Category Archives: Genres - Page 3
Irene Watson and Victor R. Volkman spoke with local historian, professional editor, and entrepreneur Tyler R. Tichelaar about the ins and outs of producing books on local history, from research to marketing and distribution. Tyler R. Tichelaar,a 7th generation Marquette resident, has written five novels with more to come, all set in Upper Michigan including The Marquette Trilogy, the award winning Narrow Lives, and the recently published history of Marquette, My Marquette: Explore the Queen City of the North, Its History, People, and Places. We covered a wide range of issues, including:
- What made you decide to write a local history book?
- What makes your book stand out from other local history books?
- How did you arrange the book and decide what to leave out and what to include?
- What was the most difficult part of the research and writing process?
- Beyond the writing, what other decisions had to be made, such as in acquiring photographs or the layout of the book?
- What have you done to market the book?
- What kind of response have you received so far
|
 Tyler R. Tichelaar |
| Tyler has a Ph.D. in Literature from Western Michigan University, and Bachelor and Master’s Degrees from Northern Michigan University. He has lectured on writing and literature at Clemson University, the University of Wisconsin, and the University of London.
Tyler is the regular guest host of Authors Access Internet Radio and the President of the Upper Peninsula Publishers and Authors Association. He is the owner of Marquette Fiction and Superior Book Promotions, a professional book review, editing, and proofreading service. Besides writing about Upper Michigan, he is interested in the Arthurian legend and recently published King Arthur’s Children, a study of treatments of King Arthur’s children in literature from medieval times to twenty-first century novels. Tyler lives in Marquette, Michigan where the roar of Lake Superior, mountains of snow, and sandstone architecture inspire his writing. |
 My Marquette |
On October 20 Irene Watson and Brad Grochowski spoke with Julie Ann Stricklin about what every author must know before buying and/or commissioning artwork. Julie is an author, independent Illustrator, graphic designer, and fine artist working in the field since 1985. She constantly alternates her passion for design work, illustration and fine art. These passions have created a body of work that includes the illustration of six children’s books. We spoke with her about several key concepts of collaborating with an illustrator:
- What do I need to know about a potential artist?
- What is Work for hire?
- What are traditional media versus computer-generated media?
- What do I need to know about deadlines?
- How do I negotiate payment and delivery?
- What should I not ask the artist to do?
- What do I need to know about royalty free images and clip art vs. a commissioned work?
|
 Julie Ann Stricklin |
| Each book Julie Ann Stricklin has worked on has it’s own individual illustrative style. Her books include: The Mysterious Missing Pixie Pond and Down Turtle Trail. Julie’s graphic pieces have been chosen as well as published in hard cover art books, that showcase American designers use of new and unique exploration in visual inventiveness. Julie’s client list for fine art is as eclectic as her styles, ranging from corporate banks, business accounts, publishers, pro athletes, and actors and well as local and international commissions. |
 The Mysterious Missing Pixie Pond |
On September 16th, 2010 Tyler R. Tichelaar and Victor R. Volkman spoke with author, social worker, and busy mom Valerie Bradley-Holliday, PhD. Valerie’s doctorate degree is from The Union Institute and University, a distance-learning program based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her specialization is Social Psychology. She has a Master of Social Work Degree from Wayne State University. Valerie shared with us critical items to success as a writer and working mom:
- Time management: keeping it all together
- Respect for yourself and your craft as an artist
- Professionalism and its importance in producing quality products
- Dealing with frustrations and setbacks
- Accepting success and being prepared to act on it
- Self-publishing perils and benefits of using it.
|
 Valerie Bradley-Holliday |
| Valerie has a husband, three sons and three adopted dogs. She has two published books (Places to Be Blessed and Northern Roots) and third book (Elmwood) is in progress. Her first love is writing. She writes like some people eat popcorn. Her varying interests include: art, singing, gardening, and reading. After being raised by her grandmother, Valerie put herself through undergraduate school by working as a kitchen helper and a certified nurse’s aide. She has taught several classes in her field at the graduate level, later served as an adjunct professor at Northern Michigan University and currently serves as an adjunct for online universities. As an active member of the National Association of Social Workers, she received credentialing for the Academy of Clinical Social Workers. Her professional experience includes working with domestic violence victims and facilitating related support groups. Valerie has also worked as a career counselor at Soumi College (now known as Finlandia University) in Hancock, Michigan. She counseled abused and neglected children and their families in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Valerie is currently working on a book about Elmwood, an African American Community that was located near Crystal Falls in the Paint River area. |
 Places To Be Blessed |
On August 4th, Irene Watson and Tyler R. Tichelaar spoke with university press publisher Mark Long. He has a BA from the University of Texas at Austin and an MA from the University of North Texas, both in English. In 2004, after teaching for ten years, he oversaw the formation of TSTC Publishing, the publishing arm of the Texas State Technical College System. Mark Long shared his wisdom about:
- Manuscript/project acquisition (what we look for in proposals): market analysis, author credentials, ease of marketing/sales efforts
- The textbook sales cycle: summer (research), fall (pre-sell), spring (adoption season)
- Printing considerations: offset vs. POD
- Marketing/Sales: how we publicize and sell books: facebook, blogs, email newsletters, trade shows, direct mail pieces, inside sales/cold calling
- How authors make money: royalties vs. work-for-hire agreements (plus, as well, what publishers pay for vs. authors
- Future of college (textbook) publishing: ebooks, enhanced ebooks, and apps
|
 Mark Long / TSTC Publishing |
| With a list comprised of academic and technical textbooks, technical career guides, and technology forecasts, TSTC Publishing’s mission is to provide low-cost yet high-quality materials to institutions of higher education and private industry.
TSTC Publishing offers faculty throughout the USA the opportunity to initiate and participate in a variety of textbook development projects. Of course, in the 21st century a textbook is no longer ‘just’ a textbook, so TSTC Publishing projects now include such ancillary products as instructor guides, student workbooks, CD-ROMs, DVDs, e-books, and companion Web sites. In addition to offering editorial help and guidance to faculty, assistance is also available in the areas of materials production, distribution, and sales. |
 TSTC Publishing is based in Waco, TX |
