Blog Posts - Just Write Books

10 Simple questions to help you determine if your Book is worth publishing.

4/23/2020

Welcome to the brand-new Just Write Books! As we take our first steps on our new journey together, let's talk about the ways we're ready to help you get your work into the world.

Let's start at the beginning. I hear it's a very good place to start.

And as the world seems to slow to a crawl due to the global pandemic we’ve found ourselves thrust into, we hope that you and your loved ones are staying safe and healthy, and finding what you need to navigate these trying times. And it’s into these trying times, when we’re isolated in our homes, that we’re looking for ways to keep busy and be productive with our time. To which, you might be thinking… why don’t I finish that book I’ve always been meaning to write? And here at Just Write Books, we’re here to tell you, yes, you most certainly can.

In our new capacity offering writing consulting services, we’re here to help you get your book written, edited, published, and read by the audience that wants to hear what you have to say. Through the High Point Publishing System, we help writers hone their voice, sharpen their talents, focus their skills, and achieve their writing goals.

The first step in that process is a simple one, and that is to find out if your book is worth publishing in the first place. Because writing is a process not for the faint of heart; it requires a considerable time commitment and a large degree of patience. So, before you set out on your journey of publication, you should ask yourself: Is my book worth publishing?

“I will be forever grateful to you, Nancy, for believing in me and supporting my writing.”

―Norma Salway, retired first-grade teacher and author of I’m Just a Kid You Know, Touched by a Hummingbird and The Attic & ME.

That’s the backbone of our questionnaire, which can be found here. As you fill this out, you’ll break down the basics of your book, getting into the meat of who wants to read it, why they want to read it, what subjects your book discusses, and start the process of finding the best way for it to reach its intended audience.

Once we receive your answers, we can begin a conversation about the best way you can achieve your writing goals, using the information you’ve provided. From there we can discuss editing and publishing, although that’s a few steps down the line.

Take the Questionnaire

So, to all aspiring writers, welcome! We’re looking forward to receiving your works and we’ll talk with you soon!

The Transformation of Just Write Books

4/9/2020

For fifteen years, Just Write Books has been proud to bring Maine stories from Maine authors to the world. From Tom Seymour bringing us along with him on tours through the Maine woods and waters, to the history of our home state’s cities, all the way to fantastical stories of science fiction, fantasy, and horror told from Maine’s artistic students, Just Write Books has brought a variety of tales from Maine to the page for you to enjoy.

Now, sadly, Just Write Books will, beginning today, no longer operate as a publisher of books. While our love of Maine, its residents, and its stories have not abated, and the author’s stories have their markets, and people who want to read those stories, we have made the decision that we can find better ways for them to get their stories out into the world.

To that end, we’re working diligently to find new homes for all our authors, and for those of you who still wish to follow them, we will be posting information about where to find them here, so keep an eye out. Be they through other publishers or publishing houses, or making the transition to digital publishing through Amazon, our stories will still be available.

Just Write Books will continue to help new authors achieve their publishing goals using the High Point Publishing System, which we've developed over five decades. We will help authors finish their outstanding projects, market their work, and ensure that their books reach the right audiences.

This is not goodbye. Just Write Books will not be shutting its doors. Instead, our business is transforming into our next iteration. Many of you know that we becan as Just Write Communications in 1990. In 2005, we morphed into publishing and now into offering publishing consultation and coaching for writers.

Over the years, we've worked with some truly spectacular writers and had the privilege of helping them tell their tales and teach us so much.

As for Nancy E. Randolph, the creator of all this, she will not be idle. On top of consulting and coaching, she’ll also get busy finishing her own books.

Oh, and don't worry about Ben. Even if he's working from home, he'll always have plenty to do around the office.

If the last fifteen years have taught us anything, it’s that this wonderful state of Maine is full to bursting with incredible stories, and that incredible people like you want to read them. So even though Just Write Books is reaching its end as a publisher, our work never ends, the stories told through our publications will find new life in new places, and our authors’ works will continue on.

So, thank you all for an amazing fifteen years. Thank you for buying our books, for reading our tales, for sharing in the life and creativity that Maine has to offer.

As a thank you for all your patronage and support these last fifteen years, we’re offering 50% off all of our remaining books. Everything in our store is half off. And since we won’t be ordering any more books, this is your last chance to pick up your favorite books from our website, for yourself or as gifts.

As for what come next, be sure to watch this space! There's much more on the way, and we're going to start by sharing with you how to utilize our consulting and coaching services in another week's blog post!

