WENDY TYLER RYAN & LEMON TWIST PRESS

Hibbs : Mr. Roland, I'm just too pooped from walking all the way to Canada again.

You're going to have to interview Miss Wendy by yourself. Oooh, my aching paws!

Roland :

Hi, Wendy. Your Lemon Twist Press did a lovely job on my book trailer.

Wendy Tyler Ryan :

It was my pleasure, Roland.

Roland :

Just what is Lemon Twist Press?

Wendy :

Lemon Twist Press was born because I'm Canadian and because I didn't want CreateSpace to be listed on my print book as the publisher of record.

Sounds weird, I know. First of all, here in Canada I don't have to pay for my ISBN numbers so why wouldn't I get my own?

I only found this out myself a short time ago, thanks to Smashwords.

Needless to say, I was thrilled. One of the things I needed to supply in order to get my ISBN was a publisher name.

Well, you can imagine that I really didn't like the idea of - written by: Wendy Tyler Ryan; Publisher: Wendy Tyler Ryan,

so, Lemon Twist Press was born.

When trying to come up with a name, I wanted my own "Cellar Door". Cellar door is supposed to be the most beautiful combination of phonaesthetics in the English language.

Go ahead and snicker, Hibbs, but Lemon Twist Press was it for me.


Roland :
Is Lemon Twist Press a Real Publisher?

Wendy :
Yes and no!

It is my publisher because that's what it will say on my books.

While I would love nothing better than to start helping others publish,

right now I will be Lemon Twist Press' only client. I am hoping that will change.

I have been looking into what it would take to get a small e-publishing business off the ground for quite some time, but as you know, I am working on overdrive to try and get the first novel in my trilogy out.

Fire's Daughter, Book I in the Fire Through Time trilogy.

It will be out in the next couple of weeks and it is my priority right now.

I should say that, if all goes well, I would like to help good writer's have a voice regardless of commercial bent or genre.

And while it is true that anyone can self-publish now, not everyone has the wherewithal to go through all of the technical steps to do it well.

I have found my own experience to be a real challenge simply because the information you need to succeed is scattered far and wide throughout cyberspace.

It has been a real learning experience and I can see that it wouldn't be for everyone.

Roland :
Which is where Papyrus Productions came in, right?

Wendy :
Exactly.

Roland :
Just what is Papyrus Productions anyway?

Wendy :
Papyrus Productions came about after making my own book trailer.

I found the whole process completely fascinating and incredibly satisfying.

I have always been artistic in some fashion and it is something I enjoy very much. I am very interested in helping self-published writers and small presses develop book trailers to compete in the marketplace.

A trailer is a wonderful opportunity to interest readers.

An indie author is already at somewhat of a disadvantage when competing with the "big boy" publishing houses,

you want to give your book every chance you can for success.

Book trailers are one way for you to compete on a level playing field.

Roland :
I've always been curious about book trailers. See? Even Hibbs is wrinkling his brow. Just what's Involved In Making A Book Trailer?

Wendy :
When you see the final product, it may not appear that complex,

but it really is so much more than just stringing a few pictures together and adding some music.

I'm sure you've all seen one or two really "bad" trailers that are hard to read with the wrong music and conflicting images.

You have to understand the premise and tone of the book first and then choose the images to suit. It can be a very time consuming venture.

As somewhat of a perfectionist, I find it important that the images are in keeping with the author's vision.

The music is another time consuming matter.

You could literally spend hours searching for the right bit of music with the right tone, but of course, you have to know when to say "when" and get down to business.

Now, all these images have to be paid for and the music has to be licensed for use on a video on the web.

Those who are using any old music for their videos, are in copyright violation.

Music costs considerably more than images.

Just as we writers don't want anyone taking our hard work without paying for it, the same is true for images and music -

it must be paid for and the appropriate licenses obtained.

Once all that is done, the timing of the images to the written text is an intricate process.

Each adjustment you make to a single frame, throws off the timing of the following frame - it's a fine balancing act to arrive at the final cut, but well worth it.

Roland :
The talk of all that work wore out poor Hibbs. See? He is sleeping away -- as modern publishing seems to be sleeping through the changes modern technology is making in their world. What do you see as the future of Indie Authors?

Wendy :
I feel the Indie Author is here to stay. There is no turning back.

Yes, there will be works out there that probably shouldn't see the light of day, but the same is true in the world of traditional publishing.

Like J.A. Konrath says, "the cream will rise" just like in anything else.

The good writers will be found, and they are the one's who will succeed.

Somethings else Konrath says is, "people will judge a book by its cover".

If you do nothing else, spend some money on your book cover.

You have one shot on Amazon to make an impression, it's all you've got.

At the very least, use CreateSpace's cover creator tool.

They have pre-designed templates that let you mix and match a little and you can even upload your own images.

My book cover was important to me.

I hired someone to do the cover art and then my wonderfully talented photographer son used his mad Photoshop skills to do my layout -

back cover and spine.

He did a flawless job and you would never know the three pieces were not created together.

If you know someone with these skills, bribe them to help you!

I am trying to talk my son into joining my business to become my cover designer extraordinaire,

and it will be one more service that Papyrus Productions can offer the indie author.

So, Yes, Lemon Twist along with Papyrus, are fledgling companies,

but we have to start somewhere.

And somewhere, in the midst of all this, I have the second book in my trilogy to finish and the third one to write.

Whew!

I think I can, I think I can, I think I can!

Hibbs, yawning :
That kind of thinking always works for this cub with no clue!

Wendy (scratching behind Hibbs' wiggling ears) :
Thank you, Roland, for this wonderful opportunity.

It was a pleasure to create the Trailer for Rites of Passage and I hope you are pleased with the outcome.

Roland :
I am esctastic about your artistry in my book trailer.

Wendy :
I look forward to working on your next endeavour, French Quarter Nocturne.

Thanks, Roland

Roland :
No, thank you for your kindness and warm hospitality. C'mon, Hibbs. It's a long walk to our apartment.

Hibbs :
Oooh, aching paws don't fail me now!
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