The books were printed on time. However, when they arrived, my publisher and I agreed that the photos weren’t as vibrant as we want them to be. The photos are an important part of this gift book as they are paired with each poem and together are to promote the essence of the title–Tranquility. Transformation. Transcendence.
When printing photos, we have numerous decisions. The weight, texture, and finish of the paper, in addition to the type of press and whether ink or tuner is used, are all to be considered. The POD (Print on Demand) samples we ordered were run on an offset press with toner. The actual printing was run on a printing press with ink, which is why the photos on the samples were vivid while those on the regular press, were not.
Toner sits on top of paper while ink soaks in a bit. How much the ink soaks into the paper depends on its weight and finish.
I take numerous photos and have found that the finish can change the look of the photo considerably. Here you see samples of finishes on photo paper. I ordered the same photo with all the options available on Mpix, a site I use for photo prints, so that I could clearly see the differences. The choice of what the photographer wishes to accent and the mood to be set is mostly based on preference.
The printer, my publisher, and I discussed our different options and settled on another plan–heavier paper and a glossy finish. My book is being reprinted and should be in hand in a couple of weeks. Of course, the delay is disappointing, but I’m more concerned with this book being perfectly beautiful than released earlier than the time it takes to make it right. You can preorder the Tranquility. Transformation. Transcendence from the publisher, ACTA Publications.
Marketing is a must in book publishing. Competition is fierce, and after years of working on a manuscript, and then a few more getting it published, no one will be aware a book exists if we don’t inform them. One of the first ways of doing this is through a piece called a sell sheet.
Sell sheets contain the who, what, when, where, whys, and how of the book. When well-worded, the advertisement draws interest through its compelling call to perspective readers. As shown in the sell sheet below for my new book, Tranquility. Transformation. Transcendence. The Enchanting Promises of Public Gardens, readers see the new cover, learn the book title, ISBN number, number of pages in the book, its price, and when and where it will be available, as well as how to pre-order. There also is a summary of the book, two or three early reviews, and a few sentences about the author.
Sell sheets are then sent to target organizations, communities, and local media. Friends, and family may also receive this piece in hopes that they will help spread the word. Please comment if you’d like to know more about sell sheets or my new book. I’d love to hear from you.
This was a question I posted on my family and friends Facebook page. (I also have an author page.) I asked followers if they have a favorite poem and if they purchase books on poetry.
I was curious because my new book which is in publication as we speak contains 72 poems and photos reflected by nature at public parks. Although I’ve written 11 books, a book devoted to poetry is a new space for me, and I’m contemplating as to how to proceed. Poetry books are traditionally tough to market.
The responses to my Facebook question were insightful and fun for me to learn. Sally said she owned all of Mary Oliver’s books, (as do I), and Trudy owns all of Ann Weems’. Carol said she is a traditionalist and enjoys Tennyson, Dickenson, E.E. Cummings, Poe, and Whitman.
Sue says that Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” is special and likes poets Hugh Prather and the title, Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. As to her favorite style of poetry, Sue added that she loves haikus because they are simple and powerful.
Steve enjoys Shel Silverstein’s books of poems, Where the Sidewalk Ends and A Light in the Attic, which are books I enjoyed reading to my children. He also likes “The Raven” by Edgar Allen Poe.
Cheryl said that one of her favorite poems is “The Desiderata” by Max Ehrmann. She said she doesn’t buy poetry but enjoys reading it.
Kurt shared his favorite poem “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas. The poem begins, “Old age should burn and rave at close of day . . . “
Becky and Beth admitted that they do not like poetry. However, I do wonder when people claim this, because most enjoy music and/or Scripture, which are both very poetic. Perhaps, they simply don’t like certain poetic styles.
And at the heart of writing and other creative styles are the words of Charles Bukowski in the poem, “so you want to be a writer?” Thank you, Joey for sharing this great find. I certainly identify with this piece.
*
so you want to be a writer?
Charles Bukowski – 1920-1994
if it doesn’t come bursting out of you in spite of everything, don’t do it. unless it comes unasked out of your heart and your mind and your mouth and your gut, don’t do it. if you have to sit for hours staring at your computer screen or hunched over your typewriter searching for words, don’t do it. if you’re doing it for money or fame, don’t do it. if you’re doing it because you want women in your bed, don’t do it. if you have to sit there and rewrite it again and again, don’t do it. if it’s hard work just thinking about doing it, don’t do it. if you’re trying to write like somebody else, forget about it.
if you have to wait for it to roar out of you, then wait patiently. if it never does roar out of you, do something else.
if you first have to read it to your wife or your girlfriend or your boyfriend or your parents or to anybody at all, you’re not ready.
don’t be like so many writers, don’t be like so many thousands of people who call themselves writers, don’t be dull and boring and pretentious, don’t be consumed with self- love. the libraries of the world have yawned themselves to sleep over your kind. don’t add to that. don’t do it. unless it comes out of your soul like a rocket, unless being still would drive you to madness or suicide or murder, don’t do it. unless the sun inside you is burning your gut, don’t do it.
when it is truly time, and if you have been chosen, it will do it by itself and it will keep on doing it until you die or it dies in you.
