Publishing is Like Jumping Off a Cliff

Yes, publishing is like jumping off a cliff, but hopefully the book industry hasn't sucked the hope out of you that something will make you take flight. For me last month, that was a parachute and a paragliding instructor strapped to my back. As I was flying thousands of feet above the ground I couldn't stop smiling.

What a view you get soaring above all the others who didn't dare! It's just like putting your book out there in the world. You're going to gain life momentum by taking the risk — and no matter how the flight turns out, it's a wild journey with a unique perspective you never would have enjoyed before, and you're going to land, no matter what. There's going to be turbulence, your parachute is going to deflate and your stomach will sink as you free-fall, but the wind will eventually catch you (hopefully).

Top Ten Ways Paragliding is Like Publishing

1. ANXIETY: You take a curvy journey to the top of a cliff. Your stomach is turning from the motion and the anxiety, you're nervous as hell and not sure if you're brave enough to be doing this. Ditto.

2. PATIENCE: You stand at the edge of a cliff watching the windsocks, just waiting for the perfect gust. Waiting, waiting, waiting. Like authors with manuscripts, whether it's waiting for an agent to see the market potential for a book, or waiting for the media to grab hold of your idea, you wonder at times if it will ever happen, or if you'll just stand there all rigged up, looking stupid. 

3. PREPARATION: When the wind (or the market) begins to come alive the instructor (or consultant) behind you yells in your ear, "Run! Run! Run!" And adds, "Even when you're in the air, keep running!" "Publish! Keep going. Don't stop until you have books in your hand and in stores internationally."  

4. LAUNCH: You run hard. As your chute tries to hold you back (your fear?) you feel like you are running in place, not gaining any ground. Then suddenly, whooosh. Your feet keep running, your arms keep pumping, until the wind slaps you in the face and realize, "Holy $^@&, I'm flying!" After years or writing, months of editing, weeks of packaging — the book is available to the public. The feeling is a bit similar to weightlessness when you see your name in a store.

5. PERSPECTIVE: The view from up above the treetops is awe-inspiring. To have taken the risk and run until you could have crashed, is a rush of adrenalin and pride. Ditto.

6. REALITY: You are so high, you feel mighty, yet you are a tiny speck in the sky. You are one of ten million books on Amazon.

7. FLEXIBILITY: The winds of change are blowing, adjustments may need to be made. Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple and others have big wind machines. Dealing with the newest technology and the newest distributor war may not be easy — learning how to flow with the wind, instead of trying to run against it, is essential to success.

8. EXPERIENCE: Being strapped to a professional really helps in all aspects — from launch to adjusting to turmoil, to landing. Ditto. Someone who has jumped off the cliff for many years, strapped to many different people, is the best source of advice and assistance.

9. LANDING: Landing is the same as jumping. Ditto. The instructor tells you, "As we approach the ground, keep your head up and start running. Keep running, your feet will hit the ground and you will continue to run." The book, finally in your hands, marks the beginning of your marketing journey — you hit the ground running (because you had been running long before the flying apparatus was even in sight). 

10. ROI (Return on Investment): The memories are worth every penny. I will not recoup my financial investment paid to the Paragliding Company, but the kids and I sure do feel proud of what we did. That pride is priceless. Having a book on the bookshelf with your name on the spine will always make you feel proud for what you have accomplished. Maybe it was just a high-flying, deep-dipping, nauseating ride — but yet an experience of a lifetime, and the beauty of publishing is the story may be enjoyed for many more lifetimes.  

* * *

LIFE IS SHORT — jump, or publish your book, while you can. Inspire others with the sheer enjoyment of your life and the fulfillment of your dreams.


We watched a beloved family member fight brain cancer for the past four months, losing the battle peacefully in her sleep last week. She went from vibrant matriarch of the family to HospiceCare in what felt like the blink of an eye. She was Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the birthday cake maker, and everyone's emergency contact number. She raised five of her nieces and nephews (including Wyatt and MacKenzie's dad). She was the brains, and the real brawn, behind her father's farm, homesteaded by their family well over 100 years ago. I wish she had put pen to paper and told her life story. Rest in Peace ~ Sally Jean Owens ~ 1949—2012 

Wyatt paragliding.

MacKenzie preparing to jump.

Working Remotely — Guess Where!

So, we've been working some long hours the last four months. Our spring books are making a splash, and so are we (FIRST HINT). I am excited to announce -- for the next few weeks we will be working remotely, well, even more remotely than Deadwood.

Many years ago one of Imprints offered us the use of her second home, and this month we took her up on it! Stay tuned for the second company excursion of 2012. The trip will hold a bunch of firsts for Wyatt and MacKenzie. Joey lived there with his mom for a year when he was in his teens. I've been wanting and waiting to go back there for 22 years.

MORE HINTS: The last time I was there was also a work trip. Seems like a lifetime ago, well I guess it was half a lifetime! During that trip I...walked on hot coals, jumped off a telephone pole and caught a trapeze swing, stopped eating meat, and performed an obnoxious clap more times than I wish to count. But I listened. And I absorbed. And while I didn't really fit in with that crowd as I worked behind the scenes, I saw people believing in their potential, and I began to full-heartedly believe in mine.

