Free Teleclass Series: Meet the Trainers of The Next Besteller(TM) Workshop
July 12th, 2011
By Jennifer S. Wilkov, “Your Book Is Your Hook!”
Radio Show Host | Book Consultant | Literary Agent Matchmaker™ | Bestselling Author
Host of The Next Bestseller™ Workshop
http://www.thenextbestsellertv.com/event
Twitter: @urbookisurhook
Twitter2: @litmatchmaker
What kills the dream of a best-selling writing career?
Answering the question, “So, what’s your book about?”
Many authors haven’t developed the ability to talk at ease about their books, no matter where they are or with whom they are talking. Whether they meet potential readers at networking events, social events or even on an airplane or if they choose to approach any professional in the book publishing industry with their project, writers need to be prepared to talk about their books in 1 – 3 engaging, well-thought-out statements.
The Next Bestseller™ is a safe place where you can learn how to talk more concisely and effectively about your book with anyone in any situation by doing it with the guidance and individual feedback from industry professionals.
The faculty members for The Next Bestseller™ Workshops are devoted to finding and cultivating new talent. During this unique weekend experience, these experts collaborate as teachers and trainers in the workshop environment to become a dream team that addresses the writer’s dream, questions, quandaries and fears about pitching and presenting their books to others.
The faculty includes professionals who are experts in a variety of areas in the industry including:
* Dan Fauci, Founder of “The Mastery of Self-Expression” workshops offered worldwide, a film producer and a former executive at Paramount Pictures
* Katharine Sands, a literary agent at the Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency and the author and agent provocateur of the book, “Making the Perfect Pitch: How to Catch a Literary Agent’s Eye”
* Lane Shefter Bishop, Founder and Principal of Vast Entertainment and an Emmy Award-Winning director and Hollywood producer
* Penny Sansevieri, Founder and CEO of Author Marketing Experts and best-selling author of the book, “Red Hot Internet Publicity”
* Tom Martin, a TV journalist turned publicist and the owner of Tom Martin Media
* Lauren Solomon, a trusted image advisor, the Founder of LS Image Associates, past President of the Association of Image Consultants International, media personality, author of “Image Matters! First Steps on the Journey to Your Best Self,” and an image industry trailblazer
* Jennifer S. Wilkov, host and creator of The Next Bestseller™ Workshops, is a best-selling, award-winning author, an award-winning freelance writer, an international speaker and trainer, and the Literary Agent Matchmaker™ who focuses on supporting writers with the essentials to become a bestseller: a great project, a strong platform and a well-polished pitch, presentation and hook for their book
Now you can meet them all for free this week and next week during the free teleclass series where each of these trainers will share their insights about what you need to know to answer that constant question: “So, what’s your book about?”
Join us! Here’s how:
At 8:30pm Eastern, join Jennifer S. Wilkov as she interviews one of the top trainers on The Next Bestseller™ dream team.
Dial In Information to join us for free:
Dial In Number: (213) 417-9250
Access Code: 946594#
Schedule of Interviews
Tuesday, July 12, 2011 – Dan Fauci, Founder of “The Mastery of Self-Expression” workshops
Wednesday, July 13, 2011 – Lane Shefter Bishop, Founder and Principal of Vast Entertainment
Thursday, July 14, 2011 – Katharine Sands, Literary Agent at the Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency
Tuesday, July 19, 2011 – Tom Martin, Publicist at Tom Martin Media
Wednesday, July 20, 2011 – Lauren Solomon, Founder of LS Image Associates
Thursday, July 21, 2011 – Penny Sansevieri, Founder and CEO of Author Marketing Experts
Have a question for one of the trainers? Post it here on the blog and we’ll ask it during the teleclass.
** The next weekend for writers to attend The Next Bestseller™ Workshop is August 19 – 21, 2011, in New York City which will be held at the ClassWish offices located at the Hotel Pennsylvania, 401 7th Avenue, New York, NY 10001 . For additional information, dates and other locations, go to www.TheNextBestsellerTV.com/event. **
** Enjoy hearing from my training colleagues from The Next Bestseller™ Workshop this week on Pitch University. The Next Bestseller™ is a safe place where you can learn how to talk more concisely and effectively about your book with anyone in any situation by doing it with the guidance and individual feedback from industry professionals. **
“Your Book Is Your Hook” Show – #1 Amazon Kindle Bestseller Aaron Patterson & Stone House Ink
June 25th, 2011
By Jennifer S. Wilkov, host of the “Your Book Is Your Hook!” Show on WomensRadio
www.yourbookisyourhook.com
Aaron Patterson, #1 Amazon Kindle best-selling author and the Publisher of Stone House Ink and StoneGate Ink publishing houses, will appear as a guest on the Your Book Is Your Hook! Show on WomensRadio.com. Mr. Patterson will discuss why he created his two publishing houses, why he publishes “clean fiction,” and what he’s looking for in the writers he chooses to publish. He’ll also share his perspectives on the importance of social media for writers and the future of the book publishing industry.
