Anthologies and collaborative books are becoming more popular as readers look for short reads they can once more read on the commute. Today I chat with Glory St. Germain about the why, wherefore and process of writing collaborative books.
Anthologies and collaborative books are becoming more popular as readers look for short reads they can once more read on the commute. Today I chat with Glory St. Germain about the why, wherefore and process of writing collaborative books.
Hi, and welcome to the writing and Marketing Show brought to you by author Wendy H. Jones. This show does exactly what it says on the tin. It's jam packed with interviews, advice, hints, tips and news to help you with the business of writing. It's all wrapped up in one lively podcast. So it's time to get on with the show. And welcome to Episode 77 of the writing and Marketing Show with author entrepreneur Wendy H. Jones. And what a fabulous week it's been since I joined you last week. And today I'm very excited to be welcoming glory Saint Germain, to the show. And we're going to be talking about writing collaborative books or anthologies, as some people call them. So it's going to be a cracking episode. I know Gloria has a lot of knowledge and wisdom in this area. So I'm looking forward to that. So before then, what's been happening in my life? Well, first of all, I've got all the chapters in for the anthology that I'm writing myself. Now, this is called creativity matters. Find your passion for writing. I have 12 authors contributing chapters, my first foray into publishing other authors. And the chapters are phenomenal. They're so powerful, and so passionate, and so helpful for writers, I am so blown away by the standard on the talent of the authors involved. And I can't mention them all here. Because we'll be here, there's 12 of them, and it would take forever, but I will, in a future, a future podcast. But what I will say is that they are all fantastic. And they're all well known in the genres. They're all good at what they do. There are some who are established writers, some who are just starting out as writers, I wanted to give everyone a chance. And this is what doing anthologies and collaborating is about. You can help people you can get just the right people for your collaboration. So I'm very excited about my own collaboration. Before I introduce glory, I would like to say that it's an absolute pleasure to bring you the show every week. I do it willingly. And I love it. And I love interviewing other authors. And when I do my solo shows, however, it does take time out of my writing. If you would like to support this time, you can do so by going to patreon.com that's pa t ar e o n.com. forward slash Wendy h Jones. And you can support me for just the price of a tea or coffee a month. That's $3 a month. And I would be very grateful and it would let me know that you're enjoying it all and that you want me to continue with it. And I would like to continue with it to the 100th show and beyond as they say. So what of glory well, Glory St Germain is an international best selling author and the power of y series, an anthology of global authors, and author publisher of 50 plus books in the ultimate music theory series. She is the host of the global music Summit Series, course creator and expert music educator business coach. Glory loves learning and especially loves books on music, business and psychology. mindset as a subject she believes has a potential to change outcomes. She has a positive positive mental attitude advocate and less her life with gratitude and passion. And she's also a delightful, delightful lady and extremely knowledgeable in the field of music and in the field of writing anthologies or who will find out. So without further ado, let's get on with the show and hear from glory. And we have glory with us. Hi, Glory. How are you?
Glory St Germain:I'm fantastic. Wendy, how about you?
Wendy Jones:Oh, I'm having a great day. And I'm even better because I'm getting to chat to you. That's always a bonus.
Glory St Germain:Ah, well, thank you so much. I'm really excited to be here. And thank you for having me as a guest.
Wendy Jones:You're welcome. Now you're not in. You're not in Scotland with an accent like that. So can you tell us where you are at the moment?
Glory St Germain:Yes, absolutely. I'm in central Canada in Winnipeg, Manitoba to be exact. And I can't wait for us to meet in person sometimes. We've just always been meeting online, which is the waythe world has gone this year.
Wendy Jones:I know. I know. One day we will meet online and that'll be amazing. Are you ready for me to interrogate you? I mean, interview you.
Glory St Germain:Absolutely. Well, coming from the murder mystery girl. I'm a little nervous.
Wendy Jones:I would be if I were you. No, I'm very gentle with my guests. All right, you're safe. So I always like to start off a bit gently and set the scene Really? So my first question is, I'm sure my listeners are curious. What would you class as a collaborative book?
Glory St Germain:Yes. And so In my sort of vision of this collaborative book, it's really a, it's a, it's a collection of authors, it's an anthology, bringing, you know, masterminds together that are that are all passionate about what they do and sharing their stories in in a book that really lends itself to deliver an outcome for the reader, not only interestingly, but will make them take action on something important to them in their life.
