What would you like to see in 2019?

For Elephant's Bookshelf Press, December and January are often about finalizing all the planning we've been doing throughout the year.

We begin 2019 with several projects under way, including our latest anthology of short stories around the overarching theme of flight. We have received some wonderful stories and are excited about publishing the best.

We have some other items in the pipeline, and also have several ideas. Just as importantly, we're able to switch things up a little if we need to. Who says elephants can't be nimble?

But what I'd like to know is what would you like to see this year from Elephant's Bookshelf Press?

A novel from another emerging author looking to develop his or her audience? Got someone in mind? We're open to submissions!  Direct queries to submissions@elephantsbookshelfpress.com.

An online course? (And if so, what would is it you have in mind? How to publish anthologies? How to write/self-publish short stories? How to develop your authorial voice? Something else?) Frankly, we have a couple course ideas that are in the hopper, but we are still trying to determine which makes the most sense. I believe the best way to start is with a free course for writers, but there are a lot of them out there already. But maybe you want to hear what the elephants have to say about that!
Another anthology of short stories? By "another" I mean in addition to the one we have in process right now. Anthologies take time to prepare, so if you're looking for a second anthology in 2019, we need to know that early on!

A collection of nonfiction essays (and if so, on what topic?) We haven't really tried this before, which could be exciting. But we need to have a focus. It's one thing for our brain trust to bang ideas around, but we want to know what readers are looking for.

Something else? There is no end to the number of possibilities. And we love learning new things, so perhaps we can learn together! Perhaps you want to see some sort of Facebook group or a series of author interviews. Let's face it, we've had some fantastic authors grace the pages of EBP anthologies before they became best selling and award-winning authors in their own right. Would you like to know what they're doing now?

We love to hear what our readers are looking for more of, so please let us know!

You can leave a comment here or send an email to matt@elephantsbookshelfpress.com.

Happy New Year!

Story sharing in 2018

Happy New Year!

I will share with you that, aside from the Eastern chill (another polar vortex?!), I do enjoy January. It brings out that sense of renewal in me and jump-starts my creativity, which can languish in the fall.

When you’re a writer, especially an independent writer, there’s always something that needs to be done. Update the website, post a blog, create a newsletter, test new ways of building your audience. And if you’re lucky (or better yet, disciplined) you work on a book or story.

I resolved in 2017 to write more. It worked. Sort of. I started two completely new books. You’ll notice, however, that neither of them were published. That’s because they’re not finished. And neither of them will be full-length novels.

What was I doing with my time all year? Well, mostly learning more about publishing. The business side of things. And I’ll apply more of what I learned in 2018. Indeed, I already have begun.

One of the things I resolve to do much more of in 2018 is communicate with you. After all, what are we writers if not communicators? From the time our bardic ancestors told tales around the campfire to today, when we offer up something more delectable than photos of our lunch on social media, we storytellers share our thoughts for consumption and pleasure.

Stories are nutritious. They feed our mind and our soul.

Audiences are nourishing. They provide feedback, which enables the storyteller to gain a better understanding of what the listener or reader expects.

And a good storyteller knows when to provide that and when to hold it back. We can be such teases!

So, let’s share a little. My little publishing company is five years old and, frankly, it needs to grow. So, this year I’m aiming to publish in ways we haven’t before. It will start with Which the Days Never Know, which is coming out soon. It’s a verse memoir by Vietnam veteran Don McNamara.

After that, I’m looking to box up the seasons series that were the inspiration of EBP. I’m in the works on an omnibus edition of short stories, which will be an electronic-only publication. Of course, if you’ve got Spring Fevers, The Fall, Summer’s Edge, Summer’s Double Edge, andWinter’s Regret already, then you’ll have no need for the omnibus edition. But there are some terrific stories in those collections that deserve to find a wider audience.

The next bit of newness on tap for 2018 is about voice. Not simply a writing voice, though that’s in the works, too, but the spoken voice. I’m beginning to record audio books and expect to roll out the first EBP audio book later this year. I’m very excited about it, but it’s a lot of work.

I also expect to publish at least one of those books I started writing in 2017.

Whew! It’s a workout just thinking about 2018, but I feel great. Like ending a morning jog in bracing January air.

So, what do you have in store for yourself? Will you be writing more? Publishing more? Reading more? All of the above, more?

