I started writing this blog a year ago in July. I had wanted to blog for a while, but when writer friend Janis Thornton asked when could she come set it up—well, the time had come.
I’ve kept newspaper deadlines for decades so giving myself a steady deadline didn’t feel hard. I would post twice a week, Wednesdays and Saturdays. I would be consistent, and I would write about something, because deadlines had to be kept. (The old journalist in me talking.) Also, I’ve read enough blogs myself, and attended enough social media workshops, to know that readers lose interest if they can’t count on the bloggers they follow to add new content regularly. I don’t mind posting my blog early. In fact, I get a kick out of that sort of “over-achieving” accomplishment. But I do not like being late. Today coming home from work I thought (briefly) about skipping this mid-week offering. Who would care? I’m in the middle of a stretched stretch. Saturday I took the morning to run bunches of errands and pay some visits regarding books and programming before attending a birthday party in the afternoon. Sunday I drove 100 miles to Covington’s Beef House where my long-ago colleague Janie Bowers had invited me to speak at the annual fundraiser for the Friendship Circle Center in Covington (formerly known as the senior center). The banquet hall was full of folks who came out to enjoy the afternoon of music, silent auction, a humorous style show and of course, those fabulous Beef House rolls and other goodies. Then it was 100 miles home. Monday was work and Bible Study Fellowship in Middletown that evening. Today was work and the next two days, I have separate programs to give to two groups. Tomorrow I’m speaking to the Spring Valley Quilt Guild in Pendleton. Our across-the-street neighbor Linda Lupton invited me after finding my first book in the Pendleton Library! I’m looking forward to sharing a program with them – and I’m taking my grandmother’s quilt along just to show it off! Who doesn’t love a quilt? But also tomorrow, I have some essential errands to run, a hair appointment, and getting over to the library early to set up for the program. I’m happy that tomorrow finds me in the town where I live because I also need a good chunk of time to work on Thursday’s program for the Henry County Extension Homemakers’ County Club Nite! I wrote a special program for that wonderful group that has shown me such kindness through all these 27 years I’ve covered them. Their annual County Club Nite was the first evening event I ever covered for The Courier-Times. Tonight, I have a panic-y sort of feeling of too much to do, and a shortage of time to get it all done well. The next two days and nights are GO TIME! A condensed schedule. So this will have to do for a blog post. I leave you with some grass – some ornamental grass – that grows outside our front door and never looks prettier than it does now when it suddenly gets these brown-gold spikes just before dying and becoming dried and corn-stalkish. For now, I am done. I’ll have more to say again soon. At least I exceeded my deadline, if nothing else.
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Not long ago, son Ben asked how I ever did my newspaper job without email.
I almost don’t know. It’s a question I’m thinking about this morning as the news headline flashes that the Internet is 25 years old today. A quarter century; a generation. Ben, interestingly enough, is 25. So the Internet has been around all his life in the same way that airplanes and electricity have been around mine. Before the Internet, my work life was a lot noisier. Nowadays when customers come into the newspaper office, they often remark how quiet it is. Time was, the press was running, phones ringing; reporters, ad reps and circulation employees were speaking on the phone with customers, keyboards were clicking, the wire service machine cranking out copy, and our printers were loud. Nowadays, our newspaper printing is centralized at another plant. Sometimes people are surprised by that, but it’s how many other plants do it now, as well. Things change. They always have. We do a lot more emailing with sources about press releases, story ideas and contacts than we do phoning them. The AP wire no longer prints news stories through a machine in the office. Instead, they are fed, silently, through our computers along with the various social mediums and news items we get from everyone else. Keyboards no longer go clickity clack, and our year-old Apple keyboards are nearly silent, no matter the volume we are churning out. Yes, things have certainly changed. I remember when work email was installed. My first-ever email was a press release from Holiday World in Santa Claus, Indiana. I didn’t even know if I was responding correctly but hit the reply button, typed something in, acting all cool as though I had the email thing down pat, and hit the send button. It worked! I was off and cyber-mailing! And there’s been no turning back. I know that for younger folks, email is now passe, and they prefer