Another Day, Another Donut

I'm heading to the Pasqua Hospital in Regina, Saskatchewan this morning. Not because I'm sick, but because I'm meeting the inspiring eight-time cancer survivor Dionne Warner, the subject of my book Never Leave Your Wingman.

About once a month, Dionne and I sign books in the foyer of the hospital, just in front of the Gift Shop (which sells the book for us) and across the aisle from the Robin's Donut coffee shop. We meet all variety of wonderful people - including cancer survivors, their spouses and friends and family members, Allan Blair Cancer Centre staff, hospital staff, folks going to the hospital for health reasons or to visit... plus random strangers who quickly become friends.

It's always a fun time. It can't help but be fun when you're hanging out with Dionne Warner. She just makes EVERYTHING fun!

On one occasion, we were laughing so loud and so long as we signed books and visited with folks that two staff members from the Robin's Donuts shop came over to see what was going on.

So come by to say 'Hi' today. We're there from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

We won't buy you a donut, but we will give yo a hug. Hugs Are Free - and they don't go to your hips!

Here's Dionne and me - in February at a Pasqua Hospital gift shop signing

Unforgettable stories of unforgettable people

A journalist's job is to interview various people, tell the stories of those subjects and then forget about them - or at least set the thoughts of those subjects aside for a while - and move on to the next story.

But there are some people who are very difficult to forget.

These are the people who belong in books.

They are the Dionne Warners, Bob Elliotts, Walter D. Williams's and Colette Bourgonjes of the world.

They are the people who inspire, give others hope, continuously lend a hand and who deserve our attention and admiration.

We are proud to share the stories of some of these unique individuals - especially those named above. All of them are unsung Canadian heroes in their own right.

We invite you to purchase our books about these amazing people and, at your own pace, do as they did in the old days and:

"Read All About It!"

Day of Pink - Anti-Bullying

Today is the Day of Pink - raising awareness about anti-bullying. I wore pink today while I worked on new and existing books projects and such...

But our youngest daughter Dani said it best. She is a school teacher, a humanitarian and a talented singer as well (especially when she is not fighting a spring cold).

We invite you to visit her blog post and see why we are so proud of her on this Day of Pink: http://theotherdani.blogspot.ca/2013/04/day-of-pink-anti-bullying-day.html

Spring Brings New Book Ideas

For the purposes of this blog post, I am going to try to ignore the obvious contradictions between the weather outside...

(too much snow - and don't get me started on the worries about flooding!)

...and the calendar...

(where did March go already?)

...and concentrate instead on the concept that It's Spring!

For us, Spring means a new start outside as well as inside - with a major focus on new books for the coming year.

In the past couple of weeks, we have met three or four new aspiring authors who have asked many questions about self-publishing their books through DriverWorks Ink. A couple of these would-be authors have already given us samples of their manuscripts and asked for our advice and possible assistance in turning their work into quality books that we think you will be interested in reading. And if I say so myself, the bits I've read so far look very promising!

We're taking a couple of those manuscripts with us this weekend as we travel to North Battleford, SK for our next trade show. So if there is a lull at the Agri-Mex show (this Thursday & Friday, April 4 & 5, Noon - 9 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m), or just enough traffic to keep Al busy and me otherwise occupied, you might see me engrossed in the words on my laptop.

Feel free to bring us your book ideas, too. The more, the merrier - for all of our readers!

We hope to see you in the Battlefords this weekend. Take care!

Six People Sit Down in Brandon...

Six people sit down for supper. Four are from Saskatchewan, one is from Manitoba and one lives in Ontario. They had not met each other before that night but were soon laughing and teasing as if they'd known each other for years.

Two are book publishers - that would be us. Two show off their race car that has a jet engine propelled by canola-based biodiesel fuel. The Manitoba man sells massage chairs. The Ontario women sells padded mattresses for horses.

What a unique combination of individuals - all of whom met at the 'Welcome Supper' provided for exhibitors and vendors at the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair in Brandon.

