About Angie Salisbury:
I am an author, business writer, coach, speaker, and obsessive dog mom from northeast Ohio. There I share my life with my two German Shorthaired Pointers, Bimmer & Bertram, and my husband, Tom. I have been a writer for my entire professional career, moving seamlessly through just about every aspect of business writing. After losing my fulltime job several years ago, I decided to make a go of it myself. Over that time, I have ghostwritten dozens of books and ebooks for clients, but last year was the first time publishing under my own name. This latest book, Dogs Know Best, is a departure for me because it is a real passion project and opens my heart to everyone. I still ghostwrite to this day, while working on the next installment of Dogs Know Best.
I am the owner of Annibury, LLC (Annibury.com), a full-service business writing company. When not focusing my attention on the Pointers – walking the Pointers, feeding the Pointers, playing with the Pointers, petting the Pointers, cleaning up after the Pointers, and generally meeting every conceivable need of the Pointers – I love being outdoors, reading, hanging out, or working on her latest award-winning needlework piece.
I’d love for you to become part of the Dogs Know Best Facebook community, where you’ll find the latest updates from Bimmer & Bertram and meet other canine teachers and their humans.
What inspires you to write?
My inspiration to write comes from within – it comes from my inherent attraction to writing. I always have enjoyed any aspect of writing, and find it to be the best outlet for my thoughts. For Dogs Know Best, I was inspired to write by my dogs – my constant companions for the past 12 years. I realized how much they have taught me, and I wanted to capture that in the best way I know how – writing.
I am inspired to help others tell their stories. I have the ability to outline a flow and train of thought. I love to help someone tell their story by posing questions, asking about their inspiration and ideas, and drawing out their experiences, goals and dreams. I know that writing does not come naturally to many people, and this is one way I can help get their story out to the world to see.
Tell us about your writing process.
Since I am a business writer by profession, I am probably most comfortable working at my desk in my home office. I’ve created a very comfortable environment with lots of natural light (and I’m a home-body), so love working in the peace and comfort of my office. I don’t like writing or working in my jammies – I dress for work and writing as any other job.
I do a lot of my nuts and bolts writing at my desk. When I feel like I need that creative time for brainstorming, I’ll take my laptop and go out on my deck or on a comfy couch for a change of environment – it seems to be less regimented when I do that, and it helps my mind flow better. But when it’s time to get back to it, back to my desk I go.
I am strictly a non-fiction writer (at this point, at least). When I’m working on a big project – a book or a long ebook, I generally am a seat-of-my-pants writer. I’ll often start at the beginning because that’s how my mind works. I will formulate an outline that includes all of the components that need to be included, including the introduction, conclusion, call to action, and so on. Having a working outline lets me move things around and make sure the final flow is logical and tells an accurate story that readers can follow.
If I am writing about something that is more segmented, like Dogs Know Best is, then I’ll skip around. I’ll open the document and pick a spot that is calling to me at that moment, and get in the flow. Intros don’t always happen at the same point in the process, either. I seem to get the inspiration for my introductions when I’m on a walk with my dogs and my mind is free to wander.
Whenever I’m writing, I want to make sure I understand the “angle” or “theme” and ensure that that is reflected in the title and subtitle. That way I can weave the theme throughout the book, creating that thread that runs through the entire book.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
What advice would you give other writers?
For anyone who is writing, my advice is to just write. It’s hard to not judge your own work as you’re in the process of writing, but in order to get anywhere and work towards a finished product, you need to get the words out of your head and on paper. If you’re stuck, just write about anything to open the flow. When you’re in the flow, just keep writing. Don’t stop and analyze every line or paragraph. There will be plenty of time to rewrite and edit AFTER you’ve written everything down.
Striving for perfection is great, but at some point you have to let your work go. Believe me, you can spend weeks and months rewriting and editing, but there has to be a point where you move to the next stage in the process.If you don’t and are continually tweaking and trying to achieve ultimate perfection, you’ll never see your book on the Amazon shelves.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
There are so many opportunities for authors these days and I think that is fantastic. I have self-published both of my books, and my clients have self-published. I spent a lot of time reading about and researching the pros and cons of self- vs. traditional publishing, and self-publishing seemed to be the more efficient, cost-effective, quickest way to go. You have complete control over every aspect of your book. You determine every step of the way. With a traditional publisher you still have to market your book – that doesn’t go away. So why not control every aspect of it, from start to finish? I do recommend working with others who are experts in each aspect of the book publishing process, including the launch. But again, you determine who is part of that team. You do it on your time, at your pace.
My advice is to do your research. Read about the benefits or drawbacks of both and then make your decision. Join discussion groups, Facebook groups, hangouts and learn what is working for others in your genre. If you’re informed, you’ll make the decision that works for you.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I think the future of book publishing will continue to lean towards opportunities for self-publishing. I think the self-publishing market will explode. There will be more resources, more opportunities, more communities, more events, more legitimacy. The Internet is just putting too many things at our fingertips, and the well-informed author will know how and when to take advantage of those. Self-publishing has already skyrocketed and will only continue to.
My favorite part? Everyone has a story to tell – everyone has a great story of some sort, whether their own or the one in their mind. Now they can tell that story and share it with the world – it’s not just for the elite few.
What do you use?: Professional Editor, Professional Cover Designer, Beta Readers
What genres do you write?: Business, pets, general non-fiction, investing, inspirational
What formats are your books in?: eBook, Print, Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Angie Salisbury Home Page Link
Link To Angie Salisbury Page On Amazon
Your Social Media Links
Goodreads
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
LinkedIn
All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit to allow you the reader to hear the author in their own voice.
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