So join us next week, and let's raise our mugs together to a new challenge and new writing adventures!

Enjoy Spring in Maine with guidance from Tom Seymour

3/5/2020

Ever since 2008, Tom Seymour has been among Just Write Books’ most prolific writers, penning no fewer than five books under the Just Write banner, and while they span a wide range of topics and formats, they all come back to the theme of Maine’s wilderness, since Tom is an avid naturalist. He also writes for numerous columns and keeps up his own blog on his website, tomseymourmaine.com, and conducts wild plant seminars and field trips, teaching about Maine’s native flora.

Maine’s flora is among the numerous subjects Tom wrote about in Hidden World Revealed: Musings of a Maine Naturalist, which we published in 2008. In his first publication with Just Write Books, Tom compiled numerous posts he’d written for his blog Wild Plants and Wooly Bears, discussing interactions with his animal neighbors and exploring subjects such as plants, seasonal changes, and reflections on Maine rural life.

Flora would be the sole subject of Tom’s second book, Wild Plants of Maine: A Useful Guide. In its pages you will find thorough documentation of Maine’s various kinds of plant life, describing all manner of plants that can be safely eaten and including plenty of recipes for their preparation. Currently in its third edition, Tom has since added to the book with the addition of numerous new plants and recipes.

Of course, while using Wild Plants of Maine to discover new plants to eat and how to prepare them, one might feel the desire to document their foraging, to which we turn to Tom Seymour’s Forager’s Notebook. More than a simple empty notebook in which to record what one finds in the wilderness, the Forager’s Notebook includes tips at the footnote of each page. In addition, each month is prefaced with a small anecdote about the season, some helpful information about a particular plant, and a small illustration, ensuring that Tom Seymour’s Forager’s Notebook is a helpful resource in its own right.

Tom would turn the subject from flora to fauna in his next book, Getting Your Big Fish: Trolling Maine Waters, which, incidentally, was the first book we published where Tom himself graced the cover. Full of tips and techniques on catching big trout in smaller waters, Getting Your Big Fish shares the secrets of finding your big catch in the most unassuming of places.

This brings us to Tom’s most recent book, Wild Critters of Maine: Everyday Encounters. From common Maine wildlife like loons and moose, to the more obscure, such as green frogs and cormorants, Tom has spent much time trekking through Maine’s wilderness encountering all stripes of wildlife, and in Wild Critters of Maine, shares a plethora of stories about them. From the hare to the muskrat, from mammals to birds to even amphibians and insects, Tom discusses his time spent observing Maine’s animal life and their quirks and habits, doling out education and entertainment in equal measure.

Across all these titles, the most common threads in Tom’s writing are his lively, accessible storytelling and his love of Maine’s outdoors. Whether he writes about its plants or its animals, be he reminiscing about his favorite encounters with gray squirrels or taking time to educate readers about how to prepare wild elderberries, Tom’s unique voice and love of our home state shine through, making any and all of his books a joy to flip through.

Check out our selection of Tom Seymour's books

Behind the Books- A New Face in the office

2/6/2020

Good afternoon, all.

If you've been keeping track of Just Write Books' news feeds, you may have noticed an uptick in social media engagement- photos, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, blog posts, that sort of thing.

That would be my doing. My name's Ben, and I've been handling Just Write Books' social media since September of 2019. That's the bulk of what I've been doing, but strictly speaking, I'm Nancy Randolph's assistant. That means I've done about a hundred different things since I've started here, from whipping up social media copy to blog posting to scheduling to editing to actual copying to photography. I took pictures of mountain lions on this job! How cool is that?!

As for me, I get up to all kinds of stuff. I got involved with Nancy through my talents in writing and art, when the Merrymeeting Adult Ed class on narrative arts got together to write a bunch of stories to be published as the anthology Maine After Twilight. I submitted two pieces of art and a sci-fi horror short story.

I thought it turned out pretty good, and Nancy liked it, and you can check out the book here. As of this writing, I'm working on more sci-fi, a space western this time. Writing science fiction is really my primary drive, but that's not my only trick.

I've been drawing since I could hold a pencil, and for the last eight years or so I've been building costumes based on characters from comic books, video games, and Star Wars. More recently, I've turned my visual design eye to fashion, making jackets and basing outfits on pop culture characters.

Needless to say, I keep busy.

You might be asking, what’s working for Nancy like? It’s been a fascinating experience. Aside from the wide range of tasks I’ve done since starting here, it’s great working a job where I get to flex my creative muscles, even if it’s not the way I always intend. Between the writing and photography and all the different projects I’m always on my toes, and Nancy is a fascinating person to work for.

