Lincoln-based Redbrush celebrated its tenth anniversary last month! Over the last decade we’ve helped hundreds of writers to become published authors; guiding their process, editing their manuscripts, designing the print-ready files, setting them up to be their own publishers, and getting their books listed with thousands of retail booksellers. It’s what we do. It’s all we do, from right here in Lincoln, Nebraska.
We’ve helped writers publish novels, business books, allegories, poetry, memoirs, and children’s books. Redbrush has also guided high school students to indie publish their books, too: coming of age lesbian fiction, a collection of essays about the realities of growing up female in different parts of the world, a poetry collection about surviving sexual assault, and the first volume of a fantasy trilogy by another young novelist. These young writers all have three things in common.
1) Each student wanted to elevate their personal brand to be more attractive to college admissions staffs
Writing a book requires discipline and dedication to create something that can be published and then easily made available through the most common retail booksellers. Being a published author and noting that fact on college applications can elevate the first impression you make to the admissions staffs of the colleges to which you apply. Choosing a topic or genre that best fits your expected course of study makes the best sense. But as surely as interests change, having published a book on any topic or genre can still raise your application above others who have not demonstrated the passion and authority to write and publish a book.
2) Each student picked a genre or topic they were passionate about and followed a disciplined path
Taking their time to conceive, write, and edit their work for publication, each of these students chose to write about something about which they cared deeply. They wrote what they knew; gathering researched material about important women’s issues, sharing innermost feelings after experiencing a personal assault, conjuring a fictionalized account of their coming out experience, or creating a whole new world of communities in conflict on a cataclysmic scale. Each was disciplined to do their best to put their story, their research, and/or their feelings, into words, resulting in a book that is unique to and honors their creative spirit.
Whether they used a typewriter, computer, or even a vocal recording, each was able to move from ideas to manuscript to a published book in the shortest amount of time possible because …
3) Each of these published student authors sought the help of the Redbrush team to realize their goal to indie publish their book
The Redbrush team collectively has over sixty years of publishing experience to its credit. Every author starts with a free consultation and a FREE copy of our co-founder’s book, THE COMPASS, to determine the very best path for their manuscript to reach their specific goals. No strings. No obligations. If the best path isn't Redbrush, we’ll point you in the right direction.
Being a published author remains one of the most respected and admired achievements in any career, particularly when the resulting book is really good and boosted to help its author reach their desired destination(s) for success. Maybe that’s moving up the stack of accepted college applicants. Perhaps it means creating a broader and more accomplished social media footprint. It might be to add public speaking or activism to one’s vitae or résumé.
Whatever your goals after high school, one of the best things you can do to elevate your status is to write and indie publish your own book by the end of your senior year. And, while in college, it’s a terrific idea to write and indie publish your follow up before starting your senior year of college. Imagine how those two accomplishments will elevate your status as you are considered for internships, graduate programs, and/or employment.
All you need is a COMPASS, and some helpful navigation.
SPECIAL OFFER: Request a FREE copy of THE COMPASS from our website here and mention this blog post when you speak with our team to receive a special high school indie publishing offer—as always, with no strings or obligations.
