Green Bay woman publishes books, art and more under one company name
While most authors struggle to get their books accepted, Michele Olson of Green Bay is taking her artistic success to a new level.
Olson, owner of Lake Girl Publishing (lakegirlpublishing.com), says she’s retired, but that doesn’t indicate how much time she’s devoted to her many pursuits. She’s a voice artist, artist, speaker, doodler and author.
“I have what I call a creative stamp,” Olson said. “Everything creative that I do falls under Lake Girl Publishing. I do voice work nationally and internationally. I speak, I teach doodling and turning off the inner critic, and I write novels.”
The novels, now a series of five, are set on her favorite vacation spot – Mackinac Island, Michigan. The island, according to the Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau, is a place “where the horse is king, where the streets have been car-free for over 100 years… where life moves at the pace of a carriage.”
Olson, who has lived there for 40 years, has set her characters there. The books are crime novels with characters who have to face real challenges.
Olson said, “Everything I hear, read, see or think fits into the story. I started writing a book that I would enjoy and that would have a lot to do with Hollywood, pop culture, weird things and real faith.”
And although she says her stories get better with each book, she has had loyal fans since the first book in the series, Being Ethel (in a world Lucy loves). That success was followed by Being Dorothy (in a world longing for home); Being Alice (in a world lost in the mirror); Being Wendy (in a world afraid to grow up); and this year, Being Nancy (in a world lost in secrets).
So how could she be successful as an author in a field where most books supposedly sell relatively poorly?
“I wouldn’t be where I am (I didn’t start writing until I was in my 60s) if I hadn’t taken a class with Jerry Jenkins, author of the New York Times bestselling Left Behind series. After the class, he invited us to Nashville to meet him and other writers just starting out. That was a huge asset for me to learn fiction and get off the ground,” Olson said.
But there were other factors too. Instead of going the traditional route and getting an agent to pitch her books to a publisher, she self-published her books with Lake Girl Publishing.
She said: “I considered going the traditional route, but it’s very slow, it’s difficult to find an agent and then you have to give them control of the cover, title, etc. You get an advance, but if you don’t beat sales, they may not want another book.”
Both have their pros and cons, but she believes she would not have published five novels already if she had taken that route. However, given her fame, she does not rule out getting an agent for a future series.
Another advantage she brought was her decades of experience in marketing. Having spent much of her career in advertising, Olson knew how to “market like crazy.” The setting of the series was another excellent move.
“Setting the books on an island that gets over a million visitors every year was the first good move,” Olson said. “Going to the island, signing books and engaging on social media about the island is also good, as are social reader sites where people meet with new books.”
This has led to dozens of interviews and appearances on podcasts of interest to readers. She has also been featured in a number of national and international publications. Olson takes every opportunity to get her name out there.
“If you want to write in a way that you finish a book and are happy with it, that’s an achievable goal,” she said. “Getting it out there is a whole different ball game. The truth is that writing is probably 40% of it and marketing is 60% of it, and most writers hate that. Seeing the writer sitting by the lake writing their book while an editor waits for the manuscript, like in the movies, is pretty far from the truth.”
Olson has also found that writing is a time-consuming task. It takes about a year to complete a book; she finds more joy in watercolor painting, mixed media, and doodling. She is the artist for her book covers and sells a selection of art on Etsy and Fine Art America, where you can order her drawings on things like phone cases, tote bags, mugs, and other items.
Her latest project is custom Bookmark Betty bookmarks, which she will be selling on Etsy. Another hobby that she says puts a smile on people’s faces is doodling.
“I live-doodle the sermon every Sunday night at Cre8 Church in Green Bay, a newer church that meets in the Old Larsen Canning building on Broadway. As you listen to the sermon, you see it come to life at the same time,” she said. “There is so much scientific research on retention and engagement in visual learning while simultaneously listening to the sermon.”
She wants this trend to continue and grow. There are also trends in writing that writers should pay attention to.
She said, “Writing falls into tropes (defined as something that recurs in a genre or type of art or literature like a motif or theme). If you study tropes, you’ll find there are a lot of them. I don’t usually bother with them because I have to write what I like. But graphic novels are becoming more popular and I’m interested in them with my drawings. I took a class with a New York Times artist and am starting to understand that world too.”
There are also plans to do more public speaking and give courses in doodling and publishing. She has been asked to publish books by other authors, but has declined.
She said: “I can’t keep up with my own, but I would like to give a course or two locally to introduce people to the world of publishing, which has taken me over five years to understand.”
Ultimately, no matter what she does and adds to her resume, her goal is to make a difference in people’s lives by telling stories of real faith in her books and art and helping with the difficult questions we all struggle with in life.
“There is hope and encouragement at the end of every novel,” Olson said. “I want every reader to feel that it was worth their time. I’m encouraged by the feedback from readers who didn’t know questions would be raised in the stores. They always seem to enjoy the ideas and possibilities the characters work through.”
Tina Dettman-Bielefeldt is co-owner of DB Commercial Real Estate in Green Bay and former district manager of SCORE, Wisconsin.
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