0 Registered (),
95
Guests and
3
Spiders online. |
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
3239 Members
63 Forums
16332 Topics
210704 Posts
Max Online: 409 @ 01/17/20 03:33 AM
|
|
|
#38270 - 08/24/04 09:04 PM
Book for Late-Blooming Readers & Writers
|
Member
Registered: 08/24/04
Posts: 201
Loc: Connecticut
|
Just wanted to announce the recent publication of my first book: Defying Gravity: A Celebration of Late-Blooming Women. In it, I tell the stories of 12 "ordinary" women who've done extraordinary and unexpected things later in life. These women didn't just change tracks; they truly came into their own. Since I'd never written anything before, I also weave in between their stories my own story of meeting these women, mustering up the courage to write, finding an agent and publisher, and what I learned in the process. Check out my website for details: www.prillboyle.com. You can order the book on Amazon.com or purchase it at Borders, Barnes & Noble, Wal-Mart, etc. If you're a budding writer or late-bloomer who needs advice or encouragement, feel free to e-mail me directly through my website. I try and answer every letter.
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#38275 - 08/25/04 05:03 PM
Re: Book for Late-Blooming Readers & Writers
|
Member
Registered: 11/01/03
Posts: 1076
Loc: Ohio, USA
|
Congratulations on the book, Prill. And I always follow the Queens decrees, so I'll check out the website, too! Donna
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#38277 - 08/26/04 02:07 AM
Re: Book for Late-Blooming Readers & Writers
|
Member
Registered: 02/19/03
Posts: 765
Loc: Oregon
|
Really enjoyed the site and the book looks wonderful too. Thanks. Maggie
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#38280 - 08/26/04 09:59 PM
Re: Book for Late-Blooming Readers & Writers
|
Member
Registered: 08/24/04
Posts: 201
Loc: Connecticut
|
Charleen-- Well, I've certainly had my share of disappointments. (I just heard from my publicist a few minutes ago that Oprah turned the book down). But if there's one thing I've learned, it's that you gotta keep believing. You can't give up on yourself. (With enough grass-roots support for the book, even Oprah could change her mind!) Just want to clarify, though, that this IS my first book. I'd never written a single thing before, except one short academic article on reader-response theory--not exactly creative non-fiction. Anyway, thanks again for your notes. This is such a great site!!! Dotsie is the best, isn't she?
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#38282 - 08/26/04 11:15 PM
Re: Book for Late-Blooming Readers & Writers
|
Member
Registered: 08/24/04
Posts: 201
Loc: Connecticut
|
Hi Dotsie! I love hanging with you and am happy to share my publishing experience. Ask anything. My publicist is a woman in NYC named Maryann Palumbo. I hired her because I believe in this book and had no clue how to bring it to the attention of producers on The Today Show, Oprah, etc. (By the way, one of Oprah's producers supposedly read the book and loved it; it just didn't make it through the second round.) Anyway, Maryann does the national stuff; I do the rest. Every day, in addition to my writing, I try and do one thing to promote the book. (Today I did an interview with the Lexington Courier-Journal out of Kentucky.) I've got a whole file folder full of suggestions from wonderful women like you that I've been compiling for the past four years. My agent, Paul Fedorko, has also been incredibly supportive. A God-send. (http://www.tridentmediagroup.com/pfedorko.htm) FYI, Susan Page's book "The Shortest Distance Between You and Published Book" is a great primer for getting an agent, writing a proposal, etc. Hope this helps.
