Book Archives - Outdoor Writers Association of America

Are you ready to try self-publishing?

OWAA Developer — Mon, 01 Aug 2016 18:22:02 +0000

BY MARY NICKUM

We learned in school that anything published had been thoroughly checked and edited by specialists and those who knew far more than ourselves.

As we became adults, some of us became teachers, writers and experts in our own right, yet we learned quickly how hard it was to attract the eyes of a publisher, even with our credentials. Some

of us continued to butt our heads against the publishing wall, until we forced a toe in the door. Some of us gave up. A third group saw a new way in the modern world to get the work published: they decided to do it themselves.

New technology has afforded low-cost publishing through sites like CreateSpace, free ways to distribute your books on sites like Amazon and a way to keep all or most of the profits, without having a garage full of inventory to store and ship.

It sounds like a pretty good deal.

Not so fast.

Self-publishing has opened the door to anyone wanting to get their work out, but there are still things to consider before deciding to do it alone. There’s a reason why so many people look down on self-publishing. It’s because too many people try it before they understand what it entails to do it well.

Here’s a checklist to use before you try to go-it alone.

You are an expert on the subject matter you are writing about.
You don’t have to have an advanced degree in the topic, but your knowledge of the subject matter should be well beyond that of an average person’s and you should be willing to acknowledge your limitations somewhere in the text.
You researched the topic extensively beyond your bookshelf and the local public library.
There is nothing wrong with using the resources you have on hand — just don’t stop there. Beware of the internet. Use it with caution. Much information is unfiltered and unchecked—anybody can put anything online whether or not it is valid.
You had someone besides your best friend or grandmother edit your work.
Your best friend and your grandmother are fine people and likely have your best interest at heart. However, they are probably not editors and, even if they are, they are biased when it comes to your work. Choose someone, or better yet, several people, who are experienced writers, editors or English teachers to read your work critically. You should welcome criticism — it means you are on the way to having a quality piece of work.
You have a marketing and business plan, which goes beyond Amazon.
Amazon is great at what it does. It makes works available to anyone who can get near a computer and has a few bucks to buy a book. But that’s as far as it goes. How will anyone other than your family and friends know your book is there among the millions of other items to buy? They won’t. You are competing with at least a hundred million other titles, admittedly not all on your topic, but that won’t make your book any easier to find.
A marketing plan provides a roadmap to follow to garner attention for your book. It should include:
- A website.
- A blog.
- Social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Instagram.
- More traditional materials, such as bookmarks, business cards, postcards and flyers.
- Signings and speaking engagements.
You have a personal brand.
Your brand is your persona as a writer, specifically as the writer of your particular book on your particular topic. You must make yourself known by what you have written. Everything on this list helps brand you. Use it.
If this all sounds like a lot of work, it’s because it is. Even the large publishers require more promotional work from their authors than they did back in the day.
But when doing it yourself, you must also face the stigmas associated with self-publishing. It isn’t as bad as it once was, as more experienced and talented writers are going this route.
Yet too often one can spot a self-published book within its first pages. The layout might be strange. There might be typos and spelling and grammatical errors that appear with distracting regularity. (Many self-publishing sites don’t edit work). You might see an occasional typo in books from large publishing houses, but nowhere near as many as you find in many self-published texts.
You self-publish at your own risk.

— A member since 2000, Mary J. Nickum is a retired librarian who is now an editor and freelance writer. Her primary focus is on science for the public. Nickum is editor-in-chief of the Intermountain Journal of Science and currently edits World Aquaculture magazine. Contact her at mjnickum@hotmail.com.

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Writing reviews readers can use

OWAA Developer — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 20:56:54 +0000

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BY JOHN RIUTTA

I founded The Well-read Naturalist in 2009 after noticing how many interesting books on natural history subjects languished for lack of attention. It seemed that naturalists of various interests — with the exception of bird watchers – had no effective way of discovering new books about their favorite topics.
I combined my passion in studying nature — I’ve been an amateur naturalist since childhood — with my professional experience in marketing and writing to produce a site dedicated to works on natural history. The skills I’ve learned through publishing scores of full-length and short book reviews can be summed up in six basic rules you can apply to reviewing books of any genre.

Don’t write negative reviews.

