Writing and Publishing News from

I spoke to the San Luis Obispo (CA) NightWriters earlier this week—what a delight. I love visiting writers’ groups. I always learn so much.

You might say, “But, aren’t you the teacher? They’re the ones who are supposed to learn.” I trust that all 30 members and guests took home with them numerous tidbits of information, some resources they can use and even a new way of looking at the world of writing and publishing. But I, too, picked up some new information and several ideas for future articles, talks and maybe even books.

I’ve learned over the years that every experience provides an educational opportunity for everyone involved. Ten years ago, SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network) had three chapters in three different counties and each chapter met once a month. I attended all of the meetings for nearly five years (around 180 meetings) and I came away with something of value from each and every meeting. All of these years later, I continue to learn and gather resources from seasoned as well as newby writers at every writers’ group meeting, conference, book festival and online forum that I visit.

Not everyone can say this and do you know why? Some writers are unable to recognize useful information and accept new ideas if it doesn’t fit nicely within their self-imposed comfort zone. These people attend writers/authors events focused on one thing. It may be, “I want someone to recommend a publisher and guarantee that he will publish my book.” Or “I want to hear the easy version of how to get published.” Or “I need someone to tell me how to sell 100,000 copies of my book this year.” These authors bring their own agendas which have nothing to do with being open, seeking out wisdom or learning the reality of publishing. It has to do with ego and well-developed unrealistic expectations: These writers want to experience instant success without taking the time to learn the process. These are the same people who would cheat on tests because they believe it is more important to pass than to learn.

I have to say that most of the authors and hopeful authors I meet every year are humble and eager to learn everything they need to know in order to succeed in the publishing world. Those others come in four categories. See if you recognize someone you know here or, horror of horrors, yourself.

• The Unconventional Author. He has many preconceived ideas about the publishing industry and the process of publishing a book. And he will attempt to bypass the conventional procedure because HIS book is different. HIS book is special and so is he. He doesn’t need to study the publishing industry, become aware of his publishing choices or understand his responsibility as a published author. All he wants is for someone to tell him he’s on the right track and introduce him to the acquisitions editor at a major publishing house.

You’ll notice this gentleman asking the same questions at every event he attends in hopes of one day finally getting the answers he desires.

I met this author stereotype at a book festival a few years ago. He wanted those of us who were womaning the SPAWN booth to tell him how to land a publisher for his novel. I spent some time with him—offering up some suggestions. And he said, “Oh, I’ve had publishers express an interest in my manuscript, but they want me to cut it in half. Several large publishers tell me that they won’t publish manuscripts this long by new authors. But I refuse to cut the story. I won’t, I won’t, I won’t!! So how can I find a publisher?”

Can you believe this? Here’s a guy who wants to be published, but not badly enough to actually do what is necessary to get published. He is certainly an unconventional author.

• The Author in Denial. She has a well-developed mindset about the publishing options and opportunities that should be available to her. When she hears something that goes against her belief system, she covers her ears, closes her eyes and chants, “La La La La.” She shows up at writing/publishing-related events and she says she wants to learn. But even her body language counters this claim. She sits near the exit, her body actually leaning in that direction. This author is, in essence and in truth, facing away from reality.

• The Conference Groupie/Information Junky. She attends every conference and buys writing/publishing books by the carload. But she can’t seem to get it together. Every year, she comes up with different questions for the many presenters and workshop leaders she encounters, but she never acts on any of the responses. She has several book manuscripts, but has yet to complete any of them. She continually coerces other writers and editors into reading her work and then she spends months and sometimes years making the changes they suggest. When she finishes with the manuscript, she hands it to another editor and repeats the process.

Is it lack of confidence that keeps her from finalizing her works? Or does she simply love the process and the attention?

• The Rigid Author. His mantra is, “Tell me it ain’t so.” This man wants to change minds with his book. He has his mind made up about the way he’ll write this book. He refuses to write a book proposal. He knows who his target audience is and he is hell bent on ramming his beliefs down their throats—“for their own good.” After doing it his way, he wonders why he can’t sell his book. Now he’s attending publishing and marketing workshops and conferences. He’s joining writers groups and publishing organizations. Now he understands that he may have made some mistakes. Will he go out on a limb and rectify them or will he bow out of the publishing field quietly and quickly? Most Rigid Authors follow the latter route.

