Wyatt-MacKenzie Fall Press Release

Wyatt-MacKenzie Celebrates 16 Years in Independent Publishing; Releases Fall 2013 Titles on Afterlife, Little-Too-Early Life, and Rock n’ Roll Life; Announces 2014 Roster

November 18, 2013 Deadwood, OR — What if you saw a “sign” that made the hair on the back of your neck stand on end, believing it was from a deceased loved one? What if you saw a woman ready to give birth without any medical help on the scene, would you know what to do? What if you dream of rock n’ roll stardom, and that dream starts coming true? Wyatt-MacKenzie’s Fall 2013 books satisfy a variety of interests, while publisher Nancy Cleary continues to satisfy writers worldwide with an unparalleled publishing experience after 16 years and over 300 titles. Wyatt-MacKenzie’s 2014 roster welcomes back two authors with second books, plus a powerful tome for all high-achieving mothers.

GIFTS FROM THE AFTERLIFE

Sinclair Browning is a traditionally published writer (Doubleday, Bantam, Time Warner) with nine books published in four countries. In 2002, Browning released Feathers Brush My Heart (Time Warner), and sparked a wave of healing for daughters who had lost their mothers. Inspired by a decade-long flood of faith, inspiration, and love, the much-anticipated sequel FEATHERS BRUSH MY HEART 2 features 85 more stories from people who have lost their mothers, fathers, siblings, spouses, aunts, friends, grandparents, and even pets, and received a gift signifying their loved one’s spirit was well. Dr. Jane Greer, author of THE AFTERLIFE CONNECTION, reviews: “FEATHERS 2 is a healing elixir for the heart and soul. It weaves together the wonder and magic of making contact with loved ones on the other side. Sinclair has once again brought to life the remarkable experience and inexplicable phenomenon of afterlife connection.” Annie Kagan, author of THE AFTERLIFE OF BILLY FINGERS, reviews: “These beautiful stories about the creative and unexpected ways our loved ones reach out to us from the other side just might open you to receiving communications of your own.” Visit SinclairBrowning.com. Purchase the Kindle, on special for $4.99 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GEH5SV4

EARLY DELIVERY

When Jennifer Slater unexpectedly delivered her own baby in the back of a jeep, the mistakes she made that morning could have cost her son his life. Jennifer realized how little we’re taught about the crucial steps of an extremely fast labor, and after years spent researching childbirth procedures and interviewing other parents who had to deliver their own babies, Jennifer compiled EN ROUTE BABY: WHAT TO DO WHEN BABY ARRIVES BEFORE HELP DOES. In addition to public speaking and presentations, Jennifer works through the Department of Safety training police officers in emergency childbirth procedures. Visit enroutebaby.com. Purchase the Kindle, on special for $2.99 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EX50GO8

ROCKIN’ ON

Tommie Vaughn, lead singer and songwriter for an alternative rock band with four albums, a hot guitarist husband, and two rock ‘n roll kids, releases her second book in a 3-part series of a fictionalized rocker girl’s life. The Frankie Spencer Series continues in THIS ROLL IN MY SOUL as the raucous group of rockers return, swagger intact, hell-bent on lighting up the stages of Los Angeles and beyond. Frankie and company battle their demons versus desires, fame versus freedom, all in the face of major label interest and for the love of rock ‘n roll. Chino Moreno of the Deftones reviews: “Tommie did a kick-ass job creating a memorable musical world. I’m hooked.” Lorraine Lewis, singer from Femme Fatale and Creator-Producer of Ex Wives of Rock reviewed: “Tommie Vaughn nails it in her tale of a girl, her dream and her Hollywood. I could practically smell the Sunset Strip in her delicious read and I raise my glass to the Frankie Spencer in all of us.” Visit TommieV.com. Purchase the Kindle, on special for $4.99 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GKQBYRQ

WYATT-MACKENZIE 2014 ROSTER

Wyatt-MacKenzie is proud to announce the signing of two Wyatt-MacKenzie authors for their second books, along with a smart mother-centric book 32 years in the making.

