02/23/2023
Here's an interview with Jody Rawley, Publisher, Capital Media Enterprise, Inc.
S:
How did your company start? What do you want visitors to this page to know first?
Jody
The company began with books that I wrote and designed for classroom assignment, classroom discussion. Capital Media Enterprise, Inc. books are designed to teach.
S:
And what classrooms have they been used in so far?
Jody:
None. We produced a movie that was shown a few times in the early 2010s to 8th graders in Chesterfield County, Virginia, in one classroom, but the books were never assigned. I was a few books into the writing and publishing effort when I discovered that authors not published by the âbig fiveâ publishing companies are essentially banned from public schools and public libraries.
S:
What do the books teach?
Jody:
The published books are mostly aimed at middle school readers and some books are story collections. They mix disciplines, so, for example, a story like âCaves of the Crystal Eyesâ teaches or mentions elements of aviation, telemetry, geography, history, and even a little bit of ethics as the story is primarily about friendship.
S:
So they are not text-book sort of reading?
Jody:
They are the traditional young reader sorts of stories you would have gotten in the 1950s or â60s.
S:
Do you work with an editor?
Jody:
We have an in-house editor, Valerie Mayton, who earned her MA in Communications at Regent University. She does a great job. We also work with specialists. For a story set in Mexicoâs Copper Canyon we got excellent help from a man who lives and works in the Canyon. For help on a book in the Summer Read catalogue, a book about sailing, we were gifted a careful read by the leading expert in sailing the ship the story is set on, though we gave the ship in the story a fictional name. The experts are credited in the booksâ âAcknowledgments.â
S:
You mentioned Summer Read. Your company has a new line of books.
Jody:
Yes, books by Summer Read. It turns out most new fiction books sold are romance novels and a âmodernâ romance is any story with a couple and a happy ending. We launched the brand with the goal of publishing twenty books then promoting. We are aiming for that bigger audience.
S:
Has there been any buyer interest without promotion?
Jody:
Letâs call giving ebooks away for free a promotion. We offered each of our ten titles in November and December of 2022 free for one week on Kindle and there were 3,800 plus downloads. Weâve gotten a few star ratings to date, but no real reviews.
S:
What are the Summer Read books?
Jody:
Like the Capital Media Enterprise, Inc., catalog that includes my writings, they are diverse. They span genres. They include science fiction, psychological drama, a history, a âliterary,â a few overtly Christian stories,and some popular romance categories such as âsecret billionaire,â and âsecond chance.â Weâve got a comic story in the works right now.
S:
Comic book?
Jody:
No, a satire.
S:
And you say these books are educational?
Jody:
Each is subtly educational, or perhaps I should say I hope they make readers think. I am aware that people do not want to be taken out of a book but I would like for our readers to get online and peruse items of interest. A book might make a passing reference for example to a linear rocket engine and I would want readers to spend a few minutes studying that. I want a story to lead readers to discoveries and new ideas.
S:
Who is your dream reader?
Jody:
Anyone who enjoys the book. I have this notion that when a reader loves a book, that book was written just for them. One of my books found a devoted reader and I said to her, sincerely, âI wrote it for you.â She was happy to meet the author. I was thrilled to meet the reader.
S:
So you donât have an ideal reader in mind?
Jody:
No, Iâm curious to know who the devoted readers are. Now market, yes, I often publish with a particular market in mind. For my own books I definitely wanted classrooms and now I would like to see those books go to homeschoolers. For Summer Read, each book may have a different ideal market. Barricade Girl, for example should go to young readers who are college bound.
S:
How did you meet Summer?
Jody:
Summer Read is a brand name.
S:
The Summer Read website says it is a pen name. Who is that person?
Jody:
We get enquiries. We like a little mystery on that subject.
S:
How involvoed are you in the process?
Jody:
I can say I am involved in every aspect of a bookâs creation.
S:
Does each book begin with an idea from you?
Jody:
No. A few books were written by request. Friends, family, someone says, âpublish a book aboutâŚâ and we are off and running.
S:
How long does it take to create a Summer Read book?
Jody:
Of course it varies. Christmas In Harlem took a year and two months more or less full-time to research. Some books come together quickly and then we wait half a year or longer for early manuscript readers to return manuscripts with their critiques. I have a small group of friends who read the first drafts.
S:
How close is a first draft to the finished book?
Jody:
Pretty close. We sent the first draft of All Barque And No Bight to Able Bodied Seaman David Clark and he made corrections and approved the story. When it came time to publish he asked what else was different in the final copy. I told him, âNothing was changed except all the words.â We both laughed, and it was true. The story logic, the emotional logic, the cause and effect sequence, the plot, the subplot, the character arcs, theme, and throughlines, were all exactly the same, but I donât think any sentence from the first draft made it into the final draft without improvement.
S:
Are the stories formulaic?
Jody:
Yes. These are romances. A couple meet, they are attracted to each other, they have problems, they get together, break up, and then there is a happy ending. Every story is the same, but those events may take place in Florida swamps as in Love On The Loxahatchee, or on the dark side of the Moon as in Pitch & Roll. The woman may be wonderful or she might be trouble. The man may be desperate or brilliant or as in the case with All Barque and No Bight, he might be a complete dufus.
S:
What do you like best and least in this business?
Jody:
My hero, William F. Buckley, Jr. used to say, âThere is nothing I like less than to write and nothing I enjoy more than to have written.â My friends and family have heard me quote that for years. I think he was joking and I have to say that honestly, for me, it is all fun. I enjoy writing and having written. With the Summer Read catalogue, and a few books coming online each year, I think what I enjoy most is publishing. We publish on amazon so you upload a manuscript file, upload cover art, and send it out. I get a thrill each time I press that virtual âPublishâ button.
S:
Who does your amazing cover art?
Jody:
I make them. I take full credit because I want buyers to know that no graphic artist is responsible for using those standard type fonts. The first rule of book cover creation is that you never use those fonts. Well, they are free, and I like them.
S:
What's ahead for Capital Media Enterprise, Inc.?
Jody:
Complete the Summer Read catalogue, that is, bring it up to twenty books. Maybe there will be more books in my personal catalogue, too, and then promotion. We're looking forward to that!
