Today, Daleen Berry, Author of Sister of Silence (which was downloaded around 33,700 on Memorial weekend,) agreed to be interviewed for the blog. Check out what she has to say!
1.
How long have you been self-publishing?
How long have you been self-publishing?
I published Sister of Silence in February 2011, so a
little more than a year. But I’ve had my website up since 2006, which I hoped
would lay the groundwork for my book, once I got it published.
little more than a year. But I’ve had my website up since 2006, which I hoped
would lay the groundwork for my book, once I got it published.
2.
When/why did you self-publish?
When/why did you self-publish?
I created Nellie Bly Books in July 2010. It’s a LLC
in West Virginia and I did that specifically because I know that self-published
books have, in the past, had a hard time getting noticed. Traditional book
publishers and agents turned up their noses—often justifiably so, since many of the self-pubbed
books weren’t very good. In fact, many of them were quite bad. But when a book
has the name of a real publisher behind it, which is what NBB is, people in the
book industry and even readers will give it a chance.
in West Virginia and I did that specifically because I know that self-published
books have, in the past, had a hard time getting noticed. Traditional book
publishers and agents turned up their noses—often justifiably so, since many of the self-pubbed
books weren’t very good. In fact, many of them were quite bad. But when a book
has the name of a real publisher behind it, which is what NBB is, people in the
book industry and even readers will give it a chance.
I chose the name Nellie Bly Books for what I believe
are a few important reasons: First, I’ve been a journalist and the very first
award I won, in 1990, was for investigative journalism. That’s what Nellie Bly,
which is Elizabeth Jane Cochrane’s pen name, was known for, when she was a
reporter during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Cochrane was born in
Pittsburgh, which is the nearest big city to me, and which has strong newspaper
roots. She began working at the Pittsburgh
Dispatch and ended up writing for Joseph Pulitzer’s New York World—which is where she went undercover in an insane asylum.
Her investigative work there helped bring about much-needed reform in the
mental health field. That’s the second reason I wanted my company to bear her
name: I was diagnosed with major depression and checked myself into a mental
hospital in 1991, after my abusive marriage ended. In an effort to erase the
stigma attached with mental illness, I’ve been writing publicly about mental
health issues, and the importance of speaking openly about them, ever since.
(Yes, I do discuss this hospital stay in my book.)
are a few important reasons: First, I’ve been a journalist and the very first
award I won, in 1990, was for investigative journalism. That’s what Nellie Bly,
which is Elizabeth Jane Cochrane’s pen name, was known for, when she was a
reporter during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Cochrane was born in
Pittsburgh, which is the nearest big city to me, and which has strong newspaper
roots. She began working at the Pittsburgh
Dispatch and ended up writing for Joseph Pulitzer’s New York World—which is where she went undercover in an insane asylum.
Her investigative work there helped bring about much-needed reform in the
mental health field. That’s the second reason I wanted my company to bear her
name: I was diagnosed with major depression and checked myself into a mental
hospital in 1991, after my abusive marriage ended. In an effort to erase the
stigma attached with mental illness, I’ve been writing publicly about mental
health issues, and the importance of speaking openly about them, ever since.
(Yes, I do discuss this hospital stay in my book.)
company is because there are many other award-winning journalists out there,
many of whom have at least one book in them. NBB might just be able to help
them get their books published, too.
3.
Have you had a method for alternating between writing and advertising?
Have you had a method for alternating between writing and advertising?
I’m a big fan of deadlines, so I have to impose my
own—or I would never get any writing done. I try to rope off a few hours a day
but sometimes there’s too much email to answer or other paperwork to complete.
When that happens, I will take two days at a time and do nothing except write,
to make up for what I didn’t get done. For my website or Huffington Post blog
posts, I usually drop whatever I’m doing and write when the idea comes to me,
before I lose the enthusiasm for the topic.
own—or I would never get any writing done. I try to rope off a few hours a day
but sometimes there’s too much email to answer or other paperwork to complete.
When that happens, I will take two days at a time and do nothing except write,
to make up for what I didn’t get done. For my website or Huffington Post blog
posts, I usually drop whatever I’m doing and write when the idea comes to me,
before I lose the enthusiasm for the topic.
than it does now, thanks in large part to the huge success of my e-book. Now I
try to go online for 30 minutes in the morning and then again during the
evening, and post a few things here and there, mostly at Twitter and Facebook.
I also use LinkedIn and Tumblr, but not as much. Lately, I’ve also found that
Pinterest is quite helpful, in getting people to notice my work. (Plus, all
those fabulous pictures are wonderful to look at. It’s like having your own
museum on your computer.)
4.
How many different things have you done to get your books to your
readers?
How many different things have you done to get your books to your
readers?
Let’s see: I’ve got quite a diverse market so I’ve
tried to get books into people’s hands in a lot of ways. Early on, I would
simply send emails to people in the media field, and ask if they would like a
complimentary copy of my book. That’s how legendary broadcaster Bob Edwards got
one—and why he invited me on his show last February (2011). The interview was
an hour, and it ran on Sirius XM in March. From that interview came this quote:
“Berry is a magnificent storyteller,” which I now put on my bookmarks and
anywhere else I can, since Bob gave me his approval.
tried to get books into people’s hands in a lot of ways. Early on, I would
simply send emails to people in the media field, and ask if they would like a
complimentary copy of my book. That’s how legendary broadcaster Bob Edwards got
one—and why he invited me on his show last February (2011). The interview was
an hour, and it ran on Sirius XM in March. From that interview came this quote:
“Berry is a magnificent storyteller,” which I now put on my bookmarks and
anywhere else I can, since Bob gave me his approval.
trunk.) to women as test readers; to domestic violence shelters, as self-help
books; to police officers and hospital staff who work with DV and rape victims,
to help them better understand what these women face; to schools to help them
educate themselves and their students; and to the media, who largely ignored
the book.
do this in California, since that’s where I was born and because of the
open-minded climate there. I began in the Bay Area, and gave away books in San
Francisco, Tracy, Livermore, Palo Alto, San Jose and Oakland. (Ironically,
that’s how Sister of Silence ended up being banned. After I spoke at a domestic
violence conference in September, I had requests to visit two local high
schools, to speak to their students. The first event went really well, and the
teacher who invited me couldn’t thank me enough for coming. The second event
went from being a school-wide event to being cancelled 30 minutes before I was
due to speak, and the books being pulled from the library shelves there. I
later heard it was because one parent complained, but the librarian there took
a lot of flak, and a student recently emailed me asking about downloading the
e-book, because when the copies were pulled, she didn’t get to read it.
Los Angeles area. This was the same week the story about James Hooker and
Jordan Powers broke, involving the Modesto, Calif., teacher who left his family
for Powers, his former student. I had already decided to continue giving out
books all over California, by driving from Southern Cal to the Bay Area, so
that’s what I did. But as I visited each school district, I told them that my
book would help them understand the issues involved in the Hooker-Powers case,
so they could help prevent other students from falling victim to such teachers.
Or simply to better help students who come from a violent home, or who get
involved in dating violence while in school.
I have to say that other readers, people I consider
good friends now, also helped get my books out to people. One California man I
didn’t even know, but who had a family member who read my book, insisted on
buying several paperback copies from me at retail price. He then gave them to
his relative, so she could offer them as gifts to women who wanted them.
Another reader, in Pennsylvania, who has read my book three times, posted on
Facebook that she wanted to give away free copies of the e-book, to people who
wrote to her. Several people who believe in the message of empowerment they say
Sister of Silence provides have offered to give away paperback copies to law
enforcement agencies, shelters, hospitals and schools in their areas. One woman
in Bellefonte, Pa., asked if I would be willing to ship her some books last
fall, to give to the victims in the Sandusky sex abuse case. She’s kept in
touch with me since then, and has been ecstatic about being able to reach the
victims with the books. A student who said SOS helped her to break off an
abusive relationship she was in when she read it, has been buying copies and
giving them away to other girls at her college.
good friends now, also helped get my books out to people. One California man I
didn’t even know, but who had a family member who read my book, insisted on
buying several paperback copies from me at retail price. He then gave them to
his relative, so she could offer them as gifts to women who wanted them.
Another reader, in Pennsylvania, who has read my book three times, posted on
Facebook that she wanted to give away free copies of the e-book, to people who
wrote to her. Several people who believe in the message of empowerment they say
Sister of Silence provides have offered to give away paperback copies to law
enforcement agencies, shelters, hospitals and schools in their areas. One woman
in Bellefonte, Pa., asked if I would be willing to ship her some books last
fall, to give to the victims in the Sandusky sex abuse case. She’s kept in
touch with me since then, and has been ecstatic about being able to reach the
victims with the books. A student who said SOS helped her to break off an
abusive relationship she was in when she read it, has been buying copies and
giving them away to other girls at her college.
**Other things I did:
-
I originally had the e-book priced at $9.99, which I believed was too high. Then I began hearing from women who wanted it, but who couldn’t afford it. So I lowered the price to $2.99. After reading about Amanda Hocking’s success, I debated about lowering the price to 99-cents, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to. I feared that people would think it was worthless, since I was almost giving it away.
