He takes publishing into his own hands




Sheldon Lefkowitz

Sheldon Lefkowitz

Agoura Hills resident Sheldon Lefkowitz didn’t think he had a book in him until he found a pile of essays cluttered together in the bottom drawer of a neglected file cabinet.

The writings were short pieces that he had created over the years: unfinished stories, a series for a widely distributed parenting newspaper, detailed reports for various online forums.

“I couldn’t get really motivated to put all that effort into an entire novel when I assumed I’d have no place to publish it,” said the 60-year-old author.

“The big industry houses are unlikely to take unknown authors into the fold and the boutique firms are very expensive.”

Then, two years ago, Lefkowitz discovered the great equalizer: self- publishing. Using advances in technology, many companies are now able to offer services that assist in the publishing process and ultimately print novels and non-fiction works at a competitive price.

Initially Lefkowitz compiled the essays and stories into one edition, “ A Creative Collection,” and published his book on www.Lulu.com.

“It was so fantastic to see my work as a real book. I was thrilled,” he said.

But the task was still daunting.

“The toughest part of selfpublishing was the revising and formatting. I had to edit the work myself, probably not the best idea, and relied on family to help as test readers. Then the formatting. Learning about mirror margins, type fonts, sizes, and layouts because as I had to provide a print-ready file. It was harder than writing the actual book.”

Emboldened by the results, Lefkowitz spent the next four months crafting his first novel, “Just Live a Little,” a mostly lighthearted story of two elderly sisters whose impact on their senior living community results in a fellow resident rediscovering the joys of life. The book was a hit among local fans, who encouraged him to keep writing.

Last summer he began his third book, “Sir Lyle’s Dig,” a work prompted by viewing a National Geographic television special on Egyptian tombs.

“ I got to wondering what would happen if an archeologist opened an ancient crypt and found a not-so-ancient body inside,” said the author, who’s been a resident of Agoura with his wife and daughter since 2001.

After six months of painstaking work, Lefkowitz completed “Sir Lyle’s Dig.” In early February, he entered it into Amazon’s Breakthrough Novel competition. The annual, worldwide event accepts up to 10,000 entries in five categories. The novel won a spot in the quarterfinals and earned positive reviews.

The book is available in both paperback and Amazon Kindle editions.

Lefkowitz says he is already at work on another novel and hopes to have it completed in time for next year’s competition.

But the avid surfer and cyclist hasn’t given up his day job. Lefkowitz is a computer network manager at Chaminade school in West Hills and says he does his writing before work from 5 to 7 a.m. and again when he gets home.

Acorn staff report


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