Janet Ann Collins
Author, Teacher & Speaker
janATjanetanncollinsDOTcom
Janet Ann Collins is a retired teacher who used to write feature articles for a newspaper in the San Francisco Bay Area and has had many other things published in periodicals. Collins also worked in the dormitories at California School for the Deaf for many years. She and her husband have one grown daughter and raised three deaf foster sons with special needs. They also have one grandson.
The Peril of the Sinister Scientistby Janet Ann Collins Copyright: 2009 Janet Ann Collins
ISBN:13:978-1-935137-79-5
Ebook ISBN 13: 978-1-935137-80-1
Price: $7.95 US (hard copy)
Format ebook, paperback, CD
Genre/age group/type of publication: Tweener fiction for ages eight to 13
When Joshua’s mother tells him a scientist who tried to make a clone from the blood on the Shroud of Turin is after him, the boy’s active imagination takes over and he thinks he might be a clone of Jesus Christ, a king from the middle ages, or a criminal. Joshua must learn his true identity while trying to escape from the sinister scientist.
Aday: How do you create believable and lovable characters like Joshua?
Janet: Writing fiction is a lot like acting. You must know the characters you portray so well that you can easily tell how they would act in any situation. Although Joshua is a boy, his over-active imagination is a lot like mine.
Aday: How do you find that out?
Janet: You need to figure out what the character’s temperament is, their environment, what sort of experiences they’ve had, and how they would react to random things. It helps to be familiar with similar people. In the case of Joshua, I had been a substitute teacher in a middle school like the one he attends and seen lots of kids his age in various situations. I knew what it was like to grow up without a father because mine had died when I was young.
Aday: How have you tried to sell the book?
Janet: The book is available online at many places including Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and the publisher’s website, www.guardianangelpublishing.com. Local bookstores can order it through their distributors. I’ve also sold books at a local street market, booksignings, to friends and family, and some people who read about it on my blog or Facebook page have ordered copies. I have several speaking engagements scheduled and expect to sell copies there.
Aday: How do/did you get stores to stock the book?
Janet: I’ve approached local stores in person or by phone and asked them to carry it. Some agreed to keep it in stock while others say customers will need to request it.
Aday: What objections have you faced and how have you tried to overcome them?
Janet: Because of the current economic situation many bookstores I’ve approached or planned to approach have gone out of business or are for sale. There’s not much I can do about that but my book is available online and, because it’s with a small press, it should stay in print until the economy improves.
Aday: Is your book sold in stores other than book stores? How did you approach them?
Janet: So far it isn’t in other types of stores because I haven’t found any appropriate to the topic.
Aday: Have you had book signings and speaking engagements? If yes, how did you get them?
Janet: Guardian Angel Publishing recently had a booksigning at a Barnes and Noble in Oregon for a group of authors and illustrators they work with and I was involved in that. I was able to hold a signing at my church because one of my critique groups is a small group there. I also rented a booth at a street market to sell and sign some books and hand out publicity material. I’ve spoken at some conferences for years and was already scheduled to do those again. I also contacted the people in charge of some local organizations and pitched my speaking topics to them. Since the book hasn’t been out for long there will be many other opportunities to promote it.
Aday: What type of advertising or publicity have you had?
Janet: I haven’t paid for advertising, unless you count getting bookmarks made and buying copies to send to media, but before the book was published I became active in social networking and hundreds of people see my posts there.
Aday: Did local media cover the fair? You specifically?
Janet: The street market is held every week all Summer and gets a lot of publicity at the beginning of the season, but I had my booth at the end of August and didn’t get any specific publicity. However around a thousand people attend each evening and nearly all of them saw my booth, so that, in itself, was good publicity.
Aday: Have local papers or radio noted your publication success?
Janet: No, the ones I’ve approached so far have not been interested. I’ve attended workshops about marketing at writers’ conferences and they all say media will only do stories about books being published if there’s a way to tie that in with something more newsworthy. I’m hoping some events like that will happen in the next few months and, if they do, I’ll try again.
Aday: What is the most effective venue for book sales?
Janet: I’m not experienced enough to know that yet, but I’ve heard it’s word of mouth. If
people like a book they will tell others about it.
Aday: How did you become a speaker? How long have you been speaking at conferences? What type(s)?
Janet: I’ve been speaking at conferences for over ten years. I can’t remember exactly when I started. Another author I met at a conference suggested a convention for church workers that didn’t pay much but had been the first place to let her speak. Since I’d attended lots of conferences I knew what sort of things they need for workshop leaders so I pitched a couple of topics to them, they accepted me, and I’ve spoken there many times since. Having that experience made it easier to get accepted elsewhere. I’ve been speaking at a conference for beginning writers for many years because I used to write for a newspaper and have had work published in lots of periodicals. And I’ve spoken to parent groups, taught classes, and had quite a bit of other experience.
