Much like running, writing has a tendency to be a lengthy independent exercise. The road can often get lonely and desolate, and it can certainly be reassuring to see some fellow runners, or in this case writers, alongside. Regardless of which publishing route you choose â traditional or self-published, thereâs still a long journey of self-promotion that lies ahead.
As a self-published author, youâre essentially taking on a new profession, and if this is your first book, there can be a steep learning curve ahead. But, having an outlet to gain advice and support from other writers can help drive momentum and establish a solid foundation as a writer.
Many authors look to a writerâs organization as an opportunity to turn an independent effort into a team sport. Whether it be a national organization with smaller regional branches, a provincial organization, or a niche specific group, you may want to consider joining one as part of your marketing and promotion strategy.
Here are some of the advantages of becoming a member of a writerâs organization:
- Support from a community of writers â In any given writerâs group, youâre guaranteed to have the opportunity to connect and interact with other authors, many of whom will have unique insights to bring to the discussion based on their own publishing experiences. In essence, theyâre a great forum to gain feedback from fellow members of your craft.
- Networking opportunities â Most writerâs organizations arrange events and other interactive opportunities for you to meet with professionals in the publishing industry. Whether they be editors, reviewers, booksellers or other high-profile authors, writerâs organizations offer good settings to increase your author network.
- âHow-Toâ guides and instructional information â One of the greatest advantages of writerâs groups (particularly at a national level,) is the knowledge base they can provide, especially to newcomers. From contracts and legalities to marketing and promotion, writerâs organizations are a great preliminary source for best practices in publishing.
- Access to readings programs â Some writerâs organizations provide their members with the opportunities to participate in pre-established events and speaking engagements. These can include subsidies to invite writers to perform at a school or public reading, which can act as a great gateway to showcase your book to appropriate markets.
- Access to apply for awards â Many writerâs organizations offer awards to recognize contributions to the literary industry, but the committeeâs considerations are often limited to members only. By joining one of these organizations, youâll have the opportunity to submit your work for award consideration.
- Writerâs Coalition Benefits â Many writerâs organizations include eligibility to participate in the group health and dental benefits plan through the Writerâs Coalition. If your principal profession is writing, it may be worth your while to have access to benefits, which arenât usually available at a group rate in this trade.
- Credibility â In the publishing realm, having a membership to a writerâs organization can enhance your status and clout as an author. As a self-published author in particular, this can be an extremely valuable confidence boost when youâre first starting out.
What started as research into her own familyâs history during the settling of Western Canada in the 1900s, transitioned to an award-winning historical fiction novel and a long-term career as a writer and published author for RenĂ©e Veillet.
Inspired by the stories she learned of her ancestors, the Calgary-based author sought out to honour Canadian history in a medium that might be more entertaining and enjoyable for young adults.
âMy ancestors endured hardships that were unimaginable; my great grandfather was forced to leave his family behind in order to seek work in Canada. The first family member he could afford to bring over travelled in steerage class on the Titanic and did not survive,â explains Veillet. âI feel a debt of gratitude towards my ancestors and want to honour them by sharing their stories with my children and the generations to come.â
By the fall of 2017, Veillet was a published author and Rings of Time quickly began to receive high praise. The book, which has been compared to the popular TV series Outlander, has been described by Goodreads readers as â[p]erfectly paced and beautifully descriptiveâ and âan entertaining escape into another time.â
Local bookstores have also expressed interest in the book, and it was even featured as a Staff Pick at the Crowfoot Chapters in December 2017.
âAs a first-time author, having my book on the shelf of the local bookstore was a huge milestone,â says Veillet. âHaving it chosen as a staff pick was an unexpected surprise.â
Guest post by Tellwell designer Tara Price
Demons at the Doorstep is a young adult urban fantasy. Written by Rachael Bell-Irving, the story follows Jessica, a witch who must team up with her mortal enemy to stop mutated demons from destroying her city. Hard copies and eBooks are now available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Chapters Indigo.
Why did you choose this cover as a monthly focus?
