Great News....It's Official!!

Great News!

It is official (actually, as of April 11, 2014), I am an Associate Editor with The Zharmae Publishing Press and I couldn't be more thrilled!

I had been offered a contract for employment as my internship neared an end on April 10th. My internship was very rewarding as well as equally stressful, busy, and challenging; which is why I had very little time to post on my blog. It was all worth it in the end!

I am very excited and look forward to this new employment chapter in my life, and thank God every step of the way! I ask for your continued prayers and support as I embark on this new adventure.

Blessings,
T Denise Clary

I AM SUPER EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE . . .

For all of you who do not know . . .

I am super excited to announce that I am currently interning with The Zharmae Publishing Press as a Publisher's Intern! My aspiration and long term goal is to become an Editor for Children's, Middle Grade, and YA novels.

I am about one week into my internship and I can honestly say I have been overwhelmed with excitement, anxiety, self-doubt, nervousness, and every other emotion you can think of. However, I am having so much fun learning this new trade; soaking in every aspect and detail that I can. My internship will definitely be challenging as I am expected to learn a lot and do a lot in a relatively short period of time. Here are a few of my responsibilities while interning with TZPP:  

1. Acquire and bring to publication one middle grade work from source to acquisition to       editorial, through managing editorial, art, production, and launch.

2. Copy edit, proof, and review one or two full manuscripts.

3. Work with artists and the designers for the cover of a book (this does not include the middle grade book from project 1.)

4. Assist with the managing editor role, which includes all stages of production.

5. Contribute web articles to TZPP, which will be featured as part of the Writer's Workshop series.

6. Read as a Panel Reader for TZPP regularly (basic assessments of manuscripts).

I am working under the direction and supervision of TZPP's Associate Publisher, Tomiko Breland. I ask for your prayers and support as I embark and transition into this new career path in my life. This has been a long time dream and I am finally living it!

~LOVE WHAT YOU DO AND YOU WILL NEVER WORK A DAY IN YOUR LIFE~

God Bless!

T Denise Clary

Video: The Rise of Self-Publishing

For anyone looking to dive into the self-publishing industry, here is a motivating video to encourage your endeavors.Wishing all aspiring authors (like myself) much success! 

Watch the video, "The Rise of Self-Publishing" from the CBS News Sunday Morning show, below.

God Bless!
T Denise Clary

Five Reasons Why You May Never Get Published

Five Reasons Why You May Never Get Published

Literary Agent Steve Laube, with the Steve Laube Agency, recently blogged about reasons why a person may never get published. I thought I'd share this informative information in hopes that you find it helpful. I know I did! Click on the link below to access the article at his blog site:

Five Reasons Why You May Never Get Published

God Bless!
T Denise Clary

2012 ACFW Conference: Reflections

ACFW Conference: Reflections

 

The truth of the matter, I hadn't experienced many positive aspects in the publishing industry since becoming a self-pub author over a year ago. It almost felt like I encountered more negative aspects of publishing, than positive ones. Mentally overcoming the negatives became as routine as waking up in the morning. That's partially the reason I started my blog; to try to spread a more positive spin on the publishing process that can sometimes be difficult to find on the Internet. 

 

Although the self-pub world is growing at a rapid rate, it still has that stigma that screams, you're not one of them! "Them" meaning you're not an "author" in the true, traditional, and historic sense of the word. At the other end of the spectrum, I was convinced there were too many negative aspects with traditional publishing (or so I was told and made to believe by many in the self-pub world). My mind had already been influenced to believe that traditional publishers were nothing more than a closed-knit community filled with greedy, out-of-touch, and non-caring people. However, this is not at all what I experienced or witnessed at the ACFW conference. I was completely overwhelmed and amazed by the nurturing, kind-hearted, Spirit filled people that I met. I saw an industry that DID care about their authors, AND the industry as a whole (even the self-pub segment of the industry). Yes, I'm sure there are bad apples out there, as is true in any profession. But the ACFW conference really changed my mindset about Traditional Publishing.

