Born in Yugoslavia in the
1970s, Marija Bulatovic, along with her parents, immigrated to the U.S. in the
1990s just ahead of the 1990s Yugoslav wars and the breakup of the
country. An accomplished business
professional with years of experience driving enterprise business with Fortune
500 companies, Bulatovic graduated from Colgate University. Marija Bulatovic
lives in Seattle with her husband and son.
Thank you for your time in
answering our questions about getting published. Let’s begin by having
you explain to us why you decided to become an author and pen this book?
Marija:
While I didn’t set out to pursue career as an author, I was moved to do so after
the birth of my son. FANTASTICAL is a
legacy to my son, as his birth was the catalyst for the book.
These
stories were born with my son. Uncertain
upon entering a wholly new phase of life, I sought wisdom and enlightenment –
and a break from the daily routine of feedings, lack of sleep, and
disorientation. I was in search of
something that would lift my spirit, make me laugh, and transport me, if only
for a moment, to another, less tangible, place and time.
While
the world in which these stories unfold no longer exists, I still cling to the
many lessons it taught me. Because of my
fantastical childhood, I know in my heart that life is much more than a sum of
mundane survival activities. I know that
it’s fluid, magical, brimming with love and connection.
This
book was indeed the respite I needed. It
freed my mind to roam the wild landscape of a bygone era and lifted me on the
wings of Balkan stardust. I hope it will
do the same for my readers. My hope is
that stories amuse and transport my readers, sustaining them on their journey
as they have me on mine.
Is this your first book?
Marija: Yes, it is.
With this particular book, how
did you publish – traditional, small press, Indie, etc. – and why did you
choose this method?
Marija: I chose to
self-publish. FANTASTICAL is a work of
passion and a very personal and dear project to me. As such, I was interested to personally and
deeply become involved in all aspects of publishing, from identifying the right
experts to edit, illustrate, layout, and print the book to working with a
tremendously talented publicist to bring it to light.
At the same time, we are
experiencing an explosion in tools and services suited for first time and
self-publishing authors.
I was curious about this
process and it gave me an excellent opportunity to be personally engaged
throughout the journey and understands all aspects of publishing. It’s been a
great learning experience!
Can you tell us a little about
your publishing journey? The pros and
cons?
Marija: Self-publishing is
tremendously labor and time intensive, but also very rewarding and profitable,
assuming one is able to make investments to get the book to the finish line.
The pros are that you, as an
author are 100% in control of your book and the every aspect of it. You are the final decision maker and owner of
the outcomes-good and bad. It’s a wonderful opportunity to merge one’s creative
talents with flawless execution. It does
require much self-discipline and hard work, but it’s also a rewarding process. While the world of self-publishing tools and
services can feel like a maze, once the author understands them, they are
generally easy and efficient to you.
The cons are that you have to
invest money, time and energy to personally research and identify everything
that shapes the book: editors, publicists, designers, printers, distributors,
etc. This is no easy task and authors
can feel discouraged by it and by the long road ahead. The self-publish path also requires that you
make personal investments or raise money to fund your book project-which done
right, is not an inexpensive proposition.
What lessons do you feel you
learned about your particular publishing journey and about the publishing
industry as a whole?
Marija: The publishing industry
overall is at an inflection point, destabilized by the explosion of
self-published books and outlets offering self-publishing services. Self-publishing houses such as CreateSpace, Lightning Source
or Bookbaby offer quality services at an approachable price-point. However, the learning curve is steep for a
single author to learn, discern differences in offerings and advantages among
these services, along with their complementary or duplicative nature.
Would you recommend this method
of publishing to other authors?
Marija: Yes, most
definitely. If you feel ready and
passionate about your book, you will enjoy the leanrings and the process that
goes with self-publishing.
What’s the best advice you can
give to aspiring authors?
Marija: Just do it! Write your
book, engage deeply with your project, commit to your work of passion and see
what happens. Most likely, more good
things will happen than if you don’t embark on the journey. And most importantly, Good Luck!
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