"A Walk in the Park...Journeys through our Nation's Greatest Treasures" A book profile

 As I am taking several different pathways for marketing my recent book, I wanted to provide an overview of it that is easily accessible to be viewed by prospective vendors. I want to provide more information about the book, than what is currently available on the Amazon/KDP site.  The book was self-published by Kindle Direct Publishing and can be found on Amazon by typing in the complete title:

"A Walk in the Park...Journeys through our Nation's Greatest Treasures."   Julie E. Smith

The book was conceived, in 2016, during the Centennial celebration of the National Park Service. My love of travel and the beauty of our National Parks encouraged me during this time period to pursue visiting many parks on my bucket list. I visited as many as time and finances would allow. I have been to many of the major parks but also a few of the lesser known parks.  I did not know, at the start of my explorations, that there is a beautiful National Park in Ohio: Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Check out Chapter 13! 

Along the way I have learned so much about the intriguing history of the National Park Service and what makes our system in America so unique. The contributions of men such as Theodore Roosevelt and John Muir were instrumental in preserving the legacy of our Parks. 

This book is not meant to be a guidebook of each and every site, but rather an overview with many helpful travel hints on how best to appreciate our National Parks and Sites. I hope it provides an inspiration and invitation to explore.    Julie E. Smith

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Sympathy for the Devil

 Sympathy for the Devil....totally one of my favorite Stones songs, but also very apropos when I think about current attitudes about Amazon.  In many circles, in addition to the literary world,  Amazon has been perceived as the devil: slowly eroding away at the fabric of many of our institutions. There are so many love/ hate relationships with this company and there is a whole bevy of topics about this company including employee treatment, putting small companies out of business...and the list goes on and on.  However, I want to focus my discussion on the role they have played in the publishing industry. 

I was prompted to write this blog after an eye-opening conversation with an independent bookseller whom I was hoping to sell my book in her store. I am much too polite to name the bookstore and publicly take out my frustration: I feel no ill will towards independent booksellers- I wish them success.  Yet, after my conversation with her & research on attitudes of other (actually almost ALL independent booksellers) about Amazon/Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) I experienced a whole bevy of emotions starting with an overwhelming feeling of failure. Then my sadness turned to confusion and finally I ended up MAD. Why should I be penalized as an author just because I chose the publishing company that worked best for my needs?  Does that diminish in any way the content or quality of my book? I absolutely hate being sucked into the political world of publishing...but lo and behold here I am.

 The woman I spoke with was very open to my book and gave me a sheet of instructions on how to submit my book for being sold in her store. I perused the sheet and when I saw the note about "We do not accept books published by any of the Amazon imprints, including Create Space."  Well, right then my heart sank and instead of just turning and walking out in a huff....I spoke with her and really tried to understand. I did tell her that I respect their position, but as an author I feel I am being penalized just because of my choice of publisher. 

After leaving the store, with my dignity still in tact...I was proud of myself that I did not burst in to tears or start hurling heavy books through their plate glass window. I do honestly empathize for the small independent booksellers and they understandably have a right to feel that Amazon is the big, bad Capitalist Pig preying on those that are just trying to earn a living. I can see both sides of it, but we live in a capitalist country where competition is stiff. Seems to me that many small booksellers have modified their business model to appeal to a local marketplace, and some have been wonderfully successful. I know I am not in the shoes of a book store owner: I am sure they have many war stories to tell.  I am just speaking on behalf of the unsung heroes of the literary world: The Authors.

If you are old enough to be part of American consumerism in the 1990's you will remember when Amazon got started in on-line marketing. Before they starting hocking clothing, household supplies, pet supplies and everything else under the sun, their primary focus was on....You guessed it: books. Amazon was founded in 1994 and I guess their success  just snowballed from there.  In 2000, they founded the publishing company: Create Space. My first 2 books were with Create Space which later changed to KDP. Sometimes it just feels better to go with what you know, so I did not switch publishers. At the time I had no reason to. (Maybe I still don't)

It's interesting to note that as of the writing of this blog, there are currently 2,827 American publishing houses.  The number of self-publishing companies is approximately a mere 30, a small number when compared to the traditional route of publishing but nevertheless when you are trying to boil it down to one company to use for publishing your book...the task can seem monumental.  Yet, my shock at not being able to market my book in small bookstores makes me ponder if I should switch publishers with my next book? Sometimes I wonder if I would feel "forced" to switch; this was the third book I published via Amazon/Kindle Direct Publishing (Formerly KDP was called Create Space) and I was very pleased with how all of the books looked upon completion.  Additionally, I truly appreciate the concept of POD (Print on Demand) so as a novice author I don't have to stock pile huge amounts of books which would also entail a sizable cash outlay. I haven't sold massive amounts of books, but that is not why I write. I write because I love the art of writing. So...if you are interested in my latest book about the National Park Service...you won't find it in a local bookstore, only Amazon:

 

 

And here's the link: Amazon.com : a walk in the park...journeys through our greatest treasures                                                                    

As always my readers...thank you for listening and I always welcome feedback. Julie E. Smith

Are you a Joiner?

