The Magic of Christmas (and Marketing)

Have you heard of The Elf on the Shelf? Of course you have! The holiday book set, written in rhyme, has won numerous national book and toy awards. An animated TV feature, THE ELF ON THE SHELF: AN ELF’S STORY, aired in 2011 and the Elf has bobbed along at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade since 2012

By the time the Elf became famous, circa 2005, my kids were too old to be beguiled by a clever Christmas elf. We would have had fun with it though. Do you have some Elf on the Shelf memories? For those of you in the Elf ages- you can now buy all kinds of costumes and accessories for your elf on Amazon. Many reviewers on Amazon have exclaimed that it is so much fun for the family to hide the elf and see his or her new shenanigans.

Did you know that The Elf on the Shelf was a self-published start-up?

Carol Aebersold and her daughter Chanda Bell were drinking tea when they had their “Aha!” moment and envisioned a book that shared the magic of Christmas with families. (I wonder if an Elf spied on them as they created?) Another daughter, Christa Pitts, was recruited to share her expertise in sales and marketing.

The feisty southern women self-published five thousand $30 box sets after countless publishers rejected their manuscript. They began selling in their hometown area at local fairs and festivals. The book sets were all sold and the rest is not only history, but an inspiration for all of us writers, creators, and Pinterest fans. (To get you started, here are some Pins.)

A few year ago, I wrote a series describing my self-publishing journey. I gave it the bestsellers title ever- Put YoursELF on the SHELF. In four installments, I shared my problems and praises and encouraged YOU to resolve to write a book. Here is a summary of each post! Enjoy the beauty of the holiday season and get ready to write!

Put YoursELF on the SHELF- I’m Here for the Win

You don’t have to use my team, but you do need a team. You need to create the best product you can. You want a book that is well written, free of grammatical errors and typos; you want a professional-looking cover and copy. You want a real book. And you want a team to help your market and promote your masterpiece.

Many writers have echoed this thought, “to be a writer, you must write.” (Ann B. Ross) and “just get it written” (James Thurber)  In 2017, plan, plunge, write and then pick and stick with your team.

Put YoursELF on the SHELF Write Edit Write Edit

Funny story about said. While I was writing my first book, I found a post on Facebook that listed 200 words to use instead of said. I used every one of them in my book. I had characters stuttering, choking, shrieking, gasping, explaining and mumbling

“Hi,” he quipped.

“Hi,” she barked.

“How are you?” he thundered.

“Fine,” she ranted.

I didn’t realize that was a big no-no. My editor made me replace each dialogue concoction with said. I was allowed to use one ask.

 When I finish each book, I am now on my third fourth in a planned series, I review the entire book several times. Then it’s off to the editors to fix all my comma problems, typos, and plodding language. One editor at iUniverse caught me describing a tire as a sphere. Wrong! Do you know what shape a tire is- a torus. I deleted the incorrect sphere and used donut to describe the object, and I was thankful I had been saved from a big mistake. 

See, editing can be just as much fun as crafting a lyrical description of a sunset.

Put YoursELF on the SHELF Am I Real? 

If I am not a real writer, as a self-published author, I am in good company. Lisa Genova self-published her debut novel, Still Alice with iUniverse. She sold books from the trunk of her car. The rest of her story- Simon & Schuster bought Still Alice and you may have seen the critically- acclaimed film.

And here’s another real author, Andy Weir. He had given up hope of becoming a published writer- not a single agent or publisher was interested in his book. He posted his writings online- chapter by chapter. The Martian is now a successful book and movie.

You can be a real writer, too! Press on!

Put YoursELF on the SHELF: Resolved!

It’s that time of year when you will be nagged to make your New Year’s dreams come true; you will be prodded to lose weight, get in shape, quit smoking, be more grateful, or adopt a kale plant. But what will make you happy and fulfilled this year is to finally write YOUR book!

Thanks to all my faithful friends who have shared my writing journey and encouraged me. I’m always happy to chat with other writers.