Self-Publishing: Going in Eyes Wide Open by Jaimie Engle

Mira here - it's my birthday today, which being a rebellious Aussie ex-pat makes me believe that I can switch things up a little. Be prepared for one of the worst run-on sentences ever, but don't skip it - So instead of writing a post myself (seeing as I'm super busy preparing for our fabulous upcoming Self- and Indie Publishing with Crowdfunding course with Jed Alexander, creating tons of resource lists of top editors, illustrators, graphic designers, e-book converters, print on demand and traditional printers, and how to work with them and pay for them with no financial risk to make a top quality book for schools, libraries, awesome indie bookstores, Amazon etc. and how to make your writing and or illustration the best that it can be) PLUS preparing for Jed's and my FREE webinar on March 13th with registration right here on The New Publishing Paradigm: Small, Indie, Self and e-Publishing, PLUS I'm partying tonight (it's still March 1st right now), I asked my friend Jamie Engle to fill in for me.

Now without further ado, let me introduce the lovely Jaimie Engle, who will give lots of helpful info on marketing, getting school visits, and her experiences of self publishing Clifton Chase and the Arrow of Light.

Self-Publishing: Going In Eyes Wide-Open Treating Your Book as a Business

I self-published my children’s novel, Clifton Chase and the Arrow of Light, in September 2013, after the small press I had been working with breached our contract. Three weeks before my slated release, my publisher bailed and left me stranded. I had no publicist, no idea what to do, and no desire to give up.

I reached out to mommy bloggers, introducing myself as a mom who wrote a children’s book, and many of them agreed to a free review and giveaway. This helped bring national visibility to my book for only a few bucks per blogger, the cheapest advertising campaign I could think of. I received rave reviews and sold a hundred or so copies. Honestly, I was heart-broken that I was no longer a “published” author, but rather a “self-published” author. I lost the passion for my book and my sales slowed.

I focused my attention on my editing and PR firm, A Writer For Life. I love editing and working with authors to polish their books for submission or self-publication. But I was spending all my time promoting others, while doing nothing for myself. That had to change. In December of 2014, after a year on the market, I reevaluated the three aspects of my business that I have control over to see how I could increase book sales:

1. Packaging—I revamped the cover to be more whimsical, and saw a small pop in sales.
2. Content—According to reviews and word of mouth, the story seemed solid, so I left it alone.
3. Audience—I knew my target audience was parents of kids between 8-12 years old, but was I delivering the message they wanted to hear?

That last one really had me thinking. What was the message of my book? I had been pitching it as a historical-fantasy, like Percy Jackson with real history instead of mythology, but was that it? Why had I written this story to begin with? What had I hoped to accomplish with this book?

Getting to the heart of my story My book begins with Clifton Chase, a kid dealing poorly with a bully. He is magically transported to 1485AD to rescue two princes from their tyrant uncle (another bully), and through this adventure, Clifton comes home and makes amends for his behavior. My story is about bullying. How had I missed that? In fact, I wrote the book because my son was bullied in the first grade and I took him out of private school to homeschool.

My inspiration hit during his archery club lesson, when I imagined a dwarf stalking us in search of a magical arrow. This realization changed everything:

• I repackaged my Facebook page
• I created personalized hashtags
• I designed a logo specific to anti-bullying
• I felt a new surge of pride and excitement for my book that I hadn’t since I first became a self-published author
• I was ready to share my message with the world

I targeted schools in my county and across the country requesting classroom visits. I emailed media specialists with an intro letter, the Common Core Standards met through my presentation, requirements & price list, testimonials, and reviews from readers. Many schools responded with interest. I built a Powerpoint presentation focusing on the power of words in life and literature. During classroom visits, I pass out coloring pages & puzzles of my characters rolled as scrolls to any student who participates in Q&A. In one month, my sales matched my entire first year.

How has this transformed me?
As a self-published author, I have the power to constantly adjust my book’s appearance, content, and marketing to meet the needs of my customers. Through school visits and community appearances, I am entrusted with a great responsibility to teach life skills to children. To me, it’s not about a book or sales or reviews, or whether it’s been traditionally- or self-published. It’s about the heart of the story and sharing that message. It’s about that child who comes up after a presentation for a hug or to share their story of being bullied. It’s about that teary-eyed parent thanking me for starting the conversation.

What is the heart of your story? What sets you apart from every other author who is trying to secure a classroom visit? I don’t enter a school to sell books. I go to talk about writing, to provide teachers with a Common Core resource, and to engage students in a fun, activity based session where they will learn the power of their words. Now, it’s your turn.

Jaimie M. Engle is an award-winning author from Melbourne, Florida. Before releasing her anti-bullying fantasy novel Clifton Chase and the Arrow of Light she ran a body shop, modeled bikinis, danced in the Aloha Bowl halftime show, and managed a hip-hop band. Her young adult novella, The Dredge, placed honorable mentions in the 2013 L. Ron Hubbard’s Writer’s of the Future contest and she placed second in the 2012 Space Coast Writer’s Guild short story competition. She is represented by Pam Howell of D4EO Literary. Engle offers a coaching & editing service for aspiring writers at www.awriterforlife.com. Learn more about her books and download free stuff at www.jaimiengle.com.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/jaimiengleauthor
Twitter: www.twitter.com/jaimiengle
Instagram: www.instagram.com/jaimiengle
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/jaimiengle

Thank you so much Jaimie, this was fabulous and am truly happy for your successes!!
And just a reminder, our fun contest with terrific prizes ends on Tuesday and it's not too late to play right here.
The FREE webinar is Friday March13th at 5.30PM PST registration here.
The deadline for our scholarships for the course have been extended until March 4th because we did a poor job getting the word out about them. These will be announced on the 6th on the scholarship page.
And finally, to check out what the course is about, click here. We'd love to blow you away with what we've created and how it can transform your publishing life. Early Bird Specials end March 6th.