 I recently attended the meeting of a local quilt guild and it was such a delight to be in the company of these women that all share the same passion of quilt making and related projects. When I am in the company of very talented quilters I usually am intimidated by their amazing talents, but then I realize we all have to start somewhere.  I remember the wisdom of the advice by Warren Buffett:

"It’s better to hang out with people better than you. Pick out associates whose behavior is better than yours and you’ll drift in that direction.”   I doubt Mr. Buffett was discussing quilt circles at the time, however...the same principle applies.  We can always learn and improve ourselves when we surround ourselves with those we can learn from. I will probably join this group with not only the hope of improving my quilting skills, but to also forge new friendships with people in my community. It's a win- win situation.

Yup...I'm a joiner...as are many of my fellow human beings are.  The significance of this has really become evident as we still are seeking ways to connect with each other in the era of COVID. It is so refreshing to meet face to face beyond the realm of "Zoom land". 

So I was thinking today about all the different groups I belong to and how our group affiliation changes throughout our lifetime.  Currently I belong to a church, a women's Bible Study at another church, a craft group, two writer's groups, two National Parks organizations and soon to be a member of a quilting guild.  Then I could also mention several on-line groups with my targeted interests and geographic location. The Facebook group for my town has proved to be a very valuable tool for finding everything from which restaurant to choose to the best mechanic. So my predisposition of joining groups fits in with my extroverted personality.  So there are those that would prefer to keep to themselves.  This reminds me of this clever meme that really brought a chuckle to me while coping through the COVID isolation:

So what groups do you belong to and how have they impacted and changed your life?  It's kind of fun to think about and it's also a specific way to define your interests and count your blessings. Sometimes when we stop to think about the characteristics of our personality and interests it helps to provide goals and a framework on how we can improve our participation with those groups. 

Our group affiliations definitely change over our lifetime. Probably the first group I joined (that I can remember)was the Girl Scouts. I hold so many fond memories of camping, great songs and believe it or not...I do remember the work and skills I learned working on various merit badges. 

Fast forward to college days: my freshman year I joined a social sorority. I have to confess I originally pursued joining a sorority not so much for the camaraderie and the social aspects, but I wanted a nicer place to live than the dorms.  I had heard many stories about dorm living and I wanted a better (and er...cleaner..) place to live while I pursued my degree.  Although, in hind sight it was a great decision and many of the friendships I forged at my sorority: Alpha Chi Omega have endured. I will be an Alpha Chi for life and I was pleasantly surprised that it became so much more than just a place to live. To this day, I am still in touch with several of my sorority sisters.

Also, during my college days I joined the Society of Professional Journalists, Sigma Delta Chi. At the time it was awesome and wonderful training for a career in journalism. I also went to their convention in Washington, D.C. and was truly inspired to plunge into work as a journalist. Well, the path of life takes many turns and I ended up not pursuing a "traditional" role as a journalist. So this is one group membership that I let lapse, however I don't regret my experiences with them.

So life milestones and stages of our life can be marked by the groups to which we belong.  One of the biggest shocks for me, feeling like a splash of cold water in my face, was the letter I received stating I was eligible to join AARP.  For all you youngsters out there that don't have to even think about this...it stands for the American Association of Retired Persons.  Now I needed to rationalize this with the simple thought the requirement for membership in AARP is only 50.  Most people don't actual retire until age 65. Still....it made me feel OLD.  Nevertheless, I am not knocking AARP. They do great things to help "older" people and I really enjoy the monthly magazine.

I have learned so much from the variety of groups that I have had the pleasure of calling myself a member. My hope is that I can give back and enhance the group in some small way. And how can I forget support groups, they are an important facet to help us with some of the difficulties that life might throw our way. I wanted to end this blog with this great cartoon about support groups. Brought a smile to my day: