My Treasured Bookshelf

 

       

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

In my office above my desk, I have two shelves of autographed books. The majority of my days are spent working at my desktop with my fingers on the keyboard. My treasured bookshelf is a simple glance upward. With only one or two exceptions,  I’ve personally met each of these authors. At my request, they have signed these books. During my decades in publishing, I’ve had the opportunity to interview and meet some remarkable authors. Many of these authors I interviewed them for a magazine article. Through the years I’ve interviewed over 150 bestselling authors about their books and how they practice their writing craft. During many of these interviews, I asked the author to sign their book and brought them home to my bookcase. Each one of these signed books stir my memories of those circumstances and provide inspiration to my continued work.

For this article, I’ve selected three of these authors to tell about their books. Then I will give you some ideas of how you can create your own treasured bookshelf.

The first is a colorful hardcover My First Bible by Ken Taylor. I interviewed Dr. Taylor who at that time was the chairman of Tyndale House Publishers. He had a much celebrated career including being the translator of the Living Bible. My First Bible was a new release and we were surrounded with new books on the floor of the Christian Bookseller Convention. I asked him, “Dr. Taylor, don’t you feel the competition for your book with all these other books targeted to the exact same audience?”

With a knowing smile, he said, “No, Terry, I’m not concerned about the competition. If it’s a book based on the Bible and parents are reading it to their child, that’s all that matters.”  Dr. Taylor gave me a wise perspective about bookselling.

Another treasured book on my shelf is The Professor and the Madman. It’s an unusual story about the making of the Oxford English Dictionary which is the largest dictionary in the English language. I met the author Simon Winchester during a meeting of the American Society of Journalists and Authors in New York City. I’m always fascinated about how Winchester found this story in a footnote of a book he was reading. The Professor and The Madman became a New York Times bestseller. I encourage you to follow this link to see the details I wrote about this book a couple of years ago. Winchester’s story gives me hope that any of us could hear such a story and write a bestseller. 

I want to highlight The Success Principles from Jack Canfield as my third book from my treasured bookshelf. During several different conferences, I’ve had the opportunity to hear Jack speak. In 2007, Mark Victor Hansen invited me to come to Mega Book Marketing University. I was a literary agent and took pitches throughout the event. At that point in my life, I had written about 50 books for traditional publishers but they were not selling. In fact, I was getting negative royalty statements which means the books received an advance but were not earning beyond that advance. It was during that workhop I understood how little I was doing to tell people about my books. I heard the first success principle which I continue to follow to this day: I will take 100% responsibility for my own success. It changed my actions and turned around my bookselling results. In fact, several years ago I blogged about that effort in this article.  

These stories are only a few examples of the treasured books on my shelf. Here's a current photo:

Each book on these shelves holds importance and memories for me. Do you have a collection of signed books? Because these signed books are special to me, I understand when I sign a book for someone else, I’m creating a keepsake for that person. Each time, I make a point to write the date, the person’s name and a few words just for them along with my signature. It makes that book personal for that person.

From time to time, when I meet a new doctor or someone, I will bring a copy of my Billy Graham, A Biography of America's Greatest Evangelist. I will offer it to the person and if they want it, I will quickly sign it to them. A couple of weeks ago, I gave one to a new doctor and he told me, “This is my first signed book.” It was fun for me to hear that information about the special nature of a signed book.

Do you have a special place on your bookshelves for signed books? How do you sign books as an author? I look forward to your comments.

Tweetable:

When an author signs a book, it can become a treasured possession. This prolific author and editor tells about his treasured bookshelf. Get the details here.  (ClickToTweet)

Many authors have an unrealistic idea about the details of publishing. 10 PUBLISHING MYTHS is a practical easy reading book to help you. Get my decades of insights in 10 PUBLISHING MYTHS for only $10, free shipping and over 

Subscribe to Terry’s Newsletter:

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Since 2004, I have blogged about The Writing Life over 1,800 entries and one of the top 27 content writers. With this simple form, each week you can get my new articles, encouragement and insights at: https://t.co/W6uU64u6aA

It Only Takes One

   

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

As an author, on the surface some of my actions look like failures. Then I have to recall that it only takes one new connection to make a difference. Like the image I have for this article with the highlighted puzzle piece. Without this final piece, the puzzle does not work or look whole.

A couple of months ago, I spoke at a Publicity Club meeting. Before the meeting, I promoted it on social media to my various connections. Also I added it to these articles in The Writing Life which each week reaches several hundred people on their email. When the event happened, a small audience of  six people attended. 

As a speaker, I’ve had this experience in the past. For example, at a large conference where each workshop is recorded, I’ve spoken in a packed room where they are dragging in chairs from another room. At this same event and on other years, I’ve spoken with one or two people for my audience. No matter how many people, each time I speak with enthusiasm and insight. You never know what can happen with those people in front of you.

