Click Here to listen this interview any time after 9:00 am EST Tuesday December 28^th, 2010 on the WomensRadio Network

I have to admit, the dream of becoming a successful published author was never included on my bucket list – until late 2008.  The fact is, I’m a CEO of a national insurance firm where my company specializes in managing risk and preventing loss for thousands of America’s businesses.  I’ve been working in the insurance industry for 25+years, which has NOTHING to do with the book business, let alone the 1001 l things you need to know to become successful within the publishing industry.

I was lucky enough to pitch my book deal to the Milli Brown, the CEO of a small boutique publisher, Brown Books, which is located in Dallas, Texas.  Both Milli and her team worked closely with me to get my first book Read Between the Lines written, illustrated, designed and published in early 2010. They are wonderful!

Since then, I’ve joined an author coaching program, attended numerous seminars, teleconferences, webinars, podcasts, joined e-mail lists, purchased a radio coaching program, had my website redesigned three times,  turned my book into an E-Book, created The One-Click Safety Series, spoken professionally to thousands of people, completed the manuscript for my second book, The Parent’s Guide to Texting, Facebook and Social Media and attended a publicity summit in New York City where I pitched my books to over 70 producers like The View, Fox News, The Today Show and Good Morning America.  I’ve been a guest on more than 80 radio programs over the last four months, appeared on Fox Business, View From the Bay, Channel 4 news and CNN.  And, I’m still working feverishly to become a successful author.

In an effort to help my fellow authors striving for success, I’m offering you this small but significant bit of advice that I wish someone would have told me:

1. Every aspiring author (unless you’re famous) needs a great platform BEFORE you send your book proposals and/or query letters to the publishing houses.  Your platform will include a great website, your weekly blog, social media, speaking events, and anything else that makes sense for your genre.  Your website should be branded to you, not the title of your book.
2. Writing the book is only 10% of the work. The other 90% comes after your book is published, and it is a full time job.
3. The average author sells 300 books, and makes, on average, $1.00 a book.  This means you have to be way above average to make a living in this business.  Keep your day job, work twice as hard, and don’t expect to sell a million books in your first year unless you’re Sarah Palin or Kim Kardashian.  J
4. There are great resources available to authors to help you obtain publicity – too many to mention here.  E-mail me if you would like a list of where I’ve found success.
5. Come up with your treasure map of additional items you can offer for sale on your website besides your book.  Example:  Speaking, audio programs, electronically delivered items, subscriptions to your services, games, etc.
6. Hire a web designer that specializes in working with authors AND monetizing websites.  This is critical and will save you thousands of dollars.  Check out my site:  www.shawnedgington.com.  I finally found the right person to get this right, $10,000.00 later.  If you would like a reference, send me an e-mail.

Wow, I’ve learned a lot, and I’m learning more and more every day!  If anyone has any great tips to share, or would like more information, please contact me at:  shawn@shawnedgington.com.

Shawn Edgington, CIC

America’s Leading Texpert and Cyberbullying Expert

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 text messaging can help you target readers who want to continue the conversation with you more often.

Oftentimes we as authors employ the basic components for a strong platform including a website, a presence on the popular social media sites, and speaking and book signing appearances whenever possible to connect with our readers in person. These components are essential to a platform for every author.

However, many authors have not stuck their toes in the water yet when it comes to adding a mobile messaging component to their overall outreach to their readers.

Text messaging has become an industry unto itself. You may be thinking: yes, I know this. But do you really know?

Here are some staggering facts as of 2008 from the statistics and insights from Nielsen Mobile on the CellSigns.com website. Nielsen Mobile is a service of The Nielsen Company, which directly measures billing activity through an opt-in panel of more than 50,000 personally liable, postpaid U.S. mobile lines across the top four carriers:

US Mobile Content Market = 68.7 million text users

• 86% of the US owns a mobile phone
• 265,000,000 mobile phones users
• 240,000,000+ text enabled handsets
• 65,000,000 text & web enabled phones

That’s just in the U.S. market alone. SMS (Text Messaging) is a breakthrough communication medium as evidenced by growth year after year. As of June 2008, over 75 Billion text messages are sent every month compared to just 18 Billion in December 2006. That number grew by 250% each year for these last two years between 2006 and 2008. And that was 2 years ago.

It has quickly changed the way people communicate and access information.

Think texting is just for the younger generations? Think again. The average 38 year old sends/receives 500 texts a month compared to 200 phone calls. That’s unbelievable… and that trend isn’t slowing down. Consider these other facts:

According to a survey conducted by Tekelec (a messaging company powering telecom operator applications), 60% of 45 year olds were found to be just as likely to use SMS as they were to make voice calls from their mobile device.

In addition, more than 80 percent of respondents across all age groups thought they would get a quicker response from a text than from an email or voice message.

Women preferred to let their fingers do the talking, with 40% describing themselves as ‘mainly texter’, compared to 30% of men. This is significant since statistically women buy more books than men.

Now, maybe you have a parent like I do who doesn’t text but who enjoys reading. That’s where books like Shawn Edgington’s Read Between the Lines: A Humorous Guide to Texting with Simplicity and Style comes in – to help the different generations learn how to text and communicate using this growing technology available on their cell phones.

Text messaging extends throughout the world so you can set up a stream of text messages that your reader can opt in to – and by law, they must opt in. You can be creative and make it possible for your audience at a speaking engagement to instantly opt-in to your email list for your newsletter and at the same time opt-in to receive daily tips from you that are related to your book – right to their phones. The possibilities of what they can opt-in to as a text stream from you are endless.

Most importantly, text messaging gives you, the author, the opportunity to reach out to your reader in a continuing conversation that they’ve asked for while keeping you front and center in their minds each day.

Now that’s a great way to use your book as your hook… to keep a continuous dialogue going with your reader!

Jennifer’s show can be heard every week on Tuesday mornings at 9am when it is broadcast on WomensRadio.com and syndicated on Google News and 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.

Click Here to listen this interview any time after 9:00 am EST Tuesday November 9^th, 2010 on the WomensRadio Network

Where do I begin telling you about my writing or should I say my passion? I write not because I want to but because I have to. This is what I’ve done since I was 15 years old and 50 years later it’s just too late to change things.

I wrote my first book, DOUBLE M: THE MALLONS when I was a sophomore in high school as part of my English assignment. Having written it, I put down my pen and said no more. Like sure, that’s how it worked. I wrote two more books in that series and continued writing until I had tons of spiral notebooks filled with words and stories I knew would never be of interest to anyone but me.

In the early years of my marriage I submitted to lots of New York houses and have the rejection notices to prove it. My first so-called success came when a Vanity Press said they wanted my work. Thank goodness my husband knew an attorney who got me out of that mess.

It wasn’t until the spring of 2002 when I realized my friends in the writing world were becoming published. Knowing I’d receive a rejection, I sent in one of my manuscripts, OUTLAW’S SON. By the end of that year I had signed 17 contracts with three different e-publishing houses. The next year I signed a contract with a new company for SUMMER’S CHILD, which became my first published work.

My books cover every genre of romance other than fantasy and regency, family epics, and most recently murder mysteries. Under the name of Shari Dare, I also write erotica. In that genre I’ve touched on over the hill heroines, time travel, contemporary, western and historical.

Over the years I have had 57 books published and have found if I want to market them it must be up to me. At this point, I attend several craft fairs over the summer months, have just started going to our local farmer’s market, and have signed books everywhere from dress shops, coffee shops, bagel shops, donut shops and parties at my home, to sitting in front of the office of an accountant with a card table and a pen in my hand.

