I know we have published authors here on the forum

[Sanny]

Tell us more..........

What inspired you to write a book and what it is about.

 

[Lewella]

Bumping this up :bgrin

 

[Marty]

Well I hope I don't get in trouble for "advertising" here but I'm glad you asked.

Since they are not for sale yet, I will assume it's ok to talk about it. If it's not, then Mona I understand that you have a job to do and pull the plug if you have to.

Several years ago I got taken to the cleaners by a publisher that published my book Dirty Holly. They took the wrong copy, my ruff notes actually off a floppy disk and published it. It had mis-spelled words and unfinished sentences etc. things like that which didn't make sense. I lost a ton of money and by the time I realized what I was selling, it was already too late. This has been bothering me for years and it screamed to be re-written and updated.

I truly believe that Michael is my inspiration as I sit here surrounded by 6 of his pictures, all aimed at me as I write, he is smiling directly at me.

So......I am happy to announce that Happy Horsekeeping with Dirty Holly is being re-written and over-hauled as a book I am very proud of and is going to be better than I could have ever imagined. I am shocking myself actually as I sit here re-writting my 4th chapter. I have 5 years of research laying all over my desk and the kitchen counter and table and I am enjoying every minute of this. I am hoping for a spring release. It is helping me get through my problems and keeping my mind focused on something good so I can't tell you how excited and happy I have been this past month working on it.

I have two other books (sold out) but will get more printed out in the fall as I play with our budget. They are children's stories that are of course "horsey" There will be a sequel to Christmas on Miniature Mountain

I have another children's book in the works also that I started last summer but had to put it on hold due to my tragedy.

That book hopefully will be available in the summer. It's called "Little Horse on the Heartland" and is about a single mother with a child that moves from the big city to the country.

Last but not least, I have a book started that is very ruff.........it's about Michael and Daniels' relationship as brothers. It is called "In my Brother's Shadow"........this book will take a very long time to write.

 

[txminipinto]

I haven't written any books but I've authored 2 professional articles for veterinary medicine and am/have co-authored 2 book chapters in veterinary text books.

 

[Marty]

Barnbum has one out called "Thoughts on Being a Mommy"

and didn't Lyn have one out too?

Oh and CountryHaven write some pretty cool Romance Novels that I think are a little heated! WOO HOO!!!!!!!

and Jenn writes

She's been working on a novel forever

 

[Miniv]

Haven't ever had a book published, so this stuff probably doesn't count...... but have had a couple of poems published (years ago)........ and used to write for a newspaper and have had numerous articles "published", again this was 20 some years ago. Looking back, that was probably the only "job" I loved while working for someone else.

MA

 

[qtrrae]

I feel very fortunate to have some of the books written by forum members -

I have 3 of Marty's books -

'Happy Horsekeeping With Dirty Holly" - "Barney the Buckskin of Hidden Pines" and "The Legend On Miniature Mountain"

I also have "Where's My Socks?" by lyn and I have "Thoughts On Being A Mommy" by Karla.

Lyn was also writing a book about her seeing eye dog (I think) but not sure if it was ever finished.

 

[kaykay]

im working on one on miniature horse conformation. you guys all know how passionate i am about that

epsecially after doing rescue for so many years you really see how this impacts a horse for their entire life. only problem im having is getting pictures of faults ughhh. I really wanted this book to have real pics of minis with these faults as this is what seems to make it easier for people to see. if anyone has any pls send them to me! The horse and owner do not have to be identified!

I have also had many designs and instructions published in better homes and garden and was included in an article for The Horse Magazine on Narcolepsy and Miniature Horses

Kay

 

[Jaxjag2000]

I wrote the book Training Miniature Performance Horses and I am finishing up Showmanship with Miniature Horses. I'm also going to do some training videos since many people have requested those over books.

I've always loved writing and horses, so naturally the two went together well. I had many inspirations to write. One inspiration was being separated from my horses while I'm doing my PhD, which gives me lots of free time to write since I think about them a lot. Another inspiration is that there is NOT enough Mini material out there for those of us that do performance classes and people would always ask me how to train. No one was available to help me learn when I was new and I had to learn the hard way from my mistakes. Since I had a lot of people asking me how I trained my horses, I figured a book would be very helpful so they wouldn't have to go through so much of the "trial and error" in showing and training. I hope that my books make learning to train and show Minis easier for people who are new and encourage participation in performance classes. As a judge, I have learned what to look for and I hope sharing that with people will improve their performances in the ring and help them achieve their goals. I LOVE to see GREAT performances in the ring!! My books really focus on creating a good relationship with your horse and bonding during training. It's all about having fun with your Mini and learning new things together. You get a greater enjoyment from achieving personal goals with your Mini than anything else!