Have a guess? Post on our facebook wall. We'll be writing, and working, from there soon...stay tuned.

Wyatt-MacKenzie SPRING 2012 Press Release

Rock-'n-Roll, Drugs, Divorce and Diversity — Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing Spring 2012 Releases

From intercultural acceptance to accepting parental estrangement, from helping teens stay off drugs to a peek inside the drug-fueled Hollywood music scene — Wyatt-MacKenzie's Spring roster's contradictions make good reading companions in paperback, iBook, Kindle and Nook.

May 1, 2012 -- (Deadwood, OR) Independent publisher Wyatt-MacKenzie is all sex, drugs, rock-’n-roll, and race relations this Spring with a richly diverse crop of books, awards, and eBooks for May 2012.

THE CHALK CIRCLE, Tara L. Masih's collection of intercultural prizewinning essays launches Friday, May 4, 7:00pm, at Books Inc. on Van Ness in San Francisco. Masih will lead a reading with essayists Li Miao Lovett, Toshi Washizu, Lyzette Wanzer, Samuel Autman, Tilia Klebenov Jacobs, and Gretchen Brown Wright. Tori Grant-Welhouse reviews in Her Circle magazine, “THE CHALK CIRCLE is intelligently and thoughtfully compiled, unified by a belief in writing to further our comprehension of what can (or should) define us, as individuals and as a global culture.” Read more of this comprehensive review: http://bit.ly/HMYpIj

New York Times bestselling author and political comedian Lewis Black called DEAR DAD, IT'S OVER "A must-read for any divorced parent or any child who has had to go through it.” Touring across the country in clubs and colleges, comedian and actor M Dickson opened last month for Kathleen Madigan who wrote about M’s book, “It made me think.” ForeWord Reviews states, “Her ability to articulate her feelings will be helpful for teens or young adults going through similar circumstances, but the book would also be a good choice for divorced parents of young children. As Dickson’s experiences prove, sometimes the emotions surrounding a divorce cloud the judgment of those involved, and the book could offer some reminders to parents and caretakers.” Read this review: http://bit.ly/IJOtKT

When acquisitions editor Lisa Pliscou saw Matt Bellace’s book, A BETTER HIGH, she knew it would fit perfectly on Wyatt-MacKenzie’s roster (the publishing company celebrates its 14th year in 2012 and Wyatt, MacKenzie, and Lisa’s son Max, have all become teenagers!). Bellace speaks to over a hundred thousand students a year on how to pursue natural highs and make healthy choices. A recurring comedian on truTV's "The World's Dumbest," his stand up can be heard on Sirius XM's Comedy Channels.

“THIS ROCK IN MY HEART is chick lit for rocker moms, not soccer moms!” reviews Sandy King Carpenter, a writer and film producer. Every girl who ever went to Hollywood with stars in her eyes will wish she were walking in Tommie Vaughn’s character’s shoes, or more precisely, her turquoise snakeskin cowboy boots, as she pursues her dream. Rock-’n-Roll journalist Lonn Friend describes, “deeply heartfelt, invites the audience into the sacred space of an artist, it gives you a laugh, a tear, a wise crack and a woody.” Vaughn’s indie band, Wall of Tom, is also releasing a new album alongside the book. Legendary singer/songwriter, author/publisher Henry Rollins says of the first single, “a well written, performed and meant song, free of cynicism. Rare in these times."

All new titles are available in paperback, iBook, Kindle and Nook. Also out now in ebook for Mother's Day is SPECIAL GIFTS: Women Writers on the Heartache, the Happiness and the Hope of Raising a Special Needs Child (2007) edited by Arlene Schusteff. The New York Times Sunday edition ran an excerpt five years ago by one of the talented contributors, Lisa Romeo (http://nyti.ms/IZmreL).

Book Award Season has begun! Suzanne Kamata's short story collection THE BEAUTIFUL ONE HAS COME (2011) won a 2012 Nautilus Award for books which “promote spiritual growth, conscious living & positive social change.” The Holocaust memoir by Marika Roth, ALL THE PRETTY SHOES (2011), is a ForeWord Magazine Book-of-the-Year finalist. THE CHALK CIRCLE is a winner of the 19th Annual Skipping Stones Honor Awards for “promoting an understanding of cultures, cultivate cooperation and encourage a deeper understanding of the world’s diversity.”

Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing, Inc. in Deadwood, Oregon has been providing an unparalleled author experience since 1998. Highlights of Wyatt-MacKenzie’s recent media include: a national TV appearance by author Laurie A. Couture on Anderson Cooper’s daytime talk show discussing her book INSTEAD OF MEDICATING (2008); and Publisher Nancy Cleary is profiled in Oregon Business Magazine (June 2012 Issue) among Oregon’s multi-million dollar mom-centric businesses, with two books appearing on the cover, MOM 3.0 (2008) and POWER MOMS (2011).