Patti Jefferson, A Children’s Picture and Nonfiction Marketing Workbook Author
Patti Jefferson is on both sides of the creative tracks. “I use variations of my real name. My children’s books are written under my whole name so that my initials of PBJ can be used and my current marketing book was written under Patti Jefferson as a slight distinction.”
So who is Patti Brassard Jefferson, alias PBJ, aka Patti Jefferson? “I was born in upstate New York in the early 60s. My father was in the US Navy, so we moved a lot when I was little but most of my youth was spent in NY and Virginia. I moved to SWFL (Southwest Florida) in 2010 and loved it. It never snows!”
Jefferson describes her childhood as that “weird kid who read all the time and created interesting …show more content…
Jefferson: In 2013, I released How Long Will You Love Me, a book I worked on occasionally for about 10 years. A year later, I followed up with my second book, Stu’s Big Party and I have just released my first non-fiction book, 365 Bright Ideas to Market Your Indie Books which is a daily marketing journey for indie authors, especially those challenged with little time or financial resources.
Many independent authors have considered going to traditional press companies. The decision to do so is often met with fear of rejection. But what happens when you know someone in the business? Jefferson did, but she was not exempt from the woos of rejection. She speaks on her experience. “I sent out one query for my first book. It was a very small press by one of my favorite writers who decided to branch out and publish other people’s books. Their response was that they were interested but that my book didn’t seem finished. It wasn’t. They asked me to re-submit it when it was complete and by the time I did, they had stopped taking on new authors and the person I had gotten such a hopeful response from was no longer even in the business. I was crushed and knew right then that I wasn’t the type to chase the traditional publishing dream. In my world outside of books, I have always owned my own businesses and worked for myself. That entrepreneurial spirit is hard to …show more content…
Jefferson: Other than the word “that”? Hahaha, I did have to be very mindful of not presenting information that seemed overwhelming or too complicated. My audience is indie authors but the spectrum is pretty vast, so I made sure that my beta readers were from all stages of authors… not released yet to seasoned pros. Anything confusing was cut and may appear in a more advanced sequel later.
Interviewer: What does literary success look like to you?
Jefferson: I’d like to make enough money writing to do it from the tropical island of my choice! Seriously though, my goal is to continue helping creative people with the challenges they (we) face. I see intertwining written formats (books) eventually with visual and audio components (podcasts, training videos, etc.) to reach that audience. Making a difference in that market would make me feel like a success.
Interviewer: Have you ever Googled yourself? If so, what did you find?
Jefferson: HA! I used to do that all the time but now I have a Google alert set up so I have freed up that time. Most of what I have found has been very positive and when it hasn’t been, I have learned what to address and what to let go. Not everyone will love
Patti Jefferson is on both sides of the creative tracks. “I use variations of my real name. My children’s books are written under my whole name so that my initials of PBJ can be used and my current marketing book was written under Patti Jefferson as a slight distinction.”
So who is Patti Brassard Jefferson, alias PBJ, aka Patti Jefferson? “I was born in upstate New York in the early 60s. My father was in the US Navy, so we moved a lot when I was little but most of my youth was spent in NY and Virginia. I moved to SWFL (Southwest Florida) in 2010 and loved it. It never snows!”
Jefferson describes her childhood as that “weird kid who read all the time and created interesting …show more content…
Jefferson: In 2013, I released How Long Will You Love Me, a book I worked on occasionally for about 10 years. A year later, I followed up with my second book, Stu’s Big Party and I have just released my first non-fiction book, 365 Bright Ideas to Market Your Indie Books which is a daily marketing journey for indie authors, especially those challenged with little time or financial resources.
Many independent authors have considered going to traditional press companies. The decision to do so is often met with fear of rejection. But what happens when you know someone in the business? Jefferson did, but she was not exempt from the woos of rejection. She speaks on her experience. “I sent out one query for my first book. It was a very small press by one of my favorite writers who decided to branch out and publish other people’s books. Their response was that they were interested but that my book didn’t seem finished. It wasn’t. They asked me to re-submit it when it was complete and by the time I did, they had stopped taking on new authors and the person I had gotten such a hopeful response from was no longer even in the business. I was crushed and knew right then that I wasn’t the type to chase the traditional publishing dream. In my world outside of books, I have always owned my own businesses and worked for myself. That entrepreneurial spirit is hard to …show more content…
Jefferson: Other than the word “that”? Hahaha, I did have to be very mindful of not presenting information that seemed overwhelming or too complicated. My audience is indie authors but the spectrum is pretty vast, so I made sure that my beta readers were from all stages of authors… not released yet to seasoned pros. Anything confusing was cut and may appear in a more advanced sequel later.
Interviewer: What does literary success look like to you?
Jefferson: I’d like to make enough money writing to do it from the tropical island of my choice! Seriously though, my goal is to continue helping creative people with the challenges they (we) face. I see intertwining written formats (books) eventually with visual and audio components (podcasts, training videos, etc.) to reach that audience. Making a difference in that market would make me feel like a success.
Interviewer: Have you ever Googled yourself? If so, what did you find?
Jefferson: HA! I used to do that all the time but now I have a Google alert set up so I have freed up that time. Most of what I have found has been very positive and when it hasn’t been, I have learned what to address and what to let go. Not everyone will love