Welcome to Barn Banter, the official podcast of Horse Illustrated. In Barn Banter episode 23, hosts Susan Friedland and Horse Illustrated Editor In Chief Holly Caccamise talk with Sydney Collier and Heather Wallace, co-authors of Beyond Expectations. To end the episode, they chat with Allison Anderson, a volunteer with Horse and Hound Rescue Foundation, about this month’s ASPCA Right Horse adoptable horse, A Lot of Heat.

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Listen to Barn Banter episode 23 now to hear about Sydney and Heather’s journey with Beyond Expectations.

Title Sponsor of Barn Banter: Adequan

Big thanks to our sponsor, Adequan! For over 30 years, Adequan® i.m. (polysulfated glycosaminoglycan) has been trusted by veterinarians, trainers and horse owners. Ask your veterinarian if Adequan® is right for your horse. Visit Adequan.com to learn more. Adequan®. Start with it. Stay with it®.

Sydney Collier and Heather Wallace, co-authors of Beyond Expectations

Shortly after Sydney Collier began riding at age seven, she was diagnosed with the rare Wyburn-Mason Syndrome, a life-threatening condition that causes arteries and veins to grow together, causing arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) in the brain. Years of experimental treatment and a resulting massive stroke took a toll on her body, but she never relinquished the dream of returning to the saddle and the sport that she loved.

Her belief and perseverance earned her a spot on the U.S. Para Dressage Team at age 16, and Sydney was the youngest competitor at the 2014 World Equestrian Games in France. At age 18, she won the 2016 U.S. Para Dressage National Championships and became the youngest equestrian member in the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Paralympics as a part of Team USA, placing seventh overall in her division. In addition to her Paralympic goals, Sydney has dedicated her life to service and maintains a busy schedule that includes athletic training, equestrian training, guest speaking, volunteering, babysitting, and giving riding demonstrations at a variety of events.

She graduated DeVry University on an Olympic scholarship, majoring in communications and is currently working to finish her MBA, specializing in marketing, thanks to a scholarship from the United States Olympic Committee. Sydney has been awarded the FEI Against All Odds Award, USEF Junior Equestrian of the Year, and The Captain Andrew B. De Szinay Memorial Sportsman Trophy. She was featured in the 2022 feature documentary ParaGold, directed by Ron Davis, which follows the lives of four Paralympic equestrian hopefuls as they vie for a spot on the U.S. Paralympic Dressage Team. Sydney is based in Wellington, Florida, where she is working to earn a place on the next team and help the USA stand on the medal podium.

Heather Wallace is the award-winning author of the books Confessions of a Timid Rider, Adulting with Horses, and Girl Forward: A Tale of One Woman’s Unlikely Adventure in Mongolia. In addition, she publishes a popular blog called The Timid Rider and co-hosts the podcast Adulting with Horses. By day, Heather is a certified equine and canine sports massage therapist dedicated to helping animals holistically. She lives in New Jersey with her family, dogs, and horses.

Both ladies will be at Equine Affaire Massachusetts Nov. 7-10 to sign copies of Beyond Expectations. Don’t miss meeting them if you’re at this event!

◆ Purchase a copy of Beyond Expectations from Trafalgar Square Books
◆ Sydney’s website
◆ Heather Wallace’s blog, The Timid Rider
◆ Follow Sydney on Instagram (@sydsparaquest)
◆ Follow Heather on Instagram (@timidrider)

A Lot of Heat, Adoptable Horse of the Month

A Lot of Heat is a striking 6-year-old Thoroughbred gelding with a heart of gold and a promising future ahead. Having been responsibly retired and deemed sound, Heat is now embarking on a new chapter of his life filled with love, care, and endless possibilities. Learn more about A Lot of Heat here.

In addition to Barn Banter episode 23, you can check out all previous episodes of Horse Illustrated’s podcasts.

The post Barn Banter – Episode 23: Sponsored by Adequan appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Closet equine writers, it’s time to unite and come out of the creative shadows. Independent publishing continues to revolutionize how books are created, published, and read, and a corral of equine writers are blazing new trails.

“Works of fiction or even nonfiction have been considered too niche by some of the big mainstream publishers,” says award-winning equine author Carly Kade of Phoenix, Ariz. “As a result, many equine writers have decided to publish independently.”

