Michelle Rayner

As cliche as it sounds, you really do judge a book by its cover. Which is why you NEVER want to scrimp on the cover design of your self-published book. Because let's face it, if you can't entice people to pick up your book in a bookstore, then you have even less chance that they'll read it.

But how to you find the right person to design your book cover? Let's start with who should NOT design it. That would be you. I don't care if you're the second coming of Picasso, you should not design the cover of your own self-published book...just like you should not be your own editor. You need a fresh perspective from someone who can tap into your creative soul without the barrier of your ego getting in the way.

Book Designer Criteria

When looking for a book designer you want to choose someone who creates art that you actually enjoy AND works with you collaboratively on the design concept

For example, when I asked graphic designer Michelle Rayner of Cosmic Design to design the cover for my humor book "Confessions of a Band Geek Mom" I had no idea what I wanted...I just know I wanted something visually creative, whimsical, a little bit "gossipy," and fun.

She read my manuscript and then developed about five designs, all of which included tiny artistic elements that were mined from the stories in my book. This adds interest to my cover without literally explaining what the book is all about.

In the end we took elements from from all the designs she gave me, and created a brand new cover from that. If you look at the book's cover art, you see that my shoulder is a mountain range with a small heart (my stories take place in Park City), my hair is a pine tree, my earring is a saxophone, and there is a musical note in the iris of my eye. All subtle hints of the stories to come.

Enough of Me, Let Michelle Tell You!

I sat down with Michelle a few weeks ago to do an audio interview for the Offbeat Authors Guild. I chatted with her about how she goes about working with independent authors to come up with a concept for a book cover. Unlike many designers Michelle likes to read the book, or at least read excerpts from the book, before she dives into designing its cover. She also likes to know what visually inspires the author, as well as the overall message the author wants to convey. "I think of a book cover as a billboard." says Michelle. "You have just a few seconds to grab a person's attention, so you want the cover to be visually captivating, but also tell a story as soon as people look at it."

In addition to mine, Michelle has designed several book covers, and has her own unique style of working with authors. Because she is so proactive, and always initially offers several design options, I highly recommend Michelle for first-time independent authors who need a little hand-holding, as well as literary veterans who come to her with their own design concepts in mind.

But don't just take my word for it; listen for yourself. Here's a snippet of my interview with Michelle:

To contact Michelle about her book design services, please email her at michelle@cosmicdesignllc.com.

Or check out Michelle's website at www.cosmicdesignllc.com

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Stacy on a really good day!

Stacy Dymalski is an author and independent self-publishing consultant, who teaches self-publishing through the Life Long Learning program at the University of Utah. Her latest book, “The Memoir Midwife, Nine Steps to Self-Publishing Your Book” is a primer that walks authors through the self-publishing process.

She’s also an award-winning speaker and comedian who pens the popular humor blog “Nonsense to Mom’s Sense of Humor, How my life as a stand-up comic prepared me for motherhood.” She lives in Park City, UT, with her two teenage sons, who provide a constant source of comedic material. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Annette Velarde on assignment in Wales

There is a romanticism about what it's like to make a living as a writer. People who are not writers, but want to be one, often have this ideal that writers sit around cafes all day, pontificating with each other on the meaning of life until inspiration strikes. At which time they then sit down at a laptop and literally spew out a piece of classic literature that would make Hemingway rise from the dead and exclaim, "Holy cow, why didn't I think of that?!"

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Being a writer is just like any other job; there are highs, lows, monotony, and reward. And just like any other job, you only get out of it what you put into it. Which means if you don't plant your rear end down in a chair and write, then you don't get paid. Similarly, if you consistently give your writing away for free, then you’ll never be taken seriously as a writer.

Writer or Author?

To be clear, there is a difference between a writer and an author. A writer writes everyday as a career (or to at least to hold a job). Writer positions include things like journalists, magazine staff writers, managing editors, copyeditors, ad and news copy writers, and web content providers, just to name a few. An author writes books, and usually does something else to actually pay the bills. Being an author is usually a hobby or side career. Being a writer is a job.

What's it like in the Trenches as a Writer?

Annette Velard

I sat down recently with full-time writer, Annette Velarde, to ask what it's like to earn a living writing for hire, and how she got started in the biz. Annette is working on her doctorate and for years her only source of income was contract writing. She is a regular writer for several magazines, but also does the “one-off” contract writing jobs that occasionally come her way.

Becoming a writer is not something she slid into. For years she worked in mortgage lending, but about 10 years ago decided she couldn't take it anymore. "The lack of creativity was suffocating," she says. “I’ve always liked to write and was told I was good at it, so I decided to follow my passion, and assumed the money would somehow work itself out.”

And somehow it did.

In my interview with Annette, she talks about:

• How to get started as a paid writer
• What it takes to maintain a living as a writer
• The different types of writing jobs out there
• Where to find writing jobs that can actually pay the bills

She also gives you a candid assessment of what a day in the life of a working writer is like. Although it's rewarding for her (and writers like her) those considering a life a writing may be in for a surprise as to how relatively unromantic the day-to-day routine really is.

