[00:00:00] Geraldine Hennessy: Welcome to the Cork Creative Podcast. With this podcast, we hope to promote local creative businesses and people. I am your host, Geraldine Hennessy, and today I speak to self-publishing expert Orla Kelly about turning knowledge into a published masterpiece. Inspired by her son’s own writing, Orla turned his original idea into a published book.

Using the skills she garnered from this experience, she turned these skills into a successful business and is dedicated to helping others on their self-publishing journey. With a focus on quality and professionalism, Orla Kelly Publishing provides personalised, attentive services to help create books that not only stand out, but also help showcase its authors.

In this episode, we explore her motivations for starting her own publishing company and how her unique background has shaped her approach. We chat about the benefits of self-publishing and what sets her services apart. We also discuss her process, some common challenges, and the legacy that can be left behind.

You’re very welcome to Cork Creative, Orla.

[00:01:10] Orla Kelly: Thank you very much, Geraldine.

[00:01:11] Geraldine Hennessy: What inspired you to start Orla Kelly Publishing?

[00:01:14] Orla Kelly: Orla Kelly Publishing started completely by accident back in 2014.

At the time, I was a stay at home mother. I had worked in environmental consultancy for years, but was now a stay at home mother for a small while.

I had two children. And one day, my son had run out of reading material because we were joined our local library. So he started to write a little story for his sister, and it was time for bed. And so he said, Oh, mom, the story’s not finished. Can you finish it if I go to bed? And I said, of course I will.

Because as a mother, I would have promised anything at that stage to get them to bed. But little did I know what I had committed to. So after they went to bed, I sat down and I looked at the scrap of paper that was written on a piece of paper with a pencil and it was a story my, my son had started to write for his sister.

I think he was probably maybe nine at the time and I think she was seven. And when I looked at it, I said, how am I going to finish this story? Because through the words he’d written on the page, he had opened up a whole new world. It was about a little butterfly who wasn’t happy with the colour of its wings and wanted to fly to the rainbow to change its colour.

And I suddenly felt what a beautiful imagination my child has. How can I as an adult add to this? But I’d made a promise and I wasn’t going to break the promise. So I sat down putting the mom head on and also trying to step into this imaginative creative side of me that was really dormant before I had kids.

I think a lot of people, when they have children, they know that no matter what career you come from, you have to tell a story. You have to do a jigsaw. You have to step into a child’s world. So suddenly this creative, imaginative side of me took over and I started to continue and add to the story. But I had little life lessons in it that I wanted my children to learn, but not with mom telling them, which they wouldn’t listen, but through the power of story.

Yeah. And every night I would add to it and add to it. And one evening my daughter said to me, mom, can you print it out for us? And a light bulb moment went off. I’ll do one better. I’m going to teach myself how to publish it. I didn’t know what was involved. This was not some field I knew, but I taught myself how to publish my children’s book.

This was only ever for my children. But when I looked back and I said, well, some of the lessons that are in that other kids could benefit from and parents would appreciate. So I taught myself how to publish it on Amazon. Did I make mistakes? Of course I did. But you know, sometimes the greatest learning comes from these mistakes.

So that’s how Orla Kelly Publishing got started. I happened to one day say to somebody at a networking event, and they said, Wow. You wrote a book, you taught yourself how to design it, publish it, got it on Amazon, where you were able to order print copies. That’s a skill. And they told me about an entrepreneur program that was closing the next day, but to get my application in,so I did.

Six months later, Orla Kelly Publishing was born, based out of the Entrepreneur Programme as well.

[00:04:17] Geraldine Hennessy: Very good. And can you share a bit about your background and how it has influenced your approach to publishing?

[00:04:22] Orla Kelly: I come from a scientific technical background. I worked in environmental consultancy.

For many years, the one thing I’d say is it shows, I suppose, discipline because often when you work in consultancy, you have to think outside the box, you have to find novel solutions. You have to almost have 360 vision. And I think I brought that to it, but also I suppose the most important lesson I’ve taught myself and I want to teach others is.