Wendy Jones:Oh, yeah. I mean, collaborations are great. And I know what you said about the passion because I'm doing a collaboration at the moment as well. I'm doing a collaboration called Creativity Matters. And I've got people sharing their passion about writing. And I think you're doing the same, you've got people contributing chapters, sharing their, their passion for music. So, absolutely, absolutely. I'm glad you said that about passion. Because it, you know, I would agree, you know, it really is, and whatever collaboration you're doing, whether it's short stories, or, you know, is the passion, they've got a passion for writing that particular short story or flash fiction or, you know, chapter. So the answer glory, thank you. So, listen, this is the most difficult part, I know for anybody, but you decide you want to write a collaborative book or an anthology, and you then have to find people to submit chapters. How do you go about that?
Glory St Germain:Absolutely. It's a great question, Wendy. So my anthologies are called the Power of Why. And it's a series of books about the Power of Why Musicians, you know, do various, various things, they craft a course, they compose the legacy they've, you know, done a number of different activities in order to be part of the book. So the question being, you know, how do we accept or sorry, how do we find these people, I think, basically, what I do is I look for experts. But I also look for experts that are active on social media that are current with what's going on in the industry, and that have a powerful story to share. And it's important that people can resonate with them. And I like to have people from all over the world. So all of my books have international authors, musicians that are contributing, and they all come from different walks of life. And the stories are so powerful, like I was brought to tears Even as I was reading them. So I think as far as where do I go about finding people, I also have a team that I work with, and they're very active on LinkedIn, on Facebook, on, you know, obviously just googling, you know, certain topics that we're looking for specifically. So I think it's really important number one, to do your homework. And to know that just because you invite someone to submit a chapter doesn't mean that they will. And just because you invite someone to become this and accept them, doesn't mean that they will promote it. So there's a lot of processes that as you know, Wendy, and you've, you've taught me a lot, and I thank you for that. Because you are our editor on all of our books, and it's really important to know the process and to accept that before you get started, otherwise, you're just going to be disappointed. And it's, you know, enjoy the process, because it's fun. And you know, ultimately, the reader is the one that we're impacting. So that's the most important thing for me.
Wendy Jones:Absolutely. I agree, you need to keep the reader in mind all the time. You know, one of the things as well, you're saying that you're looking for people in the industry, but one of the things I found is you're also trying to look for people that don't all have the same story. Absolutely. You know, because you've done that beautifully. Because I know, as you say, I'm the editor, so we're collaborating in that I'm supporting you, but you know, you're doing all the hard work, which is great, you know, somebody else does all the work, and I just, you know, swan in and help. But, you know, you've done it beautifully, because you've got people that are flautists, you've got people that are pianists, you've got people that are singers, you know, so every chapter is different, and it provides interest, you know, and I think you you've handled that. Well, you know, and
Glory St Germain:I would just wanted to add to that, too, you know, the thing is that and maybe it's why I'm so passionate about obviously I'm not, you know, I'm I'm, I'm a music theory expert, I'm a coach, you know, course creator, author, international bestseller and so on. But I think one of the things that I'm most passionate about is the creative process that musicians go through in order to get the results that they get, whether it's, you know, creating a course or, you know, writing a piece of music or whether it's performing on stage or or you know, whatever that looks like for them. They all have a journey and it's a powerful one. And I think, you know, sometimes it's surprising that you might think, Wow, they're on stage, they're so confident. But the truth of the matter is, you know, they're living in imposter syndrome. And they, and they, they really don't feel like they deserve to be there. So they just take on this persona of, in their mind becoming someone else that helps them, you know, stand on stage proudly, like, it's such an emotional journey. And I think the most fun that I had was reading the chapters and then going, Wow, I never would have thought that about that successful person. So it's kind of a little sneak peek behind the mind of the musical experts. How did you get there? Wow, they're telling some really personal stories. And it's really interesting. And it is it's from all over the world, different countries, different instruments, you know, piano, flute, saxophone voice, you name it, it's in there.
