Places and People of the Pikes Peak Region

tanjabrittonwriter 46 Comments

I thank you for reading and commenting on last week’s post (and for inquiring about my book), just as I thank the cranes for comforting me and putting things in perspective earlier this year.

Even before the close of my three-day sojourn in the Sandhill Cranes’ presence in March, I resolved not to put away my fully written and partly edited manuscript in a drawer from which it might never reemerge. But instead of subjecting myself to more rejections from established publishers, and to avoid a long delay, I decided to self-publish, even if that step immediately lessens the value of my book in some readers’ and critics’ eyes, and possibly pigeonholes me as a wannabe who didn’t make the cut.

With the help of a professional copyeditor, book and cover designer, indexer, and publishing coach, I kept on revising my words, labeling photos, choosing page layouts and fonts, and stumbling through the process of applying for an ISBN, a LCCN, and a Colorado sales tax license. After months of feeling like a fish out of water, my husband and I picked up the finished product at the printing facility in Aurora just outside of Denver on July 23.

Places and People of the Pikes Peak Region: Exploring 14 Signature Sites is a collection of 14 separate yet interconnected essays. Each examines a natural or manmade landmark, the person for whom it is named, and the relevant historical context. Every chapter includes historic and/or present-day photographs and the book’s narrative is complemented by a bibliography, chronology, appendices, and index.

As my book’s acknowledgments make clear, I could not have written it without the help of many. I won’t reiterate every thank you here, but I would like to express my deep appreciation to a few friends and fellow writers who took many hours out of their busy schedules to read different iterations of my manuscript, and made suggestions to better it.

Thank you, Andrea!
Andrea J. blogs at Between Urban and Wild, and read not only one of my earliest almost-essays, but also my almost-final book rendition, before creating a beautifully detailed index and composing a generous blurb.

Thank you, Andy!
Andy B.’s bird’s eye perspective is honed by many hours spent flying either jets or other flying machines, and he has a knack for not losing sight of the big picture. His second calling in life is to be a cheerleader.

Thank you, Rebecca!
When not teaching Shakespeare to her college students, Rebecca L. spends as much time with birds as possible, and I always cherish to be part of that experience whenever our schedules mesh. Her verdict after reading a later copy of my manuscript encouraged me to continue.

Last but not least, thank you, Mike!
My husband should be listed as my co-author, as he has read and reread countless corrections and revisions. Furthermore, he has had to listen to all my fears and anxieties, both before the printing of the book, as well as afterward, because of some missing but luckily not crucial information from the copyright page, typos I overlooked, second thoughts about having included some details and left out others, and because of mounting fears that the book will be either ignored or discredited. Maybe some of you writers can relate to my mixed emotions at this stage.

Because of the regional character of the book, whose readership likely will be center around residents or visitors of the Pikes Peak region, because of my belief in the importance of local, independent bookstores, and because of the fact that I have never read an e-book in my life, at present, the book is only available as a paperback and can be purchased directly through me, or from one of the area book sellers, who are listed on the page “My Book,” available on my blog’s menu.

46 thoughts on “Places and People of the Pikes Peak Region”

  2. I wish you well and hope the book sells like ‘hot cakes’. In the UK books with a local interest always seem to do well, I think we are fascinated by our surroundings, history and people, in a way it’s part of who we are.

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  5. Herzlichen Glückwunsch zur Veröffentlichung deines ersten Buches! Ich kann deine Ängste und Bedenken sehr gut verstehen! Mein Buch habe ich nur als e-book veröffentlicht, weil mir alleine der Druck wahrscheinlich schlaflose Nächte bereiten würde. Ich finde Selfpublish ist eigentlich eine gute Sache, allerdings bieten einige Selfpublish-Verlage nicht mal eine Druckvorschau des Buches an. Ein Fehler beim Druck oder schlechte Qualität wäre der Alptraum für mich! Leider limitiert ein e-book die Anzahl der Leser schon gewaltig. Ich bin selbst ein Bücherwurm und lese kaum e-books. Ein richtiges, gedrucktes Buch zu veröffentlichen bleibt deshalb mein Traum. Ganz großen Respekt für deine Leistung und ich drücke dir die Daumen, das dein Buch ein Erfolg wird und dass du viele positive Reaktionen darauf bekommst!
    Liebe Grüße, Michael

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    • Vielen Dank, lieber Michael. Ich hatte zwar eine Druckvorschau, aber nur am Computer, und nicht in Papierform. Im Nachhinein hätte ich darauf bestehen müssen, denn mir fallen beim Lesen eines Buches einfach Kleinigkeiten auf, die auf dem Computerscreen verloren gehen. Frau lernt eben nie aus!