While some critics find negative reviews a way to show off their cleverness, they do little good for the reader or the reviewer. After all, why would anyone want to waste their time reading about a book that you’re telling them not to bother reading? And as all too many “slap suits” filed against authors of negative reviews by both book authors and publishing houses in recent years have shown, negative reviews generate more headaches for the reviewer than they’re worth.
Yes, there are some books that deserve to be harshly criticized, but in today’s social media driven, “look at me!” society, negative criticism only serves to generate attention for the very thing you wanted to deprive of it. Therefore when you encounter a book so bad that you wish to heap censure upon it, it’s best to stick to Oscar Wilde’s famous line from “The Picture of Dorian Gray,” “there is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.”

Do write enthusiastic reviews.

It’s OK to let your readers know you’re excited about a book you’re reviewing. Academic criticism calls for a dispassionate stance in regard to the subject, but unless you’re reviewing a book for a scholarly journal, it’s perfectly fine to be open about how interesting you found the book, how much you learned from it, or simply how much you enjoyed reading it. If you really want others to read the book you’re reviewing (and after all, isn’t that the reason you’re telling them about it in the first place?) showing your own enthusiasm about it is one of the best cornerstones upon which to build your argument.

Don’t review books where the content is beyond your level of knowledge.

While I’m a fairly well-rounded general naturalist, there are some subjects in which I am better informed than others. There are shelves of books published each year about subjects I don’t know a lot about. In these cases, I take one of two approaches. Books written by professionals in the field for other professionals I tend to leave alone; I don’t think I’m qualified to comment on the content of such works. As to books on subjects I know little about, but which are written for a general audience, I consider how much I learned about the subject from reading it. In many cases, the author wrote the book to educate people. I try to reflect my enthusiasm for discovery which makes the review interesting and useful.

Do review books on subjects in which you are interested.

From a young age, I was blessed (or cursed, depending upon whom you ask) with an insatiable curiosity about most everything in nature. Consequently, there aren’t many natural history subject areas that I don’t find interesting — including some subject matter I may have not known existed until I found a book on it. It’s this interest in the subject matter that really carries the weight in a good review.

Don’t review books just because you think they’ll be popular.

I twice picked up a book to read and review because I thought its popularity would bring more attention to my writing, even though I thought the book wasn’t particularly worthwhile. Both times I wrote reviews I didn’t like.
They seemed flat and forced. Since writing these two reviews, I haven’t reviewed any books that after reading it I wouldn’t say “you really need to read this book,” and whole-heartedly mean it.

Do review books you think people might otherwise not read.

I write book reviews to help people discover interesting and enjoyable books. I started reviewing natural books because I hated the idea that people wouldn’t discover books they’d like. Reviewing books is meant to be a way to introduce people to new titles, authors and subject matter.
So there you have it – my six basic rules for reviewing books. None of them are really trade secrets; simply common sense ideas that I’ve gained from years of experience in the craft. I hope that the next time you find yourself faced with the reading and reviewing of a new book that you’ll give them a bit of thought. They’ve long helped me in my work and I offer them here in the hope that more books will be written about for the good of readers everywhere.
– Founder and publisher of The Well-read Naturalist (www.wellreadnaturalist.com), John Riutta is also a sports optics development professional whose resume includes a long tenure in both communications and development with Leupold, and his present position of product manager for sports optics with Celestron
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Poop references build credibility (and other tips for writing for children)

