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Your Monday Pep Talk

January 26, 2009 by Kat Gautreaux, Account Manager I'm arriving late to the "Man on Wire" party since I had to Netflix it.

For those who haven't seen it or who have never heard of it, "Man on Wire" is a documentary about Philippe Petit's lifetime obsession and final triumph over wanting to string a high wire between the Twin Towers and walk across it.

Crazy, right? First off, who really has that much interest in wire walking? And second, who is willing to risk legal troubles (it is not legal to wire walk without permission on national landmarks) and your life to do it?

The interviews with Petit in the film are amazing. His energy and enthusiasm for what he is doing is inspiring. His dedication to his passion borders on obsessive ... wait ... it IS obsessive!

But what you learn throughout the film is that not only will he not be deterred, but he convinces other people to help him on his crazy journey. He practices constantly, his life is seemingly lived for his one purpose alone: to wire walk across ridiculous spans, in particular the World Trade Center in New York. He lets nothing stop him to get to his ultimate goal.

It made me think about our little publishing world at Wheatmark.

For all those authors out there that are striving to fulfill their dream of being published, Petit is a great figure for inspiration. Despite criticism of what he wants to do, he continues. People tell him no, he is not deterred. Everyday he works on his craft and everyday he makes plans and contacts to help him fulfill his dream.

That is what authors should strive for! Writing out of passion is difficult because you put yourself and your ideas out there.

You ask for feedback, and sometimes it isn't positive. You must continue!

You try to get your book published through a "traditional" publisher (or 20) and are rejected. There is a way, do not be dissuaded!

When you believe passionately in your work it makes it easier for others to believe, so continue to fly your work's flag as high as you can!

Petit made his walk between the towers in 1974. He taunted death. He taunted the NYC police department. He did it hidden under tarps while hidden in the night. He did it.

You can do it, too!

Thankfully, Wheatmark won't make you create an illegal fake ID and hide for hours waiting for the guards to disperse. We offer publishing services to any author ready to make their dream a reality. So don't stop writing. Don't stop revising. Don't stop trying to make your dream a reality!

Now go have a cup of coffee and get back to your passion!

The Future of Books & Publishing

January 23, 2009 by Grael Norton, Acquisitions Manager There's a fantastic article about the future of publishing that was published on Time's website this past Wednesday:

Click here to read the article.

What are some of the lessons of the article?

1. Writers should self-publish their books--even their literary fiction--even if every agent and traditional publishing house in the world has rejected their book. There are just too many recent examples of self-published books receiving traditional publishing deals or selling millions of copies on their own outright to ignore.

2. Self-publishing is becoming a sort of "farm team" for the traditional publishing industry, as is highlighted by the following quote from the article:

"Daniel Suarez, a software consultant in Los Angeles, sent his techno-thriller Daemon to 48 literary agents. No go. So he self-published instead. Bit by bit, bloggers got behind Daemon. Eventually Penguin noticed and bought it and a sequel for a sum in the high six figures. 'I really see a future in doing that,' Suarez says, 'where agencies would monitor the performance of self-published books, in a sort of Darwinian selection process, and see what bubbles to the surface. I think of it as crowd-sourcing the manuscript-submission process.' "

This concept reminds me of iUniverse's Star program (as I think it's called) and, closer to home, Wheatmark's own Great Expectations program.

3. Before we pat ourselves on the back too much, we must remember that the whole concept of the "book" is radically changing before our eyes. Everyone--writers, editors, agents, publishers, distributors, and retailers--is going to have to work overtime to figure out how to provide quality written content to readers.

The question remains as to whether or not any of these critical components of the publishing industry will be earning a living while doing it, as highlighted by this quote:

"So if the economic and technological changes of the 18th century gave rise to the modern novel, what's the 21st century giving us? Well, we've gone from industrialized printing to electronic replication so cheap, fast and easy, it greases the skids of literary production to the point of frictionlessness. From a modern capitalist marketplace, we've moved to a postmodern, postcapitalist bazaar where money is increasingly optional."

Happy Friday!

The Origin of the Name Wheatmark

January 22, 2009 by Atilla Vekony, Publishing Information Manager "Where does the name Wheatmark come from? What does it mean?"

We hear these questions often about the origin of our name as we daily talk to writers about publishing a book. They all seem to love the name Wheatmark, but they don't understand what a book publishing company based in dry, cactus-covered Tucson, Arizona, would have to do with ... wheat.

Heat maybe, but wheat?

Well, when we picked the name, we probably considered Heatmark as well, but someone with slightly more common sense than the one who proposed it must have voted it down.

Anyway, authors tell me they think of Kansas or Nebraska when they hear the name Wheatmark, not Arizona. That's because they don't know the true origin of the word wheatmark and its rich, historic connection to the West.

Here it goes ...