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#38283 - 08/27/04 01:21 AM
Re: Book for Late-Blooming Readers & Writers
|
Da Queen
Registered: 07/02/03
Posts: 12025
Loc: Alabama
|
You know something...you write, you write, and you write, and you finally come to the end and have your book all ready to go to the publisher and then SOMEBODY'S (and I won't mention any names but their initials are DB and JK) started telling me all about the marketing side and what all is involved... NOW I know the work has just begun...I mean can you believe what all you have to do just to get somebody to read your book and comment? And I'm a Queen for pete's sake! A person stands a better chance of getting on the best seller list if they strip nakkid and run across a ballgame holding up their book.... wait...you know---okay, okay, I won't. But---ALRIGHT ALREADY! I won't do it. It was just a thought, okay? JJ
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#38289 - 08/27/04 09:03 PM
Re: Book for Late-Blooming Readers & Writers
|
Member
Registered: 08/24/04
Posts: 201
Loc: Connecticut
|
My friend the Queen asked what was my biggest hurdle. The answer is self-doubt--a huge impediment to any creative endeavor. But I also had to get over my shyness. (In the beginning, I used to get butterflies in my stomach before picking up the phone to call someone I didn't know--not helpful when you need to set up interviews.) Slowly, though, I started to walk through my fears. I practiced. Every day I tried to do one bold thing. I still do. When I felt those butterflies, I kept right on going. The more you face down fear, the more you see it's just a phantom.
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#38290 - 08/28/04 01:45 AM
Re: Book for Late-Blooming Readers & Writers
|
Queen of Shoes
Registered: 05/24/04
Posts: 6123
Loc: Arizona
|
JJ, I don't mind reading a book by a goddess, just not a perfect goddess. Prill, what is shy? Never experienced that.
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#38296 - 08/28/04 05:10 AM
Re: Book for Late-Blooming Readers & Writers
|
Member
Registered: 07/11/04
Posts: 2132
Loc: MA
|
Lookout jawjaw, if they think you got the football, you'll get tackled If I could still run, I'd end up with two black eyes. Sounds like you would too. It must be in the water up north too Chatty. Louisa
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#38301 - 08/28/04 03:53 PM
Re: Book for Late-Blooming Readers & Writers
|
Da Queen
Registered: 07/02/03
Posts: 12025
Loc: Alabama
|
Dotsie, I think fear is the MAJOR and sometimes ONLY factor that holds people back from doing things they really want to do. I've found that if I minimize the fear, or better yet, meet it head on, then that particular fear simply disappears. I think someone like Garrie (who has a way with splain things) could do a better job here, but let me give a very simple and small explanation of what I mean....
Ever been to a large gathering where there was a buffet? Seems like everytime I do, when it's time to eat, no one will go first and the person who does gives some sort of embarassing statement as to why he/she's going first...then after that person, everybody jumps up and gets in line. How crazy is this? It's a food line, not a line to get into heaven. I've made it a practice that whenever I'm in a situation like this and the speaker says "okay folks, let dine" or "time to eat" or whatever, I simply get up and get a plate.
Now I know that too simple an explanation but it serves the purpose. What I do whenever something bothers me or I feel my fear creeping in is to say to myself, "what's the worst that can happen?" Usually, it already has...and it's not that bad so I go for it!
Hope this helps a tad...
now, I'd love to hear how Prill got her agent and publicist, but I just had to put my 10 cents worth in...teehee.
JJ
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#38302 - 08/28/04 04:02 PM
Re: Book for Late-Blooming Readers & Writers
|
Member
Registered: 08/24/04
Posts: 201
Loc: Connecticut
|
Dotsie--I'm happy to share what I know. In terms of getting a publicist, my agent helped me; so the answer to your question has to start with how I got an agent. A successful writer friend of mine, Jane Hammerslough, gave me some advice early on in my project. First of all, she recommended I read the book I suggested in an earlier posting: "The Shortest Distance Between You and a Published Book" by Susan Page. But she also said that being crystal clear and passionate about the concept of your book was the most important thing in terms of getting an agent. "An agent will come to YOU, if you're clear," she said. I didn't quite believe her, but that's exactly what happened to me. I talked shamelessly about my book idea everywhere I went--in airports, in stores, even at PTA meetings. (At this point, I hadn't written a word, but I WAS clear and I WAS passionate.) Within a few weeks of my conversation with Jane, I was been given business cards by two agents with encouragement to call them after I'd written a few chapters. The first I met in a train station; the second, at a party. Keep in mind that I had never met--at least to my knowledge--a literary agent in my life. Less than a month later, a third agent, Paul Fedorko, whom I met through a friend but had no idea was a literary agent, paid me a visit and asked about my book. (My friend had told Paul about my idea.) After I shared with him the concept, he said, "Do you have an agent yet?" When I told him I didn't, he said, "Well, I'm your agent." I was floored. I felt sure that once he saw my writing, he would change his mind (that self-doubt thing I had to work through), but he didn't. I know that between the lines of this answer, your readers are going to think, "Ah ha! She had connections." And, this is true. But I didn't KNOW I had connections, and I think Paul would validate my belief that the reason he took me on was not because of my friend but because I was clear about what I was doing and able to impart to him my vision. Hope this helps.
