2 Book Signings - The Firsts!

This has proven to be an interesting week. And-that is-funny interesting I should add. I think small gifts are always the best and small they were. My first book signing...the prime location, a "green" shop owner in historic downtown Lexington, VA! Now anyone would think that a "green" book like Johnny Green and the Little Green Man would be the big hit, especially with the AUTHOR coming to a "green" shop. Well it didn't exactly go over like that. It was advertised well, from 1-3pm Saturday. Went to Cracker Barrel before the big event, then arrived early to help set up. Everything was perfect. We waited, one person came in..bought a book, I signed it. We waited some more, a couple came in with 3 children, I read the story, signed their books and then...waiting. By 1:30..no traffic, the town was like a ghost town...nobody on the streets. Come to find out, awhile later, there was a big event going on about 3 miles out of town and the WHOLE town was present. Well that ended the day. Although the people weren't there I so enjoyed the day. Relaxing, fun being with the girls, the weather was delightful - the small pleasures! #2, my first library experience last night. Everything again was set - advertised for 2 weeks in the local paper, Friends of the Library hosting the event. The forecast was for rain, thunderstorms, then TORNADO warnings of all things...it was pouring when we left home. We arrived, cookies and drinks on the table, chairs around the room, I set up my things, we waited. 6:30, buckets of rain pouring down, my Johnny Green showed up with his mother. Another lady came..6:35, I guess we should start. Lucky me, 8 in all (including me) showed, friends to make me comfortable, my little Johnny Green playing with the recycled garbage truck, what a delightful night...to end it with, chocolate chip cookies and lemonade!

All in the Month of April

The winter days have wound down, (except for some places I hear), I hear the birds sing, the fragrances of Spring... "ALL THINGS NEW " surrounds us. Fleeting wisps of wisteria captivate me in the early evenings now, trees have come alive dressed in their Spring green, flowers popping up all around showing their silly faces. April is a big and exciting month...and especially for Johnny Green! Johnny Green and the Little Green Man, finally published the end of Dec 2009 is rockin'! His calendar is busting at the seams! Starting with a short TV spot the end of March, everyday since seems to promise something of a surprise! All of this is quite exciting, the anticipation of the expected day when all would be said and done in production and the FUN would begin is really here! This is a picture of my new friend...my Johnny...who will be appearing with me on occasions as he is available. If you are in the area, come introduce yourself, we'd love to meet you! Johnny's Fan page is also up in facebook and we'd love to meet you there. Upcoming events are posted, as well as, other great tips and green insights in the eco-fairytale world of Johnny Green!

Self-Publishing, Why So Confusing?

One thing I didn't understand when I decided to self-publish is there are so many options to choose from. I did know what I wanted and found a self-publishing company that offered the services I felt that met my needs at the time. I do have a clear understanding now in arears of all these options and realize I did do what was right for my book at the time, beginners luck I suppose. Consider yourself self-published if you go any other route than with a traditional publisher. (You may actually have it published far sooner then waiting around buried in rejection letters - ha!) Out of the muck I've found three ways to go when self-publishing; 1) become your own publishing company, 2) find a publishing company that does the setup work for you, finds a printer to print your books, and then you pile them in your basement and do the rest yourself, or, 3) find a print on demand (POD) company that offers a combination of services that fit into your vision for your book. Regardless of which way you go, plan on spending a lot of time to get the book published. The marketing is pretty much left to you, although some self-publishing companies do offer some services, for a price! Don't be fooled, if you do end up publishing with a traditional publisher, marketing your book will still be pretty much be left up to you as well... I read about Joe Writer, he found a traditional publishing company to publish his book, ended up not selling many of his books, but at least was able to say he was published by a "real" publisher. Poor Joe! And surprisingly enough if you do self-publish, and market your book well, traditional publishers will take a closer look at you if you do decide to try to submit your work later. Personally I'm satisfied that I self-published, it's been rewarding, I've learned a lot and I'm proud to have accomplished what many people never will. I'm going to leave you with this book, 3rd edition, of The Fine Print of Self-Publishing, by Mark Levine, Copyright 2008. It is priceless and should be a must-read if you are considering self-publishing! http://bit.ly/aCUosS I will go into more detail about the three ways in my next post on self-publishing. And oh, by the way, check out my website, www.suzantylerdecker.com to learn more about my 1st self-published book - Johnny Green and the Little Green Man!