Plus, the view’s not bad.

Review: George Smith looks at wild critters of maine

2/6/2020

Here at Just Write Books, we love reviews. Getting opinions on our books from people who know their stuff stimulates engagement and helps our writers in their future endeavors. When we get a review as glowing as the one Wild Critters of Maine got from George Smith, writer of all things Maine outdoors, it's a nice reminder that we're in the right business. George, former executive director of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine, writes for numerous outlets, including his own website, georgesmithmaine.com, and centralmaine.com, where you'll find this review.

So writes George, "Tom starts with our mammals, from moose to rabbits and gray squirrels. The next section is about fowl, including turkeys, ducks, and lots of other birds. Then he moves on to fish, from brook trout and bass to crayfish. And then Tom surprised me with a section on crawly things from June bugs to dragonflies. I had no idea he knew so much about bugs! And he actually has a section on his favorite insects."

"Tom Seymour knows more about Maine wildlife than anyone in our state, and his new book, 'Wild Critters of Maine: Everyday Encounters,' published by Just Write Books in Topsham, is a real treasure of both information about our wild critters and very entertaining stories about Tom’s encounters with them."

But Wild Critters of Maine isn't the only book penned by Tom in George's library. "One that my wife Linda and I both enjoyed, and continue to use, is “Wild Plants of Maine.” Subtitled “A Useful Guide,” it certainly is. We’ve been amazed at how many edible plants can be found in the Maine woods and elsewhere, from goose tongue greens, which we harvested along the ocean in Lubec and Campobello, to chanterelle mushrooms. One day in August, up to camp, we picked nine large bags full of chanterelles. Yummy!"

Opinions are always welcome, and kind words are always heartening to read, but when those words are from someone educated on the subject at hand, it's all the better.

Read Full Review Here

Let Tom Seymour be your guide to the Wild Critters of Maine

1/30/2020

For the outdoorsy individual, for curious children, or the student looking to learn about the animals that can be found everywhere from right outside the doorstep to deep in the wilderness, your search ends here. With the latest publication from the pen of Maine author Tom Seymour- Wild Critters of Maine, readers will learn all about the wildlife that populates the state of Maine.

There are dozens of kinds of animals, insects, and birds in Maine’s outdoors. Some of them are common enough that any Mainer could identify them: loons, moose, black bears, great blue herons. Others are lesser-known, such as sora birds, green frogs, cormorants. As Maine Guide Tom Seymour treks year-round through the woods and fields of Maine, he gets to see all these creatures and has learned much about them. Now he’s sharing that knowledge in his new book Wild Critters of Maine.

With the same lively, informal storytelling as his previous books, including Wild Plants of Maine, Seymour introduces and describes the characteristics of many of Maine’s treasured animals. From the white-tailed deer foraging in the snow to feast on saplings to the red-winged blackbird indicating when the brown trout are coming to the surface--each of the critters is given plenty of space to show their best colors.

Loons are practically a staple of Maine’s lakes and ponds. Late at night and early in the morning, you can hear their calls ring out across the water, and when the sun is out, you can see them fishing--as Tom has, when relates a tale of a time when one nabbed a better white perch than he had on his line.

Although more often heard than seen, bobcats populate nearly every part of Maine. In the pages of Wild Critters of Maine, Seymour relays his stories of the few rare sightings of these elusive animals--including his encounters with them while hunting, when the dogs he hunted with chased them down.

Photo by Dave Small

Photo by Ben Blatz

Moose are massive creatures, much more so than most people realize. An adult bull moose is capable of utterly demolishing shrubs and bushes as it rubs the velvet off its new antlers, leaving a small tornado scene that instills a sense of cautionary fear in smaller animals. Ticks are the exception, and in large enough numbers, they can kill a moose from dehydration and blood loss.

To learn all about these creatures and more, track down a copy of Wild Critters of Maine at your local bookseller, jstwrite.com, or your favorite online retailer.

Tom Seymour has been a registered Master Maine Guide for decades. He leads foraging plant walks in various locations. On occasion, he may also be persuaded to talk at events about not only plants but fish and other animals, as well. He plays several kinds of Celtic pipes, writes for different news columns, and keeps himself busy gardening, fishing, and enjoying the rest of Maine’s outdoors.

Dave Small, photographer, has taken pictures for Bangor Daily News, U.S. Fish and Wildlife brochures, and signs in wildlife management areas, to name a few. His photos are for "conservation and education and are free for those uses". Visit his website, photosbychance.zenfolio.com, for more.

