***Publish Your Book And Win A Free Trip To Iraq

Publish that book and you might win a free trip to Iraq. It happened to me. (Not that I accepted the trip, as I'll explain later.) The purpose of this post is to help you decide whether or not to follow that dream you have of publishing a book.

It's a big dream, also a mighty popular one these days -- with an estimated 500,000 titles published last year alone, and most of these self-published. Besides, we live in a culture that says "Always follow your dream, no matter what the cost."

Well, I disagree. Take the dream of publishing a book, for instance. This article might convince you to pursue your dream or it might help you to morph that dream into something more easily attainable. At least I can bring you a professional writer's perspective on what is really involved in creating a book.

My background includes having had books published by big, medium, and small publishers, plus loads of self-publishing. Currently, I have over 200,000 copies of my books in print. This experience allows me to be honest in a way that you won't often get from book business professionals.

With all respect, the book coaches, etc., aren't necessarily motivated to be honest. They earn fees by saying, "Follow your dream," not "Ethics compel me to ask you some tough questions before I take up your project. (Note: My friend Ceci Miller is a shining exception.)

Romance writer Fern Reiss, for instance, has published a how-to book for writers called "The Publishing Game: Bestseller in 30 Days." She sent me one of the first copies for a review, an honor that I declined. She has had an outstanding career as a bestselling author, but here I am not such a fan of her work. Keep in mind, Fern's book did become a selection of a prestigious book club for writers so she has been mega-successful, no help needed from me..

Note: Clearly, this wasn't book club was for writers, not math majors. Even a third grader might ask, did Fern only plan to sell 20 copies a month of this book? If her method really worked to produce instant bestsellers, would it be ethical for her to sell more copies than that? Even forgetting the John Grishams and Sue Graftons of the literary scene, Reiss readers would easily fill up all the fiction and non-fiction spots on bestseller lists, right.

Empty promises are easy to make when you're selling services to wannabe writers. Especially those of us who feel that special, powerful urge to write a book.

EMPTY PROMISES

Very occasionally, I do give consulting sessions for aspiring self-publishers. For this I charge the same rate as my sessions of emotional and spiritual healing, $125 for 55 minutes. Most clients opt for the healing instead, and I'm fine with that, just as I am with not taking that free (aforementioned but not yet explained) trip to Iraq.

But let's wait on discussing far-out flings. Instead, let's look closer to home. Specifically, I'm thinking about the first woman who stopped by my booth at the recent Pathways Natural Living Expo. "Jen" saw all the shiny books at my table, six different paperbacks in all.

Then Jen noticed that the author's name on every cover was the same: Rose Rosetree. Jen's eyes lit up.

"Who published all these books of yours?

I said, "Me."

"Good," she said, not missing a beat. "Will you publish mine."

Explanation followed that I publish my own books only. As Jen began to bombard me with follow-up questions, I explained that I charge a fee for consulting services for writers. I have to.

Published author wannabes have called me night and day, insisting that I publish their books or spend hours coaching them for free just because they are good people, have wonderful dreams, etcJen turned away, disappointed. In more normal aspects of life, people don't necessarily expect the moon. But let's face it. Writing, for many, is a field of dreams.

NOT LIKE "SEX AND THE CITY"

Shockingly, Carrie Bradshaw and I don't have a lot in common. True, I loved that show so much that I have seen every episode at least once. If you've also been a fan of "Sex and the City," did you ever notice all the fantasy elements to Carrie's writing career?

If the clothing and shoes from that show had been as current as the fantasy about writers, guess what? Beautiful Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis, Kim Cattrall, and Cynthia Nixon would all have been wearing second-hand clothes from the 1930's.

Try this quiz about what it means to be a wildly successful writer -- according to that TV show, anyway. TRUE or FALSE.

As a professional writer, you will:

*Do a lot of your writing in bed.
*Begin every article with a cute question.
*Have your sexy photo on bus advertising, because every newspaper columnist is enormously famous.
*Spend most of your time as a writer not writing. Instead, you'll be kept busy gaining valuable life experience, such as shopping for shoes and men.
*Earn so much money that you buy Manolo Blahniks with the carefree attitude most of us reserve for buying a coffee at Starbucks.
*Support yourself in a Manhattan apartment on the huge proceeds of writing one weekly newspaper column.
*Because you're so gosh darned successful with your newspaper column, you get to publish books, too.
*Immediately you become a bestselling writer, and your first book will become published in France.
*Yes, your book will become so hugely popular that the display fills an entire bookstore window.

