Many moons ago when I began this website for Mango Jane Publishing, I would write here freely and oh, how I loved it!
I thought I would add a personal blog here on my birthday and fill you in on some of my inspirations for this small press publishing and why I am still going to persist here in the future.
One statement: I love books.
When life has left me feeling adrift, alone or blue, a book has always come to the rescue. Whenever I have had a turning point or needed direction, powerful words from intelligent and unafraid individuals that were willing to speak their mind, helped redirect my steps.
Of course, that was before I knew all of the hard work that goes into making a book from the graphic design, formatting the inside and then hitting the criteria right for KDP to hit the publish button for a book like THE GREAT GATSBY. That one took three weeks of edits, rewrites and designs for it to finally be published, while JANE EYRE flew by without a second glance.
So now here it is my third year in publishing and fourth year since buying my fictious name for my business.
A lot of the romance of publishing has left the building. I will spare you the Elvis reference.
Great news: That’s actually a wonderful new development because I am still here typing, writing and publishing books.
I remember in 2020, on this very day, I chose to stay home in bed all day and publish, ‘AS A MAN THINKETH’ on my 48th birthday. I was just over the moon about it. I felt so with it and proud of myself. I had just been hired by EOS Fitness to teach yoga. I had just secretly started a podcast. Life was brimming with possibility and hope. This was exactly almost three weeks before the very first lockdown in 2020.
Everything smashed and crashed.
I finally published another book again that summer. I didn’t have any time due to working constantly.
Mango Jane Publishing has been a long labor of patience, love and learning. I began to find my stride at the end of 2020 when I published a version of JANE EYRE with Norwegian painter Edvard Munch inside to complement the darker under tones inside the pages of this classic novel. I remember skating around in my socks with glee.
What a fun memory that was. I thought it would be all downhill from there. However, what I have learned in publishing is it’s never the same. What formula may work for one book, won’t work for the next book.
In 2020 I took on a new task of publishing a poetry book by a talented writer, Landon James Chapman. This collaboration on this book took 18 months, which included work on the formatting, the selection of poetry, working with the editor and the author.
Finally in 2021, GUNS TASTE BAD was published, receiving a warm reception in sales right away, especially the paperback version hitting Bestselling in two poetry categories in paperback and in E book format.
The author has also been published by FALL LINES, The Jasper Project, signifying this budding American poet has an emerging voice that is just starting to be recognized in the world of poetry.
How exciting to bring this important book to life as a publisher.
Now, here I am in 2022. It’s my birthday and I am about to publish another JAMES ALLEN BOOK, one of my favorite philosophers.
Mango Jane averages about six to seven books a year, twelve if you include E Book formats. This year, I hope to include an audible book of GUNS TASTE BAD and a hardcover book, too.
Stay the course. Have great patience. Here is a quote by William Faulkner that resonates with my heart as a writer, reader and publisher:
“Read, read, read. Read everything — trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You’ll absorb it. Then write. If it’s good, you’ll find out. If it’s not, throw it out of the window.”
Keep going. Throw out what doesn’t work. If you feel inspired by the source, the light will stay ignited in your heart. Mango Jane is excited to keep bringing books your way in 2022. I am grateful for you stopping by and reading this news blog.
Cheers to in in 2022.
Machel Shull – Publisher