Before I get into it though, I must tell you the true origin of the origin of the word wheatmark. We have struggled with the etymology ourselves until we started hiring for a new publishing position that opened up earlier in 2008. During one particular interview the candidate asked about the company name's origin. We joked we had been doing the research ourselves to no avail. We left it at that.

The next day we received thank-you notes from the candidates. One in particular, from Patrick Burns (master of fine arts in writing!), ended with his own fictional rendition of where the name Wheatmark came from.

So here it goes:

When books were first made out West, the pages were composed of a pulp of part wood, part wheat. Wheat was a luxury then so that books with a high "wheatmark" were considered of great value.

Did you hear that? Out West, books with a high wheatmark were considered of great value! Hence the connection between the name Wheatmark, Arizona, and quality books!

Do you think we hired the candidate? Why don't you find out by calling 1-888-934-0888? (Ask for Mr. Burns.)

Liking These Links!

January 20, 2009 by Kat Gautreaux, Account Manager Deciding whether to self-publish? There is more to it than making a Word document.

Want to get to blogging but need even more professional tips? This entry even includes a hilarious illustration on how to become a famous blogger!

Shameless plug: I was a guest blogger on Publishing Renaissance, a great blog for self-publishing authors to find each other and talk about what they are working on!

Marketing your Book: Writing coach shares stories from the book marketing trail.

The Blood-Red Pencil blog makes me giggle again! "As to your question, in today's tough marketplace I would suggest not sending an editor something that gives him or her a reason to reject it out of hand."

These next two links were snagged from The Book Oven Blog:

Want to make writer friends and collaborate? Check out Protagonize!

Need a Pavlovian cue to keep you writing?

Self-Published Book THE SHACK Sells 4 Million Copies

January 19, 2009 by Grael Norton, Acquisitions Manager The headline pretty much says it all... though you might want to read the article to learn a little bit more about how the book got launched:

Click here to read the article.

Note the presence of a strong "author platform" when the title was published. See my post citing Penny C. Sansevieri's article re: the author platform for more on this essential ingredient of publishing success.

The Secrets of Getting a New York Publisher

January 16, 2009 by Grael Norton, Acquisitions Manager Another fantastic article from Penny C. Sansevieri about how to get a traditional publishing deal. In brief? One of the best ways to land a traditional publishing deal is to self-publish your book and then work on building your "author platform."

It's your author platform--basically, the people who know you--that traditional publishers look at closely when they consider whether or not to publish to your book.

Click here to read Penny's full article.

Seek Feedback on Your Writing

January 15, 2009 by Kat Gautreaux, Account Manager Overwhelmed by the daunting task of editing your book now that you are a good chunk of the way through?

Here at Wheatmark, one of the questions we hear a lot is, "Did you read it? What did you think?"

Why wait to find out what people think?

Wheatmark offers editing services from copyediting to book doctoring -- but that is when the book is in its more finalized manuscript.

Many authors don't realize that earlier on in the process of creation is a great time to actually begin the editing process and seeking feedback.

One of the ways you can help focus your story and also help gauge interest in your work is also a great marketing tool: A blog.

I know. You're nervous about sharing your work when it is still very much in an initial draft. Think of it this way: Which is harder, having someone read a work in progress and have some constructive criticism you can take or leave or having someone critique your final, unchangeable product?

Using a blog to post sections of your book and allowing people to comment on your passages is a great way to get feedback, let people be supportive of your work, and eventually will be a great platform for launching your actual book.

Online channels are the most open and available for independently published authors to sell their books. Social marketing is a great way to tap into a population of book readers, buyers, and other writers.

Using your blog as a home base will help you gain readership and also help you create the book you have in mind.

Having trouble getting started? Check out a previous post I wrote on setting up a free Blogger account.

We offer some great resources on writing and editing for you to read also if you'd like to check them out!

Marketing for Fun: 1:2

January 14, 2009 by Wheatmark, Admin Back in December I wrote about a fun way to market your book: creating unique quizzes on Quiblo and other similar sites.

Wheatmark Finalist for SASIE Award

January 13, 2009 by Wheatmark, Admin You'll forgive us if every once in a while we toot our own horn: Wheatmark has been named one of 25 finalists for the Southern Arizona Smart Inspiring Enterprise awards, or SASIEs.

Presented by the Arizona Small Business Association, the awards "recognize and honor outstanding entrepreneurs in the Southern Arizona region whose innovative, enterprising approach to business deserves special recognition."

We'll be at the awards event (in black tie!) on February 17th, 2009. You may read an article about the awards and this year's nominees by clicking here.

Can You Sell Books As a Self-published Author?

January 13, 2009 by Kat Gautreaux, Account Manager I was on Facebook blathering on about something unrelated to books, and saw this little publisher ad off to the right. I clicked on it.

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