Eliminate the Buts by Karen Bell-Brege

 

What we fear doing most is usually what we most need to do. – Timothy Ferriss

You want to create, but… (and there’s that ‘but’) there are so many excuses not to. Here are a few of the biggies, along with some ways to help you move past the ‘but’s’ toward following your goals and dreams.  

But I can’t help feeling overwhelmed… 

You dream of writing or illustrating a children’s book. It’s something you’ve wanted to do for, well, maybe as long as you can remember. If you recently attended the SCBWI-Michigan Spring Conference ‘Your Story Start to Finish’ you may have come away completely inspired to put your pencil to paper, fingers to the keyboard, brush to canvas or voice to recorder – whatever works for you to get your magnificent creative thoughts, words or sketches out. On the flip-side you may have come away disillusioned. Some of the stats were overwhelming. You may have heard agent Maria Vicente say she averages about 2000 query letters a month, and she’s still going through her inbox of submissions from October – and those are submissions she had requested! Other stats we’ve heard about, are those that are published it took them 2999 submissions to 900 agents and 42 years to get published. What? Seriously? No, but kind of…

Daunting, isn’t it? You may feel like everyone and their brother, and his brother and their half-brother from another mother, and distant cousin want to write or illustrate a book. That’s probably true... But they aren’t you. Somebody is going to get those publishing deals – so WHY NOT YOU?

A flower does not think of competing with the flower next to it. It just blooms. – Zen Shin

But what if it’s no good? 

We all know we’re unique little flowers (yes guys, you too). Each and every one of us has irreplaceable, diverse talents we bring to the world. Therefore, if you have an undying urge, a nagging, no matter what you do it won’t go away and it always resurfaces – then it’s your calling. Plain and simple. You can no longer ignore it, you can’t bury it under a rug, or try to put it out of your mind, because you know it will come back. The tiny little voice reminding you that this is something you want to do, you need to do, so you have to do it. There’s no way around it. It’s the law of the universe. You have to share your special talent with the world.

Genius is 1% percent inspiration and 99 % percent perspiration. – Thomas Edison

But the competition is so fierce…

Please ask yourself, ‘Where isn’t it?’ Where on this planet, for anyone who wants to accomplish anything, is it not competitive? There’s not one profession that doesn’t have unlimited competition, especially in the arts – actors, dancers, comedians, artists, writers, directors, producers, and equally in sports, for inventors, even You Tubers. It doesn’t matter what it is, it’s in anything worth doing. That’s part of the dream. It’s the way the universe tests you to see if you’re serious. This wonderful message came across loud and clear from some of the conference presenters – don’t give up, don’t compare yourself to others, don’t take your Barbie and go home (okay, maybe they didn’t say anything about Barbie). Hang in there, build the best damn dollhouse you can and share it with the world. There will be one agent or editor who sees your vision and you connect with. They’re out there for you. Because you’re never given a dream without being able to make it happen. Another rule of the universe. 

You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending. – C. S. Lewis

But I can’t do it…

How many times have you started, and then you stop? You know there’s laundry to do, the dog needs to be let out, the deck needs to be painted, you have to find a Goat Yoga class, you need a cookie. You were off to a great start, then you made excuses. But there are little signs that will encourage you to keep going, if you look for them. Maybe you see or hear your name somewhere, and then the word writer or artist shows up shortly after. Maybe a song comes on the radio about following your dreams or being strong. Did you see or hear the signs? If you ignore them, then you are ignoring what you’re meant to do. Your dreams are calling out to you, luring you to pursue your passion. Don’t ignore the signs. They’re telling you to do whatever it takes. Whether you need to have someone tie you to a chair, or you need to lock yourself in a room with a ‘DO NOT DISTURB’ sign, or maybe it’s by promising yourself a treat (Mmmm… ice cream). Do whatever it takes.

Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go. – T. S. Eliot

But I don’t know how…

Then reach out. You are a member of this wonderful organization. There is so much information, so many writing and critique groups, from motivation and guidance to actual ‘how to.’ Our SCBWI-MI leaders (Carrie & Jodi) and numerous volunteers have years of experience, and they are always here for you. Just go to https://michigan.scbwi.org/for-members-only/ for unlimited resources. Join the MichKids Listserv, read the wonderful Mitten blog posts – (oh, wait, you are!). Our magnificent leaders will tell you if they can do it, you can do it. This wonderful quote from Barb Rosentock at the conference should inspire you, “Publishing is a business and the way you get through the challenge is by time and effort. It’s not magic, there is no magic involved.”

The only magic that you have to believe in, is the magic of yourself.   I know people who started out creating for only five minutes a day. Start with those teeny-tiny steps, something doable – not overwhelming. Set a timer, guaranteed you will turn it off and keep going.

To succeed in life, you need two things ignorance and confidence. – Mark Twain

But what will I do with my work? 

There are so many avenues to getting your work out into the world. Whether traditional publishing or self-publishing, find what’s best for you. Don’t give up. Do this for you, because you have to. Don’t be one of those people in old age who has one regret of something they didn’t do. Take it from Scotty P, “NO RAGRETS” not even in his spelling (from the kid in the movie We’re the Millers). This is your calling. It’s in your DNA. The world needs your creative genius, plus you need to do this for you. Now enough ‘buts’…except for the one you’re going to put in your chair.

Karen Bell-Brege is an author, comic, voice-over artist and public speaker. She (along with her illustrator husband Darrin) is the Michigan Reading Association’s 2021 Gwen Frostic Award Winner. Karen is also the author of 14 bestselling children’s books, both picture books and chapter. She has also written for the MEAPS and ELAP tests, and did copywriting for numerous companies. She has done voice-overs for Hasbro and Universal. She is also a Telly Award recipient. Karen’s motto is, if it’s not fun then what’s the point? As a team, Karen and Darrin collaborate on numerous projects, and they love to make people laugh. They have a very creative son they adore, and they happily live, love, and laugh in the mitten. And, on occasion, Karen has been known to tie herself to her chair.

Learn more at https://karenanddarrin.com/.

Introducing SCBWI-MI's Communications Coordinator - Karen Bell-Brege! Plus, Social Media Show and Tell Days!

If you've been following SCBWI-MI on social media, you've likely noticed a recent increase in posts, images, and conversations. It's all thanks to our Communications Coordinator, Karen Bell-Brege, who dove right into her new role! Here's Karen to tell you a little about herself, her plans going forward, our new Social Media Show and Tell Days, and how you can become more involved.

Hello SCBWI Friends!

I’m so happy to be taking on the role of Communications Coordinator for you and our totally wonderful Michigan chapter! I’ve been an SCBWI member since 2001 and finally worked up the gumption to get more involved - I know, what took so long, right? But after attending many conferences, and making new friends – I thought, Hey! Maybe it’s time to give back. So, here I am.

Just to tell you a little bit about me, my career started in radio on-air, and before long I was writing copy. I moved into copywriting at ad agencies, and then into communications. I always loved comedy and studied at Second City in Chicago, and with Paul Sills. I started the first improv troupe in Michigan in 1992. The performing led to speaking and teaching improv. I met my husband Darrin when he auditioned for my troupe (good way to get a husband). He was a full-time artist, and soon became the illustrator for the Michigan and American Chillers covers. He did the first 36 original covers and branded the series. After I wrote the Chill Art Sketchbook, Darrin and I decided to write and illustrate our own books. Thus, our first series Mick Morris Myth Solver was born (named after our son, Mick).

We now have 14 books out, and it hasn’t always been easy. In fact, I find writing and the business extremely hard – a lot like performing. It can be frightening, and like fear you have to put one foot in front of the other and keep going. The same with creating, you have to keep putting one word after the other, or one shape after the other and move forward.