Us as humans can redefine, recreate ourselves all the time. We don’t have to end up in the careers that maybe we thought were going to be for life. And that’s the magic about, you never know where this human experience will take you.

[00:05:07] Geraldine Hennessy: I suppose life changes and you kind of adapt with it as well.

Absolutely.

[00:05:11] Orla Kelly: And you never know, I would never have thought this would be a path for me, but I absolutely love it.

[00:05:17] Geraldine Hennessy: Great, great.

And can you explain the differences between self-publishing and traditional publishing and what are the benefits of self-publishing?

[00:05:25] Orla Kelly: Yes, I suppose traditional publishing is for people, generally for people who are very well known.

Who are an authority, maybe in their field, but are very well known in that area. And then a traditional publisher would offer them a publishing deal. Okay. Or if they are an author who would be, high profile, but, you know, maybe they’ve been on the radio and there’s a huge amount of engagement, something very topical coming out there.

And there’s a huge amount of engagement and the traditional publisher will think, you know, this is worth pursuing.

[00:05:56] Orla Kelly: When you are traditionally published, they own the rights to your book. You have a certain amount of say in your book, but really ultimately it’s…. you’re handing over your book to them and trusting that they are going to publish it and that you’re going to be happy with it.

They will then take care of the editing and the design of the book. Ultimately, yes, you get to say, I got my books into bookstores, but really other than an upfront payment, the royalties are pretty low and you’re expected to do all your marketing thereafter once your book is published. Self-publishing is different.

Because there’s different aspects of self-publishing. Either you can do the whole thing entirely yourself like  what, how I started, or you can work with me, a self-publishing publisher, who really it’s like hybrid publishing. But I work with clients on behalf of clients, listen to them, discuss their needs, what, best meets their objectives.

And I work with them really, it’s like a partnership. Yes, they pay me to do their work because I invest my time, my expertise, my focus, my, you know, everything I have learned in the last, I suppose, 10 years. So I work with them to design a book that they will absolutely be thrilled with, that meets their needs, no matter which type of genre it’s in, that it’s tailored to their target audience.

And it’s a book that they’re delighted to share with the world.

[00:07:20] Geraldine Hennessy: Would you say that they have more control?

[00:07:23] Orla Kelly: They have more control of their books and all royalties go directly to them because I work …I set up all my client’s books on, my client’s account. So all royalties go directly to them. There’s full transparency over their sales.

They can log in at any time and change anything they want in terms of the price of the book, description, the keywords, anything like that. So it’s fully transparent, but yet they know they’re supported every step of the way and yet have their book expertly published. It’s more so important for non-fiction authors to know that they have somebody there who has their back.

And we’ll support them because I’m a business person as well, working for myself. I know what it’s like. You want to get your word out there about your business, but do it authentically, but in a way that’s meaningful, shows your business in the best possible way, your services and how you offer value in the world.

[00:08:14] Geraldine Hennessy: And what sets Orla Kelly Publishing apart from other self-publishing services?

[00:08:19] Orla Kelly: I know every business likes to think that their business is unique and personal. To me, I think it’ it’s the personal approach. I really listened to my client’s needs. I get to know them as a person so that they feel relaxed, comfortable with me.

It has to be a good working relationship. Sometimes I have to say things that might make them feel uncomfortable because I have their best interest at heart. like for example, if they want to do it a particular way, of course it ultimately it is their book, but at least I like to feel that I’m giving them the best professional guidance on what I know works and will give their best, their book the best chance of success.

[00:08:58] Geraldine Hennessy: And can you walk us through the process you follow when working with a new author and how do you tailor your approach to meet individual author’s needs?

[00:09:06] Orla Kelly: Yeah, I suppose I take my authors through what I call my seven steps, it really is my signature system. Yeah. Okay. I suppose, even though it’s applicable whether it’s fiction, non-fiction, but really it works fantastically for non-fiction authors.