REAL-LIFE VERSION OF THE FANTASY

These false but fascinating ideas sure don't stack up against the reality of my life as a writer. Here's the Rose Rosetree version of all those fantasy elements:

I spend nearly as much time at my computer as in bed. That includes writing books and articles, typesetting for publication, doing PR to support book sales… plus doing phone sessions with clients. (Actually, healing sessions related to my books earn a much larger share of my annual income than the writing does, and I do most of this from my desk, too.

Do I begin every article with a cute question? Do I dare? Do I talk that way or write that way? Am I capable of other punctuations to my thoughts? Do I actually have thoughts? Are these deep questions or what?

The day that my picture is chosen to adorn a bus, I'll know that I have truly arrived… in a comedy skit.

I spend most of my time as a writer by… writing. Ask my friends and family. They'll tell you that I don't answer the phone until I have finished that morning's first-draft writing. Edits and minor writing are done later in the day. But don't cry for me, spending all that time at a keyboard. Writing is my favorite thing in the world to do, period, and has been since I was nine years old.

About buying those Manolos, maybe I might choose to afford one pair … every decade. Hey, perhaps I could work something out buying just one of these shoes every five years.

Except I'm more interested in ... supporting my family of three. Yes, I'm an actual breadwinner-type writer/teacher. Now. But keep in mind that my husband works hard to schedule my session appointments and serve as webmaster. Also, my business has built over the past 38 years. For many of those years, I would have earned more money by working at Burger King.

The proceeds of writing, for me, are nearly as great from selling foreign rights to my books as from all my annual book sales. Still, take into the equation what I have gone through to land those 26 foreign contracts so far: Having to hire and fire 32 different agents; finally I have a truly wonderful one, Deanna Leah of HGB; traveling to Frankfurt and surviving an agent who embezzled over $30,000 before I was onto his scam. Alas, the book publishing business includes plenty of people with questionable ethics

Because I'm so gosh darned successful with my books... I get to thank God every day for my good luck. And then I go on to work pretty darned hard – at least 60 hours per week.

It happened in Iraq, my selling foreign rights. But I still haven't been offered one single book contract in France (a notoriously difficult market for American writers).

Yes, it was a triumph of sorts having an Iraqi publisher buy rights to bring out The Power of Face Reading. Initially, he was going to publish the book without bothering to do a contract. I learned about this because the translator was honest and contacted me. Much negotiation followed between the publisher and my literary agent #33, finally resulting in a contract.

Perhaps because he felt bad at having been caught mid-scam, this publisher did invite my agent and me to stay with him in Iraq. I declined, however. I have actually heard before of that exotic foreign land called "Iraq." It just doesn't rank really high on my list of war zones to visit for fun.

Still, talk about the thrill of seeing your book in a bookstore window! On a tour in Seattle, I did once see one copy of one of my books in a bookstore window. Wow! Even better, in Frankfurt, Germany, I once saw three copies of my aura reading book inside a bookstore, there on a shelf among all the other 10,000 books being sold in this very large bookstore.

Still, the sight of my book for sale in a real-life bookstore (even if I didn't quite have the language skills to read it, because the title was "die Aura erkennen—mit allen Sinnen) – this made me feel way more excited than Carrie Bradshaw ever seemed to get.

In a completely non-adult (and horribly non-Germanic way), I jumped up and down, screeching "That's my book! Oh, where's my camera? I'm so excited!" So, yes, I do know firsthand the joys of publishing as well as the sorrows. If writing and publishing is right for you, too, I am thrilled.

READINESS TO WRITE A BOOK

In one sense, of course, everyone is qualified to write a book. If it's your dream, you can do it for your own benefit, just as Victorian ladies used to keep diaries. Nobody on earth can stop you.

Self-publishing is easy today, especially via the Internet, e-books, and using print on demand. If it's your biggest dream to hold your very own book in your very own hand, don't let me discourage you with my very own article. Google online and you can find out how to do a POD book for just $500.

