Dog Eared: a reivew

Dog Eared: A Year’s Romp through the Self-Publishing World

W. Nikola-Lisa

Gyroscope Books

A million years ago I was strolling through a book fair. I know, remember those things. It seems a whole world has changed since those days. Though we are still reading, it is just by a variety of conveyances: usually electronic—even as I write this review it will be typed into a computer and likely read by others on a computer.

Nevertheless, children’s books are still the domain of the physical book. Children love to be read to and also spend time leafing through books to look at the pictures. W. Nikola-Lisa was at this children’s book fair in the reconstructed Stock Exchange room of the Chicago Art Institute. We got to talking, I made a faux pas, he corrected me and the rest is history. I commented that I loved the illustrations of Night is Coming and re replied he was the author not the illustrator. I then said I loved the lyrical writing, more like a lullaby, perfect for lulling a child to sleep. Tells you how long ago this was as I haven’t tucked a child in for a number of years.

Anyway, W. and I connected over writing. He now has a new book out: Dog Eared: A Year’s Romp through the Self-Publishing World, scheduled for release Sept. 7, 2017. Nikola is self-publishing these days and has started his own imprint, Gyroscope Books. It give him the freedom to write along wide interests. He uses CreateSpace and Ingram Spark to print paperback and hardcover copies of his work. All are readily available through wherever you get books—either digitally or print-on-demand. See it is a new world.

Dog Eared is a year-long romp through the trials and tribulations of being a writer and bibliophile in a world of shrinking shelf space. Those of us who collect books are finding ourselves running out of space or needing to downsize. Nikola uses this as an excuse to write abut how books have impacted his life, giving us a memoir and a how-to on becoming an independent publisher. We read the journey he took from being a traditional author to an authorpreneur.

He’s broken the memoir down into 4 sections to represent seasons of the year, even as he takes us through the years he spent getting published, established, on up to today’s current publishing landscape. Children’s publishing is a bright spot for many publishers, having rebounded since the crash of 2008/9.

Nikola good luck with your words and wisdom for those hoping to follow in your footsteps!