I started writing
at nine, keeping a diary. But let's not
go there for now, as I certainly wasn't expecting to make any money from my
diary. Nor was I anticipating an income
when I wrote somewhat morbid poetry in the my teenage years. However, by the time I was writing short
memoir pieces such as "Am I my Cousin's Cousin?" in which I wrote
cleverly about how I see myself related to Marissa Berenson, although she
wouldn't recognize me if I feel over her, I was looking for a bit of
recognition and perhaps some remuneration.
I was quickly disappointed. Those
were the days of sending the story in the mail to the magazine or newspaper and
waiting for the acceptance note. Of
course, the rejection letter appeared first, again and again. Finally I gave up for another 20 years.
When I started to
seek fame and fortune again the world was changing. My ship had literally come in, when an
acquisition editor loved my Enchanted Self (R) methods for inducing happiness
and states of well-being and asked me to write a book for Harwood Academic
Publishers. I was ecstatic and after 18
months or so of writing and editing, The Enchanted Self, A Positive Therapy was
submitted and sent to the printing press.
In those days, mid-90's, the printing was farmed out abroad. My book was printed in Singapore
However, the day
did arrive when my 10 copies came in the mail, and I could proceed. One of the things I decided to do was pay for
advertising in magazines that offered radio guests. This was a fairly successful venture and I
appeared on about 60 radio talk shows.
The most well known were several public radio shows.
From there my
check book was almost never closed.
There always seemed to be another expense involved in sharing my
concepts and books with the world at large.
The web became of course, the MOST for every author and I was one of the
first to jump aboard. In fact, my
website, www.enchantedself.com was one if not the first mental health wellness
website for women on the web. Am I
talking $$$$? Yes I am. Everything costs and everything seems to have
a learning curve.
Now, seven books
later, my latest being Secrets,
Diary of a Gutsy Teen, what advise should you take from me? Here are my suggestions, based on learning,
wisdom and the spending of money:
1. Think of what
you are offering the public carefully.
If it is truly a message that you want and need to give others than be
willing to partly share it as you would offer yourself to do volunteer work or
babysit your grandkids. Not everything
can give a monetary return.
That said, here
are some suggestions to not empty your savings account:
2. Do your diligence homework. Want a website? Research carefully different
options and fees and if possible network to get a reliable referral.
3. Want a publicist? Again do your homework and realize that
publicists expect to be paid whether they get you anywhere or not. I know as I have paid about 4 for almost no
results over the years. Now I pretty much
do my own publicity, except locally, where I do have a local publicist help me
when necessary, through channels that I have found very successful.....
4. Leading me to a
channel that does work and is not too costly.
That is the press release. If it
is done by an expert and uploaded correctly to the right sites you and your
work will be sending out signals via connecting links and social media almost
forever.
5. Social media is
fun and can get you out there, but the research has yet to confirm that it
helps you sell books. However, consider
the following: putting up some of your book or all of it for free on a site
such as www.wattpad.com. (If
self-publishing that is a way to go.
Great exposure if you work to share your book. If you have a publisher, check with them for
your rights to do so.)
6. Network as much
as you can. If you really get to know
your clubs, groups, etc. locally and you offer to talk about your subject of
expertise you will get a chance to do so.
Enjoy it, polish your style and yes, you will sell some books.
7. Lastly, unless
you are far more talented and lucky than I have been, make sure your source of
income comes from other means!
Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein . I have been a
positive psychologist in private practice for the past thirty years. In the
course of working with my clients, I originated the idea of THE ENCHANTED
SELF(R), a positive psychology therapy where I teach people how to recognize
and utilize their strengths, talents, skills and even lost potential. I have
developed a number of methods, including using our memories to rediscover what
is right about ourselves and our lives, rather than what went wrong, helping
people to overcome adversity, experience positive emotions and live the good
life!
Since developing
this concept, I've been able to use many tools to bring the Enchanted Self to
everyone, particularly women and girls. I've written many books, starting with
THE ENCHANTED SELF, A Positive Therapy, and then Recipes for Enchantment, The
Secret Ingredient is YOU! My books for
girls are very popular, as they are great fictional reads and also help deal
with many of the questions that trouble kids as they move into the tween and
teen years. The Truth, Diary of a Gutsy
Tween and Secrets, Diary of a Gutsy Teen are the first two books in this
series.
I really love to
teach and educate about happiness and how to benefit from positive psychology
in ways that let us lead lives of meaning and happiness. You can find me all
over the place on the web.
GIVEAWAY