And I suppose the seven steps really are, the first session is all about strategy and structure. We look at what your aims are for your book, who needs to read your book, why should they read your book. And what do they need to achieve, understand, come away with knowing what’s the next action they need to take, which ideally is go and work with you after reading the book.

So strategy is so important. Structure then in making sure, even if  the book is unfinished, that they know how to finish it the right way with my guidance and expertise, because structure is so important. Otherwise you don’t come across as an authority. If your book appears disconnected, disjointed, stuff is not in the right logical or sequential order, if relevant.

Maybe it’s just your message isn’t clear. You’ve wandered off topic. So that’s the first part that’s done. Next part then is looking at the content when it comes back to me after the strategy and structuring sessions. And again, then seeing how it can be perfected. And just before it goes to the design stage, it needs to be professionally edited.

Again, that is for ease of reading and to make sure that it’s the right tone. And also it’s very clear. Then after is the formatting and the design, again, depending on the complexity of the topic, it’s important that the book content is allowed to breathe. Because readers aren’t robots. We all have limited concentration and attention.

So the book needs to be a beautifully engaging reader experience from start to finish with content laid out in a way that really shows authority, but also shows you respect your reader and you’re giving them your very best. Then we go to a printed proof after the, author has reviewed, say a digital proof copy and has, you know, reviewed digitally the cover.

And then we get a bound proof copy. That’s so important for picking up any last minute edits before you go to publication and print. After those, any changes are made, then we go to publishing your book. And then that’s where all the magic happens because you become a published author. And then we go to print copies of your book if you want them printed, whether you want a book launch or have your book go for distribution online and it’s so amazing for my authors to see- not just hold their book in their hand, which is so powerful. And it’s such an emotional experience. Yeah, of course. It’s a journey of a lifetime to hold it in your hand, but then to get such a kick out of seeing it online for sale.

You can direct people, Hey guys, my book is live, you know, here’s the link, go get it. It’s just, it creates, it’s just magical. And then after that, there is, of course, I train people on, okay, here’s what happens next. I offer marketing supports, whether they want to say, you know, like if it’s business author, you know, digital media kit, a press release, a video book trailer, or whether they want some other marketing support, like, okay, how do I promote my book on Amazon? What do I do next? If they want more of an ongoing marketing relationship, I work with experts, to support my authors in that best possible way. And one of the experts is a person who I have published two of her books and she was an international bestseller.

So I have the right team working with me for sure.

[00:12:44] Geraldine Hennessy: Very good. Very good.

And you focus on helping entrepreneurs, coaches, and consultants. Why did you choose this niche?

[00:12:53] Orla Kelly: I really just started to review this niche in detail during COVID because I found a lot of businesses were exposed. Lots of their businesses were very much offline, in-person training, and that whole area just totally dried up.

[00:13:08] Orla Kelly: And a lot of people were left very exposed, scrambling, what do I do next? And. I just felt, well, you know, there’s so many people now looking for attention and there’s a lot of people out there who are maybe doing similar things to, you know, some of my clients. How can they stand apart from their competitors?

How can they show that they are the go-to-authority? What can make them different? And from all the research and experience I have found is having a book is one of the absolute best ways to do that. To stand apart from your competitors, be seen, be visible, have more credibility. All the global statistics out there show as well that when you’re a published author, and even some of my clients, they have been able to command higher fees.

They have gotten more business opportunities open up for them. They’ve gotten more speaking engagements. They have been called upon to give an expert account and really it has worked very well for their business. Okay.

[00:14:04] Geraldine Hennessy: And what is your experience of working with authors? Is it akin to a partnership or more of a guidance role?

[00:14:10] Orla Kelly: I’m in both really. Sometimes it’s like a good cop, bad cop relationship. You know where it’s, nurturing, but there’s the tough love there as well. And there’s the look, okay, you know what, look, there is a better way. And. I really feel this isn’t enough if I was a reader, I would be looking for whatever.

