Local author Carmen Glenn, isn’t your typical writer. You won’t find her locked away in her office at two in the afternoon and you won’t find her on the best-seller’s list as one who has been taken advantage of by a big business publishing company. Glenn is a mother of two and has a full-time career. With five books under her belt since 2006, she happens to find time to self publish.
“I’ve always been an avid reader, even as a child. I’ve always had in the back of my mind that I would like to write a book after I retired,” Glenn said. “My first book came when I was writing some thoughts about the things I was dealing with in the work place. My sister suggested that it would make a great book but I had no intention on publishing. Writing is like my personal counseling,” she said.
With high Amazon ratings, this Cincinnati native who currently resides in Indianapolis with her husband and two children, says she has no reason to stop writing.
“It depends on how much you’d like to do yourself and I wasn’t interested in doing that,” said Glenn on going through a traditional publisher. “I wanted to write the manuscript and have someone else take it from there.”
For each of her five books, Glenn has control over the books’ cover art and the publishing company retrieves the U.S. Congress and ISBN numbers, provides Glenn with a website and combines the manuscript into a book format.
If an author decides to go through a traditional publisher, they handle everything upon the submission of the manuscript. Glenn is content with the fact that she can control the direction of her work.
“They may want the story to end differently. They may want characters brought in or cut out. They may fix your cover and will determine when the book releases and how much marketing they put behind the book. My stories are unique, they’re mine and from my perspective and I largely write based upon my experience as well as others I’ve encountered,” said Glenn. “I don’t want anyone changing that. I don’t want a cover that I feel is unattractive or a price that could knock me out of the market.”
A self-published author could pay from a couple hundred dollars up to several thousand dollars depending on what they would like the company to do for them, how much work the writer is willing to do themselves and the quality of work desired.
Glenn says there is certain things self-published authors should keep in mind, including the editing process. She believes that no matter how confident a writer is with their skill set, a professional should give their work a second look.
Promoting one’s own work can be a challenge, especially for those that have a job full-time and a family to provide for. Glenn said the theme of her first book portrayed a woman who was attempting to gain a work-life balance.
“You have to give up something,” she said. “There are only 24 hours in a day. Whether you have to make some compromises at work with how many hours you can put in or some at home to have that free time, which for me is devoted to my writing career. At times you have to lose some sleep,” she says laughing.
Sydney Wharton, Glenn’s daughter says her mother has sacrificed a lot during the process of writing and publishing.
“Of course there is money to get the books published and time to write the books and attend the events to promote herself and her product, but I think the biggest sacrifice was her fear. It’s always scary to live out your dreams, but I’m happy she did it,” said Wharton.
Glenn says the city is helpful when it comes to self-promoting, however Indiana and the Midwest primarily emphasize sports.
“As far as it being an author’s paradise, I can’t say that it is, so it does present some challenges. New York is the hubbub right now or even California, but I live smack dab in the middle, so I have to put in the extra effort,” said Glenn.
She finds the marketing technique that is most successful involves face-to-face personal interaction. Her family informs her about events and helps spread the word.
Wharton is Glenn’s self-proclaimed public relations assistant and plans to continue traveling with her mother to promote her work. “I would love for my mom to conquer the Midwest,” Wharton said.
“I am going to continue to write and I have developed a fan base and so there are people who are looking for the next book, but I am not sure when that will release,” added Glenn.
Glenn is looking forward to converting her writing career into a full-time commitment, in which she is now preparing for. She is also considering stepping outside of her romantic genre and writing under a pen name in a new area.
For more information on Carmen Glenn and her romance novels, visit her website atcarmenglennoverdrive.com
