From time to time, Archway Publishing turns over its blog to its authors, giving them the opportunity to share stories and perspectives about their individual self-publishing journeys. The following are the words of Elizabeth Rosso, author of “Meet Max”. Download the Archway Publishing free publishing guide for more information on our supported self-publishing services.
“Will you be my baby’s godmother?” That’s the question that I was asked twice in one year, and which ultimately brought Max to life – but naturally, it wasn’t quite that simple! Of course I said yes, but that led to more internal questions: what would our relationships be like? How would I interact with these children, and what could I offer by way of example? Reading, of course! And as I was flooded with memories of all my favorite childhood books, it occurred to me that maybe I could make up a few stories of my own. But about what?
I don’t think of myself as a particularly creative person. Ask me to make up a story and suddenly I don’t have any ideas. My mom always told me to write about what I know, though. So, what did I know? Well, I certainly told enough people about all the things my dogs got into over the years. What if I wrote about that? Where would I start? The beginning seemed like a pretty good choice, so I sat down to brainstorm ideas for a story about a woman who gets a puppy… and Meet Max! was born.
Actually beginning the writing process was a little intimidating, but I decided to draw on my experience writing other things – mostly papers for various classes in school, and memos for work. One of the most practical lessons I learned from those tasks was simply to put your ideas on paper – the writing style, word choice, organization, etc. aren’t important at first. Just get everything down on paper so you don’t lose your ideas, and then you can edit later.
I did just that with Max: every little detail about how someone might choose a puppy and take him home went into writing. Needless to say, that first version was not exactly what you’d be looking for in a children’s book! But my ideas were preserved, and as I began to shape them into a manuscript, other ideas came to mind – so many that I realized there might be a whole series of stories I could write about Max.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves! How did I shape those initial ideas into a manuscript, anyway? Stay tuned to find out!
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No thank you. Thank you but no thank you. Not a good fit. Good luck but no. Not for us. No thank you. Looks wonderful but no.Self addressed brown envelope after self addressed brown envelope. Thin, sad business sized stationary filled with rejection. It did not feel good. It felt bad! It felt worse than sitting on a bench during a slow song at a Junior High Dance.
I contacted children’s authors, sought advice from colleagues, family and friends. I typed, retuned and researched and retyped. I submitted and submitted and submitted. After that many “no thank you’s” you’d think I might just give up. But, I’ll decide. I decided that the world needed my story. I decided that I would self-publish and make my dream of being a children’s book author come true.
I have accomplished many things in my life–two bachelor degrees, one masters degree, numerous certificates, teacher, counsellor, wife, mother. I am so proud to add author to that list. One thing I’ve learned: if I have a goal, no matter what obstacles present themselves, I will find a way. I’ll decide.
After a couple weeks time, “Beast Blood” was accepted. I was beyond excited. Finally, I did it! There was still much more to do, but I had found the ‘machine’ that would bring my creation, “Beast Blood,” to life. Unlike the dark regretful nature of Victor Frankenstein, I didn’t have any. I knew when working with Archway Publishing I could trust their experience and dedication. I worked incredibly hard on “Beast Blood” and putting so much into it. What I liked most about Archway Publishing is that they respected that my manuscript was near and dear to my heart. The staff members that lead me through the entire process were wonderful professionals. I loved working with them and openly accepted their great ideas. Now, that “Beast Blood” is published and title live, their continuous help has made me even more successful and confident as a new author. Overall, we worked together to create something wonderful and for everything they have done to make the experience worth reliving, I am beyond grateful.