I'm always trying to learn as much as I can about different avenues of writing. When I got an email from a PR contact with a.press release about a self publishing seminar, I knew I was going to publish it in our online edition of the newspaper. I also decided that I was going to attend the seminar as soon as I heard about it.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, I took on the journey of writing my memoir. It was an idea that was thrown around for a while between some friends and I had always said "oh, maybe when I have the time" or "nobody would be interested in my story." Well when COVID came, I had all the time in the world while sitting in the house with my family. That's when Forever Her Girl: The Stories and Experiences of a Major Fangirl was born.
While working on the manuscript, it reignited my passion for writing. I was sharing memories and moments from my own life, talking about real world issues like self-esteem and bullying. I had no intention of every publishing it and sharing it with the world, but when I really allowed myself to dream about my book, I knew the world needed to read my story.
Forever Her Girl: The Stories and Experiences of a Major Fangirl is my memoir about finding my personal hero Paula Abdul. It takes you through the very first time I saw her on TV, making friends online, meeting her, and my journey since March 19, 2007. Being a Paula Abdul fan has shaped me into the person that I am today.
The seminar with Lindsey and Jeff was an amazing experience. As I've said in other blog posts of mine, I can't tell you how important it is to always stay a student. I love talking with other writers, journalists, book editors, PR reps, and social media experts about the importance of the career path of communications. It's truly a wide open field with different avenues from public relations to being a news reporter.
For me, writing was always something I loved. I remember being a little girl and writing one act plays that my brother and I would perform for our families. I took meticulous notes in all my college classes. I was always that weird kid who loved writing papers and book reports.
During the seminar, Jeff shared his experiences of how he got into writing. Unlike me, Jeff had a job in construction and never imagined himself as a writer. After being told that he was being let go from his job, a vision came to him as a film strip and that's when he decided that he needed to tell this story.
Jeff's book, Deep Within a Blueberry Sky, is a magical realism novel that focuses on a little girls summer visit with her grandparents. According to Jeff's website, “Deep Within a Blueberry Sky exemplifies the quintessential elements of what the selfless acts of giving and teaching, both profound offerings of love, really signify, and the tremendous good that comes, as a result."
Jeff discussed his adventure with the self publishing industry and educated those in the seminar about the process that a self published book takes, from writing the manuscript, editing, illustrations, book pricing, and book design. There really is a lot that goes into it, sometimes more than the author even realizes!
Lindsey's insights during the seminar were also equally important. Lindsey, a freelance book marketer, gave those in attendance the best tips and tricks to navigating the self publishing industry. I'm very fortunate, as being a writer already, I know many people in the publishing industry, whether that be in newspapers, magazines, and books. However, it never hurts to be reminded on how to successfully market yourself.
Lindsey's point about identifying a target market and utilizing your connections is a key point. Being that I work in the news industry, when my book came out, I asked one of my writers to produce a story about my book that went into all of our publications. I worked my magic to save a bit of money and had my friend create my book cover and my marketing materials. I wrote my own press release and emailed it to a few companies I used to work with.
One of the biggest takeaways I took from the seminar was the importance of having the opportunity to share my story. Jeff said something very early on in the seminar that was very eye opening. "Go for it!" I really struggled when I attempted to first write my book. I didn't think people would care or that my book was really just about me blabbering on about being a fan of Paula Abdul's. I was wrong.
After sending out the initial copies of my book, I have heard nothing but positive feedback from everyone who has read it. My friends have appreciated learning more about me, but people I don't even know have read it and reached out to tell me how much they loved it. I didn't think that my book was that important, but just like Jeff said during the seminar, "your ideas need to be shared with the world,"
I'm going to echo Jeff's statements...if you are an aspiring author, I highly recommend that you just do it. Sit down in front of your computer and write the words down. Even if you only write a few sentences a day, just write. You truly don't know what your words or ideas will mean to the person who finds your story.
Signing off,
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