In March 2014 Patti Ashley will release LIVING IN THE SHADOW OF THE TOO-GOOD MOTHER ARCHETYPE. Patti reveals the truth about being a good enough mother and dispels the myths of being a perfect parent. Based on three decades of working in pediatrics, mental health and public education; a doctoral dissertation; and experience of raising four children, Dr. Patti Ashley has written a book that transforms how women feel about themselves as mothers. Visit PattiAshley.com

Joel Schwartzberg releases his second book with Wyatt-MacKenzie in June 2014. SMALL THINGS CONSIDERED: MOMENTS FROM MANLINESS TO MANILOW is Joel’s follow up to his award-winning first collection of trademark “humoirs” examining everything from modern dadhood, high school reunions, and his daughter's first crush to satirical looks at football phrases, girl scout cookies, and the U.S. citizenship text. “Schwartzberg transforms mundane events into hilarious, sometimes heart-wrenching tales,” reviews New Jersey Monthly.Visit jesttokill.com.

Annie Burnside’s second book with Wyatt-MacKenzie, set for an October 2014 release, FROM ROLE TO SOUL: 20 SHIFTS ON MY AWAKENING JOURNEY is the author’s personal reflection on living consciously as a blended being—both human and soul, simultaneously—in everyday life. In this follow up to her award-winning book SOUL TO SOUL PARENTING, Annie exemplifies the notion that, “On the awakening journey, we both come to know who we truly are and come to let go of who we truly are not. There is not much more to it than that.” Visit AnnieBurnside.com.

THE WYATT-MACKENZIE IMPRINT PROGRAM

Wyatt-MacKenzie continues to build its Indie (Self-Publishing) Imprint Program, releasing 14 titles in Fall 2013. Elizabeth Borelli released BEANALICIOUS LIVING, a step-by-step guide to breaking free from processed foods and embracing a healthy, nutritious lifestyle. Eleanor Sullivan released GRAVEN IMAGES her second Imprint title in the Singular Village Mystery series. Dina Colman released FOUR QUADRANT LIVING showing us how to make healthy living a new way of life. Tom Ingrassia released ONE DOOR CLOSES in which a collection of dreamers, some famous, share a road map to live their life with vision, courage, determination and passion. Dorean Price released her powerful memoir WITH ALL THINE HEART on picking up the pieces after a mining accident. Victoria Humphrey released CLUELESS EMPERORS demonstrating how to overcome problem people and not be one. In Australia, Lyn Arnold released her 5-book series on reflective learning. Steve Bracht released BIBLE POLITICS, a critical comparison of the Democratic and Republican parties. Richard Corn released his sixth Imprint title helping teens to prepare for college, ULTIMATE GUIDE TO THE MATH ACT. Canadian Imprint Geoff Tigg released his first three Imprint mystery novels, THE PAINTING, ABUSED TRUST, and THE MYTH OF KUKULKAN. Barbara Botch released SWEET TOMATOES, poetry for children. And, Georgia Candoli released two titles under her Imprint, GROWING UP AT MOOSEHEART, and a children’s chapter book, DEAR BALDY.

RECENT TESTIMONIALS FROM IMPRINTS

Elizabeth Borelli commented, “Under Nancy’s talented design direction, vegetarian recipes never looked so good!” Eleanor Sullivan reviewed, “Nancy Cleary is an expert in the publishing business—even keeping up with its constantly changing parameters—and helps her Imprints do the same. I have two books published under my Imprint, YesterYear Press, and I can highly recommend her for writers who are interested in indie publishing with a helping hand. Nancy is the best!” Dina Colman emailed, “I just wanted to send a quick note to sincerely thank you for helping me reach my goal. My book hit Amazon Top 100 on its release day and continues to be a top seller in its categories! My book launch party was a huge success. Had about 80 people there. It was an event of my lifetime, to be sure.” Tom Ingrassia said to publisher, Nancy Cleary, “You are making this incredibly easy!” And Victoria Humphrey said, “There is no one who could have done a better job on this book. I owe you more than I could ever put into words.”