Mr. Patterson will also talk about his best-selling WJA Series as well as his new teen thriller, his first, entitled AIREL. Patterson will reveal how he’s using his books as his hook and share advice about what makes new writers successful in today’s writing and publishing marketplace.
NEW YORK, NY (June 21st – June 27th, 2011): Aaron Patterson, the Publisher of Stone House Ink and StoneGate Ink publishing houses, will talk with radio personality and host Jennifer S. Wilkov about why and when he decided to create his publishing houses and the distinct qualifications he looks for when choosing the authors he’s willing to publish. He’ll also discuss why he publishes “clean fiction” and the difference between the processes for how writers can submit to the two publishing houses.
He’ll also talk about why a marketing platform is essential for fiction writers, not just nonfiction writers, and the important role social media plays in book sales. He’ll also share his perspective of the future of the publishing industry.
In his second interview on the show, Aaron Patterson, a #1 Amazon Kindle best-selling author, will talk about his best-selling WJA series and his new teen thriller, his first, entitled AIREL. Mr. Patterson will also discuss his passion for writing and why you don’t have to be a master at grammar and spelling to write a bestseller. He’ll also share advice for new writers about what it takes to create a successful thriller book and writing career.
Host Jennifer S. Wilkov will discuss the importance of knowing the personality and purpose of a publisher during her Education Corner segment during the show.
Click Here to Listen Now: http://bit.ly/il8jvp
If you have questions about any of these interviews or the education corner topic included in the show, please put them here in this discussion thread and I’d be happy to answer them.
“Your Book Is Your Hook” Show – NY Times Bestseller Angie Fox & Literary Agent Jessica Faust
June 9th, 2011
By Jennifer S. Wilkov, host of the “Your Book Is Your Hook!” Show on WomensRadio
www.yourbookisyourhook.com
Jessica Faust, a literary agent and the owner of BookEnds Literary Agency, and NY Times best-selling author Angie Fox, will appear as guests on the Your Book Is Your Hook! Show on WomensRadio.com. Ms. Faust will discuss her role as a literary agent in the publishing process and the top 3 mistakes writers make when approaching and working with an agent like her. Ms. Fox will talk about her latest book, The Last of the Demon Slayers, among her series of books about vampires, werewolves and things that go bump in the night – and how she does her research. She’ll also share how she’s using her books as her hook and advice for writers who want to write and publish books about vampires and werewolves in today’s publishing world.
NEW YORK, NY (June 7th – June 13th, 2011): Jessica Faust, a literary agent and the owner of BookEnds Literary Agency where she represents a number of award-winning and bestselling authors in the areas of romance, mystery, women’s fiction, young adult, and nonfiction, will talk with radio personality and host Jennifer S. Wilkov about her role as a literary agent in the publishing process and what she does and doesn’t do. She’ll also discuss who her ideal client is and how writers should approach an agency like hers for representation.
She’ll also discuss the mistakes writers make when approaching and working with an agent like her, how a writer benefits by working with an agent and share her perspective of the future of the publishing industry.
New York Times best-selling author Angie Fox will discuss with radio personality and host Jennifer S. Wilkov how and why she wrote her latest book, The Last of the Demon Slayers, among her series of books about vampires, werewolves and things that go bump in the night. She’ll also reveal how she does her research, how she got published and how she’s using her books as her hook. Ms. Fox will also share advice for writers who want to write their own books about vampires and werewolves in today’s publishing world.
Host Jennifer S. Wilkov will discuss why getting an agent is like hiring a business partner during her Education Corner segment during the show.
Click Here to Listen Now: http://bit.ly/iPzs3W
If you have questions about any of these interviews or the education corner topic included in the show, please put them here in this discussion thread and I’d be happy to answer them.
