non-fiction – Katie L. Carroll

I’m very excited to host my amazing critique partner Katlyn Duncan today to talk about her latest release TAKE BACK Y OUR BOOK: AN AUTHOR’S GUIDE TO RIGHTS REVERSION AND PUBLISHING ON YOUR TERMS. Katlyn is the author of many YA and adult works of fiction and this is her first work of non-fiction. It’s so full of relevant information about the business of publishing and rights reversion, and I think any author or aspiring author will feel empowered after reading it. Welcome, Katlyn!

The inspiration behind a book is frequently talked about when writing fiction, but there’s often an interesting inspiration story behind non-fiction. What gave you the idea for TAKE BACK YOUR BOOK: AN AUTHOR’S GUIDE TO RIGHTS REVERSION AND PUBLISHING ON YOUR TERMS?

When the book rights for my debut Young Adult paranormal series (The Life After series) reverted to me in 2019, I immediately looked online to see what I should do with the book. But there weren’t many recent articles about what to do after book rights reversion. I had to do a lot of research myself, which was mostly scouring writer groups and working my network to find other writers who had their book rights reverted. For those authors, all of their stories were different, which helped me understand that I had to make a lot of decisions on my own.

One day, you and I were discussing self-publishing, and the idea came so quickly to me. There weren’t any resources out there about the process of rights reversion all the way through re-publishing the book, so I wrote it myself hoping to help any authors who are or will be in the same position.

Let’s turn the inspiration to you! What made you want to become a writer?

Storytelling has always been a huge part of my life. As a kid, I loved drama class and acting in plays while devouring movies as much as I could. Eventually, that stemmed into penning my own plays and movie scripts (which will never see the light of day, by the way!). Then when I was in my early twenties, I started to write fiction novels and I haven’t stopped since.

What’s one book you wish you had written? And (of course) why?

Can I say ‘Twilight’? I wouldn’t mind living in Stephenie Meyer’s shoes right now with the ability to auto sell anything I write and take all those lofty advances to the bank.

I think we’d all say yes to Stephenie Meyer’s advances! You write both fiction and non-fiction. How was writing TAKE BACK YOUR BOOK different from writing your fiction projects?

There are a few ways it was different. First, I had to do a lot of research for this book, more than I have for any of my fiction novels. Previously, I had saved some articles from when I was going through the book rights reversion process, but there was so much more to outline for the reader. I had to make sure that I listed as many options for a reverted book as possible, which meant exploring as many publishing paths as I could, along with outlining the self-publishing process from start to finish, and beyond to marketing and future plans for the book.

Second, writing a non-fiction “arc” is much different than a fiction one. You have to structure the book in a way that is compelling and makes sense as its own type of story while allowing author voice to shine through instead of a character’s voice.

Obviously TAKE BACK YOUR BOOK is full of advice for authors, but what’s one important takeaway you’d like to leave readers with today?

Regarding book rights, make sure you understand what you are signing away and how long your rights will be in someone else’s hands. This is where community is very important. Ask fellow authors in both the “traditional” and self-publishing spheres and find where your book belongs before you put pen to paper and sign any contract.

It’s so important to understand what is in a publishing contract before you sign. One last thing, what is next for you in your writing career?

I’ve completely veered away from traditional publishing and diving head-first into self-publishing. I’m re-publishing my debut YA series under a new pen name (Katy Duncan), starting with ‘Soul Taken’ in September 2021, followed soon after by book 2 (‘Soul Possessed’) and book 3 (‘Soul Betrayed’) in 2022, in addition to publishing adult thrillers after that.

TAKE BACK YOUR BOOK blurb:

Revive your book from the bottom of the charts with rights reversion.

Have you sold your book to a publisher, but years later it’s not selling the way you want? Are you frustrated with their lack of marketing and little to no royalty payments?

It’s time to take back your book rights.

This guide will give you the knowledge and confidence to get your book rights reverted and how to place it in front of new readers, on your terms.

In this book you’ll find:

The basics of rights reversion
What to do with your book after reversion
How to re-publish your book
Long-term considerations for your author business and backlist
Stories from authors successfully reverting and republishing their books

You will always be your book’s biggest champion. Don’t condemn it to years of neglect at someone else’s hands. Take back your rights and make them work for you for years to come.

Buy the book on Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and these other book retailers.

About the Author:

Katlyn Duncan is a multi-published hybrid author of adult and young adult fiction and has ghostwritten over forty novels for children and adults.

When she’s not writing, she’s obsessing over many (many) television series’, and hanging out on YouTube where she shares her writing process and all the bookish things.

Find her at katlynduncan.com, YouTube, and Instagram.

In case you missed it while busy at your Memorial Day barbecue, I had my first post up at the Enchanted Inkpot, discussing female heroines and naming trends. Today K.L. Pickett, author of Seventh Grade (Alien!) Hero and the upcoming Maybe It’s Magic! is guesting on the blog today. Welcome, K.L.!

