Lena Kovadlo's Blog, page 5
October 24, 2012
My 7th book - new book of poetry
I am very excited to be working on my seventh book. It will be a book of poetry. I came up with the concept for the book at the time when I was working on my first poetry book Pieces of Me and can't wait to finally bring it to life.
Just like Pieces of Me this new book will be divided into sections, with each section featuring poetry on similar topics. I already have a lot of poetry previously written that will go into this book but I will probably write more poetry for it, especially for those sections that don't have a lot of poetry in them at this time.
The working title for this book is My Every Color but it may very well change. Still, it will be related to the concept of the book that I had come up with. I will keep you updated on my progress.
This book will be released through the same publisher I have used for years - LULU (lulu.com).
Just like Pieces of Me this new book will be divided into sections, with each section featuring poetry on similar topics. I already have a lot of poetry previously written that will go into this book but I will probably write more poetry for it, especially for those sections that don't have a lot of poetry in them at this time.
The working title for this book is My Every Color but it may very well change. Still, it will be related to the concept of the book that I had come up with. I will keep you updated on my progress.
This book will be released through the same publisher I have used for years - LULU (lulu.com).
July 12, 2012
Sequel to Treasure.....
It was always a dream of mine to write and one day publish a poetic tale. When I first got the idea for a poetic tale in my head I had no idea what would happen. Didn't know what that idea would evolve into. And months later my first poetic tale
Treasure
came to life. It was a fun and exciting journey writing this poetic tale and watching it unfold. I am thrilled that it is now available in a pocket-size paperback format for all to enjoy.
Here a summary of what this poetic tale is all about:
Fin, the lover of the sea, swims in search of land that others believe
does not exist. He is determined to find it and when at last he does, he
finds a female lying on the shore. Her beauty takes his breath away,
and not knowing her name, he calls her Angel. Not only does he find the
land that others think does not exist but he also finds a girl, who
becomes his true love, his treasure. Together, they have many adventures
as they explore the island, but all is not perfect as obstacles try to
tear them apart. Can they weather these obstacles and stay together,
keeping their love alive? Find out as you immerse yourself in Treasure
and get lost in the world of Fin and Angel where anything can happen...
Well, now that Treasure is out there... I want to see if I can write a sequel to this story. I already have an idea for it. Now it is time to try and develop it and see where I can go with it. I am very excited about this new project. I already have some stanzas written, which is quite helpful. I am moving along... I hope I can master this... Writing a poetic tale that also follows a certain rhyme scheme throughout is not an easy thing to do. I've learned that when I was writing Treasure. I am sure there will be ups and downs during the writing process but it will all be worth it in the end...
Here a summary of what this poetic tale is all about:
Fin, the lover of the sea, swims in search of land that others believe
does not exist. He is determined to find it and when at last he does, he
finds a female lying on the shore. Her beauty takes his breath away,
and not knowing her name, he calls her Angel. Not only does he find the
land that others think does not exist but he also finds a girl, who
becomes his true love, his treasure. Together, they have many adventures
as they explore the island, but all is not perfect as obstacles try to
tear them apart. Can they weather these obstacles and stay together,
keeping their love alive? Find out as you immerse yourself in Treasure
and get lost in the world of Fin and Angel where anything can happen...
Well, now that Treasure is out there... I want to see if I can write a sequel to this story. I already have an idea for it. Now it is time to try and develop it and see where I can go with it. I am very excited about this new project. I already have some stanzas written, which is quite helpful. I am moving along... I hope I can master this... Writing a poetic tale that also follows a certain rhyme scheme throughout is not an easy thing to do. I've learned that when I was writing Treasure. I am sure there will be ups and downs during the writing process but it will all be worth it in the end...
June 6, 2012
Publishing our poetry in anthologies...
I've never really thought about this before but now it has hit me full force...!!!
If you are a poet than pay attention to this!
A publisher decides to put together an anthology of poems and is looking for people to submit their work to them. They contact us directly (or via a friend) or we stumble upon them ourselves. It really doesn't matter. We become very excited in learning that we can have our poetry published/featured in a book free of charge and we gladly submit our writing to the publisher. The anthology gets published and finally released to the public. We are thrilled about this and buy ourselves a copy, and maybe a few copies to share with our friends or family. We tell others about the anthology and they buy it too. The book is selling, which is amazing, but what do we get from this?