Not only can you meet great people at this six-day ag show and trade fair, but you can see so many fascinating things. Here are some of the sights I saw by the end of Day One:

We've arrived at our destination - Keystone Centre in Brandon, Manitoba. Signs announce the six-day fair.

This building caught our attention early.

It's Display Building No. 11 and part of a major restoration program.

We're all ready to go - in a roomy corner booth #3 in the UCT Pavillion. We have 15 Saskatchewan and Prairie books for sale (11 are true stories, 2 are Prairie humour and 2 are children's stories). We've also fielded questions already from a couple authors who are thinking of self-publishing their books. Come see us if you're planning on attending the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair this week. We'll be at our booth from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day this week. The show ends on Saturday, March 30.

Allow us to introduce you to our supper companions and newfound friends. Above is Kevin and Gwen Therres of Prairieland Motorsports of Humboldt, Saskatchewan - just a bit northwest of our home in Regina. Kevin is a mechanic. He and Gwen travel a lot to display their race car with a jet engine that sits RIGHT BESIDE THE DRIVER! Kevin tells us he has to wear five layers of clothing to ward off the heat from the engine that can go from 0 to 250 miles per hour in a quarter of a mile. Impressive.

This is Clayton Cracklen, CEO (Chief Euphoria Officer) of The Electrik Chair Ultimate Massage, from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Clay has quite a sense of humour (as you can tell from his job title) and he is spending his time at the fair inviting unsuspecting - and some even willing - customers to take a load off and check out the relief provided by the Ultimate Massage Chair. And no, you won't get an electric shock if you sit in the chair. It's a clever play on words - kind of like DriverWorks Ink. 

And this young woman (doing her best impression of Vanna White from Wheel of Fortune) is Lisa Huber, the Kitchener, Ontario, resident who spends her days selling an exceptionally comfy mattress for horses. That's right - a mattress for horses! The Promat company has a mattress for cows, too, but that is for another show apparently. If you stop by Lisa's booth, you will be invited to not just step on the mattress, but to stand on it with both feet. That's the best way to feel the effect of the padding, which can lead to a happier and more productive horse, we're told. You learn something new every day.

 

And here are some other sights from Day One:

Manitoba dairy cattle.

 

 The University of Saskatchewan's Veterinary College offered the chance to learn about some animal parts. Visitors to the Fair can also see...

...chickens...

...sheep...

..a seven-year-old Clydesdale horse named Cooper...

...a Percheron attracting TV media attention (see part of the camera & cameraman on the right edge)...

...baby chicks...

...a horse and buggy making its way into a show ring...

 

...animal pelts at the Manitoba Conservation and Water Stewardship booth...

 

...trucks and other pieces of machinery...

...saddles...

...and, of course, cowboy hats.

The Royal Manitoba Winter Fair officially kicked off in the Westman Centre (above and below). 

 

 

So come say, 'Hi!' We'll see you there!

 

 

Pobody's Nerfect #3

Here's the third instalment of Pobody's Nerfect, my ongoing list of common typos and errors that we see in manuscripts and published works. Some of these errors are ones that I have made and continue to make - thus the Pobody's Nerfect title. The human brain is a stubborn creature of habit at times and we are all flawed, so we need to get over it and do our best to keep our errors at a minimum, and our consistency in writing at a maximum.

Pay attention to the errors you routinely make. They are easier to spot and correct that way.

Since the stories I write and the books we publish are primarily for Canadian audiences, we use the Oxford Canadian Dictionary and Canadian Press Caps and Spelling as our resources. In general, we use the first version of a word shown in the dictionary. Thus, we use 'instalment' instead of the 'two-l' version 'installment' that is 'also' acceptable in the Oxford Canadian Dictionary.

So here we go with more common typos and errors:
- storey versus story. A house has two storeys. A book is a story.
- your versus you're. Your is the possessive, describing something that belongs to you. You're is the contraction of 'you are', with the apostrophe taking the place of the letter 'a' in you are. You're the writer of this sentence about your life.
- site versus sight. Site is a location - a place you visit physically or on the Internet. (With today's text messaging, Twitter and other methods aimed at shortening language, it is easy to make this mistake.) A sight has several meanings including the act of seeing or something you saw with your eyes. The site of the plane crash was a sight for my eyes.
- to versus too. Both words have several meanings, which does make their correct usage even more confusing. These are two examples: The preposition 'to' is used to express what is reached, as in, 'We are going from here to the school.' The adverb 'too' is often used to state 'to a greater extent than is desirable' or to state 'in addition, also' - as in, 'There are too many people going with you but I want to go, too.'