Science Fiction vs. Nonfiction

Science fiction is a passion of mine. That’s why I wrote the middle-grade novel SEVENTH GRADE (ALIEN!) HERO. Science fiction fills a yearning inside of me, a longing to create a world based on what we as human beings know, but goes beyond that knowing. Science fiction takes us a step closer to what might be, as opposed to what is.

On any given evening, you’ll most likely find me reading a good science fiction novel. My husband, on the other hand, would be engrossed in a nonfiction book. “Why read about imaginary things,” he asks, “when the real world is so interesting?”

Yes, the real world is interesting. But getting involved with intriguing characters and their wants and needs – in other words, connecting with them – is the most important part of any writing, be it science fiction or other genres. The main character of SEVENTH GRADE (ALIEN!) HERO is a middle-grade student that kids can relate to. Dustin’s a normal seventh grade boy whose life has been turned upside-down. His parents have gotten a divorce, his dad’s remarried, and his mom has moved her and him out to the middle of the desert, away from the suburban life he’s always known. He has no friends. Middle-graders can understand him because they all know how hard making friends can be, even if they haven’t moved to a new home themselves.

Besides great characters, there has to be a captivating plot. Being compelled to turn the page to find out what happens next – that just doesn’t happen to me when I read nonfiction. Don’t get me wrong, I love learning new information, but I’ve never stayed up half the night because I couldn’t put a nonfiction book down. Yet there have been many, many mornings when I’ve gotten up groggy from lack of sleep, because I just had to finish a great science fiction story.

That was my goal when I wrote SEVENTH GRADE (ALIEN!) HERO. Dustin encounters one problem after another, each more urgent than the one before. I wanted to create a story that a reader wouldn’t want to put down until he or she had read the last page.

Like all good science fiction, the story involves technology. Dustin and the alien character, Bok, communicate by means of a holographic image. Now I’m sure reading about holographic images – how they are produced, who designed the first ones, how they are used – would be informative and interesting. However, I’d never lose sleep reading about them.

Both science fiction and nonfiction can be full of adventure. Reading about a dangerous and exhilarating trek to the top of Mt. Everest or to the bottom of the sea floor can be stimulating and informative. However, I’m never sitting on the edge of my seat while reading a nonfiction book.

I’ve never ‘lost’ myself in a nonfiction book, the way I do when I’m reading a good fictional story. Becoming totally immersed in a novel is a pleasure I’ve never had with a nonfiction book. My hope is that readers of SEVENTH GRADE (ALIEN!) HERO will become absorbed with the story and ‘lose’ themselves in it.

Many people, like my husband, may prefer nonfiction over science fiction. But for me, there’s nothing better than a compelling science fiction story, with great believable characters, an interesting setting, driven by an action-packed plot. Reading a great science fiction story is something worth losing sleep over.

Seventh Grade (Alien!) Hero Blurb:

Seventh-grader Dustin Cotter dreams of being the first human to make contact with an alien species. After watching a meteorite crash-land on Earth, he discovers it’s a miniature spaceship and becomes determined to catch it.

But first a dog grabs it. A dog that happens to be owned by Randie, the cutest girl at his new school. Then it’s stolen by another kid on horseback: Max, the school comedian/magician/cowboy.

And making matters worse, a dangerous motorcyclist saw the meteorite crash, too. Now he wants it and will stop at nothing until it’s in his possession. One dark night, he catches Dustin alone out in the desert – and Dustin’s dream turns into a life-threatening nightmare.

About the Author:

K.L. Pickett was born in Southern California. Her first job as a young teenager was collecting eggs on an egg ranch. She’s had many occupations since then: preschool teacher, real estate salesperson, special education teacher’s assistant, loan officer, furniture salesperson, and agricultural biologist. She currently teaches fourth grade in a tiny rural elementary school.

Over fifty of her stories and articles have appeared in national magazines such as Boys’ Life, Highlights for Children, Humpty Dumpty, and Ladybug under the name Karen Troncale.

She’s rescued dozens of cats, dogs, and birds in her life including a pelican, a pheasant, and several crows. An avid animal-lover, she’s a volunteer for the Tombstone Small Animal Shelter, designing their flyers each week and writing their public radio announcements.

Currently she resides in Tombstone, Arizona, along with her husband, dog, and mule. When she’s not writing, reading, or teaching, she’s riding her mule along the same desert trails that Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday rode upon.

SEVENTH GRADE (ALIEN!) HERO is her first book. It is available at the MuseItUp bookstore, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other ebook retailers. MAYBE IT’S MAGIC!, her second book, releases in August 2013.

Please visit her website: www.klpickett.weebly.com. Every month she features a free children’s short story to read and an inexpensive art activity to do at home.