Interview with Moira Allen

I worked with author and editor Moira Allen on Inkspot years before we actually met in person. In addition to Writing World (a fantastic resource for freelance writers), Moira juggles a number of other Web sites and projects and is the author of several books on writing and other topics.

How does she stay so productive?

You have quite a few Web sites on the go! How on earth do you find time to maintain all of them?

I think the simple answer to that question is “I don’t!” My priority is to keep Writing World and The Pet Loss Support Page current, and fortunately, neither of those sites are too labor-intensive. I’ve also changed how I approach updates.

In the past, when requests came by e-mail to update a link or add a listing to the pet loss resource directory, I’d generally do it on the spot. I finally realized that this was why “checking e-mail” often became a two-hour proposition! So this summer I disciplined myself to a new rule: Unless an update was urgent, it went into a file, to be handled at the end of each month. Things like ad renewals are handled monthly anyway, so this has greatly improved my schedule.

TimeTravel-Britain.com, however, is very labor-intensive. Putting together a new “issue” is like putting together a complete, illustrated magazine single-handedly. That’s bad enough if I’m editing other folks’ articles, but I can no longer afford to buy material, so any new issues are going to have to be written by me! I had hoped to get a couple of new issues up this year (our last one was in March 2007), but the complications of the move (and then my fractured ankle) made that impossible. I’m hoping to get a new issue up in February 2008, and another in May, and from there, we’ll have to see.

Even worse is my photography site, which hasn’t been updated since December 2006! I’m working on a redesign now, that will showcase some of the photos I’ve been taking in Britain, but it’s slow slogging. It should look great when it’s done, but I have been doing so many other projects with the same photos that I’ve gotten tired of them, I’m afraid!

Then in my “spare” time, I handle my sister’s stained glass website at Sunnybrookstudio.com – and periodically she’ll come up with “hey, let’s do a complete reworking of this and that and the other…” Fortunately, she’s busier than I am, so it’s hard for her to find time to sit down and tell me what she wants! <g>

The third edition of your book, Coping with Sorrow on the Loss of Your Pet, just came out. How do you decide when it’s time to put out a new edition?

This more or less happened by accident, and largely as a result of moving to England. Before moving, I’d been selling a self-published version of the Second Edition on Amazon through its “new and used” program (piggybacking off the previous commercially published Second Edition). When we knew we were about to move, I signed up for Amazon’s “fulfilled by Amazon” program, where you ship your inventory to Amazon to mail. It works great, but I knew that eventually I’d need to order a new supply of books, plus redesign my cover to print their SKU, and I wasn’t looking forward to the effort or the expense.

Then Dog Ear approached me, to see if they could convince me to switch from Lulu.com. I agreed to test their service with Coping, mainly because I’d just received several requests for quantity orders of the book, which I had no way of fulfilling through Amazon. (About the only method I could think of was to have people order 50 copies from Amazon and then I’d refund them the “discount,” which seemed a bit clumsy!) I thought this would be a great way to fill those bulk orders.

But then a problem arose! I had a PDF file that I was using with Morris for the current version, but I couldn’t find any other files (text, Word, whatever), and Dog Ear’s format was different. It turned out that I’d “zipped” my old Pagemaker files, and zipping certain types of files totally destroys the file format, so that when you unzip them you can hardly read them. I finally ended up copying the book line-by-line from the existing PDF file into Word. (I found that “select all” didn’t work because it lost all the format information.)

Along the way, I realized that there were a number of small things in the book that needed to be updated, since the book was originally written in 1987! So I tweaked those. And I’d always wanted to add in some of my newer articles from the Web… The final impetus was that I wanted to enter a particular self-publishing competition, but had to have a “recently” published edition. So I decided it was time to come out with the “official” Third Edition — and only then did I remember that it was exactly 20 years since I’d first written and published the book! This is, by the way, the first book I ever wrote.

Since you’ve moved from the U.S. to Britain, what adjustments (if any) have you had to make in how you work?

First, moving to England was INTENDED to change the way that I work. I have been saying literally for years that I would stop spending so much time on my websites and spend more time WRITING. (I think you can probably go back through my Writing World end-of-year editorials to find these claims for about three years!) But I’ve always just slid back into the same patterns. Something comes up, or I get a new brilliant idea for a way to improve or add to the site, or it seems like I’m not doing enough… And before I knew it, the year would be gone and no real writing would be done.

