New Acquisition ~ Witness to Spirit

Just 8 short weeks ago, on August 25, I received an email from Kristin Campbell: “Hi Nancy, I got your name from Sandi Selvi when we were talking today. My father has written an amazing book and I would love to speak with you about it.” 

The next day I got on the phone with Kristin and the writer who penned the introduction, Todd Wilkinson, who I learned had just written a book with Ted Turner. (Wow!)

Todd spun an enchanting tale about a Montana cowboy who loved breakin’ wild horses and playin’ fiddle. And how a love of music led Robert Staffanson, author of Witness to Spirit: My Life with Cowboys, Mozart & Indians, to create the highly-successful Billings Symphony against all odds, and then to conduct the prestigious Springfield Symphony in Massachusetts. Then, homesick, Robert Staffanson returned home to Montana to co-found The American Indian Institute. (Wow. Wow. Wow.) And, there were photos. Lots of gorgeous photos.

The arc of Robert Staffanson’s life evolves through this trio of distinct movements, and at each step of the way, he bears witness to spirit.

I was smiling through the entire phone call (of course, I do have a soft spot for cowboys). After a few follow-up contract calls, Wyatt-MacKenzie quickly signed Kris and her father, who is 93 and deaf, with the inconceivable goal of getting books to him for Christmas. After 3 weeks in editing, and 3 weeks in layout, we just got the hot galleys in our hands! I am beyond excited.

Here’s a peek inside the pages of Witness to Spirit... taking pre-orders now on Amazon, set to start shipping December 1.

 

Advance Review Copies!!

 

Can’t even tell you how much fun I had designing this.

I wanted to try and capture the same spirit held in Mr. Staffanson’s words... and in the photos he’s held on to for all those years.

 

A peek inside the pages in “First Movement ~ Cowboys” 

This section features antique sepia-tone photos secured with old-fashioned picture corners.

 

A peek inside the pages in “Second Movement ~ Music”

This section features dramatic, stark black & white photos with romantic accents.

 

A peek inside the pages in “Third Movement ~ Indians”

This section features vibrant, stunning color photos. 

 

 

 

We’re anxiously awaiting the foreword, being written by Oren Lyons—Faithkeeper of the Turtle Clan of the Onondaga Nation and a Chief of the Onondaga Nation Council of Chiefs of the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy—who co-founded twocircles.org with Mr. Staffanson. 

For me, this entire book project has been imbued with spirit from the onset. 

Awesome insight #1: Kris was speaking with our author, Sandi Selvi, about her book A Stem Cell Transplant MS Recovery Story, after having the life-changing procedure Sandi wrote about!

Awesome insight #2: And here’s the BEST full-circle moment, ever. I moved to Oregon in 1992 and at that time I was helping a partner build his media publishing company, WisdomKeepers Publishing, named after a gorgeous book which came out in 1990 featuring Native American Elders, including Oren Lyons. 

 ~ • ~

Before & Afters ~ Book Covers

Some of our Imprints come to Wyatt-MacKenzie for a revamped second edition of their book, under their own brand. Others have great cover ideas for their new books, but haven’t found anyone able to execute their vision. We springboard off of what the Imprint brings to the table, and add our touch — imbuing the Imprint’s branding, and organizing the information into the most legible, enticing, and memorable way, sure to leave a professional impression.

Here are six examples of recent Before & Afters...

#1 Alissa had a creative first edition cover including a cool personalized mask graphic, which she really wanted to keep. Building from there, I made the mask the central image, simplified and focused the title, and professionally positioned Alissa as a speaker and advocate.

Before

After

 

#2 Sometimes a new photo shoot is exactly what a cover needs, and maybe a little typographic pixie dust.

 

#3 I really love when an author creates a fabulous cover concept themselves, and I just help them polish it. Laurel had this great “Wizard of Oz” feel to her cover and really wanted to keep the hand-drawn font — my updates were subtle, but added a whole new level of branding for her.

Before

After 

 

#4 Erin’s title revolves around a key, and she had a great cover image created for her first edition; but, like many of the other examples, the execution of the typography needed a little work.

Before

 

After 

 

 

#5 Lin released the first edition of her book and then came to us for the second edition and the sequel, now safely under her own Imprint.

Before

After 

 

Sequel

 

 

#6 Matt and Zen had assembled a great eBook, and were ready for a print version. I helped them create a new icon for the series, and designed the first two covers. This is a fun full-color book — the interior is just as incredible as the covers Look Inside at Amazon.

Before

 

 

 After and Book #2

I hope these examples inspire other authors to look at their covers (and just as importantly, their back covers) with new eyes and new ideas. 

Contact me if I can help you with your new cover. nancy@wyattmackenzie.com 

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.