I’ve also done several speaking engagements. Just recently, I debated about setting up the entire selection of books, since I was speaking to a group of blind adults. At my husband’s urging, I finally set up a full display and to my surprised sold seven copies of my books. One never knows where one’s success will come from.

In an attempt to promote my work even further, I have advertised in local papers, sports programs for the local high schools, and recently while acting in our little theatre production of SHE WAS ONLY MARGINALLY MODEST, I purchased an ad to be printed in all the programs to be handed out at each of our four performances.

I also give out pocket calendars every year and with every sale, I give my fans one of my pens. As one fan said, “I really don’t need another book, but my pen ran out of ink.”

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 five reasons why sharing your story through your book could make it a whole business.

Our lives change because of the stories we are willing to share with others and those we learn about when others share their stories with us.

Throughout the ages and beginning really from birth, we hear stories told by others and develop our own as we make choices, take action and live our lives. Some are happier than others. Some are scarier than others. Some are just good, honest human stories. Others are unimaginable for many of us.

When you have the courage to tell your story to someone else, you share a part of your humanity with others. It is a glimpse into the Human Spirit – yours – which can inspire, educate and enlighten others. It can also reveal cold hard truths that others need to know as well as making people laugh at perhaps some outlandish things you’ve seen, done and experienced.

We like to read about others. Not just biographies of people who lived a long time ago. We like real life stories. Stories of joy. Stories of pain. Stories of politics and businesses gone bad. Stories of others that have overcome great obstacles and challenges to succeed.

We just love stories!

When you put your story in a book, your story can grow into a whole business – all by itself!

Here are 5 reasons why your book is your hook to a whole business:

1) The Book. If you have a feature article in a magazine, a speaking platform, have a proprietary system you use with clients or vendors, or other opportunities where you present your passion, product, service and message, your book becomes a product that people want to buy to “take a piece of you home with them.”  They want to be able to read more about your story, your approach to living and other thoughts and ideas you may have to share. They want to connect with you and the book gives them a chance to really get to know you. After all, they are going to invest their most valuable asset – their time – in learning more about you through your book.

2) The Hook. The book may become a point of entry to you and the business you create because of it. For example, if you have a speaking platform, your book may become a calling card for you to get a gig booked, so to speak. Many speakers send a kit that includes their book as an introduction to a speaking opportunity. Many have said that the book made the difference in why they were chosen over other speakers. For others, their true stories in their books enhance their existing businesses by engaging and enrolling new customers, clients, vendors and strategic partners. Being transparent about your business could reveal to others why they would want to work with you. Several business owners I’ve talked with say their book is their best business card.

3) Brand and Business Extension. Whatever brand you have or want to create is only enhanced by a book. Whether you share your personal story, like Aurea McGarry did in her book I Won’t Thrive…I’ll Survive, or if you have a business like CEO Jay Myers does with Interactive Solutions Inc. and a book like his entitled, Keep Swinging: An Entrepreneur’s Story of Overcoming Adversity and Achieving Small Business Success, inevitably whatever you write extends your brand as it extends more information about you to your audience, business clients and associates. It becomes another point of contact. It also becomes a means of referrals for happy clients who are able to point to your business and point out thatyou are also an author who has a book. Sometimes, that’s enough to set you apart from your competitors offering the same type of product or service.

There are a variety of ways that you are able to use your book as a brand or extend your existing brand using your book. Either way, you’ll find that your book will be your hook and lead to greater brand recognition and revenues.

4) Becoming the Media. If your objective is to become a media personality, a book could be your ticket to the big time. A compelling story can be a launch pad to the media world including the big and small screens. As an author, you are a respected expert who can be interviewed on local and national radio and television programs to weigh in on a variety of topics and current events. You may also be asked for a quote for newspaper and magazine articles too. Another opportunity arises when you decide to become more of a journalist or personality on the media side where your book can help establish your credentials as part of your platform. Nicholas Sparks has had films made about his books going all the way back to Message In A Bottle. Like Aurea McGarry who has gone on to become a television host and producer who just won her first Emmy Award this year, you too can use your book as your hook to follow your dreams, engage the media and get noticed.