The only reward that we reap from having our poetry in the anthology, aside from feeling excited and happy, is that we are now published, which can help us in our writing careers. That is great but what about money?
The publisher is getting all of the revenue from the book sales while us poets, who have submitted our poetry for the anthology, are not getting a single penny. The publisher is making money off of us and that is not fair!!! If we hadn't submitted our poetry to the anthology the publisher would have never published the book and hence wouldn't be making their money. So we should get paid for submitting our poetry to the anthology and hence allowing the publisher to publish it in their book. Yes, no one is forcing us to submit our poetry. We do it of our own free will. But that doesn't change the fact that we should be paid for it.
Unless you don't care that the publisher is making money on your behalf while you don't get a single cent, don't submit your poetry to any anthology unless they will pay you for allowing them to publish your work.
And another note here... No one should ever charge us for submitting our poetry for an anthology. If there is a fee don't submit anything! The publisher should be the one paying you. Without you, or others submitting their writing to them, the anthology will never be published.
Some publishers will even tell you that you must buy the book to be published in their anthology. You may go along with this if you were planning to buy the book anyway, but we shouldn't be required to buy the book to be published in it. That is not right!
If publishers can get others to submit their poetry for an anthology, publish it, and make money from it by selling it, while giving us poets not a single penny, then we can do the same thing. We don't have to have a publishing company to do it. But why would we stoop so low and follow in their footsteps, if what they are doing is not right?
Also, you shouldn't have to pay anything to publish your own book. If you are trying to find a publisher for your book of poetry and they ask you for a fee to publish your book, especially a very high one, stay away from them and look for a different publisher. Traditional publishers pay authors an advance when they publish their book, they don't charge them for it. So don't fall into the trap of having a publisher say they want to publish your book but in order to do that you will be required to buy a publishing package and spend a lot of money doing so. If a publisher asks you for a fee than they are not a "traditional publisher" but a vanity press or any other name they will call themselves and you should stay away from them, unless you don't mind burning a hole in your wallet.
I know that it is hard to find a traditional publisher who will actually want to publish a poetry book, unless you are some well-known, popular celebrity or an already popular author. That is why you try to find a "non-traditional" publisher, as chances of getting your poetry book published with them are more likely. But those will usually charge you a hefty fee for publishing your book with them... Prices can be in thousands... And why would you want to spend so much money when most likely you won't make much of that money back.
I am not sure how many "non-traditional" publishers exist out there who will publish your poetry book for free, but there is one publisher that does just that - lulu.com - Check them out the next time you are thinking of publishing your poetry book. I've published all my poetry/lyric books with them so far and I have to say that I wouldn't want to publish with anyone else... You won't have to pay a penny to publish with them and you will be able to get your book distributed to amazon and other online websites, maybe even to physical stores. And you can even make an e-book of your book as well. It's well worth it to check it out.
If you are a poet than pay attention to this!
A publisher decides to put together an anthology of poems and is looking for people to submit their work to them. They contact us directly (or via a friend) or we stumble upon them ourselves. It really doesn't matter. We become very excited in learning that we can have our poetry published/featured in a book free of charge and we gladly submit our writing to the publisher. The anthology gets published and finally released to the public. We are thrilled about this and buy ourselves a copy, and maybe a few copies to share with our friends or family. We tell others about the anthology and they buy it too. The book is selling, which is amazing, but what do we get from this?
The only reward that we reap from having our poetry in the anthology, aside from feeling excited and happy, is that we are now published, which can help us in our writing careers. That is great but what about money?
The publisher is getting all of the revenue from the book sales while us poets, who have submitted our poetry for the anthology, are not getting a single penny. The publisher is making money off of us and that is not fair!!! If we hadn't submitted our poetry to the anthology the publisher would have never published the book and hence wouldn't be making their money. So we should get paid for submitting our poetry to the anthology and hence allowing the publisher to publish it in their book. Yes, no one is forcing us to submit our poetry. We do it of our own free will. But that doesn't change the fact that we should be paid for it.
Unless you don't care that the publisher is making money on your behalf while you don't get a single cent, don't submit your poetry to any anthology unless they will pay you for allowing them to publish your work.