I met a woman recently who asked me a question and when I attempted to respond, she said, “Oh, I know that. I have all of the books at home.” But I have to wonder, has she read them? Has she really taken the information to heart (and head)?

It certainly isn’t necessary that we each follow the same model. We should explore and experiment. But, in order to achieve a measure of success as a published author, we must do our part. And a good way to start is to consider the reality of the established process.

If you need information, facts, resources and lessons to guide you through the writing and publishing process, read, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html
And check out the articles and resource pages at my site. I’ve added a bunch of new ones for your information and enjoyment. http://www.matilijapress.com

Patricia Fry will teach an 8-week online “Self-publishing Workshop” starting February 6, 2007. $160. Sign up now at http://www.matilijapress.com/courses.htm

Questions? plfry620@yahoo.com

Is this the year that you’ll finally hold your finished book in your hands? What steps are you taking toward this goal?

For many, the hardest part of the publishing process is finding a publisher. If publishing is in your thoughts this year, you are probably asking:

* How do I go about finding a publisher?
* How do I approach a publisher?
* Do I need an agent?
* How many rejections are enough?
* At what point should I consider self-publishing?

If you haven’t had any of these questions rolling around in your mind, you aren’t ready to publish your book. The rest of you are probably eagerly awaiting my responses to one or more of these questions. If you’ve already read my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book, you are way ahead of the game. But don’t leave the blog, yet. There’s always more to learn.

1: How does one find an appropriate publisher? Note: The word appropriate, in this sentence, is important because publishers are not one-size-fits-all propositions, these days. Most of them specialize. It’s necessary that you can identify the genre of your book before you start a publisher search. Pages 24-28 in my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book, will help you to determine the genre of your book.

A: Find the appropriate publisher for your genre and your topic listed in Writer’s Market (available in the reference section of most libraries and in most bookstores for around $30). Or use their database at http://www.writersmarket.com for a nominal fee. There are also other publisher reference guides you can use.

B: Visit your nearest mega bookstore. Look at books similar to yours and note the authors of those books. Locate contact information and submission guidelines for those publishers (tips for doing this in Q #2).

C: Do a Google search to find publishers in your genre.

2: Approach the publisher in the way he or she requires. First, always request (or locate online) their submission guidelines. Study them. Make sure that your project fits this publisher’s requirements. Submit the materials that particular publisher asks for and in the way that he requests it. Address your query letter or book proposal cover letter to the appropriate individual (by name).

Likewise, if the publisher accepts only manuscripts of 80,000 words, don’t send him a 20,000 word novella or a 150,000 word book. If he requires a book proposal first, don’t send the complete manuscript.

3: Do you need an agent? It depends. While some publishers require that you approach them only through an agent, others prefer working directly with an author. Finding an agent can be as daunting and frustrating as finding a publisher. And landing an agent does not mean that you will automatically get published.

Note: Choose an agent appropriate for your particular book who is a member of Association of Authors’ Representatives (AAR). http://www.aar-online.org

4: If you get rejected—and you probably will—then you have a decision to make. The thing that most authors don’t realize is that there are hundreds of publishers out there—large, medium and small. Writer’s Market lists over 150 publishers of educational material, for example. There are at least 60 publishers for creative nonfiction. Do you write mysteries? In Writer’s Market you’ll find over 100 publishers of mysteries seeking good books. And there are around 100 publishers for juvenile books. Writer’s Market has an extensive list of publishers, but this volume does not include all of them.

Rejection is pretty much inevitable. As you may know if you’ve been studying the publishing industry, some best selling books were rejected numbers of times before they were either accepted or the author self-published and brought them to notice. There’s one thing for sure, if you give up after 3 or 103 rejections, the book will never be published.

A general rule of thumb for many is that if a book is rejected across the board by, say 10 or more appropriate publishers, maybe you need to take another look at your book. Perhaps the focus isn’t quite right. Maybe it needs editing. Did any of the publishers critique the book—give you advice or suggestions? If so, this could be a sign that it has promise. Most publishes will reject a bad idea or a poorly written book with no comment.