Kaykay, I eagerly anticipate your book on conformation!!! :lol: How about a video too? Have you decided on a publisher? I have some recommendations if you are still deciding.

 

[CharmedMinis]

I'm working on writing a book about the 7 week long road trip I took this past fall. It will take awhile to write, and awhile to publish I'm sure, so who knows when it will be out. But it will be a story, the accounts of my trip, along with photographs taken on the trip.

 

[Marty]

Here you go Lindsay!

Here's Lindsay at my place on the mountain

 

[Lisa]

I don't know if this counts at all...

I have an article published through my college newspaper and a short story that was published when I was in grade 9. It's always been my dream to write, but it's very hard lol and I have not finished any novels.

 

[Jenn]

I have two finished novels that are both crap and several starts - you can see excerpts at www.jenniferwade.com

I just started a new one last week, it seems to be better-than-crap so I'm happy.

I also have hundreds of published articles, editorials, columns, essays and a few poems.

I tend to focus more on my photography right now, but trying to write when I can. I just bought a bunch of studio equipment, so we'll see if I enjoy the studio end of it and I might start advertising for more clients.

 

[Yaddax3]

Having the discipline to write a book is not an easy thing. I applaud all of you who have finished books.

Books are tough to write, and often tougher to get published.

How many with published books went the self-publish route? And how many had a publisher and actually made money?

For those who have self-published, how pricey does that get? I'm sure a lot of people who've written or thought about writing a book would be more motivated if they knew it wasn't cost-prohibitive if they failed to find a publisher and had to self-publish.

 

[Jaxjag2000]

I'm doing the self-publishing thing now and have worked with a publisher before. Both ways have their benefits. It just depends what you want to do and how much work you are willing to put into it.

If you have problems finishing a book, try to find a publisher. They will give you deadlines that will motivate you to work hard. I would recommend the publisher Small Horse Press if you have a horse book. They were excellent to work with and very professional and knowlegdable. I highly recommend them for professional, stress-free publishing.

Self publishing can be very expensive and stressful, but if you can sell your books then you can also make a few bucks more than you would with a publisher and you will have total control of your book. It is a LOT more work though! Be willing to spend a LOT of time and a chunk of money to get started. Self publishing costs can vary depending on how you want your book to look, how long your book is, and its quality. You are usually looking at about $4 copy for small quanities (~200 books) once you add in shipping, etc. That does not inlcude advertising costs, which can add up QUICK.

If you want to write a novel, you can get the books much cheaper, but you have to buy around 5000 of them! Also, you cannot just sell them at Barnes and Nobles. Shelf space at a book store is very hard to get without a publisher. A novel would likely need the help of a publisher to succeed, unless you are able to market it yourself successfully. Even Steven King has a publisher, and I'm sure he could self-publish if he wanted. You can sell on Amazon.com, but you have to jump more hoops and, I think, work with a distributer. They will also take a 55% cut. An author actually makes very little on their book, unless it sells TONS of copies.

That's just the basics. If you want stress-free, work with a publisher. If you want to sweat and are motivated, self-publishing has its benefits.

 

[hobbyhorse23]

I wrote the 4-H club newsletter for many years (I'm sure that counts as self-publishing, right? LOL) and have had a couple of poems published. Most of my writing these days is restricted to sharing my horse adventures online because that's all I have time for.

Leia

 

[Jill]

I think AMHA was going to use an article I wrote (about THIS "place") in a magazine to hand out at a horse expo to advertise our breed to horse owners who do not (yet!) have miniatures. Mary Lou and I worked on it together, however, I do not know if it was published in the end.

Also, I have had several little books with my name on it but they are ghost written and used for professional purposes for clients and prospective clients.

 

[Humhill]

I would love nothing more than to write a book. I wrote a short story in middle school that I never showed to anyone but my best friend. I was so proud of it, even though she didn't really like it.

I LOVE romance novels (or as my husband calls them "trashy romance novels"). I have so many ideas. Actually, when I clean stalls, I write in my head and think about scenes. I can't imagine though, writing a book and my mom reading a "love" scene. That would be a little embarassing.

Oh well...