SELF-PUBLISHING TODAY
Continued from page 25 International [as UK support
manager] and they have decided
idea of having a work that grabs to team up with the MS Society
you from the beginning is the to hold two evening events in
same in both art forms. Each has honour of my book at the DKNY
its arc, each has its ending that flagship stores in Manchester
should leave you wanting more! and London!
Another thing I do is take the
How are you going to book out on the Tube. Everyone
get publicity for your looks at the title. If they ask, I pre-
self-published book? tend I’m not the author, and say:
I am having two press releases ‘You must buy this book!’
sent out by the publisher,
AuthorHouse, one in the UK How will you measure
and one in the US. The larg- success, ie do you have
est part of the publicity so far a target fi gure for
has been through my YouTube book sales?
channel (www.youtube.co.uk/ I would like to sell the 100,000
teslagirlm). I have 200 subscrib- copies that the publishers thought
ers at the moment. I couldn’t. But there are other
I vlog regularly on there, so successes also. For example, hear-
everyone knew the book was ing from people who have MS
coming. When it was published a and were comforted by the book,
couple of weeks ago, I announced has been a huge success for me.
it, and many people bought it. On the other hand, I have heard
I already have had feedback from people who don’t have MS,
beyond my dreams! but who now understand it. That
is yet another type of success for
Tell us more about me. So there are various levels of
‘vlogging’. success and at the moment, the
Vlogging is a form of blogging human factor is outweighing the
via video rather than the writ- money-making factor.
ten word and for me it was an
idea that snowballed. I felt very What do you see as
positive about my condition the next step in your
and wanted to share my experi- writing career?
ences with people who have MS I am working on two more books.
or people who wanted to learn I would definitely like to publish
about it. one of them by 2011. I also have
The first video I posted on a series of short stories that I am house. You do have assistance, but children, so I think that vlogging
YouTube not only got a lot of hits, writing under a pen name. I have you don’t have someone holding comes naturally!
but people started emailing me started to give them to friends to your hand through every single
with questions about their own read, and that has started a small step. Although they are willing Do you have any advice
MS. So I started answering them, snowball, as they give them to answer all of your questions, for WF readers who
and recording more videos that I to other friends. I am trying to sometimes you don’t know what might be thinking of
thought were relevant. build a fan base for it, and then questions to ask, especially as a self-publishing?
I decided early on that I was come out with a Facebook fan first-time writer. I would say keep it as simple as
going to be extremely candid to page. There is already enough for possible. The more you try to do,
the point of exposing a lot about a book. And what would you the more stressed you will get,
myself. It paid off because people say are the advantages and the less you will focus on
respected the fact that I was hon- Do you think self- of self-publishing? your writing.
est. Of my over 200 subscribers, publishing is a viable By the same account, YOU are in Make your website simple and
about 80 to 100 of them are active, alternative to charge of your book, so you don’t aim to sell the book, rather than
as in they write to me, etc. traditional publishing? have to worry about if it will be having fancy buttons and mov-
I think that it will become more perceived as you envisioned it. ing pictures. Make it have a high
And how do you try to and more popular. In a world You have the control that you impact and say something about
attract viewers to your where the internet makes every- wouldn’t get elsewhere. your work.
YouTube site? thing possible, more and more Self-publishing is a lot of hard
I have been using Facebook as people learn that the possibilities Who or what has been work, but it is rewarding. The fact
a way of getting people to my are unlimited. your inspiration in that you are in control is a huge
YouTube site and buying the publishing your own perk! I would also recommend to
book. I also have my music page What problems have book? start blogging or vlogging before
on MySpace (at www.myspace. you encountered self- My main inspiration comes from the book is published, to get peo-
com/marlodonato). One site publishing your book? my mom and dad. They both ple interested. Go on to internet
usually feeds the other. Because so many different peo- always believed that I could chat rooms and forums to see
I leave messages on new ple are involved in the process be anything I wanted. They where your genre is being dis-
‘Friends’ sites and tell them about of your book, I find it slightly encouraged me to be creative in cussed. Ask people if they would
the book. A lot comes through overwhelming to balance it all. all aspects of my life. My dad be interested in you contact-
word of mouth. I get emails say- Although I have found the pub- often made recordings and short ing them when you do publish.
ing things like ‘my husband told lishers helpful and professional, movies of us when we were Create your own buzz!
me to watch your channel…’ in the end it all comes down to
Because my book is about hav- the author.
If you are self-publishing a book and want to tell other readers
ing an illness, I have contacted I don’t feel the same kind of
about your experience – good or bad – or simply need some
various organisations who work guidance is there that you would
advice from Siobhan, email selfpublishing@writers-forum.com
with MS. I work for Donna Karan get with a traditional publishing
Writers
’
FORUM #99 27
WF99JAN25.indd 3 24/11/2009 10:03:21
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