This year I decided to finally stick to this resolution. As of January I’m handing off the newsletter entirely to Dawn Copeman, and the Writing-World.com website will go to a quarterly schedule in terms of new material and updates. But I didn’t wait for January; I actually HAVE started writing again. When we arrived in England, I confidently expected that we’d be in a self-catering cottage for about two weeks while we found our house and made arrangements to move in. (Thus, foolish me, I only BOOKED a cottage for two weeks…) I never imagined that we would actually end up in “holiday rentals” for six weeks (and never in the same one for more than two weeks!).

That was six weeks during which I had no Internet connection, no car (you can’t buy a car until you have an address), and virtually no television (five channels of talk shows, game shows and reality program — with Dr. Who thrown in on Saturdays). So what was the first thing I did? Well, of course — I sat down and worked on a MASSIVE redesign of Writing World . (It really doesn’t look that massive; to the reader, about the only discernible difference is that the author bios are now at the bottom of the page.) I also went over all the content of the site to weed out old, outdated articles or articles that just didn’t thrill me anymore, and also to convert all the old columns into “feature articles” so that people could find them. This is a lovely way to fill your time; it can go on endlessly.

We were in our third cottage, I think, when it finally hit me — if you can’t find the time to write NOW, when you have no car, no Internet and no TV, then when ARE you going to find the time? And so I forced myself (I mean forced; I love administrivium) to put aside all that lovely web work and to start WRITING. I finally began work on a story I’d been kicking around for at least six months prior to moving; I’d even outlined it before I left. The result: It won an Honorable Mention in the Writers of the Future contest this fall! Next I came across a local writers’ group conference and knocked out TWO short stories (had to come up with a second because the first one was just too long). And now I’m at work on the next WOTF entry, which probably won’t be done this quarter, but should be done by spring (these are LONG stories).

That’s all well and good — it represents a change in my work patterns that was a personal choice. But moving to England has also resulted in some changes to my work patterns that were NOT by choice.

The most significant of these was having no Internet connection for nearly three months. We had no Internet in any of the self-catering cottages; I drove 45 minutes to visit Dawn Copeman a couple of times so that I could borrow her computer and check my e-mail! Even after we found a place to live, my first call to get our phone line set up seems to have vanished into the ether and I had to call again, so it took another two weeks to get our phone hooked up — and then it takes at least two weeks after that before you can actually get “connected.” You can sign up for “broadband,” but it takes that long for your connection to “go live.” I wasn’t online on a regular basis from the beginning of May to the middle of July.

The next major change to my work patterns occurred in the middle of September, when I tripped on the stairs and fractured my ankle. Suddenly I could barely work at all! We finally shifted my computer into the kitchen, so that I could prop my foot up under the kitchen table (we found that a partially deflated exercise ball was the ideal prop), but even then, it was about three weeks before I could spend more than an hour at a time on the computer. Then it was back to the couch to put the leg up properly. Somehow, though, I managed to finish off my WOTF entry, and my journal for the first six months of our move.

So at this point I don’t HAVE a “typical” work day yet. The cast came off three weeks ago, whereupon I promptly came down with the flu, followed by another case of the flu (Patrick brought home his own version!), and we’re still recovering from that. But the enforced “incarceration” and diminished mobility has introduced some new changes into my workday that I think I’ll keep.

First, I find that sitting at the kitchen table, on a regular kitchen chair, has greatly improved my back. I’ve tried all sorts of computer chairs (and computer desks) and I always end up with loads of backaches from computer work. Now, I don’t — so the computer is going to be staying in my kitchen! (Which is nice because it actually gives me a “desk” in my office — a flat space that I can spread papers all over.)

Second, there is no way to hook up the Internet router in the kitchen. This is England; the idea of phone outlets in every room has definitely not caught on. There is an outlet in my office, and then one “main” outlet in the front hall that has extensions going into the living-room and into Pat’s office (which is what was probably intended as the dining room). Prior to the fracture, the router had resided in my office. We decided to move it into Patrick’s office, and when I want to check e-mail, I take my laptop in there and hook it up. (I tend to use his computer now for Internet surfing, as surfing on the Mac just isn’t what it used to be; thanks, Microsoft, for not supporting Explorer for Macs!!!) So this means that I go in to another office, plug in, download, check to see if anything needs my immediate attention, upload any site revisions I’ve done — and then I unhook and go back to the kitchen. If an e-mail needs a longer response, like this one, I handle it there and send it the next day. There’s no longer the temptation to keep checking mail, handling mail, or surfing the Web. It’s marvelously liberating; it’s like realizing that yes, you CAN let the phone ring and let the answering machine grab it!