This was a book that I started working on at the end of last year that wrapped up mid-April. It was a little out of our normal process because it required a custom illustration. A lot of the time, the cover is either done first or designed in tandem with the interior. For this one the interior was formatted well before the illustration was done. I had an initial idea of what I wanted for the title, but I knew that it may change drastically when the cover was on my plate. However, once I saw this amazing image, I was able to work in the title surprisingly well, with only minor re-working on spacing.
Soul-searching, finding yourself and self-empowerment are often facets of transitioning from childhood to adulthood, but Tellwell author Kristin Pierce wanted to spark the journey of self-discovery earlier on.
As a mother of two, she sought out to find picture books with empowering messages to share with her children. But the nature of the subject matter left her with few options. Drawing from her personal journey of self-discovery, Pierce transformed some strong, thought-provoking life lessons into a beautifully illustrated childrenâs book titled Your Inner Compass That Could.
âAs a mother, I thought that if I was craving books with deeper learning messages for my kids, maybe there were other parents out there wanting that too,â she explains. Her goal in creating the story was to use the book to bring empowering messages to the world in an inspirational, understandable and relatable way.
The messages conveyed are concepts that Pierce began unraveling when faced with ovarian cancer at age 21. Self-reflection and inner confidence were pivotal throughout her experience, and are topics that she felt when described appropriately, could resonate just as strongly with children.
âWhat I uncovered along the way is that we all have this inner wisdom that we can use to help us navigate life from a place of alignment and truth. I realized that this was something I had been ignoring in myself for so long that I felt very disconnected from my truth and who I really was. In the process of getting to know myself better, I knew I was not the only one who felt disconnected or lost along the way,â she says.
To adapt these seemingly abstract concepts into a children-friendly story, Pierce knew the illustrations would carry a significant amount of the messaging.
âI had to dig deep into my creative depths to bring my illustration vision to the surface for Your Inner Compass That Could,â she explains. âThe illustrations are infused with symbolism and meaning, and that process required a lot of reflecting, but it was so worth it in the end!â
âWhy donât you write a book about your life?â asked my ex-wife as she poured herself a cup of earl grey tea one summer afternoon.
We were sitting on the empty patio at Gallagherâs coffee shop in Port Moody, listening to the sounds of birds chirping in the background of our conversation.
âNobody would want to read about my story,â I chuckled shaking my head. âNo one cares about my childhood abuse, or how my anger destroyed so many relationships.â
She grimaced and coyly nodded in agreement about how my anger ripped apart our marriage over 15 years ago. She took a sip of her tea and smacked her lips. âYou never know. I think youâre not the only person whoâs struggled. And how youâve turned things around for yourself can be uplifting to so many people and can bring hope.â
I looked up and stared into the bright blue sky. A gentle breeze brushed against my face as I paused for a moment in deep thought.
Later that evening in my apartment, I continued thinking about our conversation. Was she right? Do other people also struggle managing their emotions, namely anger? Does depression and anxiety affect others making them feel helpless and lost, just like how I felt? I picked up a pad and pen and began jotting down notes. Somewhere in there, I scribbled the words, ârecoveryâŠangerâŠabuseâŠmental health and living with the dragon.â
Like many Tellwell authors, Kimberley Parkinson took a huge step outside of her comfort zone when she decided to publish her first book. When her children’s book What Can You Do? was published, Parkinson realized it was time to get the word out about her book, and that she was going to be the driving force behind that. While marketing seemed daunting initially, her efforts were greeted with success and gratification. Now, she shares some of her early marketing experiences to encourage other authors to push themselves when they take the leap, and publish their writing.
Kimberley Parkinson’s take on book marketing:
A smile appears upon your face. There it is, nestled proudly within your hands, the first copy of your published book. You take a moment to reflect on all the hours spent from the initial thought to the finished product. You have worked so hard and deserve to relish in satisfaction.
Then the next part of your journey beckons…marketing! A mix of excitement and nervousness takes over. What is the best route to take first? Who should I contact, what should I do, where should I go? This is when you take the time to address your strengths and weaknesses. I know with myself, I would rather sit back quietly and let the book sell itself as I am quite shy with this sort of thing. I am not a fan of social media outlets and the thought of trying to sell my book in person to stores or reading my book in front of others at events made me want to throw up! My comfort zone was very comfy, and it didn’t like to feel threatened. However, I knew that for my own growth I had to push myself beyond those comfortable limitations.
