A Book is Born

I vividly remember when my publisher, Nancy Cleary, asked me who was on my wish list of people who would endorse my book, Riding the Infertility Roller Coaster: A Guide to Educate and Inspire. I was really caught off guard by that question. I had not even considered it. Why would somebody who didn't know me consider endorsing my book? The person that came to mind immediately was Christiane Northrup, MD. I had been following her work for years. She was a leading authority on women's health and was that rare doctor who was also a patient advocate. I wrote her a letter explaining my personal battle with infertility and my wish to help as many people as I could who were engaged in this struggle. I really didn't expect any kind of response. To my utter surprise and delight I received a letter from her saying she would be happy to help and she did indeed endorse my book.

When I got her letter I had a flashback to 1976. Back then I wrote a letter to Katharine Hepburn. I was a huge fan of hers. I was inspired to write her a letter thanking her for her work advancing the role of women in films. I also told her how much I enjoyed her interview with Dick Cavett where she definitely stole the show. My only hope was that she would receive the letter. Imagine my amazement when on my birthday I got a letter on the personal stationary of Katharine Houghton Hepburn thanking me for "my sweet note" and telling me "how happy it made me."

I learned a valuable lesson from both of these great women. Don't be afraid to contact people that you may feel may be out of reach to help with your book/project/cause. Speak to them honestly and from your heart.

I don't want to give the impression that I have not failed in my attempts to get endorsements. I have been turned down by Brenda Strong, voice of Desperate Housewives, Naomi Wolf, the feminist author, and others. I remind myself that if you have the courage to contact people sometimes you may be happily surprised. Good luck to you in your efforts.

1. Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert- Okay, I realize that they are two separate people, but they both tie for number one in my book. Love, love, love them both! They embody the idea of creating lives that excel in the chaos. And, obviously, they are not moms, but they are fathers. Their quirkiness, humor and ability to see the world outside the it's typical limits are qualities that all parents should cultivate and pass to their children. Jon and Stephen - If you are out there, I'm available for a Mother's Day show. Call me!

3. Merideth Viera: Mom, wife, founder of ClubMom and co-host on The Today Show, Meredith Viera is the epitome of a mom who is living the chaos one day at a time.

I could list countless other dream endorsers: Oprah, Ellen DeGeneres, Dr. Phil, Mitch Albom, Vicki Iovine, Faith Hill,....the list is endless. And, while these are my fantasies right now, I do believe that they will indeed become realities with faith and perseverance.

With inspiration and imagination,Julie Watson Smith 

Last week I went through A LOT to get endorsements for my book, Little Grapes on the Vine. I was overjoyed with those who did endorse me; friends, colleagues, people I have written for, even someone who didn't know me. I was humbled, built up, and excited - so of course, I found a way to sabotage this feeling - I do silly things like that. My immediate ego rescue was to create a mental list of fantasy endorsers for my book, in no small part due to Bon Appetit magazine. At the back of Bon Appetit every month, a celebrity is featured and dishes about what's in their fridge, their favorite places to eat, and always, who they would have over for dinner if they could invite anyone. In Rachael Ray's magazine, Everyday, she has a similar feature, "Celebrity Fridge". These are my culinary Enquirers, guess you couldd say.

Fantasy is not reality, I'm aware of this as I sit in my size 12 jeans, but I dream nonetheless. So I indulge myself this daydream, because I believe if I ever got the ear of these fantasy endorsers, we'd agree wholeheartely about most things, stay up late talking (maybe drinking red wine), and certainly devising plans to overturn the broken systems of society - I'm a sucker for revolutionaries, especially when they use their voice, pen (hm, keyboard?) and benevolence to help others. That's just me.

MY FANTASY ENDORSERS ARE:

1) Anthony Kiedis - my book has California content, also musings on how we can save the world, one small, self-sustaining, organic farm at a time. When I listen closely to his stream-of-consciousness lyrics an get a spare minute to read his autobiography, I hear someone I'd like to meet at the farmers market, on the beach, someone who really gets it. He's half-Greek, like my kids, and he'd smile when I told him I am a Valley Girl. He'd love my salmon with citrus, and upon finding the recipe in my book, would know an endorsement was meant to be.

