Looking for that perfect after-school job or planning for a part-time summer job? Or maybe you are lucky enough that you don’t have to get a job until you are an adult living on your own. No matter your situation, finding the right job is tough, especially in today’s competitive market. Stay on top of everything you need to know to land the right job for you!
And find great advice from inspirational, driven girls just like you who have succeeded in their job or career dreams or have started their own business! When you hear their stories, we’re sure you will keep working toward your own goals!
Career Corner
Lulu.com: Leading The Way For Self-Publishing
Date: 12 Jan 2012
Lulu.com: Leading The Way For Self-Publishing
by Jill Sheets
Samantha McLeod
Recently I had the honor of interviewing Sarah Gilbert, the Manager of Services Sales and Account Management at Lulu.com and 16 year old author/publisher through Lulu.com, Samantha McLeod.
Chit Chatting with Sarah Gilbert
R: Tell us a little bit about your self.
S: I’m a former teacher turned Publishing Professional. With years of experience helping writers accomplish their goals, my specialty is unearthing what exactly needs to be done so that they can successfully publish on their own. It excites me to come to Lulu every day and help further the goals of aspiring authors. I’m originally from Raleigh, where you’ll find the Lulu headquarters, a mother of 2 young boys and hobbies are anything related to paddle sports and trail running.
R: Tell us about Lulu?
S: Lulu provides the on-line tools for authors and publishers to create sell and distribute their content on their own. This can be in the form of a print book or eBook.
We are not a traditional publisher, meaning that we don’t decide what’s “worthy” of being published. It’s a self serve open publishing system that allows you to publish what you want. Additionally, we give authors the option of selling their work on Lulu as well as other retail book-selling sites like Amazon.com and the iBookstore. If you need help with the process we offer professional services like editing, graphic design and publicity.
R: How did the idea come about for Lulu?
S: I’ll answer a very popular question first, what is a “Lulu”? The definition of the word Lulu is : (n) A remarkable person, object, or idea. Lulu came about after our CEO, Bob Young, traditionally published his Book Under the Radar. At the end of the process he had a surplus of books and a small percentage of the profit. He knew there was a better way to do this.
R: What are the first steps someone should do if they wanted to be published through Lulu?
S: A very important question. The first steps are to determine what your goals are and if you need a budget. Lulu provides free publishing, however if you goal is to sell your book professionally, you’ll need to make sure it is in top shape when it is ready for release. This might mean you’ll want to make an investment in editing or professional design, which is why I advise to set a budget. If this is a personal project, perhaps you can skip the budget and set goals to finish by a certain date, or simply to make sure you have fun during the process.
The other important first step is to get organized with the actual content. With Lulu you’ll need to have to content in the preferred formats of .DOC, .PDF or .EPUB. So if you’re publishing a handwritten journal for instance, build in time for typing.
R: Does the website walk people through their publishing of their book?
S: Yes. We’ll take you step by step through the process of publishing, educating you along the way to help you make the best decisions for your book. Our online publishing system starts with naming the book, uploading the content/book cover and takes you through the steps to the final product, which is immediately available for sale on Lulu.com if you choose. This is the same process for creating an eBook or a book in print.
R: How much does it cost to get a book published?
S: My favorite question. Free! It costs nothing. It will cost you to purchase your book, you just pay the printing costs. It will also cost you to enlist our professional help through our services, however you can publish for free.
R: How long will it take someone to publish their book?
S: An experienced Lulu user can publish a print ready book in as little as 5 minutes. For a new user, who will read and learn along the way, it might take 30 minutes. If you are using our services, it depends which services you select but it could take as little as 4 weeks up to a few months if you decide to let us edit your book.
R: What are some of the services that Lulu Press offer?
S: We have solutions bundled in packages that include the basics as well services offered a la carte. Services offered are editing, formatting, cover design, eBook conversion, publicity/marketing, ghostwriting and distribution.
R: What kinds of books have been published through Lulu?
S: Quite literally every kind. This could include textbooks, novels, photo albums, How-To’s, children’s books, non-fiction and my recent favorite: a marriage proposal book! A creative way to pop the question, put it in a book.
R: What are some titles that have been published through Lulu press?
S: Some of my favorites:
The Things You Don’t Know You Don’t Know by Harland Williams
The Darkest Mission, a Novel by Rick Burton
Briefs by John Edgar Wideman
R: How many titles have been published through Lulu?
S: We have over 1.1 million creators and publish about 20,000 titles monthly.
R: Who would be able to publish their book through Lulu?
S: Anyone with access to a computer. Interestingly, we have a lot of children who like to publish with Lulu. I see class projects come through quite often. Last month I helped a 93 year old gentleman finish his book, that was a rewarding process. Our site is available in 6 languages and we have printers all over the world.
R: What are the main five things you want people to know about Lulu press?
S: It’s free, our goal is to help authors be successful, we make sure that author’s retain the right to their work, help is here if you need it, and if you want to distribute your book in various channels we’re the place for you.
R: For those who are interested in learning back Lulu, what is the website?