-
- At the same time, I held a contest at Goodreads.com, and gave away 20 books, I think, to winners in the U.S., Canada, England and Australia.
-
I also gave away the e-book free for a three-day period recently. (More about that below . . .)
5.
When did the spike in sales happen?
The first spike occurred last fall, after I lowered
the price to $2.99. In December I went from selling 25 to 50 e-books a month.
The second spike occurred in April, after I lowered the price to 99-cents. I
did this in response to the Hooker-Powers case. I was appalled that so many
parents keep missing clues about their kids being victimized, and I thought the
lower price might just mean it would reach more parents. So by the end of May,
between Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Smashwords, I was selling about 100 copies
a month of the e-book.
the price to $2.99. In December I went from selling 25 to 50 e-books a month.
The second spike occurred in April, after I lowered the price to 99-cents. I
did this in response to the Hooker-Powers case. I was appalled that so many
parents keep missing clues about their kids being victimized, and I thought the
lower price might just mean it would reach more parents. So by the end of May,
between Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Smashwords, I was selling about 100 copies
a month of the e-book.
happened after the recent Memorial Day promotion ended. Before I tell you how
that turned out, I have to say that we lost three women to domestic violence
here in just three weeks. (By “here,” I mean neighboring Preston County, where
my book takes place.) I wrote about
their deaths at my website, and our entire community was heartbroken. (Normally
WV has two deaths from DV a month, and that figure has remained steady since
the 1970’s. This year, as of two weeks ago, we already had 17.) Reading their
online comments and seeing how upset everyone was, as well as realizing that
women can escape but just don’t know how to do it, is what made me decide to
give the book away.
A few years ago, I was invited to speak at a local
Take Back the Night event at WVU. When I wrote my speech, I compared domestic
violence victims to war veterans, and spoke about soldiers who returned home
from the Vietnam War without any emotional support—which then contributed to
more deaths from suicide than actual combat. I used the analogy of women who
are fighting a war inside their own homes, but who die as a result of not
getting help, and I said that these women’s lives would turn out much better if
we would just honor them for what they’ve survived. So I promoted the free
e-book by saying that in honor of Shannon Stafford, Lori Dodson and Leslie
Layman, the three local women who were murdered recently, I wanted to people to
download it during the Memorial Day weekend as a way to remember these women
and others like them.
Take Back the Night event at WVU. When I wrote my speech, I compared domestic
violence victims to war veterans, and spoke about soldiers who returned home
from the Vietnam War without any emotional support—which then contributed to
more deaths from suicide than actual combat. I used the analogy of women who
are fighting a war inside their own homes, but who die as a result of not
getting help, and I said that these women’s lives would turn out much better if
we would just honor them for what they’ve survived. So I promoted the free
e-book by saying that in honor of Shannon Stafford, Lori Dodson and Leslie
Layman, the three local women who were murdered recently, I wanted to people to
download it during the Memorial Day weekend as a way to remember these women
and others like them.
Publishing (KDP) Select exclusive rights to the e-book. I was a little worried
about that, because the majority of my e-book sales had been coming from
B&N.
In short, the book was being downloaded at 660 an hour, on average, which was phenomenal. It went to #2 on Kindle, and it mostly stayed at #3 for half the
time it was free. I must admit I was probably most excited when I realized it
was ranked the same as the best-selling Shades of Grey books!
The results of the promotion are that SOS went from
100 sales a month to 100 a day, which I’m still having trouble processing.
100 sales a month to 100 a day, which I’m still having trouble processing.
6.
What do you think caused it?
What do you think caused it?
I honestly think a lot of things together created a
tremendous amount of buzz about my book. The comments other people—complete
strangers I’ve never met, who live all over the country and even in Australia
and Canada—post on Facebook; the fact that Gene Owens, a syndicated columnist
in the South wrote about the book after he and his wife read it; the Bob
Edwards interview; a brief TV interview on “In A Word;” the book being banned;
all of these things helped create buzz.
tremendous amount of buzz about my book. The comments other people—complete
strangers I’ve never met, who live all over the country and even in Australia
and Canada—post on Facebook; the fact that Gene Owens, a syndicated columnist
in the South wrote about the book after he and his wife read it; the Bob
Edwards interview; a brief TV interview on “In A Word;” the book being banned;
all of these things helped create buzz.
But when you have such a sheer volume of readers
downloading your book—almost 34,000—in just three days, you have a really good
chance that some of those 34,000 people will tell other people, who will tell
other people, and so on.
downloading your book—almost 34,000—in just three days, you have a really good
chance that some of those 34,000 people will tell other people, who will tell
other people, and so on.