Also Read: How to Become the Next Great Equestrian Blogger?

The Changing Landscape

In 2008, the independent publishing landscape realized a significant turning point for two reasons: First, widespread use of social media meant authors incur little or no self-promotion costs. Secondly, e-book marketplaces like Amazon, iBookStore, and Barnes and Noble now allow new and established writers to sell books worldwide. They may even have specialized publishing categories for equine writers, like Amazon’s equestrian fiction subcategory.

According to Bowker, a world provider of bibliographic information, the independently published market grew by a whopping 375 percent between 2010 and 2015. Amazon continues to dominate the market with its DIY publishing platforms, CreateSpace and KDP, increasing its titles from 929,920 in 2017 to 1.4 million in 2018.

The hesitation of traditional publishers to invest in equestrian books because the readership is considered too narrow is only one part of the story. Equine writers are embracing the changes in publishing choices for critical creative and legal control. Retaining creative control of book covers, manuscript formatting, and marketing drives many to consider independently publishing their respective projects.

“People want to have control over their art,” says Heather Wallace, an independently published author in Red Bank, N.J. “They don’t want to give it away to someone, even if that person might be able to sell more copies.”

Anna Blake, a Colorado dressage trainer, clinician, horse advocate, and author of multiple books, concurs.

“The big publishers have had an incredible amount of control, and authors have sat like little dogs begging for treats,” she says. “Technology and print-on-demand changed everything. Now we don’t have to destroy the rainforest and stock warehouses full of books, either.”

The Pros and Cons

The protection of assets, especially assuring full ownership of a book’s intellectual property, has spurred multiple writers to form their own publishing company to publish their titles, including Kade.

“Often when you sign with a traditional publisher, you lose your audiobook rights,” she says. “You may lose TV rights if that ever comes into the equation. Some people sign away their merchandising rights.”

Yet, Kade explains the flip side if authors go the independent publishing route.

“That is the power of independent publishing,” she continues. “You’ve got to do a lot of work. You’ve got to understand the process. But you own your work so that you can take it and create whatever you want with it.”

The lack of institutional support from publishing companies plays a critical role for Wallace.

“Back in the 1980s and 1990s, traditional publishers had a marketing team for authors,” she says. “Now, a publishing company won’t bring an offer [to] someone that doesn’t have a following already. Authors market their books. Many authors say, ‘Why am I giving up control and giving you 90 percent of the sales when I could do it on my own?’”

The Emotional Touch

The emotional weight that horse owners and enthusiasts garner cannot be understated. According to 2017 survey results by the American Horse Council Foundation, horse owners number 1,013,746 in the United States. Small publishers may miss the hidden opportunity for financial success that equestrian writers recognize.

Blogger and author Susan Friedland suggests that publishing houses fall short with their lists and overlook the equine owner and book-reading market.

“My second book, called Strands of Hope: How to Grieve the Loss of a Horse, has an audience that needs the message,” she says. “There are thousands—possibly millions—of horse lovers who lose a horse every year. [Large] publishing houses don’t possess the insight to market a book to horse fans.”

Don’t underestimate the tenacity and perseverance of equine writers to get their stories out.

“I will not take no for an answer,” says Blake. “I will not be bucked off of this process.

Horsewomen are a force of nature. We muck manure. We fix fences. We write books.”

Renewed Interest in Reading

The age of COVID confirmed a shift in how readers consume media and how content is published. According to Libby, an e-reading platform, Americans borrowed over 10.1 million digital books from public libraries during the third week of March alone. Audiobook downloads continue to benefit from the fast-moving publishing landscape, offering another revenue stream for independent equine authors.

“People want to be distracted,” says Merri Melde, a photographer, writer, endurance horse conditioner, and author of four books. “They can’t go to movies. They can’t go to bars. Lockdowns became another entry point for equine writers.”

Recently, a group of independently and traditionally published authors have come together online on a platform created by Wallace to highlight authors of horse books and to help them connect with readers within this niche. Readers can search non-fiction and fiction equestrian authors, read their biographies, connect with them on social media, and find links to purchase books of interest.

For more, visit www.booksforhorselovers.com.

This article about self-publishing for equestrian authors appeared in the October 2020 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post The Road Less Traveled: The Self-Publishing Option for Equestrian Authors appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.