Writers Tricks of the Trade Vol. 6 Issue 1 | Page 20

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Switching to a Memoir (Cont’d)

In 2011, and after a multitude of those friends I mentioned earlier pushed me to do so, I started to
think about the ever-expanding world of self-publishing.
I spent the next six months becoming educated in the business of self-publishing. I would no
longer simply be an author. I needed to become an editor, a proofreader, a salesman, a publicist, a
marketing expert, a warehouseman, an art director, a wholesaler, a retailer, a negotiator, a distributor,
a customer service department, an accountant, a TV and radio personality, a public speaker, and above
all, a social media junkie.
I was one of the last of my peers, friends and family to join Facebook, and went kicking-andscratching to the Sign Up screen. But once I was “one of them” I found countless pages that would
have my book to become a bestseller and a collector’s item.
I also had to learn about the unique world of e-books and audiobooks. To guide me through that
world I was very fortunate to find Steven Booth of Genius Book Company. Not only did they format
my manuscript for the Kindle, Nook, iPad and Kobo Reader, but also worked with the printer and
artist to set up it for print.
Ah, yes—and then there’s the artwork. An e-book just needs a front cover, but the printed version
requires a lot more than that. All printed books need front and back cover art plus the spine. In
addition, if you want a hard cover with a dust jacket, which also requires artwork, you’ll also have to
deal with the two inside flaps. I would have been lost had I not contacted Irene LoPresto at Reflex
Graphix. It’s not just how well you hype and promote what’s inside your book that will cause people to
buy it. It’s all about the cover. It’s the first thing the buying public sees in the bookstore or online. A lot
of work and marketing went into the cover of The Boss, and I’m glad we did it.
That’s when my attorney wanted to discuss the “kind” of book it should be categorized as. Within
its pages I had written three paragraphs to embellish a couple of things that took place and he was
looking out for my best interest. He suggested the book be released as “A Novel Based On A True
Story” even though 99.7% of it is true.
Finally, I was ready to release the book. After researching, finding and negotiating with a printer
(www.BangPrinting.com), which I made sure printed their books in America as opposed to Canada,
Mexico or China, I had ordered 1,100 copies each of hard cover and paperback.
Okay, so everything turned out great. The first printing sold out in less than a year and additional
copies had to be printed. Shortly afterward it became a collector’s item in the mob genre. Used, signed
copies are selling on Amazon anywhere from $90 (for the paperback) to over $300 (for the hard
cover). The e-books and audiobook (yes, I’m the dulcet New Jersey tone listeners get to hear) continue
to sell.
Then I finally signed with a New York literary agency. My star was rising. They took me on even
though I had sold only 7,867 copies. They saw the potential.
At least that’s what I believed.
My agent told me he had over 41 publishers he could send The Boss to that “would love to get their
hands on it!” Then he added, “But, uhm…do you think you can make it a memoir instead of a novel
based on a true story? It would be a lot easier to sell.”
Well, I certainly didn’t want to continue that stigma of “being too hard to work with” (nudgenudge, wink-wink), so my attorney, my agent and I had a conference call to discuss the idea.

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2016

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WRITERS’ TRICKS OF THE TRADE