Tag Archives: Tellwell

Author of the Month Tellwell Books

Overcoming fears and conquering dreams – Coach Mark Teague on resilience, determination and ambition

Sep 22,2022 / By / No Comment

American high school football coach Mark Teague offers inspiring advice to young authors and shares what he’s learned through his author journey.

Mark Teague the author, speaker, double-cancer survivor, and now a name that is known throughout the world.

Mark Teague is a nationally recognized American football coach. His debut book, The Conquering Dreamer: Using Your Dreams to Conquer the Obstacles of Life with Passion and Purpose, chronicles the significant challenges he faced throughout his life and how he overcame them. Mark’s inspiring resilience can help readers learn to overcome their own obstacles.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I’m a high school football coach currently residing in Louisiana. I’m a husband and father of two adult sons. Raised in the state of Alabama, I have coached in various states throughout the southeastern portion of the United States. I have been blessed with invitations to speak as both a public motivational speaker and a football clinic speaker throughout the United States this past spring and summer. I’m a graduate of Troy University (Troy, AL) with a B.S. in Secondary Education Social Science.

What inspired you to write The Conquering Dreamer?

I was diagnosed with and defeated two different forms of cancer (throat & prostate) in 2019. My cancer journey, along with a challenging trek through childhood that continued into adulthood, and my ability to chase my dreams and conquer all challenges that came my way in pursuit of my dreams, was the impetus behind authoring my autobiography. After some coaxing, I was convinced that I had a story the world needed to read. The catharsis it offered me could be well served as catharsis to someone needing the motivation to continue onward in this often difficult and unfair journey we call life.

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Meet the Team

Tellwell printing manager Jun Mark answers the top book-printing questions

Sep 16,2022 / By / No Comment

Printing manager and project manager Jun Mark began working at Tellwell in 2020, and authors looking to order books in bulk will likely cross paths with him. He is a patient, kind, calm, and hard-working team member. Get to know Jun Mark and his love of cats, and read the touching story of his recent reunion with his biological mother.

Tell us about yourself.

I am a fur-parent of 19 cats and recently built a cat house to ensure their wellbeing, and to earn their recognition of me as a truly responsible human. I love nature and like to travel to the countryside. I’ve been in the publishing industry since 2015 and really enjoy working with authors.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

I enjoy having a great degree of control and freedom within my job and department. I work full-time across three departments and the management trusts me to produce high-quality work and results. I get to be creative at work and it’s something that I intend to maintain, which keeps me engaged and excited, but at the same time I love that my job enables me to love and enjoy my other passions in life.

What does a typical week look like for you at Tellwell? 

During a typical work week, one of my important tasks is checking in on the print jobs and looking into the progress on various book projects. 

I like to meet with the team first thing on Mondays to share our good news, discuss our priorities for the week, address print-job matters in real-time, and to share knowledge and resources with team members. Keeping myself informed on the global-market status and the supply-chain situation is also part of my typical work week to ensure the business operates efficiently.

Since we work at home, we meet daily via video call, which gives us the opportunity to check in with each other on the progress of our projects. Part of the aspects of the printing business that I manage is to maintain our positive relationship with our print partners in Canada, the USA, the UK, Australia, and China.

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Author Success - In the media, awards, reviews

Celebrating Tellwell’s August authors success stories

Aug 31,2022 / By / No Comment

We’re always proud to celebrate with our authors, and share how amazing they are!

August has been an incredible month for Tellwell authors. Keep reading to find out our most recent author celebrations, including awards, media mentions, reviews, and events!

Awards

We’re starting strong on this one. Kyrie Wang received a Bronze award from the Readers’ Choice Spring 2022 Book Awards for Enemy’s Keeper: Forbidden Ties!

Are you a fan of an adventurous and thrilling read? Grab your copy of Enemy’s Keeper here!

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Author of the Month Author Success - In the media, awards, reviews

Author Phil Earle shares the story of an unknown Canadian legend in new novel

Aug 19,2022 / By / No Comment

Phil Earle’s father, Guy Earle, lived an exhilarating life. With his new memoir, I’ll Go the Length of Meself, Phil hopes to showcase his legacy as a great mariner, businessman, humanitarian, and exhibitionist, along with many other attributes.

