A Book is Born

I laughed when I saw the new pup shredding a mock-up cover of A Book is Born… as the words “what was I thinking?” ran through my head I realized that’s exactly it. Our new collaborative book is what I was thinking – over the last two years of publishing the works of these incredible mom writers. I’ve helped these women give birth to their books, I’ve been their “book midwife” offering pre-publication pre-natal preparation for the “big day”. Actually, I feel like a surrogate – carrying their idea through gestation – designing, printing and then sending their baby by UPS! But it doesn’t stop there, then I’m the “book nanny” – helping the authors to nurture their newborn into a rambunctious media toddler, and then revive their back-listed one year old when we launch siblings.

I’m Nancy Cleary in Deadwood, Oregon. A Book is Born was my brainchild before I started the Mom-Writers Publishing Cooperative two years ago. I knew that if I could empower a group of authors with a new model for publishing – in which women would help one another, and support each other, and share everything from problems, to publicity to profits – plus receive all of my talent (a veteran graphic designer of 17 years, and inde publisher, promoter and branding expert for 6 years at that point) – we could document a perspective of the publishing journey that is rarely ever seen. We share the pain, the pride, and the whole process – so others can learn from what we’ve experienced.

Stay tuned for our A Book is Born Tour in Fall 2007, and the launch of a whole new kind of Book Club.

As far as the new puppy…maybe it’s a sign the book will be devoured by readers!

Have you ever had one of those days? I have - more often than I like to admit, but it was one of those days that was the catalyst for Mommyhood Diaries: Living the Chaos One Day at a Time. I really wanted to know how others moms spent their days. Not only that, I wanted to find to voice both the common threads and diversity mothers share. Mommyhood Diaries became that voice. In 2006, I receiving the Writer’s Marketing Associations Fresh Voices award and was a finalist in the IPPYs (Independent Publishing award) which validated that voice and need to create a sense of maternal community and connection between moms like Rachel, a homeless mom, and Joy, a rock star mom. Publishing Mommyhood Diaries has given me - along with countless other moms - the opportunity to continue to relish the role as mother, woman…and even writer.

 I’m Julie Watson Smith. I live in Boulder, Colorado - home of the funky, festive and free - with my very supportive husband and three fan-tabulous kids where we continually enrich our lives by inspiring our imaginations.

It is the year 2000, a time of adjustment for me.

A stay-at-home-mom? Me? Okay, I can do this. But I am quite lonely in my kitchen, during the baby’s nap-time, and I don’t know what to do with myself unless I am planning an event or filtering through hundreds of phone calls from clients.

I’ll defrost something for dinner. I’ll send an e-mail to my friends who still work (all of them) so I don’t have to bug their assistants. Anything to avoid the laundry.

Okay, it’s four o’clock. Baby Alex is in his pack and play, it’s not too early to start dinner. I’ll make salmon and mash, with a Caesar salad.

Dinner is in the oven. I’ve already sent out five e-mails and my friends must be busy because they haven’t responded - but I did get their automatic “out of the office” replies. What would Alice Hoffman do?

Hello computer! What do I have to share with my word processor? Magic, food, and motherhood. I betchya I can tie these things in together if I sat down to write what I wish I could have told my girlfriends who are busy and still have camaraderie. I love that pudgy little baby boy next to me but I don’t think he understands me when I theorize about about sand dollars, dried herbs or tomato soup. And I’ve already called my husband four too many times at work. Just write - like you did in grade school, in college, in your journal when you were sad or confused. Just write.

I’m Samantha Gianulis and I am a writer from San Diego, California. I started writing essays years ago when I went from professional woman who loved to cook, read and write to a stay-at-home-what-do-I-do-now Mom. I live with my very encouraging husband and our three little monkeys, Alex, Zoe and Melia. In 2005, I considered querying a local family magazine with an article idea, things I had observed being a mother. My husband asked me, well, what do you have to lose? And I got published, who knew? Other people felt like I did, and wanted to laugh and chat about it. So I took all of the essays I wrote while the kids were little, mostly about food and family, put them together, and contacted Nancy Cleary. And here we are.

My book, “Little Grapes on the Vine…Mommy’s Musings on Food & Family” will be released April 2007. So far, the publishing process has been exciting, scary, intimidating, and fantastic. And it’s only just begun!

My book, Fragments of Hope is pulled from over a decade of journals documenting my battle with severe depression. I could tell you why I wrote my book, what inspired me to write it, and who I wrote it for, but what I would really like to do is share a small story with you…

On October 4^th 2006, I received a call from the nurse at my daughter’s school and as soon as I said hello she quickly introduced herself reassuring me that my daughter was just fine. She went on to say that she was calling to speak to me about something else. With hesitation in my voice, I asked her if everything was ok. Her reply was “Mrs. Hurley, everything is fine. I am calling you because when I went into the school library today, I saw a picture of the cover of your book on the librarian’s desk. As I held the picture in my hands, I felt compelled to call you. I want you to know that I believe you have done something that is admirable and wonderful. I have no doubt that you are going to help many women in the world who are struggling with severe depression. It takes courage to write about something like depression and it takes courage to put it out there for everyone to read.” With a lump in my throat, I thanked the school nurse for saying such kind and humble words to me. At that moment I realized that she did not have to make that call. I realized that all the doubts and all the stumbling blocks that I had faced along the way were stepping stones to that very moment. I realized that I did not have to be afraid anymore about whether or not my book would be well received. I realized that I was beginning to touch people and do what I had always dreamt of and I realized how one simple phone call and one person’s supportive words had given me strength.

My name is Deborah Hurley, I live in New York with my incredibly supportive family. The experience of having my book published and becoming an author is one that I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world. Through it, I have learned that patience is a must, belief in yourself is essential, courage is required and fear is something that should be acknowledged but fiercely plowed through.

When I launched Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing, Kenzie was sitting on my lap, 8 weeks old, and Wyatt was clinging to my legs, 15 months old. Over the years the two succumbed to many photo shoots as I used their cuteness to help build my brand known for helping moms. Everyone watched them grow, and our bookshelf expand.

Well, it’s eight years later, and I can barely wrangle them into the same room let alone try and look cute.

So… I am proud to introduce our new mascot, appropriately named “Book”, the office’s new chocolate lab. Book, and his one-year-old half-brother, our black lab “Truck”, are from Triple T Kennels in Missouri. Next Thursday he’ll be 9 weeks old and will arrive by plane at Portland Airport! I hope Book will provide some cute, comic relief as we document the journey to the publication of A Book is Born.

Nancy

One year from today Wyatt-MacKenzie’s Mom-Writers Publishing Co-Op will release our collaborative venture A Book is Born: 24 Mom Authors Tell All.

A Book is Born takes you between the lines of an author’s book – through the highs and lows of the publishing process. This book is for every writer who has ever dreamed of publishing, and for every writer that has published – it includes hard-won tips and resources for book promotion and publicity ideas that any author can use.

Get an emotional peek inside the life of an author… once she has signed her publishing contract, to her first book store signing, into the green room before her first national TV appearance, getting the news she has been nominated for a book award, and receiving that big fat royalty check. The members of the Mom-Writers Publishing Cooperative have been writing about their experiences and hold nothing back in this tell all. This is the book they wish they could have read before publishing theirs!

This blog will introduce you to the members and their books, and share the process…from the pre-pub promotion through our international book tour in the Fall of 2007.

Enjoy the journey with us…

Nancy Cleary
publisher, and mom to Wyatt & MacKenzie