First released in 1993, Anne Lamott's classic memoir, Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year, was a surprise hit. Literary critics still credit Lamott for launching the ever-popular "momoir" genre -- honest, heartfelt writing from the ordinary trenches of motherhood.
Anticipating this trend ten years ago, Nancy Cleary founded Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing (named for her two children) to help other women writers publish their own books on parenting topics.
Today, Wyatt-MacKenzie is a highly successful indie press that has helped dozens of new authors realize their publishing dreams.
Cindy Laferle of Bookpleasures.com is honored to share the following conversation with Nancy Cleary
Cindy La Ferle:
It looks like Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing, Inc. has a 10th anniversary coming up next year. How many books have you published since you started the business?
Nancy Cleary:
To date we have assigned 96 ISBN numbers, some are alternate editions of titles - eBook, audios, journals, workbooks, and translations. We have assisted over 50 women, and a few men, to fulfill their publishing goals successfully. Our books have won three Benjamin Franklin Book Awards, two ForeWord Magazine Book-of-the-Years, two Fresh Voice Awards, a half dozen USA Book Awards, an IPPY, and a Stevie (from the American Business Awards)!
La Ferle:
Please tell us how Wyatt-MacKenzie is different from most publishing houses, and what you offer prospective authors.
Cleary
Wyatt-MacKenzie specializes in helping writers to balance their efforts, energy, and money with the best publishing option, expectations, and results. The perfect execution of a book, the creative packaging and author branding, even the publicity efforts are a "given" at Wyatt-MacKenzie because those are inherent in our passion. Where we excel is providing authors with support, honest insight, and an empathetic ear.
La Ferle:
One of your most successful authors, Christine Louise Hohlbaum ( S.A.H.M. I Am: Tales of a Stay-at-Home Mom in Europe), told me that your mission is "to showcase voices that might not otherwise be heard." She describes you as a "mom advocate." Please tell us more about that.
Cleary
I have a soft spot for mom writers and entrepreneurs because I know the difficulty of juggling a family with your literary dreams. My heart aches for a woman whose creative purpose and passion for writing has been crushed by the weight of motherhood. And when moms do rise above the everyday and find the extraordinary within themselves and put that down on paper to help other mothers - then it is my mission to help them bring those words safely and successfully into the world.
La Ferle:
Self-publishing used to carry a stigma, but this seems to be changing. Has self-publishing gained more respect in recent years, and if so, why?
Cleary:
I believe any writer who creates a publishing entity to produce their own works in a professional way has always held respect. Any self-published book which could prove its sales and media-worthiness was attractive to, and often purchased by, major publishing houses. I don't acknowledge a stigma related to the publishing choice, the stigma comes from misplaced judgment.
La Ferle:
You have a background in art and design, which shows in the striking book covers you produce. Please tell us about your design background and how it impacts the success of your titles.
Cleary:
I have been passionate about design since I was a little girl. I took art classes at DeCordova near my hometown in Massachusetts, and spent summers in NY at Parsons, and at Rhode Island School of Design, before I even graduated high school. I was proud to receive my BFA from RISD. Would you believe we didn't use computers when I went to art school? I typeset books on a Linotronic machine from the one Mac in the computer room, then pasted-up mechanicals which I had to drive to the printer! That said, it's the strong foundation I have in graphic design and typography, plus a God-given talent and passion, that combine to elevate Wyatt-MacKenzie's packaging, author branding, and overall perception leading to bigger media and sales.
La Ferle:
You have a wonderful new book coming out, A Book is Born: 24 Authors Tell All, this November. I just had a look at the review copy -- and I'm impressed. It offers an inside view of your authors' process, from signing their publishing contracts to getting nominated for book awards. It's packed with examples of pitch letters, cover samples, and other tools showing how books are conceived, written, and marketed. What are your hopes for this book?
Cleary:
It's the book I want all of the writers I publish to read before we work together. It will minimize the worry and the heartache, and block the self-defeating talk, while it prepares the soon-to-be authors for each step of the sometimes perilous publishing journey. The tech tools I include will save me a ton of time not having to explain and illustrate these concepts to clients and authors!
La Ferle:
In A Book is Born, you talk about "author branding" as well as the importance of having a "platform." Why are these terms essential to book marketing and promotion?
Cleary:
The media doesn't care about you or your book, they only care if you are a fit for their show, article or segment. With author branding you position yourself as an expert in your market. A cohesive professional look and snappy taglines will leave an impression - hopefully a memorable one, with an accurate snapshot of what you do, who you are, what you stand for, and what you are an expert in. They find you through your platform - when you are everywhere they look on the topic they are researching. They keep seeing your name, your articles, your sponsorships, all of your contributions woven throughout the niche of your expertise.
