When Lysne Nolte began writing “Big Sister Babysitter: I’m going to be a WHAT?!” one year ago, it was just a way to ease her daughter’s anxiety about the impending arrival of a new baby to the family. It was the Lake Tapps author’s first book, and she hadn’t written much fiction before, she said.
After her husband read the manuscript, he encouraged her to release it commercially. He gave her an account with publishing websites Lulu and Smashwords as a gift.
Nolte refined the book with the help of editors Connie French and Kelly Nichols, and a cover design by friend Aubrey Coggins.
Today, the young adult novella has been released via self-publication — with three more books in the series in-process — and is set to be featured at two international book fairs: the Frankfurt Book Fair in October and the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in March. Nolte has had to self promote her work every step of the way.
“The marketing side has definitely been more difficult than the writing was,” Nolte said.
Her book follows the day-to-day life of singing, dancing, video-blogging center-of-attention nine-year-old LA Payton. Payton struggles with the idea of no longer being the baby in the family, a problem common to children expecting a new sibling.
The character, based in part on Nolte’s own experiences growing up on Lake Tapps, turns to her Christian faith to come to terms with her expanding family.
Nolte has turned to the internet and social media to market her book. It has received two reviews so far, both positive, and she uses a Facebook page to announce new reviews and sales promotions for the book. She’s found herself marketing to parents of children with their own sibling anxieties.
In a market where traditional book sales revenues have shrunk and publishers are becoming more conservative in the properties they buy, more writers have turned to self-publication to have their books read. The proliferation of e-book and print-on-demand services have made it possible to publish a book for less than $1,000. Pure e-book publishing through services like Amazon’s Kindle bookstore cost nothing, in exchange for a cut of revenues and near-total author responsibility in promoting the book.
At Sumner authors event “Write in the Valley,” organizers expect the central question and answer session with publishing professionals to focus on the new publishing avenues available for writers.
For her part, Nolte said self-publication has worked for her, though she wouldn’t be opposed if she were offered a deal from a traditional publisher. She’s excited to have her work at international book fairs, and noted that the Bologna Children’s Book Fair was where J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books were picked up for American publication.
“Self-publishing is working best for me,” she said. “If I could get a book deal, that would be nice. But right now, I can focus on more local things.”
