Celebrating Canada 150: Heather Pattullo’s passion for her country drives book’s success

Jun 29,2017 / By Tellwell Publishing / No Comment

Like many first-time authors, Heather Pattullo didn’t realize the journey she was getting herself into when she decided to self-publish. On a steep learning curve, she encountered many hurdles along the way, including a 4-month waiting period to gain permission to use the images in her book.

But, her ‘cross-Canada guidebook’ Positively Canadian: A fun guide to Canadian language, culture and history, couldn’t have been released at a better time.

On the cusp of Canada’s 150^th birthday, Pattullo has been taking advantage of any opportunity to feature her book, and it’s certainly paying off.

“The end was worth the means to get there. My fingernails are growing again” she said.

Not only has it been extremely rewarding to finally hold the book in hand, but also Pattullo said she’s been overwhelmed with the response from those she’s connected with so far.

Taking advantage of the waiting period to develop some good working relationships with those in her local community, Pattullo has already had book signings at Albany Books in Tsawwassen and Black Bond Books in Delta. Both bookstores are now carrying her book on consignment.

She was featured in her local paper, the Delta Optimist (read the article here,) and was also invited to sell her book at the national and provincial conventions for the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire (IODE) in Vancouver at the end of May.

Her calendar is already filled up with events throughout July, including book readings and signings at three Fraser Valley Regional libraries in the Delta area, and a signing at the Granville Chapters in Vancouver on July 9.

Pattullo has approached private schools and the Vancouver Community College, to add copies of her book to their libraries for students to read and learn about Canada. She’s already sold the first 150 copies of the book, and a second order has arrived for her upcoming events.

“I haven’t even tapped into the all the ESL schools in Vancouver,” said Pattullo. “I still have lots of places to go, I’ll probably be busy until Christmas!” she laughed.

Tellwell Books

Canadian Authors from Coast to Coast

Jun 26,2017 / By Tellwell Publishing / No Comment

Alberta

Author Name: Angie Pierce

Book Title: Dale’s Journey: Receiving Inspiration From Our Own Mortality

Chapters.ca link: Click here.

What is the most inspiring place in your province for you to write?

The most inspiring place for me to write is from my picturesque horse farm in rural Beaver County, AB. There, I am peacefully surrounded by nature and all the creatures that make this place their home.

What is something uniquely Canadian about you or your book?

I was born in Vancouver, BC and Dale, my late husband, whom the book is about, was born in Winnipeg, MB.

How are you going to celebrate Canada 150?

I will be competing in a 25 mile competitive trail ride near Milk River, AB.

BC

Author Name: Camilla Joubert

Book Title: Unravelling

Chapters.ca link: Click here.

What is the most inspiring place in your province for you to write?

I love to write in my backyard in West Vancouver looking up to the North Shore mighty snow-capped mountains while listening to the birds chirping in the trees. I’m privileged to live in what I think is Canada’s most majestic province, and I’m constantly inspired by nature in my immediate environment.

What is something uniquely Canadian about you or your book?

Although I was born in South Africa I have lived in Canada for 27 years and feel more Canadian than South African. I chose to print in Canadian English; hence Unravelling has two l’s. Six of the writers who contributed to the book of stories in Unravelling are Canadian, and three of them are BC born and bred locals!

How are you going to celebrate Canada 150?

I’m planning to pack a sumptuous picnic and hike the Chief in Squamish to take in the vistas of our gorgeous Howe Sound passage with my family.

Manitoba

Author Name: Anthony Nelson

Book Title: Awaykin with Colour

Chapters.ca link: Click here.

What is the most inspiring place in your province for you to write?

The place I was most inspired while working on my colouring book was my completely secluded cabin a little north of Gimli, MB.

What is something uniquely Canadian about you or your book?

My book includes many images that celebrate cultures from around the world, showing how they can work in unison. I feel this is an idea important to Canadians.

How are you going to celebrate Canada 150?

My boyfriend runs an arts organization that will be doing live mural painting at the Forks Market in Winnipeg, so I will be helping with their event.

New Brunswick

Author Name: Mildred Drost

Book Title: Until Each One Has a Home. Heartfelt Stories From DunRoamin’ Stray and Rescue –A Canadian Pet Rescue

Chapters.ca link: Click here.

What is the most inspiring place in your province for you to write?

I write from my home along the banks of the Saint John River in New Brunswick. There, I see the results of the work we do – the pets that have been rescued form dire circumstances, and have gone on to live in safe, loving homes. Many are now my neighbours; many of their owners keep in contact via Facebook and email. They all inspire me to do more.

What is something uniquely Canadian about you or your book?

I think that we are uniquely Canadian in that we aspire to help as many as possible, pets, wildlife or people, and we do it with no expectation of being compensated, except by the good feeling resulting from having helped. We believe in fairness, justice and kindness toward everyone.

How are you going to celebrate Canada 150?

We celebrate Canada Day every year with the Canada Day Dog Wash, with newly washed dogs sporting the red and white bandanas. We have a barbeque with hotdogs, hamburgers and many red and white desserts. We welcome old and new friends to our gathering and enjoy their company, human and canine alike.

Author of the Month

An educator, an illustrator and a puppeteer walk into a bar…

May 25,2017 / By Tellwell Publishing / 16 Comments

…While that could be the beginning of a corny joke, it’s also, save for the bar, the beginning of Linda Briden’s story as an author.

Long before holding her new book, Know Me, in her hands, before retiring, before hosting her first workshop for children, Linda spent her days as a child and youth worker and a special education teacher.

“I’ve always worked with kids that didn’t quite fit the system,” she says. “The system wasn’t designed for these kids. These kids that had some challenges, that had different stories and, perhaps, had strengths and gifts that weren’t quite mainstream.”

