| Writers Spotlight - boice Terrel-Allen
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Conversation with author boice Terrel-Allen Location: By time I got comfortable the families started to fill the restaurant, which informed me it must be family night. I began to second-guess myself, on picking this location. I changed seats once, then twice to escape the little feet beating against the back of my chair and the little fingers pointing and asking Daddy "who's that?" But Hey, I'm here; it's cold outside, and certain situations you can't control. I blocked out the surrounding babble, reviewed my questions, checked the batteries on the recorder and then I relaxed with a hot cup of tea, anxiously awaiting his arrival. On time, a good sign, boice arrived. His stylish appearance seemed to have stepped right out of one of your favorite vintage movies, where men always dress with the utmost of style. The way he wore his He immediately greeted me with a handsome smile, which at once placed me at ease along with his warm and inviting handshake. Instead of having the usual Q & A, boice and I had a conversation, like old friends catching up on one another's life. My first book came out in 2000, I've always written as a child, it wasn't until I went to grad school and I had a professor who later became my mentor take an interest in my writing and it was he who first to encouraged me to write a novel. In our class one of the required assignments was to imitate a writing style of a well-known non-fiction writer, at the same time it helped us find our own writing style. Which I thought was an interesting concept. At that time I was writing a lot of short stories. When my professor reviewed our midterms, he said to me that I was a good writer and I should write a novel. I told him I had been working on some short stories, but he explained to me the reasons people rarely read a book of short stories and a novel would be a better choice. At that time he offered to assist me in the process. I thought about it and came up with the idea that, yeah I should write a book. That is when I started reading the entire "How-To" books on writing a novel. The first book I wrote was based on my Grandmother. The story followed her as a young girl living in SP Bonita: I asked boice the title of his first book, as in my research, I only came across three titles. He jokingly told me that this book was not released. It was more of a writing exercise, which assisted him in the development of writing discipline. It also allowed him to learn how to follow through on a project from start to finish. While writing the first unreleased book, the idea for my second book "The Daughters of a Mother" came to me. Now I actually enjoyed writing my second book. I had fun for the six or seven months it took me to complete the manuscript. I would fly through it every day. My professor was going to show the finished manuscript to a publisher, but he passed away before it was completed. That did not hinder my focus, as I kept plugging away writing. For the first couple of years after the manuscript was completed I sent it out to different publishers. I received the standard rejection letters but the last few were positive ones. They told me they enjoyed my work, but it was not right for their list. That is when I started my intense research into self-publishing. What I received out of my research is that self-publishing is a win/win type of situation. It offers you the chance to get your work out there and you can still sign with a publishing house in the future. In that case you would be along a little further than an author in their initial search for a publisher. You would be more familiar with the process of publishing and marketing your book. I had a positive self-publishing experience with my first book. This led to my third book “Janet Hurst”. During this time I also came up with the idea of publishing an anthology. To assist financially with these projects I applied and was approved for grants from the Multicultural Arts Initiative, The Pittsburgh Foundation and the Archie D. and Bertha H. Walker Foundation. SP Bonita: When you made the choice to self-publish, how did you go from Manuscript to Galley to Book? Once I completed the research on self-publishing, I knew I would need a photographer and editor. I completed my undergrad at Pitt; I knew some of the professors were willing to edit manuscripts. I received permission to sit in some of the classes to find a professor who I thought would be best qualified in my genre of writing. After choosing one, I spoke to her and explained I had a completed manuscript and I was in the process of searching for an editor. She agreed to act as my editor. I knew a photographer from college and I asked if he knew any one who did graphic design and he referred me to a friend, and from her I was referred to an illustrator. It was as though God was leading me from one opened door to another. SP Bonita: Oh, I see, it was networking at its best. People who work in the same creative circle are linked together and you just followed the next link, and the next. Yes, this is good for people who are not out there doing their trade full-time, this type of work gives them experience