Author Archive
Posted on August 24, 2009 - By Sharon Lindenburger
Wise book - Start Where You Are by Chris Gardner
You may recognize the name Chris Gardner if you saw the movie, “The Pursuit of Happiness”. Will Smith starred as Chris Gardner, a man who literally lived homeless on the street for over a year, along with his young son, while he tried to make his life better and to fulfill the promise that he would never abandon his son. Gardner later went on to become a highly successful stock broker.
The REAL Chris Gardner is even more inspiring than the movie. A while ago, I heard him speak in person and was riveted by his story. Now Gardner has published his second book, called “Start Where You Are”. It is chock full of wisdom. Gardner doesn’t pull any punches. His book encourages, cajoles, inspires and motivates and sometimes gives you a swift kick in the ass.
There are so many books these days that tell people that success is easy, that they don’t have to work for it, or that life is always positive if you just think it is so. Gardner dismisses that type of “magical” thinking in favor of good old-fashioned reality. He urges the reader to “start where you are”. There is no situation that cannot be turned around, says Gardner. You need to find where your passion is, and go in pursuit of making it a reality.
I love Gardner’s idea of “pursuit”–the actual path of taking action toward what you truly want in your life. Gardner’s wise counsel can lead you to finding your “hot button”–what you would do in your life even if you couldn’t get paid for it. He talks a lot about self-responsibility and making promises to oneself. He speaks about courage, determination, hope, compassion, and enlightened decision-making. Gardner is a wise man, and his book is a wise book. I highly recommend it, no matter what stage of life you are in or what you’re going through. Gardner teaches you how to become the hero of your own life, and how to inspire others to do the same.
Posted on June 17, 2009 - By Sharon Lindenburger
Wise book - This is Water, by David Foster Wallace
The book, This is Water by David Foster Wallace is such a small book, you can literally read it in 10 minutes. Yet it contains priceless wisdom and is a literary gem. Wallace was well-known as a novelist, university professor, and philosopher.
Throughout his life, he was plagued by clinical depression, and in 2008 committed suicide. It appears that doctors were unable to come up with the right types of medications to keep Wallace out of depression, and he suffered for many years. Yet his literary output was prodigious, frequently witty, and always penetrating in its insights.
This is Water is the text of a graduation address he gave to college students, the only commencement address he ever did. It was published after his death.
I particularly appreciate Wallace’s insight into the fact that all of us have what he called a “default position”–the universal human impulse to place ourselves at the center of the universe. He calls for us to step out of our default positions of self-absorption and into the shoes of others, to see the world through others’ eyes, and to consider what dreams might be possible when seen from a wider perspective.
The wisdom in this tiny book has a tragic edge to it when one considers that the author had such great thoughts within him, and yet fell victim to his own inner darkness through no fault of his own. This book shows that often the deepest insights come from suffering. Though Wallace could not save himself, this small book shines as a beacon of light to all who seek to go beyond the “default position” to a larger more enlightened life.
A beautiful book–one that I will always treasure.
Posted on June 2, 2009 - By Sharon Lindenburger
“Poynters” from Dan Poynter
I recently attended a day-long workshop with publishing guru Dan Poynter. Dan has been in this business for a long time. He knows the book industry well and is a stalwart source of guidance, particularly to authors who choose to self-publish. He now has two versions of The Self-Publishing Manual–Volume 1 and Volume 2. Both volumes are invaluable sources of information for authors.
As well, Dan’s site, www.parapublishing.com is a resource every author should have in his/her internet address book.
During the workshop, there were several “Poynters” that I felt were really important. The first is Dan’s insistence that a non-fiction author have a well-honed understanding of exactly who his/her audience is. This kind of targeted understanding enables the author to segment the audience and also, in terms of money, find the right sources of special sales, i.e., groups, businesses, and organizations that might be natural markets for buying multiple copies of your book—-and what author doesn’t love to make a bulk sale!?
Another “Poynter” I particularly like is Dan’s concept of simultaneous publishing. This is an ideal strategy for an author who wants to begin with self-publishing but then to create the possibility of getting the interest of a trade publisher. Poynter recommends an initial print-run of 500 books–well-written, well-edited, and well-designed. You would send the first few copies out to agents or publishers.
“When you send a manuscript to an agent, he/she will treat you like a writer among other writers. When you send him/her a well-written book that you’ve run the first 500 copies, he/she will treat you like an author. It’s a different level of perception and can work in your favor,” Poynter said.
You would then use the rest of your 500 print run to send the book out for reviews, to seek distribution, special sales, and other markets that could help establish you as a credible expert in your field, thus creating the demand for your book which you would then market in a variety of ways–literally selling greater numbers of the book before your second print run is even off the press. This is an infinitely better strategy than having thousands of books sitting in your garage.
I am in the process of creating a Resources page on my site. I will include the link to Dan’s site from there. His advice is well worth heeding, especially if you choose to self-publish and you want your book to do well.
I felt particularly gratified when Dan emphasized the importance of getting professional editing help with books, as ALL books need to match and even exceed the standard of the name-brand publishers. That’s what I do as a book coach (Dan calls individuals like me “book shepherds”)! I help you create a professional, well-written, well-presented book–a book that will grow your expertise and bring more money and opportunities into your life.
Posted on May 23, 2009 - By Sharon Lindenburger
Benefit from “Socrates”
Very often, getting to the heart of the wisdom in your book can’t be done totally alone. One of the main reasons people have trouble getting their best material onto the page is that they don’t have Socrates looking over their shoulder. The great Greek philosopher awakened wisdom in others by asking them thought-provoking questions. If I could choose any character from history to be my own book mentor, it would be Socrates.
Why? Because it’s very hard for us to ask ourselves the questions that will uncover our wisdom. Yet if you’re a coach or speaker, when people come to your keynotes or coaching sessions, they looking for something from you. They want to know something that only you can tell them. It’s the same with your book. To share your knowledge, you have to know your reader’s often unspoken questions.
Think of a book coach/mentor like me as your own personal Socrates, asking you the questions, exploring the answers that reveal the core of your expertise, and helping the pages of your book come alive.
Posted on May 22, 2009 - By Sharon Lindenburger
It doesn’t take longer!
Many speakers and coaches tell me they really want to write a book. And not infrequently, they feel the market pressure to “get something out there”. This urgency, this need to get into the book market as quickly as possible, often compromises the content of the book as the author cuts corners or just skims the surface of what his or her expertise really can offer.
“I’d like to go deeper and write something that’s much truer to me and what I most care about in my field,” said a coach to me recently. “But if I do that, isn’t it going to take me a lot longer than those people who are just cranking out their books?”
Actually no. It will not take you longer. It’s all a matter of focus and intent. Writing 30,000 words is writing 30,000 words. Whether those words are shallow or wise, it’s still going to occupy the same amount of time to actually write them (or have them written).
If you set your intent that you want your book to be memorable to people, that you want it to reflect the best you have to offer, and you want your book to change your readers’ lives, then your subconscious mind is going to bring the deeper more authentic expertise in you to the surface.
And, if you work with a good book mentor, the process is even easier–and faster.
Whenever you are tempted to cut corners, either in your own writing or in the type of writing services you seek, remember that your book needs to be worthy of your readers, and it needs to be worthy of you. If you team up with a book mentor/coach who really cares about good books and who is committed to bringing the best out of you–the result will be a wise book that not only sells, it lasts.