“Your Book Is Your Hook” Show – Rick Frishman Talks Book Publicity, Publishing & Author 101
February 15th, 2011
By Jennifer S. Wilkov, host of the “Your Book Is Your Hook!” Show on WomensRadio
www.yourbookisyourhook.com
Rick Frishman, the founder of Planned Television Arts, the Publisher of Morgan James Publishing and the creator of Author 101 University, will appear as a guest on the Your Book Is Your Hook! Show on WomensRadio.com. Mr. Frishman will talk about the essentials authors must have before engaging and submitting their projects to publishers, literary agents and publicists. He’ll also discuss why he co-authored his new book, his 12th entitled Show Me About Book Publishing, and how he’s using it as his hook to help others write and publish theirs.
NEW YORK, NY (February 15th – February 21st, 2011): Rick Frishman, a publishing industry veteran for more than 33 years as a publicist and the founder of Planned Television Arts, as the Publisher at Morgan James Publishing, and as the creator and host of Author 101 University for the last decade,will talk with radio personality and host Jennifer S. Wilkov about the essentials authors must have before engaging and submitting their projects to publishers, literary agents and publicists.
Mr. Frishman will discuss in detail what publicists, editors, agents and publishers like him want to see online to support the book project an author is proposing. He’ll also talk about why every writer should create a book proposal and some big mistakes writers make when approaching the industry with their books.
Rick Frishman is also the co-author of 12 books including 4 national bestsellers and he will discuss his new book scheduled to come out this Spring entitled Show Me About Book Publishing with radio personality and host Jennifer S. Wilkov. Mr. Frishman will talk about why he has chosen to have co-authors for all of his books, what to look for in a co-author and how to create a great platform as a team.
Mr. Frishman will also talk about why he created Author 101 University more than a decade ago to help authors and writers learn how to be successful with publishing books. He’ll also share advice for writers who are writing their first books and why co-authoring might be a good option for them.
Host Jennifer S. Wilkov will discuss the benefits of staying with your career in the ever-changing publishing industry during her Education Corner segment on the show.
Click Here to Listen Now: http://bit.ly/eYrMFR
If you have questions about any of these interviews or the education corner topic included in the show, please put them here in this discussion thread and I’d be happy to answer them.
“Your Book Is Your Hook” Show – NY Times & USA Today Bestseller Robyn Carr & MIRA Books/Harlequin Editorial Director
February 9th, 2011
By Jennifer S. Wilkov, host of the “Your Book Is Your Hook!” Show on WomensRadio
www.yourbookisyourhook.com
Margaret Marbury, the Editorial Director at Harlequin who oversees MIRA Books, HQN, LUNA, Spice, and Harlequin Teen, and NY Times and USA Today bestseller Robyn Carr, will appear as guests on the Your Book Is Your Hook! Show on WomensRadio.com. Ms. Marbury will discuss her role as editorial director for MIRA Books at Harlequin and how she finds her books and authors to publish. Ms. Carr will talk about her new Virgin River Trilogy and her latest book in the series, Wild Man Creek. She will also share insights about her own humble beginnings as an author and give great tips to new writers.
NEW YORK, NY (February 8th – February 14th, 2011): Margaret Marbury, the editorial director at Harlequin who oversees MIRA Books, HQN, LUNA, Spice, and Harlequin Teen, will talk with radio personality and host Jennifer S. Wilkov about how she finds her authors and books to publish at MIRA.
Ms Marbury will also clarify what the term “mass market paperback” means and share her perspective of the future of the publishing industry. She’ll also provide great advice and insights for writers looking to get published in today’s industry.
NY Times and USA Today bestseller Robyn Carr will discuss with radio personality and host Jennifer S. Wilkov why she wrote her new Virgin River Trilogy and how she got her own start as the author of 20 novels.
Ms. Carr will also talk about her newest book in the series, Wild Man Creek. She’ll also share insights into how she actually crafts her books and plots. Plus she’ll share great tips for new writers for getting published and partnering with a terrific literary agent!
Host Jennifer S. Wilkov will discuss why writing for the genre you love can make for a great writing career during her Education Corner segment during the show.
Click Here to Listen Now: http://bit.ly/gKrbL3
If you have questions about any of these interviews or the education corner topic included in the show, please put them here in this discussion thread and I’d be happy to answer them.
Giving Birth to Your Book
January 11th, 2011
By Guest Blogger #1 NY Times bestselling author, Marci Shimoff
Love for No Reason
Happy for No Reason
Chicken Soup for the Woman’s Soul series
www.marcishimoff.com
Giving birth to a book is so much more work than I ever thought. Just when the challenge of writing the book is over, up pops the marketing efforts, which in many ways are even harder. I think it must be similar to how a parent feels when they go through the challenges of raising an infant, only to discover that the hardest years are yet to come – teenagers!.