5) Going Digital. This is, after all, the digital age. Whatever viewers imagined years ago as they watched Dick Tracy dial up the police chief on his famous 2-way wrist radio or saw George Jetson talk to Judy through a video phone, that time is now. When you take your book and extend it into the world of iApps, mobile applications, Facebook, Twitter, and electronic everything, you inevitably reach a whole new market that may not have known about your book. Cyberspace is a whole different dimension where you can use your book as your hook.

As a business, a book holds every facet required. From product development to production, marketing and promotion, legal, accounting and other aspects, a book is a whole business unto itself.

When you see it that way, you’ll realize that your book is your hook to so much more and that it really is not just a book.

© 2010 Jennifer S. Wilkov. All Rights Reserved.

Jennifer S. Wilkov: Media personality, host and producer of the #1 radio talk show “Your Book Is Your Hook!” on WomensRadio.  Jennifer is a best-selling award-winning author who has been published five times, an award-winning freelance writer and a respected book business consultant in her business by the same name, “Your Book Is Your Hook!”  She has both self-published and been published by a traditional publisher.  Jennifer has been called the quintessential writer and teacher for the 21st century. She supports first-time and seasoned authors in their book writing, publishing and marketing endeavors through coaching and training in her “Your Book Is Your Hook!” consulting practice.  www.YourBookIsYourHook.com www.JenniferSWilkov.com

Click Here to listen this interview any time after 9:00 am EST Tuesday September 21st, 2010 on the WomensRadio Network

My book, Keep Swinging: An Entrepreneurs Story of Overcoming Adversity and Achieving Small Business Success (www.keepswingingbook.com) has exceeded my wildest dreams for the impact it has had on both my business and professional life. How so?

First off, I recognized early on after my book was published, that as a first time author, I simply wasn’t going to sell a million books and get a guest appearance on Oprah! Does that make writing the book and going through all the effort to get it published a waste of time? Absolutely not! Here’s why.

My book has sold about 5000 copies since 2007 so I’m certainly not giving John Grisham a run for his money but in that same period of time my company, Interactive Solutions (www.isitn.com) has grown over 50% to $16m in sales despite the worldwide economic recession. Did we grow because of the book or was it a mere coincidence? You be the judge.

ISI is in the high tech video conferencing/ audio-visual industry and sells and installs products all across the country to hospitals, schools, universities and larger corporations. Video conferencing in particular is a very competitive industry and as mid-sized company we are constantly looking for “an edge” over our competition many of whom are very large companies (Verizon, ATT etc) That’s where Keep Swinging comes in. Since 2007 my book has been used as our best business card and a competitive differentiator. Here are just a few ways we have used it in the past few years.

Customer/Partner Appreciation Tool- Every ISI client and business partner has received a copy of Keep Swinging as a token of appreciation for their investment /support for the company. We also enclose a letter explaining why the book was written (company history, adversity, values etc) and many of our clients remarked how it reinforced why they do business with ISI, want to do more etc. We also have used Keep Swinging as a premium giveaway at industry trade shows which has resulted in several new sales contracts (Federal Government) and a recent speaking engagement.

Speaking Engagements- Before Keep Swinging was written, I may have done 2-3 speaking engagements in a couple of years and all were in the local area. Since the book was published, I have booked over 40 speaking engagements all across the US telling the ISI story and giving the company priceless exposure This activity has generated several new sales prospects on a nationwide basis. Another way we have leveraged speaking engagements is using them as a recruiting tool which resulted in a recent hire for the sales team from an MBA class at the University of Mississippi.

