We have moved…

This blog has now moved to a new location…http://www.speakingyourtruthbook.com. You will find all the latest information there about the project and the contributors. Please visit us there!

Speaking Your Truth Volume II in Full Swing – Be a Part of this Amazing Project!

It’s an exciting time, as Lisa and I are feverishly working on the next volume of Speaking Your Truth, a women’s anthology that topped the charts on Amazon last fall during its debut. We have already received many wonderful submissions from women all over the world –from the United States, Mexico, and even Australia.

The stories continue to roll in and we are plugging along, reading them, accepting many, and working with other authors to get their story submission ready!

Currently, we have SEVEN spots left! So if you have considered writing, or have postponed getting your story done – now is the time. We have decided to extend a grace period for those of you who would really like to be involved in this anthology. That means you have until MIDNIGHT on February 28^th to get us your story.

We’ve received a lot of inspiring stories around career paths, finding a new direction, and loss. We would welcome additional submissions around love and relationships, children and parenting, spirituality/faith, or other topics. We love lighter pieces too – don’t think your story needs to be dramatic or traumatic to be accepted and published.

One contributor said “I just found your request for stories last night on Facebook and decided to write mine out and send it in. …Just the act of putting it down on paper made the effort worth everything to me.  Even if you decide not to use it, I thank you for the opportunity to get it all out of me so I am able to live life without it weighing me down.  This morning when I woke up, I was as a much happier, more contented person than I have been for years.”

Sharing your message and telling your story can play a vital role in the healing process. Don’t delay on this opportunity. If you want to get published and get your story on paper – then get your submission to us right away. You can find the guidelines for submission here – http://www.lisajshultz.com/guidelines.pdf.

There is a small investment for being a contributing author, you can learn more about what your investment is used towards and how you can earn it back here on our blog.

Lastly, being a published author comes with a sense of accomplishment and a level of credibility. If you are ready to step into something bigger and be a part of a collaborative and inspiring project – write your chapter and send it in today.

Share Your Story, Be in Volume Two of Speaking Your Truth!

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside of you.” Maya Angelou

Sharing my story (Lisa Shultz) was a positive and pivotal event in my life. Last year I told my story in Speaking Your Truth: Courageous Stories from Inspiring Women.  I had women contact me letting me know that my story was similar to theirs and helped them along their journey. I even had a man from New Jersey contact me that he read my story and was inspired with hope, and he was the “narcissist” (like my ex husband) in the story. I never expected that one!

Most recently, I shared my story again in Lisa Nichol’s book Living Proof. In both cases, it was a healing journey for me to share that part of my life, and I have touched others by allowing that aspect of my life not be a secret.

Now my business partner and I, Andrea Costantine are putting together Volume Two of Speaking Your Truth. We would love to have your story help others as it gives you freedom and healing. Your story does not have to be dramatic or sad. It could be a happy love story or a career or spiritual journey.

Your story does not have to be perfect when submitted. We will work with you on editing and polishing! It can be a big step for some to muster the courage to put yourself out there. We are here to support you and guide you!

So, remember there is a submission deadline of February 15, 2011 to send us your draft. Submission guidelines are on the website. We do have a low cost investment to be in the book, and that is explained in our Speaking Your Truth blog posted on December 21, 2010.

To put that investment in perspective, I paid $5000 to be in Living Proof. Gulp! And there were additional fees on top of that! Andrea and I are committed to keeping the investment into Speaking Your Truth reasonable and with no hidden extra fees coming later!

The community of contributors for Speaking Your Truth is special and growing. Will you be a part of it? I hope so!

Why is there an investment for Speaking Your Truth submissions?

Lisa and I are very excited to be collecting stories for the next volume of Speaking Your Truth, an anthology project written by women for women.

Volume I was a great success – we reached best-seller status on Amazon in August 2010, have sold over 1000 copies in less than six months, and are still spreading the word about this incredible project.

Early on we knew that we would want to complete a 2^nd volume and other spin-offs of the first book, from a teen’s version, to other more specialized markets.  When we first paired up we decided not to charge for submissions into the project and that we would bear the expenses of the book. This was a strategic move, as we wanted to receive stories, build up credibility, and get the book out into the world.  However, we made the decision that future contributing authors would be required to make an investment to get their story published. Because of that decision we have heard of some rebuttals, questions, and concerns. This post is to explain what the expenses cover, what’s in it for you, and why we are requiring a submission fee for publication.

Why are we charging?  Is it typical to pay to be in an anthology?

Over the last few years it has been a common practice among compiling authors to require an investment for contributing authors to be listed in their anthology. Personally, we have seen fees as high as $3500 to be included in an anthology. Both Lisa and myself think this fee is a little on the high side. While this investment usually comes with a box of books to be sold, it’s hard to recoup that investment in a reasonable amount of time.