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#38304 - 08/28/04 04:11 PM
Re: Book for Late-Blooming Readers & Writers
|
Member
Registered: 08/24/04
Posts: 201
Loc: Connecticut
|
JJ-- Love what you said about fear. I agree entirely. Also love the buffet analogy.
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#38305 - 08/28/04 04:15 PM
Re: Book for Late-Blooming Readers & Writers
|
Member
Registered: 08/24/04
Posts: 201
Loc: Connecticut
|
JJ-- You just crack me up. Cinder-prilla. That's great.! I've been called all sorts of things (my good friends always lapse into Prilly or Prillilla or some such thing), but never Cinderprilla. How do you come up with this stuff? Wish you could bottle it and sell some to me.
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#38306 - 08/28/04 04:21 PM
Re: Book for Late-Blooming Readers & Writers
|
Da Queen
Registered: 07/02/03
Posts: 12025
Loc: Alabama
|
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#38308 - 08/28/04 06:24 PM
Re: Book for Late-Blooming Readers & Writers
|
Member
Registered: 11/08/03
Posts: 3512
Loc: outer space
|
Okay Queen, I can buy the football boobs thing, but you're spelling naked like a Yankee. It's not nakid. It's nekud. Get your southern butt down here where you belong girl.
AND, Where did you hear that stuff about "way down yonder" being in New Orleans? It ain't New Orleans. It's Oklahoma. Woody Guthrie, the Dustbowl Balladeer, from Okemah, Oklahoma, wrote about it in the thirties. And us Okies ain't lettin' them Louisianans steal it neither. "This Indian Nation, Oklahoma, is where "Way Down Yonder" is and we know it!! Here's Woody's song:
OKLAHOMA HILLS by Woody Guthrie Many a month has come and gone Since I wandered from my home In those Oklahoma hills where I was born. Many a page of life has turned, Many a lesson I have learned; Well, I feel like in those hills I still belong. CHORUS: ""'Way down yonder in the Indian Nation Ridin' my pony on the reservation, In those Oklahoma hills where I was born. Now, 'way down yonder in the Indian Nation, A cowboy's life is my occupation, In those Oklahoma hills where I was born.
But as I sit here today, Many miles I am away From a place I rode my pony through the draw, While the oak and blackjack trees Kiss the playful prairie breeze, In those Oklahoma hills where I was born.
CHORUS
Now as I turn life a page To the land of the great Osage In those Oklahoma hills where I was born, While the black oil it rolls and flows And the snow-white cotton grows In those Oklahoma hills where I was born.
