Why FMV Publishing and Services?
The mission of Finding My Voice Publishing and Services (FMV) is Publishing and helping others voice their visions, dreams and stories through poetry, art and other creative writing, including fiction and nonfiction.
Before FMV officially was founded in 2014, our founder, Josh Bechtel, had already been developing as a “wordsmith” for at least twenty years. He began writing admittedly silly stories in first grade. He dabbled in poetry as a high schooler. His strict Mennonite upbringing discouraged considering anything other than traditional poetry as “acceptable poetry.” For a time, he was a somewhat prolific contributor in the Sunday School papers of the Conservative Mennonite constituency.
Throughout this time, Josh attended several conservative Mennonite Bible Schools and served at a children’s home in Virginia for three and a half years, and also at a Men’s Rehab in Indiana for a combined total of five years.
In the course of this time, he contacted and eventually reunited with his biological parents. His biological mom passed away two years after their “God directed” reconnection. His adoptive grandma, two adoptive sisters and his adoptive dad passed away within the same timeframe.
He eventually wrote a memoir detailing his experiences as a foster and adopted child that also included his spiritual journey into and out of the conservative Mennonite church. This was self -published in 2012 under the title Finding My Voice: A Journey into Faith.
The title of the memoir became the inspiration for a fledging business called Finding My Voice.
Why FMV Publishing and Services?
FMV will help YOU tell YOUR story in YOUR own voice.
Whether it is a collection of poetry, or short stories; whether it is telling your life story, or writing a novel, let us look at it and see if we can help!
FMV will walk you through the process of getting your story from “idea” to “print”.
Maybe you only have your story or poetry collection written on a stack of notebook paper. FMV can help. Maybe you would rather record yourself telling your story or your idea and need someone to type it for you. FMV can help. No doubt you will need your work edited and proofread so it is ready to submit to a publisher. FMV can help. Maybe you do not know what the traditional or self-publishing options are, and you do not know where to begin looking. FMV can help.
FMV believes that your words, and your thoughts, and your LIFE matters.
At FMV, we take the fact that your words are YOURS very seriously. Granted, we will edit and proofread your work in order to get your idea from “draft” to “final copy”, but we will keep you in the loop at all times during the process. Our intent is to help you improve your work, not change it unnecessarily. We believe that words and thoughts and stories are things of great value and beauty. We love words here; we love the creative process here. Thank you for considering FMV.
FMV wants YOU to succeed.
FMV believes in starting small and growing steadily to build a lasting legacy of life, words and actions.
The plan behind FMV is to build up to a publishing company within five years. Maybe ten years. That plan started small a couple of years ago when our founder, Josh Bechtel, published his first book. He has been learning the ropes of proofreading and editing; he has also spent much time researching the pros and cons of various self-publishing companies. He has also steadily kept on pursuing his goal of writing a novel. FMV knows first-hand all about starting small.
FMV is creativity friendly.
Josh is an avid reader and loves a book with a good story. This may be why he has read the “Chronicles of Narnia” and “Lord of the Rings”. He is something of a hobby poet and a hobby abstract artist as well. This means that FMV hopes to attract very creative people. Although our immediate focus is on books and proofreading and editing, we believe there is a whole, huge mountain of entertainment and art and literature to explore. FMV intends to actively tap the talent pool hidden amid the ranks in the foster system, Josh having been a foster child himself. We are all about discovering and creating new art, and new forms of poetry and new genres of literature.
FMV brings over a decade of writing and creative experience to the table.
Josh, now 43, began writing poems in his mid-teens. His work appeared in various Christian periodicals and Sunday school papers. He has already published a memoir and is working on a novel. He served for almost two years on the editing team of a prison ministry magazine. He considers himself fortunate to have been allowed to have this experience behind him.
Please note: FMV will NOT consider anything with excessive erotica, glorification of bloodshed for violence sake, or portrayal of demons for mere portrayal and excitement’s sake. If the above are included in your story, it will be taken into account whether or not the story as a whole is a story of redemption.
Thank you for your interest in FMV Publishing and Services!
Joshua Bechtel, Founder, FMV Publishing and Services
Finding My Voice Publishing and Services
EIN 47-3605989
A Registered Trade Name of Lighthouse Publications, LLC Chapter of Café Forty-One: Eleven Inc.
EIN 34-1907318
93 Helen Street, Barberton, OH 44203
(330) 234 8760
