Why I added photos, poems and quotes in my memoir

One of the first reviewers of my memoir, Leaving the Hall Light On, said, “….The poetry and photographs add an extra dimension that is missing from most memoirs like this since as a reader you get much closer to the reality of what is being described on the page….” (Mark Shelmerdine, CEO, Jeffers Press). Another reviewer said my book is “poetically visceral.” Those statements helped validate any misgivings I had in adding other creative works into my manuscript.

First photo in the book

I really hadn’t thought of putting photos in my book until my publisher suggested it. And of course I was delighted. At first she suggested photos interspersed within the chapters, but my book didn’t lend itself to that. So I picked out photos in groups: of my son Paul – the main subject of the book, of him and his brother, family photos, views of my office, garden, and one of the memorials to Paul – a bench dedicated to him on the greenbelt outside our home. At the time I had no idea what an impact these photos would have on the message of the book. However, I was then reading Keith Richard’s memoir, Life. It has two photo sections. And I kept going back to these photos as I got to know more about the characters in his book.

Inserting my poems was another story. I never even considered leaving them out. They were instrumental in my book’s organization. I had journal entries and other writings to draw from and a poetry manuscript, and I arranged my book’s chapters according the order of the poems in my poetry manuscript. However, I still worried about what others would think. So many agents state that they don’t look at poetry. A memoir workshop instructor didn't like the idea. However, one of the people who had read my poems several years ago now says he can relate to them better because of their context in the story. The bottom line is: I was fortunate to find a publisher who not only liked the poems I had in the book, but asked for more.

Because I collect quotes – I usually note them down when I read, and I continually post them on my Facebook author page – I decided to insert three quotes in my book– two from books and one from a song. And that turned out to be the biggest problem in finally getting my book to print. Since I felt they were integral to my story I was adamant, but it took months to get the necessary permissions (see my Red Room blog posts dated September 15, September 29, and November  13, 2010 - http://www.redroom.com/member-blog/madeline40/). The main lesson is: if you want to include other authors’ words in your book, start getting permission early.

All in all I felt it was well worth the extra time it took to include other works in my memoir. My writing is very personal and I feel the photos, poems, and quotes helped deepen the personal message of my words.

Another book launch - oh my!

I now have a paperback edition of my memoir, Leaving the Hall Light On, in my hands. It just arrived. Getting it to this point has taken just short of three months, but well worth the time and effort. The edition looks great.

I decided to keep the same cover design because it has been my brand for the last year. I felt changing it could be confusing to my followers and even to me. Plus I love the front cover photo, taken by my young girl friend, Madison Poulter, whom I’ve known since she was eighteen months old. Can’t believe she’s off to Lewis and Clark College in the fall.

So both my publisher, Mike O’Mary at Dream of Things and I have been doing a lot of planning to get ready for the launch. Mike made an excel spreadsheet with activities to accomplish between now and January. Here are some of the things we’re doing right now:

• I’ve communicated with friends and family about the launch and asked them to write a review and post it on Amazon if they’ve already read the book. My reasoning is that my wonderful reviews helped me find a new publisher, so couldn’t they also help spread the word about the merits of this new edition my book? (Please write one if you've read my book and haven't yet.)
• Mike has launched the paperback edition on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other online outlets such as Powell’s and Red Room
• Mike set up a Leaving the Hall Light On page on the Dream of Things website – please go visit it. It looks awesome.
• Mike is going to set up a “Search Inside” feature on Amazon, so people can browse a little before they buy
• Mike is going to send the book out to other possible reviewers such as TheCompulsiveReader.com, ArmchairInterviews.com, etc.
• We will both come up with a list of possible reading/signing events in California at book stores, libraries, colleges, community centers, coffee shops, book groups, writer groups. (If any of you are in California and can recommend a place to contact, please let me know.)
• And I joined SheWrites.com for another networking resource

That list just gets us up to today.