texting. I still say nothing beats a laptop computer where I can spread out, enjoy a nice big screen, and have a conversation via email. I use it constantly. How about you? Do you email much? Do you prefer texting? What is your favorite social media medium? How have computers in general and email in particular, changed the way you do your job? As with all things, the Internet is a conduit for the good and evil of those using it. It is a great way to communicate, stay in touch, get things done, order products, learn and produce. But of course, it’s a means for bad things too, such as pornography, scams and other evils. This morning, I'm taking the high road with my cyber thoughts. I’m saluting the Internet with my morning coffee cup and thinking about the fine elements of working with and through computers. I love how we connect with friends and loved ones in ways that would never have been possible 26 years ago. Charities raise money to do good. We learn. We publish books. We write something called blogs – the Internet version of newsprint columns. So here’s another one for HOME ROW. Stop by anytime. You know how to find me. As those of you who follow my writing, publishing, and marketing journeys know, I’m always looking for gigs where I can speak and sell my books. When people who want to publish a book ask me the best way to market, my answer is simple: Develop some kind of program and offer it to groups.
Sometimes the offers come my way, other times I have to fill out forms and apply (such is the case with juried author fairs) and still other times, I throw a bunch of ideas on the wall – and see what, if anything, sticks. Sometimes I think of it as planting seeds. Other times it’s casting lines in the water and seeing if there’s a bite. Or perhaps I use another cliché such as placing many irons in the fire. You get the idea. While several stops remain on the 2016 calendar, lately I’ve been wondering when and where the first date might go up on the new one. Yes, on the literal, new calendar. Friend Gay and I share a tradition of exchanging gifts during our summer girlfriend getaways. Last month Gay bought me something that will remind me of her every day during 2017. It’s a beautiful paper planner / calendar. The cover is pink with big white flowers that sure enough resemble peonies, our state flower. It’s bigger than a paperback novel with a hard cover, plenty of blank pages for notes and a pocket in the back. It will be my constant companion. And this week, one of the fishing lines got a tug, and I landed my first book-related event for 2017. The ironic thing was that when I went to initiate the planner with the assignment, the pink ribbon that marks one’s place was randomly inserted into that very week. Must have been meant to be. I’m old-school about my planning. Even Brian has moved on to a paperless display of time and records his calendar stops on his cell phone. I’m not even close to doing that. At least not until 2018, and I imagine well beyond that. Paper calendars from the last two years are at my side in a basket by this writing chair for easy access. It’s surprising how often I reference them for a date, contact name and number of a previous program. I could probably do this on a small cell phone. But this works. It works just great, in fact. Usually I don’t get a new calendar until late fall. It’s a treat to have 2017 at my fingertips now. Thanks Gay. You know me so well. You know what I like. Is it too soon to set a date for next summer’s fun? I've pretty much got a blank calendar just waiting to be filled. Every now and then, someone who is off my social-media radar says, in real time, “I read your blog.” When this happens, I’m surprised because this isn’t from someone who posts comments or “likes” my Facebook status changes with cute faces or leaves any kind of online footprint in my cyberspace world. Of course I want to ask, “Well … do you enjoy it?” But if I have to ask, I shouldn’t; too much like fishing for a compliment. Besides, I don’t know that I want to hear if the person’s reaction is quite the opposite of positive. The other day I had a face-time conversation with someone who mentioned Facebook. I asked, “Wait, are we Facebook friends? I never see your posts.” She said, “Oh, I never post. I’m just a – what do you call it…?” “A stalker?” Yeah, that. With the blog, I get hundreds of views a week, according to the website statistics. Sometimes, the views surpass a grand. I don’t quite know what that means; if folks politely scroll right past the feed on their way to someone else’s content, or if the number measures those who are clicking on and reading the posts. As for who is reading what, beats me! Rarely do they leave comments. I think this is much like life. We are always watching people, and they are always watching us. We judge, yes we do, based on what they post on social media or how they interact with the grocery-store clerk, and on a whole lot of other factors that happen instantly inside our heads. We observe their actions, their buying