We're constantly amazed by the clever, unique, brilliant and beautiful books and products our customers create. Today we’d like to introduce you to author, mermaid, ocean advocate, mystic, and creator of the Diving into the Divine Feminine collection, Vyana Reynolds.
Vyana's story
Q: What inspired you to create these products?
I found myself hitting bottom AGAIN, even in paradise, with sugar addiction after 46 years! I assumed that once I had transitioned from lawyer to mermaid and retired in Hawai'i, my addiction would magically disappear -- not the case. Having tried EVERY 12 Step program known to man, I gave up. I surrendered to the knowing that I would only find freedom by creating my own program.
For me, it must be based not on 12 Steps but 13, inspired by the Divine Feminine. Every day, I awoke and asked the Universe, "What do I need today to overcome this addiction?" Every day, I was given an affirmation, a wisdom story and a power practice to apply to my life.
By the end of 13 weeks, I found freedom for the first time in my life. I knew I had to share this method with the world! So, my first book was published with the help of Vervante.
Q: What advice would you give other aspiring authors or creatives?
Let Vervante hold your hand and conspire to make your products even better! In my case, the CEO suggested that I might also want a matching journal and 91-day affirmation card deck. Voila! In 2 weeks, they were done.
Q: What do you love about this collection?
Now I can provide an entire support system to those still suffering from addiction. Best of all, these products inspire me to create even more! I constantly recommend Vervante to friends who say, "I've always wanted to write a book, but don't know how to publish it." I recently wrote my first children's book in 3 hours during an airplane ride. In the past, I wouldn't have wasted my time writing a book that I didn't know how to publish. It's so easy now!
About Diving Into the Divine Feminine: 13 Steps to Freedom from Food Addiction
Tired of struggling with food cravings? Frustrated with diets only to find nothing works, and worst of all, you blame yourself thinking it has something to do with your lack of will power? I answered “yes” to all these questions before I wrote this book. Now, I have found FREEDOM from food addiction without much effort. It feels natural to reach for healthy food.
It turns out my addiction had little to do with food. I was surprised to discover the true source of my hunger. My previous food choices were just a symptom of a spiritual hunger that haunted me. Now, I have everything I need and more -- a spiritual center, daily affirmations, powerful practices and stories to remember this wisdom in those moments when old habits want to take over.
Diving Into the Divine Feminine: 13 Steps to Freedom from Food Addiction is based on ancient wisdom; connection to your higher power; and a willingness to explore a new future for yourself. Following this program, food is now in its rightful place -- a back seat pleasure, not a driving force. This entire collection is designed to give you the support you'll need to finally end this old pattern and BE FREE!
Book
Instead of waking up every morning dreading another day of struggle with food, pick up the book and apply the principles.
Journal
Your unique journey offers many insights. Having a Journal to keep track of them and your progress will inspire you to keep moving forward.
Daily Affirmation Cards
Allow the images in the 91 Daily Affirmation Cards to further inspire you.
Bookmark
An inspirational bookmark with vintage key is a symbol of your freedom to create a life you love.
Golden Gift Bag
In the midst of our negative self-talk, it's easy to forget how beautiful, sacred, and precious we are. Gifts of beauty, such as this golden gift bag serve as a wonderful reminder.
If you enjoyed this article and would like your Vervante product featured in our newsletter and blog email [email protected] with the following information:
250-word overview of your product
URL link for the landing or sales page for the product
High-res image(s) of the product and/or author
Your creativity inspires us and your success deserves to be shared!
If you are writing your first book, you’re probably worried about what to do, what not to do, and wondering if you’re forgetting anything in the process. Learning from other’s mistakes is a great way to get a jump start, so we gathered a list of the most common errors we’ve seen authors so you can avoid them in your own journey.
Skipping the editing stage
Sloppy writing reflects poorly on the author. Readers are forgiving only to a point. If your book is full of errors, it will be distracting and difficult to read. Depending on your budget, hire a professional editor, find someone willing to barter services, or even a colleague with eagle-eyes and a willingness to help you.
Bad cover design
The design of your cover deserves as much attention as the content. The first impression of a book cover can make or break the sale. A professionally-designed cover isn’t just important – it’s everything! Hire a professional to create a cover that will attract attention and portray the message and professionalism you need.
Bad interior formatting
Just like cover design, you need the services of a professional to format your book’s interior to make it pleasing to the eye and easy to read.
Bad timing for your book launch
If you’ve written a book that is more relevant to a specific season, be sure to strategize and plan ahead. For instance, don’t launch a fitness book about getting ready for summer in November. And don’t write a book about the winter holidays and launch it on Dec. 25.
Not thinking beyond the book
If you have a book, you can also create an ebook. But don’t stop there. If you publish a children’s book with images, create a companion coloring book by removing color from the images. Non-fiction books can be accompanied by workbooks, journals, planners, calendars, card decks and more that continue the theme and add value to your book. Plus, more products mean more income, more exposure, more readers and customers, and the ability to build a successful business by repurposing your content.
A good publisher will not force you to purchase hundreds of books or pay large fees to print your book. Look for a company that offers Print on Demand services as well as larger print run options – like us!
Not ordering a sample
Always order at least one (or a handful) of sample copies, or ARCs (Advance Reading Copies), before you offer your book to the public to make sure it’s exactly what you were envisioning.
