Author Morgan Mandel

on Writing her Own Destiny

For Chicago-area author Morgan Mandel, writing became a door to a whole new way of life.

Morgan, who says her "lofty ambition" in high school was to become a secretary, did just that. She graduated from Chicago's DePaul University, and admits, "I took the easy way out. My part-time job became full time. My employer changed, but my status remained the same."

Then she heard a presentation from Romantic Writers Association (RWA) members at her local library and something happened.

"Call it mid-life crisis or boredom," she says, "but suddenly, I wanted more. The women making the presentation seemed like normal, everyday people, yet they'd achieved something great. They'd written books. I wondered if I could do the same, so I joined the chapter and tried."

Her debut mystery, Two Wrongs , was published in 2006 by Hard Shell Word Factory (now part of Mundania Press.) In the book, a high school boy discovers his sister's body in the alley. His mistaken testimony against the wrong person sparks a deadly series of events.

Morgan switched gears with her follow-up book, Girl of My Dreams , (Hard Shell 2008), a romantic comedy about how a straitlaced assistant's good deed of entering a reality show is misconstrued by the very person she hopes to impress.

For Morgan, writing has been everything she thought it would be. "There are many things I can't control in my life -- the weather, economy and taxes, to name a few, but I know there's one area where I can make my own choices," she says. "Writing is my haven, my passion, my addiction. When I write, I have the power to express myself whichever way I choose. Knowing I can do so is a heady feeling, especially since I have no choice but to follow orders at my day job."

It didn't all happen immediately, of course, but the learning, attending the Love is Murder Conference in Chicago, and pitching her first book helped boost her confidence and get her on course. She became a promotions queen, getting involved online, establishing the Book Place network, and getting her book out in front of potential readers. Then it hit her.

"Suddenly I realized it was going on two years since GIRL OF MY DREAMS came out, yet I hadn't seriously pursued getting another book published," she recalls. "I couldn't turn to Hard Shell Word Factory, since the publisher was going through a transition period with no new books on the market."

What to do next? Attending another Love is Murder conference and meeting author Austin Camacho, who'd both published with a small press and had self-published, got her thinking.

"He inspired me with a radical idea," she says. "That was to self-publish my book-in-waiting. The idea was tempting. I had enough dollars saved from book sales to cover the costs, which didn't sound overly exorbitant. What was exciting about self-publishing was that my control over my manuscript would broaden. The cover, the font, even the type and color of the paper would be up to me, as well as where it would be distributed and how much it would cost."

She took the plunge, forming Choice One Publishing Co. ( http://choiceonepublishing.com ), hired freelance editor Helen Ginger to go over the manuscript, and published the book through Lightning Source.

Her latest release, KILLER CAREER, came out in August 2009 to great reviews, including 4-stars from Midwest Book Review. The romantic suspense is about a lawyer whose career change could be a killer. Not only does she face the disapproval of her law partner for defecting, she also faces her greatest weakness: claustrophobia. Added to the mix is her mentor, a NY Times bestselling author, who takes an active part in his murder mysteries.

Morgan is now working on two different books, including a children's lesson book tentatively titled, "Our Little Rascal," about her popular deaf dog, Rascal, an American Staffordshire Terrier/Dalmatian mix. The dog even has a Doggyspace journal! See http://www.doggyspace.com/journal/59060 . Mandel hopes to adapt some of her photos for the illustrations, but… "I'm still in the learning stage for Adobe CS4," she says. "I'll see how it goes."

The other book, tentatively titled, "Forever Young," is a thriller about a 55-year-old widow who takes a pill to be 25, and then learns her husband's death is tied in with the production of that pill.

She's not sure yet which publishing route she'll take. "Will I self-publish? I just might. Now that I know how to do it, I'm keeping the option open. I'll decide once my stories are ready to be shared."

While she's enjoyed being her own publisher, she admits that there are both good and bad sides. Not only is she producing the book (with all the work that entails) but there is the promotion – that is still up to the author, no matter who is the publisher.

"Before and after all the choices are made and the book is out, promotion kicks in," she says. "What works best? I'm sorry to say there's no automatic faucet that will spout sales. In my experience, I've learned it takes lots of time and effort to get noticed. I did a blog book tour. I sent out copies for reviews. I still do book signings, go to conferences, speak at libraries, keep a daily personal blog, am part of group blogs, post messages on e-groups and social networks, and pass out business cards, bookmarks , and do much more."

Then there is that bane of publishers – returns: books being sent new and often coming back in unsalable condition. "Publishing is a risky business because of the antiquated returns system," she says. "One reason I was able to get Killer Career into Barnes and Noble brick and mortar stores was because I accept returns. I don't like returns and hope that practice will soon change."

But even with her publishing success, she says that handling other authors' works is not for her.

"People have asked if I'd consider publishing other authors through my publishing company, but that's not an option for me," she says. "Self-publishing is very time consuming and I'm very particular about my product. I don't have the time or energy to devote to widening the field to include other authors. I'm not a numbers cruncher and despise income tax time. I can't think of what a nightmare it would be to keep track of other people's money and sales."

Morgan's plate is full, but she's happy to have so many opportunities available. Now with the advent of the Kindle, e-publishing, pod (print on demand) and other avenues, authors have more choices than ever.

"Self-publishing has taught me to keep an open mind on various methods of publishing," she says. "Now that I know I am capable of self-publishing a quality book, I can repeat the process again if I choose to do so. Still, that's not my only avenue. If I choose to submit a manuscript to a large or small publisher, I can do that instead. Or, maybe, I might choose to publish a novel in e-book or Kindle form and not have it printed. I have that choice as well.

"Authors now have more control than ever before. It's a brave new world out there for us."

 

* Morgan Mandel's books are available in print and Kindle at Amazon.com , or get a signed copy at the Digital Bookshop http://digital-bookshop.com .

 

* Contact Morgan at:

Website: http://www.morganmandel.com

Facebook: http://facebook.com//morgan.mandel

Twitter: http://twitter.com/morganmandel

Personal Blog: http://morganmandel.blogspot.com

Book Place: http://bookplace.ning.com