habits, and if they walk their talk. We just do. And they do too regarding us. The thing is, I do this very thing that I wonder about. There are a good number of website blogs to which I subscribe at the national, regional and local levels. They are very well done, the writing solid, the messages keen. There is so much great material online that I find myself overwhelmed with possibility. I could sit here 24/7, read nonstop and never remotely get to the bottom of the must-read stack. I have to lead a real-time walking-around life besides an online one. And you do too. Something to think about as we consider our lives (and social media) platforms, shares, rants, raves, and the lives we live in real time and space. Still I wonder. Here’s a challenge from me to you: if you have never posted a comment on this blog but read it, would you do me the honor of a comment? I’d love to know who is out there looking in and offer my thanks that you take your time to stop by. I know that you have endless other blogs you could be reading. I’m delighted that you visit mine. Even if I have no clue that you are doing it. Today’s guest blogger is my friend, writing colleague and Courier-Times Chew This! columnist, Blaise Doubman of Kennard, Indiana. Blaise is a gifted baker, cook, blogger and recipe creator. He pops up in my book, That Sweet Place: At Home in the Heartland, as the town baker and he created the Hoosier Sugar Cream Pie recipe that you really need to try.
Blaise’s much-anticipated first cookbook, Blaise the Baker Dessert First, will be out within weeks and he’s taking pre-orders now. Grab a glass of iced tea and meet Blaise. Q. Blaise, you were raised in the small town of Kennard into a fun-sounding family and you are blessed to still have two grandmothers around as close friends. What were your earliest influences in your love for cooking and baking? A. Oh, you are right. I am blessed to still have both of my Grandmothers and I do not take a single minute for granted. They still teach me things that I am not sure how I would know otherwise. I was lucky to be born into a food loving family, which has really shaped my life. My Grandma Barbra was the first person to show me where food comes from and how it is prepared. She would never credit herself as a teacher, but I would have to disagree. She is skillfully patient, kind and informative in the kitchen. Once Mom started noticing my adventures in the kitchen with my Grandma Barbra, she started having me help her. That progressed into having Grandpa Max and Grandma Deloris show me their tricks of the trade. Looking back, I am so incredibly lucky to have been surrounded by adults who gladly welcome me into their kitchens and encourage me to help. And no matter what it was, nothing was too advanced, or too messy. Those lessons stuck with me because I am always one to encourage kids in the kitchen. Of course you must also teach them about safety, but those lessons also apply to their lives outside of the kitchen. Q. Do you remember the first dish you made? Through the years, what have become your signature dishes? A. Yes! I actually do remember the first dish I ever made! I think I have discussed this in one of my Chew This! columns. I can remember when I was a few months old. Sights, sounds, smells – all of the things that start to develop, I remembered developing right away. Strange, I know. The first dish I made was with Grandma Barbra and it was for boxed brownies. I helped stir and scrape the pots as soon as she introduced me into the kitchen, but the first finished dish, instead of just participating in, was boxed brownies. I remember being utterly fascinated by how this brown powder, when mixed with water, oil, and egg could produce something so delicious! I actually remember burning the roof of my mouth too, because I could not wait to dig in. Something I am still doing to this day! It was my first experience of from start to finish, baking. And I loved it! As far as my signature dish, I would have to say anything dessert. Whenever there is a get-together I am the person people think of when bringing something sweet. I am known though for lasagna, sour cream noodle bake and a few appetizers-- all of which are featured in my upcoming cookbook. Q. You live a culinary lifestyle. You create recipes, prepare food, write a food column, food blogs, enjoy restaurants and cookbooks. What is your favorite aspect? A. You know, until you asked this question I had not really thought about it. Me, living a culinary lifestyle is appropriate and to actually hear it makes me realize how extremely fortunate I am. When I was 12, I knew I wanted to make food, create food, write about food, feed people and make people happy. Simple as that. And really, I didn’t even have to think about it. I just knew. I love all aspects of my food journey. When I develop a recipe it is a feeling of accomplishment. When I write about it, it becomes a feeling of satisfaction. When I share it with people, feed people and see and hear how much they like it, it is a sense of overall happiness and enjoyment. I’ve always loved to write and tell stories but when writing about food and knowing that I am sharing something with someone that I have created, it is a magical feeling. And cookbooks! Can we talk about cookbooks? I have several thousand, so many that I refuse to count, but my love for them started with Grandma Barbra, no question! She does not have the collection I have, speaking in terms of value and mass amount, mostly because she said she refuses to find the area to store them, but she has more than your average person. She bought me my first cookbook, Learn to Bake and You Will Love It, from a rummage sale. I still have it and I still use it. It is one of my treasured possessions. Sometimes, I look back at that cookbook and remember holding it in my little hands, marking recipes to try and just being amazed. I actually am the same way now, except my hands are bigger! My favorite aspect is sharing what I love with everyone who is interested. There is nothing quite like sharing your love with people who also share the same love and interest. Q. How did you make the decision to publish your first cookbook now and is there a single favorite recipe? And, what kinds of recipes are inside – so much more than desserts, right? A. Oh my, yes! A lot more than just desserts! My cookbook has a little bit of everything. From desserts, of course, to salad dressings, main dishes, breakfast foods, appetizers, brunch items, dips, soups, casseroles, pastries and so much more. There are popular recipes from my blog, Blaise the Baker, as well as popular recipes from my food column, Chew This! There are 100 new recipes that I have never published anywhere before. I think that is what I am most excited about, releasing such a large amount of recipes that nobody has ever seen before. It is a thrilling experience for me! Before the recipes start in my book there are several pages of commentary. I talk about what ingredients are best, how I tested the recipes, my thoughts on cooking utensils and bakeware, and tips on foolproof cooking and baking. The cookbook is more than a cookbook. I like to think of it as a friendly companion that you will want to keep in your kitchen at all times. I wrote it for everyone. No matter if you are a novice in the kitchen, or a professional, I think everyone can learn something from my experiences that I write about and share. I decided to go ahead and finalize my cookbook because I felt like it was the right time. There have been a lot of people on this journey with me and there have been a lot of people waiting and anticipating it being finished. It had come to a point where the recipes could not be improved upon anymore, the script had been proofread and I had a sense of being extremely happy with how everything had turned out. That is when I knew it was time. I was happy with everything and I could not envision myself ever changing anything. I knew then that it was complete and that I was ready to let everybody in on it. As far as favorite recipes, I admit that I do have a few. At the top of the list has to be my Famous Tea Room Chicken Salad (page 102). I have a special way of preparing the chicken for this recipe that produces the most delicious, moist, and tender chicken that you have ever had. Plus, it involves a very special ingredient that brings out the flavor of the chicken. I had a recipe tester in Minnesota tell me that he and his testers found this the best chicken salad they had ever had and that it was even better than the town’s leading restaurant. I highly recommend people try that recipe first! Another recipe that is pretty special to me would have to be my Family Salad Dressing (page 164). The recipe comes straight from Grandma Barbra and it is her secret dressing for everything! She uses it in her potato salad, pasta salad, chicken salad, coleslaw. And it was not until I was in the process of writing this cookbook that I found out that her dressing was the basis of all of her salads and slaws! I thought that was pretty cool. I am really excited that she is having me share it with everyone. I also love the Hummingbird Cake with Thick Cream Cheese Frosting (page 10) because it reminds me of my childhood with Grandpa Max and Grandma Deloris. This remains a favorite of my Grandma Deloris still to this day! I loved baking it for her but never really appreciated the true tastes and textures until just a few years ago. It is by far the best Hummingbird Cake recipe that you will ever have! And the thick cream cheese frosting recipe that I have include to go with the cake is fabulous topped on cinnamon rolls! Sarah's Pecan Rolls (page 88) is a recipe I had to include from our neighborhood friend Sarah Darling. She made them for her friends and family every year around Christmas time. She passed away several years ago but we keep her memory alive by making these delicious rolls every holiday season! Same goes for Carmen’s Fruit Cookies (page 54). They hold a special place in the heart of my family. Do not let the name fool you, either. These are delicious and packed with flavor! No typical fruit cake type cookie here. There are so many recipes, all of which are tied in with such special memories for me. One recipe that would seem to be the easiest, but was actually one of the most challenging, is my recipe for Chocolate Puff Pastry Turnovers (page 93). Sometimes the simplest of tastes are the hardest to really get down pat. I finally did manage to find the taste I was looking for with these and they are really a fun and memorable dessert! And how can I leave out Darla’s Spanish Rice (page 120)? A recipe that I have grown up eating for years, with special thanks to Mom, and I am so thrilled she let me share the recipe with everyone! When you spend so long with all of these recipes it is hard to pick a favorite. Q. You are a graduate of Indiana University East and entrepreneur in the culinary arts. If you could name your dream career from here on out, describe it. A. Food writer. There is no question about it. I love writing about food. No matter if that means writing my food column, Chew This!, writing my latest cookbook review for my blog, writing out a recipe I have developed, writing an essay on a food-related topic or doing a business or restaurant review. I am beyond thankful and grateful for the opportunities I have had that have lead me to do the work I have always dreamed about doing. Some day, when I have the extra time, I would like to really learn more about the history of food. I would like to know more about why we eat what we do, how we do and prepared the way we do. I have a friend who is a food historian and I really admire that. I have always found the background history of food to be just as interesting as developing a recipe or tasting a new taste combination. So I will say that as the career of my dreams: food writer, recipe developer, and food historian. Q. When you aren’t working with recipes in some fashion, what are your other interests? A. Reading and collecting cookbooks. I read and collect compulsively. I have always got my nose stuck in a cookbook. It could be a cookbook I am reviewing for my blog, a cookbook for a friend that wanted me to write a blurb or just a cookbook that holds my interest. My collection runs deep, however I am the first to admit, that you will not find any low-fat, no-sugar, diet or fad -program diet books in my collection. I just find they are not any fun to look at! Outside of food though I have varying interests. I love to listen to music. I love reading great books. I love taking the time to talk to my parents and grandparents about life and trying to gain perspective on how their lives were growing up. I love learning about photography and I love seeing the world through someone else's eyes. Instagram is really good for this. There are some fabulous accounts from people all over the world. I love to sit and browse what their world looks like to them. I love to talk and I love to laugh with friends. I try and enjoy each day I have and remember that not everybody gets a chance to do so. I am a firm believer in finding and following your passions. Q. If people should try only one recipe in your new book, what is it? A. Oh, without a doubt, my Famous Tea Room Chicken Salad (page 102). I want people to really know and realize that I love to cook just as well as I love to bake. My main focus are desserts and everything sweet but I would like to think that not to far off of my main focus is my love for cooking. Both are complete opposites, in baking everything is science and scientific driven, but both can be fun ways to express yourself. Q. How can people subscribe to your blogs or contact you to pre-order your cookbook? A. The easiest way to subscribe to my blog is to log on to http://blaisethebaker.com and find the link on the side of the page that reads subscribe. Click on that and enter your email address. You will get an email every time I make a new post. Please like my page on Facebook too. Visit http://facebook.com/blaisethebaker Anyone is also more than welcome to email questions or comments at blaisethebaker@gmail.com. From Donna: Thank you, Blaise, for this visit with Home Row readers. I've sent in my pre-order and can't wait to get your cookbook late next month. We re-purposed Brian's childhood and teenage desk (he couldn't let me sell it in a garage sale; yes, he's quite sentimental at heart). It now collects gear associated with this season of my life. The books make up a sampling of volumes that were mostly self-published by people I know or know of. I've bought some, was given others. What about you? Is there a book in you? If so, maybe I can help you get started. It happened again yesterday. Someone I don’t know called and wanted to talk about how to go about publishing a book. A second person private-messaged that she would like to take me to lunch to talk about how to get started writing. Recently a gentleman stopped by and asked what I would charge to edit his memoirs, and a lady emailed to ask if I would mentor her poet friend.