Let’s go back to the publicity club event with a small crowd. During the event, I gave them my Morgan James Publishing contact information and encouraged their submission. It’s something I do often in these meetings. When I receive an email submission, I like to process it as soon as possible but that doesn’t always happen. Sometimes that submission gets stuck in the draft folder of my work email.

On a regular basis, people read about my special offer on 10 Publishing Myths where they can get my printed book for only $10 including the shipping along with over $200 of free bonuses. Like some of you, occasionally I have some technical issue that prevents me from mailing the book right away. During one of my tech challenge periods, an attendee from the Publicity Club ordered my book. After it didn’t come for several weeks, she followed up and asked about her printed book and mentioned she had a young adult novel. 

I looked through my records, found the missing entry, packed a book for her and put it into the mail. Also I followed up about the young adult novel and asked her to send it to me. That same day she responded that a month or two earlier she had already sent me her submission. When I searched for it, her submission was stuck in my draft folder. I moved the submission forward through the process.

Speaking with this author, I learned this submission was the second book in a trilogy of novels. The author had self-published the first and third novel in the series. She sold a substantial number herself but taken these novels out of print. Other in the publishing community had told her that no publisher would be interested in re-releasing these self-published books. That information about publishing wasn’t true. 

Also I learned this author had extensive writing and publishing experience. Publishers including editors like me are actively looking for these types of authors. I encouraged this author to send me the details I needed to champion her book to my publishing colleagues. I wanted to try and get a book contract for the first novel in the trilogy.

Last week I learned my colleagues agreed and wanted to offer this author a contract for her young adult novel. Nothing has been finalized with this situation and the contract hasn’t been signed. I understand authors have many publishing options. I believe Morgan James Publishing offers the best path. Not everyone agrees with me and that is OK too.

I’ve written a number of details in this story for several reasons. For every author (even the unpublished or traditional published), there are insights:

1. It only takes one person in the room to respond to your teaching for it to be worthwhile. When you teach, you don’t know who will be that person.

2. No one can know the needs or intention of another person unless you talk and listen to them then follow through with action.

3. Every author has to explore many different options to find the right path for their book and readers. You have to learn the information, then actively use that information. It’s worthless to have results if you don’t do something proactive.

4. On a consistent basis, keep making new connections and offering to help others. You never know where those connections will lead or when one of them will become significant. Use LinkedIN or online groups or in person meetings to expand your connections to the world.

5. When you submit and do not hear any response, use the gentle follow-up with that professional. Did they receive your submission? Do you need to resend it? Unless you ask, you have no idea what that other person is going through. A simple question could lead you to a remarkable opportunity.

6. Persistence and consistency pays off. Whatever you are writing, take the long view. At first, it may look like nothing is happening but keep at it and if you don’t give up, you will find the right open door.

Where are you getting silence or rejection? How are you expanding and using your connections to reach more people? Let me know in the comments below. Remember: it only takes one.

Tweetable:

It takes action for authors to reach new readers. Sometimes a small crowd appears like a failure. According to this prolific author and editor, it only takes one. Get the details here.  (ClickToTweet)

My Writing In Other Places:

With these articles, I encourage you to publish your work beyond your blog in other places. Below are three articles which were published in other online locations than this blog.

Each month I guest blog on Writers on the Move. This month I wrote about how new habits and experimentation can increase the productivity of your writing life. You can read this article at: https://bit.ly/4rvr8GN  

Also each month I guest blog on the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writer’s Conference blog. I wrote about the importance of boundaries in your writing life at: https://bit.ly/4t1eD7i 

Finally once a month I guest blog about book proposal creation on Almost An Author. This month I answered the question, How Many Pages in a Book Proposal? at:  https://bit.ly/41whrgH 

During my decades in publishing, I’ve co-authored over a dozen books and reviewed thousands of submissions (no exaggeration). As a part of the process of working with these authors, I speak with them about their dreams and plans. Many of these authors have  unrealistic expectations about what will happen with their published book. Many aspects of the publishing process are outside of anything an author can control. I wrote 10 PUBLISHING MYTHS to give authors practical help. You can get decades of insights in 10 PUBLISHING MYTHS for only $10, free shipping and over $200 of bonuses. 

Do you need a better submission? I’m teaching a free Live Webinar on Tuesday, April 21st at 6 pm Eastern. I’m an acquisitions editor at my third publisher and have reviewed thousands of submissions. Register and details at: https://bit.ly/4lIx91y

Subscribe to Terry’s Newsletter:

During the last year, once a week I’ve been sending a short free newsletter. Just follow this link to subscribe. When you are added to the newsletter, you will receive a FREE 87-page Ebook which is packed with insights for every writer.

Get these articles on your email: 

Since 2004, I have blogged about The Writing Life over 1,800 entries and one of the top 27 content writers. With this simple form, each week you can get my new articles, encouragement and insights at: https://t.co/W6uU64u6aA