So, my goal is to find those wonderful ideas and nuggets to help us all stay connected, creative, motivated and to encourage us to put ourselves out there. I hope to make this happen by exchanging (What a cookie exchange? Okay! Kidding.) ideas, and to really build our relationships and interact and engage with each other any way we can. For starters, a great way for us to join together in sharing our strengths, skills, motivation and know-how is through social media. We all have that same love-hate relationship with it – but we can utilize it to grow our engagement and network.

It doesn’t matter whether you’ve written one word, or sketched anything at all – we have to start somewhere. I know with the encouragement and support of each other we can all follow and grow our dreams.

That’s my shtick. I would absolutely love to hear your thoughts, suggestions, and what you need to flourish in our fantastic little SCBWI mitten environment. Please reach out to us, and tell us what you need, want, or have to share. Very soon we'll be providing a monthly self-promotion day (Show and Tell) for each of us to promote our work, tell us what you’ve been up to… even if that means you want to tell us that for one day you managed to sit and write or draw, because we all know how tough keeping true to our goals can be.

Well, that’s it for now, whew! I really hope you begin to make your connecting with us as important as the writing and illustrating, publishing and submitting part of your business.

Thanks so much for your time, and looking forward to our growth - together.

Just remember, it’s all in your confidence, because no one else really knows what they’re doing either. 

Introducing Social Media Show and Tell Days!

When:

The first of every month. Beginning Dec. 1st.

What:

We are inviting each and every one of you to join in the conversation. Show us what you’re up to. It could be your latest book cover, illustration, what you’re writing – or Tell us what you want to write, draw, or about your giveaway, building a platform, or online promotion.

Even feel free to reach out expressing what the hardest part of the biz is for you, or where you would like some input from your colleagues.

It doesn’t matter whether you have several books published or have finally managed to sit down and write. You can share a pic of your office chair! Show & Tell and get involved as you begin to boost your biz with SCBWI-MI!

Where:

Join, follow, like, share, and engage with SCBWI-MI on social media:

• Twitter: @SCBWIMichigan https://twitter.com/SCBWIMichigan
• Facebook: SCBWI-Michigan https://www.facebook.com/ScbwiMi/
• Instagram general: https://www.instagram.com/scbwi_michigan/
• Instagram illustrators: https://www.instagram.com/scbwimichiganillustrators/ 

Our social media channels and MichKids listserv are the best way to stay up-to-date on all SCBWI-MI events and opportunities, including monthly Shop Talks and annual conferences.

Coming up on the Mitten Blog: 

Vacation! The SCBWI-MI Blog Team will be spending time with family and friends over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. We'll return to our weekly Friday posts in December.

Save these December dates!

SCBWI-MI members will be signing/selling books:

Dec. 8th, 12-6pm: Downriver Book/Holiday Fair, Lincoln Park

Dec. 12th, 6-8pm: Schuler Books’ Merry Mitten/Parent’s Shop Night, Grand Rapids


Regional Shop Talks will be meeting all around the state on various days and locations.

And don't miss this FREE webinar on December 9th:

https://michigan.scbwi.org/2019/11/14/marketing-with-panache-using-pinterest/

Writing By the Seat of Your Pants by Karen Bell-Brege

After attending the SCBWI-MI Humor Conference in Detroit, and a few years (25 to be exact) performing and training improvisational comedy, I thought I would share some improv writing tips. Because just like writing, with practice and a few fun techniques, you can hone your funny writing bone.

Improv, unlike stand-up where you perform a memorized routine, is the spur-of-the-moment, spontaneous, fly-by-the-seat of your pants performing without a script or safety net. The list of famous improv actors who are also writers is incredibly long, from Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and Jimmy Fallon, to Bill Murray, Dan Akroyd, Steve Carrell, Stephen Colbert, and the list goes on and on and on.

But improv, simply put, is living in the moment while thinking quickly and creatively. Which is pretty much exactly what we do when we write – we make it up as we go along.

By following the basic improv rules, yes, there are rules (darn!), you can learn how to incorporate humor and add necessary mirth and magic to your writing. These rules will teach you how to be authentic, spontaneous, take chances and have fun with your words. So, if you feel your sense of humor is a little rusty, whether it’s because you are questioning your ability to find the funny or because you hold back, let improv help you find your true humorous self, while adding some hilarity to your writing.

Rule #1
Be in the moment
This is the first rule of improv – being in the moment.
With your fingers on the keyboard ready to fly, or with pen in hand, you must be there and focused. You cannot be thinking about the dreaded laundry, or every other chore that’s calling your name, or about what to do in the next chapter, or at the end of the book. You must be in that scene. If you are truly in the moment it will begin to enhance your power of creating. It will help you figure out location, details, emotion and feeling. You’ll be able to see things that can be turned into comedy. Humor comes from observation. What are the other characters saying? What would they do that’s unexpected, out of the ordinary, or odd? Take a chance, put it in your story. Humor comes from surprise elements, and from the craziness and absurdity of everyday life. Onstage, if we are not completely focused our scenes would fall flat. If we aren’t listening to each other, the wonderful will pass us by. Be in the moment in your writing and in life – listen, notice, be there, observe.

Rule #2
Say yes, and…
In a scene, you need to be agreeable, and say ‘yes’ to get your scene moving forward. The word ‘no’ initially sends up a block, and can leave your characters stunned with nowhere to go. The word ‘yes’ opens up so many possibilities to keep the momentum going. Then, by adding the word ‘and…’ it’s an unlimited way to build on the scene you’re writing, it allows you to add new information and ideas. It helps with the flow of what’s happening. Take some of the denying and negativity out for humor’s sake. As your writing moves along it can, will, and should change. There does have to be conflict, but this is after you’ve established the scene. With ‘Yes and-ing’ you’re taking something that’s going in one direction and changing it, which can lead you to a punchline.

Example: I can’t believe it’s this cold. Yes, and we should have never moved to Alaska.

I can’t believe it’s this cold. Yes, and I told you to leave the freezer door open, now we’re stuck.

I can’t believe it’s this cold. Yes, and we probably shouldn’t be swimming in January.

The ‘yes and-ing’ adds opportunity for action to begin, enhances your options, and gives you so many more places to go.

Rule #3
Take action
To keep things exciting and fun, you have to have physical movement, otherwise all of your characters are just a bunch of talking heads (not the band). You must have your characters do things, change, discover, learn, explore. The more action they take, the more possibility for finding humor. Break out in a dance, a song, have them go bowling, or something extreme that doesn’t make sense. Onstage, if we just stand there talking our scene becomes flat and boring – same with writing. Of course, we must have dialogue, but remember people do move and talk at the same time. It will make your scene exciting.

Rule #4
Use objects
Just like in life we are always using objects. What’s in their hand? What are they looking for? What have they lost? What just fell from the sky, off the wall, out of the car? Where did that lamp come from? Why is it so ugly? Does it have magical powers and who put it there? The washing machine is dancing and nobody can stop it. You get the idea, objects add interest.

Rule #5
Show Don’t Tell
To be creative in our writing, we need to show movement. If we stood onstage describing everything, there would be no fun, no humor, no energy, no verve, no zing. For example, if I’m in a scene, (and remember in improv we fake having objects), and I say to the other players, “I have an ice cream cone. Now, I’m licking my ice cream cone. My ice cream cone is dripping. This is good ice cream.”  Watching that scene would be borrrrrinnng! It would be much better if I said, “This is so creamy and delicious, mmmm, best ice cream I’ve ever had (while acting like I was licking the cone frantically).” It works the same for writing, to make your scenes captivating you have to show your audience what’s happening. Of course, there are moments of telling, but showing engages your reader.

A few last notes on improv-ing your writing…

• Listen and hear. In improv and in life we need to listen. Start by making it a habit. Really hear what is going on around you. Don’t give people blank stares, while your mind is wandering. If we pay attention, it’s truly amazing how many zany things are happening all around us.

• Make a funny file, and when you hear or see something that’s witty or amusing jot it down, or take a picture.

