Dog Eared: A Year's Romp Through the Self-Publishing World

by W. Nikola-Lisa

During a yearlong office-cleaning project the author reflects on his life as a writer and as a reader, addressing several themes: the place of physical books in an ever-increasing digital age, the impact of social media on publishing’s rapidly-changing landscape, the skill set an author needs to survive in today’s publishing world, and the author’s own measured transition from traditional author to independent author/publisher. This is no armchair account of an author’s bookish world however. You’ll travel the length of the country as you follow the author as he writes, publishes, and promotes his work. Along the way you’ll find out other things about him, like why his high school girlfriend dumped him after she gave him a copy of Herman Hesse’s Narcissus and Goldmund; why he has all the Writer’s Destiny Marks except one; and why Exercise Rule #39 doesn’t always work for him.

Genres: Nonfiction

337 pages, Paperback

First published June 15, 2017

About the author

W. Nikola-Lisa's interest in writing books for young readers began as an elementary school teacher. He is the author of numerous books, including the award-winning Bein' With You This Way (Lee & Low), Shake Dem Halloween Bones (Houghton Mifflin) and the How We Are Smart (Lee & Low), recipient of the prestigious Christopher Award. As an accomplished storyteller and musician, Mr. Nikola-Lisa enjoys sharing his writing experiences with elementary and middle school students nationwide.

Reviews

[Pastel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won an ARC in a Goodreads giveaway.

I loved this book--though it was a sometimes jumbled, hyperactive mess, it was always upbeat and humorous even when detailing the tribulations and tedium of transitioning from traditional publishing to self-publishing.

If you ever wondered what self-publishing is like, or thought that maybe you'd like to try it yourself, this is a great book to cut your teeth on. It's not exactly a how-to, but rather Nikola's diary of doing it himself. He's a funny dude (though there's that clear strand of ADHD running through out) with a lot of experience, and I found the whole thing eye-opening. It's a quick read, hitting on a lot of little things about being a writer and avid reader, that you will either recognize in yourself or give you food for thought; the last chapter was particularly poignant in that regard and I underlined bits to remember if ever I feel discouraged.

[Faith 09 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think you'd find this book to be really relatable if you're an author.

[READER VIEWS · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by Susan Violante for Reader Views (2/18)

“Dog Eared: A Year’s Romp through the Self-Publishing World” by W. Nikola-Lisa tells the author’s story as he ventures from traditional publishing to the Indie world. This memoir/publishing/ business book takes readers through one year in the life of an Indie author giving them a personal, firsthand account of the ‘Author’s Life.’

It begins as Nikola-Lisa finally takes on the semi-quasi impossible job of cleaning his office. Slowly but surely he goes through the shelves by reminiscing on his past, and how the book he is holding each time, came about. The story unravels Nikola-Lisa’s life to the reader through anecdotes of his youth, his school speaking events, relationships with his family, the people he meets casually, etc. Yet, mingled within his life’s accounts, writers will actually receive wise advice about publishing books as an Indie author.

I think W. Nikola-Lisa created a well written, entertaining account of what self-publishing entails. From the birth of his pen name to how some book titles came up, Nikola opens up on personal, and professional aspects of his life that are relatable to all readers, book lovers and writers alike. This unique book is fun and easy to read, but make no mistake, it is also amazingly informative, offering wise advice to writers on what to expect from the self-published life. I enjoyed reading this book and even took notes for myself; however, the narrator’s voice used some expressions that turned me off because they felt cliché to me. Even so, I was happy to read it and will recommend to my colleagues.

Overall, I found “Dog Eared: A Year’s Romp through the Self-Publishing World” by W. Nikola-Lisa to be a well written and entertaining roadmap for new Indie authors. Definitely recommend!