So I work very closely with them because I need to…you need to have these conversations because rather than have people review your book or, you know, and leave a negative review about it because something was missing that I would have picked up on, but maybe there wasn’t acted on. So, you know, I have their absolute best interests at heart.

I work, I’ve probably published over 200 books in 30 different book categories. I know what works, what doesn’t work, because I come from a technical environmental consultancy background. I have, and I’m a business owner as well, there’s no genre that I would say, I have no idea what to do here. I have published for so many different types of industries.

There is no, there’s no person I can’t help.

[00:15:17] Geraldine Hennessy: What are some common challenges authors face when self-publishing and how do you help them overcome these?

[00:15:24] Orla Kelly: Sadly, there are a lot of, con artists and scammers out there, you know, this website appeared and I went, wow, they look absolutely amazing. But anyone can put fake labels on the website and it’s almost seemed too good to be true.

So again, I would think, Oh, don’t just jump in. If something appears too good to be true, do your due diligence. Don’t jump in. Some people as well have been given unsolicited emails, let’s just put it this way with offers of contracts and oh, I’ve heard about you. I’ve seen your work. I think you’re amazing.

Great potential. And if somebody approaches you, sometimes it can be that they’ve done their work, you haven’t. And they see an opportunity and you know, they’ll say, we are offering you a contract and the person is thrilled and goes off and tells everybody. And I’m not saying these are con artists, but I don’t like that type of opportune selling.

And then they suddenly realize. Oh, well, it’s not actually a contract. I have to pay to get my book published, but they’re afraid to go back and say, well, actually, I haven’t really been offered a contract. I have, but I have to pay for it. And you know, they may be just told, oh, well, you know, we’re only looking for a small amount of money and that’s only for marketing.

And I just feel that’s not the way I work. I outline my proposals very clearly with a fixed price. And that is it. Unless there’s something that the person wants outside the scope I don’t like that type of, underhand. I’ll call it underhand. Now, some people have no problem with it. I personally would have standards that I would comply with that I don’t agree with.

Other times as well, they just don’t know the questions to ask or they don’t know what’s right for them. So I always feel , you know, try to talk to authors who have published, do your research, have the questions you want to ask. Don’t ever be afraid to ask questions.

[00:17:20] Geraldine Hennessy: And can you share a success story of an author that you’ve worked with?

[00:17:23] Orla Kelly: Yeah, I mean, my goodness, there’s so many, success stories, really. I suppose because I have a passion for working with non-fiction authors, you know, business professionals. You know, even with just one lady now comes to mind whereby we’ve been working on her second book. She had her first book published elsewhere.

Absolute pleasure to work with. And I created bonus resources for her to support the person reading the book. So in addition to them getting the book, I created a digital eBook and a digital workbook to go through the book with key learning points taken away in the eBook and any of the action items and questions.

For them to, answer in the digital workbook. And she actually found having those bonus resources opened up so many doors because it made her book different. And globally, those resources, you know, she was invited on it to be on a panel of French national training programs. Gosh, on high profile podcasts, speaking engagements, was asked on, you know, for her expertise on many authority sites that, you know, she feels that she may not have had that same opportunities without this book.

[00:18:42] Geraldine Hennessy: Okay. Very good. Very good.

And how do you maintain high standards of quality and professionalism in the books you publish?

[00:18:49] Orla Kelly: I’m always upskilling, learning, applying, adapting.

Often it’s down to what my clients need. What they ask for maybe that I haven’t been offering and I look into it. I work with brilliant people who support me in publishing like great designers, cover designers. I have expert access to editors as well that I trust, but also I suppose I like to see myself like at the, even though I probably do too much work than I should be doing, but I’m very much hands on really.

[00:19:23] Geraldine Hennessy: And what advice would you give to authors to ensure their book stands out in the market?

[00:19:27] Orla Kelly: I would say the most important thing is don’t ever compromise on the cover. If you were to do anything, make sure you get a professional cover completely. And also don’t try to be, you need, to think strategically if it comes to a cover title and a subtitle, because again, if it’s something too far out there or could be conflicting with a totally unrelated topic, it can be misleading for the reader.

