AMERICAN LIFE 1/2020 Spotlight 23Fotos: Kyu Oh/iStock.com; privat
t’s that time again for New Year’s resolutions. I actu-
ally followed through on my top resolution in 2019
— to write a book. Writing it was relatively easy, since
I had been saving up stories for this book for years.
It was the publishing and marketing that presented
the greater challenge. I had to figure out the layout,
contents page, and cover design, among other things.
Self-publishing seemed like the way to go. After a
lot of research, I learned that I could upload my files
to Amazon, and they would print the books for me.
I could then order as many as I wanted, making only
a small payment for each copy. I ordered one — just
to make sure that everything looked right. The excite-
ment of holding a copy of that first published book
in my hands is hard to describe. It looked good, so I
ordered 50 more.
The next step was to get these into the hands of
readers. In other words, make some sales. I had a cap-
tive audience in the town where I live, since almost
everyone knew I was writing the book, and they all
wanted to find out whether or not they were men-
tioned. Some were afraid they would be, while others
worried that they wouldn’t be. And then I came up
with my first brilliant marketing tactic. “You know,
the only way to find out is to buy a copy,” I told them.
The books flew off the shelves.
I also held book-signing events at bookstores in
the area, which resulted in some fascinating conver-
sations with my readers. Many told me new stories
and urged me to include them in my “next” book. Uh-
oh! They expect me to write another book?
There have been a few embarrassing situations.
Like the time a guy from town asked me to sign the
book using his name. I drew a complete blank. “Can
you spell your name for me?” I said. He looked at me
questioningly. “T-o-m,” he said. “Well, I thought it
might be T-h-o-m,” I replied with a smile. I’m pretty
sure I didn’t fool him.Part of the book’s title is “Hilarious Tales from a
Fictional Adirondack Town.” Of course, I told every-
one that it was not about the town where I live. But
when one newspaper noted that the cover shows a
picture of the general store in my town and also dis-
closed the town’s name, people here grew suspicious.
Some are now a bit annoyed with me. Maybe because
they think the book’s publicity is attracting too many
visitors to town. Or perhaps it’s because they were
hoping to find themselves in the book.
And then came my next brilliant marketing idea.
Perhaps I should write an article about the book for
Spotlight and let readers know that they can order it at
Amazon.de by typing in Downtown by Ginger Henry
Kuenzel. They can even practice their written Eng-
lish by writing an online review. Did I mention that
self-publishing a book turns the author into a shame-
less self-promoter?attract [E(trÄkt]
, anziehen, anlocken
blank: draw a complete ~
[blÄNk]
, völlig auf dem Schlauch stehen
captive audience
[)kÄptIv (O:diEns]
, unfreiwilliges Publikum
copy [(kA:pi]
, hier: Exemplar
disclose [dIs(kloUz]
, preisgeben, enthüllen
embarrassing [Im(bÄrEsIN]
, peinlich
follow through on sth.
[)fA:loU (Tru: A:n]
, etw. durchziehen
general store [(dZen&rEl stO:r]
, Gemischtwarenladenhilarious [hI(leriEs]
, urkomisch
pretty [(prIti]
, hier: ziemlich
resolution [)rezE(lu:S&n]
, Vorsatz
self-promoter [)self prE(moUt&r]
, Selbstvermarkter(in)
self-publishing [(self )pVblISIN]
, Eigenverlag
shameless [(SeImlEs]
, unverschämt, schamlos
suspicious [sE(spISEs]
, verdächtig, misstrauisch
urge [§:dZ]
, drängenAMERICAN LIFE
In the book
business
Veröffentlichen im Eigenverlag ist eine einfache Methode,
sein Buch herauszubringen. Die Frage ist dann nur, wie
man damit einen Gewinn machen kann.MEDIUM US PLUSGINGER KUENZEL
is a freelance
writer who lived
in Munich for 20
years. She now
calls a small
town in upstate
New York home.