[Mari LivTollefsonCarlson · Rating 5 out of 5]

W. Nikola-Lisa has finally made a New Year’s Resolution: to clean his office, aka the lost-and-found. But the resolution is not the point; the point is the story of a year making order where there apparently is none. The point is the man who tells the story, whose office cleaning provides, as all experience does for a writer, a metaphor. He’s a creative type and a Gemini. He has multiple projects going at once and procrastinates, to boot. This is the story of how he sorts, sifts, climbs, stacks, presents, reads, writes, travels, promotes… in short, takes stock of his craft from top to bottom.
Read it like a manual or a memoir, or even an inspirational. This is not just a year’s romp through, but a lifetime’s worth of experience with the publishing industry, as writer, teacher, and eventually a publisher and bookseller himself. Nikola-Lisa offers funny anecdotes about giving up his safety deposit box as well as reading recommendations and instructions for setting up a vendor’s table. It’s as difficult to put a label on this book as it is to label the author himself. And lucky for us! The pleasure of this read is not in categorizing it but in listening to Nikola-Lisa sing. Again and again he comes back to this as a writer’s job: to enjoy the sound of words by singing them more than analyzing them.
There are those for whom a book takes on a life of its own, such that knowing about the author detracts from the power of the book. Not so in this case. Now that I know a bit about the man, I’m eager to read more of his books for beginning, primary, intermediate and adult readers. This glimpse into the process of creating not only content but the product of a book inspires me to take my reading, and writing, to the next level.

[Yvonne Glasgow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every author should read this- especially if you're self-published. I found myself engrossed in these pages. W. Nikola-Lisa takes us on a treck through his big office cleaning/book sorting project, a year-long event. But on the way, we go with him to book conventions, learn the best ways to self-promote, and so much more. This book is full of information that is useful to self-published authors- whether you're just thinking of writing or already have a few books in print.

[Danielle Urban · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dog Eared by W. Nikola-Lisa is an accurate description of a writer's journey. The book was easy to read. However, it didn't have much to offer an interested other than telling what a writer's life in publishing was like for this one writer. I found it lacking. I was expecting a book full of more advice or lessons learned from a writer. Yet all I got was just an everyday life tale. 

I received this copy from the publisher. This is my voluntary review.

[Erik Burke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really lively read! W. Nikola Lisa's love of books bleeds through every page. My main dislike of the book was that a lot of the methods he talks about when it comes to self publishing and marketing yourself have changed drastically since this book was released, even more so when you take into account the COVID-19 pandemic! Still, I thought a peek into the mind of this working writer was utterly fascinating, and he's got a lot of talent!

[Renee Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book from Goodreads Giveaway and it was so full of information. It was awesome chock full of info. I have been looking for one of these books and I am so glad I won one. Absolutely worth reading.

[Delaina Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book pleasantly surprised me! It wasn’t a book about how to self publish like I thought. It was a story all about one authors journey through cleaning his office/book collection. So different from my usual books and I loved it!

[Cherity · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't say that the book has one main theme, as it reads more like a collection of diary entries throughout the year - a year in life of the author. However, it was a very nice read.

[Lissa Smith Reads'~A Bookaholics Bookshelf · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars, I liked it!
Goodreads Winner and Amazon kindle purchase!!!

As of 02/02/2020 I have yet to receive the paperback edition that was won in the Goodreads giveaway.

First, I signed up for this book because my daughter is getting ready to self publish one of her books. I thought this would have some insight in the process. I have high hopes for the print copy as my daughter relates best to a physical book in hand.

The kindle copy reads as if the author intentions was to keep you in the know of the daily life of a self publishing author. Which wasn't what I was looking for but it did give me great insight on how things will go for my daughter. It was similar to diary entries almost.

After explaining to my daughter about the book, she too is now reading. I would definitely suggest if it's your first romp through the self-publishing world, to give books like this and other a chance.

The more you know, the better you can prepare when it's your turn.

[Amy Shannon]

What a wonderfully relatable book!

If you're a writer or any kind of artist, this book will lend to something that many can relate to, and sometimes we do without saying it out loud. The first chapter, really stuck with me, and who could blame me, especially with a title of "Hole in the Head". The author is writing this in first person, sharing his experiences, and how this book came about. All because of the dreaded tax season. This is the first time I've read his work, but I know he has a lot of other stories out there, and I will definitely check them out. He starts out quoting Frank Zappa, "so many books, so little time." Isn't that the truth? A wonderfully written book that should be at the top of anyone's TBR list, and I just may add it to my TBRR (to be re-read) List.