Launching without feedback
Speaking of sample copies, be sure to share a few with trusted colleagues or hand-picked “beta readers” for constructive criticism.
Getting too much feedback
Feedback is great, but don’t make the mistake of letting too many cooks into your kitchen. In the end, your book is your book. Feedback that catches editing mistakes, points out inconsistencies in stories, suggests additions or stories that would add to the value of the book are great. But suggestions for total rewrites to fit the taste of each individual is not what you need.
Only selling on Amazon
Amazon is great, but don’t limit yourself to just one venue for sales. If you list via Amazon Marketplace you’ll make higher royalties and still have the ability to also sell your book in other locations like your own website or other online bookstores. Selling from locations you can control gives you the freedom to be creative and offer more value for your audience in the form of bundles, coupons, promotions, etc.
Ignoring fair use and permissions
Whenever you want to directly quote, excerpt, or reproduce someone else’s work in something you are writing, you should consider whether or not you need legal permission to protect yourself and your business from potential future problems. Some of the things you may want to quote or reuse will fall under the “Fair Use” umbrella, which means you don’t need permission as long as the way you’re using it does not impede on the owner’s rights. Other things, however, are legally protected by copyright and should only be used after acquiring permission. Check out this article for more details: Fair Use and Permissions for authors.
Book sales tunnel vision
Don’t make the mistake of trusting Kevin Costner movies and thinking “If I write it, they will come.” If no one knows about your book, no one will buy it. In today’s evolving publishing world, even top publishing firms are asking their authors to help with marketing and promotion. Be active in social media, share your book idea and tidbits as you are writing, give away short ebooks and previews in exchange for email addresses to build a database that you can reach out to in the future for book launches, tours, events, updates, announcements and future sales.
and finally…..
Not following your heart
If you have a book idea and it’s something you feel strongly about, the biggest mistake you can make is to not write it. Everyone has a special talent or message they can share, and somewhere out there are readers who need what only you can provide. Self-publishing is a great resource for empowering aspiring authors to turn their ideas into reality. So go for it!
As an author, you’ve fulfilled your dream of writing and publishing a book. But your book is only the beginning – not the end! Because you can take that book and create products that will make you not only an author, but also an entrepreneur.
Whether it’s your first book, or you’re a seasoned author, you can leverage the content you’ve already created to make products that increase readers’ enjoyment, expand your audience, and add new revenue streams – all without a lot of extra work. Because you’ve already done the heavy lifting by writing the book!
Books can be the foundation of a thriving business model. Our CEO, Cindy Tyler, loves brainstorming with Vervante authors to help them choose the right products that will complement their books, and boost their income.
We’ve gathered up her best tips here, to give you a head start:
Choosing types of products
Take a look at your book and consider what else your readers might need that would add value to the book and to the readers’ experience. Remember, this is not about creating more work for you. It’s about repurposing great content you’ve already written into products like:
Workbooks
Journals
Planners
Notepads: Shopping lists, exercise routines, learning course tasks, etc.
USB flash drives
Card decks: Educational flash cards, recipes, exercises, daily affirmations, etc.
Children’s books and fiction can do this too. Products that go great with fiction and children’s books include:
Coloring books
Small journals
Stickers
Card decks: Educational flash cards, games, character cards
Creating and selling themed products
Products that continue the theme of your book can also help to increase book sales by packaging them with the book and offering as bundles. This increases the value of what you are providing – and allows you to charge a higher price.
Once you’ve chosen the type of product you want to create, remember that you don’t need to write something brand new. Use the content from your book to create the product, then send us a print-ready PDF.
Here are a few ways you can transform your books into a complementary product:
Workbooks: Restate lessons from each chapter, leaving space for readers to write down thoughts, ideas, questions, answers, actions and next steps.
Coloring Books: Remove the color from illustrations in a children’s book to create a coloring book. For adult coloring books, use images that continue the theme of your main book.
Card Decks: We are rule-breakers here at Vervante – we’ll create a deck of cards in any amount you want and any design, front and back. So don’t feel like you have to do exactly 56, and the backs don’t need to match, either. Cards can contain daily affirmations, training tips, daily tasks, recipes, exercise routines, writing prompts, gratitude mantras, meditations, and more. The sky's the limit - as long as you can fit it on a card!
If you want to design some of these products yourself, Canva is a great graphic design program for creating your own card decks – and it’s free! Short on time and want a team of professionals to help? We have great designers, writers and editors we are happy to recommend to our customers.
If you love to write and dream of making a living with your writing, it’s all about creating multiple streams of income. Check out our online catalog for ideas, and let us know if you have any questions or ideas at [email protected].
Q: What inspired you to create these products?
Tired of struggling with food cravings? Frustrated with diets only to find nothing works, and worst of all, you blame yourself thinking it has something to do with your lack of will power? I answered “yes” to all these questions before I wrote this book. Now, I have found FREEDOM from food addiction without much effort. It feels natural to reach for healthy food.
If you are writing your first book, you’re probably worried about what to do, what not to do, and wondering if you’re forgetting anything in the process. Learning from other’s mistakes is a great way to get a jump start, so we gathered a list of the most common errors we’ve seen authors so you can avoid them in your own journey.
Here are a few ways you can transform your books into a complementary product: