What We Did This Summer...

Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing is nearing the end of our 17th year, which means our namesakes are approaching adulthood. (I started this venture when Wyatt and MacKenzie were babies.) This was a big summer for all of us . . .

~ Wyatt Henry ~

Kicking off June was Wyatt's high school graduation. I couldn't have been prouder as he nabbed eight scholarships . . . which says a great deal about him, and a little about an indie publishing company's profitability. (smile) Wyatt is heading to Oregon State University in just a few weeks—I am still a bit in shock, but so excited for him.

 

MacKenzie, Me, and Wyatt

~ MacKenzie Jean ~

At the end of June, MacKenzie took a bold step and participated in The Art Institute of Portland's Summer Program in Film/Video. She had a phenomenal time—she loved the school, the equipment, the instructor—and plans to attend after graduation (in two years). The video she scripted, directed, acted in, partially shot, and edited, was featured in the presentation at the conclusion of the program.

Art Institute of Portland ~ Summer Workshop

~ Summer Beach Read Kindle Give Away ~

Every day in July way gave away a free Kindle. It was exhausting, but worth it: authors of "backlisted" books felt a new surge of fresh readers; we got a whole bunch of likes on our facebook page; and our first foray into Facebook advertising was an utter success. Over 14,000 Kindles were downloaded all together. Wow!

Look what we accomplished, from #1 in Quantum Theory to #1 in Alcoholism (my dad, Walter Henry, would have laughed out loud) . . .

~ Willamette Writers Conference ~

In August I was invited to the 50th Annual Willamette Writers Conference. I spent three days up in Portland listening to 58 "speed-dating-style" 8-minute pitches from writers (plus all the others . . . in the hall, on the elevator, in the ladies room, at lunch, over coffee, and emails upon my return if they didn't get a chance in person). It was a bit of a whirlwind, which I'm still spinning in.

Me (well, half of me) with historical novelist C. Wayne Dawson

 

 ~ Summer Racing ~

The last weekend of August was a biggie for our Motorsports Team. (Didn't know this indie publisher had a motorsports division? We do! It's a small, bootstrappin' venture that's always been the passion of Wyatt and MacKenzie's dad. They compete at small events around Oregon.) The team has been building a Rock Bouncing Buggy—from the ground up—for the last four months. We arrived late the second day, after fixing what broke the first day, and the winner had already been announced—but Joey ran the Rock Course anyway for the video. When he beat the first place run by 3 minutes, this happened . . . [visit YouTube.com/WMmotorsports to see more of what we do on the weekends!]

~ New Wyatt-MacKenzie Titles ~

September 1st marks the release of our 3rd title with Maria Bailey. MILLENNIAL MOMS: 202 Facts Marketers Need to Know premiered at #1 in Hot New Releases on Amazon in its category.

 

And, finally . . . the ARCs of our November and January titles have been making the rounds. Both are being enthusiastically embraced, and it's been thrilling watching the authors get excited at every turn.

Phew! It's been a summer of stretching . . . our boundaries, our futures, our finances, and our brand. Stay tuned, we have some big acquisitions on the horizon.