Think about it... You don't have to meet an author to love them and their work. Despite electronic books, your favorite books probably sit in tangible form somewhere in your house. You may read them once a year, refer to them often or even buy copies and give them to friends. And yet, I can pretty much guarantee that many of you guys have never actually met the authors. In fact, like myself, your favorite authors may even be dead, like Marcus Aurelius, Rabi'a, Rumi, Hafiz, Lord Byron, Lord Tennyson, H. Rider Haggard, Virginia Woolf, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Frank Herbert and Carl Sagan.* Likewise, I can probably take my musing one step further and guess that you might not even know their full name. I know I didn't until I began selling their work as an American Independent Bookseller. Or perhaps you know their full names, but you haven't heard them said out loud. I know I hadn't when Persians and people from the Middle East asked me if I meant the authors they loved and treasured. For all three, Rabi'a, Hafiz and Rumi, I heard their names for the very first time in the year 2013. It was quite a revelation!
Once you realize that people are waiting to read your book, even though they haven't met you, then finishing your book becomes a thousand times easier. Here, I'll mention the best advice I ever received. World famous International journalist turned author, Jonathan Hull, said... "Write the book you want to read, but can't find on the shelf." I think there were many factors that figured into his drive to write. After decades of writing about war from being in the trenches, he was physically exhausted but emotionally curious. As a journalist, he'd seen every manner of modern war but had little knowledge of World War II. His curiosity propelled him to France and he spent several months researching the history, the locations and seeing the war story through a different lens.
Of course, the best part was that he could develop the story without bullets whizzing past his head or bombs exploding buildings nearby. I think the best thing about the day I met him was that he was glowing with love, passion and pure joy at seeing such a large crowd. He preceded former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright as she promoted her memoir, "Madam Secretary." And yet, his book, "Losing Julia" was a perfect segue to her's. Both were about international topics, took place in and out of war and essentially highlighted a very personal experience of loving life itself. The audience embraced him and gave him their wonderful attention and insightful questions. It was an honor to receive a signed copy of his book and it still sits in my library. * Authors are listed in order of their passing. Please Note: You can visit the American Booksellers Association to learn more about this event.
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About the Blog: Why Your Book Matters WYBM is a Blog for self-publishing authors of all kinds. Many people immediately think that all authors write fiction. This is one of the greatest myths in the Book Industry! We work with teachers, business owners, politicians, charity founders and even hospital administrators.
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