 

I had the misconception that a traditional publisher was comparable to the likes of Darth Vadar in the Star Wars movies.  Originally I felt all alone in this industry. I had already somewhat distanced myself from the self-pub community as the negative tone of many authors was too much for me to handle. And I was influenced to believe that traditional publishing was not the best option. But after attending the ACFW conference, I definitely had a change of heart! And thank God for it! I know that it was only the Lord that lead me to the ACFW conference. The conference has forever changed my mindset on traditional publishing and its affiliates. I admit I had anxiety about attending and debated whether I should go. I believed they wouldn't accept me into their world. I was wrong! They not only embraced me, they "adopted" me and made me feel like I was one of them. And not just at the conference, but made me feel like I had been one of "them" all along!!  I left the conference with such a renewed spirit. Full of hope and possibilities about my future in the publishing industry. I continued to thank the Lord for allowing me to see and witness another side that I had neither known, been told, or experienced.

 

Yes, when the enemy comes, the enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). I am convinced the enemy never wanted me to know about the positive side of traditional publishing. The enemy tried to keep me in the dark. But I thank my Heavenly Father I serve a Master that has conquered the enemy, and all the darkness that comes with him!  

 

I look forward to returning to the ACFW Conference again and again!! I look forward to returning to a conference, and a community of people, where I felt a sense of belonging, a sense of purpose, who were on fire for God, and had hope and expectation for endless possibilities!

 

God Bless,

T Denise Clary

2012 ACFW Conference : Day 3 - Part II

Note: I'm a little behind on posting. I made it home from the ACFW Conference completely exhausted. I'm finally rested enough to update my blog.

ACFW Conference: Day Three (Saturday) - Part II

Later in the evening we attended the Awards Gala. A great night filled with well dressed people, excellent food, and awards given in recognition for the outstanding work of individuals, in their respective fields, in the publishing industry. I didn't stay for the entire Gala because I had an early morning flight, but I lasted through dinner and the announcements of the Editor and Agent of the Year. Nicole Resciniti, the same agent I had pitched to earlier in the day, won for 2012 Literary Agent of the Year. I was happy for her and all the award recipients.

After leaving the Gala, I went back to my hotel room and reflected on what a great time I had had at the conference. I prayed and thanked the Lord for leading me to such an inspirational event with so many wonderful, inspiring, and positive people. I cannot wait to return next year!

Here are some pics from the Gala . . .

I'm relaxed, refreshed, and ready for the Gala. The last event I attended before returning home.

 

Me with Writer Aimee Jones.

 

Writers Aimee Jones Nichole Sims.

 

I'm standing between Author Roseanna M. White (left), and Writer Rachel Wilder, who dressed to look like a character in her book.

 

Author Roseanna M. White (left), and Writer Rachel Wilder, who dressed to resemble a character in her book.

 

Author Keisha Bass volunteered to be door greeter for the Awards Gala.

 

 

Authors Keisha Bass, me, Janice Olson, Patty Green, and Marji Laine.

 

I'm posing with fellow Writer, Peggy Consolver. She was so sweet!

 

Me sitting between Writers Nichole Sims and Aimee Jones.

 

Our fantastic meal for the evening!

 

 

2012 ACFW Conference : Day 3 - Part I

Note: I'm a little behind on posting. I made it home from the ACFW Conference completely exhausted. I'm finally rested enough to update my blog. 

ACFW Conference: Day Three (Saturday) - Part I

 

Day three of the conference was another exciting day of educational sessions, workshops, networking, the Awards Gala, and another interview - but this time with a literary agent.

The day began, as it had been, with the General Session breakfast along with Praise and Worship from the worship team. I was amazed by the continual presence of the Holy Spirit during the morning sessions and never did I leave without feeling refreshed, renewed, inspired and confident!

I took that confidence with me throughout the day. . . well up until the time of my interview with Literary Agent, Nicole Resciniti, of The Seymour Agency, located in Canton, New York. For some reason, about ten minutes prior to the interview, anxiety crept into my mind and body and I began to tremble even worse than I did the previous day. I mistakenly thought that pitching my book idea would be easier the second time around. NOT!! For some reason I was not as confident this time around and initially thought the interview was not going well. I was nervous, trembling, rambling, emotional - yes, I said emotional!. WTH?!?!! I'm not sure what was happening to me! I think all the anxiety that had built up over the past few days, even weeks, preparing for this conference was beginning to show during this pitch session. I was embarrassed!! I kept apologizing. Ms. Resciniti was very gracious and reassured me I had nothing to apologize for. I felt awkward as I silently sat while she read through my manuscript! After a moment of complete silence between us, Ms. Resciniti looked up at me and told me she really liked what she had read. She requested I send her a another copy of the manuscript to her, via email, as well as another manuscript that I had talked about during my bouts of rambling . . . wow, I was actually comprehensible?!?! LOL. Another interview complete without being rejected! Yay!!! I was thrilled . . . and relieved!!

