Book Publishing Secrets with S.M. Adams #books #bookpublishing

S.M. Adams is a licensed secondary school teacher and experienced college instructor with over 10 years’ experience in the field of education.  She holds graduate training in both American History and Adolescent Education. A confessed late bloomer Sarah returned to college as a student-parent to uncover her life’s passion for education and helping others. For years of community service and volunteer work, S.M Adams was awarded the prestigious New York Life fellowship from the Colin Powell Center for Leadership and Service in 2008 and received the Phoenix Award from Urban Resource Institute thereafter. She also briefly spent time on the policy committee of HEAASC, the Higher Education Alliance for Advocates of Students with Children. As a domestic violence advocate, she has appeared on NYC Fox 5, NYC Bronx 12 as well as in Marie Claire magazine. A graduate of City College of New York and Pace University this New York transplant by way of Jamaica W.I. loves the summertime, reading on the beach, eating mangoes and spending time with her son and husband.

Arise and Walk: From the Sidelines of Life to the Next Level is her latest book.

Visit her website at www.ariseandwalk.com. Connect with her on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Whatever challenge you may currently be facing, Arise & Walk: From the Sidelines of Life to the Next Level offers a proven framework to assist you in making that much needed life transformation.

During the pandemic with her classroom shuttered S.M. Adams an experienced educator and instructor shifted her focus from teaching adolescents to creating a different kind of lesson plan, one to help survivors of the Covid 19 pandemic and its devastating aftermath, reimagine and reinvent themselves.

Always a teacher first, this new author with over a decade’s experience in New York City classrooms uses verbal imagery, examples from her own life along with interesting analogies to make clear the mindset shifts and action steps which lead to a transformed life.

So, if you’re unsure of what to do, look no further.

Arise & Walk: From the Sidelines of Life to the Next Level will help you to think about:

• How to begin to process change
• How to emotionally and mentally deal with downscaling
• Whether to continue with the old venture or start something new
• Which relationships to embrace and lean into as you undergo a life change
• How to clear the path to accomplish new money goals

and

• How to better manage time in a way that suits the new you.

 

 

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?

S.M. Adams: I’ve always played with the idea of writing but really found my voice and got serious at the start of the pandemic. I used to clap with my neighbors out the window every evening at 7pm when the nurses and doctors ended their shift. After a while I felt like that was not enough that I needed to be doing more to help out. The idea came to me that based on how devastating Covid-19 was many people would need to reimagine and reinvent themselves. And as someone who made a life transformation a few years ago I decided that maybe I could write a book that would be useful.

Is this your first book?

S.M. Adams: Yes and no, yes in that it feels like the first because it absolutely captures my voice as an author and attempts to do what I’ve always wanted to do which is share my life experiences in a way that others can find meaningful. No in that I have put together other books in the past but I think those works represent the struggle I had to find my voice. I never promoted them and do not really even think of them as mine. Inside I feel like this is my first book.

With this particular book, how did you publish – traditional, small press, Indie, etc. – and why did you choose this method?

S.M. Adams: I published with a tiny independent publishing company

Can you tell us a little about your publishing journey?  The pros and cons?

S.M. Adams: Its tedious and you have to get all the little details together that a major publishing house would have done for you. But there are small publishing companies that can make it easier if you can pay for it.

What lessons do you feel you learned about your particular publishing journey and about the publishing industry as a whole?

S.M. Adams: It takes a lot of commitment but it breaks down the barrier to entry

Would you recommend this method of publishing to other authors?

S.M. Adams: Yes especially to those who are serious about writing and willing to do the marketing.

What’s the best advice you can give to aspiring authors?

S.M. Adams: Keep at it, Toni Morrison didn’t start writing until she was 39 years old.

Book Publishing Secrets with JD Wise #books #bookpublishing

JD Wise is a West Virginian-born author who believes that the world can be changed for the better, by one person, one time, doing the right thing.

“Just think what would happen if we all did that,” said Wise.

Wise is happily married to the love of his life. Together, they have four wonderful children, who are the true inspiration for the book.

Nomophobia is his latest children’s book.

Visit him on Instagram and Facebook.

Welcome to NOMOPHOBIA – A PLACE IN TIME WHERE OVERUSED CELLULAR DEVICES TURN CHILDREN INTO OGRES.

This is a somewhat true, mostly exaggerated story of modern-day children – children who have spent way too much time on their phones. One night the children are mysteriously turned into ogres. At first the children blame each other for their condition. When they finished blaming each other, they worked together to find a cure. They searched the house for a cure…but they could not find one. They tried to wash the ogre off…but it stayed on.

They had all but given up when sissy’s phone accidently falls into the fish tank. When the phone gets wet, a hidden message appears: YOU WERE TURNED INTO OGRES, BECAUSE ON THE PHONE YOU DID STAY! NOW, PUT IT AWAY AND GO OUT AND PLAY!

So the children rushed outside, where they returned to normal. That day the children learned a valuable lesson. OVERUSED CELL PHONES TURN CHILDREN INTO OGRES.

 

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?

JD:  Children in my life inspired me to write Nomophobia.  One little boy that I know told his grandma that he did not need to learn how to tell time.  He said that if he wanted to know what time it was, then he'd just ask the phone.  Another time, I was in the waiting room at the doctor's office.  The nurse came out to call in a child who was playing a game on their phone.  The child would not move until the game was over.  This is what sparked the idea for Nomophobia.  

Is this your first book?

JD:  No, this is my second book.  My first book is A Child Called YOU.  A story of kindness without judgment for everyone.

With this particular book, how did you publish-traditional, small press, Indie, etc. - and why did you choose this method?

JD:   I went Indie with this particular book.  For months, I sent out queries but to no avail. I thought that I had an important story to tell.

Can you tell us a little about your publishing journey?  The pros and cons?

JD:  There are more no's that yes's:  No's seem frustrating, but it's worth it all when someone finally says yes and sees the significance of your work.

What lessons do you feel you learned about your particular publishing journey and about the publishing industry as a whole?

JD:  I learned to never give up.  No one else will believe what you write unless you believe in it first.

Would you recommend this method of publishing to other authors?

JD:  I would recommend trying to get a traditional agreement first.  All the rejections will help you to refine your skills as a writer.

What's the best advice you can give to aspiring authors?

JD:  Use the rejection that you receive to your advantage.  Once you've completed your manuscript, let someone else read it and don't be afraid to change things according to the critiquing.