Mother Makes Her Publishing Dream Come True
Alyssa Foley had always dreamed of writing and publishing a book. Writing had been a hobby for her for as long as she could remember, but she never took any steps to get her work published. When A Secret Half Past Noon: A Christmas Story emerged from her mind, she knew the time to publish had come. After reading it to her five-year-old daughter and friends and receiving a favorable response, she knew this book was the one she had to see in print.
Foley began to research publishers and draft letters to send to traditional companies and agents. She quickly learned that the path to getting her story published wasn't going to be an easy one.
"What was frustrating was the realization that publication was like winning the lottery," she said.
After months of researching companies and options, Foley decided self-publishing was right for her. When that difficult decision was made, it didn't take her long to know that AuthorHouse was the right publisher for her.
"AuthorHouse had an attractive, easy-to-use Web site, wonderful representatives, great prices, and great customer support. I also needed a company that provided talented illustrators," Foley said.
Foley took advantage of AuthorHouse's illustration services and editing services, which helped make her book more professional than she ever imagined it could be. Through the entire process, Foley stayed in control. Her creative thoughts for the book were the guiding light to its creation.
"Communication was of the highest quality. We all worked together as a team to create my vision," she said.
When Foley received the finished product, she couldn't believe her eyes. Her Christmas story had been transformed into a published work of art, and the process had been easy and inspiring.
"My expectations were nothing compared to what I received during the publishing process. My hopes and dreams were superseded by any previous thoughts I had when I started," she said.
It was then that she began marketing. Since her book is a Christmas story, she had to be creative with her marketing approach. She created flyers to send home with students at local elementary schools, worked with the illustrations department at AuthorHouse to create a temporary tattoo of the main character in the story, and set up local book signings. She also set up a personal Web site to promote her book.
"My selling opportunities are limited to only a couple of months, so marketing creatively was of utmost importance. In the first six weeks, I had sold enough copies on my own to pay off a large portion of my initial expenses, which in turn leaves me open to profit for the next Christmas season!" she said.
Foley couldn't be more pleased with the experience she had using AuthorHouse.
"My success has driven me to write more. My experience with AuthorHouse was incredible and I cannot wait to ride this rollercoaster of print-on-demand again," she said.