More on Independent Publishing

I've heard from a lot of people interested in writing and self-publishing a book.

Do it. Write it.

And, as I've said before in this blog: Write it for an audience of One - yourself.

Send it to FedEx Kinko's and have them print it with a spiral bound.

Voila! Your book is published.
I did this. It was a fantastic feeling to hold that first, unedited draft in a printed format. Back in April 2014, I sat in the FedEx parking lot and thumbed through that big old draft and thought, 'Okay, wow, I wrote this. And, I'm holding a copy of it.' Life is about the simple things. I celebrated with a Hershey bar.

Then you think, 'I wonder if anyone else will want to read it?' Actually, my Vicki was all over that question.
Now, you choose to publish it. As I've written, without a literary agent or a relative or former roommate working a publishing company's acquisitions, your best option might be independent publishing. That's how I went.

There are lots of options. Without boring you, I chose CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, which is owned by Amazon. I interviewed a lot of other companies and settled on CreateSpace. I liked the customer service. I also liked that I had price options when it came to putting together my publishing package. I had choices among graphic design services, interior layout services, line-by-line editing services, and marketing services. There was a carte blanch feel to it, and I liked it.

Many independent publishers, I think, want to print a book as cheaply as possible. And, quite honestly, it's easy to spot a cheaply published book. Readers really do judge a book by its cover. Skimming on good editing aggravates a reader. Sloppy interior layout isn't good. Just as no writer wisely edits his own copy, a good promoter should find promotion help for his own stuff.

Because Brookwood Road was a dedication to my daddy, and fulfillment of a 40-year promise, I wanted to go as first class as I could possibly go. So, I bought a premium package within CreateSpace. I remember telling my sales rep, Sara, "I know my book won't be in Books A Million, but I want it to imagine it being there, and I want to imagine it looking like it belongs there." I could hear her doing the happy dance . . . what fish jumps in the boat like that?

While I spent a lot on the publishing package, I didn't have to borrow money to do it. I didn't have to forego a summer vacation. It was expensive, yes, but it was not a financial burden. And, I was pleased with the outcome of the book. CreateSpace fulfilled its obligation to me, the customer service was great, and I am content with the book. (If it's ever reprinted, I may tweak one or two typing miscues that slipped past a horde of editors and proof-readers. Rarely is a book perfect.)

Did I worry about recovering my investment? No.
Have I recovered my investment? Yes.
Have I made a lot of money on the book? No, and I don't expect to make a lot of money. Vicki and I have had two nice dinners out that we attributed to the book.
I had a story to tell, I told it, and it didn't cost me anything in the long run. Break even never felt so good.

One of the most laborious things I had to do was price the book. The paperbacks and hardbacks are printed on demand, meaning I don't have a warehouse full of books. When someone orders it, the book is printed and shipped to them. I had to come up with prices for the paperback, hardback and Kindle editions that weren't far off the scale for books of this word count, but also provided a small royalty that I could apply back to the initial investment.

For the sake of business, I calculated my break-even at 500 sales. That was lofty. My own research shows that 600,000 to 1 million books are published each year. The average book sells about 150 copies. Think about how many 20-sellers are compared to 1-million sellers in order to get an average of 150 sales. That's a bunch of 20-sellers.

But, again, it was never about the money.
It was about telling the story, and fulfilling the promise to my dad.

And, as a writer, that's where your head has got to be. Write your story; tell your story.

In a future post, I'll write some about the marketing / promotion strategy behind the book.

About the Faith Chapters

There was never a question that Brookwood Road would recall my coming to faith in Jesus as my Savior from God's eternal punishment of my inherent sinfulness. It is the primary crossroads of my life, and a significant part of my childhood occurring on Brookwood Road.

I suspect the reader reaction has been interesting. As one reader wrote me, "I was caught off guard by the sharp turn into the seriousness of faith.

"Up until that chapter I was reading and laughing (and crying) at the adventures, life lessons and interaction between you and your brothers. The boyhood humor and the colorful language had me rolling in the floor. In a surprising way, you gave me whiplash and afterwards I was glad you did."