“There will never be another Guy Earle, there couldn’t be.”

This is his story, and Phil is proud to share it.

Never let failure define who you are, but instead, learn about yourself and grow from it.

– Phil Earle, author of I’ll Go the Length of Meself

Tell us about yourself.

From my mother and maternal grandparents, who were wonderful, I grew up believing their high standards for truth, compassion and integrity. From Captain Guy, my father, and my paternal grandparents, I learned to have respect for people and the world, and to have a drive to give the best of whatever life has given me.

What inspired you to write I’ll Go the Length of Meself?

In the beginning, I wanted to tell the story of the remarkable life of my father—this after he had been gone fifty years. And I finally, at the age of seventy, through maturity and wisdom, realized that no one had a life like him.

After finishing the book, it became obvious to me that Skipper Guy was a gifted, brilliant product of the people and culture of his era.

A second story was thus revealed in the book, the story of the great maritime people of the coast of Newfoundland. It became obvious to me that much of what I admired and expressed about my father and the culture of his people is strongly embedded in my character as well.

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Author of the Month

Friends with a serial killer: Peter Perry’s terrifying true story is your next favourite true-crime thriller

Oct 18,2021 / By / No Comment

October Author of the Month, Peter Perry, offers unique advice for new authors, as well as a FREE COPY of his new book.

What do you know about pure evil, the kind that makes you fear for you life? Peter Perry can tell you all about it. He lived in London, Ontario, during the killing spree of one of Canada’s most notorious serial killers, the Bedroom Strangler. It was a terrifying time there between 1974 and 1978. Russell Maurice Johnson, a.k.a. the Bedroom Strangler, was scaling apartment buildings, sometimes up to fifteen floors, and sneaking into women’s rooms at night to assault them and take their lives.

This is truly what nightmares are made of, and Peter Perry was there for it all. Peter and Johnson would lift weights together at Vic Tanny’s Health Club, a place where, unbeknownst to Peter, Russell selected most of his victims. Co-authored with Geoff Hart and Kathleen Sumpton, ORIGEN: A True Story of Evil, takes us through the rise and fall of one of Canada’s most notorious serial killers, told by someone who was closest to him.

We caught up with Peter to find out how things are going with his book since it launched earlier this year, and he had lots to share with us! Among other unique marketing activities, Peter and Geoff are in the process of pitching the screenplay of Origen to Netflix and Amazon. We wish them the best of luck!

You can get a free copy of Origen between October 27 and November 17!

That’s right, everyone, Peter has teamed up with other talented true crime and thriller authors to offer a round-up of some of the best new terrifying reads. Starting October 27, you can download a free e-book copy of Origen. Not just a free chapter, the whole book! Just click here and select the book cover for Origen to download your copy. You have until November 17!

Peter Perry, author of Origen: A True Story of Evil
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Meet the Team Tellwell Books

Meet Tellwell book-cover designer Benjam Mosquera and learn his favourite cover-design trend

Oct 15,2021 / By / No Comment

Tellwell book-cover designer Benjam Mosquera has been a valued member of the Tellwell team since 2018. He has ten years of book-design experience and is passionate about creating covers that draw people in at first glance. Read on to learn Benjam’s favourite book cover-design trends and hear his advice to authors working with book designers for the first time.

What inspired you to become a book-cover designer?  

I began my book-design career working as an interior book designer. I was really inspired seeing beautifully created cover designs by my teammates, in bookstores and online. It led me to learn how to artfully create book covers. I have been enjoying creating book covers for a decade now.

Where do you draw creative inspiration from?

I am often inspired by film posters. I’ll search for the designer’s name and look through their work for more inspiration.

What advice do you have for authors working with a book designer?

Clear instruction is really key. If an author has a specific vision for their book, then it’s important for the author to relay detailed instructions for the cover designer. That allows the designer to more easily visually interpret the instructions.

We are also creative individuals who love taking a concept and running with it. So if authors don’t have a clear vision for their book cover, that’s OK. That’s why we are here, to put in our professional touch and create magic. Showing covers that you love and want to emulate also go a long way.

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Author of the Month Tellwell Books

How to speak with your teenager about money

Sep 16,2021 / By / No Comment

Advice from Doug Allan, Tellwell’s September author of the month and author of A Fighting Chance: The High School Finance Education Everyone Deserves

Doug Allan, accountant and author of A Fighting Chance: The High School Finance Education Everyone Deserves

Vancouver-based author and accountant Doug Allan believes financial literacy is fundamental to success and should be part of our high school education system. To help parents fill that educational gap, he wrote A Fighting Chance: The High School Finance Education Everyone Deserves. Allan’s book was released in early 2021, selling hundreds of copies, and earning thousands in book royalties.

He has had some notable moments which includes appearing in The Globe and Mail, CTV News, The North Shore News and the MapleMoney podcast. He was also asked to speak at various high schools in his region on money topics he covers in his book.

The Tellwell author highlights a special moment chatting with David Chilton of The Wealthy Barber. Read more to learn the key steps Allan took to ensure his book’s success.

What inspired you to write Fighting Chance? 

As a CPA, CA and a parent of two young children, financial education is near and dear to me. Over my career in finance, I have accumulated an immense amount of knowledge which I have, in turn, applied to my personal finances. Without the benefit of a financial education, most people do not have the opportunity to properly learn how to manage their money. The unfair advantage I have gained, as it relates to managing my personal finances, over those without formal financial education and experience inspired me to write down my knowledge as the book I wished I was given as a teenager.

What do you hope readers will get out of it?

I am hopeful that readers can learn one or two things within the pages of the book that gets them excited about their finances and the opportunities which are out there. I don’t expect everyone to finish the book and instantly be a financial expert, but if certain foundational lessons like the time value of money can be absorbed, readers will be much better prepared to manage their money. After reading my book, it is my hope that readers will advance to more complex financial topics and continue to learn.

In your book, you state that governments and school boards are failing our children by setting them up for financial failure once they enter the workforce. What steps would you like to see schools take to better educate youth about making and managing money?

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Book Marketing Tips & Tricks

How to utilize your author website!

Sep 16,2021 / By / No Comment

So you made the decision to create an author website – FANTASTIC! A website functions as a modern online business card, and not having one can impact credibility. You will use your website to share information and news about your book, let people know where they can buy it, and offer other ways of connecting with you by including your social media links. Ultimately, your website is the foundational building blocks of your brand! But, what should you be doing with it and how can you help get traffic (views) to the site?

Unless you are creating regular content in the form of a blog, uploading new resources, or doing something unique on your site, it can be hard to drive people to visit your author website frequently or at all. So what should you be doing?

Here are 4 key elements to follow to get the most out of your author website:

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Meet the Team

Tellwell designer Von on what makes a great book cover

Jun 24,2021 / By / No Comment
Tellwell Book Cover Designer Von Langoyan

A really great book cover is one that captures the book inside it in some fundamental and, perhaps, unforeseen way.

Von Langoyan, Tellwell book cover designer

What do you enjoy most about designing book covers?

I enjoy the creative process of capturing and evoking the essence of a story through visuals. The cover needs to both intrigue a reader and give them a sense of the book’s genre and content. I enjoy staying up to date on design trends and using them in my process so our covers look fresh and contemporary.

Our authors sometimes have a vision for how they would like their covers to look, and I work with their input to create something they would love, and that is also captivating and current.

Where do you get your design inspiration?

Social media and the Internet, in general, are great for inspiration. I follow artists and designers who I admire to see what they are working on.

What have been some of your favourite covers that you’ve created for Tellwell? Tell us why.

I’ve had the pleasure of working on several book covers for the talented fiction author Monique Gliozzi, who lives in Australia. Monique’s books Foresight, Vestige and Diversity are paranormal thriller/mysteries and we wanted the covers to evoke a sense of supernatural spookiness.

Monique had a clear idea of what type of cover she wanted and provided us with really great, detailed instructions. I used a number of design elements to create a sense of haunting and mystique, such as the illusion of depth, partially hidden titles and objects, and surrealism.

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