This brings up another common error which may be disputed by other editors and writers. I prefer that a comma be inserted before the word 'too'. Some editors think a comma is unnecessary. So why don't you choose your method, be consistent in your use of it, then see what your editor prefers?

And finally, my Pobody's Nerfect Correction of the Day.

One particular job title that seems to be popular in our region of the country - but is inaccurate - is that of 'Volunteer Coordinator'. This job title refers to the individual who coordinates the folks who volunteer for that organization. Since this is a full-time paid position (I have to look 'full-time' up in the dictionary every time I use it) and not a volunteer position, it would be more accurate - and I suggest more appealing to potential staff - to rename that job title as 'Coordinator of Volunteers'. What do you think?

So there you have it for now.

Happy writing and editing!

See Pobody's Nerfect #4 post.

Q & A About Self-Publishing

At a recent workshop on self-publishing, I spoke about the steps involved in publishing a book and our services in helping authors to self-publish their manuscripts. The audience was attentive and anxious to learn more about the process. They asked numerous questions related to their own particular projects and to self-publishing in general. Here's a selection of their questions and my answers:

Q - What does it cost?

A - In general, it costs from $5,000 to $10,000 to self-publish a book. (Updated in 2022: That cost has increased to almost double, ranging from $7,000 to $16,000.) The cost varies depending on details such as the length of the book, the amount of editing and layout required, the number of images included, whether the book is printed in full colour or only black and white, and the number of copies printed.

Q - Do I need an ISBN?

A - Yes. Each individual book needs its own International Standard Book Number. An e-book should have its own ISBN - a different ISBN from the ISBN on the printed version of that book. In Canada, you can obtain an ISBN for free from Library and Archives Canada.

Q - How do I create a bar code?

A - The printing company you choose to print your book can create a bar code for your book at the printing stage, based on your ISBN.

Q - How much should I charge for my book?

A - We advise authors to visit a bookstore and look at local books similar to theirs for ideas on size and pricing.

Q - What about copyright? Do I need a copyright certificate?

A - Anyone who writes a book in Canada is automatically protected by copyright, but copyright certificates can be purchased from the Canadian Intellectual Property Office.

We provide advice and assistance to our authors on these and other topics at all stages of the publishing process. We also do considerable marketing for our authors' books before, during, and after publication. We are passionate about the books we help our authors create and we love telling others about those great books.

Please contact us if you'd like to work with us on your book!

Trade Shows, Here We Come!

One of the most rewarding venues we have found to introduce our Prairie books to potential readers is through trade shows. Since 2009, we have set up our booth at numerous shows in Saskatchewan and Manitoba and met hundreds of avid readers, many of whom have become loyal, repeat customers. We have also met would-be authors at these shows and worked with them to improve their manuscripts and get them ready for publication.

Here are some snapshots of recent trade shows as well as a list of where we'll be in the next few weeks.

North Battleford Agri-Mex - 2012

Nipawin Lions show 2012

Outdoors on the main street of Mortlach, Saskatchewan, for their annual Saskatoon Berry Festival 2012

The overall view of Fall Into Christmas 2012 in Swift Current, Saskatchewan

We laugh - routinely and often - with the folks who stop at our booth.

Enough said.
(This funny sign was at one of the Swift Current booths across from us.)

We're ready to go at the 2012 Scattered Seeds show, in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

We love telling people about our books.