Birthing is hard work. Whether we humans are giving birth to a child, a horse to a colt, or a writer to a book, the process takes time, nurturing, and struggle.
My next book, tentatively titled, Tranquility, Transformation, Transcendence. The Enchanting Gifts of Public Gardens, is prime example. I’ve been working on this book for years. It is not only an unusual book for me, it is a bit different overall. The book contains photos of nature taken at three public gardens paired with poems prompted by the photo.
My previous books were quite serious. They covered the topics of women’s experiences with mentoring, praying with the Virgin Mary, Saint Theodore/Mother Theodore Guerin, spirituality and aging, and caregiving to loved ones with dementia. The Enchanting Gifts of Public Gardens is light, inspiring, and fun. It was a joy to put together and hopefully, a joy to read and ponder, something I needed, and I believe the world needs, now.
Books require time to stew, develop. I begin with a concept, a rough idea of what I’d like to cover. The book then takes on a life of its own once I begin to gather research and thoughts. The end result is often very different than I originally anticipated.
This evolution happens for many reasons. Occasionally, the story I want to tell isn’t more than what should be covered in an article or blog post, so I write it that way, instead. Every now and then, I lose interest in the topic, which no longer allows me to write an interesting book, and so I abandon that idea completely. Sometimes, the information I’m attracted to is heavy in a particular direction, and therefore, I venture off down that path.
I believe one book I wrote was spirit driven. While writing The Rosary Prayer by Prayer, I felt as if I was being directed by a higher power. The writing came together quickly and smoothly.
Most often, the book I write is basically the same as my original intention–with some refinement. Either I or my publisher narrows the topic. For example, in The Enchanting Gifts of Public Gardens, I had written poems about nature that were from numerous locations. My publisher advised I narrow this book to three public gardens. The rest may be used in future books. Now that this one is ready to go to publication, I totally agree with the narrower focus.
The process of putting a book together is like building a puzzle. Words build sentences that build paragraphs, that build pages and chapters, and so on. Even the title continuously evolves. I began The Enchanting Gifts of Public Gardens with the working title Poetic Nature. There were several reasons why my publisher wasn’t keen on that. And who knows what it will be in the end. It may continue to be tweaked.
Hopefully, the timing for this book is perfect. My last book, Inspired Caregiving, was released at the beginning of the COVID pandemic. Many of my other books, particularly the ones on prayer, did well during that time, but Inspired Caregivingnever got much attention, which is unfortunate. I believe it has much to offer caregivers on every level from parents and teachers to caregivers of those seriously ill.
The Enchanting Gifts of Public Gardens is scheduled to be released this spring. It is ready and waiting its turn to go through the publishing process, so I hope to be telling you more about it soon.
A question I’ve been asked over the years is which of the books that I’ve written is my favorite. This is a question that is as impossible to answer as which child is my favorite. Each book is special to me. I’m proud of all of all of them for different reasons.
Each was written with an intent to fill a need. Each book was sent out into the world with a mission to offer information and consolation to a particular audience. Most have won awards and sold consistently well over the years. And now I’m very excited about a new book coming out this year, which I will tell you about at the end of this post.
Mentoring Heroeswas my first book. Published in 2000, this book centered on my recognition through newspaper articles I’d written that successful people attributed their progress to the mentors who helped them along the way. I also recognized that women’s lives are complicated and multi-layered with family, household, and work responsibilities, and therefore, more challenging in finding ways in which to be mentored. Mentoring Heroes was widely used in university Women Studies programs and by clubs and groups. Today, I know that the book is dated in the way that it was printed–with copper plates and blue-line editing as opposed to today’s digital print method–and due to men participating more in household responsibilities and technology offering more ways in which to be mentored. Yet, the overall benefits and need for mentoring remains relevant.
The Rosary Prayer by Prayer, Grieving with Mary, andFatima at 100. Fatima Todaywere inspired by a devotion to the Virgin Mary. These were the types of books I wanted to write since childhood. Praying with Mary should always lead to a greater devotion to her son, Jesus. Mary is our heavenly mother, and like a good mother, she loves us dearly, promotes peace among all creation, and encourages us to care for one another as Jesus does. Praying with her offers a sense of calm in a world where this type of alliance is greatly needed.
With the The Rosary Prayer by Prayer readers can pray along simply by following pages showing the placement on the rosary, the prayer to be prayed, illustrations by Joseph Cannella, and a reflection. Grieving with Mary is a best-seller that aligns praying with Mary in a wide variety of ways during times of loss. And Fatima at 100. Fatima Today is a little booklet that reviews Mary’s messages in Fatima, Portugal in 1917 and how those messages remain vital in attaining peace.