and assist in building their portfolio. SP Bonita: Let me ask you a formatting question; is there a specific format you must use for your manuscript? If you are going to send it to a publisher you would have a standard to abide, which is usually given in their package. But if you self-publish it is usually up to your judgment on how to format your manuscript. You will need certain margins, but once you give it to the graphic designer they will put it into a whole different format for publishing. SP Bonita: Did you use a book designer and what is their role? Yes, I did. The one I used for the first two books, I came up with the concept of the book covers and they set up the design and with the different fonts. They created the whole overall look it. You have the book layout and the design layout. The book layout entails the cover only and the design layout covers the inside print. SP Bonita: While writing your manuscript did you ever use a style manual? I used mainly the Thesaurus. I also try not to use the same words of description over. Use words that are true to the characters. There was as style manual I used for "Coloring Book”, I was working with so many different styles. SP Bonita: Ok, now after your manuscript has gone through the editing and the final revisions have been made and you have in your hand the book, and it's ready to be published, how did you go about locating a printer? I read the Writers Digest; every so often they offer a special self-publishing issue that covers the different small press printers. With that information I did further research on-line. I narrowed it down to a few, and then I would contact each and request them to send me a sample of books they published. Once I received them, I would inspect their physical shape, how the spine and book would stand up to being bent, how it was put together, the type of paper and the print. When I narrowed it down, I would contact some of their clients to see if they were satisfied with the printer. This is a major investment you need to do your research carefully. There are also two types of printer, one you would give them the diskette of your manuscript ready for print, and then there are the others where they will handle the graphic design, the book layout. Of course the later would be more expensive. SP Bonita: Would you explain to our readers the PODs (Print One Demand)? It's a regular book printer; they won't print up the book until they are needed. The only drawback with this is a lot of bookstores will not accept books from these types of printers. Also there are subsidiary printers, which are far more expensive than printers. They do not assist you with marketing. I have found in my experience, most bookstores have no problem dealing with a small press company. SP Bonita: How did you decide on the number of books to publish? My first printing was 500. That is a good number; you usually make your money back. If you go back for a 2nd printing, it would be cheaper if you use the same printer. They already have the plates made from the previous printing. SP Bonita: How do you decide on the price? I checked out other books of the same genre. You don't want to under price your book people will wonder what's wrong with it. Don't want to overprice it, people wonder why should they buy it, especially if you are an unknown writer. Perhaps 2 to 3 times it cost to print each book. SP Bonita: What steps did you take to successfully promote your books? One way is to have a web site, you can include excerpts of your book; also a listing of your book-related events, such as book launchings, readings, and book festivals. Using hard copy promotion items, press releases, and description of the book, bio, and contact information. You would send out this type of promotion before your release date to generate publicity for your book party. You could even have post cards made with the book cover and a short description on the back. These can be sent out to newspapers, TV and radio. SP Bonita: You believe creating a web site is important to the promotion of a book? Yes I do, you do an article and people want to read more they will come back always looking for something new. You should make sure to keep your web site updated. SP Bonita: Tell me what did you find to be the most expensive part of self-publishing? I would say the printing. You can control cost with paper, but you don't want flimsy paper. The printer will give you a choice of paper; as there are different types of weight of paper. When you call for samples of their work, you can also ask for the samples of paperweight used. They will ask you what size you want your book to be; the most common size is 6x9 and 5 1/2x8. Just ask questions. There are ways to cut down on fees, but do not compromise the finished product. Of course the book cover weight is different from the inside weight. Paperback covers are less expensive than hardback books. With today's printers the paper used for paperback covers are more durable than in the past. SP Bonita: I read on your web site that you have founded your own small press? Yes, Rattlecat, is the name of my small press company. I oversee cover concepts, layout design and working with the graphic designers. We will give