People have asked me these kinds of things since Sweetland of Liberty Bed & Breakfast came out in 2014 but I’ve had a real surge since May when That Sweet Place: At Home in the Heartland was printed. “How do I publish a book?” is a loaded question, with an even more loaded answer. When someone poses the query, before I respond, I first have several questions for the one asking: 1. Do you mean self-publish a book or are you wondering how to get a traditional publishing contract and (here’s the cliché so many ask with a laugh) appear on The New York Times Bestseller List? 2. Are you competent with a computer in terms of uploading files, proofing online, and communicating your needs without ever seeing the human beings working on your book? 3. Do you need to sit down with a person and have that person walk you through everything? 4. What are your goals with the book: to say you have a book out and be happy if a few friends and family members read it, or are you seeking a broader audience? 5. If you expect a broader audience, are you willing to put yourself and some money out there – seeking venues such as author fairs, book clubs, speaking programs, blogs, media interviews – to sell your book for a season of your life? 6. Are you easily discouraged? Some venue organizers will invite you and treat you like a celebrity. Some won’t be great for you. Some, frankly, won't even book you. Can you deal with all that? Oh, I have more questions besides, but the answers to those will tell me how to answer the person asking that one question. There seems to be so much interest in self-publishing people’s memoirs, poems, family history or fiction that I decided to compile everything that I wanted to know when I asked that same single question – How do I go about publishing a book? -- and create a program that I can offer to libraries or other community groups that might have an interest. My resulting program rolls out in Franklin County at two libraries on Wednesday, Aug. 3. At 11 a.m. I’ll speak and field questions at the Brookville Library and at 2 p.m. I’ll be at the Laurel Library. If you are interested, simply come on down to scenic Franklin County. You might say this is my pilot run to see how it goes. I will tell you up front that I’m not an expert, and this isn’t a how-to guide to merging files or explaining why a 72 DPI-resolution photo will not work for a cover image. Those would be of interest, maybe, but would be another program. The talk I’m offering is an overview of my experiences in deciding to self-publish, then what the process has been like and what to expect after the book is ready. I don’t think that enough self-published authors consider the after enough. They need a game plan. I’m not representing any one company, but I can tell you the positive experience I’ve had with CreateSpace, the self-publishing wing of Amazon, and if you prefer working one-on-one with a publisher and need someone to help you in person, I have two people in Indiana whom I know personally, and whom I can recommend. More than anything, my program provides a whole lot of questions to ask for those who aspire to see their books in print. Even if I don’t have the answers (and I do have quite a few of those) I have questions that writers will want to ask themselves before embarking on this interesting journey. You have to know the questions before you can get at the answers you really need. If you are a librarian or simply a library frequent flier, consider booking or recommending me to give this program. And of course, I’m booking ladies groups in particular for my new program, “Bloom Before You Are Planted.” For would-be writers or authors, I also have a program called “Finding Your Voice and Audience.” I can also tweak a talk to your individual needs. Contact me at: newsgirl.1958@gmail.com or on Facebook on my author page at: Donna Cronk. First, a celebration for the wonders of the Internet. If not for The Worldwide Web, you wouldn’t be reading this post, or visiting regularly on Facebook with your best friend from third grade or sharing an obscure memory with a long-ago teacher. As for my writing, if not for the Internet, you might read what I have to say in local newspaper columns if you lived in my circulation area. But for the most part, the distribution of my work – and that of other community journalists and would-be local authors – would be limited. And the magic of seeing your own story between the covers of a real book would probably not happen. In the history of mankind, until recent years, the publishing ability for a common person who enjoys writing and thinks she has a book inside her, was limited to vanity presses, and, not many people actually published via that route. It was pricey, unusual, and laborious. Besides that, your friends and family would likely say, “Who does she think she is?” What’s a vanity press? It’s where the author finds a company to print her work, then orders books to sell or give away after the investment. The slang term is insulting, and is meant to describe someone with no talent other than in her own mind. So how on earth did this "no-talent" person distribute the volumes printed via the vanity press? That was always the problem, and that’s where the image of dusty boxes of books in the closet came from. Not so today with print-on-demand options. (This is where your printer / publisher creates as few as one book at a time when you order it). It’s as easy to get your hands on a copy of your own book as it is, with little exaggeration, as it is to run a copy on a copier machine. Essentially, only with bigger and much more sophisticated equipment—that is precisely what a self-publishing company does. And the author doesn’t have to go broke in the process. I once had someone at a program I presented to a men’s service club boldly ask me what it cost to publish my first book. When I hedged on an answer, he said, “I don’t know if you are talking fifty grand or $5,000.” Neither, actually. But a whole lot closer to the lower figure. And while each book carries a different price tag depending on various services and add ons, the average price, including, say 200 copies of a book to get her started in sales, creating and listing the book on Amazon and for Kindle, and the set-up service package, would run around the cost of a nice Disney vacation for one. The Internet opened a new means of both printing and distribution. Increasingly, over the past 15 years, local and regional authors have sent me books to review and consider for newspaper articles, or I’ve come across them on my own. The self-publishing industry exploded. Suddenly, average people (and average or below-average writers) could have their work bound and boxed, available for their family and friends and for as many others as they could persuade to buy copies. Author fairs sprung up at small-town libraries where there are, generally and ironically, more self-published writers and books in attendance than there are patrons. But in the authors’ eyes, you see the fire burning for the books they were passionate to write. At the least, they accomplished something most people just talk about when they say, “I should write a book.” At the most, the book gets good reviews, many copies are sold, fun is had and even a sequel or a book in a different genre results. I suppose most self-published authors fall somewhere in the middle. I’ve seen some disappointing self-published books. These are the ones that give all of us independent authors a bad name. They are sloppy and full of typos. And that isn’t even counting a judgment as to whether the stories are any good. Sometimes, the bad ones come as surprises. I once purchased a book from an author who impressed me a great deal in person for several reasons. This author was well-educated, had a skilled job and was articulate and confident about the book he or she had produced. I honestly couldn’t even tell you the writer’s name, and I have only met the person once. (I meet a lot of indie authors.) We enjoyed a long, chatty conversation on the day we met and as a show of support, I purchased the book. I had someone in mind to give it to as a gift. When I got home and started reading, I immediately realized that I would be embarrassed to give it away. I couldn’t believe it. I actually threw it out. Then I was mad at myself for my blind purchase. (Yet I must admit: I've read some terrible books that were traditionally published by the big houses.) Still, many other self-published books are well done, review and sell well, and there is little separation between these books and those books which are traditionally published by publishing houses that pay the author instead of the author paying to publish. Now, a disclaimer. I am no expert on self-publishing (I prefer the term indie-publishing, and will use it from here on out in this post). But with two books out, a decent level of distribution, and plenty of experiences with author fairs, library readings, book clubs and presenting featured programs, as well as a couple decades worth of indie-published books crossing my desk at the newspaper, I for sure have some thoughts on the topic. I’m currently developing a new program for libraries and other interested venues discussing an overview of this topic. The program will be, “So You Want to Publish Your Book.” I can’t tell you how to get an agent (but I have a couple of tips that involve diligence and luck), but I can offer some insights into indie-publishing. In