We’ve also found several ways to minimize the amount of errand-running that has to be done. One of the supermarkets here has an excellent, low-cost delivery service (it about balances out the cost of petrol if you run to the store yourself). We’re going to continue using that even though I can now drive again. I tend to do as much shopping as I can online, because the distances to various types of stores (like office supply stores) tends to be rather large. (The nearest Staples is an hour away.)

It remains to be seen, however, how all this is going to pay off in terms of writing in the future. I’ll let you know when I get over the flu!

Why did you decide to start TimeTravel-Britain.com?

I have been fascinated by Britain since I was a kid, and Patrick is fascinated by British history and archaeology. I’ve been sort of bouncing up and down like a five-year-old for years, going “I wanna live in England! I wanna live in England!” In a way, starting TimeTravel-Britain.com was sort of a stop-gap measure — it gave me a chance to do tons of research about Britain and see loads of great pictures without actually being there.

It was also a business decision at the time. We were kicking around different ideas for a new website, since Writing-World.com was all but running itself by that time. We came up with the idea for an online travel “zine” on Britain that would focus entirely on historical destinations (no articles on “the top ten nightclubs in London”). We confidently expected we’d be able to tap into the huge travel industry out there — tour operators, B&Bs, hotels, attractions… There were, we thought, a virtually unlimited number of products and services out there for travelers!

This was the first site I had someone else design (Doyle Wilmouth of SpecFicMe.com). I put out the word that I was in the market for articles, and they came pouring in; I have a wonderful group of “regulars” who have been terrifically supportive of the site. But I overlooked a key element: It’s possible to be a great editor, and it’s possible to be a great ad salesperson, but there isn’t time enough in the day to be both. I’m a great editor but I’m a lousy marketer! Plus, we learned that a large percentage of the travel trade in England is not NEARLY as “web savvy” as in the US. There isn’t nearly the impetus to have your own business website, or communicate by e-mail, let alone advertise on someone ELSE’S website. (I also realized, as I began to scour other English travel publications for potential advertisers, that darn few folks in the UK travel trade advertise AT ALL!)

So while the site is gorgeous and has some wonderful material, thus far it hasn’t brought in any real revenue. I’m going to give it a couple more shots in 2008, hoping that now that I’m HERE, and a bit more “accessible” to British travel suppliers than some American across the pond, I may bring in a few more ads. If it doesn’t happen, then the site will “freeze” as is; the content will remain, but I won’t be adding to it. It’s still a great site and the readership is growing steadily, but it takes so much work that I can’t afford it if I can’t bring in some revenue.

I’ve been browsing your photo galleries on TimeTravel-Britain.com. Your photos are gorgeous! Have you ever sold your photography?

Not yet. It’s on my “to do” list. It’s like starting out as a freelancer all over again, completely ignorant of the market — I have to “relearn” everything. It’s a bit intimidating! And while I, too, think my photos are gorgeous, when I look at some of the competition I realize that I’m up against some even more gorgeous photography out there! But I do hope that, by the end of 2008, I will have made some photo sales.

I’ll share a bit of the personal side of my photography history with you, which you can pass along or not. I grew up with a “photographer” — my mother claimed to be a “professional photographer.” I don’t know if she ever actually was one or not; my sisters and I have never found any evidence that she ever actually sold her photos. But she was a “photo addict.” We would spend one or two months every summer in Idaho, so that she could take pictures. Her equipment included two “large format” cameras (2-1/4 film), each with their own camera bag that was about the size of an over-the-shoulder luggage carry-on. Then there was the “flash bag,” which was an old “train case” (think carry-on again). Then there was an insulated bag full of film, which we kept buried under air-mattresses in the car (which kept it nice and chilled). She would also bring along a huge tripod in its own canvas bag that she’d made for it. Oh, yes, and then there was the rest of our luggage… What I remember of our trips is trying to fit into the car around Mother’s camera equipment! We’d stop and pull off the road every so often so that she could get out and take a picture, and then my sister or I would have to record all the data in a notebook: Location, time of day, speed, F-stop, etc.

Then, finally, we’d get home — and the “processing” would begin. Mother processed her own slides in the kitchen sink; she’d developed a lightproof “changing bag” where she could transfer the film onto the reels that would then go into little light-proof cannisters to be “processed.” This involved lots of really lethal chemicals, but more importantly (from the perspective of a small child), it meant that the water temperature and pressure in the sink had to remain absolutely constant for about 45 minutes. I’d come home from school, to find that I couldn’t flush the toilet or even wash my hands!