So how many rejections is enough? You could land a contract the first time out or it may take 120 rejections before the time is right, the circumstance is right and the right publisher comes along. Or you might decide to bypass the traditional royalty publisher all together and self-publish. If this is your decision, be prepared to promote hard and hardy to make your book a success. Better yet, be sure that your book is truly a good idea and not just wishful thinking.

Throughout my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book, you’ll read stories about authors who pushed ahead with their books and paid to have them published only to learn later that their manuscripts weren’t ready for publication. They just hadn’t taken enough time to truly understand something about the publishing industry and their responsibilities within this competitive field. Most hurry-up authors neglect to even consider their target audience—the audience who would truly want to read this book. Many don’t take into consideration the competition for their book.

Those of you who are in a hurry to complete your book and get it on the market, I urge you to slow down. Mistakes are made when you are in a hurry. Stop for a minute and read my article, Hurry Up and Fail. http://www.matilijapress.com/articles/publish_hurryfail.htm

5: When should one consider self-publishing? For some, self-publishing is the answer. Don’t waste your time seeking out a traditional royalty publisher. An example would be a local history book, a memoir about someone who isn’t known. For others, self-publishing is never the right answer. How’s that for confusing the issue?

Truly, if you have a great idea, you present it in a timely manner, it is an extremely well-written book, there is an audience who is hungry for this book and you have the time, ideas, money, energy and willingness for promoting this book, then go ahead and consider self-publishing.

For the rest of you, once you have exhausted all avenues to getting your book published, you have examined your book to make sure it is a viable product, you’ve written a complete book proposal and have honestly responded to all parts of it, then self-publishing may be for you.

I generally suggest self-publishing (establishing your own publishing company) rather than going with a POD publishing service. But if you want to go that route, please, please, please, study your options. In his new book, The Fine Print of Self-publishing, Mark Levine compares many of these companies to make it easy to choose the one that’s right for you.

Again, don’t be in so much of a hurry to publish that you start making costly mistakes.

And before you even enter into the publishing field with your amazing book, read my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book.

Order your copy of The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book today. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

I spoke at the SPAN Marketing Conference and Trade Show this weekend in San Francisco. The weather was lovely, the conference was extremely well-organized, the caliber of speakers was highly impressive and so was the level of professionalism among attendees. The majority of authors were open and eager to receive the generous helping of information that was so expertly communicated. There were also people in attendance who closed their minds to the possibilities which lie outside their realm of understanding, who blocked concepts that didn’t fit within their comfort zones, who refused to consider some ideas that might actually increase their opportunity for publishing success.

I frequently meet authors who take this stance. There are usually a few in attendance at the seminars, conferences and book festivals I attend. I occasionally receive phone calls and emails from authors in this category. They come for help and information and then they argue with everything I suggest.

Is this you? Have you developed such a strict agenda that, even though you show up at conferences and seminars and read books by professionals in the field, you aren’t open to new, pertinent information? Do you just want to be validated? Do you want others to say that you have an excellent book that will sell well and that you’re making all of the right decisions, even though:

• you claim that you are writing a book for wide distribution, but refuse to consider your audience?
• your approach to your subject is likely to turn off the very readers you hope to reach?
• your topic is unpopular, outdated or will appeal to only a very small segment of people?
• you don’t have a promotional plan?
• you haven’t bothered to research your publishing options?
• you have entered into publishing with a writer’s heart rather than a business head?

I can only hope that my presentation, my books and my consultations will open minds and save at least a few rigid authors from making these mistakes. If you’re in the process of writing a book or you are just thinking about doing so, here’s what you need to know:

1: Publishing is a business and must be approached as such. Once you decide to publish your book for wide distribution to the masses, you really must stop thinking of it as your baby or as your amazing contribution to the world. Once you decide to publish your book, it becomes a product and you are its business manager.

2: Is there a market for your book? Is it a viable product? Is it a genre that is popular and/or a topic that is current? Before writing that book, make sure that it is needed/desired. If it is a subject that has been overdone, can you come up with a fresh twist, a new angle or a different solution to an old problem? Study the market for books like yours. Check out the competition. And the time to do this is BEFORE you start writing it.

I met Nancy at a writers’ conference earlier this year. She had spent a year writing the book of her dreams and she quickly signed a contract with AuthorHouse to produce it. Her book focused on a rather obscure controversial concept.

When her promotional efforts seemed to fall flat, she began seeking help through publishing/writing organizations. It took Nancy a while to accept the fact that she had made some poor choices along the publishing path. If she had studied the publishing industry, the competition for her book and the potential for a book on her topic before writing it, she might have written a more reader-friendly book. She might have discovered a way to make her point without turning her intended audience off.

3: Who is your audience and how extensive is it? Authors like Nancy hope to change minds with their books. They envision their audience as folks who need to be educated or informed for their own good. These authors believe that smokers will embrace their stop smoking book, that junk food junkies want to learn healthy eating habits, that Christians will eagerly read their book on atheism. But there is a difference between a self-help or how-to approach and cramming an unpopular topic down someone’s throat.

The audience for Nancy’s book, for example, did not include the reader she wanted to target with her message. Her audience was probably comprised of people with the same theories, perspectives and beliefs as hers. So watch out that you have a realistic grasp of your true target audience. Consider, “Who WILL read this book,” not “Who SHOULD read this book?”

4: How will you locate your audience? As I pointed out in my presentation to SPAN Conference attendees, most first-time authors plan to sell their books by the truckloads through bookstores. I did. This was my expectation the first time I produced a book for distribution to a national audience (as opposed to a regional audience). While bookstores might comprise a small piece of your distribution puzzle, they probably won’t provide your bread and butter—not in the beginning—not until your book has proven itself.

You’ve heard it before—the author must promote his/her book. But this is impossible unless you know who your audience is and where they are. In the case of Nancy’s book, her audience comprises people like herself and she is going to find them at the Web sites she frequents, attending the same lectures and meeting as she does and reading the same magazines, newsletters and books.

I met a man at one conference I attended this year who is planning a series of books on gardening. Where is his audience? At bookstores, of course, but also garden shops, nurseries, flower shops and shows and gardening Web sites. They read gardening magazines and newsletters, watch gardening channels on TV and participate in internet gardening forums and discussion groups. You will also find gardeners attending flea markets, visiting botanical gardens, shopping at grocery stores, picking up supplies in garden centers and so forth. If you have the heart for your topic, you already know exactly where your audience is—so avoid limiting your thinking when it comes to locating them.

5: What is your platform? What can you contribute to making your book a success? Platform means your following—your reach—your way of attracting your audience. What are your credentials, what’s your expertise? Do you have experience in this field?

The gentleman with the gardening books is a professional gardener. He has lived and worked in several areas of the U.S., so he understands the various climates and other gardening challenges in these places. He took master gardening courses to enhance the training he received working for a large nursery in Atlanta. He also teaches gardening techniques at a local college. He has a Web site and a popular newsletter that goes out to 3,000 gardening enthusiasts. Obviously, he already has a following which means he has a pretty good platform.

Nancy, on the other hand, was not affiliated with any organizations that backed her perspective. She had not actually done any public speaking, nor did she have a newsletter or any other way of reaching people. She had always been a rather private person who spent a lot of time being introspective. She wrote this book to make a difference, but had absolutely no interest in making connections. She wanted to remain private and expected her audience to find her book on their own.

6: What promotional opportunities can you build into your book? Here’s another good reason to stop, look and listen before you plan your book. If you just play on through and write it without considering the previous five points, you will miss out on the opportunity to build promotion into your book. What does this mean? How can an author build promotion into his/her book? Here are some examples of how I built promotion into my local history book, “The Ojai Valley, An Illustrated History” (a 360-page comprehensive history of the area where I live in California).

• I interviewed about 100 people for this project and listed them in the book. Don’t you know that most of them bought at least one copy of the book?
• I profiled many early pioneer families and included as much statistical information as I could find—birth and death dates, number of children, when they arrived in the village, etc. This made the book valuable to descendants of these folks as well as genealogists and other researchers.
• I featured interesting sites, annual events and businesses. This made the book appealing to tourists and locals with some connection to or interest in these places and activities.
• I created a massive index and a bibliography. Thus, the book is convenient for librarians and other researchers.