smile P.S. I went to the site. Loved it. Can't wait to get the book. No matter how late I am, I need to BLOOM!!! [ August 28, 2004, 11:28 AM: Message edited by: smilinize ]
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#38312 - 08/29/04 08:04 PM
Re: Book for Late-Blooming Readers & Writers
|
Founder
Registered: 07/09/08
Posts: 23647
Loc: Maryland
|
I'm lost with all this Southern talk. No help here! But I will say you all/ch'all/y'all(however you spell it) are crazy! And...it's great *seeing* smile back to her old tricks! Now about this agent and publicist... Prill, you mentioned passion! Amen to that! When you believe in something it comes across in your writing and voice. Everything I read says to write whatever you're passionate about. I believe it with my heart and soul. I'm passionate about boomer women sharing our stories to encourage and support one another. I believe we're all here to help one another in every way we can. The first time I spoke with my agent she commented on the passion in my voice. When she connected me with Brian at PTA(PR firm) he said the same thing. When I asked him why he wanted to represent me, he said that he liked my enthusiasm/spirit and project. He said I represented it well. I only share this to point out the importance of not being shy about our passions. We are our best advocates and if we aren't excited about what we're writing about, no one else will be either. Thanks for sharing Prill.
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#38314 - 08/29/04 11:39 PM
Re: Book for Late-Blooming Readers & Writers
|
Member
Registered: 07/11/04
Posts: 2132
Loc: MA
|
Come on Smile, you don't remember Freddy Cannon? Palisades Park, Tallahassee Lassie, Way Down Yonder in New Orleans, Abigail Beecher? American Bandstand? He grew up in my hometown. I hung around with his cousin and got to meet him when he visited her. I took his cigarette butts out of the ashtray when he left. I was going to keep them forever, but I hid them in my jewelry box and my mother found them. She thought I was smoking and threw them out. I have a funny Chubby Checker story too if anyone's interested. Don't get me started. Louisa
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#38317 - 08/30/04 04:11 AM
Re: Book for Late-Blooming Readers & Writers
|
Member
Registered: 07/11/04
Posts: 2132
Loc: MA
|
There's something to write about, Chatty. I would have loved working there. We go to Disneyworld twice a year now that we have the vacation club. Chubby was at the American Pavillion in Nov. 2002. I guess he does the same week every year. Well, I was only going to go and take his picture and leave. I got caught up in the crowd and twisting in the aisle and the whole bit. I took a ton of photos and added old Chubby to my website. A few months later, my sister told me she heard on the news that he died. I felt terrible and thought I must have some of the last pictures taken of him. Last November, I felt bad knowing he wouldn't be there. We were walking by the Pavillion and his name was posted. I thought that was a terrible mistake. I stopped a guy who works there and asked him if Chubby Checker was supposed to be there. He said, "yes." "But my sister told me he died months ago. I thought he was dead," I told the poor guy. "I hope he's alive madam," he said. "I'm in charge of the show and I can't do the Twist." My husband was embarrassed, of course. I was happy to hear he was alive and went back that night for yet another twist fest. I took more pictures. Now I have more pictures of Chubby Checker than I'll ever need. I called my sister the next morning and told her he was alive and still twisting. We found out later it was someone who had been in his group for many years that died. God willing, I'll see him this November too. Louisa
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#38318 - 08/31/04 02:20 PM
Re: Book for Late-Blooming Readers & Writers
|
Member
Registered: 08/09/04
Posts: 242
Loc: Midwest
|
Hello ladies,
I've been reading this post, absorbing every word. (Well, almost every word.)
As some of you know, I have been absent from the boards so that I might endulge in a big old pity party. A mean and nasty editor sucked the wind right out of my sails and I just couldn't write a word. Actually, still can't. When I sit down to write, I stare at my computer screen and think about how "unfunny" I am.
Prill, I am anxious to get your book. I plan on ordering it this week. It isn't just that I want to read it, but rather at this point I feel like I have to. I need to hear the stories these women have to tell. At forty, I've had that sinking feeling for the last week or so that I am all I will ever be.... and that thought just kills me.
I know writer's should have thick skin, but I think my skin is wearing a little thin in places. I'm hoping your book will light a fire under my behind, so to speak.
And BTW.... some of you lovely Boomer ladies sent me some very encouraging email. You've been lovely and thoughtful and when I say I am blessed to have found this website, it's not just empty words. You all truly make this place like a cyber kitchen table!
