This is an email I wrote to my publisher about how things are going right now…
This is not the kind of email I can just respond to lickety split! New York was an incredible and life-changing experience. Most everyone was incredibly receptive and encouraging. I have begun a massive follow-up campaign.I did have one guy from a distribution company called Midpoint (and former exec at Simon and Schuster) tell me that he thought I’d done my book all wrong – that it looked self-published, it should be paperback, it was too expensive and he hated the cover image and said I should not have chosen a mixed race child. On the other hand, everything that he said I needed to do I am already doing. One has to take these things in their proper context. It was a great learning experience and he took the time to meet with me at his office for a longer meeting at the Summit. He was actually very helpful overall. I sent a copy of my book to Sanjay Burman of Burman Books, an independent publisher based in Toronto. He called and said that he loved the concept and future branding potential of my book and would be willing to publish a second edition in paperback with 2 more chapters added. However, as a first time author, the deal was that I would have to buy 2,000 copies of the book myself at $8 each, which would have worked out at $14,000. We just do not have those funds right now. I continue to do the work to build my platform. I am doing the radio show on Sue Lundquist’s network now. That really helped when I went to NY. I love doing the show and keeping it is a real priority – which means selling advertising and sponsorship. One of the media at the Summit, a radio show host named Lisa Weixler said that she did not tend to feature self-published authors on her show because most of the self-published books she comes across are very poorly edited. This is something to bear in mind telling future clients – MAKE SURE THEY EDIT THEIR MANUSCRIPTS THOROUGHLY!! I have noticed a few errors in my book, which will definitely have to be corrected in any future editions. One good thing about the Summit combined with the radio show is that I have been able to ask a few of the media I met onto my radio show as guests and have had very positive response so far with the ones I have emailed (as opposed to sending letters in the mail). Faith and Trust carry me onwards and upwards more than words could possibly express. One’s mental attitude is so important. Never give up. Believe in yourself. Believe in your message. Always be patient. Do not be so obsessed with an end goal that you forget the really important stuff – like time with your kids. The “goal” of life is not to sell a million books, but to learn, grow and become a wiser, more peaceful, and closer to God person along the way.