Public Relations/Media Coverage- ISI has always done well with the local press with coverage of various awards (Small Business of the Year, INC 500 etc) but since Keep Swinging was published the company’s exposure has been truly “off the charts”. Highlights include an appearance on Fox Business News and articles in the Huffington Post and the Wall Street Journal as well as 25-30 other radio and TV interviews all across the country(Chicago, Atlanta, New York City etc) And that’s the key in using your “book as the hook” Most, if not all of those TV , newspaper and radio shows would not have booked me on their shows to talk about ISI and video conferencing (or if they did we couldn’t afford it) But they all had interest in my book and the message that it delivers. And the best part for the company? ISI received several sales inquiries as a result of these PR activities in areas we would have never been able to have access to without the book.

This week on the “Your Book Is Your Hook!” Show, find out more about the National Writers Association, a 73 year-old writer’s service organization. Sandy Whelchel, the Executive Director of the association, will talk about some universal problems that keep writers from getting published and why some never make it. She’ll also provide information about the contests offered to writers throughout the year.

You’ll also enjoy a candid discussion with author Bertha M. Davis who was rejected nearly 100 times for her book, Growing Up In Mississippi. Ms. Davis will talk about what was happening in her head as she continued to get rejection after rejection from agents, publishers and editors. Her positive approach will inspire you to stick with your project and get it published. She did get published and went on to become a bestseller for her publisher, win awards and even got invited as a guest on C-SPAN’s Book TV.

Ms. Davis will also comment on how important it is to share your personal story with others through a memoir and what has happened for her locally in her community as well as nationwide. Her book and story take place during the time of the Civil Rights Movement and she is a living legacy who touches the lives of everyone who reads her book.

Join me as I talk with Sandy Whelchel and Bertha M. Davis this week on the “Your Book Is Your Hook!” Show on WomensRadio.

Click Here to listen to Sandy’s interview any time after 9:00 am EST Tuesday June 22th, 2010 on the WomensRadio Network.

Are you wondering why that piece you wrote just came back from another publisher?  Maybe you’re making the same mistakes over and over. Those mistakes can act as a barrier to success.  See if perhaps you’re making some of these fatal errors:

1.    Is your manuscript double-spaced on one side of clean paper?  Is the paper wrinkle and smudge free?  No editor wants to feel like they are receiving a shopworn submission.

2.    Is your manuscript free of typos, grammatical errors, and misspellings?

3.    Is the submission well edited?

4.    Did you research the publication to make certain it publishes the type of work you are sending? Surprise!  Popular Mechanics doesn’t take recipes.

5.    Is your query letter, if you’ve included one, addressed to the correct person?  Editors move around; you need make sure you are addressing your query to the right editor.

6.    Is your query letter one page or less?

7.    Did you make sure the publication hasn’t recently printed a piece similar to yours?  Check the library and research at least six back issues.

8.    Does your piece have an outstanding hook or lead?  Editors receive hundreds of submissions per week.  You need to hook them and keep them reading.  They are the toughest readers you will encounter.

9.    Is the piece presented in a logical sequence? Or if it is a fiction piece, does it have a beginning, middle, and an end?

10.     Did you include your contact information so the publisher can contact you if they have questions?

All writers make mistakes, but presenting your work to the publisher as error free as possible means it will have a greater chance for publication.

Click Here to listen to Sandy’s interview any time after 9:00 am EST Tuesday June 22th, 2010 on the WomensRadio Network.

Click Here to listen to Bertha’s interview any time after 9:00 am EST Tuesday June 22th, 2010 on the WomensRadio Network.

Growing Up In Mississippi is a vivid and descriptive biography that grips at the very core of every human emotion as memories of growing up in somewhat painfully poor social conditions in Mississippi do not deter the family, but bond them together with the unified strength and triumph most prevalent in top movies like Soul Food, or even to overcome travesties as in The Color Purple.  You will be intrigued by the strong development of characters like the wayward Uncle Wigley, a cursed character among many black families who resorts to inflicting abuse on family members. The relationship between Jay and Tish is a classic example of how women in the past wound up with larger unplanned families because love conquered all back then and even poverty.

The reader feels as if they are in the story and watching without speaking.  It is evidenced that life was slower paced, but more fulfilling even with the absence of television.  This is a modern day tale with a happy ending and heralds the rise of our families of the past through political and social upheavals as prevalent as The Civil Rights Movement.

This book is also about an African-American girl growing up with a single struggling mom of four who had to anchor the storms in her life to survive and take care of four children alone. Searching for food when there was none, working in the Mississippi hot sun from sun-up to sun-down, and haunted by racism are just a few obstacles one had to overcome.  This book is certainly a book of history and you can listen to a sample of Growing Up In Mississippi Audio Book at: www.berthabooks.com on Bertha’s home page.

Additional comments from Bertha M. Davis about writing this book:

YBIYH: What was like to write the book and reveal your personal experiences with others in your life?

B: It was like revealing history to our future youth.  In the beginning, my idea of writing “Growing up in Mississippi” (my personal experiences) was for my children and grandchildren so they could read about the struggles my life encountered as a child.  I didn’t want them to have any excuse for fulfilling any dream life offered them.  I certainly didn’t want them to get hung up on the crippling words, “I can’t.”   Since my life had so many disadvantages, I felt compelled to tell them about my struggles and see my life as an example of how you can succeed in spite of obstacles.  After only a portion of my book was read by family members, friends and book reviewers, I was encouraged to take it a step further so all readers could read my story.

YBIYH: Were you nervous about writing about other people whose actions and behavior would be exposed in your book?

B: No not really!  People’s actions and behavior were already exposed in the towns and over the television during the Civil Rights Movements and before desegregation.  If it wasn’t by personal contact, research was conducted before finalizing my book.

YBIYH: Also, what is it like for you now when you speak to others about your story? How does it feel for you?  What do you see in them … in their faces?  Do they say anything to you?

B: Sharing my life’s story with others is a challenge; history is reborn.  I don’t live in the past. I live in the present but I never want to forget the days of defeat that God has allowed me to conquer.  I feel honored to tell my life story, especially to the school children……I see in them a desire to learn more about the past….Their faces light up in amazement…..The students always say, “Thank you for coming and sharing your story with us.”  The adults react differently; some of them will purchase a book because they want to know what is said, or they simply just like to read a memoir.  There have been those who had sadness in their faces and most of them will say, “You are a strong woman,” or “You’ve been through a lot.”  Some of my readers will send me a note to say how much they enjoyed reading the book.

YBIYH: What has been the most meaningful part of your experience with sharing a story that’s so personal and yet is benefiting so many?

B: One of the most meaningful parts of my experience while sharing my personal story and benefiting so many was when I went to Key Learning Junior High School here in Indianapolis to speak with fifth and sixth graders. It blew my mind.  After my presentation, the students thanked me for coming, but a young frustrated girl came up to me and said, “I have been so ungrateful to my mom for the things she does for me and I sometimes talk back to her.  But after hearing about your life and struggles, it gave me more of a sense of appreciation,” she said.  About a week later, the young girl’s mom brought her by my house to buy her a book.  It was so overwhelming just to get one child’s attention.  She even emailed me several times to say hi and let me know that she really enjoyed reading Growing up in Mississippi.

Another meaningful experience was when Growing up in Mississippi was taught to fifteen students at Southwest Education Center in Phoenix, Arizona in 2006 during Black History Month. (15 books were ordered)  The children who attend this private day school range between the ages of thirteen and eighteen and they absolutely enjoyed the book.  The majority of the students came from a variety of ethnic backgrounds and had difficulty with reading but Growing up in Mississippi was comfortable enough for them to read without causing them any major frustration. “Growing Up In Mississippi has truly given some of my students the will and motivation to try to achieve a more prosperous destiny.”  These words came from the Lead Teacher/High School Facilitator there.

Click Here to listen to Bertha’s interview any time after 9:00 am EST Tuesday June 22th, 2010 on the WomensRadio Network.

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 getting rejected.

As authors, we open our hearts and pens to share stories. Some we dream up and craft into clever and courageous novels. In others, we talk of real life experiences in either a memoir or a how-to book so we can share the knowledge we’ve gained with others.

Sometimes, we choose to share a piece of our nostalgia with children everywhere by taking a song, poem or story that delights our own children and giving this gift to the world by sharing it through a beautifully illustrated book.

On occasion, we’ll include something out of the ordinary with a book like an audio recording, tickets to an event, or opportunities to subscribe to more of an author’s knowledge or upcoming projects.

Not every person who wants to be an author makes it. Many get rejected. Some get rejected over and over and over again.

As a result, some quit and lose their tenacity to stay in the game and keep pitching their project.

Others continue to take criticism and guidance, re-craft their project and then trot it out again to see if they got it right the next time.

And there are those won’t listen to the advice sometimes offered in a rejection and continue to take the same package to another person, hoping they’ll see the merit in their project and want to take it on.

It is a privilege to be a published author. Although there are hundreds of thousands of books published every year, there are hundreds of thousands more that have been denied and authors that have been disappointed and perhaps discouraged.

As an author, getting rejected may be a part of your publishing path. It’s not uncommon. Rejection is often a part of the process for many of us. Heck, even Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen, the co-authors and co-creators of the Chicken Soup for the Soul® books and who were acknowledged by the Guinness Book of World Records for selling millions and millions of books, started by getting over 130 rejections before connecting with the publisher that would pick them and their book up.

The guest author on today’s show, Bertha M. Davis, got rejected nearly 100 times before taking on a publisher that wasn’t necessarily so well-known, but nonetheless would publish her. Who knew that Bertha’s book would go on to become a bestseller for her publisher? So many before Infinity, a print-on-demand publisher, had said no. Who could predict that Bertha and her book would be featured years later on C-SPAN’s Book TV? Not the agents, publishers or editors who told her “this is not for me” and “I can’t take this on.”

Ask yourself: Do you really want to work with someone who wants to reject you and who doesn’t feel good about your project? Not really. It’s not good to have to work with anyone who isn’t as crazy and gung ho about your project as you are. Although the truth is no one will ever be as dedicated to it as you are, you want someone who is passionate about your project and wants to see it published.

Take rejections for what they are:

1)   An indication that perhaps something in your project is not ready to be published. If advice is offered, consider it because it is what is keeping that publisher or agent from taking it on. Weigh it properly and don’t let your ego get bruised by it. Heed the advice you feel is helpful.

2)   A sign that you may not have the right format or you may need assistance with crafting your pitch. If you’re not sure why you got rejected and didn’t receive an explanation, consider having your package reviewed by an experienced consultant or editor.

3)   Encouragement to test your fortitude, commitment and courage to stay the course with your project.

Authors are a wonderful mix of emotional strength, creative force and incredible transparency. They give us permission to see inside their hearts, minds and imaginations. Few are rewarded for revealing themselves.

Look at the rejection you received today as a stepping stone that will lead you to the rewards you seek tomorrow.

You’ll also enjoy a candid discussion with author and executive coach, Gary Cohen, who co-authored the book, Just Ask Leadership: Why Great Managers Always Ask the Right Questions (McGraw-Hill).  Gary talks about accepting the challenge to write the book after being encouraged by Time Magazine’s youngest editor, even though Gary has been diagnosed with three learning differences. Find out how he got to interview four-star generals and Fortune 100 CEOs for his project and how long it really took him to complete it. He’ll also share his experience of going to Book Expo America when he met the publishers and got picked up by McGraw-Hill as well as how he’s using his book as his hook to attract more speaking appearances.

Join me as I talk with Lee Salz and Gary Cohen this week on the “Your Book Is Your Hook!” Show on WomensRadio.