      Ich wünsche uns beiden weiterhin viel Spaß beim Schreiben und Veröffentlichen, auf welchem Weg auch immer.
      Herzlichen Gruß,
      Tanja

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  6. Well done Tanja, I’m so pleased you stuck with your project through the difficult times and have successfully seen your book through to publication. When you get your ISBN you know you’ve arrived as a published writer! Have you any more projects in the pipeline?

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    • Thank you, Mr. P. I’m definitely excited, but I’m also perfectionist enough to wish I had done a few things differently.
      As far as a future project, I have a few ideas, but I have to admit that this entire unforeseen process took a lot out of me and I will give myself a little time away (literally-Covid permitting, and figuratively).

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      • When the dust has settled I’m sure you’ll look back on what you’ve achieved with great pride and satisfaction, rather than being plagued with angst at what you might have done differently🙂, So enjoy your down-time, re-charge you batteries, then settle down to your next (intriguingly unspecified!) big project.

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  10. Many congratulations, Tanja! What a gift you have given the people of Pikes Peak. It is so great to have a team of friends and loved ones to help edit/proof read. One of my American friends proof read my book to check my grammar which is still in the middle of the Atlantic, neither US or UK punctuation.
    I wish you the very best with sales from the book. Bravo!

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  11. Herzlichen Glückwunsch zu deinem erfolgreichen Buchprojekt! Wäre ich dort und würde dort reisen, das Buch käme sofort in meinen Koffer/Rucksack. Ich wünsche dir viele zufriedene Leser und Leserinnen. LG Anna

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  12. Herzlichen Glückwunsch liebe Tanja! Wie toll, dein eigenes Buch. Das ist doch wunderbar, sein eigenes Werk in Händen zu halten! Was für eine spannende und aufregende Zeit das für dich gewesen sein muß, bis zum fertigen Exemplar. Auch wenn du es jetzt selbst verlegt hast, kann man es kaufen und sich dran erfreuen. Was lokale Geschichten angeht, habe ich mir auch schon Bücher besorgt, die man sonst nicht regulär bekommen kann. Wer Interesse hat, wird dich finden. Alles Gute dafür und viel Erfolg! LG Almuth

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  16. Well done, Tanja! What an accomplishment! Books with a local theme are so important to show the real flavor of an area, and popular with local residents and beyond. Going with independent booksellers is wonderful, especially in these difficult times for small businesses.
    I’m betting you will have a much wider audience than you expect: Here I am, sitting far away in Massachusetts, often thinking to myself, “I wonder Tanja is writing about Pikes (or Pike’s !) Peak this week? ” I so enjoy your weekly writings about your home.
    Wishing you all good things,
    Julie

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    • I’m so excited about your excitement, Julie. 😊 Thank you for your kind and encouraging words.
      I hope you are correct about a wide and varied readership.
      The journey to publication has been very interesting. I reached a point a few times when I thought I would have never have attempted it had I known just how involved and over my head it was, but I’m relieved to have seen it through.
      I’m very curious to see what the reactions will be.
      Thanks again,
      Tanja

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  18. Well, my goodness! Congratulations on your publication. It seems to me that from a reader’s perspective, the distinction between books put out by a publishing house and those that are self-published is diminishing. I’m sure yours will be well-received.

    That said, have you heard of Arcadia Publishing? Your book is exactly what they favor. Submitting your next book (!) to them might be something to consider. I have a full dozen of their books, including one on the Galveston Broadway Cemeteries and one devoted to pirogue-making in Pierre Part, Louisiana. Nothing is too obscure for them, as long as it’s an interesting and well-written account.

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    • I appreciate your perspective, Linda, thank you for sharing. I also think that self-publishing is becoming more widespread, but because anyone can do it, it still carries a bit of a stigma.

      Not only have I heard of Arcadia Publishing, I have a few of their books. But the volumes I’m familiar with seem to rely heavily on photographs. While my book contains photos, the emphasis is certainly on the words. But I will keep it mind in case my other fragmentary ideas for a book get organized enough for me to pin them down.

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  20. Hello Tanja,
    What wonderful news! Congratulations to you and your husband too.
    I can imagine how your thoughtful words and beautiful images bring extra life to your beautiful region. Wishing you many healthy sales of your books. Please do let me know when they can be made available to international readers 🙂

    All best,
    Takami

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    • Hello Takami,
      Thank you so much for being excited with and for me about my book. It has been an interesting journey for my husband and me. Despite all the hours he has invested, he keeps telling me to write another book. I can’t figure that one out. 😊
      Kindest regards,
      Tanja

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