2) Dave Matthews - Talk about grass roots. I lost count of all the different charities he is involved with, performs for, gives to, has created...and why is that do you think? Because he cares. He'd read my reference to Tom Joad and smile as he wrote my endorsement, but probably not say much. Then I'd give my Oatmeal Raisin Peanut Butter cookies to him and his band. They'd have an extra spring in their step as they performed thereafter. We "Eat Too Much".

3) Julia Child - "I never cooked until I was 32, until then I just ate." Talk about revolutionary. She reinvented herself in her thirties through food, but she brought people together and posthumously continues to tame the haughtiest of chef egos - and inspire home cooks simultaneously. Food is not a tool of intimidation, I learned from her, it's a way of life. Explore it and enjoy the best life has to offer. I would make Julia my mother-in-laws Artichokes and Potatoes with Fennel. I would try to sell her on the genius of Mediterranean recipes hundreds of years old. French cooking, my Greek husband and family will tell you, probably started in Greece, like everything else. Pretty good from the hip, I could run with that topic until she scribbled down my endorsement similar to the way she wrote hundreds of recipes.

This is a nice dream. I could go on and on, Bill Clinton, Don Henley, Greg Maddux, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Frances McDormand, but that's another blog. Basically, I am re-affirming belief in myself and my book when I conjure up this fantasy list. I find idealism in these people I hope simmers within me and gets me typing away about my own revolutions - gradually becoming books, maybe speaking to others the way my fantasy endorsers speak to me. Benevolently.

Now, what can I cook for you?

Seven years ago I created a product line which embodies the principles of Rhonda Byrne's "The Secret". My "Box-is" have taken me on journeys I never expected, and still take me into my future (and yes, there's a box holding the vision of Oprah). When I first saw "The Secret" trailer in December I had a visceral reaction, the words and the images pierced my chest with a resonation that felt like falling in love. I bought the book for myself for my 39th birthday in January, and as with all new books in my life – it found its box, its own soundtrack, and a journal that includes a creative flow of energy which resulted in: a new web site design with my view of Deadwood, and an animated gif of my dreams with 28 of my authors and their books; a brand new imprint called WyMac, which welcomes fathers and fiction, and uses demand-driven distribution (see The 12 Step Program for Returnaholics blog post) allowing us to empower even more authors than ever before; and a new class with the mission to teach as many people as possible what I have learned over the last 9 years of running my publishing company.

Anyone familiar with Byrne's "The Secret", especially those whose intention it is to publish a book, will find answers they need in "The Secret to Publishing." It only took a few brainstorming sessions to construct "The Four Principles of Publishing" and the laws of energy that guide them – the images in my mind flashed so quickly I could barely get them down. My Brand Alchemy [PDF] article from 2004 laid the groundwork for the idea of an author atom of sorts, combined with the reality of the book industry – resulted in a simple and visual way to teach writers the pieces of the publishing process, to measure their sphere of influence, to generate ideas for expanding their reach, and to quantify which publishing option they should pursue and provide expert guidance. The Beta class will take place in a week, with one of my goals to license the class to interested authors, coaches, teachers, speakers, entrepreneurs – allowing them to imbue the class with their own publishing experience, and deliver to their own communities, teaching "The Secret to Publishing" to everyone who is drawn to learning it.

~ Nancy

Earlier this month I called an emergency meeting of the Mom-Writers Publishing Co-Op. It was to announce my plans for the future of the Co-Op, and new options I wanted to offer in my brand new imprint "WyMac". The emergency was the realization that yes – I can make all of my biggest dreams come true, I can be the "Random House for mom writers" providing traditional publishing and major bookstore distribution, I can raise the funds necessary to print large press runs, I can do it all... but is it the best I can do? IS the best the best option?

