Dreams Can, and Do, Come True

After 60 years, a childhood dream became reality! In late 2022, a man in his early 70s finally became an author, and now his second novel has been completed.

In his fourth-grade classroom, Charles Yancey’s teacher gave him a book titled Nobody Loves Me, authored in 1890 by Amy Catherine Walton, also known as Mrs. O. F. Walton. That book, placed in the hands of a child who already loved reading, sparked a genuine, decades-long interest in writing. He made up his mind that someday he’d write such a book, and his dream became reality.

In December of 2022, Yancey published Alone…Yet Not Alone, now popular with both teens and adults. The sequel to that book, Make Room for Others, Jonah, is also receiving great response. Yancey is elated at the success of his books.

Yancey was hesitant to submit the manuscript for his first novel for publication, and was further reticent to write another book. But upon receiving eager response from many readers, he complied with requests for a second novel. Will there be a third? Well, that remains to be seen.

Here are Charles Yancey’s own words. “For me, writing is a rewarding pastime. Although it’s demanding on time and effort, it can still be very satisfying. Everyone has a story. You might think no one is interested in hearing or reading yours, but that may not be true. Millions of people spend hours reading every day. People want to hear about adventures, hobbies, vocations, vacations, etc. that other folks have. It’s a way they can experience adventure and excitement that they, for many reasons, cannot encounter. And listen: the older generations have stories many young people would appreciate hearing. The key is telling them in an exciting way.

“I wish I had, in print or recording, the accounts I’ve heard from my parents, grandparents, and in-laws. But I don’t, so at least I’ll share my own stories for my family and friends. I think you should do it, also. You might be as surprised as I was at the results.

“And you might allow P&L Publishing and Literary Services to help you, as they did me. They do a great job.”

Tip #1

James A. Michener was a prolific writer, and several of his books became movies, such as South Pacific and Sayonara. Read Mr. Michener’s tips numerous times and let them become part of your thinking.

Tip #1. “The rules seem to be these: if you have written a successful novel, everyone invites you to write short stories. If you have written some good short stories, everyone wants you to write a novel. But nobody wants anything until you have already proved yourself by being published somewhere else.”

In today’s culture, the best place might be to self-publish. One of my clients has published several books through us, P&L Publishing and Literary Services, two of which are selling like hot cakes. She has proven herself – as Michener mentioned – and a major company negotiated with her to write more.

We at P&L Publishing and Literary Services are here to help you achieve your dream. You may contact us through the Get in Touch button found above. So, keep dreaming, and keep writing, but …

Write Creatively.

That’s Hard to Believe!

A friend – I’ll call him Jim – called and asked me to meet him for coffee.

After taking a sip, Jim got right to the point. “How long is it supposed to take to get a book published?”

He seemed a little aggravated. “What’s up, Jim?”

“I’ve tried to contact several publishing companies, but most don’t accept phone calls. Other online services won’t give the information I need unless I answer a ton of questions, and even then, the answers are conditional. I finally got someone to talk with me, but I wasn’t happy with the answers. Will you tell me straight up, how long it will take for you to publish my book, and what it will cost?”

“Okay, Jim, here it is. If you have the document complete and edited to your satisfaction before giving it to me, I can have it completed and back to you for review and approval in less than a week – perhaps in 3 days. If you do not request changes, I can have the manuscript uploaded into the Amazon/KDP system within 24 hours after your approval. It then will enter Amazon’s 72-hour review; however, it often takes around 48 hours. Altogether, from the time we start the process, your book can be ready for purchase in less than two weeks. And the cost? P&L Publishing and Literary Services’ fee of $750 gets you a print book of up to 500 pages and an eBook. A book cover is included at no extra charge. Is that straight up enough for you?”

“Wow! That’s hard to believe!”

Blogger’s note: we published his book. And by the way, he did …

Write Creatively.

You Might Want to Know …

One of our readers recently emailed us with a few questions. I want to share the primary question with you because it seems that many people don’t know this bit of info.

Can changes be made to my book after it’s published? And if so, how do we go about it?

The first answer is “Yes. We can modify anything we publish.” Working with us, P&L Publishing and Literary Services, the author never loses ownership of his or her work. Therefore, the author can ask for changes any time … even many years later.

The second answer is also easy. Just send us a document listing what you want to modify, and we’ll make the changes. But please note: we cannot change anything we did not publish.

There most likely will be a fee involved, and the fee will depend on the nature and complexity of the changes.

One of the benefits working with P&L is that we try to make things easy for our authors. When you call, you will talk with a live, breathing, friendly person. Have a great week, and …

Write Creatively.

Write 18 and Sell 3, or Write 2 and Sell Hundreds?

I spoke with a man several years ago who had written 18 books. I was impressed with his productivity and his diligence, until he inadvertently revealed a bit of information he meant to keep hidden: He had sold only 3 books, and feeling dejected, was giving them away.

One of the men in our writers’ guild had written 2 books. But guess what? He had sold over two hundred books within 2 years, and many orders were coming in.

What was the major difference?

The first man didn’t know his audience … if he even had one. He wrote for the love of writing, and there is nothing wrong with that, and just expected people to buy his books. But if a writer wants to sell books ……

The second man had targeted an audience for each book. He wrote both books with that specified group of people in mind. Therefore, it’s accurate to say that he wrote to those people, and his sales verify it.

The following is what an acquaintance said about establishing an audience. “Your target audience is the group of people who would be the most helped or entertained by your book. Your readership might extend past your intended target audience, but the target audience is who you intentionally aim for.”

So, write for the love of writing. Write what you are about passionate about. But also be sure to identify your target audience for each book you write. And make sure you …

Write Creatively.

Valentine’s Day Special

P&L Publishing and Literary Services is offering a $100 discount as a Valentine’s Day special. If you are writing a book – or are ready to publish one – contact us on our “Get In Touch” or contact page and tell us you read this blog. You’ll be surprised at how little it costs and how quickly we can publish your book. Contact us on or before Leap Day (February 29, 2024) to receive this offer. (https://plpubandlit.org/)

And just as this critter is passing on this information, share this blog with your friends.

Write Creatively

Don’t Give Up

About 90-95% of people who begin the journey of becoming authors give up. Why? Admittedly over-simplified, here are several issues to consider.

Traditional publishers have stringent regulations for manuscripts they will accept, and have tough rules the authors must agree to. It can take a year to publish the book, and the requirements are daunting for many people. Also, authors lose rights to their books.

With about 11,000 new titles published daily, traditional publishers seldom consider projects if they don’t foresee significant profits in the near future.

Independent publishers (commonly called Indies) are basically traditional publishers but are not part of a large corporation.

Vanity publishers often charge multi-thousands of dollars, and the author can lose control of the project to them, too. With so many thousands of Vanity companies, it is not possible to give an overall report.

Considering all the above and much more, the following are four basic reasons P&L Publishing and Literary Services was created: Definitive information about publishing is hard to get. Prices are too high. Waiting many months to finish the job is too long. Many companies won’t communicate by phone, and it’s difficult to resolve some issues by email.

Therefore, P&L was formed to give an excellent product at a much lower price, and is a lot faster than other companies. We also know that writers are more comfortable and feel more secure if they can talk with the people who publish their books. We explain the process by phone and/or email, we spell out the fees up front, and our clients enter the publishing agreement with most questions answered.

You have a story to share with family, the church, and the world, and we want you to be successful. Contact us and we’ll assist you on your writing journey. Don’t give up. And as you write your manuscript …

Write Creatively

Is it Time to Write?

What are your passions? What flows through your mind every week, if not every day? What do you wish people knew? What would you tell others if you had an audience? By writing a book, you have an opportunity to impact hundreds . . . maybe thousands . . . of lives. Writing and publishing is your escalator to the world. But how do you even get started?

P&L Publishing & Literary Services was created in 2019 for four basic reasons.

  1. Definitive information about publishing is hard to get.
  2. Prices are too high.
  3. Many companies won’t communicate by phone, and it’s
    difficult to resolve some issues by email.
  4. Waiting many months to finish the job is too long.

Therefore, P&L was formed to give an excellent product at a lower price and is a lot faster than other companies. We also know that writers are more comfortable and feel more secure if they can talk with the people who publish their books. We are available by phone, text, and email. We explain the process and spell out the fees up front, and our clients enter the publishing agreement with most questions answered.

Allow us to join you on your journey of fulfilling your dream: publishing your story or message. We’re here to help.

Visit us at: https://plpubandlit.org/

Write Creatively

A First-time Author Making Good

P&L enjoys helping people see their literary dreams become reality. But it’s even more fun when the clients become excited and begin telling people all around them about their new book. When a man in northwest Arkansas asked about a book-signing event, we helped him with the arrangements. He then got on the phone, sent texts and emails to hundreds of people, and talked to people everywhere he went in town. Not only has he generated excitement all around, he has placed his third order of books within a few months – and the book-signing event hasn’t even taken place yet.

Three activities are needed to succeed in the literary field. 1) Writing a good book and employing a good editor. 2) Planning a book-signing or other public event. 3) And hiring or becoming a great PR agent. These three concepts, along with choosing an excellent formatter/publisher, can fill the wallet and put a smile on people’s faces.

If you who are reading this blog have a book or a story in mind, contact us. We’ll be happy to help you make your literary dreams come true.

Visit us at: https://plpubandlit.org/

Welcome to P & L

You are embarking on a journey that will lead to new horizons. Your imagination sets the boundary of your travels, and your fingers on the keyboard will create trails, valleys, mountains, sunrises, and sunsets. You will open doors for people to see life from a new perspective. Through your creativity, you will enable people you’ve never met to see and experience places they’ve never been.

If you would like us to, we can assist you in launching those adventures. Read through this website and let us know how and when we can help.

Your P & L Team