As always I'm happy to give you a teaser of my interview with Annette. The following is a couple minutes of my "sit-down" with her, in which she discusses how ghostwriting for other people's blogs is a lucrative and good way to get started in a career as a professional writer:

Stacy on a really good day!

Stacy Dymalski is an author and independent self-publishing consultant, who teaches self-publishing through the Life Long Learning program at the University of Utah. Her latest book, “The Memoir Midwife, Nine Steps to Self-Publishing Your Book” is a primer that walks authors through the self-publishing process.

She’s also an award-winning speaker and comedian who pens the popular humor blog “Nonsense to Mom’s Sense of Humor, How my life as a stand-up comic prepared me for motherhood.” She lives in Park City, UT, with her two teenage sons, who provide a constant source of comedic material. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Keltin Barney enjoying the finer things in life. A good editor (and writer) has many interests outside of books.

One of the questions I get asked most often when I teach my self-publish classes and seminars is "Do I really need a book editor before I self-publish? Can't I just proof it myself and call it good?" The short answer is a resounding NO, you should never be the one to officially edit your own work. And YES, you should always hire a professional to edit your book.

To drive this point home this week's Offbeat Authors Guild interview is with book editor, Keltin Barney. I sat down with Keltin a couple of weeks ago in the upstairs offices of Dolly's Bookstore on Main Street in Park City and chatted with him about his passion, which just happens to be editing and writing books.

The Path of a Professional Book Editor

Keltin originally got his start in the literary world back when he was an English major in college. The turning point was when one of his English professors at the University of Utah tore up one of Keltin's papers and made him do it over. ("I was way in over my head, at the time," confesses Keltin.) After putting his heart and soul into the rewritten version, the professor not only gave him an 'A' on the paper, but later invited Keltin to assist him during student office hours. This gave Keltin the opportunity to help other writers realize their potential, which made him realize he was born to help authors bring their literary works to life.

Today Keltin works at the University of Utah Writing Center critiquing and editing the works of undergrads, graduate students, and college professors. He also makes a living as an independent book editor on a contract basis for publishers or authors who need extra help.

Book Editing 101

If you want your book in a bookstore, then hire a book editor to clean up your book

Keltin and I chatted for a good half hour, the meat of which was edited down to a solid 23-minute audio interview about book editors and editing, specifically for self-published authors. When I asked him what an author should look for when hiring a book editor, he didn't hesitate at all in his answer. "It's all about finding a book editor that you connect with; someone you can talk to and develop a relationship with." There's no doubt about it, you MUST select a book editor that sees your vision, or else it's like two people trying to communicate over a very staticky line. "The worst thing a book editor can do," he continues, "is take over and rewrite what you're doing the way they'd write it." He reiterates his point by stressing, "It's the editor's job to make sure the author's voice [in the written work] is prominent and as well presented as possible." If an editor wants his or her voice to be heard then they need to write their own book.

Other Book Editor Tips

Being the two literary geeks that we are, Keltin and I covered many book editor topics in our interview, including:

• The differences between copyediting and content editing
• The differences between editing fiction and nonfiction
• What an author should look for when hiring an editor (besides what's mentioned above)
• How to contract with an editor
• Some of the most common mistakes authors make when writing their books

He also confirmed that any book that is not professionally edited at some point before it's published will have a hard time competing in bookstores with all those other books produced by traditional publishers. Readers are fickle. There are too many books out there to choose from, so if a book doesn't engage a reader right away, that reader will immediately move on to the next book.

To give you a little taste of my interview with Keltin, take a listen to this three-minute audio clip, during which Keltin and I discuss the importance of copyediting and content editing, as well as what to look for when hiring a book editor: 

To contact Keltin about having him edit your book (or just to tell him how much you enjoyed his interview), please email him at keltinb@gmail.com.

Stacy on a really good day!

Stacy Dymalski is an author and independent self-publishing consultant, who teaches self-publishing through the Life Long Learning program at the University of Utah. Her latest book, “The Memoir Midwife, Nine Steps to Self-Publishing Your Book” is a primer that walks authors through the self-publishing process.

She’s also an award-winning speaker and comedian who pens the popular humor blog “Nonsense to Mom’s Sense of Humor, How my life as a stand-up comic prepared me for motherhood.” She lives in Park City, UT, with her two teenage sons, who provide a constant source of comedic material. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Authors and social media

There's always that question in the minds of self-published authors about using social media to sell books. On the one hand, it feels like a time-waster to peddle books in cyberspace when you're not really sure if anyone out there is paying attention. But on the other hand, you can't help but wonder, "As authors are we missing out on a good marketing opportunity if we DON'T get in line with social media?" Even though embracing social media sort of feels like cueing up at the end of a very long and cheesy Conga line at a debutant's wedding.

Authors need this book!