S: www.lulu.com
Chit Chatting with Samantha McLeod, a published author on lulu.com.
Samantha McLeod, NORMAL?
R: Tell us a little bit about yourself and when did you decide that you wanted to be a writer?
S: I’m a sixteen-year-old junior at panther creek, and I’m really interested in science and art. I actually do not plan to become a writer—I would like to become a doctor.
R: I read that you have published three books “Normal?” My Brother Is Not Special (Or Is He?),” and “Good Day, Bad Day.” Tell us about your books and who did you come up with the ideas for them?
S: “Normal?” and “My Brother is Not Special” are both used to educated readers on autism and other social disabilities. “Normal?” focuses mostly on the acceptance on social differences, while “My Brother is Not Special” discusses the meaning of the word “special” as it’s often used in phrases associated with disabilities (Special education, special Olympics, etcetera.). They were both inspired by my brother, Tyler, who has autism.
“Good Day, Bad Day” was based off of a phrase my great uncle used to say: if we never had any bad days, we wouldn’t know what the good days were, which is the moral of the book.
R: Not only did you write those books, but you illustrated them. How long did it take you to write and illustrate each book?
S: It actually only took a month or so to write the books. Since the ideas were based off of true stories I had written in my journal, all I needed to do what develop those ideas. What really took a while was the publishing process.
R: Do you have any plans on writing more books?
S: Not at the moment, I don’t have too much time to write thanks to school work, tennis practice, and other factors. But during my rare cases of free time I do like to sit down a scribble out a few scenes or two, but none that are in potential of becoming a book. Yet, my three published books weren’t initially written to become published either, just to be something for the family. My elementary school principal, Jan Hargrove, encouraged us to publish them.
R: Tell us about your road to being published and why did you decide to do it with Lulu?
S: We searched for editors and publishers for years for “Normal?” but each one wanted to changed the pictures or the storyline while we did not want to change a thing. Soon we discovered Lulu’s self publishing site and it was perfect for our situation and very easy to use.
R: What is the website to get your books? Where else can people get your books?
S: The main website is of course Lulu.com, but they can also be found at Amazon.com and on Itunes.
R: Tell us about winning Progressive Academic Learning System’s Autism Choice Award.
S: PALs, actually known as Play And Learn for autism, is an organization dedicated to the inclusion of those with disabilities. It’s an honor to receive a reward from an organization that is using my books to help others.
R: How do your family and friends feel about you being a published writer?
S: A lot of my friends are actually really surprised when they find out, because they usually find out by seeing me in a magazine or on television.
Samantha McLeod
R: What are five things people may not know about you?
S: 1) I love to practice yoga. 2) Writing was, ironically, my worst score on the SAT. 3) I’m on my school’s Science Olympiad team. 4) I’m student body Vice President. 5) If I could go anywhere it would be to New Zealand.
R: What are your future goals?
S: I’m hoping to get in to UNC Chapel Hill and afterwards in to medical school.
R: Other than this one, what is the strangest question you have ever been asked?
S: When I go to talk to the elementary students about my books and autism, they often confront me with questions about video games and my dog.
R: What is the best advice you have ever gotten and by who?
S: My mom has always told me to never give up, and I’ve taken that in to account for everything I do. Especially publishing these books, because I was turned down by a lot of publishers who just didn’t like the book overall, and said it was bad. Yet, we still strived to publish it anyway.
R: What advice would you give teenage girls in general today?
S: I would tell teenage girls to express themselves, no matter what other people think.
R: Are you on any social networking sites? If so, which ones and what are their addresses? Do you have an official website? If so, what is the address?
S: My “official” website at lulu is: www.lulu.com/spotlight/mcleodld
R: Is there anything else you would like to add or say to your readers?
R: Samantha, thank you for the interview. It was an honor. Have a great day.
Millennials Can No Longer Wait for Change from Washington
Date: 6 Jan 2012
Millennials Can No Longer Wait for Change from Washington – They Want Substance Over Spin and Empty Promises [caption id="attachment_5298" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Young Are Jobless"][/caption] Generation ...
Please Login or Register to read the rest of this article.
It’s not just a job application…it’s a pre-interview
Date: 7 Dec 2011
It’s not just a job application…it’s a pre-interview Written by Mary Beth Hills When do you think a job interview starts? The minute your scheduled ...
Please Login or Register to read the rest of this article.
Chit Chatting with Olivia Dikambi
Date: 1 Dec 2011
Chit Chatting with Olivia Dikambi Written by: Jill Sheets [caption id="attachment_9497" align="alignleft" width="345" caption="Olivia Dikambi"][/caption] Recently I got to interview Olivia Dikambi, who is the founder and ...
Please Login or Register to read the rest of this article.
Ace That Interview
Date: 23 Nov 2011
Ace That Interview Written by Mary Beth Hills [caption id="attachment_9464" align="alignleft" width="283" caption="Interview"][/caption] You lucky girl, you. You’ve submitted your application, resume, cover letter, and letters of ...
Please Login or Register to read the rest of this article.
Loading ...