And another note here... No one should ever charge us for submitting our poetry for an anthology. If there is a fee don't submit anything! The publisher should be the one paying you. Without you, or others submitting their writing to them, the anthology will never be published.
Some publishers will even tell you that you must buy the book to be published in their anthology. You may go along with this if you were planning to buy the book anyway, but we shouldn't be required to buy the book to be published in it. That is not right!
If publishers can get others to submit their poetry for an anthology, publish it, and make money from it by selling it, while giving us poets not a single penny, then we can do the same thing. We don't have to have a publishing company to do it. But why would we stoop so low and follow in their footsteps, if what they are doing is not right?
Also, you shouldn't have to pay anything to publish your own book. If you are trying to find a publisher for your book of poetry and they ask you for a fee to publish your book, especially a very high one, stay away from them and look for a different publisher. Traditional publishers pay authors an advance when they publish their book, they don't charge them for it. So don't fall into the trap of having a publisher say they want to publish your book but in order to do that you will be required to buy a publishing package and spend a lot of money doing so. If a publisher asks you for a fee than they are not a "traditional publisher" but a vanity press or any other name they will call themselves and you should stay away from them, unless you don't mind burning a hole in your wallet.
I know that it is hard to find a traditional publisher who will actually want to publish a poetry book, unless you are some well-known, popular celebrity or an already popular author. That is why you try to find a "non-traditional" publisher, as chances of getting your poetry book published with them are more likely. But those will usually charge you a hefty fee for publishing your book with them... Prices can be in thousands... And why would you want to spend so much money when most likely you won't make much of that money back.
I am not sure how many "non-traditional" publishers exist out there who will publish your poetry book for free, but there is one publisher that does just that - lulu.com - Check them out the next time you are thinking of publishing your poetry book. I've published all my poetry/lyric books with them so far and I have to say that I wouldn't want to publish with anyone else... You won't have to pay a penny to publish with them and you will be able to get your book distributed to amazon and other online websites, maybe even to physical stores. And you can even make an e-book of your book as well. It's well worth it to check it out.
March 9, 2012
Featuring My Writing on More Websites
For the past few years I have been writing for a wonderful site/community called HubPages. And now I have found a few more sites that I am excited to be a part of - Wizzley, Wikinut, and Triond. I hope you check out these sites and read my writing that is featured there. Feedback is welcome and always appreciated so please leave a few words on whatever you read. Much thanks. Enjoy!
January 20, 2012
My Poetry On Images
Thanks to my friend Susan Joyner-Stumpf, very talented poet and graphic artist, I have embarked on a new creative project - putting poetry on images. It is very creative and a lot of fun to do. The poetry is mine and so are the images. All the images with poetry that I have done so far, and those I will create in the future will go into a photo album on my Facebook Author Page. You can check out my poetry on images here: My Poetry on Images. I really hope you enjoy this. I really enjoy working on these images...
January 2, 2012
My Third Books of Lyrics -Melodies of the Heart - is out now!!!!!!!!!!
My third book of lyrics - Melodies of the Heart - is finally published. It is available on lulu.com as a paperback and an e-book. The paperback version of the book will be available on amazon.com soon. You can preview and purchase the book at my storefront. I am very excited about this book and about the book cover. It is beautiful! There are a little over 100 lyrics in this book. Topics include love, relationships, heartbreak, loss, personal struggles, dreams, and more. Something everyone can relate to I'm sure.
Melodies of the Heart is my 6th book to-date. I hope to write and publish many books in the future - some of them being lyric books.
December 6, 2011
My Lyric Book Update and More...
I have finally reached the 100 mark for my third lyric book. One hundred lyrics have been written and it is now time to look over the entire manuscript for typos and for any changes I need to make to any of the lyrics. After that I am ready to publish my book. I still have to figure out what my book cover will be (mainly front image) and that is not the easiest thing to decide. But all in all I am closer to publishing my book and I am very excited about that.
I have also been playing around more with putting poetry on images and creating images from existing ones. I love the way things are turning out. Now there is more to add to my portfolio :)
I have also been playing around more with putting poetry on images and creating images from existing ones. I love the way things are turning out. Now there is more to add to my portfolio :)