For a novel, you can build promotion into your book by giving a character a disease such as diabetes. Show this character in a positive light and you might be able to get the American Diabetes Association (for example) to finance the publication, to promote your book or to purchase thousands of copies to use as premiums. Widen your audience base by giving your heroine a horse, twins, a motorcycle or lupus, for example.

Go ahead and write a book your way and hold to your outdated, unrealistic belief system and you may soon find yourself stuck with a book that nobody will buy. Or seriously consider the 6 points I’ve outlined here—really do your homework like any professional would do—and you have a much greater chance of experiencing the success that is possible as a published author.

For more detailed information, instructions and resources, please read The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. Even if you have Poynter’s Self-Publishing Manual, Bowerman’s Well-Fed series and Jud’s Beyond the Bookstore, reviewers agree with me that you also need this book in your reference library. http://www.matilijapress.com.

How many of you have experienced joy and pride when holding your newly published book in your hands for the first time? If you write articles for magazines, you know the excitement of seeing your byline published with your article. It’s almost like giving birth and then watching your “baby” grow and develop. It never occurred to me before, but maybe this thrill is one of the motivating factors that keeps me submitting my work for publication. I always thought I wrote because I can’t not write and because I need to earn a living. Now I think it is also for the thrill-factor.

And now I’m experiencing a new thrill—a new sense of pride—not in myself, but in my clients. When a book proposal client emailed me with the news that a major publisher had issued her a contract based on her excellent book proposal, I was really excited for her. I also took bragging rights for myself and began telling colleagues about the achievements of MY client.

Later, a client for whom I had done some editing, landed the publisher I suggested. He was overjoyed and so was I. This was another pride-filled moment.

Another client managed to attract an agent’s attention with her great, well-focused manuscript. We both celebrated her success.

This week, a client who has turned into a good friend, announced that she has received her second (or third) publishing contract for one of her articles and she has another magazine editor interested in two more pieces. This is a woman who was hesitant to call herself a writer when I met her two years ago. Of course, no one can accomplish anything without putting in the effort, but I like to think that my nagging, encouragement and guidance had some influence on her success. Now she does consider herself a writer.

When I met her, this woman wanted to write, but wasn’t sure what to write about. Now she is brimming over with ideas for articles and is accomplished at searching out appropriate publications for her articles.

Occasionally hopeful authors will come to me asking for help in managing the publishing maze. When they happily become published authors and I’m among the first to be presented a copy of their book, it’s burst your buttons time for me. I love being a part of my clients’, friends’ and colleague’s achievements. I enjoy standing by in support mode as they experience success.

For some clients, success means simply understanding the publishing process and how their project fits into it. It might mean learning what their options are and making the right choices. It could mean getting validation for their book proposal. Or it could mean learning that they’re on the wrong track with their project and that, in order to achieve the success they desire, they really must change the focus or scope of their book.

Yesterday, I met with two 11-year-olds. One is a writer and the other an illustrator for a book they’re working on targeting middle school kids who need a little help in the friendship department. They wanted to know what steps to take in locating a publisher for their project. What a thrill it will be to help these talented students achieve success.

I once balked at the idea of working with other writers and authors. I had so many of my own ideas and writing projects that I had little left to offer others. And then I agreed to work with an author. It went so well and the author was so pleased and I enjoyed the process so much that I decided to add “Editorial and Publishing Consultant” to my list of titles.

During the last seven years, I’ve worked with dozens of hopeful authors and freelance writers and this is now some of the most satisfying work I do. In fact, my clients were a key motivator in my writing The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. I wrote this book for them as well as for the many SPAWN members, visitors to the SPAWN Web site and hopeful and struggling authors I meet at the workshops, book festivals and seminars I attend. It is their questions, their concerns and, unfortunately, their mistakes that prompted the writing of this comprehensive book. And I know I am on target with this book because the feedback is extremely favorable.

Not only do customers rave about the value of this book, but we just received our tenth 5-star review for The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. Read excerpts from some of the reviews at http://www.matilijapress.com

Purchase the book at http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html Or order it through Barnes and Noble Bookstores. It shouldn’t take too long to get it as the book is in their warehouse system.

If you want to write a book or you have written a book and you don’t know what to do next, read The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. Then contact me with your specific questions.

It’s tough to be a self-starter and to work independently when your efforts seem to be for naught.

