viajando05

Aquila Media Productions 

 

 

bringing publishing to you

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At first I thought just becoming a publisher sounded like something fun to do.  You just publish books, right? Then I added the idea of producing book trailers (like movie trailers). We did a film shoot. I have enough footage of 2 authors to create a dozen possible products, both informational as well as marketing. Since the latest venture involves music history, I decided I should do a CD of the appropriate music. Then I committed to assist Take 2, a non-profit organization whose purpose is shooting footage in political hot spots (Cuba, Sudan) and providing the footage to high school students to learn to make videos and other electronic media products while acquiring greater global awareness. I am working on the curriculum aspect.  It appears that Aquila will be about media development, not just book publishing. Here are some projects I expect to release soon or have released within the last few months:

The big news is that two more books are done, and I hope to get the third out before the end of the year. I'm really proud of them.

  • The Music of Charles Leslie Johnson: A Collector's Journey
     (soft cover, full-color book, expensive and exquisite)
  • Rags and Other Riches: Instrumental Selections of Charles Leslie Johnson (black and white sheet music)
  • Rags and Other Riches II: A Songbook of Charles Leslie Johnson
  • Get the Message?
  • In Living Color: A Synesthete's Perceptions
  • writing curriculum for Take 2 (see more here)
  • other projects for next year

 

I do believe the day of trying to "break in" to publishing is over. You can't find a publisher; you can't even get a literary agent to speak to you. Getting anyone to read your manuscript for consideration can take a year. Publishing a book can take up to three years. I'm sorry! It just doesn't have to be that way. My friend and I put out our first two books in two months. We had a huge learning curve, and we both got really stressed out, but we put out two books in our first two months.

Book publishing and marketing are changing as we speak. Publishing can be fast and personalized. Marketing happens with Google, Amazon, Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, and other social networking mechanisms you never even heard of. Books utilize trailers for advertising, just like movies do. The Kindle and electronic books will change readers' perceptions of how and where to read. But all that aside, do I still love the smell, weight, look, and feel of an actual book? You bet I do! Am I giving that up? Absolutely not! Do I want writers to give that up? Definitely not!

I want Aquila Media Productions to provide easily accessible publishing to writers with something valuable to contribute to small, niche markets. Well, ok, a best-seller would be fun too. I want writers to feel confident that they have something to give, certain that they have someone they trust to help them give it, and convinced that they will contribute something that others out there in the world can benefit from. My goal is to make it fun, profitable, and fulfilling for all parties concerned. Check out the Aquila site to see what it's about.

How on earth did this happen?

It's all a blur. Last fall it looked like I had inherited a small, defunct publishing company out of Las Vegas. Instead of revitalizing it, I decided to create one in Texas -- an entirely new venture. Kind of like the Mongolian horse trek: I'm from Texas, I can ride a horse, right? Well, it's the same thing. I've read a lot of books; I can publish them, right?

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Here's what I've learned so far:

  • There's no money in publishing
  • Copy editing never ends
  • Publishing is not rocket science
  • I can't do it all by myself, but I can do a lot.
  • Helping someone bring a book to life is the most fun EVER!
  • I probably haven't made every single mistake possible yet, but I've a good head start.

 

where will I go from here?

I have no idea. I'm not even sure I'm in charge. Things just seem to happen.So far I haven't had to seek out projects or authors. I have already had current authors recommending me to other people so I guess I'm not completely obnoxious to work with.

I know I want to be diverse, not only in the concept of developing all sorts of media but also in different genres.

I'm looking for a few more writers. I have a couple of friends waiting in the wings that I know could write a good book. I'd love to see that happen.