SIXTEEN YEARS IN INDEPENDENT PUBLISHING

Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing, Inc. celebrates their 16th year in 2014. Located in the small Oregon town of Deadwood, this indie and its publisher, Nancy Cleary, have become known for providing an unparalleled author experience. Wyatt-MacKenzie authors have appeared in hundreds of TV segments, magazine articles, newspaper stories and big-brand blogs. Visit wyattmackenzie.com.

Destination: Publish

“Where will your business be in 5 years? In 10 years?” 

I had a book proposal cross my desk with this age-old business proposal question a few years ago. What quickly jumped to my mind is a dream I've had for many years—to build an “Author Retreat” here in Oregon. The retreat would be a place where writers bring their manuscript and their ideas, and I would send them home with a branded book, a marketing plan, media training, and position-building, publicity-attracting videos. Since fantasizing about this in A BOOK IS BORN in 2005 I've had new realizations of ways I can make this come to fruition. I used to believe it would take a bestseller, or the sale of film rights, to make the "big bucks" to build the log cabin home-office of my dreams and to take vacations with my family, but I've found a wonderful way to accomplish both.

The 10-year plan for "Destination: Publish" has been quietly coming together—we are scouting out locations to reach writers in every corner of the world! I envision creativity-inducing settings which entrepreneurs and writers can set as a destination for a vacation—either alone or with their family—to have fun and to work one-on-one with me to publish and promote their books. 

We've been incredibly successful finding accommodations through HomeAway® and the plan is to put together the perfect getaways—places where authors and I can work together, and where families can have a blast—along with the perfect publishing program. 

PACIFIC NORTHWEST

First location is here, on the coast in Florence, Oregon. Lots of great artsy options, incredible ocean views, and plenty for the family to do—from riding a buggy in the sand dunes to four-wheeling ATVs in the forest. (Wyatt, MacKenzie, and their dad, will help plan the family activities and provide safe, fun guidance for all adventures.)

HAWAII

Second location is Kihei, Maui, my second favorite place on earth, where we visited in May 2012. Gorgeous ocean-side small town, just perfect for brainstorming, and tons of great trips for families.

NEW ENGLAND

Third location is near Providence, Rhode Island. We are looking at a planning-trip in summer 2015, when MacKenzie may be attending the same pre-college program at RISD that I did 30 years before). Narragansett has fantastic beach houses, and we are looking forward to lots of reunions with east coast authors.

CARIBBEAN

Fourth location is the rain forests of Puerto Rico, where we visited earlier this month! Day trips to the beaches of Loiza and Luquillo won me over, and San Juan holds tons of history and fun. Here are some photos of the "Villa Sevilla Chalet" where I visualized hosting the most amazing personal publishing parties. 

Imagine having coffee in the misty morning, overlooking the ocean in the distance, and looking over my shoulder as I design everything from your book cover to your killer branding items.

And, imagine your family having the time of their lives—here we are kayaking through the Bioluminescent Bay (think: whale scene in Life of Pi)—while you put in a few hours of work to elevate your career. 

Sounds like fun, doesn't it?

  

Interview with publisher, Nancy Cleary

I was recently interviewed by an aspiring college student studying publishing. I hope my answers didn't derail her career choice! Anyway, here's the interview...

How did you get into the publishing business? Where did you study?

My background is actually in graphic design—I received my Bachelor’s Degree from Rhode Island School of Design in 1990 and for many years I designed books and marketing materials for authors and motivational speakers. When one of my design clients came to me, saddened by her failed attempts to find a publisher and asked if I could publish her book, I began to research the industry. I was looking for the missing pieces from having a beautiful book in my hands, which I knew how to do, to having a book in bookstores. By the end of 1998 I had officially launched Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing, and by then there was a bigger reason than helping my clients. I wanted to move from being a graphic designer to building my own brand, which I named after my kids (my then 15-month-old son and 6-week-old daughter). I learned about Bowker registrations, distribution, publicity, and what it really means to be in a bookstore, including overcoming major naïveté about "returns" (a term I thought applied to a bad customer experience). Over the last 16 years I continue to be a student of this ever-changing industry, trying to keep up with digital book technology and the incredible new publicity opportunities of social media.