Don’t you feel more like working when you’re actually experiencing positive feedback—when your articles are being accepted, your books are selling well and/or your clients are thanking you profusely for your good work? Ah, yes. And isn’t it annoying when you are ignored and rejected? It’s not easy to get back on that bucking horse. But successful writers and authors have done so many times. They’ve licked their wounds, tended to their bruises and climbed back up into the saddle. It’s the only way to succeed.

If you want writing/publishing success, giving up is not an option. If things aren’t going your way, find another way. And don’t look for the easy way out. One of the easy options offered to hopeful authors today is the fee-based publishing service option. These companies may call themselves “publishers” or “self-publishing companies.” They may seem like the answer to a struggling or hopeful author’s dreams. In reality, these publishing services may actually be stifling your dreams of success.

They don’t do anything to help you grow as a writer or as an author. They take more away from you than just your money. They give you an easy way out of the frustrating, difficult process of authorship. They publish your book for a fee and then toss you to the wolves. In the process, you have not been encouraged or guided in how to make your book the best that it can be. You know nothing or little about the publishing industry and how you fit into it. You are not prepared for the reality of your promotional responsibilities. And you are trying to sell a book that may not be ready for an audience and that is often too high priced to sell.

If you are contemplating turning your book over to a fee-based publishing service, PLEASE read my book first. The most valuable gift you can give yourself is knowledge. Educate yourself about the publishing industry—learn about your choices and the ramifications of those choices. Don’t spoil your chance for publishing success. Arm yourself with knowledge and make educated decisions.

In my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book, I don’t tell authors not to use fee-based publishing services. What I do is to provide the information you need and outline your choices so that you can make a more informed decision about your future as an author.

Remember, that while writing is often from the heart—publishing is a business. Use your head. Read The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book and make the right decisions for your particular project. http://www.matilijapress.com

Many of you are published authors with books to promote. In the process of promoting your books, do you ever think about the various levels of promotion? Have you wondered when promotion becomes obnoxious? When is it promotion and when it is in-your-face-pushy, aggressive marketing?

We all complain about SPAM. But SPAM, after all, is simply advertising. It’s junk mail—only instead of coming in your tin mailbox, it lands in your bulk email box. SPAM is a nuisance, for sure. For those of us with very busy email boxes, it can interfere with real work and the receipt of real email.

SPAM is so annoying that those of us with books to promote hesitate using email to spread the word about our books. We wonder, is it appropriate to promote our books through email? Should you promote through email only to people you know? What about people you’ve met in passing—those whose business cards you’ve kept? Is it still considered SPAM when you send your message individually to one email box at a time? If you send to multiple email addresses, should you use the blind copy function or is it best to reveal the other recipients? How many people can you email your promotional material to before it is considered SPAM?

Is it cool to sign up for message boards and chat rooms in order to promote your books? Is it okay to send your book announcement to the people whose Web sites you visit?

What about promoting outside of the computer—the old-fashioned way? As an author, you’re told to talk about your book everywhere you go. But when is enough, enough? How much is too much promotion among your family, friends and acquaintances?

Just today, I decided to send my Christmas cards early along with a note suggesting some of my books as gifts. Is this overkill? Will my efforts be well received?

I believe that it depends on the individual. While some people will lambaste you for sending them an email announcing your book, others will warmly thank you. While some will be insulted to find an advertisement in their Christmas card, others will be thrilled that you made the suggestion.

There’s no pleasing everyone and it’s futile to try. I believe that it is more important that you find your comfort level with promotion than to worry about what others are going to think. Once you’ve established and implemented a promotional plan, stretch some and strive to expand your level of comfort. It’s a process of setting a goal, reaching the goal and then raising the bar. And don’t try to second-guess potential customers to the point that you talk yourself out of some valuable promotion.

Last year, I received an email notice from a SPAWN member telling about her newly revised book. I placed an order that day. When the author received my order, she emailed me and said, “I almost didn’t send you my announcement because I knew that you were already aware of my book.” What she didn’t know was that the first time I heard about her book, it sparked an interest. I saw it at a book festival and made a mental note to purchase it sometime in the future. When I received her announcement, the timing was right.

I think this is a good lesson for all of us. I’ll let you know how it goes with my Christmas card promotion.