Interview with Thomas Ramstack

Author of Looking into our Grandparents Immigrant Eyes

Where are you from originally and where do you reside now?

When I was born, our family lived in Elm Grove, Wisconsin.
We know reside in Milwaukee, Wiscosnin.

If you currently reside somewhere besides where you were born, what’s the story that lead from there to here?

I am currently retired teacher for Milwaukee Public Schools.

What made you decide to write and publish your first book?

Our family were European settlers to the old town of Brookfield, now the City of Brookfield, a suburb of Milwaukee.

How would you describe your books to first time readers?

Mine are predominately primary source, non-fiction, local history.

Who do you feel is most likely to connect with the topics you write about?

In terms of European, historically, the our eastern coast was settled early by as early as the 1600’s. Much of the western half of our country was settled by the 1500’s. However our upper Midwest did not have large European immigration until the mid-19th Century. That’s exciting, as we can almost reach back, at least figuratively, to the time of their coming.

What unexpected or surprising thing did you learn during the process of writing and publishing?

It became much more time consuming than I first anticipated. But, as I enjoyed the process. My most recent book very just released by Authorhouse, entitled, “Looking into Out Grandparents Immigrant Eyes; I don’t identify as MINE alone, as it involved the contributions from over 250 people who contributed early family photographs & letters.

If you could, what advice would you give to your past self before embarking on this journey?

My publisher directed my book to Authorhouse, which might be a wonderful source to find new books at good prices, they only produce their books through “on demand printing.” This became problematic for me as most local booksellers, Barnes & Noble, for example, do not like to deal with print on demand.

How many people would you ideally like to reach with your books?

As mine are very local in nature, primarily including an interest market located in southeastern Wisconsin, I would expect an interest level l of from 1 to 3 thousand potential customers.

What has been the biggest challenge and frustration during the process to date?

Marketing my latest book is created the greatest frustration.

What’s your biggest strengths when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

My biggest is writing. I have  accumulated quite a large accumulation of photographs and primary sources over the past 20 years from southeastern Wisconsin. My greatest ability might be in putting this material together in a concise, meaningful, and interesting manner.

What’s your biggest weakness when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

Publishing and marketing has been my biggest challenge. On the up sit, I have had no interest in mass market to the point of reaching a large audience and, therefore, potentially earning significant income from my projects. My realistic goal has always been to simply earn enough in publications to begin my next project.

When do you think you will write your next book?

I am in the beginning stages of a new project through “History Press.”

Are you self published or did you use a hybrid publisher, or a traditional publisher?

All of my works have been self-published.