Seven Principles of Sainthood Following Saint Mother Theodore GuerinandSaint Theodora and Her Promise to Godare books about a woman who immigrated to the United States to teach children and young woman. Saint Mother Theodore Guerin, also known as Saint Theodora, and a small group of sisters opened schools throughout rural Indiana and Illinois in the mid to late 1800s, a time when Catholic schools were greatly needed and in which this band of women faced great obstacles. The sisters also opened a school for the higher education of women when women had little-to-no choice for such an opportunity. Seven Principles was written for adults and Saint Theodora and Her Promise to Godwas written for children. I was inspired to write these books after attending Saint Mary of the Woods College, the school Saint Mother Theodore founded, as well as her canonization in Rome, Italy.
Young in the Spirit was published in 2013 when I was closing in on one of those big decade birthdays (I was 60 in 2014-Yikes!). Big birthdays spark contemplation on where we came from, how we arrived at a particular point in time, and where we anticipate the future to bring us. One of the areas of contemplation for me was in regard to my faith—how it changed through the years and what I could offer the Church now. Those thoughts are at the heart of Young in the Spirit.
Hans Christian Andersen Illuminated by The Message was part of a series initiated by my publisher, Greg Pierce. The series offers a unique way to promote prayer by pairing Scripture verses with passages from classic writings. I chose Hans Christian Andersen in remembrance of my mother and her childhood book, a 1936 edition of Anderson’s Fairy Tales, the same book from which my mother read to me.
Navigating Alzheimer’s,The Alzheimer’s Spouse, and Inspired Caregiving was born from a need recognized by Pam Sebern, the director of a memory care home where my husband resided in his last years. Pam asked for books to help families understand dementia and better care for their loved ones while caring for themselves along the way. She felt that the books available at that time were too medical and needed a perspective from one who lived the experience. As my husband suffered from symptoms from Alzheimer’s disease for more than 15 years, and I was an author with substantial writing experience, Pam believed I could fulfill that need.
Navigating Alzheimer’s covers the basics of Alzheimer’s and ways in which we can work with our loved one. It offers family members and caregivers a clear overall of the changes they’re likely to notice. The Alzheimer’s Spouse also covers the basics of the disease but from the perspective of the spouse. Alzheimer’s touches every aspect of both spouses in devastating ways. Inspired Caregiving provides readers with a daily/weekly boost of inspiration. Each weekly reflection follows a rotation that includes a photo, prayer, thought, activity, stretch, affirmation, quote, and bit of humor to offer guidance, encouragement, improved self-talk, and maybe a smile. All three of these books are recommended by memory care facilities across the country.
My next book, which currently is in publication, is less serious. I believe readers and I are in need of opportunities that promote peace, beauty, love, and inspiration. For this reason, my newest book, tentatively called The Gifts of Public Gardens, showcases vivid photos of nature that I have taken at public gardens paired with short, thoughtful poems. My intent is for readers to escape into the positive, wonderous gifts around us. I will keep you posted on when this book will be available.
If you’ve read any of my books, please post a review on Amazon. Readers rely on these comments to find books best suited to their needs.
Where to begin? That’s a common question when writing anything from a letter to an online informative post.
We can begin the first draft anywhere, because any meaningful writing should be edited before sending. A good practice is to list the points we want to make and then organize that list into a pattern that flows with a beginning, middle, and end.
The first one or two sentences should state the problem and what you want done about it. For example, if you purchased a package of pens and several do not write, your opening sentence might be, “I am seeking a refund for a package of Brand X pens I purchased on July 1, 2018 from Store B.” Continue by explaining what is wrong with the pens.
The last sentence can reiterate the opening by telling the reader the point of the letter. Be sure to include contact information.
Once we have everything we want to say, edit out repetitive and excess words. It’s rarely necessary for the reader to know we were having a bad day prior to using the pens. Simple, brief sentences that clearly express our thoughts is best. And check for grammar and spelling errors that can distract from the point we are making.
When we think the message is complete, a good practice is to read it aloud. We often can hear an error we do not see. The goal is to keep the reader engaged and for them to understand what we are saying.
Storytelling throughout history was the passing on of the essence of an event. Specific details were not necessary. It was a person’s emotional interpretation of a significant occurrence. The heart of the story was what was important.
These stories would get passed down by word of mouth, so they altered along the way. I recently heard on the science program, Nova, that every time we recall a memory, we edit it. It becomes less and less accurate because our imagination fills in bits and pieces of things that may have happened, and then those imagined additions become part of the memory.
