storycatcherpublishing

THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY: Grab A Cape & Hero Up

Donna L

super hero.jpg

 

I don’t know of anyone who didn’t want to be some kind of super hero when they were a kid. Didn’t matter whether you were Wonder Woman or Superman. Running through the back yard with a sheet tied around your neck, you took on the bad guys and saved the day.

That’s what we need again. People who hero up and defend the written word for all the other young heroes yet to be. With many bookstores closing at a frightening pace and an ever increasing number of poorly written vanity press or thrown together self-published ebooks flooding the market today, who is willing to step in and make sure only the best stories are there for today’s young readers?

I’ve decided to start a campaign where I challenge all writers to think back to that time in their own childhood when they believed they could save the world and then grab a cape and hero up.

 

HERO UP FOR THE CHILD WITHIN YOU!

 

For the little boy or girl who hugged their first library book like it was some newly discovered treasure chest just waiting to be explored.

 

HERO UP FOR THE CHILD YOU MEET TODAY!

 

For the child sitting in front of you at a school visit, ready and eager to join you on some grand adventure to faraway lands.

 

HERO UP FOR THE CHILDREN OF THE FUTURE!

 

For those young minds yet to be who will need a hero like you to protect the magic and ensure there will be great stories waiting for them when the time comes.

Later this fall I plan to champion the hero cause by hosting the first annual STAR CATCHER CONTEST through #StoryCatcherPublishing. This contest created exclusively for the next generation of authors will be open to young writers, ages ten years to eighteen years old.. They will have the chance to submit their short stories in one of five different categories for the chance to be published in an anthology of twenty-five winners.

It doesn’t take much to save the world. Just the belief that somewhere deep inside you lies the ability to ignite a powerful love of reading in those who wait in the shadows, starving for a good story. Readers just waiting for someone like YOU to grab a cape and HERO UP!

 

superman.jpg

************

 

[wpvideo Zvs6WtXV]

 

*************

 

donna

International best selling, award-winning author, Donna L Martin, has been writing since she was eight years old. She is a 4th Degree Black Belt in TaeKwonDo by day and a ‘ninja’ writer of children’s picture books, chapter books, young adult novels and inspirational essays by night. Donna is a BOOK NOOK REVIEWS host providing the latest book reviews on all genres of children’s books, and the host of WRITERLY WISDOM, a resource series for writers. Donna is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators and Children’s Book Insider. She is a lover of dark chocolate, going to the beach and adding to her growing book collection. Donna’s latest book, LUNADAR: Homeward Bound (a YA fantasy), is now available in eBook and print form from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books A Million, and other online retailers.

An Indie Author’s Journal: Setting Up Shop

Donna L

open soon.png

 

As I mentioned last week, I’m delving into the world of indie publishing. Some authors go the quicker route and use a source like CreateSpace or Kindle Direct to immediately get their books out there.

There’s nothing wrong going  that route, but I’ve decided to take a different path.

 

STEP TWO: Create Your Company Image

 

My writing “entity” for the past eight years has been THE STORY CATCHER. After much thought, I decided to expand on that concept and set up my own publishing house, appropriately named STORY CATCHER PUBLISHING (www.storycatcherpublishing.com), with only one author to promote…me.

Here are the steps I’ve taken so far to set up my company:

1) Bought new computer…$495. (I went with an HP laptop and one year of Windows 365 was included)

2) Used WordPress to create new business website…$100. (I could have gone with the free version but the step up gives me more features to create a more professional website)

3) Created personalized “.com” name for WordPress website and blog…$50. (I could have stayed with a “wordpress.blogspot.com” format, but again I’m trying to streamline a better overall professional look to everything I’m doing moving forward.)

4) Requested EIN number for new company…$0.

5) Set up Excel spreadsheets for monthly accounting of business expenses…$0

6) Used Vista Print to create business cards, car magnets, and banners…$96. (There are other companies like Moo.com, Gotprint.com, and Overnightprint.com to name a few, but when I saw this design on Vista Print, I just knew it would represent my company the best.)

What do you think?

 

SCP business card front(full color business card front)

 

SCP business card back(full color business card back)

 

SCP car magnet

(car magnets)

 

SCP banner(full color business banner)

 

Last week I promised a sneak peek at the book trailer I had created for my upcoming young adult fantasy book release early next year. I think the video is fabulous (and it only cost me $25), but I’m having trouble adding it to my YouTube channel. Maybe someone out there can help me out with the conversion of a google drive mp4 book trailer to a YouTube url?

Anyway, here’s the link to my book trailer I will be releasing next year for LUNADAR: Homeward Bound. Leave me a comment below and let me know what you think!

http://drive.google.com/file/d/1hAmIB_fn0KMSaJsXzKRag9XkPsVe6GFd/view

Next week I will talk about the software I’m using to format my novel for publication as well as some questions you can use for your beta readers. See ya next week!

 

Author Profile Pic
International best selling, award winning author, Donna L Martin, has been writing since she was eight years old. She is a 4th Degree Black Belt in TaeKwonDo by day and a ‘ninja’ writer of children’s picture books, chapter books, young adult novels and inspirational essays by night. Donna is a BOOK NOOK REVIEWS host providing the latest book reviews on all genres of children’s books, and the host of WRITERLY WISDOM, a resource series for writers. Donna is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators and Children’s Book Insider. She is a lover of dark chocolate, going to the beach and adding to her growing book collection.