Well, I didn’t raise just one book, I did it eight times (hasn’t it been said that mothers have amnesia when it comes to having more children?). The only way to be a successful author is to be in love with your baby. You MUST write about what you’re passionate about, because you will be living with the topic for years. You will eat, sleep, and breathe it.
I was very fortunate to have started my career as an author collaborating with three wonderful co-authors: Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and Jennifer Hawthorne on the first specialty book in the Chicken Soup for the Soul® series, Chicken Soup for the Woman’s Soul. I LOVED working on that book and promoting it.
Jack and Mark taught me that you must be dedicated and consistent with promoting your book or it won’t get in the hands of people who will benefit from it. They were the most persistent book marketers I’d ever met. They had a “rule of 5” in marketing their first Chicken Soup for the Soul book – do 5 things every day to move the book forward.
After a year of persistence, their first book finally hit the NY Times bestseller list and as they say, the rest is history. When the Woman’s Soul book came out, we worked as hard promoting it, never turning down an interview or an opportunity. About 4 years later, I remember being astonished when Jack and Mark would still get up at 3:00 am to do an interview. They had already sold a gazillion books, and yet they were committed to spreading the word to even more people. It was the love of the message that kept them going.
After writing five more books in the Chicken Soup series, I was full of soup and could cook no more! I had lost the passion for it. I did some deep soul searching and realized that I was most interested in the topic of happiness, which led me to write Happy for No Reason: 7 Steps for Being Happy from the Inside Out. The process of research, writing, and marketing/promoting that work has been a total of 10 years so far, and it continues.
About four years ago, the soul searching began again. What was next? Was there anything more important to me than happiness? There was only thing: Unconditional Love. So I began researching and writing Love for No Reason: 7 Steps to Creating a Live of Unconditional Love and it’s been a fabulous journey. I was blessed to get to interview 150 Love Luminaries (people who’ve lived in the state of deep and lasting love) and I’ve learned so much from them. This is a topic I am truly passionate about, and I’m so excited to share the wisdom I’ve gleaned and the practical tools I’ve learned with everyone who wants to experience greater love.
I believe that if you feel deeply moved to write a book, then your message is meant to be out there. But if you’re writing a book for other reasons and you don’t absolutely have a passion for the topic, forget about it. Loving your message is the only way to keep up the stamina required to birth and raise a good book!
By Marci Shimoff., author of Love for No Reason: 7 Steps to Creating a Life of Unconditional Love (Free Press, December 2010). Love for No Reason offers a breakthrough approach to experiencing a lasting state of unconditional love—the kind of love that doesn’t depend on another person, situation, or romantic partner, and that you can access at any time and in any circumstance. This is the key to lasting joy and fulfillment in life. Order Love for No Reason now and receive the Love for No Reason Bonus Package free at www.TheLoveBook.com Follow Marci on Twitter @Marci_Shimoff.
The Blessings of Being a Radio Show Host
December 1st, 2010
By Jennifer S. Wilkov, host of the “Your Book Is Your Hook!” Show on WomensRadio
www.yourbookisyourhook.com
As authors and writers, we’re always learning about resources and industry tools that we can use to improve our book project performance and the enjoyment of our writing and marketing experiences. Today let’s talk about the blessings of being a radio show host.
Being a reliable, trusted resource in the book publishing industry is an incredible blessing. As a radio show host, I have the unique opportunity to interact with every facet of the industry – from those of us who work as professionals in our different, important roles to support the author’s story; to the authors themselves – from international bestsellers and award winners to #1 New York Times, USA TODAY and Publishers Weekly bestsellers, successful self-published authors and ebook authors; and all the way through to the reader and you, the listeners of my show comprised of authors, writers and wannabes like you.
It’s really a privilege to do this. As I approach my 1 year anniversary of being on the air at WomensRadio this week, I am grateful for Fate and the chance I have been given to serve so many through this important and blessed work.
The truth is: I didn’t know I was a radio show host. I wasn’t walking around pitching a show idea to stations. Instead, I was called to do this work…by Pat Lynch, the Founder and CEO of WomensRadio, who asked to meet with me at Book Expo America (BEA) in 2009 in the Press Office. Now as a bestselling author myself, I was accustomed to meeting with the press at BEA. But this meeting was different.
Pat had found out about my work as a book consultant in my practice called “Your Book Is Your Hook!” where I work privately to help to other authors and writers with the writing, marketing and getting published processes for their books. We met for almost half the day and discussed the opportunity.
Pat asked me if I’d be willing to craft a show for her radio network. I looked at her and clearly stated, “I’m no radio show host. I teach from the platform and lead training sessions in person and through teleseminars but I know nothing about radio except for being interviewed as a guest on other people’s shows. I’ve never thought about having a show of my own and being a host.” Pat’s response was simply, “Well, I think you could be a great show host.”
So I chose to take this on and for 6 months I studied the radio market, explored how great shows were formatted, and thought about the purpose of my show and how it would serve the listeners who I imagined would be the entire publishing industry from end to end and authors new and old.
And so, at the beginning of December 2009, I went on the air with my first show with very little guidance from anyone and with no previous experience on the radio.
I’ve now had the pleasure of interviewing Dominique Raccah (Publisher of Sourcebooks & Co-Chair of the Book Industry Study Group), Larry Goldbetter (President of the National Writers Union), Julia Cameron (International Bestselling Author), Debbie Macomber (#1 New York Times & USA TODAY Bestselling Author), Victoria Moran (Oprah-featured Author of ten books including an international bestseller), Suzy Welch (3-time NY Times Bestselling Author & Keynote Speaker at the WBENC 2010 Annual Conference), Brunonia Barry (NY Times 
Bestselling Multiple Award-Winning Fiction Novelist), Carla Neggers (NY Times Bestselling Romance Suspense Author), Deborah Brody (Executive Editor of Harlequin’s Nonfiction Program), Katharine Sands (Literary Agent with Sarah Jane Freymann Agency & Author), Peter Rubie (CEO & Literary Agent of Fine Print Literary Management & Author), Jennifer DeChiara (Literary Agent & President ofJennifer DeChiara Literary Agency), Michael Larsen & Elizabeth Pomada (Literary Agents at Larsen-Pomada Literary Agency and hosts of the San Francisco Writers Conference), Beth Werner (former 
Director of Sales & Marketing at Kirkus Media including Kirkus Reviews and Kirkus Discoveries),Joel Comm (4-time NY Times Bestselling Author and new media innovator), Mari Smith (former President of the International Social Media Association, author and dubbed “The Pied Piper of Online Media” by FastCompany.com), Ken Corday (Author and Executive Producer of NBC’s Daytime Drama “Days of Our Lives”),Kathy Kinney (Co-Author, Actress well-known as Mimi Bobeck from the “The Drew Carey Show”), Elizabeth Fowler (Literary Manager, Clear Pictures Entertainment), Jill Shure (2002 Ben Franklin Award winner for Popular Fiction and the Publisher of Syntax Books), Jan McInnis (comedienne, author, professional speaker & humor writer who has written for the Tonight Show monologues) and other industry professionals including Hollywood producers, publicists, ghostwriters, social media experts, authors in various genres and many more.
I now have bestselling authors ask their publicists to seek me out so they can be a guest on my show. And, I was even asked to be a media panelist at the National Publicity Summit where I was asked to share guidance about what makes a good pitch – and then I was pitched by their participants for over 4 hours straight, all of them hoping for the opportunity to be invited as a guest on my show.
I’ve also had the joy of lending my media personality and voice to the causes I care about. On my anniversary show this week, as a gift to you, my listeners, I am featuring interviews with Project Night Night, an amazing organization that distributes books to children in homeless shelters across the nation by including them in their Night Night packages designed so these children can have a better night’s sleep, and Heifer International’s Read to Feed Program which encourages children to read while they 
learn that they can also make a difference for others by contributing to Heifer’s efforts to end hunger and poverty and care for the earth. Children learn self-reliance and hope through reading and in turn share this lesson through Heifer’s commitment to give families a hand-up, not a hand out. You see, children are the present and future readers of our books.
I believe in the work of these organizations and found that as a media personality as the host of my popular show, I could do so much more for them by helping them to get the word out to others each week on my show so authors everywhere could help support their efforts and make a difference.
The irony of my experience as a radio show host is that after the first few months I nearly quit. I was overwhelmed by attempting to balance the massive effort it takes to produce and promote just 1 show a week with my other commitments. Pat Lynch and the WomensRadio staff pulled me back from the edge of leaving the radio airwaves and encouraged me to continue. Three short weeks later, Pat and Editor-In-Chief Kat Barrett called me to tell me that they had reviewed my stats and that I was now #1 on the network with listeners across the U.S. and even in other countries. This was eye-opening for me and totally unexpected. I was just focused on doing a great job for my listeners.