• Dedicate yourself to the craft of learning humor writing, and practice it.

• Improv is storytelling –  live (better than dead). If you get stuck, think of yourself in a scene. Who are you with? What’s happening? What’s odd? Where are you? Think of bold and unusual things, and justify tying them together. The funny comes from taking two different elements and having them work together to make your writing stand out. But, take your time. Do not freak out if nothing is happening. Humor is a process. Step back, breathe, and move on. You can always go back and work it out later. Your humorous situations can come through dialogue, action, opposites or oddities.

• Read more humor, watch more comedies and comedians. Turn off the bad news – we don’t want our children to watch it because it can affect them – it does the same to us. Except for the old silent movies, sadness rarely enhances humor.

• Children love to laugh, and gravitate to books with humor. But know that you don’t have to be funny to write humor, however, you should be happy, agreeable, kind, unpretentious, expressive, open, and be able to laugh at yourself first and foremost. You cannot be rigid, cold, (not temperature wise), or self-absorbed, and you must leave your ego at the door. Humor is fun, not forced or mean. It is in the truth of the moment, and can truly become a part of your everyday attitude and lifestyle. Remember it can be observational, action oriented, interesting, quirky, odd, opposite, slapstick, self-deprecating, witty and intelligent. We are all funny beings, but somewhere along the line we stuff the funny deep down, and we say, “Stay” and it does. Be true to your writing and use your imagination. Be childlike. Children, say what’s on their mind, it’s not pre-planned, it is honest, surprising and spontaneous. So, treat yourself kindly, be silly, be different, take chances, let go, get inspired, go different places, take a comedy class, follow the rules, and then break them. There is no failure, only learning. Now go laugh, have fun, and write by the seat of your pants!

Some exercises and games to get your funny bone limbered up and start improv-ing your writing:

• Time Yourself – If you want to write as if you are improvising, this exercise will help. Get a timer and set it for 3-5 minutes. Then write fast and furiously, don’t stop, don’t edit, don’t judge, and don’t worry how bad your writing may or may not be. Just write. Then when you have something, you can go back and re-write. Too much time in writing is spent being critical of ourselves. Get it on paper without judgement. This exercise is all about your brain working fast and spontaneously. It will enhance your quick-thinking and creativity. Onstage, you can’t stop mid-scene and question if what you are doing is right or wrong, you must move forward. So, let your imagination run wild.

• Think characters – What type of different people can you incorporate into your story? From doctors to donut makers, you get to decide. Be sure to give them distinct characteristics. Do they smirk or smile? Do they feel bloated or itchy? Do they wear orange? Do not be afraid to add the questionable or offbeat. Then write a complete description of them, so that you can really get to know them.

• Hotel Ringer – Get yourself one of the hotel bells they have at the front desks (a couple of bucks on eBay). When you are writing along and get stumped, hit the bell. When you hit it, you have to go back and completely change the last half of the sentence you just wrote. Due this a number of times in your writing. It’s guaranteed to start freeing some of your creative genius. Example: He was so scared the dog would bite him. DING. He was so scared he would fall into the hole. DING. He was so scared that he ate a bug. DING. He was so scared he ripped his pants. DING. He was so scared he would be a car salesman. DING. He was so scared he filled his lunchbox with candy. DING. He was so scared he tried to fly.

• Questions Only – Try this exercise by writing a scene using only questions. No statements and no repeating. Just write freely while using questions only, and you cannot ask, “Do you think I should do this?” While writing with questions make sure to move your scene forward. This will also help you expand your vision and form new plot lines.

• Pet Peeve Rant – Give yourself a topic on something that really bothers you (e.g. nose pickers, slow drivers in the fast lane, interrupting, etc.) and then set a timer for one – two minutes. During that time completely rant about your topic without stopping. Grow by giving yourself different topics of things that bother you that you aren’t really familiar with, and set the timer for a longer amount of time. You’ll find funny things coming out of your mouth as you desperately try to continue ranting, which forces originality and cleverness (aka humor).

