, bloggers, book reviewers, distributors, promotional partners and readers are just some of the people who are important to your career. For goodness sake, treat them with more respect than “Here’s my new book. Write a review!”.
Here then, are my tips to help you be seen as a courteous author worthy of consideration:
• “Dear”, “Thank you”, “Please” and “Sincerely/All the Best/Yours Truly” aren’t archaic leftovers from the distant past. They’re still as important as ever. Use them. Please.
• Composing a message from your phone or tablet is not an excuse for overly-direct curtness. If you have a business message to send, wait until you have the time to write it properly.
• If you’re contacting someone for the first time, make the effort to introduce yourself, and clearly state the purpose of your message.
• If someone doesn’t get right back to you, don’t fire off an angry e-mail accusing them of ignoring you. Perhaps the message got lost. Maybe they’re on vacation. Perhaps they’re ill. Calmly send another friendly message restating your request or comment.
• Remember that you’re dealing with human beings. In our case, every piece of e-mail is read either by me or by Laura. We don’t have a building full of underlings to take care of that for us. When you send us kind words (and many of you do — thank you!), it feels great. When you’re rude or angry, it stings. Treat me with respect — I think I’ve earned at least that.
The vast majority of you are nothing but gracious in your communications with us. That bodes well for your future success. Keep at it, and gently work to correct those who aren’t minding your manners.
For the few of you who may have let your etiquette slip, please take heed of the points I’ve laid out, and make a resolution to make the online world just a little bit more courteous.
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 makes 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?
Dawn Pisturino's Blog 