Every week at the beginning of each show, I state my intention for the format I designed: a show that lets listeners go behind the books and discover the process from thought to sales of how other authors have succeeded in getting published and how they use their book as their hook. I also want you, the listener of the show, to find out about industry professionals and resources to help you as a writer and author with your book project so you can write, market, publish and make money with your book. And then I say: “My intention is to support authors and writers like you everywhere to write, market, publish and make money with your books. I want you to love writing them, write more of them, make a difference for humanity, and leave a legacy for yourself, your family and the human race. Whether your book is a fiction, non-fiction or children’s book, whether you entertain, educate or enlighten others with your book, I’m here to help you.”
And so, as I continue in year 2 of my show, I feel so blessed to bring you great interviews and essential insights and education each week so you too can write, market and publish your book.
Because as I always say: You can’t use your book as your hook…until you have a book.
Thank you for listening to my show. I appreciate the opportunity and the blessing of helping you with your book each week so you too can make a difference for others.
Jennifer’s show can be heard every week on Tuesday mornings at 9am when it is broadcast on WomensRadio.com and syndicated on Live365.com. Each show is archived for replay listeners in different time zones and countries.
For more information on this Education Corner topic and others, please refer to www.YourBookIsYourHook.com/blog for more articles and resources to help you with your books.
“Your Book Is Your Hook!” Show – #1 New York Times Bestseller Debbie Macomber + Literary Manager Elizabeth Fowler
November 24th, 2010
By Jennifer S. Wilkov, host of the “Your Book Is Your Hook!” Show on WomensRadio
www.yourbookisyourhook.com
Elizabeth Fowler, literary manager and film and television producer with her company, Clear Pictures Entertainment, will talk with radio personality and host Jennifer S. Wilkov about how she works with authors in her role as a literary manager and producer.
Ms Fowler will also discuss how she finds her projects and which authors she likes to work with. She’ll also clarify what types of books and stories translate well to film and television.
One of America’s most wildly popular and beloved women’s fiction authors, #1 NY Times and USA Today bestseller Debbie Macomber will discuss with radio personality and host Jennifer S. Wilkov why she wrote her new holiday novel and original Hallmark movie airing this weekend, Call Me Mrs. Miracle.
Ms. Macomber will also talk about her newest nonfiction book, God’s Guest List, and her own humble beginnings as an author. She’ll also reflect on the importance of leaving her own legacy with her books and how she’s using them as her hook. Plus she’ll share great tips for new writers for getting published and partnering with a terrific literary agent!
Host Jennifer S. Wilkov will discuss how time and again humble beginnings lead to great bestselling writing careers for authors during her Education Corner segment during the show.
Click Here to Listen Now: http://bit.ly/dHQWMw
If you have questions about any of these interviews or the education corner topic included in the show, please put them here in this discussion thread and I’d be happy to answer them.
The Humble Beginnings of Bestselling Authors & Encouragement for Your Writing Dreams
November 24th, 2010
By Jennifer S. Wilkov, host of the “Your Book Is Your Hook!” Show on WomensRadio
www.yourbookisyourhook.com
As authors and writers, we’re always learning about resources and industry tools that we can use to improve our book project performance and the enjoyment of our writing and marketing experiences. Today let’s talk about how time and again humble beginnings lead to great best-selling writing careers for authors.
If you have been writing for a while and sometimes get the feeling like you may never make it as a writer, think again and keep working at it. In the holiday spirit of Thanksgiving and to shed some perspective on this, I’d like to share three stories of authors you will probably recognize who had their own humble beginnings before they had a rock star writing career.
Let’s start with this week’s author guest on the show who these days is one of America’s most wildly popular and beloved women’s fiction authors. But that’s not where she began her career.
Debbie Macomber is dyslexic and didn’t learn to read until she was in the fifth grade. Her dyslexia did not deter the young mother of four from pursuing a lifelong dream of becoming published. She started by writing articles for magazines at her kitchen table on a typewriter after her family had finished breakfast. When she got one of her first checks for one of her articles published in a women’s magazine, she was encouraged and so was her husband. Debbie didn’t get a book published during her first five years as a writer.
Then, she celebrated her first sale in 1982 when Silhouette Books acquired her manuscript, Heartsong. The book became the first category romance ever to be reviewed by Publishers Weekly. She was soon featured in Newsweek—and demand for her books quickly exceeded her wildest dreams. Now Debbie maintains a list of more than 130,000 readers, with whom she regularly corresponds.
Today, with more than 130 million copies of her books in print, Debbie Macomber is one of the world’s most popular authors.