How many submissions (on average) do you receive every week?

We receive 5-10 submission a week from all around the world, both agent-represented and direct from writers. We prefer submissions by email, about 2% will still mail us a big bulky package including the entire printed manuscript, which is the first red flag. The first interaction needs to be a pitch, which includes a book proposal with sample chapters and an offer to send the complete manuscript only if the publisher responds with interest.

On average how long does the publishing process take?

The schedule is actually based on the marketing plan—we set a “publication date” into the future to give us enough time for the editing process, to print advance review copies, to get endorsements, to pitch print magazines (which require 6 months lead-time), and for industry reviewers (who need a minimum of 4 months lead-time). And, we want to choose a good time of year, when the author and the book have the best chance of getting noticed.

What do you look for in the submissions you receive to be published?

It’s first about the author—how big have they built their platform? In simplest terms—when I google their name, do I find an author website? Do I see articles they’ve written in numerous venues? Do I see active social media pertinent to the author’s topic? Do I see the author’s consistent efforts to interact with his or her audience? Second it is about the manuscript—has it been peer-reviewed? Has it already been copy-edited and proofread? If it is non-fiction, has it been properly researched and accurate? Or, if it is fiction, does the writer have a dozen or more reader reviews? Or, maybe a professional pre-publication review from Kirkus (https://www.kirkusreviews.com/author-services/indie/). Third is about the book proposal—does it include a concrete marketing and publicity plan? This includes which venues the writer plans to pitch (what magazine, newspapers, news shows, talkshows, blogs, etc.), who the contact is that they will try, and what they will pitch (sometimes they will propose a book review, others it would be an interview including sample questions, others might be an excerpt) and when (based on lead-times of the venues and relevance/timeliness of the topic).

What distinguishes a manuscript that is decided to be published compared to ones that are not chosen to be published?

As mentioned in the last answer—the author’s platform, a marketing plan, and reviews of the manuscript—set apart those we will consider.

What does the current market for books/literature look like?

Here’s my view on “market”—it’s not about them (a mainstream audience), it’s about the author. I have always seen a book as a product created by an entrepreneur or writer in order to either further their career, or leave a life legacy, or the completion of a creative goal. Once you are a published author, you can use this as leverage—be it social or financial or for advancement on some level. I try to instill in my authors the perspective that it’s not about the book, but what they can use the book to accomplish in their lives. Becoming a best-selling author may happen, but it will only happen if an author is hyper-actively promoting themselves and this, in and of itself, can lead to opportunities for the author they may have never before imagined—from paid speaking invitations to employment offers to paid travel.

In the current market, are E-books or hard-copy books more popular? How did this change over time?

We sell equal amounts of ebooks and paperback at this point. Converting backlisted, older books into ebooks has been a great new stream of revenue. We’ve watched the ebook market grow from only the few ultra-geeks having e-readers seven years ago to almost 90% of people having some way to easily read an ebook. The immediacy of downloading the ebook as soon as you hear about it is a big draw for avid readers and researchers. We also make more money on ebooks than printed books when all of the hardcosts are calculated.

Do you offer any programs for young authors?

Yes, we have worked with many young authors—from children writing and illustrating children’s books to a college graduate who wrote a World War 2 novel from the perspective of her uncle, a fighter pilot. She is now doing speaking tours all across United States to veterans and WW2 organizations, and her book has been adopted in college courses including presentations she makes to students.

How do you find new talent in the writing industry?

Writers find Wyatt-MacKenzie through our authors, agents, consulting clients, media we receive, and awards we win. I don’t actively seek out new talent as much as individuals might be referred to us by someone who has worked with us, and most importantly in this industry, trusts us.

What is the biggest mistake you see writers tend to make in their submissions?

