By Tiffanie Clark

Managing Editor

Norwegian-American Weekly

(Oct. 31, 2008)

According to the Association of American Publishers, net sales from major book publishing in 2007 reached $25 billion. R.R. Bowker, the company that compiles the books in print database and assigns ISBN (International Standard Book Numbers) reported that in 2007, there were 276,649 new titles and editions available in the U.S.

A very small handful of those books were written with an incredibly specific audience in mind – you. Writing for a Norwegian-American audience comes in all shapes and sizes. When we are at home lost in a great book, most of us don’t think about the fact that every single word we are reading was thought out, that line-by-line the book was edited and that some serious planning had to be done to get this story from someone’s computer screen into our hands.

The life and work of an author is undoubtedly interesting, challenging and rewarding.  For many authors the process of completing a manuscript can take years. Writing about Norway, even in fiction, requires research and dedication. It requires an understanding of history, culture and lifestyle.

Every writer follows a unique path to find his or her story. Bill Fuller, author of Reckless Courage: The True Story of a Norwegian Boy Under Nazi Rule, found his story while he was recovering from a cancer operation. His visiting nurse’s father has been a teenager in Stavanger during World War II and to call that man’s life fascinating would be a complete understatement. Author Anita Alan found her story, Big Sur Inn – The Deetjen Legacy, at a charming, historic inn in California. Author of Hidden Falls, Carla Danzinger was able to use her Norwegian heritage and the time she spent in Bergen and Sognefjord as inspiration for her mystery romance novel.

An idea for a good book can come from so many different places but how you get that great idea out of your head, into a book, and into other people’s homes is really the challenge.

Once an author begins writing, they must consider how they will get their book published. There are numerous options when it comes to publishing and no way is really more right than the other.

“I started my own publishing company, Astri My Astri Publishing, after writing Astri, My Astri: Norwegian Heritage Stories, a bilingual book featuring 16 true stories,” said Deb Nelson Gourley, whose publishing company has since published a number of books.

For some authors it’s easier to work with a pre-existing publishing company. This is the route that Anita Alan chose, but for others, POD (print on demand) is even better still. Carla Danzinger explains, “The self-published book is usually POD – that is, when the publisher receives a certain number of orders, they print that number of books.  Some authors may go to a small printing company and have a number of books printed in advance. However, they then need to find a way to sell those copies. A mainstream publisher prints a quantity of books in advance and then hopes to sell them through booksellers (stores). When booksellers receive books from publishers, there’s usually an understanding that the publisher will take back any books not sold. This is generally not the case with print-on-demand publishers, and thus the reason that booksellers don’t want to order books they can’t return. (Some self-publishers offer “returnability” if the author pays several hundred dollars for the service).”

If deciding how to get the book published weren’t enough of a challenge, authors must then consider how to market the book and get it sold.

“An author must have a web site,” encouraged author J.A. Hunsinger. He initially set up a web site to get the word out about his book Axe of Iron. He now has a webmaster who takes care of updating the site and contacting potential venues to sell the book. Web sites are an excellent tool for book promotion and connecting with readers and book stores. Nearly all the authors that have advertised in the Norwegian American Weekly have web sites where more information about their writing is available.

“I’ve started a blog. Social networking sites have sprouted all over the Internet like LinkedIn, Facebook, Plaxo Pulse, MySpace, YouTube, which have become overwhelming in many ways. However, the existence of these sites plus the blogging phenomenon has forced the public relations industry to look at these sites and how they can be utilized for exposure for their clients,” said Michael Kleiner, author of Beyond the Cold: An American’s Warm Portrait of Norway.

Technology had undoubtedly changed the face of publishing and even the task of writing and although many things have evolved with the ever-changing times, the basics are still the same. Books start with a person who wants to tell a story. As in the case of Michael Kleiner, they begin with a man who wanted to be a writer since the time he cold hold a pencil. They begin with a woman staying at an inn or a man who’s had a life-long passion for medieval history. And for some of us, owning a great book that reminds us of our heritage, can in its own way, take us right back to Norway.

Check out future issues of the Norwegian American Weekly for our new feature “Beyond the Book,” where authors of Norwegian-American books will discuss the process of writing their books and getting them published. (So far, no additional articles have appeared-MK)