Reported for the Flatiron Hot! News by Sanika Shah
Interview conducted by Jacklyn Lee and Sanika Shah
In the midst of the hustle and bustle of NYC, teaching, and grading papers, C.B. Hoffmann was writing a book. She finally finished it and was able to line up a publisher. Her son, Dan, asked her how it was going, and he learned that the publisher had to shut down his company due to health concerns. Dan asked to hear the first line of her book and he was instantly hooked.
This was 2010 – the year of the first iPad and a peak in the rising popularity of e-readers such as the Amazon Kindle. This made the publishing game extra hard, extra competitive. But Dan wanted to see his mom’s book published. He decided to look into publishing and realized that they could do it themselves – after all, the content was right there. He taught himself how to design book covers, design a website, work with copyrights, and market his mom’s book. They worked together as a team, C.B. mainly bringing in the content, and Dan handling the business side, making them the only mother-son DIY publishing company.
During our interview with them, they said this has brought them more fortune than bad luck. They work well together and know each other so well that they rarely disagree or have troubles. Despite working so well together, they did note that owning their own small business has been a “non-stop struggle” – from learning the amount of work it takes to create an audiobook to competing for marketing and ad dollars. Fortunately for them, their supportive family is always helping out in whatever way possible.
So far, they have published 6 books/e-books, 3 audiobooks, and a short video. One of their goals is to promote books that align with their faith and ensure that they are all free of sex, drugs, and cursing so that they are appropriate for all age groups. The team also expanded on some of their other goals including to advertise their books and encourage other authors to publish their books by providing free online tutorials. As a final note to authors, they said, “You can do whatever you dream up, you just need persistence,” and “Don’t quit, because you have the resources you need and no one is necessarily better than you.”
The family duo most definitely have numerous “Flatiron” connections in their past. As Dan himself relates: “I worked at 200 5th Avenue at an ad agency called “G2″ which was part of Grey Advertising … [Dan’s wife] Emille worked for Porcelanosa for years at 202 5th Avenue, in the recently renovated historic building facing the Flatiron Building … The Flatiron District was one of our favorite neighborhoods in NYC … ” Dan tells us that he and Emille had their first date at the noted 230 Fifth Avenue rooftop restaurant, as have so many Flatiron denizens. Perhaps the NYC and Flatiron references will sneak into some of the prospective published work going forward … it could happen!
Find out more on their website: http://cbhoffmann.com/
NYC Theater News
Mother-Son Team Changes the Publishing Game
Reported for the Flatiron Hot! News by Sanika Shah
Interview conducted by Jacklyn Lee and Sanika Shah
In the midst of the hustle and bustle of NYC, teaching, and grading papers, C.B. Hoffmann was writing a book. She finally finished it and was able to line up a publisher. Her son, Dan, asked her how it was going, and he learned that the publisher had to shut down his company due to health concerns. Dan asked to hear the first line of her book and he was instantly hooked.
This was 2010 – the year of the first iPad and a peak in the rising popularity of e-readers such as the Amazon Kindle. This made the publishing game extra hard, extra competitive. But Dan wanted to see his mom’s book published. He decided to look into publishing and realized that they could do it themselves – after all, the content was right there. He taught himself how to design book covers, design a website, work with copyrights, and market his mom’s book. They worked together as a team, C.B. mainly bringing in the content, and Dan handling the business side, making them the only mother-son DIY publishing company.
During our interview with them, they said this has brought them more fortune than bad luck. They work well together and know each other so well that they rarely disagree or have troubles. Despite working so well together, they did note that owning their own small business has been a “non-stop struggle” – from learning the amount of work it takes to create an audiobook to competing for marketing and ad dollars. Fortunately for them, their supportive family is always helping out in whatever way possible.
So far, they have published 6 books/e-books, 3 audiobooks, and a short video. One of their goals is to promote books that align with their faith and ensure that they are all free of sex, drugs, and cursing so that they are appropriate for all age groups. The team also expanded on some of their other goals including to advertise their books and encourage other authors to publish their books by providing free online tutorials. As a final note to authors, they said, “You can do whatever you dream up, you just need persistence,” and “Don’t quit, because you have the resources you need and no one is necessarily better than you.”
The family duo most definitely have numerous “Flatiron” connections in their past. As Dan himself relates: “I worked at 200 5th Avenue at an ad agency called “G2″ which was part of Grey Advertising … [Dan’s wife] Emille worked for Porcelanosa for years at 202 5th Avenue, in the recently renovated historic building facing the Flatiron Building … The Flatiron District was one of our favorite neighborhoods in NYC … ” Dan tells us that he and Emille had their first date at the noted 230 Fifth Avenue rooftop restaurant, as have so many Flatiron denizens. Perhaps the NYC and Flatiron references will sneak into some of the prospective published work going forward … it could happen!
Find out more on their website: http://cbhoffmann.com/