OWAA Developer — Sat, 04 Apr 2015 20:37:58 +0000

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BY KEN KEFFER

People sometimes question how I can be a children’s writer when I don’t even have kids. It helps to know kids, and as a naturalist and environmental educator, I work with thousands of youth every year. Some would also argue I never grew up. Either way, I’ve used my degree in wildlife biology and excitement for the outdoors to connect with kids by writing (along with co-author Stacy Tornio) four books including a 2013 National Outdoor Book Award Honorable Mention winner. Here are my top tips for writing for children:
Know your audience:
This is important to keep in mind no matter what audience you are targeting, but it is especially critical when writing for children. Content and style should always be age appropriate. While 18 and under might pass for youth in many situations, your audience will never be that broad with children’s writing. A common breakdown when writing for kids is picture books, early childhood, middle reader and young adult. Each category requires special attention to word choice, style and structure. Also keep in mind that poop references can build credibility with any youth audience.
Don’t talk down to children:
This should go without saying, but it is so important that I’ll say it anyway. Don’t talk down to children. They aren’t simply miniature versions of adults. They are thinking and learning while reading and it is your job as the writer to help facilitate this mental growth.
Simple is ok:
One thing I’ve noticed is that many adults tend to forget that childhood is full of enthusiasm and a sense of wonder. I view it as my role to fully encourage this view of the outdoors. Everything is new and exciting. One of the early reviews for The Kids’ Outdoor Adventure Book reinforced this for me. The reviewer was initially disappointed when reading over some of the simple activities we’d highlighted, such as watching clouds float by, skipping rocks, making a snow angel and rolling down a hill like a log. But when the reviewer shared the book with her grandchildren they liked and wanted to do those activities. Also remember that simple is not the same as talking down to your audience.
Complex is also ok:
Don’t shy away from complex topics or using the correct terms — just be sure to define them in proper context. You don’t have to present them as vocabulary words. Give an example to explain what you mean. When presenting to classes I’ll often state the science terms, but then I will assure the students they won’t have to remember the word until they get to college. It’s much more important that they understand the concepts. I don’t expect first graders to learn the term subnivean, but I do need them to understand that critters are scurrying around beneath the snow. It is the same when writing for youth audiences. Examples will help make complex topics more understandable.
Keep it fun:
While some kids are active readers, not everyone shares this enthusiasm. Making reading fun can be especially critical for the younger audiences. While anthropomorphism can be used as a technique to make animals relatable, I avoid it in my nonfiction work. Facts can still be presented in a friendly and approachable way, and I will still use human examples as a comparison.
Illustrations can set the tone:
The visual appeal can be critical with kids’ books. I find describing illustration styles as complex as describing wines. We went with a “whimsical and yet sophisticated” style and insist on accurate illustrations for our work. The writing style coupled with the illustrations together set the tone. Visuals can make or break a children’s project.
Make it interactive:
Kids like to do things. There was a small debate on whether or not including a checklist of actions would feel like homework for kids in my first book. Action items aren’t chores for kids. Instead they are accomplishments. Lots of writing presents a call to action. With children’s writing this can be as simple as stepping outside to play or as encompassing as saving the world. Don’t underestimate kids and they’ll never leave you disappointed.
While it is rarely lucrative, I find writing about nature and the outdoors for youth audiences to be especially inspiring work.Contrary to some the widespread stereotype, it isn’t any easier to write for kids than adults. Writing for children isn’t that much different than writing for any other audience. The most important key is to know your audience. Every other tip goes back to this concept.
– Ken Keffer writes kids’ nature books from his home base in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Additionally, he is an active freelance writer for both youth and adult audiences and is a regular contributor to Birds & Blooms magazine. He was awarded the OWAA’s 2014 Madson Fellowship.
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Book appeal

