WOODLAND RESIDENT PAT NELSON has turned her passion for writing into a successful career as a both a contributor and editor for a new series of humor books, Not Your Mother’s Book ..., which debuted earlier this year.
Pat Nelson has been a part of the local writing community for most of her life. The 66-year-old Woodland resident is celebrating the recent release of the new anthology which she co-authored, Not Your Mother’s Book ... On Being a Parent, which was released on Oct. 1.
“I’ve always loved to write and also enjoy proofreading and the whole process,” Nelson said. “My style has always been along the lines of finding humor in everyday life, so a book like this was a great experience for me.”
Co-written by Dahlynn and Ken McKowen, who themselves co-authored and consulted on the popular Chicken Soup for the Soul series for 10 years, the 319-page book features 68 true stories about parenting from conception to parenting older parents, all in a way to get a good laugh.
Nelson met the McKowen’s when she first began submitting stories to them for the Chicken Soup books, which also provided her first glimpse of how the book publishing world can work.
“I sent them a story I’d written and they came back telling me it was ‘perfect’ for an anthology themed around the Red Hat Society. Unfortunately, though, the book got cancelled,” said Nelson. “They then told me they were going to put it in another Chicken Soup book, but I found out that it too got cancelled. So six years went by until Dahlynn and Ken started their own publishing company and decided to make the new series.”
When she’s not writing essays for the Not Your Mother’s Book ... series, she’s usually proofreading them along with other books the McKowens are attempting to publish under their company, Publishing Syndicate.
“We were fortunate because we’ve published a newsletter for a number of years that we can keep in contact with so many great writers from everywhere,” said Dahlynn McKowen. “When we decided to start the new series, Pat was at the top of the list for writers we wanted to work with because she is so passionate and versatile as a writer and editor.”
Nelson was also way ahead of the curve in self-publishing her first book, You ... the Credit Union Member, which chronicled her time as a credit union worker while she was still in her twenties, four decades before it became a practical option for most writers today.
“I wrote it while I was raising two kids and my husband was working,” said Nelson. “I had some late nights cleaning the house and wrote while everyone else slept. It was some of the only quiet time I had and I really liked it.”
When she made the decision to bypass the traditional route of getting an agent, finding an editor and hoping a publisher would offer a deal, it was as much out of practicality than it was about taking a risk.
“I just figured why not do it myself? I knew how to target my audiences and find my market,” said Nelson. “The orders started coming in from across the country, and even internationally, and before I knew it, all the copies were gone.”
A year after publishing it, all 10,000 copies she’d ordered were gone, and if Nelson has any regrets about the process, it’s that she didn’t reprint the book.
“I think if I had, I’d still be selling copies now because I kept getting orders for years after I ran out,” said Nelson. “I should’ve kept it going, but at the time, the success was intimidating so I was glad to be done with it for a little while.”
When her credit union days were over, she began working with her husband, Bob, in their wholesale retail business and for a while, writing took a temporary backseat but was never too far away.
“We had bills to pay and that requires sacrifices, so I was able to put it on the backburner for a little while, but I knew I’d get back to it eventually,” said Nelson.
In 2004, a visit back to her hometown of Bemidji, MN, gave her an idea to document the history of the Lake Julia Tuberculosis Sanatorium. In the first half of the 20th century, such places were common in the attempt to find a cure for the disease. It was also where her parents met.
“It’s been an eye-opening experience and I’ve been back on research trips a few times since then. I’m very curious to see how it will eventually shape up,” said Nelson.
She is also working with the newer generations of writers in helping them develop their craft as well. She currently volunteers at Burton Elementary School and now a grandmother of four, Nelson’s helped two of her granddaughters to submit stories to the McKowen’s new anthology series aimed at younger audiences, OMG! My Reality!
“I talk to writers all the time who’ve never even considered submitting stories to anthologies because they think they need to have the great American novel done first, but they’re a great way to build your platform as an author,” said Nelson. “They can give you a way to also develop your writing voice and work with different subjects, so it helps to be informed of what publishers are looking for. I honestly couldn’t imagine what my career would look like now if I hadn’t started with them.”
She also recommends new writers learn the technical side of marketing themselves and understand how important networking is.
“You have to have a website and online presence these days, even if it’s a blog and a few examples of your smaller work. You’re giving yourself a footprint for people to follow,” said Nelson. “It’s also key to know and use social media to network. We’re in the business of building each other up as writers too.”
McKowen added that one of her joys as a publisher is giving writers their first chance to see their work in print and is always looking for new submissions.
“I live for that and there are so many brilliant writers out there who’ve simply never got a chance to show what they can do,” said McKowen. “Pat was one of those writers and she’s helped us find a lot of others in her part of the world. It might not pay a million dollars each time, but it does offer a chance to get on your way there.”
The McKowens have 30 titles planned for their Not Your Mother’s Book ... series and Nelson is currently working on two more titles, ... On Being a Grandparent and ... On Working for a Living. Their current books are available at www.Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble and most book retailers nationwide.
The Publishing Syndicate is still accepting submissions, with more information available at their website, www.publishingsyndicate.com.
More information about Pat Nelson is available at her website, www.storystorm.us.