It’s become common practice for a variety of reasons. The first is that it helps to offset the costs and ensure a professionally produced book and end product. Publishing or self-publishing a book can range anywhere from $2000-$5000 for print and production including editing, layout design, cover design, printing costs, and other miscellaneous fees.   When you invest in a book project, you help to ensure that the end product is something that you can be proud of.

Next, it’s to find committed individuals who see the value in being published in such a book and who are committed to seeing it through to publication. We estimate that about half of the authors in volume one did not participate in marketing the book, sharing it with their network, and spreading the word about its release. We find that people who make a financial investment, even a small one such as what we are requesting for volume II will be more committed to its success.

You may have heard that you shouldn’t pay money to be published. This is correct. You shouldn’t pay money to a publishing house to publish your book; however, Self-Publishing Experts, LLC created by Lisa Shultz & Andrea Costantine is NOT a publishing house. We are authors, coaches, mentors, and service providers. We do not accept manuscripts for publication, nor do we publish books or other material.

A publisher is someone who buys the rights to your material, then completes your manuscript, and helps with distribution and marketing. Publishing houses are companies like Hay House, McGraw-Hill, and Random House.

What does your investment cover?

Your investment is directly being attributed to the fees and costs associated with publishing a book. These fees include, but are not limited to professionally editing your story, professional cover design and layout, printing costs, and marketing materials.

The total investment as of December 2010 is $375. You can look at the fee in this way. $49 of it is used towards the writing workshop in January. You receive 10 copies of the finished book to sell on your own. This equates to $20 per book. If you sell all 10 books included you will make $200 from book sales alone.

-          $375 – Initial Investment

+     $ 200 – Book sales profit

-           $49 – Writing Workshop

Total Investment =  $126

The $375 can be paid in full or in 4 payments of $100.

Furthermore, you can buy additional wholesale copies of the book to be sold at your events, on your website, and other places for 50% of the retail value – resulting in more potential for income and profit from your investment.

What will I get out of being involved in Speaking Your Truth?

There are many benefits to being involved in an anthology, but truly it will depend on what you make out of the opportunity.

Here are just a few things that can happen:

• Profit from book sales
• Credibility for being published in a book
• Additional client, income from new leads and prospects
• Increased exposure for your business
• Community of supportive women and collaborative opportunities
• The chance to inspire and empower other women
• The inspiration to write your own full-length book
• Opportunity for your own growth and healing through sharing

We hope that this has provided a better understanding for the investment for submissions in Speaking Your Truth. Lisa and I spend countless hours reading and revising the stories, putting them in order, creating the marketing materials, finalizing the layout, and working with the cover designer. We feel that this is a minimal investment for the rewards that come with being involved in a powerful movement of inspiration and empowerment.

If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@selfpublishingexperts.com

Want to speak your truth?

If you are ready to get published and get your story on paper, be sure to join us for our January writing workshop.

And great news, if you don’t live in Denver, we will be recording the workshop so you can still register and get a copy of the recording.

The writing workshop is specifically geared towards those individuals who want to write a story for the next volume of Speaking Your Truth.

Locally, the workshop will be held on Friday, January 7th from 9am to 12:30.
You can register online at www.andreacostantine.com/writingworkshop

If you just want to submit your chapter for volume II, be sure to check out our submission guidelines on our website at www.speakingyourtruthbook.com

The writing workshop is only $49 and will be applied to the submission fee for Speaking Your Truth.

We look forward to reading your story soon!

Speaking Your Truth Launches on Kindle!

Grab your copy of the Kindle version of Speaking Your Truth today!

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00440DQ76

Upcoming Speaking Your Truth Events

The Speaking Your Truth book has been out for just over a month now and we’ve been on many radio shows and various events getting the word out about it! But here are a few more things coming up where you can join us.

The first event is Tuesday October 5 at 5:00pm.
It is the Behind the Moon Anniversary party. Sabrina is one of our contributors.
Here is the link!

The second event is CCC on Wednesday October 6 at 6:45pm.
CCC is at Journeys for Conscious Living, 5855 Wadsworth, next to the Gunther Toodies Restaurant, Building A, Suite 100.
Here is the link!

Also happening next week is the launch of Speaking Your Truth on Kindle, we will post more about this later, but for now save the date for Tuesday, Oct 5th for your kindle purchase!

What’s Next for Speaking Your Truth

Share Your Thoughts on Speaking Your Truth

Now that the book has reached the hands of many individuals across the country the comments are starting to pour in! We are already beginning to feel the ripple effect of the book. Very exciting!

Please use this blog posting to share your experiences with us – whether as a contributor on the response you are getting from the readers or as a reader to share what you felt reading a story or the stories in the book.

Let us know what stories you love, what stories spoke to you, and what you are doing to speak your truth.

Also, we would greatly appreciate it if you took a moment to the review the book on Amazon – you can do so here at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0615377386

Today is the Day of Our Launch!!

Grab a copy of the Speaking Your Truth book today on Amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0615377386