you a variety of choices. The books are still sent out to an editor and a printing company. The company is just starting, the Coloring Book is my first book I published by a different author. I did the promotion and marketing for this book. SP Bonita: Recently I saw your book in the Walden's Books at Ross Park Mall. Are they available other places? Yes, they are in Walden’s, Borders, Barnes & Nobles and some of the smaller stores and on Amazon.com. Amazon has a good reputation with the selling of self-published books. SP Bonita: What is your favorite part of writing? I guess it is the escapism; you can create these other characters. In life you may not know all the right things to do, what to do, when to do it, but when you write fiction you seem to know all the right things and you control everything. SP Bonita: Are you working on anything new? Yes, I am carrying my notebook everywhere I go, I am excited about this project I have the concept of a double book of a collection. One would be a series of short stories based on one character, which will read like a novel, but they are random stories throughout her life. The second would be random short stories I have been writing. This is coming along well; I should be completed with this in March of 2005. It's scheduled for a September 2005 release. boice did share the unique concept of the book, which I will let our readers discover when the book has been released. I know they will not be disappointed. SP Bonita: What do you expect from a book party? Sort of like publicity. If someone wants to do an article on you, this would be a good publicity gathering. Even if they don't buy your book at that time, they may buy it later. People hearing your name over and over, can add to future sales. Plus it's fun. SP Bonita: Now that you have your own small press, are your actively soliciting manuscripts? SP Bonita: Do you have any self-publishing events being offered in the future? Not at this time, any future events will be listed on the web site www.rattlecat.com. People can always check the web site for any updates. SP Bonita: What advice do you have for our aspiring self-publishing writers? Be careful of Subsidiary Publishing; interview people you will use for services. Ask around. If you find one person, they may be able to refer you to another. Check out free-lancers before you go to the graphic Design Company. Check how they charge (hourly or lump sum). Keep in mind your graphic designer is not your proofreader. If there is mistake it's your fault not theirs. Have a good editor or proofreader. SP Bonita: I want to ask just a few more questions to expand on what we spoke of previously; you said that Amazon.com is self-publisher friendly could you tell us a little more and how to contact them. Yes, they make it really easy for self-published writers. Go to www.amazon.com/advantage to register. They will take you through all the steps which is basically giving them info on your book i.e. description, sending the cover, ISBN, etc. it used to be free, i believe it's $30 a year now. They take 55% off the cover price. SP Bonita: Between your third book, Janet Hurst, and your idea of publishing an anthology, you said you received some grants to assist with publishing. How did you hear about the grants and what were the application steps you took in applying for these grants? I found out about MCAI/Pittsburgh Foundation when i met the program associate at a book signing. She gave me the information to start applying. You can be at any point in your career and don't have to be a part of an organization. It's based solely on your work. You will need to have a fiscal agent to be your conduit (they're a middle man for your money). The Foundation gives them the money and then the allot it to you. A Fiscal Agent has to be a non-profit which works out for the artist because they don't have to pay taxes on the money. The Foundation can provide you with Fiscal Agents to approach with your project. I used the Kingsley Association who have worked extensively with the Foundation Also, I would suggest applying to www.sproutfund.org; they give out project grants and don't require a fiscal agent.
I would like to thank boice for taking the time out of his busy schedule to meet with me and share his experiences with the Soul Pitt readers. If anyone has any questions they would like to ask boice, you may contact him through the Rattlecat website The Official Rattlecat Tees are available! Order them exclusively online at http://www.rattlecat.com, along with Allen's books, The Daughters of a Mother, Janet Hurst and Coloring Book: An Eclectic Anthology of Fiction & Poetry by Multicultural Writers.
If you have the passion to write about a subject you love, the time and the skills to prepare a quality book for publication. The confidence to take a financial risk and most of all the drive to promote and market your book, you can self-publish successfully. |
The Official Rattlecat Tees are available! Order them exclusively online at http://www.rattlecat.com, along with Allen's books, The Daughters of a Mother, Janet Hurst and Coloring Book: An Eclectic Anthology of Fiction & Poetry by Multicultural Writers.
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