Yeah.

[00:19:53] Geraldine Hennessy: Yeah.  

You offer various programs and resources on your website. Can you tell us more about them and how the, how they support authors?

[00:20:01] Orla Kelly: Yeah. I suppose my most popular one really would be like, as I discussed earlier, the seven step to success program. Now authors when they come to me, they get that anyway.

I mostly work now with non-fiction authors and again, depending what they need, if they need support, you know, maybe ghost-writing the book, if the book is unfinished or if they are too busy or wouldn’t know where to start and need help. To be interviewed to have their content recorded and transcribed into book and, you know, put in the right order.

Yes, we offer that if they just need a little bit of help in finishing the book or haven’t finished it, but aren’t sure, we support them in that way. Because again, there’s no point in me taking on content that I know is not going to show them in the best possible light, or me as a publisher in the best possible light.

So that’s why it really is a partnership and I have their back, you know.

[00:20:52] Geraldine Hennessy: Okay.

And what are the most common misconceptions about self-publishing that frustrate you the most?

[00:20:59] Orla Kelly: Again, I suppose because unfortunately a lot of people have had bad experiences and you know, some of those things can tend to stick in the memory of some people or they may have, even some people have come to me and they’ve had really bad experiences in the past.

So they are, they’re more cynical, they’re more nervous, apprehensive about being burned again. And it’s really important. I have to set their mind at ease. And allow them to, you know, I suppose share their experience and answer any questions as transparently as I, can.  I don’t ever sugar coat or gloss anything because it has to feel right.

I would rather somebody go into working with me very open. Knowing that I have their best interest at heart and that they’re supported and that they can ask me anything.

[00:21:43] Geraldine Hennessy: Okay. And what advice would you give to someone who’s considering self-publishing their first book?

[00:21:49] Orla Kelly: I would say absolutely do it. The graveyard is full of unfinished dreams, unpublished dreams.

The amount of people that come to me and they have books either unfinished on their computer. And they are there for years. One of my clients was 81. It was a lifelong dream of his. He had been in with the solicitor on the South Mall. To sort out his final will and happens to, you know, read out one of his poems to her that he pulled out of his jacket pocket and she said, that’s beautiful.

You should get that published. And he, you know, blushed and he said, it’s always been a dream of mine. But, you know, am I an old fool? He was 81. She was also my solicitor. She directed him to me.

He was from Cork. I met him. No, he had a computer. He was well able. And we got his two books of poetry published.

Oh, lovely. He was the proudest man. I was with him because I delivered his books to him and just standing back, putting the box books on the table and me standing back and letting him walk to that table. To open this box of books was just, it gives me goosebumps and that was even many years ago and I still remember it to this day.

That’s what it’s about.

[00:23:07] Geraldine Hennessy: A lovely legacy though, isn’t it? It is. Yeah, very good.

And what trends do you see in the self-publishing industry and how are you adapting to them?

[00:23:16] Orla Kelly: Yes, audiobooks are definitely becoming more important because people are trying to stay away from screen time. And they want to have more outdoor life, whether they’re, you know, in a gym listening to something or whether they are out walking or traveling without having to carry books, even though people have devices on their Kindle, but audio books, definitely.

Also more for business professionals, don’t ever be intimidated. You do not need to write a doorstop book. Shorter books are the best. And if you ever need to write another one, again, write another short book. Because people have such limited attention span, limited concentration, time, and focus that they appreciate content that is more concise now and delivers value.

[00:23:59] Geraldine Hennessy: To the point.

[00:23:59] Orla Kelly: To the point.

[00:24:00] Geraldine Hennessy: Yeah,

[00:24:00] Orla Kelly: Exactly.

[00:24:01] Geraldine Hennessy: Well, thank you so much Orla for joining us on the Cork Creative Podcast. If you want to learn more about Orla, you can find links to her social media and website on corkcreative.ie.