Today, we do more reporting than storytelling. We want specific details—time, dates, and numbers. When I wrote Sunday feature articles for the Chicago Tribune, three things were to be included: real voices, meaningful quotes, and statistics. Stories needed to be about people with real concerns, told in their own words, and backed up with relevant data.
Statics are an important element in substantiating a story. They tell a level of truth in numbers. Although it was my least favorite college class, I do realize its significance from sports and politics to science and demographics. However, in all reality, even those numbers are a matter of interpretation and can be twisted.
WordPress offers a stats page for each of my blogs. It shows the number of views, likes, visitors, and comments for every post and even where those viewers are located. These numbers give me an idea of who is reading my blogs and whether they are of interest to anyone. There is a wide variation of numbers for many reasons including relevancy of content, writing style, and the time and day of posting.
My most viewed post ran back on August 19, 2013. It had 777 views on WordPress plus countless others via Facebook reposting.
How much do you want to ‘Like” Me? I have 11 Facebook pages. Not only do I have a personal page and one for me as an author, I also have one for every one of my books as well as one for my Beautycounter business. Some posts are duplicated but most are targeted to specific groups.
Please “Like” as many as you find of interest. And comment and post! It’s very lonely to post alone. I need your feedback to know if I’m on track with my thoughts and words.
Here is a list of my Facebook pages and the content you’ll find there:
Mary K Doyle – My writing and work as an author/speaker
Navigating Alzheimer’s – Credible information on dementia and caregiving
Hans Christian Andersen Illuminated by The Message – Faith and fairytales, especially those by Andersen
Grieving with Mary – Grieving and Marian devotion
Young in the Spirit – Aging faithfully
Saint Theodora and Her Promise to God – Saint Theodora and children
Seven Principles of Sainthood – Saint Mother Theodore Guerin, also known as Saint Theodora
The Rosary Prayer by Prayer – The rosary and Marian devotion
Mentoring Heroes – Mentoring
Beautycounter By Mary Doyle Brodien – Beauty products, beauty tips, health
Mary Doyle Brodien – My personal page for close friends and family
“We have no words to express our sorrow.” Really? There are at least a quarter of a million words in the English language. Did you actually run out of all of them? After a death, we wish to express our sadness and offer a bit of comfort to their close friends and family. We say some silly things because we just don’t know what to say. We don’t know how to make things better. One of the most common sentences in sympathy cards is, “You are in my thoughts and prayers.” If you’ve experienced the death of a loved one, you probably received a stack of notes with this sentence. These, and other common expressions such as, “I’m sorry for your loss” or “I’m sorry for your troubles,” are fine to start with, but you might stop and think for just a moment. Begin by thinking about the person you are writing to and the one who passed away:
Can you say something kind about your friend or their deceased loved one?
Perhaps you have a fond memory of them that you can share.
Can you remark on their outstanding reputation, personality, or generosity?
Did the deceased suffer a long illness or die suddenly?
Was your friend involved in their care?
Can you identify with your friend’s loss?
Do you know of a Bible verse, prayer, or poem that is appropriate?
Expressing a thought imperfectly is better than not saying anything at all. Go ahead and use those common phrases if you can’t come up with anything else. But taking one more minute to think before writing or speaking truly can offer a moment of comfort to someone who is grieving.
Writing books takes years of research, writing, and rewriting, and it is rewarding when readers tell me the books made a difference in their life or when they are honored by my peers.
Both Saint Theodora and Her Promise to God and Young in the Spirit received Honorable Mentions in the 2014 Catholic Press Association of the United States and Canada book competition.
The awards are not First Place (or Second or Third) but meaningful to me because they were awarded by respected professionals in the industry and competed against significant publishers such as Ave Maria Press, Liguori Publication, Loyola Press, Orbis Books, Georgetown University Press, and Paulist Press.
This is the first year I entered one of my books in this contest. Young in the Spirit also received an Honorable Mention in the Great Midwest Book Festival competition.
Winners were announced at the annual CPA convention, on the CPA website, and in the publication, The Catholic Journalist.
Saint Theodora and Her Promise to God is my first published children’s book. It is about Saint Theodora, also known as Mother Theodore Guerin, who founded schools in Indiana and Illinois in the mid 1800s. One of these schools, St. Mary-of-the-Woods College, is the oldest liberal arts college for women in the United States and also offers co-ed graduate degrees. I received my Master’s of Arts Degree in Pastoral Theology from this school.
Young in the Spirit explores the impact of spirituality on aging and caregiving. It offers suggestions on ways to build on our faith during these times.
Saint Theodora and Her Promise to God was published by the Sisters of Providence of St. Mary-of-the-Woods, IN and Young in the Spirit was published by my little press, 3E Press.
Saint Theodora and Her Promise to God and Young in the Spirit are available on Amazon and my website: marykdoyle.com.You can see the entire list of winners on the CPA website at: Catholic Press Association
Midwest Mary 