Please share. And let’s keep sharing. Remember, we’re in this together.

And speaking about sharing, I want to share your accomplishments through my channels, too. That means interview opportunities, guest posting opportunities, and cover reveals. I’ll be happy to help you promote your books and help you find other books to read.

And products! Wow, has my publishing business been enhanced lately by certain products and tools!

So, let’s get started. I believe 2018 is going to be exciting, and stressful, and whimsical, and romantic. All the qualities we want in a book and in a year.

Welcome, 2018. Let’s see what we can do together!

The business of being a writer

Not long after I’d graduated from college, I had a phone conversation with a longtime friend. He was heading to med school and was on a path that would lead to his becoming a prominent surgeon. Ever since we were kids, he talked about how he intended to become a doctor. Even as he earned an engineering degree in college, he knew his destiny lay in medicine, and he really believed he would become a surgeon. It’s what he always wanted to do.

I was also certain I wanted to become a writer, and I really believed I would be a novelist. My friend was amazed at my goals of becoming an author. To him, it would be more sensible for me to pursue a career that would be more lucrative and enable me to write on the side. And sometimes when I look at my bank statements and bills, I wonder if perhaps he was right. But that night, after he asked how long it would take to write a novel, I said, “Well, if I just write a page a day, by the end of the year, I’d have a novel.”

The logic of the statement -- which was just off the top of my head -- surprised me then, and to a degree it still does. The answer encapsulated much of what would lead me to become the writer I am today; it’s my job. I write most every day. You can say it’s a discipline, but I just look at it as what I do. And when I’m not physically writing or typing, I’m often thinking about characters and story arcs.

Frankly, it took me a long time to finish my first novel, which I trunked years ago (though trunks can be opened…) In the years out of college, I spent most of my writing time on short stories, and the novels I began quickly died on the vine. Back then, I spent more time writing songs than novels.

I’m not working on a novel at the moment, either. And if I’m honest with myself, I would say I haven’t worked on one of my own seriously since I created Elephant’s Bookshelf Press. I have only so much time away from work, and I spend what I can with my wife and children. Anyone who’s seen me on the train heading home knows I’m always on my laptop. That’s where the bulk of EBP takes shape: reading stories, editing novels, putting together media packages, recording and analyzing data, and all the other administrative responsibilities I need to address to maintain and build my little publishing house.

To me, being a professional writer starts with those two things: dedicating yourself to your craft – writing every day – and taking a business approach to your craft. It’s your job, after all.

Over the years, I’ve also learned the power of planning. I’m a believer in setting goals – even New Year’s resolutions – and reviewing the progress I make regularly. It may seem like a simple thing, but I’d be lost without a calendar. Yet, even though I write my plans down and review them, I’m still shocked when the fourth quarter of the year begins and I’m still scrambling to finish things that are weeks behind.

Recently, my friend Mindy McGinnis posted a blog about her schedule and all the work that goes into a typical day in her writing career. And this is someone who has a half-dozen novels published, including the recently released This Darkness Mine. It just goes to show that, no matter how much “success” we experience in our writing careers, life is still packed with a lot of unexciting but necessary busy work.

Now that we’re in the home stretch of 2017, what are you doing to prepare your writing business for 2018? Have you found any answers or solutions to the problems that have plagued you this year? What do you need in the new year to accomplish your goals? Maybe we can find a way to help each other. One of my goals in 2018 is to share more. (A goal my daughters have suggested.) I’m looking forward to sharing with you.

Chickens, Eggs, and the Coop

A question has popped into my mind lately. It's one of those odd things that doesn't have a right answer but depends entirely upon individuals and their circumstances. But the question is this: Which comes first, the title of your manuscript, the story or plot, the characters, the setting, or is it something else entirely?

I've been writing short stories lately, and on a couple of them the title came first. But I found that as I was writing, the title stopped mattering, so now their names are changing. I imagine they'll change again as I edit the stories.

I suppose the question isn't far removed from my most recent post, but I'd love to hear what your experiences are. Do you come up with a title first? Do you see characters and work to find a story for them? Do you have a story idea and see where things go? Do you just write by the seat of your pants and let fly with whatever comes to mind? (I know many people like that. Works for them!)

What works for you?