7.
Do you have any advice for fellow writers?
Do you have any advice for fellow writers?
-
Yes, first and foremost is this: you must believe in
your ability as a writer and in your book. That it’s a great story, that it’s
well-written, that it’s a powerful message other people need. Any of the three
or all of them, but believing in your book is crucial, because if you don’t
believe in it, no one else will. -
I think in the highly-evolving world of
e-publishing, it’s a mistake for any writer to not have an e-book. Maybe, like
Hocking did, that’s the first place to begin. Then, if the e-book does well,
release a paperback version. -
If at all possible, hire a reputable proofreader and
even an editor and let them do their job. -
Don’t be afraid to ask important people for help.
Surprisingly often, they’ll be happy to help you out. -
Don’t read the negative reviews. I don’t and apparently
I don’t need to, because my readers do—and feel compelled to respond to the
reviewer. (I found this out after looking at one negative review.) I look at
bad reviews this way: if someone disagrees with what I’ve written, for whatever
reason, then they can write their own book. If they can say it better than I
did, then my hat’s off to them. Otherwise, negative reviews mean you got
people’s attention, which means people are talking—about your book!
8.
Any other thoughts or advice?
Any other thoughts or advice?
It took me 20 years to write this book, and I used
many of the diaries and journals I have been keeping since I was quite young
for the basis of much of what I wrote. I began SOS in 1988 and finished in
2008. Then I worked on revising it some more. The final polishing occurred
after Jeannette Walls told me I needed to dig deep down inside myself, find the
emotions I felt when I experienced the events I write about, and then write
them in such a way so the reader could feel them. Had I not listened to her, no
one would want to read Sister of Silence now. Nor would people be saying it
resonates with them, and they actually feel like they’re right there with me,
as they read about my journey.
many of the diaries and journals I have been keeping since I was quite young
for the basis of much of what I wrote. I began SOS in 1988 and finished in
2008. Then I worked on revising it some more. The final polishing occurred
after Jeannette Walls told me I needed to dig deep down inside myself, find the
emotions I felt when I experienced the events I write about, and then write
them in such a way so the reader could feel them. Had I not listened to her, no
one would want to read Sister of Silence now. Nor would people be saying it
resonates with them, and they actually feel like they’re right there with me,
as they read about my journey.
Bio
Daleen Berry is an award-winning author, editor, investigative journalist and public speaker. Since 1979 she has written more than 3,000 articles for newspapers, magazines, and newsletters. Many of those articles dealt with social topics such as depression, suicide, mental illness, sexual assault and domestic violence.
In June 2012 Berry became the first recipient of the “Pearl Buck Award in Writing for Social Change” for her as-yet-unpublished book, Lethal Silence. The award was given jointly by West Virginia Writers and the Pearl S. Buck Birthplace Foundation. She’s a blogger for The Huffington Post who has also written for The Daily Beast.
In 2006, Sister Of Silence took first place at the West Virginia Writers’ Conference in the “Appalachian Theme” category. In 2007 she received two second-place awards for her weekly columns from the Maryland, Delaware, DC Press Association. One of these was awarded in the “critical thinking” category, and directly relates to her book. It is entitled, “Many factors involved when mothers kill.” In May 2005, she won second place in Fairmont State University’s M.M. Neely Persuasive Speaking Competition, for her speech regarding child sexual abuse and its link to domestic violence. Berry also served as editor of The Columns, FSU’s student-run newspaper during the Fall 2004 semester. While serving as editor, Berry led her staff to a record number of awards in the Society of Collegiate Journalists’ annual competition.
In 1991, Berry was editor-in-chief of publications she wrote and published for the West Virginia Deputy Sheriffs’ Association and the West Virginia Fraternal Order of Police. Berry has reported and edited many newspapers during her long career, including The Dominion Post (1997), The Preston County Journal (1988-91), and The Kingsville Record (1993). She was also an Associated Press stringer in 1994.
Links:
***Book site:
Okay, now I have a target to shoot for 33,701 free downloads next Memorial Day for my book about an alien stranded on earth looking for a way to phone his parents and gets that chance with the help of a disenfranchised little boy. Could work. Thanks for sharing Daleen. Proves writing AND marketing are a marathon not a sprint.
Rick, I'm sorry but you'll have to shoot for 33,704, since the actual number was 33,703. (I estimated for the Q&A.) And I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I think that book's already been written. (Or at least the screenplay has.) Of course, given that it was 30 years ago, the majority of people under the age of 30 would probably love your story. You are right there: it is definitely a marathon!
Definitely a marathon. And NOT for the weak of heart!