Name: Liane
Brouillette
Book Title: Help Your Child to Thrive: Making the Best
of a Struggling Public Education System
Genre: Non-Fiction, Parenting, Education
Publisher: Balboa Press
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?
Liane: Actually, I am a university
professor. This is not my first book. However, I wanted to write a non-academic
book that would be both helpful to parents and accessible to the general
public. I also wanted it to be enjoyable to read.
Is this your first book?
Liane: Although this is not my first book, it is
my first self-published book. My other books were published by traditional
academic publishers.
With this particular book, how
did you publish – traditional, small press, Indie, etc. – and why did you
choose this method?
Liane: After writing two
academic books about public schools, I recognized there was a need for a book
that would explain these same issues to a broader audience. This book would 1)
help parents to understand the problems faced by school-age children and 2) show
parents how to support their children in meeting these challenges.
My academic books were full of
citations and academic terminology. Written primarily for professionals and
graduate students, these books were sold primarily in university bookstores. To
reach the general public, I would have to find another route.
The book I had in mind would inspire
parents with the confidence to effectively intervene when needed—without having
to spend every evening tutoring their child. The focus would be on building
resilience, confidence and strong family ties.
For parents to want to spend time reading it, the book also needed to be
enjoyable.
To accomplish this, I would
have to experiment a bit. So, I chose to self-publish the book. This allowed me
to take as long as I wished and to change direction as needed.
Can you tell us a little about
your publishing journey? The pros and
cons?
Liane: I enjoyed working with
State University of New York Press and Lawrence Erlbaum Associates on my first
two books. However, such publishers quite reasonably wish to have a detailed
roadmap of where an author plans to go with a book.
The “pro” of going with an
established publisher is the expertise of their staff as well as their
established marketing network. The “con” is that this publishing route may not
fit well if an author is working on work outside the established genres.
The “pro” of self-publishing is
the freedom that it allows the author. The “con” is the lack of organizational
support, which puts the burden of marketing on the author.
What lessons do you feel you
learned about your particular publishing journey and about the publishing
industry as a whole?
Liane: What I learned was that
the publishing industry is fragmented, with each publisher focusing on specific
genres. The industry is also under considerable financial pressure due to new
technologies. Therefore publishers are reluctant to risk putting resources into
a book that does not fit with their business model.
Would you recommend this method
of publishing to other authors?
Liane: Yes, if the author is
trying to develop an idea in a manner that allows for maximum freedom. However,
an author taking this route should understand that there is no guarantee of a
financial return. Self-publishing should be seen as a way of expanding your own
intellectual horizons and getting an important message out.
What’s the best advice you can
give to aspiring authors?
Liane: In a world where
day-to-day communication can be superficial, writing allows us to get to a
deeper level and to thoughtfully engage with important issues. Because of the
hustle and bustle of daily life, this sort of communication can be difficult to
undertake face-to-face. But we can write when we find the time and inspiration.
We can read when we feel motivated to do so. This communication can be vivid
and real.
My advice to aspiring authors:
Write in a way that feeds your soul and gives you ah-ha moments that you want
to share with others. This is where the joy of writing lies.
