Whether you’re trekking the foothills of the Himalayas, climbing Mt. Everest, or bringing your book idea into a published reality, you need a Sherpa. Let To Press & Beyond be your guide!
GAIL KEARNS
President, Book Sherpa, Project Editor, & Production Coordinator
Hometown: Bennington, Vermont; now lives in Browns Summit, North Carolina.
Education: Bachelor of Science, Hunter College, City University of New York.
Past Lives: Motion picture industry, Production Coordinator and Development Executive. Worked with numerous screenwriters and scouted for books that would make good movies.
Passions: Helping authors shape their books; Finding the perfect B&B (where she can read the latest manuscript).
Advice to Authors: Rewrite! Rewrite! Rewrite! Writing is all about rewriting. Also, hire a professional book editor. It can make a major difference in a manuscript’s success and salability.
PENELOPE PAINE
Art Director, Project Manager
Hometown: London, England; Lives in Santa Barbara, California, and London, England.
Education: Bachelor of Arts, University of London.
Past Lives: Author and marketer of award-winning children’s books; National trainer for educational initiatives.
Passions: Imparting her wisdom; Sipping a perfect cup of tea.
Advice to Authors: Identify the benefits you hope to achieve in writing your book; Target your market.
Website: pennypaine.com
CINDY CONGER
Writing Coach, Copyeditor, Proofreader
Hometown: Denver, Colorado and Scottsbluff, Nebraska; Now lives in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Education: Bachelor of Journalism from the University of Nebraska.
Past Lives: I was a sportswriter in college and did TV news and weather. I’ve worked in communications and PR for small businesses and non-profits. For the past two decades, I’ve worked with authors.
Passions: Witnessing the moment an author holds their completed book! And I still love sports, especially college football.
Advice to authors: Don’t be afraid of the messy middle. It’s so tempting to keep picking at the beginning. Have a writing schedule and a coach or writing partner to keep you moving forward.
LISA CARIAS
CEO and Founder, OneSource
Virtual Assistance
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA; now lives in Peoria, IL.
Education: CDS Certification, Los Angeles Pierce College, LSP, ISC, West Hollywood.
Past Lives: I have had multiple operational, administrative, and project manager roles over the last 18 years with various corporations, small businesses, and non-profit organizations.
Passions: Weightlifting, art, hiking, and songwriting.
Advice to Authors: Write what you are passionate about…passion is contagious.
PERI GABRIEL
Book & Cover Designer
Hometown: Costa Mesa, California; now lives in Beaverton, Oregon.
Education: Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree Visual Communication Design, California State University, Long Beach.
Past Lives: Director of Fun Pinot’s Palette Alameda paint and sip studio, event designer, advertising art director, theatrical performer/dancer.
Passions: Translating an idea into a tangible visual expression; traveling the globe; finding the perfect glass of red wine.
Advice to Authors: Covers sell…do it right the first time, you won’t regret it.
Website: perigabriel1.wixsite.com/mysite
ALAN HEBEL
the Book Designers
Hometown: Fairfax, CA.
Education: Associate of Arts Degree, San Diego CA,
Past Lives: : Studying philosophy in South India and hiking through rich jungles there.
Passions: Basketball, Hiking, Mountain Biking, Cold Plunges, Breathing, Cooking.
Advice to Authors: Make sure your manuscript is fully proofread and edited. Put some good thought into the vision for your book’s cover design.
Website: bookdesigners.com
IAN KOVIAK
the Book Designers
Hometown: West Linn, Oregon.
Education: Bachelor of Communications Design, University of Hawaii.
Past Lives: World traveler. I have been all over Europe, Asia, and the Americas. I was born in Brooklyn, NY, and my father was a book cover designer in the early 90s. Following in his footsteps, I’ve worked in publishing design for over 25 years.
Passions: Art, Music, Design—graphic design, architecture, industrial design, and information design; Reading (I enjoy a wide range of genres, but short-story fiction is my favorite); exercising, cycling and long hikes and walks in nature.
Advice to Authors: Editors are your friends. Never underestimate editorial and proofreading. Book covers and book interiors matter. Their design is essential to how a reader connects and experiences a book. A book’s design should be equally as important as the text within.
Website: bookdesigners.com
BETH M. ANDERSON
Web Designer and Developer
Hometown: Alexandria, Minnesota; living nomadically in the United States.
Education: Computer Programming; Brown Institute.
Past Lives: IT Management, Documentation Management, Sailor.
Passions: Technology, reading, sailing.
Advice to Authors: Share your book with the world through a variety of social media channels, online advertising, and your author website.
Website: plum-creek.com
NANCY SAYLES
Publicist
Hometown: Milwaukee, Wisconsin; now lives in Woodland Hills, California.
Education: BA in Journalism from California State University, Northridge.
Past Lives: Always been a PR Lady. First job in PR was in college promotion department for Herb Alpert’s A & M Records, and promoting unknowns like The Carpenters and Carole King.
Passions: Getting national publicity for previously unknown authors, raising a teenage boy (and living to tell about it), and searching the world for the perfect sushi (not necessarily in that order).
Advice to Authors: Produce the very best product you can through writing, editing, interior and cover design, and when it’s finally a book, tell everyone you know. Then tell everyone you don’t know.