Rachel Starr Thomson

NW: I know that marketing is an important part of publishing a book, and it’s especially important if you decide to self publish because then you are almost solely responsible for marketing and publicizing, not to mention editing, formatting, and deciding on cover art before the book even goes to print. While this amount of responsibility may seem daunting to some writers, there is certainly an alluring sense of freedom and control that can also come with such responsibilities. Is there any advice you can give writers contemplating self publishing that would help them in these areas of the publishing process?

RST: Yes: Do Your Research. And if you can’t do something well, hire someone to do it. Your book is your business card. It’s your public face. Make it something you wouldn’t be ashamed to have a major publisher look at.

NW: Is there anything you did while publishing your books that you regret?

RST: Well, when I first got started, I didn’t do my homework! So I wasted a bunch of time (and a little bit of money) because I didn’t know what I was doing. Education is always worth the time it takes.

Blogger Nichole White has interviewed me at her blog, The Pen and Parchment, discussing publishing (self- and traditional), writing, my inspirations, and more. You can read the whole thing here: http://theravenquill.blogspot.com/2011/02/interview-with-rachel-starr-thompson-d.html.

Thanks, Nichole!

Debbie Fortnum, a wonderful indie singer/songwriter who has worked with our fledgling ballet company, Soli Deo Gloria, has just released her CD The Beautiful Piano to WalMarts across Canada! This is beautiful music with a heart of worship. I encourage you to check it out! The next few weeks will determine whether WalMart sees this as a viable CD or not. You can hear clips from The Beautiful Piano here.