Through the Fall of 2006 I found myself turning away manuscripts, knowing, from experience, the writers' platforms were not large enough to sustain the traditional publishing model. Then the devestation of month after month of automated returns from the major book wholesalers – Ingram, Baker & Taylor ,and even Amazon, returning a "standard" 300-600 books per author every 89 days, only to later order more. The straw that broke this publisher's back was the expectation of the payment from a huge Fall Season, only to discover with Returns and the fees associated – we were in the red. Then, I heard Paula Dean on Oprah use The Serenity Prayer in the context of how she made it through her business success. A light donned on a darkened dream.

I remember the Serenity Prayer from my childhood, it meant "to have more patience with Dad". I had heard the 12 Steps muttered by my mother from her Al-anon meetings. My first published piece was at age 15, a poem I wrote "They're not Home" was in an Al-anon hardcover, I'll never forget seeing my name in print.

I began to apply the 12 Steps to the chaos that Returns were causing in my life. My goal for serenity – for a calm, reliable, and creative atmosphere where we don't have to brace ourselves for the unexpected, or for financial upheaval.

Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change... such as Returns in the book industry.

Courage to change the things I can. 

And wisdom to know the difference. 

For any other publishers out there who have the quenchless addiction of creating books, but feel the distribution "dealers", the sales rep "pushers", led by their "king pin" corporate retailers, are only leading to your eventual overdose and downfall, I give to you...

The 12 Steps for Bookaholics... (even funnier if you know the 12 Steps!)

1. Admit we are powerless over Returns.

2. Believe a power greater than ourselves could restore our sanity (it's no coincidence the solution's motto is "The Power of One")

3. Make a decision - to stop accepting returns, and move to a demand-driven model.

4. Take inventory - how many books sold, how many returned, how many destroyed?

5. Admit what wasn't working.

6. Let Go and Let the Universe remove those things that are objectionable.

7. Humbly ask the Universe to remove everything that stands in the way of my using my usefullness to help others.

8. Make a list of those who have been harmed.

9. Make ammends - even if it means losing your position or reputation.

10. Admit when we were wrong and set right our mistakes, and thus grow in understanding and effectiveness.

11. Have a conscious contract with the Universe.

12. Carry this message to others. You can help when no one else can. You can secure their confidence when others fail.

We talked about the "stigma of print-on-demand" and I compared it to the "stigmata of Returns".

The end result was a supportive group cheer and the goal to take the control away from the big book industry and put it back in our hands, the self-assuredness to confront every industry insider who challenges the validity of our books based on a conscious decision to not allow chaos and abuse, and, being ready to sell 4 of each of our books, or 40,000, however big the media gets – we'll be ready.

This is the basis of our new WYMAC imprint, and an underlying truth in my new class. "The Secret to Publishing".

~ Nancy

I could have eaisly watched this show all day long. It was so deep and I loved it. I took notes throughout the entire show and gobbled up everything Oprah and her guests said.

Quick Story: About 2 years ago I was shopping in Macys and I came across a simple black dress. I had a few affairs to go to and thought this dress would be perfect because it was simple yet elegant. When I was in the dressing room, I tried the dress on and it fit perfectly. As I glanced at myself in the mirror a strong feeling came over my entire body and a vision entered my mind. I knew at that moment that this black dress was the dress I would be wearing one day on The Dr. Phil Show. Sounds kooky? Maybe! But maybe not? I so believe in the incredible power of the mind and I have learned throughout the years that everything begins with a thought. One thing I loved about yesterdays show was the part when they said that you actually radiate energy based on what you are thinking and feeling. If you think you can, you will act as if you can and positive results will follow. So...my black dress is hanging in my closet just waiting to be worn. Is there any doubt in my mind that I will have the opportunity to not only meet Dr. Phil but to share my gift with women and moms? Absolutely not. There is a bigger plan, I can feel it, but most of all I can clearly see it in my mind.

~ Debbie ~