We still have stuff to do relative to Goodreads, compiling a media kit, making a list of book clubs to contact (by the way, we’ve added two pages of reading group discussion points to the new edition), and late in August, the launch of the eBook.

Dream of Things

For the last 40 years or so, I have had a serigraph on my wall created by (sister) Corita Kent with the quote from G.B. Shaw: "Some people see things that are and say why? I dream of things that never were and say why not." Seems like synchronicity to me that my new publisher is Mike O’Mary of Dream of Things.

I met Mike through my friend, mentor, and go-to person for all things related to publishing, Mark Shelmerdine, CEO of Jeffers Press. I contacted Mark as soon as I heard Lucky Press, the first publisher of Leaving the Hall Light On, had decided to go out of business. However, I also took Mark’s advice and waited to contact Mike until I had time to distress and unwind while on vacation. That said, I wrote to Mike the Monday after we returned home. And Mike responded favorably from the start. I am so fortunate for that.

Since Mike decided to become my publisher – he’ll publish paperback and eBook editions by the end of July – we’ve been busy. We first created a new book description with review blurbs to post on my Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Red Room pages. Mike has already posted them, and I think they make a big difference. And even though Lucky Press made the corrections to the text that I had indicated and provided me with final native and pdf files, Mike and his wife Kathy each went through the manuscript with very precise eagle eyes.

Guess what?

They each came up with many more typos to correct. I must reiterate here that it is so important to have new and fresh eyes look at our material before we post or go to press with anything. I can't tell you how many typos I find on my blog posts after the fact. It's disgraceful.

We also decided to provide a list of book club discussion topics at the back of the book. We both came up with a list and then Mike merged them. Finally, I decided to redo the Acknowledgments page – you’ll have to read the new edition to see if you’re on it – and now we’re ready to go.

I can’t tell you how excited I am with my new publishing arrangement. Thank you Mike and Mark for making this happen. 

And now on to a marketing plan. Mike has the best ideas.

I'm querying again

Well, I’ve already sent out mini query letters to a couple of recommended prospective publishers. I’ve included information about my book and links to sample chapters of my memoir Leaving the Hall Light On, and I’ve told them I’ll have all the files in native QuarkXpress and pdf. So if they want to add my book to their portfolios it should be a slam-dunk. Plus I’m not interested in another hardback run. I would prefer a paperback and/or e-book.

I've also made a little pitch about my current writing work with links to my blogs Choices and Red Room, and to the PsychAlive and Naturally Savvy websites, where I blog every month. 

And now the waiting begins.

I hate this part. The querying and waiting.

I thought I wouldn’t have to do it again until I’m ready to market my novel.

And, now I wonder if it is even worth it. 

Readers, I need your advice on this one. Should I even try to find a new publisher or should I just go ahead and self-publish?

What do you think?

My 2012 writing resolutions

It’s time to get back to my writing life again. I know this list looks daunting but it’s not much more than I’ve already been doing for the last six months or so. But I must say that writing this all down makes it seem more ambitious.

Hopefully, this list will encourage my writing readers to join me.

·         Participate in the January River of Stones project – notice something properly and write a small piece (stone) about it every day this month

·        Finish Doreen Cox’ Adventures in Mother Sitting book and write a review

·        Read and comment on other writing blogs to get ready for a May blog tour promoting the release of the eBook and paperback editions of Leaving the Hall Light On

·       Write a thousand words a week on my novel

·       Write at least one poem a week – use Robert E. Brewer’s prompts at Poetry Asides as a jump start

·        Enter a poem into a contest or for publication at least once a month

·        Post a poem a week on my Facebook poetry group pages, Poetry Pact and Poets. Writers, Photographers, Musicians, Artists ~ Networking Group

·        Continue with my once a month posts for Naturally Savvy and PsychAlive

·        Get my three- minute video up on Marla Miller’s Over 45 women speak website

·        Start meeting with a writing group

·        Write, write, write, journal, journal, journal and blog, blog, blog (here and on Red Room) – just do a bit of writing everyday