OWAA staff — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 18:07:44 +0000

Why some authors are making the big bucks and some aren’t

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BY SHAWN PERICH
Every autumn I get royalty checks for books I’ve written over the years. As with most outdoor writers, my royalties are not enough to buy a second house or take a European vacation, but they are a welcome return for work completed years ago. What’s interesting is my best-selling books have nothing to do with hunting and fishing. One, a guide to tourist attractions on the north shore of Lake Superior, was published in 1991 and is still in print. Another, “Backroads of Minnesota,” a collaborative work with a nature photographer, was published in 2002 and reissued in a new format in 2011. Both have sold better than my fishing and hunting titles for one simple reason: they appeal to a much wider audience.
It’s easy for outdoor writers to get into a rut, especially if your main motivation for entering the business in the first place was a passion for fishing and hunting. It’s easy to write about your passion and even easier to convince yourself that your passion is shared by legions of readers. But as they say, reality bites. How many folks, for instance, really care to read about the smelliest catfish baits or how to grunt like a sex-crazed whitetail buck? More to the point, over the course of your career, how often do you want to write about the same, stale hook-and-bullet topics?
Minnesota, my home state, has a vibrant hunting and fishing culture. But even here, the writing is on the wall. Measured by license sales, fishing has been stagnant for more than a decade and participation in hunting other than for turkeys and deer is in a long-term decline. In short, hunters and anglers aren’t likely to disappear from Minnesota, but their numbers will diminish over time. Be that as it may, interest and participation in mainstream outdoor activities remains strong.
I live on Lake Superior’s North Shore, a prime outdoor destination for the Upper Midwest. Within an hour’s drive of my home are hundreds of lakes and trout streams, as well as hundreds of thousands of acres of public forests open to hunting. It ain’t a bad place to be if you like to hunt and fish. However, while hunting and fishing are popular with residents and area visitors, these activities represent a small slice of what people do outdoors on the North Shore. Activities ranging from canoe tripping and sea kayaking to hiking and plein air painting appeal to the mainstream. Many North Shore outdoor users prefer to spend a couple of hours doing something outside and then head to town to explore shops, galleries and restaurants.
Our publication for this market, Northern Wilds, reflects the outdoor mainstream. We’ve had photos of hikers, cross-country skiers, surfers and wildlife on the cover, but never hunters or anglers. We feature hunting and fishing stories, but devote more coverage to mainstream activities from visiting state parks to suggestions for easy day hikes. Both our readers and advertisers like our editorial mix.
Ok, so what does any of this have to do with traditional hook-and-bullet writing? Well, we’ve discovered that although we are always looking for outdoor-related stories, most traditional outdoor writers either don’t have the interest or the material to cover topics beyond hunting and fishing. We find it especially difficult to find local photos of people enjoying mainstream outdoor activities such as cross-country skiing, hiking or sea kayaking. (Note, we only use photos taken within our coverage area.) We know superb wildlife and landscape photographers — they just don’t take pictures of people having fun.
Northern Wilds is by no means the only media source looking for mainstream outdoor material. A wide range of publications publish outdoor features on topics other than hunting and fishing. Outdoor writers, by virtue of spending lots of time in the field, are uniquely suited to provide stories and photos about mainstream topics. Doing so is a great way to expand your base and broaden your appeal to editors and readers.
There’s just one catch. Collecting material for mainstream outdoor stories may cut into your hunting and fishing time, but just a little. Most hook-and-bullet writers are well acquainted with the parks, scenic routes and waterways in their neck of the woods. Most also have related outdoor interests, such as hiking, birding or cross-country skiing. Consider all of this “insider information” an enterprising writer can put to good use when working with mainstream editors.
While it won’t work for every market, pitch mainstream editors story ideas about outdoor activities anyone can do. Lots of folks want to know what you may take for granted: accessible locations to see wildlife, hiking trails suitable for all ages or the best parks to take kids camping. Shoot pictures of people participating in mainstream outdoor activities — you may find such photos are always in demand.
When writing for mainstream audiences, bear in mind your readers may have a casual interest in the outdoors. Keep your prose simple and easy to understand. I like to picture my reader as someone who knows nothing about the topic and is counting on me to explain it to them. If I pique the reader’s interest, perhaps they’ll try something they’ve never done before. If so, the community of outdoor users — and my readership — may grow by one. And that’s good for business — for all of us.
—Shawn Perich, of Hovland, Minn., has been a member since 1985. In addition to his duties as editor and publisher of Northen Wilds Media, he is a columnist for Minnesota Outdoor News and a book author. Contact him at editor@northernwilds.com.
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E-books can be much more than a PDF file

OWAA staff — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 17:25:52 +0000

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BY KEVIN RHOADES
This article is the second installment of a three-part series about e-books. The first article, “Make money on the e-book gravy train,” appeared in the December 2011 issue of Outdoors Unlimited. In part three, the author will talk about creating an online presence for your e-book.
If you’re thinking about jumping on the e-book gravy train to earn extra dollars from previously published print books, the following should shed light on popular e-book file formats and commonly-used digital book readers — and what to do with the files once created. A quick Google search reveals more than 50 e-book file formats, but those most commonly used by the plethora of reading devices include PDF, mobi and epub. All that is necessary to read a PDF is a computer and PDF-reading software such as Adobe Acrobat or Foxit Reader, then you’re off and reading a PDF-version of “A Chukar’s Hunting Companion” or “Billy Barnstorm – The Birch Lake Bomber.” Mobi and epub, however, are better suited for devices that offer users a dynamic reading experience, e-readers such as Barnes & Noble’s Nook, Apple’s iPad or Amazon’s Kindle.
Most of us are familiar with the old-standby PDF, the Portable Document Format created by Adobe Systems, which is the de facto standard for outdoor communicators exchanging manuscripts and photos throughout cyberspace. Although it’s a snap to create a PDF from your print book and call it an e-book, and try to sell it from your website, the PDF as an e-book can provide an annoying experience for seasoned Nook, iPad and Kindle users because these devices allow users to alter font size and styles and adjust line spacing. Since text automatically reflows in e-readers, there is no need for page numbers, headers, footers or margins as found in PDF books created from print books without e-reader customization.
Book-layout applications InDesign and QuarkXPress can export print books to epub files, but re-design is necessary to optimize the e-book experience. The epub is used by Nook and Apple devices whereas a mobi file is preferred for Kindle.
There are layout considerations for converting print books to their electronic cousins. “Front matter” found in print books — the dedication, acknowledgements, and copyright page — are often placed at the rear of an e-book. We typically start an e-book with a cover photo, then an author-title page followed by a table of contents with each heading hyperlinked to its respective chapter. We include lead-off chapter illustrations or photos. However, illustrations or photos other than lead-off are typically deleted when designing an e-book, unless the illustration, art or photo directly helps the reader understand what is being read. With e-books, much consideration is given to minimizing file size while maximizing the reading experience. Bottom line: text is king since your book might be read on devices as small as smartphones with screens that measure only a few inches wide.
E-books should have an International Standard Book Number unless you plan to sell your book only from your website. Although the Kindle does not require an ISBN, we recommend one because the ISBN is sort of like a Social Security Number for your book; your ISBN is unique for your book and identifies yours among millions. Bowker, issuer of ISBNs, requires e-books to have different ISBNs than their print counterparts, even if the content is identical. Rule: Different format, different ISBN.
After you have successfully created and tested your e-book files with software provided by giant online retailers, the next step is to create an electronic billboard via Author Central on Amazon, for example, so the world can read about you and your book. Prospective buyers can preview a chapter before deciding to click the “BUY” button.
Next time I’ll cover creating an online presence with these online bookseller giants — Kindle Direct Publishing, Barnes & Noble PubIt and Apple’s iBookstore.
—Kevin Rhoades, www.KevinRhoades.com, specializes in book layout, newsletter design and websites for outdoor communicators. His first book, “Stalker of the Wild – Days in the Life of Wildlife Filmmaker Bob Landis,” won a first place award in the biography category of Dan Poynter’s 2011 Global eBook Award.
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Make money on the e-book gravy train

OWAA staff — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 21:02:51 +0000

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BY KEVIN RHOADES
If you’re an author with published books lying around on the bookshelf collecting dust, consider re-publishing your hardbacks and paperbacks as e-books.
Why?
Well, “Why not,” I might counter, with this addendum: “Why not grab gravy sales from previously published works while garnering the reward of having geeks out there in cyberspace download and read your books? And you receive dollars to boot!”
According to e-book sales figures published by the Association of American Publishers, sales in 2009 increased 4 percent over the previous year and in 2010 sales increased 169 percent over 2009. With the explosion of electronic gadgetry to read e-books, those keeping an eagle eye on the book-publishing industry predict the number of customers purchasing and reading e-books will continue to climb. Now is the time to take advantage of this trend.
If you wish to convert a print book to an e-book, first investigate whether you have the right to re-publish your manuscript as an electronic book. If you self-published your print book, then likely no worries. However, if your book was brought to the marketplace through a publisher then you must obtain permission.
Compared to traditional publishing, once rights are secured to recast your print book as an e-book, it’s typically a speedy process to bring your e-book to the marketplace. While it can take months, even years, for mainstream publishers to bring print books to the masses, converting a print book to an e-book should take only a few weeks.
The cost? Typically a small fraction of what it takes to produce a print book. A decade ago, a self-publisher would outlay $8,000-$12,000 to produce, print and publish a print book. With the arrival of print-on-demand books, the cost to produce a print book decreased by much as 75 percent, while the price to produce a lightly illustrated e-book from a previously created print book is typically $200-$300.
What about royalties? Assuming the writing, editing and image-gathering phases of your book are complete, the content must be reflowed according to the specifications of the large, online retailers, mostly Barnes & Noble, Apple’s iBookstore and the Goliath book-retailer Amazon.com. If your print book is converted to an e-book for sale on Amazon, for example, as long the book is priced between $2.99 and $9.99, the author receives a 70-percent royalty. How many book authors receive 70-percent royalties from mainstream publishers?
Besides the swiftness and affordability of bringing your e-book to the marketplace, not to mention royalties, e-books have other advantages, too, including zero inventory to pile up in your garage. And no fulfillment duties, either — no packaging, labeling or waiting in line at the post office to mail boxes of books. Another e-book benefit: There is no waste; and no publisher will call to beg you to either buy “remaindered” copies of your print books for a dollar or two each— or she’ll turn your print books into toilet paper!
After deciding to convert your print books to their electronic cousins, educate yourself to the various e-book file formats so your works can be read by the assortment of book-reading devices including the Kindle, Nook and personal digital readers.
In subsequent pieces I’ll cover the various e-book formats and how to build a presence on Amazon so you can achieve success selling books in this burgeoning electronic marketplace.
—Kevin Rhoades, www.KevinRhoades.com, specializes in book layout, newsletter design and websites for outdoor communicators. His first book e-book, Stalker of the Wild – Days in the Life of Wildlife Filmmaker Bob Landis, won a first place award in the biography category of Dan Poynter’s 2011 Global eBook Awards
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