I appreciated the knowledgeable advice and strategic outline that was given to me through Tellwell and needed to implement some of their suggestions. I had to at least try because I have always believed that there is no failure if I try. I wasn’t ready to do the social media thing yet, so I decided to go the good old-fashioned way. I travelled to locations that were within a reasonable distance and made sure to have copies of my book with me, along with props such as bookmarks, posters, etc. It was also important to have all my contact and book details ready as you don’t want to be fumbling around when asked.
Do your homework. Find out who the manager is, contact them directly, and most importantly, mind your manners. Be polite, be gracious for any opportunities that present themselves and be respectful to the ones that don’t. Unknown self-published authors tend to make some store owners apprehensive to take a chance on you and that is okay. Thank them for their time and walk out with your head held high. There will inevitably be some doors that close but if you believe in your book and most importantly yourself, you will start to see doors open. Patience and persistence is key.
Get your feet wet with smaller events at first if needed. I started with an intimate book signing/reading at my local library. It was a comfortable setting that helped me get over my nervousness. Have friends and family there for support. I felt much more at ease with their smiling faces around me. Advertise your book in local papers, make calls, get your name out there. After you have experienced one event, the next ones wonât seem so daunting. This is all still very new to me too, and I am learning as I go.
2017 was a great year for many of our authors! Huge congratulations to all who self-published a book last year. Here are just a couple of the authors who have inspired us with their 2017 publishing accomplishments:
Don Levers
Author of Loot for the Taking
After publishing his first book in the late spring of 2017, the author spent the rest of the year travelling throughout British Columbia and Alberta on a book tour which included stops in Kelowna, Kamloops, Victoria, Vancouver and Edmonton. He received quite a bit of publicity along the way, and was interviewed on the CBCâs The Early Edition in September. Most recently, Levers was asked to appear in the Vancouver Public Libraryâs Annual Report. The authorâs persistence when it comes to building relationships with the literary community has lead to his continued success both with events and signings and publicity. For more on Don Levers, visit his website: http://www.lootforthetaking.com/, or follow him on Facebook: @DonLeversAuthor.
Â
Deborah Kane
Author of the Fifth Dragon Series
Not only did the author publish the first 3 books in the Fifth Dragon Series in 2017, but the series is also now available for Chapters, Indigo, and Coles bookstores across Canada to order directly through Ingram! The author worked hard to develop a rapport with Indigo and its affiliates and the combination of book sales, good reviews, and consignment in some of her local bookstores led to the wholesale agreement. Â Kane is currently working on her next book, and we look forward to seeing what 2018 has in store for this author. For more, visit her website: http://www.dkanebooks.com/ or follow her on Twitter: @dkanebooks.
Philip Wilson
Author of The Librarian
Wilson used a combination of professional book reviews, online advertising, print advertisements and consignment to grow his brand and readership in 2017. His commitment to continued marketing efforts and his willingness to try new tactics, led to a spike in e-book sales and Goodreads ratings leading into 2018. Wilson has also been featured in the Huffington Post twice, most notably as part of IndieReaderâs Best Reviewed Books of 2017. The author will be publishing his second book, Songs for Lucy, with Tellwell this spring. For more on Philip Wilson, visit his website: www.philipmwilson.com or follow him on Facebook: @authorphilipwilson.
Weâre excited to begin another year of self-publishing and look forward to seeing what 2018 has in store for our authors!
Like our blog content? Join our monthly newsletter.
Grant Patterson
Back in Slowly
Â
Available at Indigo Bay & Bloor, Chapters Burnaby, Chapters Pinetree in Coquitlam, and several other locations throughout the Lower Mainland in B.C. For more information, visit his Facebook page.
A.E. Outerbridge
Liornabella
Available at Bryan Prince Bookseller in Hamilton, A Different Drummer Books in Burlington, and Janco Books in Las Vegas. For more updates, check out her Facebook page.
Tanya Sood
She Has Risen
Available at Chapters Waterloo and Words Worth Booksin Waterloo. For more, visit her Facebook page.
Like our blog content? Join our monthly newsletter.
Get publishing tips, advice & news