In Chapter 17, "The Pink Store," I fully introduce my Papa Paul: Paul Edward Yarbrough Sr. He died when I was almost 8, but he left a big impression on me. And, my mama's stories of him since his death further detailed a man that I would have loved to know in my adulthood.

A few chapters later, in Chapter 23, "Death and Life," Frank experiences the death of a family member - Papa Paul - for the first time. It's a poignant look at a young boy's first experience with death and its ritual in the Deep South. Many have written and said it is their favorite chapter because it touched their own similar experience so deeply.

When Papa Paul died, my eyes were opened wide to death, which often leads us to ask two big questions: Will this happen to me? What happens to a person when they die? Papa Paul's death, combined with our family's deep involvement in church life, opened up a very real conversation about faith with my mama. And, my mama, who was only 27 at the time, did her very best to lead me through a presentation of the gospel. I don't know if it was my mama's first time to explain the gospel, but I have to believe it was a somewhat new experience for her to share and certainly for me to hear.

The great theologians will read Chapter 23, and its follow up in Chapter 30, "Just as I Am" and perhaps shrug at the clunkiness of the gospel presentation. I wrote that way on purpose. As a gospel minister, full-time vocational minister, and 30-year Bible study teacher, I could have waxed eloquent the gospel presentation, but it would not have been authentic to a conversation between a 20something mama, grieving the sudden death of her daddy, and her 8-year-old son. What comes out in these two chapters, I believe, is a very real and honest and authentic and, yes, clunky explanation of the gospel as it really happened - and probably really happens - within many evangelical families. The gospel is supernatural; it's explanation can be anything but clinical.

Without apologizing for it, I tried to be clear that this is how evangelicals, specifically Southern Baptists, approach the gospel presentation and a person's acceptance and public profession of it. I know it made some people feel uncomfortable because the reader goes into these serious waters for a few chapters before re-emerging into the overall fun of the book. But, friends, the gospel is uncomfortable. The magnitude of themes like sin, salvation, eternal punishment, and grace are serious - and gravely serious. They are eternally serious. And, they are worthy of uncomfortable conversations and uncomfortable personal wrestling.

In these chapters, which are true to the coming-of-age theme of the book, I was not trying to preach so much as tell another big part of my childhood, hoping that readers might reflect on the gospel within their own lives and perhaps make a life-changing decision of their own.

With rich blessings to you and yours,
Scott

HOW TO ORDER BROOKWOOD ROAD: MEMORIES OF A HOME
BY SCOTT DOUGLAS VAUGHAN

Personalized, autographed hardbacks and paperbacks: www.shopsvministry.com.
Paperbacks and Kindle versions (unautographed): www.amazon.com
Limited Retail (autographed): Humpus Bumpus Books, Cumming, GA, and Rainy Day Pal Books, Lexington, SC.
Questions? E-Mail Scott at sharketing411@gmail.com.

Independent Publishing

I was moved in March 2014 to put my book on paper.

I did that. I took the first draft to my daddy, and explained the project to him. I explained it to my two brothers and to my mom. Because I held a spiral bound draft of the finished book - printed at Fedex Kinko's - everyone knew this was serious. It was done. No one pushed back and so I felt confident about moving forward with publishing it somehow.

Always write before you think about the publishing.

There are two general courses for book publishing:

1. A writer markets himself to a literary agent, who then markets the client's book projects to a major publisher. The publisher buys the projects through the agent, paying the writer for the book less a commission to the agent or whatever the contracts all stipulate. The writer may give up a little or a lot of the editorial control, design of the cover, and everything related to his book. You sell out, essentially, but the more popular you become the more leverage you have over your products. I don't imagine Stephen King gets messed with every much.

I wrote two literary agents, and they immediately rejected me. No big deal - I expected it. Even though I have a 40-year resume as I writer, I'm unknown in literary circles and have never published a book. I've rarely been published in magazines - most of my work is published in newspapers and ministry publications. I would imagine there are first-time writers who - through relationships and contacts - get noticed and picked up by an agent. Through relationships or just providence, I'm sure there's an unknown author somewhere that bypassed all this and was picked up by a major book publisher.

The odds would be against it. The odds against it would be similar to winning the Power Ball.

2. So, most writers - like me and perhaps you - get tired and bored with finding literary agents, and go the independent publishing route. I figured, all along, I would go the independent publishing route. Independent publishing is where the author becomes the publisher, creating a small business through which he pays to publish his own book. My decision was based on a lack of patience to find an agent and wanting to maintain all of my creative control. 

Independent publishing no longer has the "vanity" stigma it did say 10 years ago. It's possible to pay enough to churn out an independent book of the same general quality as a professionally published book. As I learned, major book publishers have even created independent publishing arms, which allows publishers to "spy" on prospective authors. If they see an independent's work having success or see potential, these book publishers can follow an author's journey from a distance, letting the author pay-to-play, and perhaps swoop in with an author to republish a book or pick up future work.

I actually made a decision not to use one of the self-publishing arms of a major book publisher. I did lots of research and ultimately chose CreateSpace - the independent publishing platform owned by Amazon. I was impressed with its overall approach to graphic design services, editing services, and marketing services. It was expensive, yes, but a good fit for me. By the way - you will always get what you pay for in book publishing. Go cheap and that's what you'll have. Invest money in it and you'll have a worthy looking, readable product. 

Blessings,

Scott

Chapter Two (You know you smiled at the title . . .)

If you've read or looked through the book then you realize I set the tone early with Chapter Two. That was intentional and subtle at the same time. I wanted you to see where I was going over 300 pages. I wanted readers to know that this was going to be my boyhood memoir, written as a novel, and that it was going to be just as authentic as I could possibly make it. I wasn't going out of my way to be this or that, but I was going to be real.

In the linear order of the book's beginning, I used the Prologue to explain why I was writing this book. Then, I used the Introduction to paint the larger scene of people and places. Chapter One - The Beginning - was a simple chapter about my birth. My Papa R.C. really did have a Welcome Home banner across the front of our house.

It was in Chapter Two that I wanted to introduce my two brothers, and show a glimpse into our relationships and the culture in which we lived. I also wanted the reader to know - up front - that this was going to be about real life: Skinny-dipping on a hot summer day, and the boyish humor that would certainly go with it. You throw three naked boys into a public swimming hole - it's going to get funny in a hurry.

The chapter opens with a little ditty about the Jaybird. It was one of the first songs I ever learned, and quite honestly is as close to a family anthem as we have. All of us know it. All of us have sung it our entire lives. We aren't 100 percent sure what it even means. Even today when my brother Tim calls me on my birthday he sings the Jaybird song if he leaves a voice mail message.

Speaking of Jaybirds, the phrase "naked as a Jaybird" is a prison term. Back in the 20s and 30s, prisoners were referred to as Jailbirds or J-birds. Upon incarceration, they were forced to march to the showers naked. Naked as a J-bird. Our Jaybird song is not about that.

Our Jaybird song was about "mean-ass" Blue Jays that would hide in shrubberies and get aggressive if you got too close to them. It's a song about revenge against them, too.

With regard to the skinny-dipping. We did go skinny dipping - more than once - off the McFarland Road (Parkway, now) bridge into muddy Big Creek. My great grandfather was William Perry McFarland - my Granny's daddy. Daddy Perry and Granny Mac lived in a big farmhouse in the northeast corner of what today is the intersection of Georgia Highway 400 / U.S. Highway 19 and McFarland Parkway south of Cumming, GA. Now, this is an industrial and commercial area of the Atlanta metroplex. Back during my childhood, McFarland Road (not even called that then) was a dirt road. Just below Daddy Perry's house was an old single lane wooden bridge over Big Creek. Here's a photo of what it looked like, but it's not an actual photograph of the old McFarland Road bridge. (Today, the road is widened, paved, and the bridge looks nothing like this, obviously). In addition to the skinny dipping what I remember is the dust cloud that followed someone driving down the road. It was awesome. It was suffocating, but it was awesome to watch.

My Daddy Perry wouldn't recognize any of that area today. And, honestly, I'm glad he didn't have to see all the change.

Have a great week - SDV

Q&A : Is the book written on a timeline?

Is the book written on a timeline?
The short answer is no.
I made a list of all the stories that I wanted to tell.
There were about 50. That would have made the book too long.
I trimmed it back to 39, but included short versions of other stories as tangents within the larger stories. That way, everything I wanted to tell, got told but I was able to keep the word limit around 100,000. (A 100,000 word count is the sweet spot for a memoir - so "they" tell me).

Then, I just started writing the stories. I didn't worry about the age of the characters, or the chronology of the stories. I didn't worry about seasons of the year or current events. All of that, to me, was unnecessary clutter.

I did bind the stories together with props.
For example, in Chapter 8, "The Green Bike," I introduced my new bicycle, which was then a prop I could use in future stories, like Chapter 25, "The Crossroads." In several stories, I reach back into previous stories for a prop or an event or a person. So, while not written chronologically or on a timeline, there are threads that make it a complete work and not simply a collection of random tales.

How did you choose the name Acorn for your hometown of Cumming?
Because I had already made the decision to change many of the names around, including my own, I wanted to carry that theme all the way through.

The reference to Acorn is in the first few paragraphs of the book's Prologue. I didn't labor a lot on creating the name. The book had placed me in a very nostalgic and reflective place, emotionally. I had thought through all those stories, which led me to think about the men and women who influenced my life - all of my life. And, I thought about all of my classmates, who have gone to do such great things with their lives. One of my best friends is a full-time missionary in Africa. Another is a tenured professor at Auburn University. Others are lawyers, doctors, veterinarians, teachers, principals, preachers, nurses - and certainly good dads, moms and meaningful contributors to society. You know, you take this little town north of Atlanta and look what greatness has come from it. And, greatness is certainly more than careers. I think the greatest life lived is the man or woman who loves the Lord, leads their family, has friends in faith, and lives God's plan for their lives. If you and I accomplish that we can have preached at our funerals that we "finished well."

As an acorn is to a great oak tree, I just thought 'there's been a lot of greatness that's come out of this small town - my hometown." So, I went with Acorn.

Writing involves sifting

Let me tell you something.

Writing this book was easy and a lot of fun. I wrote the first draft from March 13 to April 21, 2014. That was 97,500 words.

Now let me tell you something else.

From the morning bell of Tuesday, April 22 forward the editing process was hell.

I never knew how much I loved writing and how much I hated editing. I clearly know now. And, having now worked with professional editors, I realize that I am more of a proof-reader. There's a difference.

The editing / proofing process is like sifting flour. You sift and sift and sift until it's refined. Then, you sift some more. And, mostly,  you let other people - strangers even - do the sifting.

Dear Lord, it was agonizing . . . all that sifting. 

Back during my 20 years of writing for newspapers, we had a simple system. Writers were taught to get it on paper. Don't overthink the grammar and the spelling - just get it on paper and then move it to an editor. Editors do the sifting. Sometimes, editors kicked it back to writers and said, "Write this better . . . moron." Sometimes, I wrote stories for newspapers and didn't even recognize my work when it came out in print. Editors sifted the me right out of it. I once wrote a story for the Atlanta dailies and when it came out my only contribution was this: By Scott Vaughan. The rest was by someone else.

You know what? Even with all the sifting, editing and proof-reading that goes on in book publishing, there's still an estimated one error for every 200 words. Yep, even best-sellers, they say. And, so writing and editing and proofreading and sifting - this is not healthy territory for a perfectionist, the weak, the insecure or the passive. Writing and editing is one of those arenas where you do the hard work, sifting and sifting and sifting, and trust that in the end the cake will taste pretty darn good. 

However, would-be writers take note: You can be an All-Star shortstop, but if you make too many errors it will take the shine off your game. And, let me tell you - foolish writers edit their own stuff. Poor editing and lots of noticeable errors can make a great book . . . sloppy and marginal. There's no rushing a book project - the sifting must occur.

Let me give you an idea of what the sifting of my book was like. It was maddening.

As I wrote chapters, I kicked them to my Vicki and my son William to read behind me. I asked them to look especially for continuity. William and I spent 30 minutes one afternoon debating a single chapter's direction. 

Once completed, I read it all the way through . . . twice. The first read was a rewrite and the book expanded to 103,000 words. I caught a lot of mistakes along the way. Then, I read it again to catch what spelling and grammar I could catch.

Then, the manuscript went to Elizabeth in Cincinnati. She's the professional sifter who doesn't know me or, for that matter, anyone that I know. Heck, I don't even know her last name. She ripped through the book; she beat on me once or twice. The book shrank to 100,000 words. She got used to my style. In the end, she said, "I've read a lot of books, and this is one of my favorites." I wrote that in dry-erase on the bathroom mirror - I needed all the encouragement I could get.

After sending it to Elizabeth in Cincy, I woke up one night with this sick feeling. I hated two of the chapters, and I had one story to tell that I had left out. So, I rewrote those two chapters, and wrote - thank you very much - another 2,500 word chapter. The sifting then began on all of this and ultimately it went to Elizabeth, too.

When I got everything back from Elizabeth, I read the book all the way through again. (My fourth time). I kept about 98 percent of Elizabeth's suggestions. My writing style flies in the face of some grammar style. I kept my writing style. As I read through the book this fourth time, I made notes that I called "flinch spots" - things I wrote that didn't add to the stories. I either rewrote or took those out. Think of the hard bits of flour in the bottom of the sifter.

So, then I sent it to CreateSpace - the independent publisher - so those folk could format the book, knowing I would get another chance to proof. While waiting on this proof, I passed the book off to three trusted friends and asked them to read it. I have more than three trusted friends, but I couldn't let them all read it . . . for free. These friends read it through - sfited some more - and caught a handful of things: A word left out of a sentence, an extra word in a sentence, and an inconsistency here or there (tree house or treehouse - I had used it both ways). You would think with all this sifting, everything would be caught, right? Nope. That's the madness . . . for all the sifting, there are still those stray errors. 

Vicki said, "Scott, deal with it."

At the end of all the sifting, I found myself sifting the sifting, and that was when it was time to stop and publish. I was exhausted. The sifting process took SIX MONTHS. I was sick of it. When a writer is sick of his work, it's a good sign he's done the diligence and it's time to let it go.

So, here's what I will tell you:

• Write your story, but don't be afraid of the sifting. Embrace it. Other eyes and voices will make you better.
• Sift until you are sick of sifting; don't rush it. Let it happen.
• Not all of a sifter's suggestions are good, but the majority will be. Know when to keep your voice and when to let it go.

An Audience of One

I wrote the book for an Audience of One.
Me.

That's how it's got to be. And, that's the best advice I can give to anyone who is writing. Write for your own enjoyment and tell the story that you've been given to tell.

Then, if you desire, invite the world to join in through publishing.

When you take that approach to writing, it's very liberating.

• You don't worry about what other people will think.
• You don't worry about sales or circulation, or royalties or profits.

Don't get me wrong. I love to hear good, honest feedback from what I've written. Feedback makes me want to write more. And, yes, I'd like to sell as many books as possible. But, those can't be considerations when you are writing. Those are considerations that come with publishing. When you write, you have to write for yourself, and pretend that no one will ever read this book but you. When you do that you can write authentically and have all kinds of fun with the writing process. If you ever allow your writing to be manipulated by marketing, well, you probably won't turn out a very good and authentic product. Trust me - I'm a marketer, too. I know of what I speak.

I had these stories. I wanted to tell them. I wanted to fulfill a promise to my daddy.

I wrote the book. Then, I found a publisher, who helped me with the editing and marketing.

I like the book. Parts of it still make me laugh and make me cry. It really does take me back to my childhood. Vicki says it's helped her, even after 30  years, to understand why I am the way I am.

I hope people will want to read it.

I hope people who read it are blessed by it.

I hope people will share it with the ones they love.

What story do you have to tell?

Write it down. 

Don't worry about grammar and punctuation. You can pay someone to fix that for you.

Just get the story on paper.

Do it for yourself.

Then, you can make a decision whether to publish it or not.

And, if you are having writer's block, let me tell you how to get over it.

Read.

The more you read - the more the writer in you will be stirred.

Until next time - SDV