Love to you....
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#38319 - 08/31/04 03:13 PM
Re: Book for Late-Blooming Readers & Writers
|
Da Queen
Registered: 07/02/03
Posts: 12025
Loc: Alabama
|
Welcome home dear girl. I've been praying you would return and here you are... I still think we should send Bubba & Earl to pay that editor a little visit...they could take Scooter, their pet Racoon...he don't play, capice? Look, if anybody knows funny, it's me...Lord knows I've been working at it for a kazillion years and GIRL...YOU'RE FUNNY. I wish you weren't cause you are REAL FUNNY and like I need the competition? puleaseee. So, take it from me, you've got the gift. Putting that all aside, you don't have to stay away from the boards when you are hurting or down. That's what we're here for hon...it's what we do. Friends healing friends. And we are here for you. Cyberhugs, JJ
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#38320 - 08/31/04 04:59 PM
Re: Book for Late-Blooming Readers & Writers
|
Member
Registered: 06/03/04
Posts: 2830
Loc: Massachusetts, USA
|
Prill,congratulations on your book! I agree with Dots in that we can relate to late bloomers. This book seems like great encouragement to go after our dream. It's never to late to follow it! I wish you the best of success with your book! I enjoyed the tips on your website too! Thanks!
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#38324 - 09/01/04 05:33 PM
Re: Book for Late-Blooming Readers & Writers
|
Member
Registered: 08/24/04
Posts: 201
Loc: Connecticut
|
Hi Ladies! I've been in and out of town and unable to check the forum on a regular basis. But now that I'm home again, I wanted to thank "Cher" and "Songbird" for their recent comments about my book. As I said in a previous posting, ya gotta believe! If the '69 Mets could come out of nowhere to win the World Series, anything is possible! My manuscript was rejected by 14 publishers before the 15th bought it. And the 15th didn't just buy it, they begged my agent to sell it to them! I will say, though, that before I even sent the first three chapters to my agent, I had my brilliant niece, who has the most discriminating ear for language on the planet (at least the most discriminating I know) read through the manuscript line by line and give me her critical feedback. She was kind, but brutal--just what I needed. In other words, I used all the help I had available to me to write the best book I could.
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#38328 - 09/01/04 09:39 PM
Re: Book for Late-Blooming Readers & Writers
|
Member
Registered: 08/24/04
Posts: 201
Loc: Connecticut
|
Hi Dotsie! You'll be happy to hear (from a keep-the-faith perspective) that the rejections came through my agent. He thought there'd be a bidding war for the book; instead he received from publishers one "thanks, but no thanks" after another.
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#38329 - 09/02/04 10:24 AM
Re: Book for Late-Blooming Readers & Writers
|
Member
Registered: 04/21/04
Posts: 223
Loc: Winters, California
|
JJ and Chatty-- Couldn't let this go without one more post about it. When my daughter was a LITTLE girl I remember her looking at me while I was getting dressed and saying wistfully "Mommy, when I grow up I want long boobies just like yours!" How is that for a backsided compliment!!!! And I was only in my twenties!! Sob...You gotta love underwires! CinderPrilla, Congratulations on your book. I haven't seen your website yet, but I am eager to check it out. Fear has paralyzed me and kept me from achieving so many things. Grrrr! Sher, Sher, Sher!!! So happy to see you posting again. Your humor brightens my heart! Sometimes when I come onto the BWS site, I am just looking for a touch of humor and I look for yours and JJ's posts. Don't you just wish that thin skinned meant weight loss? As in: "Look at that figure! She is so thin skinned and shapely ! Wowzingy!"