Just write books presents writing award for maine nonfiction

11/22/2019

The ability to write a story is a unique skill, and Maine has a long history of being the home of many a writer. To seek new talent and give a platform to Maine authors, the Topsham Public Library hosts its annual competition, Joy of the Pen, bringing together local writers and celebrating Maine stories. Just Write Books sponsors the Maine-related Nonfiction Award, and the winners were selected by Nancy Randolph.

Emma Gibbon, Topsham Library, presents awards to Mike Giggey (Honorable Mention) and Robin Hansen (First Place).

The winner for 2019 was Robin Hanson for her short story “Eternally Green”, a tale of a quest for a campsite. It was chosen for “a great story, clear characters, and an O. Henry ending,” This year’s Honorable Mention went to Mike Giggey for his short story “The Budding Outdoorsman,” about a fishing expedition he shared with his grandson, which is “a story that tugs the heart then delivers an environmental message.”

Robin Hansen has worked as a journalist and written about knitting, but pens stories and poems when deeply moved. Her articles and stories have appeared in regional and national publications from Yankee Magazine to Family Fun and Saturday Evening Post.

Mike Giggey is a semi-retired environmental engineer with Wright-Pierce of Topsham, former chair of the Topsham Planning Board, and life-long advocate for Maine and its water resources.

Storytime with Maine Children’s Book Authors

11/1/2019

Bring the kids to the Curtis Memorial Library, 23 Pleasant Street, Brunswick, Maaine 04011 for storytime Sunday, November 17th, from 4:30 to 5:30 pm. Two Maine authors, Vance Bessey and Norma K. Salway, will be reading their books Awk the Awkward Penguin and My Maine School Bus Driver.

In Awk the Awkward Penguin, written and illustrated by Vance Bessey, kids will learn about how their differences can really be their strengths. When a young penguin hatches with flippers far too long for his body, making swimming and belly-sliding difficult, he is dubbed Awk by his peers. Feeling like a misfit, Awk sets out to find his place in the world, and along the way, he discovers that his long flippers are as much a gift as a curse--that being different can be a wonderful thing.

In My Maine School Bus Driver by Norma K. Salway, kids will meet Mr. Gosselin and will learn about the importance of his job as he delivers children to and from school in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. Eliciting laughs and groans from his young passengers, Mr. Gosselin announces gag lunches over the speaker, highlights Maine wildlife along the route, and enriches the commute of his students while keeping safety his top priority.

Vance Bessey is a published author, illustrator and cartoonist as well as an inventor with registered patents. A graduate of the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Narrative Art, Bessey is the author of the young adult novel, Orphans of the Storm, published by Dreaming Big Publications. He has created comic strips The Edge and Only in Maine and has illustrated numerous comic books, and teaches classes on illustration, writing, and narrative art.

Norma Kimball Salway, parent, grandparent, and graduate of the University of Southern Maine retired from teaching in 2009. During her thirty-four years in education, she taught students aged four to seven. Her hobbies include writing, kayaking, gardening, antiquing, and crafting. My Maine School Bus Driver is Salway’s fifth book since retirement. She continues to write and lives in Portland, Maine, with her Maine Coon cat, Gusty.

Just Write Books LLC, an independent publishing company based in Topsham, Maine, featuring Maine books by Maine authors telling Maine stories. JWB uses its trademarked High Point Publishing System with state-of-the-art technology mixed with old-fashioned writing, editing, publishing, and marketing skills to help writers become authors and authors reach their publishing goals.

My Maine School Bus Driver

9/4/2019

Local author, Norma K. Salway will sign books at Maine Line Products, 23 Main St, Bethel, ME 04217 on September 21 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. My Maine School Bus Driver written by Salway and published by Just Write Books in Topsham is a children’s picture book about a school bus driver, his bus and his passengers.

Bonjour! Welcome to Bus Number 14. My Maine School Bus Driver by Norma K. Salway introduces Mr. Gosselin and highlights the importance of his job as he delivers children to and from school in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. From pointing out wildlife along the edge of the road, naming an unexpected eight-legged stowaway, to announcing gag lunches over the speaker, Mr. Gosselin enriches the commute of the elementary school students every morning.

The cheerful Mr. Gosselin enjoys inciting uproarious laughs (or groans) from his young passengers, but it never distracts from his top priority of keeping the children safe. In her newest children’s book, Sawyer seamlessly blends bus safety rules into a charming glimpse of Maine school bus rides.