Here is where you can find us over the next few months:

Friday, March 15 to Sunday, March 17:  What Women Want Regina trade show, Conexus Arts Centre, Regina SK. DriverWorks Ink booth is one level up from the open-area Show Stage. Friday, March 15, 4 pm-10 pm; Saturday, March 16, 11 am - 10 pm; Sunday, March 17, 11 am - 5 pm. Author Deana Driver will sign her Never Leave Your Wingman, The Sailor and the Christmas Trees and Just A Bunch of Farmers books throughout the show. Author Alan Buick will sign The Little Coat books from noon to 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 17.  Come to our DriverWorks Ink booth and check out our wonderful books! For every 2 books you purchase, we will give you a third book of our choice for free!

Thursday, March 21:   2 p.m., Selo Gardens, Regina SK, Author/editor/publisher Deana Driver will talk about her writing and publishing and read from her books Never Leave Your Wingman and The Sailor and the Christmas Trees.

Monday, March 25 to Saturday, March 30: Royal Manitoba Winter Fair, Brandon MB. Author/publisher Deana Driver and publisher Al Driver will sign and sell our Prairie books at the DriverWorks Ink booth in the UCT Pavilion. We will especially focus on The Sailor and the Christmas Trees, the inspiring story from Brandon's own John Hanlon.

Thursday, April 4 to Saturday, April 6: Agri-Mex Farm, Trade & Home Show, North Battleford Exhibition Park, Agriplex & Agrivilla Buildings, North Battleford, SK. Thursday & Friday, April 4 & 5, Noon - 9 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Look for our DriverWorks Ink booth and help us donate to worthy charities through your purchases!

Friday, April 19 to Sunday, April 21: Nipawin Lions Trade Fair, Evergreen Centre, Nipawin SK. Friday, April 19, 4 p.m.-9 p.m.; Saturday, April 20, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sunday, April 21, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Look for our DriverWorks Ink booth #3 in the Auditorium and check out our great Prairie stories!

We hope to see you there!

What do we look for in a manuscript?

We are often asked by would-be authors to look at their written work and give them advice on how to improve it to make it publishable. So here are the Top Three components we look for in a manuscript when considering its potential for it to be a great book that is self-published or published by DriverWorks Ink publishing:

1.     Unique story line:  What is it that makes the story you want to publish unique from all other stories out there? If you’re writing a memoir or autobiography, what is it about your experiences that are different from those of other people in a fascinating way that would make others want to read your book? The same question needs to be answered for any other type of book. Is it the location of the story, the story line, the uniqueness of the main character(s) or something else? While each person does have his or her own unique story to tell, it is true that some stories are far more interesting and publishable than others. If you aren't sure of the uniqueness of your story, we can help. Contact us for some advice on your work.

2.     Great writing:  You might think this is a component that we would not need to mention, but we do receive requests from people who have a potentially good story and no idea of how to write it as an engaging manuscript. Again, we can help. We can suggest ways to beef up your writing and improve your story. For example, if it's a biography or memoir, we often suggest using the chronological approach to telling the story. It's surprising how many would-be authors aren't aware of that method. We can also assist with the writing process along with our usual jobs of editing, layout and help with marketing.

3.     Marketability:     Just because it's a story that you love, that doesn't mean it's a story that will sell. That is one of the hardest parts of the book publishing business since there is no definitive way to be certain that a book is going to sell well. Publishers use a variety of tools including market research, experience, calculated guesses and gut instinct - in various combinations, depending on the book. Sometimes we know a book will do well. Sometimes we take a chance and we are rewarded with readers' responses to a title. As an author, do your own research for the greatest chance of success for your book. Search for a publisher who works with the same types of books as your story. For example, we specialize in non-fiction biographies but we also publish humour and children's fiction, so we have particular knowledge of those markets. We help authors self-publish all variety of work including non-fiction, fiction and poetry. Go to book stores and look at other books that are similar to the one you want to publish. Look at how the subject is presented. If there are already 10 books like the one you are wanting to publish, go back to Point 1 and reconsider.

The bottom line is - not every manuscript makes a good book, but if you consult with industry professionals near the beginning of the process and are open to accepting advice and making changes, you have a better chance of success as an author.

Good luck with your writing!

And contact us if you would like some advice and assistance.

Happy Valentine's Day - and a video too!

My husband (and DriverWorks Ink partner) Al and I have been known to wear several silly costumes and fun get-ups over the years - usually connected to a Halloween party. (Picture a male Dorothy and a female Scarecrow, a six-foot-tall bumblebee and an adult baby, etc.) For the past two and a half years, I have dressed up at times to support and spend some time with seven-time cancer survivor Dionne Warner and her wingman husband Graham during some of Dionne's chemo treatments. And Al has joined me in some of those adventures.

Since December 2009, Dionne has dressed herself and Graham in costume on her chemo treatment days - for 78 different themes - to bring joy, laughter and hope to other patients in the chemo treatment room of the Allan Blair Cancer Centre in Regina, Saskatchewan. (There are 32 pages of colour photos in our Never Leave Your Wingman book.) In January 2012, Dionne was told she was in remission from Stage IV liver, lung and bone cancer. Remarkable!

So the chemo treatments stopped, as did the costumes.

In August 2012, tests found cancer in her liver again (for the fourth time), so she went back to chemo but without the full-blown costume themes this time around. Instead, she and Graham invited friends, family, readers of our book and Earth Angel supporters in general to send them matching T-shirts and "Dress Us to a T", to keep hope alive during this round of treatments.

Which brings us to Valentine's Day 2013.

Every year on February 14, we celebrate the people we love (or hope to be loved by) with greeting cards, flowers, chocolates, gifts, hugs, kisses and well... you get the picture. Whether you view Valentine's Day as the pagan fertility festival to the Roman gods or the more modern Day of Love, it remains today as the latter... and that's what we're celebrating in this little blog post.

Here we are, ready to meet Dionne and Graham at the cancer clinic. As Graham so aptly wrote in his emailed My Beautiful Dionne Update #91 about that day's chemo treatment: "Me thinks someone leaked to the press what our theme was going to be. Oh well, Al and Deana (NeverLeave Your Wingman publishers) get a big Attagirl and Attaboy for going all out!"

Don't you just love Al's tie?

And here's Dionne, all ready to go into the chemo treatment room:

You have to love the deely boppers on her head, and her 'foxy roxy' wig. Usually, this pretty lady sports the au naturel look...

...and ROCKS it!

'Ring for a hug', the bell says. 

Too bad you're all just looking at this now instead of being there in person, but the treatment room isn't that big. Oh, well. Can you feel the virtual hug coming to you from Dionne? ... 

      

... There, doesn't that feel good? 

So Happy Valentine's Day - from me, Al, Graham and Dionne! No matter where you are and what your story is, somebody loves you. And we're sending out good vibes from our place to yours.

And as promised, here's a special wish for all of you from the inspiring eight-time cancer survivor and her special wingman Graham. Enjoy!

Sask's new Creative Industries Agency

You may have seen the recent announcement by the Government of Saskatchewan about a new Creative Industries Agency and a $1-million transition fund that will be available for all creative industries. There has been some confusion about what exactly constitutes a 'creative industry' and what the fund will do etc. Surprise, surprise. There's always confusion about new agencies and funding and it usually takes some time for the fog to lift and reality to surface.

As a writer and publisher in Saskatchewan, I have a vested interest in this announcement. As a small publisher who also does self-publishing, DriverWorks Ink does not qualify for the majority of grants out there (which are few in number across Canada anyway) - so we look forward to anything that can help us publish more quality work by Prairie authors.We are hopeful that some new program will arise that can assist Saskatchewan publishers in producing books based on the quality of the product and not on whether it is self-published or not.

As a publisher, I was disappointed by the absence of representation from our publishing sector in the media coverage of the government's announcement. As a journalist, I get it. You can't talk to everyone in every industry about every announcement, and the film industry's recent loss of a provincial tax credit has drawn a lot of attention and is worthy of follow-up. Still, it would have helped the general public to better understand some of the impact of the fund if book publishers had added a few words to the discussion... and it's a reminder to us as publishers in Saskatchewan to speak up a little more about our work, our great books and what we contribute to the province and its culture.