The interview ended and I hurried back to my hotel room to retrieve both manuscripts on my laptop, skipping my last scheduled workshop. After a few tweaks and numerous re-reads, I submitted both manuscripts electronically to Ms. Resciniti. Done. Yay!!!! Now I was able to relax and get ready for the Awards Gala happening later that evening. I didn't take many photos prior to the Gala. The next post, Day Three - Part II, will show the pics from the Awards Gala later in the evening, but for this post, here are a couple of pics.

General Session breakfast with Authors Patty Green, Marji Laine, and Janice Olson.

 

Literary Agent Nicole Resciniti from The Seymour Agency.
(Photo taken from the ACFW webpage)
 

 

 

2012 ACFW Conference - Day 2

ACFW Conference - Day Two (Friday)

 

 

Day two of the ACFW Conference was another jam-packed day filled with Continuing Educational Sessions, Workshops, and networking. It was also one of the most exciting and important days of the conference for me! Why? Because this was the day I was scheduled to have my very first interview to "pitch" my manuscript/book idea to an Acquisitions Editor with Zonderkidz, an imprint of Zondervan. Zondervan, a division of HarperCollins, is one of the largest Christian publishers in the country.

I was a bundle of nerves as I entered the room and met with Editor Kim Childress of Zonderkidz. I only had 15 minutes to convince this total stranger that my book would be a good fit with their company. Although she probably didn't notice (or maybe she did, LOL), but I felt as though my body was shaking throughout the entire interview. I also felt like I stumbled over every word that came out of my mouth. Well, I must have done a decent enough job because Ms. Childress requested a copy of my manuscript and stated that she really liked the entire concept I presented to her. She also stated that she would discuss it with another Editor at Zonderkidz and have someone contact me within six weeks. If I don't hear from someone within that time frame, she advised me to call her directly. Yay!!!!! Words can't even describe how elated I was!!!! I'm not sure how many other attendees she told that to, but the simple fact that I didn't get a rejection and thrown out of the interview was enough for me to celebrate!! Yay! Especially after I tipped the table a bit with my clumsy body after the interview was over and spilled a little of Ms. Childress' coffee! YIKES!! Thank the Lord it was not spilled on her! Let that be a lesson of what NOT to do when you are interviewing with someone really important!!!! LOL!

OK, time for me to finally get some sleep. It has been another long and exhausting day, but I thank the Lord for it! I am truly having such a great time!! Below are just a few pics.

God Bless!
T Denise Clary

Me sitting in a CE course with some Authors that "adopted" me into their group. 
From left to right: Author Keisha Bass, Me, Author Beth Shriver, and Author Patty Green.

 

Keisha Bass and I.
Keisha is one of the Authors featured in "Chicken Soup for the Soul"

 

Acquisitions Editor, Kim Childress, of Zonderkidz.
And NO, I wasn't bold enough to take a pic of her during the interview. LOL. I found this pic from the ACFW website.

 

 

I couldn't resist posting this, lol. Look how well they feed us at this conference!! Our dessert at lunch, and it was delish!! :-)

 

 

 

 

How a Book is Born, LOL!

I know that many of you may have already seen Mariah Bear's infographic she created recently illustrating the publishing process. For those of you who have not seen the chart, I thought I'd share so that you can get as much of a laugh out of it as I did. Titled "How a Book is Born," below you'll find a funny, yet somewhat accurate assessment of a book, as it makes its way through the publishing process.

God Bless!

T Denise Clary

"HOW A BOOK IS BORN"

...And The TWO Shall Become ONE ~ #1 and #2 Religious Publishers Soon to be Under One Umbrella

HarperCollins Publishers (Zondervan) Aquires Thomas Nelson Inc.

Religious publisher Thomas Nelson Inc. is being acquired by HarperCollins Publishers, a company owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. that already runs Nelson’s biggest rival, Zondervan.
The deal, which is expected to close at year-end pending regulatory approvals, comes as Nelson is riding success of its mega-best-selling book Heaven Is for Real: A Little Boy’s Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back.

HarperCollins, which runs publisher Zondervan, would have a 35% to 40% share of the evangelical Christian publishing market after acquiring Nashville-based Nelson.

The ownership change would be the latest in recent years for the more than 200-year-old publisher of Bibles, inspirational books and digital content.

HarperCollins spokeswoman Erin Crum said the company would continue to publish books, Bibles and other products under both the Thomas Nelson and Zondervan names.

Brian Murray, HarperCollins’ CEO, said Nelson would add further balance to the company’s existing publishing programs. Meanwhile, HarperCollins’ global print and digital publishing platform — which includes e-book distribution — should add marketing opportunities to boost the readership of Nelson’s authors.

Nelson and HarperCollins’ Zondervan unit have strong Bible publishing arms. Nelson is known for the King James and New King James versions; Zondervan publishes the New International Version. Both publishers have a roster of well-known authors, including best-selling Christian fiction writer Karen Kingsbury for Zondervan and Max Lucado for Nelson.

“They’re kind of the top two — it’s kind of surprising that they could be under the same secular parent company,” said Christine Johnson, managing editor of Christian Retailing magazine.

Nelson has 491 employees, including 400 in Nashville, with the others in Plano, Texas, at a live events division.
              --Above information courtesy of Getahn Ward of The Tennessean

What do you think of the deal?


God Bless!
T Denise Clary

Song On My Mind?? YES, Thank You Lord!!!

Recently, I was struck with a slight case of discouragement over the plight of my books. Am I selling books? Yes. However, I have been so exhausted lately, mentally and physically, from all the self-promotion I have been doing. When you self-publish, everything is on YOU. There is no one else to help promote your books--just you ~ You ~ YOU!! And believe me when I say that it's exhausting!! Especially when I have other things in my life besides promoting books.

And with my recent exhaustion, naturally came discouragement. My spouse tried to be supportive and shed light on the situation. He asked me "But aren't your books selling?"  "Yes, but that's not the point!" I replied. I was not looking at present status, but the long journey ahead of me. I was thinking of the long, windy, uncertain road ahead. If this was only the beginning of the journey, and I am THIS exhausted, I still have a long ways to go. Not to mention the expense involved. It can take thousands of dollors to bring a single illustrated children's book to print (everyone along the publishing trail has to be paid).

I felt like I was at a crossroads! Or maybe I had made a wrong turn somewhere??? Did I make the right decision to self-publish (the unknown) instead of trying to go traditional publishing (mainstream)? Although many questions filled my head, no definitive answers came to me. I remembered the promises that God had spoken to me back in 2009. So why was I feeling so discouraged, exhausted, and indecisive of what to do next?? I prayed to the Lord to give me direction...

Well I awoke the next morning with a song in my spirit...HOWEVER, I didn't realize it!!!

Let me explain...

When I awoke the next morning, I was humming a song and partially singing it, but didn't realize what I had been doing until later. I got up, took a shower, and it wasn't until I got out of the shower that I even realized that I was humming/singing a song.  YES, the Lord had placed a song in my heart and it wasn't until about thirty minutes after waking up, and humming/singing this song, that I even realized it. The song was in my head and spirit from the moment I woke up!!I didn't know all the lyrics and didn't know the title, but I knew the artist and part of the chorus. So later in the day I researched the lyrics to see what the Lord had actually placed in my spirit...through song!



Here is the song God put in my spirit the morning of Sept. 25th

"They That Wait On The Lord" by Fred Hammond

Listen, to those of you who are going through
For those of us who are waiting on His promise
Understand God has not forgotten you
When times get tough, you got to look up to Heaven
And encourage yourself and sing..

They that wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength
They shall mount up on wings
Just like an eagle that soars

They shall run and not be weary
They shall walk and never faint
They that wait on the lord
And I say wait on the lord

Hold on a little while longer
Here's what you got to do
Trust and believe my friend
He'll work it out for you

One thing you must remember
My God is able and
He cares for you
He cares for you

Wait on the Lord and he will come through
Wait on the Lord he will answer you
Wait on the Lord and he won't be long
Wait on the Lord he's going to work for they that wait

song repeats...

The Lord is truly amazing!! He knows what troubles us even when we try to put up a brave face and act like nothing is bothering us. He is our comforter!! He comforts us in ways that we would never imagine or think (i.e. placing a song in my heart and not even realizing it). He gives us peace during our difficult times!! He calms the storms and fights our battles, even when some of those battles happen to come from within our own head...

