How to Write and Sell a Book, but Mostly Sell it.
Do you have a book in you?
I did. I had one in me for 35 years. My college professor contacted me every single year asking if I wrote my story, yet, and every year I had to say I had not because life got in the way.
Until last year.
“It took you long enough,” he said, “But you wrote an extremely fine book.” That meant more to me than all the “oms” in Boulder. I made my English Professor proud.
It took me a long time to write my story, but it doesn’t have to take you more than, well, as long as it takes, because help is on the way.
Author You: Creating and Building Your Author and Book Platforms (Mile High Press, March 2013) by Dr. Judith Briles is a how-to-write-and-sell-a book kind of book. Dr. Briles literally holds your hand until you get it done.
Before I go any further, I need to disclose that I know Judith Briles and she gave me this book to review (truthfully, I sort of stole it out from under her). She is my Book Shepherd. She was my editor for two books, and the only reason I was ever published. She believed in me, before I completely believed in myself. She nurtured me, yelled at me, encouraged me and then applauded me, pretty much in that order.
“Millions of books are published in all formats each year” writes Dr. Briles. “A great majority should have stayed in the desk drawer.”
Well she should know. Dr. Briles is the author of 30 books, and I cannot make this stuff up. But her real expertise is that she has probably guided more than 3,000 to publishing.
What is the difference between a great idea, and a great book? How do you know if your idea will sell? How do you even get started?
What I love about Dr. Briles’ new book is that she tackles all of these concepts at once. First of all, you might have an idea, but most importantly you must create your platform. If a book is written and never sells, then you have been a bear who pooped in the woods or a tree that fell in the forest. It didn’t even happen.
Author You helps you build your platform. What makes you special or an expert? What makes your book unique? Author You guides you through the process of conceptualizing your book, how it will be positioned, and then helps you complete it. It’s one third inspiration, two thirds workbook, and all business to get you published.
If you have a book in you, as I did, do not wait 35 years! Do not wait 35 minutes! You can get started now with this excellent resource. I only wish I had it when I started out to use as a reference, but instead, I had her yelling this stuff at me, all the time. Now she’s put her 30 years of publishing experience into one giant volume of expert advice. You can carry her excellent wit and wisdom with you until you write your own dreams come true.
Michelle Berman Marchildon is the Yogi Muse. She is an award-winning journalist and the author of Finding More on the Mat: How I Grew Better, Wiser and Stronger through Yoga, and Theme Weaver: Connect the Power of Inspiration to Teaching Yoga. She is a Columnist for Elephant Journal and a Contributing Editor for Mantra and Origin Magazines. She is an E-RYT 500 with Yoga Alliance and teaches Hatha Yoga in Denver, Co. You can take her classes on www.yogadownload.com or www. Yogasteya.com.