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#38330 - 09/02/04 02:43 PM
Re: Book for Late-Blooming Readers & Writers
|
Member
Registered: 08/09/04
Posts: 242
Loc: Midwest
|
I know I will write again. I can't help myself. It's a "got to" thing, not a "want to" thing. However, everything I write at the moment sounds like an obituary. Seriously unfunny. I'm considering shaving my cat just for the material. I hope this passes. I think it has as much to do with the fact that I have about a million things going on in my life right now as anything. I am planning an Expo for men and women that want to work from home here in Kansas: Be Your Own Boss Expo and I am also a para for special needs kids at a local school this year. I've been working at home for a long time and felt I needed to get away a little bit. I spend my days with mentally challenged children and I even give meds via a g-tube to a little boy twice a day. As you might imagine, none of these things are funny. Ya'll keep me in your thoughts and send me some good vibes. Or chocolate. Or money. [ September 02, 2004, 07:44 AM: Message edited by: Sher ]
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#38331 - 09/02/04 05:19 PM
Re: Book for Late-Blooming Readers & Writers
|
Da Queen
Registered: 07/02/03
Posts: 12025
Loc: Alabama
|
Not only do you hope it passes, but so does the cat....Listen, I visited your site about the EXPO and I gotta tell ya, you have a ton of stuff going on...a ton. I have a column and a poopie other job...big deal. You have a life, and all these things going on.
I say go get um girl. You are capable, intelligent, a workaholic of sorts, and okay, your funny...
I know you will get back into the swing of writing again, and it might take you getting MAD at that editor to do it...whatever works. If it were me, I would go right back to him and submit something else. I would NEVER let him get the best of ME...ain't no way hosea...
Bubba and Earl standing by.
Hugs, JJ
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#38335 - 09/03/04 11:10 PM
Re: Book for Late-Blooming Readers & Writers
|
Member
Registered: 08/24/04
Posts: 201
Loc: Connecticut
|
Hi everyone! What a remarkable group of women this is! (I've been slowly checking out all your websites.) I totally agree with Speakermom. It's not only okay to take a break from writing; sometimes it's critically important that we do so. One has to inhale before one can exhale.
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#38336 - 09/06/04 11:39 PM
Re: Book for Late-Blooming Readers & Writers
|
Member
Registered: 08/09/04
Posts: 242
Loc: Midwest
|
You all are great. I'd like to buy you a all a Coke. My plate is a little full. It really is. But, I miss sitting down to write and having it flow easily. At the moment, it's just not pumping for me. This weekend I took my daughter's cat to her. It was a two hour trip and our vet prescribed some lovely cat valium for him to make the ride easier on everyone involved. It was hilarious to take a car trip with a stoned cat, but when I sat down to write about it, it was like pulling teeth for me. I couldn't finish. I think my funny bone has been fractured. And on another note, I need to find someone that will proofread my writing for me and I have no idea who to ask. I want someone that will be critical in a nice way... or else I'll wind up under the table with my frosting can again. Mr. Man will sometimes help, but he has a tendency to want to re-write what I've written and I have a tendency to want to box his ears. I will read and re-read something twenty times... thinking I have caught all the grammatical, spelling and other errors only to read it again in a month and be so embarassed I could die for what reads like a third graders essay. Who do you guys use? A friend or relative? Someone you hire? I think Prill mentioned a niece who was brutally honest with her.
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#38337 - 09/07/04 01:02 AM
Re: Book for Late-Blooming Readers & Writers
|
Member
Registered: 08/24/04
Posts: 201
Loc: Connecticut
|
Sher-- Have no fear, your funny bone's still intact. (You made me laugh--again.) In terms of finding an editor, I recommend the trial and error method. As you said, you want someone honest, but kind. I showed snippets of my work to lots of people--and received lots of questionable feedback--before discovering my niece right under my nose.
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#38338 - 09/07/04 04:58 AM
Re: Book for Late-Blooming Readers & Writers
|
Member
Registered: 04/21/04
Posts: 223
Loc: Winters, California
|
Sher, Can you just send a gift certificate? I am afraid my coke would be flat by the time it arrived. Love, La Hmmmm...what is it like to travel with stoned cat? Does it eat all the time? Does it say, cool, whooooa or dude, or any combination thereof? Does it swat at things no one else can see? Hang from the top of the cat carrier? Just sleep?