When writers send a manuscript and that is all. Our acquisitions editor will not even receive the manuscript from me until I have reviewed a marketing plan and seen, hopefully in the cover letter, a collection of links to work the writer has done online: their blog, social media links, and any other efforts which show me they have they ability to generate publicity and sell books.

What should one do/not do to have greater chances of getting published?

Technology has amped up the requirements of writers, but it also gives them a no-cost tool—it only takes energy and talent to build an online presence—to show me that they are already posting their writing for others to read, that they are brave enough to get out there and write reviews of other books, to comment on articles that apply to their passion, to leave a footprint of well-written, snappy, relevant and interest-worthy, comment-getting writing. Writers who believe that this type of interaction and subtle self-branding comes after the book have the least chance of getting published.

What really happens after a manuscript is chosen to be published (Are there contracts involved?  Are a certain amount of books printed and shipped to warehouses? etc.)

Before I offer a contract I will have a long conversation with a writer about his or her expectations and share our expectations. We discuss their marketing plan, and I listen to their savviness in talking about the book and the market. I admit, I also look for chemistry between myself and the writer—publishing is a like a love relationship, you are in partnership with this person through a roller coaster journey of highs and lows. This is why we start with getting expectations in check. Then there is a 13-page contract, and often a discussion about sharing the rights, and what that means. I explain to writers that we are in this together and that from the moment they sign we share rights 50/50. If Paramount Pictures calls me and wants to buy the movie rights of a book, we share the rights deal equally, or if we sell rights to other countries, we share that equally as well.

Once the contract is signed, and the schedule is set, we then send the book through editing. The writer will work directly with the editor to get the manuscript ready to publish. During editing we will design the book cover, and then the book goes through layout and we print advance review copies. The author has the responsibility of pitching and sending out advance copies to collect endorsements, reviews, and media.

Then about 2 months before the “official publication date” we send the final version of the book (with the endorsements on the back cover) to the printer. Since we evolved to international print-in-demand distribution in 2007, there is no need for a large print run, the book is ready when ordered by bookstores around the world and every online bookseller. At this time we also upload ebook conversions for Kindle, Nook and iBooks.

During the publication month the author will hopefully be doing local publicity in her hometown newspaper and appearing on her local TV news, along with national appearances in major magazines and even national TV talkshows. From before the release date to years after, the author will be pitching the book to outlets reaching the market. This is why being a part of the community of your book long before getting a publishing deal is important—knowing the blogs, websites, facebook pages, youtube channels, magazines, reporters, producers and those who are reaching audiences that will love you and want your book.

What percentage of profits does your publishing company make from the manuscripts you decide to publish?  Does it vary?

We pay our traditional authors a royalty of 7.5% of retail price. If a book sells for $14.00, an author would be paid $1.05. Distributor gets a wholesale discount of 55%, so they pay $6.30 for the book. It costs approximately $4.20 to print the book, so the profit from the retail sale is actually $2.10. This means the author and the publisher are sharing the profit equally from each sale! The publisher has paid for editing, proofreading, cover art, photography, printing advance review copies, shipping, final production plus publicity copies and efforts—this could total anywhere between $3000 and $6000. Publishers hope that a combination of retail sales, and sharing rights sales 50/50, will help recoup their investment. A foreign rights sale could range from $500 to $5000 plus 5% to 15% royalties over 5 to 7 years. A movie deal could start at $50,000 for an "Option" with the hope to sell the package for anywhere from $500,000 to $5 million!

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

You have the power to manifest your own publishing legacy—whether you work with a large publisher or you decide to go it alone and create your own self-publishing brand—the opportunity today to take your writing, polish it, package it, and distribute it to an internet audience is endless. By focusing your efforts on building an online platform (public facebook page, twitter page, youtube channel, blog/website) filled with relevant ideas on current trends and news, interesting comments you've written, plus your media-savvy personality, all in a professional manner—you can attract an audience, provide them with a product, an experience or a service, and eventually make money, or make yourself known (and then make money in some unexpected way).