Melissa’s Comments (group member since Aug 31, 2009)

Melissa’s comments from the I'm Trying to Get a Book Published! group.

Yes, you are assigned an Author Rep, who is there to answer all of your questions. I looked into Lulu and even the upload of the manuscript seemed far more complicated.

Lulu also didn't seem to "do it all" as Outskirts does. It appeared to me that with Lulu, they print, and you distribute everything yourself.

Really! I never read their book and wouldn't do that if I had! That's very unethical! Now that you point it out, I have received a few promotional emails from them citing reviewers and podcasts that you have to pay to receive. I ditched them. It stuck me as odd at the time, but I figured that's what all self-pub companies did - hype those that they maybe get referral fees from (my guess).

Overall, the process has been pretty easy, though.

Thank you. I think anyone who follows their dream is an inspiration - I don't care what that dream is! If you are a writer, then the moment you put pen to paper, you're following your dream! Make your life happen!!!

I just work around everyone's schedules. I did most of my murals with little ones still at home:-)

Now my kids are in school full-time, but even when they weren't, when I was driving 2.5 hours every morning and afternoon to get the kids to their schools in two different counties, and we were hitting four sports practice and events every week, I was still able to run my HR business, paint, etc. I was going to say that I'm not that efficient, but really, I probably am too efficient. It's probably annoying to some:-) LOL!

I always believe that you just have to make your life work. But...I didn't get to write for all those years, and that was painful. I had to wait until my youngest went to kindergarten, then I was jumped head first - I had waited about 15 years!!

Outskirts has been easy to talk to and easy to work with. The only complaint I have is that you really have no way to make your discount higher than 40%. I'd like to have a higher discount for some of the major booksellers. Outskirts' process was easy, too.

I'm not sure what you mean by "used car salesmen," but I'd love to hear! Also, can you tell me a little about your experience with Lulu? Do they get your book out to Ingram and B&T? Do they handle the distribution?

I'm the middle of seven! Three older bros and three younger ones:-) I love big families!

Hmm...maybe you need to clear your cache? CTRL-F5. I checked it and it works fine in both IE and Firefox.

Here's the address again (remember its kids with an "s" and murals with an "s":

http://www.kidsmuralsbymelissa.com

What a powerful story, Lisa. It sounds like it will touch the lives of many. Where can I check it out?

BTW - my mural site is up now - the host had the permissions wrong (I recently switched hosts).

Hi Lisa! Thanks for asking. I paint the murals:-) I have donated six large murals to the Hospital for Sick Children in DC. You can see my murals here: http://www.kidsmuralsbymelissa - I don't ever do them for money - it takes all of the fun out of it.

Thanks for asking about The Women's Nest, too! That's my labor of love. It is a social and support site for women - totally free - In addition to our forums (which we have many of -everything from parenting and relationships to career, diet, exercise, etc), we also offer free blogs for members, free medical and financial expert advice, and a book club. The best part, though, IMO, is that it's a great place to make friends and escape the chaos of life:-) I love it and am soo glad I started it! We don't allow marketing on the boards at all - no websites, or anything, so it's really support, friendship, etc., no spam to weed through.

I'd love to hear about your book! Great title!

Hi! I wanted to share my experience with your group because I have learned a LOT about publishing! I'm not a know-it-all, in fact, I know very little about publishing, but that's still more than I knew two months ago and I hope this helps someone:-)

My debut novel, Megan's Way, was published July 19 by Outskirts Press. The experience has been very positive and a real eye opener.

First, let me say that my decision was mostly based on responses about the "poor economy" from several agents. I'm not a writer to make money, just to get my stories out there for people to read. But I also chose this route because I was in a hurry to work on my next novel and querying is a full-time job if done well. Little did I realize that marketing would be, too.

Reviews (so far) have been excellent (whew!) - but if you self-published, be forewarned that most agents will not take a (another) look at your book until you have roughly 5000 in sales volume. There are many exceptions, but that's what I've been told is the "rule" or "expectation" from major publishers. I also understand that the "buzz" you create makes a huge difference.

It is NOT true that you can't get your books on major bookstore shelves if you are self published. In fact, I have a signing at Borders in Germantown, MD, Sept 12! You just have to really, really put your time and energy into marketing your book, and have a good discount for the retailers. My book is offered through Ingram and Baker & Taylor, too, which is also a must for most book stores.

I do have my book in several smaller bookstores who were happy to have me walk in and offer them some for sale (which I signed b/c I think it's nice to do that). Some smaller bookstores will take books on consignment, too. And when you are self-published, though this can be pricey, it can be a good start, too, to getting your name out there.

Do I wish I had waited for an agent? Yes and no. My reviews (from editors and readers) have validated to me that my writing is good, and on some level I probably needed that anyway (querying can wear you down!). On the other hand, an agent makes things much, much easier, and if you are patient, and your writing is good, you'll probably get one.

In other words, if you query - I wish you luck - hang in there!!! If you self-publish, I think the stigma is dying down about it, and it's not a bad thing - just a different means to an end! Either way, it's up to you to market your book and find the readers - even an agent can't do that - it's you or your publicist (which I don't have).

Contact magazines, newspapers, bloggers, everyone you know who is reputable and make it happen. Because life does not happen for you, it happens by you.

Good luck!!! You CAN do it!
Melissa

Hi everyone! So glad to find this group!!! I wanted to share my experience with a group that it might help - will head to the other areas now!

BTW - I'm Melissa (Hi Brigid!) and I've just published Megan's Way. I'm a mother to six great kids (okay, my oldest is an adult as of two days ago!), married to the love of my life (most days), and I donate murals to a local children's hospital. I'm also the Founder of a support and social site for women, The Women's Nest.

Looking forward to getting to know everyone!