After the slides had been processed and dried, she’d cut the film apart and begin mounting her slides, which was a task that pretty much consumed the rest of her life. Mother was always mounting, sorting, labeling, remounting, and resorting her slides. Once that particular summer’s worth of photos was mounted, we would then be in for the dreaded evening SLIDE SHOWS, which could be up to 200 slides (or more).

Mother introduced all of us to pretty decent cameras and tried to encourage us to take pictures, but since we’d all end up hopping out of the car at the same spot, our pictures all ended up looking just like hers. I did enjoy taking pictures with my old twin-lens Rolleicord, but when it died, I never got the same results from 35mm so I finally just swore off photography.

Then along came digital… Suddenly you could experiment with exposures and angles and take as many pictures as you wanted, and it didn’t cost anything! And before I knew it, I was hooked. I’m now an absolute photo addict; I hardly go anywhere without my camera. We’ve been in England just over six months and between us, have almost 4000 photos. That’s SAVED photos; it doesn’t count the hundreds that have gone into the recycling bin.

And now I find myself thinking of my mother and her “photo addiction,” and feeling a whole lot more understanding. She wasn’t great and I don’t know if she ever DID sell her work, but she was a decent photographer, and more to the point, I understand WHY she was so hooked on it. And I also wonder what she would have made of our digital age. My camera fits into my purse, or even my pocket. I do have a few bits of extra “equipment” that fit into a small pouch. No more hauling five bags of camera stuff around! No more film; no more standing over the sink for hours! As for time, though, I’m not sure that I’m saving that much, as I slave over Photoshop for hours! But at least I can flush the toilet when I want to!

How did Dog Ear convince you to switch from Lulu.com? Next time you self-publish, would you choose Dog Ear or Lulu.com?

The real selling point with Dog Ear was their distribution package; they were able to get the book onto Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, and BarnesandNoble.com VERY quickly. Lulu has the ability to do this, but you have to pay a bit more for it and it seems to be a bit more complicated; plus, I think with Lulu, you have to pay extra for “international” distribution.

Second, my profit margin is a bit higher on Dog Ear, which is nice. I was looking for an alternative to traditional printing that would still give me a bit of a royalty; the per-book cost on Lulu is so high that unless you really crank up your sales price, your profit margin stays pretty low. Dog Ear offered a much lower cost-per-book, so while it’s not as low as actually having boxes of books PRINTED, it still gives a higher profit margin.

Third, I’ve published several books on Lulu that I’ve tried to market, and sales have been dismally low. I have the feeling that while Lulu is attracting a lot of authors and “publishers,” it’s not attracting that many book BUYERS. If you want to market a book online, it really needs to be on Amazon, and again, while that’s POSSIBLE through Lulu, it’s more expensive and more difficult.

So yes, the next time I self-publish a book that I want to market (as opposed to simply a personal project), I will probably go with Dog Ear again. It will be interesting to test them with a book that doesn’t already have a sort of “built-in” market — I already sell a pretty standard number of copies of Coping every month, and I’ve noticed that as sales of the third edition have gone up, sales of the older edition have definitely gone DOWN. This means that a fairly stable number of people are coming to Amazon each month and finding my title, and are choosing to buy the latest version of that title. (It also probably means that a surprising number of buyers aren’t coming through my website, as I don’t have that linked to the new edition yet; I’d like to sell off my copies of the old version!)

It’s clear that you’re finding the lack of easy access broadband a boon to productivity! Would this affect your decision to get wireless broadband, if/when this is available in your area?

It IS available, and a lot of people use it. It’s an option with our Sky system. However, wireless has a lot of security issues still, and we decided that it was safer to go with the router and cables for now. Also, I still use my old Mac (system 9.2) laptop, and I don’t think I have built-in wireless capability. Most likely I’d need to be running System 10-whatever to go wireless.

However, one of the things we’re talking about is future VACATIONS in England when we are back home. We’ve come to the conclusion that it’s actually a lot easier to visit England than to live here; one just avoids so many basic complications! What we’d really like to do is come over periodically for a long vacation (2-3 weeks) in a self-catering facility that DOES have a wireless connection. That way if one of us has a wireless-enabled laptop, we can still keep up with e-mail and such. But that’s a long way in the future!

You can find out more info about Moira Allen at Writing-World, Pet Loss Support Page, TimeTravel-Britain.com, and AllenImages.net.