Yes, I serve an amazing God! I am renewed, restored and at peace knowing that He is fully in control and IS directing my steps!! 

Have you been feeling discouraged, exhausted, and/or indecisive lately? Seek out the Lord!!! Allow Him to put a new song in your spirit! :-)


God Bless!
T Densie Clary

"but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:31 (ESV)

TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING VS. SELF PUBLISHING ~ DREAM MEETS REALITY!

Recently someone posted on the KDP Author Forum threads the recent buzz about the latest independent “indie” author that signed a big publishing deal with one of the “Big 6” publishing companies. This of course only happened after the author had tried publishing the “traditional” way, but was met with many rejection letters from publishers. She then decided to publish her book on Amazon’s Kindle, and was eventually successful as an indie author. So what happened??? Of course, one of the Big 6 publishing companies came knocking on her door…

The link to the article is below...
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23975171-writer-puts-novel-on-kindle-for-96p-and-wins-a-six-figure-deal.do

Sounds like a DREAM come true, doesn’t it?!?!?  For many indie authors the answer would be a definite “Yes!” 

However, another author on the Forum decided to chime in and put the whole “traditional publishing” DREAM into perspective when he posted his response on the thread. His response is below (please note that I shortened his originally post as it was quite lengthy. I also inserted words by using [ ] to make the response flow better.

The response…

I applaud the author's success, but sympathize with her potential loss of income. The Big 6 [publishers] demand that they get the electronic rights to [an author’s] books, and have set the share rate at 25/75. Guess who gets the 25% and who gets the 75%. Further, they require that [an author] have an agent. For new authors, agents get 20% of [the] 25% percent. So what does the author get? Let's do the math. Amazon pays $0.70 cents on the dollar when books are priced between $2.99 and $9.99. For each sales dollar, [an author] gets 25% of the $0.70 cents if [they] work through a Big 6 publisher. That's 17.5 cents. After the agent takes his or her 20%, the author gets the remaining $0.14 cents. For a $4.99 Kindle book, the 'published' author receives $0.70 cents, while an independent author gets $3.49. Ten thousand books at $0.70 equals $7,000. Ten thousand books at $3.49 equals $34,900.

Publishers have been the gatekeepers of the publishing world forever. Being published by a big publisher has long been considered an endorsement of an author's ability. And new authors craving recognition continue to court the Big 6. [However] I think that authors seeking a Big 6 publisher haven't yet had their eyes opened to the fact that if they are successful, they will make a pittance of what they could currently earn as an [indie author]. Many midlist authors published by the Big 6 cannot afford to quit their day jobs because the publishers keep most of the royalties. Simply put, they want a piece of [the] pie, but they expect to get 75% of the pie.

I don't fault anyone who wants to be published by a Big 6 house.  I only suggest that [an author] examine the deal carefully before signing and weigh all the other considerations. If in the end you decide to take an offer, [an author should] attempt to limit the contract to just one book. A four book deal is to the benefit of the publisher, not the author. If [the] book is good, and sells well, they will grab anything [the author] produces. And if the book doesn't sell well, they won't publish the other three. There will always be some reason why they won’t accept it when [an author] attempts to deliver the second book of a four book deal. The publishers want to lock [an author] up in case they hit [it] big. But there's no reverse benefit. They are not committed to publishing even a second book. But publishing a single book that only sells a hundred copies will make you a 'professional' in the eyes of writers’ groups, where selling ten million eBooks through Amazon [unfortunately] won't.

I know that many [authors] have dreams of being picked up by a major publisher. But if [an author is] successful [on Kindle] and the money earned as a writer is important, I suggest that [authors] concentrate [their] energies on sales as an independent and forget the Big 6. If [an author’s] books are good, [they will] make a lot more money, and be able to quit [their] day job sooner.

You have a wonderful opportunity to excel as an [indie author]. Don't be so blinded by the glitter that you give up that status too quickly or too easily. I wish you every success in your writing endeavors.

(response posted originally on the KDP Forum by a poster we know only as “scribbler”)

So now how to do YOU way-in on the matter? If you became successful enough as an independent author to be approached by one of the Big 6 publishers,  would you take the publishing deal ?