Through my years in publishing, I have worked with some really great authors. All of these authors approach self publishing with their own agenda and expertise. Since the whole point of my blog and book is to look at the reality of self-publishing, I thought it would be nice to do a series of author interviews. Welcome to ‘Word on the Street’.
My author interviews will consist of 6 questions about them, their book and their experience. You will get the good, the bad and the ugly. Not all real self publishing stories are full of rainbows and butterflies – it can suck sometimes too.
Tell us about it, Gabriela Jurick:
Real Answer Real Authors: Why did you decide to publish?
Gabriela: I decided to publish my own story, because I have been through some bizarre situations. Every so often someone would say to me “you should write a book”. I’m happy to say that even though the obstacles that I’ve been through were not positive, the book shows that I still had faith and knew things could only get better.
RARA: What titles have you published to date?
Gabriela: My first book is entitled “I’m Still Standing”. Soon, I will have self-published “Deep in Thought”.
RARA: How are you currently marketing your book and what has given you the best results?
Gabriela: I’ve ordered some extra books and left them at some restaurants and doctors’ offices just to get my name around. I decided to get the first book published; the publisher is supposed to set up book signings, etc. I’m supposed to do the rest. However, the books sold in bookstores don’t leave much of a profit margin. I changed my business cards to show that besides an author, I’m a motivational speaker. I’ve contacted three places to hear my speech “Recovery from Depression”; to no avail. They did not respond. So far, the best seller is using friends you have on Facebook to get the word out.
RARA: Are there any books or websites that you have found the most useful?
Gabriela: Truly, I’ve followed Jill Mettendorf on her journey through publishing a book. That was positively the most useful information I had gleaned. It was actually like Jill did the work, and I tried to follow her footsteps.
RARA: What has been your greatest challenge in self publishing?
Gabriela: I thought it would be a difficult sell to self-publish; and it was. Now that I know mirabooksmart.com can actually sell my book online, all I have to do is give out the link…it couldn’t be easier now.
RARA: What is the best advice or tip you can give a new and aspiring author?
Gabriela: I would tell an aspiring author to constantly read your own work over and over again. But not day after day. Sometimes you need a break from reading the same thing over and over. I’ve changed my words, sentences, paragraphs, pages, etc. many, many times. Have someone else look at it when you’re almost done. That person should be able to tell you if the story flows properly, or give you some ideas on what might need be changed.
AUTHOR BIO
Gabriela was born in New Jersey where she and her husband, George, raised three children. Gabriela is a secretary for a community college in the health, physical education and dance department as well as the athletics department. She, along with her family, continues to encourage others, explaining through their own experiences that when one is down, the only way to go is up.
BOOK AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE
www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore
real answers real authors 