From Family Letters to a Published Book
Here's how I self-published Sealed with a Kiss and what I wish I'd known before I finished the manuscript.
As told by Bob Zielsdorf
Fran and I wrote to each other from 1957 until we got married in 1965. Four hundred and thirty-five of those letters survive. I used them to tell the story of those eight years in Sealed with a Kiss: An American Love Story in Letters. I'd never tried to write a book before. I had a collection of letters, an idea for what they could become, and a good deal to learn about getting a book into print.
I was fortunate to work with Suzanne Fox, a creative editor who helped me shape the manuscript. We both thought there was something special in the final draft. By then we'd done enough work together to feel that it was worth seeing whether a commercial publisher would take it on.
How a chapter got me to a literary agent
I started with one chapter. I sent it to Robert Dilenschneider, a friend and classmate of mine from Notre Dame who had a public relations firm in New York. He read it, liked it, and offered to introduce me to someone he knew in the book business.
That turned out to be Mel Parker, a New York literary agent. Mel read the manuscript and thought it had a chance with a commercial publisher. He took it on and started showing it to the major publishing houses. I'd gone from wondering if someone in the industry would read a chapter to having an agent take the book out on my behalf.
Why I decided to self-publish
The response Mel got surprised me. The editors liked the manuscript, but the marketing people had trouble seeing where they'd put it. It's a love story and a coming-of-age story, told through the letters Fran and I wrote to each other. It didn't fit neatly into one category, and I was a first-time author most people had never heard of.
After about six months, Mel told me he'd really thought he could place the book. He advised me to self-publish. He felt the old stigma around self-publishing had faded, and he pointed out what I'd gain by doing it myself. I'd have control over how the book was made and sold. Suzanne was still there to help, so we decided to go ahead.
How we took the book from manuscript to print
Suzanne and I had to find a book designer and learn what it took to go from a finished manuscript to a book someone could hold. I'd spent my time up to then thinking about the words and the letters. Now I had to think about how those pages would come together as a printed book and how a reader would get a copy.
We chose to sell through Amazon, in print and on Kindle. Getting there took a fair amount of time and effort. Even once the book was printed and available to order, there was another part of the job waiting for me. I had to get out and tell people about it.
Finding readers meant getting out and talking to people
I gave a lot of talks at book clubs and other groups. That was one way I could put the story in front of people who might want to read it. The marketing work could feel like a second job, and I had fun learning how to do it. I remember it being an Amazon bestseller in its category for about five weeks. I was proud of that, and I remember the effort it took to get there.
One of the biggest surprises was learning what publishers mean when they talk about an author's platform. What I learned was that a platform meant an audience who already knew you and might buy your book. I figured I could reach a few hundred people at best. That was a different proposition for a publisher than taking on an author who could already reach thousands.
What I wish I'd known before publishing
If I were starting again, I'd think earlier about who might want to read the book and how I'd reach them. Writing was the part I could picture when I sat down with the letters. I had much less idea how much time I'd spend working with an editor, finding a designer, getting the book printed, and telling people it existed.
It cost me more to publish the book than I've ever made back in sales. I'd still do it. I learned how a book gets made, and I got to share a story that had been tucked away in letters for years. I still sell a copy from time to time. After everything it took to get from those letters to a printed book, I'm glad the story's out there for someone new to find.