Karen Bell-Brege is the author of 11 books, with two coming out this year. Her children’s books are filled with humor – especially her picture book, MONSTERS FIRST DAY AT SCHOOL. Her school presentations are one-of-a-kind as she believes in learning through laughter. She also speaks on the importance of humor and improv. She studied at Second City, Chicago, and with the late Paul Sills. Her husband, Darrin is also an improv performer, hilarious, and the illustrator of their books, and he presents at schools with her. Karen truly believes that laughing through life is the only way to live (and write).  Learn more at www.karenanddarrin.com, and follow them on Facebook.

Darrin Brege is our Featured Illustrator this quarter. He created our blog banner above, and you can read his interview here: http://scbwimithemitten.blogspot.com/2018/07/featured-illustrator-darrin-brege.html

Are you following SCBWI-MI on social media? Stay in touch through our website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

You Can Take a Detour, Choose Your Road to Publishing by Karen Bell-Brege

It finally arrives, sitting in your inbox, or a letter in your hand. You hesitate – for a second, you then madly click or tear into it. Your heart sinks, and now your day, your week, your life, is totally ruined! You’ve been down this road before, as you grab the nearest counter with your hand on your head, you can barely stand up…the agony, the defeat. You wonder how much longer you can take the rejection as you proceed to shamefully degrade yourself. Telling yourself you were an idiot to think you could write, let alone get published. Okay, maybe not so dramatic, but you know that awful, sinking, pit of your stomach, feeling of rejection.

When you do come to grips, the only thing you can think about is how many times you’ve been rejected, enough to wallpaper the entire bathroom? Nah, more like your living room. How many times has your family seen the tears or heard the whining? Only to witness your mood instantly change  - this is where you think about how you don’t care, you WILL find a publisher. You wonder who the people are that have the say on whether you make it past the slush pile. 20-year-old interns, that have been up all night and binge read on their phones? It’s then you notice that your family is no longer home. Some have snuck out the back door, and the ones still there, have their headphones on, including the dog. If you’ve hit this stage kudos to you, because this is where you’ve turned a corner - a glimmer of hope is emerging and you realize you can keep going.

It does seem like everyone wants to write a book – it’s rare you meet someone that doesn’t. But you did it –this proves you have it in you to be successful. You sat down, opened a vein, put your creative, soul baring self on the page. If you have the gumption and wherewithal to do that – then you can get published. If you’ve had the perseverance to put your butt in the chair, day after day, or night after night, with a job, a family, pets, bills, in this digital age, along with the other daily accouterments, then you can’t give up. You are a writer, because after all, you made it to a place that few have the verve and nerve to go.

But maybe you’ve had it, it’s been a few years, and you know you will have to wait even longer if you do get an offer. You want to hold your book in your hands, now. Here is where you ask yourself, “Self, is it time to start thinking about other options?” If your self is in agreement, you could think about self-publishing, or vanity publishing, (vastly different), or an e-book. Although, these are not decisions to take lightly. Many people, some stores, reviewers, associations, and the gatekeepers of traditional publishing still look down their noses at self-publishing. However, it is changing, and it can be a viable route, history has proven that.

We all know that Indy publishing is growing in leaps and bounds in the world of music and movies, and slowly gaining traction in the book world. But keep your eyes open, going in. It too is a beast, requiring time, money and guts – mostly guts.

Although, traditional publishing now requires you to market, promote and develop a platform for your book. If you also do this with your self-published books (which you must), who knows, it could also be the road to getting traditionally published. If it’s a route you’re considering, do your homework, research it thoroughly and decide if its right for you.

Here are some stories of literary greats that started out like you, wanting to share their love of children’s books. They took the self-publishing road less travelled, journey into the unknown, which led them full circle.

Surprisingly, self-publishing has been around longer than we realize. In 1901 Beatrix Potter felt the need to share her story of the adorable rabbit that was hopping around in her head, THE TALES OF PETER RABBIT. After being rejected numerous times, she went on to self-publish 250 copies of her book. A year later a publishing house that rejected her picked up her book. The firm went on to publish 22 more of her books, which continue to sell to this day.