After retiring and finally having some time on her hands, Linda felt compelled to find a way to keep helping the kinds of kids she’d spent years working with. This led to two very important things happening — a meeting about pictures and a meeting about puppets.

“It was kind of a perfect storm,” she says of Know Me’s early days. “I connected with this young woman who did the illustrating (Daria Pekh), and she was really keen to do something a little different from what she had been doing. I then developed a business partnership with a woman who’s a puppeteer, and we’ve created a workshop that incorporates the book and a performance piece which uses the text from the book.”

Linda and her Puppeteria workshop partner, Shelley King, wanted to create something to address the bigger ideas of inclusiveness, tolerance, and acknowledging individual stories. The idea of the Know Me workshops and book were born together as chicken and egg, creating completely cohesive and complementary companion pieces to one another.

Tellwell News

IngramSpark changes Print on Demand book pricing structure

May 22,2017 / By Tellwell Publishing / No Comment

Effective June 5, 2017, IngramSpark will be adjusting their print rates and no longer offering the bulk order discounts that were previously available (10% per 100 books). The adjusted print rates can be found here. If you have any questions about the new pricing structure, please feel free to reach out to IngramSpark’s customer support team: 1-855-99SPARK.

For all of our published authors, please take some time to check the new print rates and adjust your suggested retail price if necessary. IngramSpark provides information on how to adjust your retail price here.

Most books with a black and white interior will decrease in print costs. In some cases, colour interior print costs have increased.

About IngramSpark and POD

The book distribution process within the book publishing industry, which refers to the process of making your book available to the public, has changed dramatically over the past 20 years; it is now possible to make your book available to over 30,000 booksellers (Amazon.com, Chapters.ca etc.) through IngramSpark, our central Print on Demand distributor. POD is an effective avenue for self-published authors because you can print one book at a time at economical prices.

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Author of the Month

How Tellwell author Angela Campagnoni is using social media to gain exposure and publicity

Apr 26,2017 / By Tellwell Publishing / 3 Comments

After losing her beloved father at a young age, Angela Campagnoni set out to write a book that helps children going through similar devastating losses. In March, she published I Want to See My Papa, a touching, illustrated book to help children understand loss, bereavement and healing through love and acceptance.

Writing was a self-healing process for Campagnoni, but the real journey had just begun. “It’s a lot of work, once you hit marketing,” she admitted.

Campagnoni was fortunate to already have a strong social media following on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, from her work in the fashion industry. Even with her pre-established networks, she still considers the online marketing to be a fulltime job.

“If you don’t have a social media presence already, start it early, early, early,” she said. “Even with my amount of social media, I still felt like I was late. It’s hard when it’s your first time because you don’t know what you should share, and what you can share.”

Author of the Month

Tellwell author Deborah Kane shares her inspiration behind writing the Fifth Dragon series

Mar 29,2017 / By Tellwell Publishing / No Comment

What started as a creative outlet after long days of high-pressure financial work for the government soon morphed into the beginning of the Fifth Dragon series.

Deborah Kane never intended to embark on writing a fantasy series, nor did she expect the ideas to translate to three books, or more. Kane wrote the first book, Fifth Dragon – Cumulos Capers, to revive the humorous aspects of fantasy.

“Most of what’s out there is really dark,” she said. “This is just light humour with some magic.”

There was no plan in mind, no concerns of pleasing anybody and no restrictions. “This one just kind of came out of nowhere,” she said. “I wrote it just for fun, the writing just came and came, and then I realized ‘Oh my gosh, these are books.’”

By the time she started writing the second book, Kane got more serious about the project. “Only as I went along, I realized, ‘Okay, I need a direction,’” she explained.

First, she set herself a schedule, writing in five hour increments, mostly over weekends. Though Kane stressed the importance of being passionate about the subject matter, she also recognized the value of sticking to time goals.

Tips & Tricks

Tips for writing an effective back cover blurb

Mar 8,2017 / By Tellwell Publishing / No Comment

You’ve written a book, so how hard can it be to write a couple more paragraphs for the back cover? It may seem easy in theory, but, writing a condensed yet enticing summary can be quite the feat. As an author, you know the contents of your book inside and out, but what does your audience need to know to convince them to read the book?

Here are some tips to write an effective and engaging back cover blurb:

Think of your back cover blurb as a roadmap for readers.

It’s your job to highlight the key things they will get from the book.

Start with a hook, something interesting to grab the reader’s attention right from the start. A poignant quote, pressing question, or pithy summary may be a great place to start. This is essentially the “pick-up line” of your book, so grab your audience’s attention with something powerful.
Your blurb should include context or background information to set the stage. For non-fiction, this could establish the premise of the book, and for fiction, this might be the setting of the book.
Next, you’ll need to introduce the main character(s) of the book along with some detail about their role in the plot development. Use adjectives that would help to characterize while keeping the description succinct.
Now that you’ve established a premise, you’ll want to tease the reader with the main conflict or problem in the book. For non-fiction, this could identify controversy, challenges or struggle in the book, and for fiction, this could hint at the climax of the story – although avoid spoilers.
It can be quite effective to end the roadmap with a twist or cliff-hanger to intrigue your audience. The twist could be phrased as a question or a dramatic statement, which tells your audience that reading the book will answer it.

Tag Archives: tellwell authors

Celebrating Canada 150: Heather Pattullo’s passion for her country drives book’s success

Canadian Authors from Coast to Coast

An educator, an illustrator and a puppeteer walk into a bar…

IngramSpark changes Print on Demand book pricing structure

How Tellwell author Angela Campagnoni is using social media to gain exposure and publicity

Tellwell author Deborah Kane shares her inspiration behind writing the Fifth Dragon series

Tips for writing an effective back cover blurb