Author Name: Davie Looman
Book title(s): Shempi: Earning the Right to be Called Her Master; The Joy of Racing Solo: People, Places and Events That Impressed Me, Charm of a Small Town
Marketing Subject: Our ideas good and bad, on the three books we published. What works and what did not work.
My first book was about our Sheltie named “Shempi.” With many great stories about her antics and her life, a number of them encouraged me to write a book about her life.
I was not sure that it could ever be a book, but I l began her story. Soon I had put her life into print. We tried to get it published locally. After being turned down by several publishers, we became discouraged. We then thought of printing it and putting it into a loose-leaf notebook, the closest it might come a real book.
A friend of ours introduced us to an author, who was published through Infinity Publishing. He was happy with his published book and led us through the process.
We contacted Infinity where we found the process to not only be quite simple but cost effective. I completed the book, and then we spent several months editing it, and were pleased
The book was about our dog, but it also included stories of growing up in the 50’s, our lives, our family and our love for SCCA Autocrossing, where Shempi spent many years of her life. Having a wife who is in the business of graphics and brochures really was a help with the photos and text. Together we picked the best of the stories in our lives, always keeping Shempi as a part of these stories.
The SCCA members, nationwide, then encouraged us to write a second book about our success in the SCCA competition. When we retired from the sport, we had won numerous awards and had stories to tell. The Joy of Racing was published one year later. As suspected, the book was VERY well received among the SCCA members.
My third book was the most fun to write. I decided to write a novel based on real people and real places in our small town of Alden, Michigan.
I used real names with permission from the residents of Alden, and a dog as the main character. Soon I had nearly double the word count of the other books.
Each published book made us more aware of what marketing techniques work and what did not work. We learned where to put the books for sale, to make the best percentage. We constantly found new places to promote the books, such as local radio programs, in newspapers and magazine articles. Our greatest thrill is hearing the great reviews from our readers.
My wife Joyce and I are very pleased with our books and Infinity Publishing. We are ready and willing to tell our readers how WE did it. How to begin a book, how to finish a book, and then how to publish the book and market it.
I love to tell others how I arrived at a story line. How somebody impressed me or and event that somebody told me about. How I created interesting characters and events. How to lead my readers with a kind, loving chapter, then stun them with a disaster or an unexpected turn.
I love to picture my reader raising a right arm in the air and yelling aloud YES! As the bad guy gets his just dessert.