If the name Christopher Paolini doesn’t sound familiar, the title ERAGON, might. There are a few different stories about how Paolini self-published. Some say his parents owned a printing company and printed it, then paid for him to travel the states promoting it. Others say he used a print-on-demand company. Either way he started out self-publishing. On his journey he became friends with Carl Hiassen, and was then picked up by Alfred A. Knopf and went on to sell millions of books.

Amanda Hocking went the e-book self-publishing route and sold over a million copies of her young adult books. She eventually signed a $2 million contract with St. Martins press for her TRYLLE trilogy that is optioned for a film, and for her new four book series, WATERSONG.

There are countless other famous authors that took this route. So, don’t give up! Hold your head up high. Either road you take, you can be a published author.

Disclaimer: Self-publishing – where you physically have the books printed at a printer and do everything yourself from writing to marketing to storing, is not for the weak, lazy, faint-hearted, tired, unimaginative, uncreative, greedy, money-hungry…but then again, if you were any of those things, you wouldn’t be a writer, right?

Karen Bell-Brege and Darrin Brege

Karen Bell- Brege is an author and has self-published 9 chapter books (the MICK MORRIS MYTH SOLVER and GHOST BOARD POSSE series), a picture book (MONSTER'S FIRST DAY AT SCHOOL) and a sketchbook (SKETCH THE MYTHS). She is also an improv performer, speaker and trainer. She is a former radio host, communications specialist for Chrysler and copywriter, toured with Working Woman Magazine, and has done countless voice-overs. Darrin Brege is the illustrator for the books, and is also a VP Creative Director for Helloworld. He was the original cover artist for the MICHIGAN and AMERICAN CHILLERS series, and was a voice impressionist for ESPN radio. They met when Darrin auditioned for Karen’s improv troupe and have been laughing and creating together ever since. They say their best creation is their son, Mick, and when you meet them, they will most certainly make you laugh. Learn more at www.karenanddarrin.com.

*BONUS* Karen and Darrin have so much experience to share. There are no shortcuts on the road to publishing, but here's a resource list they created to help you begin your own research.

Resources:

Michigan book printers – a bonus because it’s always nice to say that your book is, Made in Michigan.

McNaughton Gunn

60 Woodland Drive E,

Saline, MI 48176
Renee Lane – A wonderful person to work with.
(734) 429-5411

Color House Graphics

3505 Eastern Ave SE

Grand Rapids, MI 49508
Gary Nyenhuis
(616) 916-7370

Thomson-Shore Inc.

7300 W. Joy Road

Dexter, MI 48130

Ann Arbor, Michigan

(734) 426-3939

ISBN

www.isbn.org To purchase your ISBN

 U.S. Copyright Office

Make sure you copyright your work.

Cover Art

Graphic designers and artists can be expensive, but you want your book to look professional. Talk to other authors to see who they use, or contact a local college art department. There are many aspiring art students that do fantastic work, and would love to get a freelance job (see your artist’s portfolio before you decide). Also, have a contract and make sure you own the rights to the work you buy.

Editors

Be sure to have your book edited professionally. There are many online resources, however it’s best to use a local editor, and get references.

Formatting & Typesetting

You can do this yourself, once you decide the size of your book and page count. You can also hire a freelancer, or your printer may provide this service, or recommend someone.

Ebooks 

Smashwords

Largest publisher and distributor of ebooks.

L.K. Campbell

Ebook formatting service.

Print-On-Demand/Vanity Presses/Self-Publishing Service – BEWARE!

Another route to go but not really self-publishing – you do not own your ISBN – they do. Research this before you invest in it.

Traditional Publishers & Agents

Attend conferences. Meet agents. Buy the book, Writer’s Market 2017, (current year), which lists agents, publishing houses, what they’re looking for, and how to submit.

Gumption and Perseverance

You’ve got it, just look inside yourself.