With that in mind, here's a blog that caught my attention for its knowledgeable explanation of Creative Industry versus Arts in Saskatchewan and what the new announcement might actually mean. I can't say I agree with everything the writer says because I'm still struggling to understand it all myself, but I particularly like the explanation of the Arts Continuum and how the Creative Industries are the producers of artistic products."Writing is an artistic endeavor. Publishing is a creative industry." 

Nicely said. I'm just going to print off that blog and keep it handy to remind me of who we are and where we might go with this in the future.

Random Acts of Niceness - 1

You might call it a 'New Year's Resolution'. I'll just call it 'a split-second decision to do something nice for someone I don't know if the moment appears and I can actually brighten their day a bit'. Or more simply - 'Paying It Forward'.

One of those moments occurred the other day... and it got me to thinking...

When Al and I were in college, we benefited many times from the generosity of strangers. One of the most important events was when an elderly gentleman - whom I had just introduced myself to at a city bus stop - kindly agreed to tell me about his war experiences so I could complete my first assignment in my News Writing class in college. If he'd said 'No' to my question, I doubt if I would have continued on my quest to be a journalist - which led to me being an author, editor and book publisher.

While working on the college's newspaper, we were rewarded by the institution with a FREE MEAL at the college cafeteria on the nights we finished the paper's layout. We didn't know the people who had made the decision to feed us lowly students, but it was a much-appreciated HUGE gift to any struggling college or university student, let me tell you!

Men routinely stood up from their seats on city buses to allow me to sit down if I was carrying parcels or groceries. Call it chivalry if you will, but it was still a kind act from which I benefited.

There are probably dozens more of these incidents, but those are enough for now.

I have been trying to do similar kind acts for most of my life but every now and then, a strange situation occurs that demands a little extra step outside of the comfort zone to help out a fellow human.

The other day, we were in a fast-food restaurant waiting for our food order to be delivered. On the way to our seat, I walked past a young man and woman and overheard them literally counting out their pennies to see what they could afford to purchase.

I thought to myself, 'Been there, done that', which is what I said to them quietly a couple minutes later as I approached them. I gave them some extra coupons we had as well as a toonie I found in my always-cash-bare change purse. It wasn't much but I knew it would help them a little and wouldn't make them feel totally uncomfortable and embarrassed.

They were surprised but thankful as they reconsidered their menu options. As they agreed (because I felt I should leave them with some dignity), they handed me the coupon book back after they'd ordered and we all carried on into a much nicer evening.

I'm not telling you this to pat myself on the back. I was actually a little nervous at the thought of approaching these university students, but I knew it was the right thing to do. Besides, my trusty and trusting husband was right there supporting my whim and handing me the coupons.

It feels good to give - even a little bit.

Here's hoping I can keep up with this new 'resolution' in 2013.

Happy To Be Me

One of the marvels of the Internet is the increased accessibility to all kinds of quotes and advice from a wide variety of individuals - some who are clever, some not so much.

In the old days, you had to open a book and go searching for similar bits of wisdom or strange chunks of randomness. What once took days or longer is now at your fingertips within seconds and a few keystrokes - even if you don't know how to spell the author's name correctly.

For example, this quote cropped up on my radar today:

"It's never too late to be who you might have been." ~ George Eliot, British author, born 1819

Hmmm...

Nope. Doesn't apply to me.

I am one of those blessed individuals who loves their work, looks forward to every day and doesn't have any regrets about who 'I could have been'. Frankly, I've accomplished much more than I ever dreamed of - and I'm a pretty big dreamer.

So thank you, world, for opening the doors to allow my writing desire to flourish. Thank you, readers, for encouraging me to keep on writing and for embracing this little publishing venture we've embarked on called DriverWorks Ink.

But if you are someone who wishes that your life would turn in a different, better direction - George Eliot was a pretty clever writer. Here's another one of her (see the P.S.) quotes:

"Blessed is the influence of one true, loving human soul on another." ~ George Eliot

Here's to more dreams coming true in 2013!

P.S.  George Eliot was the pen name of Victorian-era writer Mary Anne Evans. She used a male pen name so her work would be taken seriously. My, how far we have come since then.