short, I’ll share what I know now that I wish I had known before I started this journey. Someone attending should go away knowing what questions to ask or “where to start” on the journey. The idea for this program came from a friend and marketing professional who told me that such a program – one that helps, educates or includes others – would be a potentially good way to get bookings –yes, to promote my work. You give something, you get something. So there you have it: a tip right there. If you are going to get your indie-published work out there, and for anyone to see what you’ve got, you have to find creative ways to get yourself out there. And guess what? When I pitched the idea the first time to a librarian, along with the separate program topic that directly relates to my new book, That Sweet Place: At Home in the Heartland, she chose the indie-publishing program. AND … she said she’d like to have me give the other program for a different group she has in mind. Both venues will be opportunities for distribution and possibly include stipends for my time and effort. That’s my payoff. Here’s another tip. If you would love to publish a book, think you have something to say, but balk at the idea of self-promotion, and don’t really want to put yourself out there, preferring that others will simply find you, I have a suggestion: Get a diary instead. This new program will debut in August. If you are interested in having me present it to your group, let me know. And, if you are an indie-published author and would like to offer some of your insights on this topic, I’d love to hear from you. Email me: donna@donnacronk.com. Or, respond with comments to this blog. I’d love to keep this conversation open ended. I was just thinking about how blessed I am to be surrounded by so many wonderful women. From family to close friends to women I work with and write about, attend church with, and speak to at their social and service clubs and events, I enjoy them in all their differences, talents, tastes and stories—always stories! That is the currency of a writer.
If you live in greater-east-central Indiana, consider picking up a copy of the Sunday, Jan. 31 issue of the New Castle Courier-Times. Inside will be a print bonus: the winter issue of Her Magazine for Women. On the cover is Cindy Oler, owner of Dance With Cindy – a business she founded as a child, and it continues to thrive 47 years later. For decades I have had press releases from Cindy about recitals and even in those brief online encounters, found her to be charming, kind, and grateful. Sure enough, when I interviewed her for the cover piece (surprise! She didn’t know it would go on the cover) I found her to be all those things and more. And, I felt like we could be personal friends. I liked her. A lot. January was a worker-bee month for me both at work and at home. Along with getting the magazine out the door, the newsroom heated up the phone and Internet updating our annual Answer Book with corrected listings for all the social, service, government and leisure contact information helpful to those in and around Henry County, Indiana. We also had extra stories to produce for last Sunday’s HOPE edition, and our usual workload. At home, we got two rooms of carpeting so juggled furniture back and forth before and after installation, bought two cars’ worth of sets of tires, got my book’s Indiana sales tax squared away, I had my inaugural colonoscopy, and the dishwasher died. Indeed it was an expensive month to be a Cronk. Oh, and Brian rolled out a new part-time job as a driver for an automotive auction house. It was also the return to the Monday-night schedule of Bible Study Fellowship where hundreds of women come together for in-depth, non-denominational study. This year is the book of Revelation, and if you are free Monday nights, there’s a welcome class Monday, Feb. 1 at 6:55 p.m. Middletown Church of the Nazarene is the host church. I’m happy that this month comes to a close with an all-church women’s retreat at Lake Placid near Hartford City. Starting tonight, about 60 Ovid Community Church women and friends will gather to laugh, learn, craft, worship, sing, snooze, eat, and visit. It’s the perfect way to end a January that I’m ready to place in the books. Thank you, Lord, for the many bold, beautiful, interesting, entertaining and outrageous women in my life! Everything begins at home. For me, and I hope for you, home is that safe place to fall. It’s where we can be ourselves, find welcome and choose to relax or dig into a project. It’s where we can study, read, take care of personal business, enjoy a meal, watch TV, listen to music, visit with family and friends or do absolutely nothing.
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