Bookends Publishing is excited to announce that travel memoir Destination Dachshund: Three Months, Three Generations & Sixty Dachshunds by Lisa Fleetwood has won the Gold Medal in the ‘Non-Fiction – Travel’ category in the Readers’ Favorite International Book Award Contest!
Recently the Australian Writers’ Centre interviewed me about my travel memoir, Destination Dachshund: Three Months, Three Generations & Sixty Dachshunds. I am so excited to share the interview where I talk about the book, self-publishing and why I chose to do it, and how I became a best seller on Amazon.
I’ve done four (or maybe five) courses at the centre and all have been beneficial to honing my skills as a writer – all of which contributed to my eventual publication. But there is more to just doing writing courses than working on the craft of writing. It’s about the people you meet there. Generally speaking your writer friends are your allies, the bright sparks at the end of a disappointing day writing (or not writing), your wing-ladies and men.
Prior to 2011, when I began to regularly attend courses, workshops and literary events I was doing it alone. I was writing with no-one to bond with, no one to discuss a plot hole with, no one to help me push though writers block, and no-one to rant to when everything I just typed mysteriously disappeared from my computer.
The people I’ve met at courses, workshops, conventions, and festivals are the ones who encouraged me to reach for stars. Yes, of course, my lovely family and other friends do this all the time too – I feel very fortunate and grateful – but there is nothing like bonding over a shared goal… to be published. We all know that no on else gets it like another writer. It’s just a fact.
There are so many positives to writing courses than just the content of the course and fan-girling over legends of Australian literature Kate Forsyth and Garth Nix. Whether it is online or face-to-face these are the places that you will start to meet your writing tribe who continue to support, help, and motivate.
Read the interview with the Australian Writers’ Centre below:
Confessions of a Mad Mooer: Postnatal Depression Sucks by Robin Elizabeth gained media attention recently in the Daily Mail. Interviewed by Lauren Ingram, Robin discusses postnatal depression and her visit to a psychiatric hospital after the birth of her twins. Read the full article here.
Buy the book: Robin shares her experience with postnatal depression in her heartfelt, funny, and raw memoir – a wonderful read for anyone who has experienced postnatal depression, those who love true stories, those who want to gain insight into what some mothers go through, or simply if you are a mother, like myself, who identified with some of the feelings Robin had after becomong a mother. I did when reading the book. My kids are now 18 and 16 but I remember those feelings of inadequacy and constantly wondering whether I was doing the right thing. Becoming a mother is hard, beyond hard – one of the hardest things a woman will experience in her life, but also the most rewarding.
Thank goodness someone finally realised that Robin needed help as she is one of the most wonderful mothers I have ever met. Her journey of healing in Confessions of a Mad Mooer is inspiring.
Buy it HERE.
Self-publishing a book is hard work, mostly because it’s so scary…
…which is why I joined Self-Publishing School to help me launch Destination Dachshund. And, even within that great community of writers and the helpful course modules it was still scary. For several reasons there were still many unknown factors in the publishing process:
Creativity
All authors, writers, or any artists anywhere will have the same fears when launching their art in the world, in what ever form it takes – but for the indie author who doesn’t have the backing of a publishing house, and doesn’t want to pay a few thousand dollars for a course like I did (I figured it was way cheaper than the cost of my husband converting his Ducati 1098s into a street fighter. He has his hobbies and I have mine, haha!), and has no experience in ebook or print options, front and back matter, ebook or print book formatting, book covers, setting up a launch team, keywords, metadata, ISBN and barcodes, or how to get your book into online bookstores – then it can become overwhelming.
Holding your print book in your hands is the ultimate goal for a writer but it just doesn’t seem to happen to everyone as much as they may strive for it. There are so many fantastic stories written by amazing people, but that does not guarantee publication. Talent is not enough. To me it is a combination of talent, perseverance, and being in the right place at the right time.
I’ve personally witnessed many writers reach the conclusion that despite years of writing (and I mean years and years), dozens of writing courses and workshops, blogging, mentorships, costly structural edits, the ‘almost’ pick-ups by an agent or publisher, and lots of wine – that maybe, just maybe they might have to take their writing career into their own hands.
Self-publishing may open the doors to your future writing career – it may not – but why not take the chance on yourself? It certainly shows that your serious about your writing and willing to take risks.
Bookends Publishing
In April 2017 Bookends Publishing will be releasing a self-help book called ‘Publish Your ebook in 10 Easy Steps’ as well as a series of step-by-step PDF guides and Bookends own ‘Self-Publishing Dictionary’.
And keep an eye out for open submissions for the Bookends Short Story Award in April as well.
Watch this space!
Enter Lisa Fleetwood’s Goodreads giveaway for your chance to win one of three signed paper back copies of her Amazon best-seller Destination Dachshund: Three Months, Three Generations, & Sixty Dachshunds. (Australia only)
It’s pretty simple – click below and enter the competition at Goodreads!
Merry Christmas!
Giveaway ends December 20, 2016.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
Merry Christmas book lovers!
A little elf told me that you wanted some holiday reading…
Grab signed copies of Amazon best seller Destination Dachshund: Three Months, Three Generations & Sixty Dachshunds or new release (and exclusive first print run) Confessions of a Mad Mooer: Postnatal Depression Sucks.
Contact Bookends Publishing for your very own signed copy. Also available in ebook format HERE