La Ferle:
Another Wyatt-MacKenzie author, Kelley Cunningham (What's the Matter with Mommy?) is a much-admired humor columnist for ImperfectParent.com and Quirkee.com. The popularity of Kelley's columns inspired her to publish them in a collection. Should writers be published elsewhere before trying to publish a book?
Cleary:
Yes! This is part of the aforementioned platform. The more fans you have before you publish your book, the better. The more places your name is seen in, the greater chance a publisher will believe you have the power to reach your market with a product it already enjoys. I was a huge fan of Kelley's illustrations in Brain, Child Magazine and hired her for three of our book covers. As soon as I had read her columns I fired off a publishing contract before I even stopped laughing. Her illustrations provide belly laughs in A Book is Born as well.
La Ferle:
Books about motherhood and the domestic arts have gained more respect in recent years. How do you explain the renewed interest in what is now dubbed "Mommy Lit"?
Cleary:
Motherhood is important. A mother not letting go of her own dreams is important. Selling the movie rights of your manuscript to Lifetime or HBO, now that stirs interest! I believe we are seeing more and more creative women who have become mothers holding fast to their dreams, and their kids. We are a force to be reckoned with - and the time of reckoning is upon us. I snuck a bumper sticker on to one of my covers two years ago that read "Clinton 2008 - Put a Mother in Charge" and I have been laughing ever since.
La Ferle:
Are you working on any books written by dads?
Cleary:
Yes, we have a Spring 2008 book written by a dad who lives in Germany. "Luisa's Nature" is one of the most creative non-fictions I have ever published. Author Mark Stevens is a talented journalist who wraps a love of nature into an awareness of the future for our children, by our children. Mark is an expat and will be back here in the states promoting his book this fall and next spring.
La Ferle:
I'd imagine you receive many queries and book proposals. What catches your eye and looks promising?
Cleary:
I am receiving more and more queries every week! It's exciting to come in here each morning.The ones I receive from literary agents of experts whose names I recognize from Oprah or TODAY stop my breathing. The ones I receive from mom writers who have worked for years building their websites, have regular columns they syndicate, hold a depth of knowledge of publicity and marketing that proves to me they have what it takes - those are the most promising. And the ones that tug on my heartstrings with a powerful premise and an eager-to-be-fulfilled potential - those catch my attention.
La Ferle:
I know you can't possibly mention every author you've published, but can you cite a few other examples of your authors' successes or special attention from the media?
Cleary:
Do you remember the short-lived Greg Behrendt Show? My author Arlene Schusteff had a 5-minute dialogue with the host and the audience about her book Peanut Butter, Playdates, and Prozac that erupted in applause and laughter, and a big boost in my author's self-esteem and sales. This book was also reviewed in OK! magazine amongst all the celebrity titles. When I watched Sam Gianulis author of Little Grapes on the Vine cooking charismatically on iVillage LIVE, I was cheering at the television. And the awards - oh to tell an author that she has been nominated for a book award must be THE most satisfying gift in publishing! Pam Leo's Connection Parenting and Iris Waichler's Riding the Infertility Roller Coaster were both ForeWord Magazine Book-of-the-Year Finalists, and Maureen Focht, whose book Silent Heroes supports families of the mentally ill, won three small indie awards and has touched families deeply, and even solicited a review copy request from Oprah.
La Ferle:
You live and work in Deadwood, Oregon, which seems an unlikely spot for a publishing enterprise. How does that work for you?
Cleary:
Isn't it amazing that I can work from my home, in the coastal mountains of Oregon, and reach a worldwide community? It has taken many, many years of networking -- of contributing and non-stop "putting it out there" to build my brand known for empowering moms and for being located in the "other" Deadwood, not the Wyatt Earp one, the Wyatt-MacKenzie one.
La Ferle:
Nancy, is there anything else you'd like to share about Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing?
Cleary:
I love what I do, I laugh all the time, and I believe anything is possible. My online class can direct writers down the best publishing path, and A Book is Born provides the map, and the hand-holding, for the wild ride.
La Ferle:
Thank you for your time, Nancy, and congrats on your new book launch. Bookpleasures readers can visit your Web site,
www.WyMacPublishing.com, for more information about your company, and
www.abookisborn.com for excerpts.
A Book is Born is available in bookstores nationwide November 1.
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The above interview was contributed by Cindy La Ferle: Cindy's articles, reviews, and essays have been published in the Christian Science Monitor, Reader's Digest, Literary Mama, MetroParent, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Writer's Digest, and many other regional and national publications.
Her new essay collection, Writing Home, won four awards for creative nonfiction. She serves as Writer-in-Residence for her hometown library in Royal Oak, Mi. She writes a weekly column/blog on her Web site, Cindy's Home Office.
To read more of Cindy's reviews and articles CLICK HERE and to read a conversation Bookpleasures.com had with Cindy by Click Here.
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