My Maine School Bus Driver is brought to life through the whimsical illustrations and authentic interactions between Mr. Gosselin, his passengers and their families. Moments that are rarely acknowledged in everyday life are given their time to shine in this heartwarming tale.

“Norma Salway has written a delightful story and an effective teacher resource all in one. Her book is a wonderful addition to our school bus safety curriculum.”
–Jason Manjourides, principal of Pond Cove Elementary School

Dick Gosselin drove for the Cape Elizabeth school district for decades. He completed a fifty-year broadcasting career in Maine and Boston, and even hosted the quiz show, “So You Think You Know Maine.” He worked as a videographer, conducted bus tours and was active in Big Brothers, Big Sisters. He is now retired but reminisces about interacting with students on his bus on their way to and from school.

Norma Kimball Salway, parent, grandparent, and graduate of the University of Southern Maine retired from teaching in 2009. During her thirty-four years in education, she taught students aged four to seven. Her hobbies include writing, kayaking, gardening, antiquing, and crafting. My Maine School Bus Driver is Salway’s fifth book since retirement. She continues to write and lives in Portland, Maine, with her Maine Coon cat, Gusty.

Just Write Books LLC, an independent publishing company based in Topsham, Maine, publishes Maine books by Maine authors telling Maine stories. JWB uses its trademarked High Point Publishing System with state-of-the-art technology mixed with old-fashioned writing, editing, publishing, and marketing skills to help writers become authors and authors reach their publishing goals.

The People & the idiots - author Talk and book signing

8/16/2019

August 28, 6:00pm
Topsham Public Library
25 Foreside Rd., Topsham

Daniel Hawes will be giving a brief author talk starting at 6:00 pm at the Topsham Public Library followed by a Q&A and book signing of his debut memoir, The People & The Idiots: Surviving a Cult Childhood.

In his harrowing memoir, Hawes recounts surviving his childhood trapped within the Synergias: the cult founded by the infamous John Polk Allen.

Copies of The People & The Idiots will be available for purchase at the event.

Separated from his mother, father and his two siblings, Hawes experienced torment and abuse at the hands of the synergists. The book details his life from the time his parents first joined the group, to when he was finally able to take control of his life as a young man.
Hawes’ tale is one of child abuse and neglect in a cult environment. The children were forced to work hour after hour, ordered and battered by adults. While names have been changed and faces blurred, the experiences themselves are very real. The recollections are sure to bring a chill to the spine of any reader.

“Nothing is more telling about an intentional community than how it treats and teaches children. Daniel Hawes describes in visceral detail his horrifying experience growing up among the Synergists led by Johnny Dolphin Allen. I first started tracking Allen’s cult in 1975. The People & the Idiots gave me deeper insight into how pathologically elitist and inhumane Allen’s teachings were.” - Joe Szimhart, Cult Study Expert

In 1994, between his time fighting fires in Montana and moving to Maine, Hawes and others who had grown up in the Synergias and left came forward to speak of their experiences for an article published in the Arizona Daily Star. Later, he was urged by the late Herb Rosedale, Esq. to write The People & the Idiots, to expose the truth of the Synergias on a wider scope than one article.

“Ultimately, Hawes’s narrative is one of triumph, as he manages to escape the cult, adjust to life in the larger world, and forge an independent identity. Hawes has a remarkable, often shocking story to tell, with wide resonance for the world today. In The People & the Idiots, he tells that story in precise and often heartbreaking detail. Readers will not soon forget this vivid memoir.” - Professor Shawn Rosenheim, Williams College.

Just Write Books LLC, an independent publishing company based in Topsham, Maine, publishes Maine books by Maine authors telling Maine stories. JWB uses its trademarked High Point Publishing System with state-of-the-art technology mixed with old-fashioned writing, editing, publishing, and marketing skills to help writers become authors and authors reach their publishing goals.

Just Write Books
13 Williams Drive
Topsham, ME 04086

Phone: 207-729-3600

What our Customers say

Nancy E. Randolph, JWB owner, markets my titles on a wide scale. She also sets up book signings. I find it infinitely more enjoyable and rewarding to work with this Maine-based publisher than to deal with national publishers from out-of-state.
Finally, JWB does not publish just any aspiring author. Randolph is very selective, accepting only material that she is convinced will sell. I highly recommend JWB to any author.

Tom Seymour, author of Wild Plants of Maine and many other titles.

I just had these decals made [with my logo]. Every day I look at the logo you created from my drawn ideas, I smile. It is strong and me. Thank you.

Alice Andrenyak, Alice's Awesome Adventurs

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