Wendy Jones:Yeah. I think that, that the differences and the, you know, the variation, it gives a richness that it otherwise wouldn't have it lifts off the page, really. And these stories are powerful, I have to say, but I'm curious, really? And does everyone that submits a chapter make it into the book? And if not, why not? How do you choose? How do you narrow them down?
Glory St Germain:Right? Well,we can't accept every author that that submits a chapter only because when I set out to do an anthology, I already in my mind, I have I'm, you know, a planner, I already know, this is how many musicians I want in this particular book. This is the title of the book, the first book in the power of why musician series is why 21 musicians created a programme. So we had multiple submissions, and after reviewing them, for me, personally, I want to make sure that they're compelling stories. So that's the first thing I look for, does it move me? Or is it just them? You know, giving me their bio? Well, that's not interesting. The topic, the name of the book is the power of why why 21 musicians created programmes. So that's the first thing is I want their why. The second thing is that we are an international, you know, Anthology, collaborative books, so we do want to have variety. So I wouldn't just pick everyone from the same country. So there's a bit of balance. And you know, I'm really grateful that you've helped me with that. Wendy, you know, you're you're amazing at what you do. Not only are you an author, but you have all this magic power, and not only room but but it's just the entire process. And it is a process. And it's why I reached out to you and said, Oh, my gosh, I need you on our team, because you need to have insights, how can you get to your success path. And I'll share with you a little note that my husband used to always tell our children, we have five children, they're all professional musicians. And he used to always say, play with people who are always better than you, because you will rise to their standard. So when I was looking for someone to collaborate with, I didn't want to just go to you know, I've got other editors that I work with in different books I've published over, you know, 50 books, but I wanted an expert in this field of collaboration, and hence why I brought you on board. So I think it's really important to know the process and to work with experts that can get you there. So and that means not every author can be accepted. But you do need to, you know, sometimes say sorry, but it doesn't mean they might not be in another book, right? If they if it works. Yes,
Wendy Jones:yeah. Absolutely. And thank you for your kind words. Your a pleasure to work with, I have to say, Oh, thank you. You've already alluded to this slightly about the processes, because obviously, if you're doing a collaboration, the process is totally different to writing your own book, if you're writing your own book you just got on in your writer. Yes. So, I suppose is the writing and marketing show, and we're meant to be helping people to move their own writing and marketing journey forward? Can you talk us through the process of bringing an anthology or a collaborative book together?
Glory St Germain:Yes, absolutely. So myself, I write a lot of books. As I said, I've written over 50 books. So I write books in series. And so in this particular one, the first thing I did is I, I always work with the end in mind, what is my ultimate goal? I will be writing five books in this particular series and the power of why musicians So number one, what's my end goal? And then I work backwards and say, Okay, well, now let's start with the process. What's the first book that we're going to do? Then we do the research and find literally, even though there's 21 musicians, we might think our list was over 200 people that we that we found and then we will break it down to say out of those 200 and I have certain point system to say, well, this person has, you know, really Have a great presence on social media, this person is engaging them. And so we kind of look for who might be experts, and then we will invite maybe 50 people to submit. So that's kind of the process. The next thing we do is we have timelines. And just a little tip out there, always make sure that in your mind your hard deadline, you are comfortable with extending it for a couple of weeks, because there's always going to be things that happen. And so I think being flexible is definitely the next thing, have a marketing plan. How are you? You know, what are you going to do for preorder? How are you going to get your book to international best selling author status? How are you going to, you know, have meet the meet the author's like, what are you going to do for that? What's the plan? And then not only after releasing your book, but then what's the follow up? It's not just going to Oh, well, I'm done with that one. So I think the whole process, you know, going through the, this, the process is to have a map. And you know, you and I Wendy now have, we're working on our second book, The third one is already in the works. And now we have a system, right, and it's working. And so I think that's the key that some people don't realise. I'll share with you something I learned many years ago from one of our retailers who carries our books in the in their retail store. And he said to me this, and I'll never forget this. He said to me, glory, just keep writing. He said, I can't tell you how many times we've had people who have started a series, and then not finished it, because it's so much work, everything from going to find an ISDN number, do you want an E book? Do you want to print book, like there's so many variations, you have to map out your plan. And then you have to block time to, like complete those action steps. have, you know, social make it easy for the the people that are in your Anthology, like we create images, we create links, you know, there's a universal link actually, which you took care of for, for us, Wendy? So you need to have those marketing materials. And what is the verbiage that that people can use? And what's the link they can share? So the easier you make it for your collaborators that are authoring the book with you, the more successful your book will be. So dude do the work. It's it's well worth it.
Wendy Jones:Yeah, no, that's a really good answer, actually, yeah. And creating sensible timelines is important as well. Because if you if you've got a timeline, you've got something to work towards. But your timeline has a goal that the goalpost could move, let it keep moving. Otherwise, it will never come out. Yeah, no. So, and things do happen. I mean, what we forget when we're doing this we might have in our brains, and I'm saying this for me, as well, my collaboration. But if any of my people in my book or listening to this, I still know, I'm joking. But we have clear timelines. But there are people at the end of this not processes, there are people and people have lives, and people are living in the middle of a pandemic. Things happen. You know, that kids get tonsillitis, or they get covered in their coffin for a couple of weeks. And, you know, so there needs to be compassion as well. And I think you've alluded to that, you know, sometimes things will happen, you know? Absolutely. And so slipping your goalpost by two weeks, by the way, anybody in my collaboration, we're not slipping the goalpost by 30 seconds here, we'll be out on time. Just in case you get any ideas that you can sit back on your sofa and watch Telly for a fortnight.
Glory St Germain:Well, that's a good point.
Wendy Jones:Anyway, we're talking about you're talking about yours, Glory, not mine.
Glory St Germain:You know what you're right. And I think for sometimes it's like you said, it's okay to move the goalposts. But there has to be a time when you say no. And I think that's important. If we can't just always say, Oh, no problem. Oh, no, like, if you're just always accommodating, you're never going to get the book done. So there does come a time to say even for myself, you know, I've said no to some things, we just say one, sorry. Like, you know, these are the rules of the, you know, the book rules. So, yeah, yeah,
Wendy Jones:I know. So, you've got a responsibility for however many people are in your book, you know, in my case, 12 in yours, it's 23, this current one. And if one person keeps saying, actually, I want to change this, oh, no, I can't get it in for another two weeks, that you've got the responsibility for the other 22 that got everything in on time. Yes, you know, so. It's, it's a balancing act, really. So I mean, you've, you've hit the nail on the head, so that's great. And what would be your top three tips for anyone who is considering publishing a collaboration
Glory St Germain:My top three tips for anyone who is considering publishing a collaboration or anthology is number one would be to know your specific target market. So who is it that you want to be reading your anthology? And why? So number one, what's your why and know your your market your outcome? Tip number two would be? What is your Why? Why are you doing the anthology? And what action steps do you want your audience to take as a result of reading the book? To me, that's really important. There are books that you read for entertainment value. And then there are books that you read to inspire you. And my collection of anthology is for to inspire people. And my third tip, and maybe it's the biggest one of all, is to definitely map out your timeline. And probably the most important thing of all, is, you know, not only the book, but the marketing plan, because we've all seen books that can be massively successful. Because they have a marketing plan, even though maybe the book itself wasn't that great. So we want it to be all three things we want to have. We want to know the market, we want to know that specific outcome, we want to know why we're doing this, because it's a lot of work, and know that you're serving people. For me, that's what I'm just really passionate about. I live my life with gratitude, and I live my life with service and I want to inspire people. And number three, have a marketing plan, and then just take the action step to do it. So block time and get her done.
Wendy Jones:Absolutely. Those are cracking tips. They're brilliant. And yeah, I'm gonna remember those. This is not a big question, but it's one that I'm always juggling with, how do you manage the meetings because I know you have physical meetings with multiple time zones.