To get some conclusive answers I sat down with social media maven, Sue Ann Kern, founder of Face-it Social Media and author of the Facebook "how-to" book, Facebook for Smart People for an exclusive interview for Offbeat Authors Guild members. Sue Ann teaches social media workshops and coaches people in all walks of business on how to best use social media for their particular industries, including publishing. In my 28-minute chat with her, I specifically asked if social media is worth the effort in terms of return on investment of your time devoted to it. In other words, will it help self-published authors sell books?

"I don't believe that social media is a step that any business person can skip any longer," confirms Sue Ann. "Social media is so prolific and ubiquitous around the world that you need to have a presence. People are looking for you. And if they can't find you, you won't sell your products or services." And that includes self-published authors and their books.

How Authors Get Noticed

Sue Ann explains that social media is the long term, slow burn that gets your name out there so people figure who you are (and what you offer) and THEN they buy your book. It's all about building trust between you as an author and the people who buy your books. Gone are the days in which a book sells just because it's been published. This is true even if your book is published by well-known traditional publishers such as Random House or HarperCollins. People are more inclined to buy your book if they can research, and even sample, it online first. This means you need to not only have your own website, but also have a Facebook page for your book (or you as an author), an Amazon book page and author page, a Twitter account, a Youtube channel and more.

Basically, creating a book marketing plan that includes social media is the difference between simply crossing your fingers in hopes that your self-published book sells, and making sure it sells by letting people know it's there.

A Small Sound Bite

I know you're busy, so here is a 2.5-minute sample from my 28-minute podcast interview with Sue Ann Kern of Face-it Social Media, in which Sue Ann shares how self-published authors can use social media to market and sell books books.

Stacy on a really good day!

Stacy Dymalski is an author and independent self-publishing consultant, who teaches self-publishing through the Life Long Learning program at the University of Utah. Her latest book, "The Memoir Midwife, Nine Steps to Self-Publishing Your Book" is a primer that walks authors through the self-publishing process.

She's also an award-winning speaker and comedian who pens the popular humor blog "Nonsense to Mom's Sense of Humor, How my life as a stand-up comic prepared me for motherhood." She lives in Park City, UT, with her two teenage sons, who provide a constant source of comedic material. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Self-Publishing Made Easy

The Memoir Midwife: Nine Steps to Self-Publishing Your Book is finally out! It hits bookshelves on November 15, 2014, and I must say it's been a long haul. For such an unintimidating book, it took forever to breathe life into this little gem. The Memoir Midwife is a step-by-step tutorial that systematically and chronologically walks you through the process of self-publishing your book. Equipped with a handy checklist at the end of each chapter, along with helpful time- and money-saving tips, this comprehensive book packs a wealth of self-publishing information into just a few pages. That's because self-publishing really isn't all that difficult, as long as someone points you in the right direction.

Although I am a writer and author by education and trade, I did not set out to become a self-publishing consultant (a.k.a. a Memoir Midwife).

Self-Publishing by Accident

In 2011 I self-published my book Confessions of a Band Geek Mom. It was the first book I self-published on my own.  As a result of my marketing efforts, I was all over the media nationwide that summer, doing promotion AND talking about self-publishing -- mainly that I was surprised by how easy it was. I even joked about how my ignorance ended up being an advantage because I didn't have any preconceived experiences to chip away at my confidence.

Someone from the University of Utah heard me talk about this on the radio. Thinking self-publishng would be a great topic to add to their curriculum, this person called me up, and asked if I’d be interested in teaching a self-publishing course as part of the university’s Lifelong Learning (their continuing education program). I said “Sure,” but then that meant I had to get organized.

Getting Serious about Self-Publishing

I realized self-publishing entailed several repetitive steps, regardless the topic of the book. So I developed a curriculum that systematically went through each of those steps. Quite by accident (and really to get things straight in my own head) I ended up taking a complicated process and breaking it down into digestible, bite-sized pieces.

Self-Publishing Wisdom

My University of Utah course is a night class across multiple weeks, and every time I finished teaching it, at least one student would ask if I had a book that summarized the self-publishing steps I had just presented. I admitted I did not—mainly because self-publishing technology is a moving target and I didn’t want to have to continually update my book.

But then, for the people who couldn’t commit to a weekly night class, I independently created a one-day workshop (usually held on a Saturday) called “How to Self-publish Your Book.” (I know—catchy title, right?) And I decided in this case, a textbook would be helpful. So I sat down and wrote brief overviews of each self-publishing step. And after several iterations that initial effort has since evolved into The Memoir Midwife: Nine Steps to Self-Publishing Your Book.

Think of The Memoir Midwife as the self-publishing version of What to Expect When You’re Expecting. It’s meant to give you an idea of what you’re in for and provide the confidence you need to push forward.

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The Memoir Midwife: Nine Steps to Self-Publishing Your Book is available as of November 15, 2014, in select bookstores and on Amazon.com. You can also receive a free copy by signing up for one of Stacy's self-publishing workshops.