Oklahoma Author Takes Her Good Books for Teens into Self-Published Arena

Why would a career author, with more than fifty published books to her name, turn to self-publishing? Oklahoma author, Norma Jean Lutz, whose forte is centered in good books for teens, answers that question. The key word is control.

“The same scenario was repeated throughout my writing career,” says this novelist. “I rode the wave of excitement at having one of my titles published, only to see the publisher take control of style, design, cover art, editing, and then show total lack of interest when it came to promotions. But the worst part was watching my books go out of print and off the shelves in less than a year.”

Norma Jean is not alone. For instance, UK author, Mark Dawson’s first novel was picked up by a publishing company and the book completely bombed. “It bombed,” says Dawson, “because few people read it or are aware of it.” He goes on to say that the failure was due to the publisher’s inability to promote his work and generate any sort of interest. That same book is available today on Kindle with 32 five-star reviews out of 39. Dawson gained the rights to that title and re-released it under his own auspices.

While Dawson’s genre is thrillers, Norma Jean Lutz’s genre is good books for teens. Like Dawson, she has chosen to re-release the clean teen reads she authored in the 90s and present them to a whole new audience of teens. Even though the novels were written in another era, Norma Jean says that, “the story plots are timeless.”

Norma Jean’s decision to go indie was not a quick decision. Nor was it an easy one. “I knew it would take a lot of work not only to get the books back into the marketplace, but also it would require a great deal of marketing.” Her chosen brand is: Clean Teen Reads.

For decades, Norma Jean has been a freelance writer and ghostwriter under her umbrella company NUWS Link, Inc. Because of this, she already considered herself an entrepreneur. But in order to successfully self-publish, marketing and promoting would have to be taken to a new level. Other indie authors agree that marketing is the key to success in this ever growing industry. It’s not just a matter of writing a good book and uploading it to Amazon; one must learn the ins and outs of online marketing.

When Norma Jean started with the Norma Jean Lutz Classic Collection (a collection of six sweet teen romances), it was slow going. Then she learned from a marketing expert that giving away the first book in the series would be a winner. Once she offered “Flower in the Hills” as a freebie, then everything started to escalate.

“Even if a traditional publisher called tomorrow and offered me a contract,” Norma Jean stated, “I don’t think I’d take the bait. I’ve fallen in love with being in control of my own writing business – and my own good books for teens.” 
 
Clean Teen Reads exists under the auspices of the parent company and publisher, NUWS Link, Inc. The publishing company offers choice books for teens authored by Norma Jean Lutz. Norma Jean’s career spans over 30 years of bringing out good books for teens and children. Her published titles number 50+. In addition to being a published author, Norma Jean is also a freelance writer, ghostwriter, editor, novel critique consultant, and writing instructor.

NormaJean@BeANovelist.com

http://www.cleanteenreads.net/prfith/

Contact Information

Norma Jean Lutz

President

NUWS Link, Inc.

normajean@beanovelist.com