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#38339 - 09/07/04 06:17 AM
Re: Book for Late-Blooming Readers & Writers
|
Member
Registered: 02/19/03
Posts: 765
Loc: Oregon
|
Yes, please details on the stoned cat. I laughed outloud when I read about that. No you haven't lost your sense of humor at all. I will take the cola too. Sounds good!!!! Maggie
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#38349 - 09/11/04 05:03 PM
Re: Book for Late-Blooming Readers & Writers
|
Member
Registered: 08/24/04
Posts: 201
Loc: Connecticut
|
Hi Diane! You're right that radio interviews don't sell that many books--unless it's NPR's Fresh Air or All Things Considered, or something along that line. But you never know who'll be listening when you're on the air. As a friend of mine is fond of saying, "There's a king in every audience." I did a Clear Channel radio program that led to my writing a magazine article. I also did another very small show out of the Pacific Northwest that looks like it might lead to making Defying Gravity a book on tape. Plus, radio is so easy to do from home and costs nothing on my end. If the time isn't convenient, you can always say no.
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#38350 - 09/11/04 05:05 PM
Re: Book for Late-Blooming Readers & Writers
|
Member
Registered: 08/24/04
Posts: 201
Loc: Connecticut
|
Whoops! I spelled a name wrong again. It's Dianne, not Diane, right? Sorry about that.
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#38352 - 09/12/04 12:10 AM
Re: Book for Late-Blooming Readers & Writers
|
Queen of Shoes
Registered: 05/24/04
Posts: 6123
Loc: Arizona
|
I keep a written record of radio and tv interviews I've done. It's pages and pages long. Trust me, I've done my share of radio interviews and have never found them to be that successful. True, you never know who is listening and it isn't about selling books but...it is. There is nothing wrong with making $$'s off of your hard work. There is nothing wrong with helping people for free either. But, being a writer is a business just like any other job. My time is so taken and busy that I have to decide how my time will be used to the best. You will be surprised how many people want you to travel at your own expense and speak for free. Sometimes, that's okay but after a while, it gets old and expensive and truthfully, you're more valued if you get paid. Go figure, but it's true. However, after saying that, I've never charged a shelter for battered women for my speaking. If it's in another state, I do ask for travel expenses. It's about good business and if you don't treat it that way, you're gonna end up broke.
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#38354 - 09/16/04 06:12 PM
Re: Book for Late-Blooming Readers & Writers
|
Member
Registered: 09/13/04
Posts: 64
Loc: Oklahoma
|
Finally read through this discussion thread and am inspired to keep moving forward. Although, not completely finished with my book, I've already started the marketing aspect. And, it is sooooo time consuming. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
Anyway, your site is great. And, I have no doubt that one day will see you on Oprah!
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#38355 - 09/16/04 06:33 PM
Re: Book for Late-Blooming Readers & Writers
|
Member
Registered: 08/24/04
Posts: 201
Loc: Connecticut
|
Thanks, "Queen Me"! If there's anything I can do to for you--even it's just moral support--feel free to e-mail me through my website. As I said in a previous posting, I've had so much help along the way; now I want to "pay it forward." Actually, even your entry helped me. This morning I was just lamenting about how much time book promotion takes--and how endless it is--when I read your entry. It made me feel less alone, more like I was in a tribe of wonderful women writers, all aspiring to, and working towards, having their voices be heard.
|
Top
|
|
|
|
#38359 - 09/17/04 12:10 AM
Re: Book for Late-Blooming Readers & Writers
|
Member
Registered: 08/24/04
Posts: 201
Loc: Connecticut
|
You're not kidding, Georgia! (By the way, I always get that "o" and "a" mixed up--but the joke you made will help me remember.)
|
Top
|
|
|
|
|