Glory St Germain:Yeah.And it is a juggle, especially when we we all have so many time zones, and it's kind of exciting. So my number one tip is get coffee. And, and truly, when you work with the you know, the the I think it's called world clock, buddy or something like that, I try to accommodate as many people as possible within that timeframe. So if I live in Canada, I know myself that if I can meet with someone at 4pm my time that will allow for many people in you know, Australia, the UK, wherever it might be to all come in for some it'll be really early in the morning for some late at night. But chances are everyone can make that particular timezone or time. So I would definitely say make it work. But everyone is not going to attend everything. But I think the key is to make sure that and you might even have more than one I've tried that myself where I've had one that was earlier in the day for myself and less people can attend. And then when I change the timezone, then more people could attend. So and you definitely want to have a meet the authors, I think it's all about having those released and having everything it planned early enough that it will be successful. So definitely you want to do that. No,
Wendy Jones:I mean, time zones are my, the bane of my life, you know? Yes. Can we have a meeting at this time? And you're like you do realise it's three o'clock in the morning? Yes. So maybe we'll try for another time. Yes. This is world we're living in now. And we need to manage it. So you know, you're right. You do need to think of a time that may suit the most people and work with that. Absolutely. Yeah. Now, I know you've said that you're bringing out collaborations. You've got one coming out soon. But you've just brought out two and you're working on the third one. So can you tell us about them?
Unknown:Yes, absolutely. So the first book in the Power of Why Musician series is called the Power of Why 21 musicians created a programme. And it obviously had 21 musicians sharing their story went to international bestseller, which we're really proud of. The second book that is just going to be going live on the preorder is open now, which is called the Power of Why 23 Musicians Crafted a Course also went to international bestseller. So I hope you take advantage of this and check it out. The third book in the series is the Power of Why 25 Musicians Composed a Legacy. We will be releasing that one later this month. And we already have submissions for that book. The fourth one is the Power of Why 27 musicians Captured the Lead, which is all about how you get from the back of the stage to be the front man. And the final book is the Power of Why 29 Musicians Climbed to Superstar Status. So you know just as you were talking about how do you look for people, the the bigger the names you want in your book, the more room you need to Give them to, well, first of all, to track them down to get their contact information, but to also get them on board and to let them know why you're writing this, and how can it benefit the people that are in there. And you know, so you really have to share that. And I just again, want to reiterate how thrilled I am to be working with you, because this is one of the series that we're working on the power of why musicians, but I already in my brain, I'm already got like another series that'll come out after this one. And so it's just a lot of fun. I just love writing books.
Wendy Jones:Yeah, I love your passion. I really love your passion. I think we're kindred spirits when it comes to, I've got so many series planned. And I've already got five series out and I've got another three in my brain, you know, Hey, I just want to spend our day writing when I'm not helping you. But you know, it's great, because having that passion and having that when you have that passion that will come out. And I come across, should I say to the people that are collaborating with you, and it will inspire their passion as well. It will you know, so it rubs off. It's great. So hey, I love working with you. Oh, podcasts have to come to an end at some point. And but my final question, as always is where can my listeners find out about more about you and your books?
Glory St Germain:Yes, absolutely. The Power of Why musician series is available on multiple platforms, they can check it out on Amazon. They can check it out on Book Depository calm. We are in retail stores, most of them are available through online shopping. And also you can learn more about me and all the things that I love to do and the books on ultimatemusictheory.com you can connect with us on Facebook, ultimate music theory on Facebook, and also our YouTube channel, where we actually have on our YouTube channel, you will get to meet the authors including Wendy, because she's our editor. And so those videos if you just go to YouTube and put in the power of why 23 musicians or 21 musicians, you will actually get to meet the authors in each of those books because we did a meet and greet and it was a lot of fun. So you get to a little behind the scenes stories to
Wendy Jones:excellent. So hey, I'll have to check that video out myself. I'll have to check out what I said. Sensible? Yes. Yeah. And then we go, what did I say? Oh, right. What did I do? No. Well, hey, it's been an absolute pleasure having you along today. Glory. Thank you very much, because I know you're a busy lady, and I appreciate it. And I know my listeners appreciate it as well. So thank you.
Glory St Germain:Thank you, Wendy. It's been a delight. As always.
Wendy Jones:You enjoy the rest of your day, and we will speak soon. That brings us to the end of another show. It was really good to have you on the show with me today. I'm Wendy h Jones. And you can find me at Wendy H jones.com. You can also find me on Patreon where you can support me for as little as $3 a month which is less than the price of a tea or coffee. You go to patreon.com forward slash when the H Jones. I'm also went to h Jones on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. Thank you for joining me today and I hope you found it both useful and interesting. Join me next week when I will have another cracking guest for you. Until then, have a good week and keep writing. Keep reading and keep learning