A regular resident on the bestseller lists, two of her novels have scored the #1 slot on the New York Times, USA Today and Publishers Weekly lists the first week on sale. She is the first-ever recipient of the“readers’ choice” Quill Award for Romance Fiction for 44 Cranberry Point, the fourth book in her highly popular Cedar Cove series. Debbie has also been honored with a RITA® for her 2005 holiday hardcover, The Christmas Basket; an RT Book Reviews Career Achievement Award and is a multiple winner of both the Holt Medallion and the B. Dalton Award. In July 2010, the Romance Writers of America presented Debbie with its prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award.
Debbie has also written and been published with a cookbook, a children’s book and three non-fiction inspirational books. Her novel, Mrs. Miracle, was broadcast in 2009 as a made-for-TV movie by Hallmark Channel and was Hallmark Channel’s top-watched movie of the year. Call Me Mrs. Miracle, her new book released for the holiday season this year, will be broadcast on Saturday, November 27, 2010, also by Hallmark Channel as a made-for-TV movie.
Not bad for a woman who is dyslexic and didn’t learn to read until she was in the fifth grade.
Now we’ll turn our attention to Nicholas Sparks who was born in Omaha, Nebraska. After receiving a full track scholarship to the University of Notre Dame, he got injured during his freshman year in college after breaking the Notre Dame record in the 4 x 800 relay (at the Drake relays — a record that still stands). He spent the summer icing his Achilles tendon and moping around the house until his mother said, “Don’t just pout, do something.” When Nicholas, sulking, asked “What?” – his mother replied, “I don’t know. Write a book.” He looked at her and said, “Okay.”
Eight weeks later, he was the proud author of his first novel — “The Passing,” a book that was never published. In 1989, he wrote his second novel, “The Royal Murders.” It’s in his attic, together with countless rejection slips, alongside his first novel. He decided to concentrate on another career. In addition to being rejected from law school, Nicholas appraised real estate, bought and restored houses, waited tables, sold dental products by phone and finally started his own business (manufacturing orthopedic products). He then proceeded to run up thirty- thousand dollars in credit-card debt. After two and a half long, long years, he broke even.
During this time, he wrote yet another book, Wokini with Billy Mills, a long-time friend and Olympic Gold Medalist. It was published by Feather Publishing, a small outfit in Sacramento. It did well regionally (sales of about 50,000 copies) and was picked up by Random House in 1994. The success, Sparks confesses, was primarily due to the name recognition of Billy Mills. (Newer editions have been published by Hay House Books.)
In early 1992, he sold his business and looked around for something to do. He became a pharmaceutical salesman. In May 1994, he decided to give writing another shot. He decided to give himself three chances — three more novels — and if none of those was published, he’d be able to accept that he wasn’t meant to be a writer.
He wrote The Notebook over a six-month period, from June of 1994 until January of 1995, writing in the evenings from nine until midnight, and working one day on the weekends. In July 1995, he started soliciting agents. He found one and the book was presented to publishers in October 1995. At the time, he was earning about $40,000 a year.
Warner Books bought the rights for $1,000,000.
Film rights to the novel were sold later that week to New Line Cinema and foreign rights were sold (eventually into more than 45 languages). The novel was also made a Main Selection of the Literary Guild.
In October 1996, the book launched with 56 events in over 45 cities crammed into three months. It was the longest book tour in Warner Books’s history — one of the longest ever, period — but it was important for Sparks to do, despite the fact that only one person showed up in Miami and one person showed up in San Francisco for events in those cities. The Notebook steadily grew in popularity through word-of-mouth. It ended up spending 56 weeks on the New York Times hardcover best-seller list, and another 54 weeks on the paperback list. It was only the third novel in the previous thirty years that had lasted over a year on the hardcover list, and the only novel to last over a year on both hardcover and paperback lists, until J.K. Rowling came along with Harry Potter. To this point, it has sold over 10,000,000 copies worldwide.
Six of his books have been optioned and produced as films including The Notebook, Message In A Bottle, Nights in Rodanthe, A Walk to Remember, The Last Song, and Dear John.
Fast forward to September 2010 when his 16th novel was released. Talk about a career best-selling author!
Finally, let’s look at the humble beginnings of Dan Brown, a New Hampshire native, who taught English and creative writing at Phillips Exeter Academy until 1998 when he became a full time writer and his first novel, Digital Fortress, was published. That first book was followed by Angels and Demons in 2001 and Deception Point in 2002.
But it wasn’t until his fourth novel that Dan Brown’s career as a writer and best-selling author took off. In fact, his first three novels were virtually unknown until he broke out with the runaway hit, The Da Vinci Code, that went on to sell more than 25 million copies in 44 languages and was made into a feature film starring Tom Hanks. Time magazine in its 2005 article, “The Novel That Ate The World,” stated that during the two years prior to its article, one of the very few books to sell more copies than The Da Vinci Code was the Bible.
As reported in Slate.com’s article “The Dan Brown Code” dated March 22, 2006, by Bryan Curtis and SILive.com’s article “Dan Brown Returns With the ‘Lost Symbol’ dated September 15th, 2009 by James Yates and others, Brown resolved to become a writer when he read Sidney Sheldon’s The Doomsday Conspiracy while vacationing in Tahiti. After reading Sheldon’s book which he found swift and merciless, he began to suspect that maybe he could write a ‘thriller’ of this type one day. He’d read almost no commercial fiction at all since the Hardy Boys as a child. After his first two novels, his sales were poor and by 2001 he was in the same rut as so many authors — handling his own publicity and even selling books out of his car, a process that would now require a convoy of trucks.
Brown changed agents, changed publishers (from Simon & Schuster to Doubleday, a Random House imprint), changed his luck and then – he changed the industry.
He wrote the outline for The Da Vinci Code in a laundry room, himself planted in a lawn chair and his manuscript balanced on an ironing board. It was published in March 2003 and was an immediate hit that remained on best-seller lists for more than three years.
So you see, my fellow writers, don’t give up. A career of writing begins and ends with your decision to keep writing. Imagine if Debbie let the dyslexia beat her or if Nicholas gave up after he got rejection slip after rejection slip for his second novel or if Dan Brown decided to stop writing after his first two novels weren’t selling well. If he hadn’t sat down in that laundry room and written The Da Vinci Code, well, the history of the book publishing industry just wouldn’t be the same, now would it?
Keep writing. Keep the faith. It will happen to you. All you have to do is keep doing it.
After all, you can’t use your book as your hook – until you have a book.
For more information on this Education Corner topic and others, please refer to www.YourBookIsYourHook.com/blog for more articles and resources to help you with your books.
Why Fiction Is So Popular
November 18th, 2010
By Jennifer S. Wilkov, host of the “Your Book Is Your Hook!” Show on WomensRadio
www.yourbookisyourhook.com
As authors and writers, we’re always learning about resources and industry tools that we can use to improve our book project performance and the enjoyment of our writing and marketing experiences. Today let’s talk about why fiction is so popular.
Fiction is centuries old. It has been a constant form of entertainment for us as human beings. From the stories told way back when before television, before the New York Times Best-Seller List, before Publishers Weekly magazine and before anybody even knew what a book was, adults were telling stories to entertain and enlighten others in their community, tribe and region.
Today, fiction is a business. Writing a novel is something you work at and work on. It requires discipline and commitment. More than anything, it demands your desire to do it.
Wikipedia defines “fiction” as “any form of narrative which deals, in part or in whole, with events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary and invented by its author(s). Although fiction often describes a major branch of literary work, it is also applied to theatrical, cinematic, documental, and musical work.”
There is even a magazine solely dedicated to fiction – aptly entitled Fiction – which was started in the 1970s and continues to publish today. Even with its meager start, it is still continuing its desire to bring fiction to the forefront nearly 40 years later.
And to the forefront fiction has continued to hold fast!
Fiction is a genre many love to write in and even more love to read. With the millions of copies sold by bestsellers as well as those not so well-known, we as writers are still creating stories to tell and penning them more prolifically than ever in more 
genres than you can imagine.
The nice part of this business is that there are plenty of readers who are hungry for that next romance suspense novel from today’s guest, Carla Neggers, or that heartwarming story from Debbie Macomber (whom we’ll be talking with on next week’s show), and that new sci-fi thriller or mystery from Clive Cussler or the next legal thriller from John Grisham.
That’s why we write fiction…because we use our imaginations to tantalize and indulge the imaginations of others. With so much stimulation these days online and off, it’s still comforting to know that people everywhere look forward to curling up with a great book and feeling compelled to stay up all night just to find out what happens at the end.
Fiction continues to delight our every sense and subsequently those of our readers. As a business, fiction has expanded into websites, podcasts, ways to follow a reader’s favorite author, opportunities to tweet with you, post on your Facebook page and even meet you in person at conferences and events. Interacting with you as an author has never been easier for a reader.
Cheers to those who continue to write fiction and those who venture forth as new writers into the genre of your choice. It is a mighty craft that yields incredible benefits for you and every life you touch – for it is your imagination that inspires others to open up and use theirs.
What a wonderful way to use your book as your hook!
For more information on this Education Corner topic and others, please refer to www.YourBookIsYourHook.com/blog for more articles and resources to help you with your books.