Many of you readers are familiar with The Secret and The Law of Attraction. In my opinion, neither of these is enough to make a writer successful. For success, you'll also need to basic competence, not just as a writer but also as someone in the publishing business.

Personally, I haven't met too many people who were satisfied with the outcome of their ventures into book writing and self-publishing. But I have met many people who spent loads of money and got little to show for it, unless you count one dead dream and tons of paperbacks parked in the garage.

Not you? I sure hope not! Let's do a reality check. Based on what you do know right now, let's assess your readiness to write and publish a book. Answer TRUE or FALSE.( To avoid keeping you in suspense, answers will follow each question:

1. I read books. Other people's books
TRUE. Of course a professional writer does this

However, a surprisingly large number of would-be authors don't. Reading books by other writers can teach you a lot, no matter how experienced you are as a writer. So if you ever do want to publish a book, develop the reading habit. Read books every day of your life

2. I buy books.
TRUE
Remember Jen, the aspiring writer at the beginning of this article? There she was, a mind-body-spirit person at the Expo, seeing all my books right in front of her nose. It didn't occur to her to buy -- or browse through -- or even pick up a single copy to look at. Why?

Quite likely, she isn't a reader. Many of the "follow my dream" authors I meet seldom read books. They never, ever, pay good money to buy books.

Well, if you don't buy other people's books, new, at full price, why assume that other people would ever buy yours? Call it karma or just simple logic.

Be bold! If you're serious about publishing. Buy at least 10 books a year. Check loads of books out of your library. Need a gift for yourself? For others? Ooh, try books

So what will you say when other people ask, "What do you want for your birthday?" All together, now, "Please, I'd like a shiny, new book

3. Books today are simply a necessary calling card to show that your business has clout.
FALSE.

A calling card, or business card, is just that. (May I recommend VistaPrint? They do great work at a fair price.

Where does this popular, weird, false idea come from? How easy is it to confuse skinny little business cards with thick books that are supposed to contain many words? It's like being told by advertisers, "Cosmetic surgery is the new makeup."

Ironically, a self-published book is usually the worst possible calling card. How do I know? For a few years, I served as a small press book reviewer for Pathways Magazine. Both then and later, I've seen many a book that was clearly published as a calling card. Here is what people don't understand about this.

Today's book consumers are pretty sophisticated. We're used to seeing a high standard of production, including the writing itself. Unless you do a professional-caliber job, you will come out with a fourth-rate book. It's the same as if you hired out the Kennedy Center to give a violin concert, yet had barely practiced a scale.

A fourth-rate book as a calling card? Talk about falling flat

4. I have something original to say
TRUE. EXCELLENT

Having something worthwhile to say, now that is a valid reason for writing a book. Yet you'd be surprised how many people pursue the dream of publishing a book without ever considering this basic requirement.

"Fran" spent six months telling her friends (like me) about the book she was going to write. She hired a book coach. Oh, she was sooooo excited.

For six months, anyway. Then Fran sheepishly admitted that the whole premise of her book had already been written in book form. Yes, finally Fran had managed to read some books in her field.

At least she only squandered six months of dreaming, writing, and paying for the services of her book coach. Many wannabe writers go all the way, "staying the course."

Having something original to say doesn't necessarily come quickly. Nor does writing in that book-length format.

5. Write about what you love. The readers will follow.
FALSE. SORRY

Just last night I spoke with "June," a client whose dream is to write a book for teachers about how they should use astrology. Now, I adore astrology and I definitely respect the wisdom of teachers. But unless June's rising sign is in the house of $$$$, she might want to rethink this project.

As a reviewer, I remember one book I was sent. The title, approximately, was "Sexy Mama: Why Men Lust After Single Mothers Who Struggle to Raise their Children."

On the cover was the photo of a sad, exhausted-looking woman who was, I presume, the author.

Moral: The intensity of a writer's need does not necessarily translate into interest from readers.

Yes, I know about The Long Tail. Still, I recommend testing your topic. Find out if this is a topic with any tail at all. Do living, breathing people exist who might purchase your book? Once you have found a marketable topic, add your own spark of originality and tested ideas and you just might be onto something.

Does that mean that developing a well-researched book concept is easy, or that (except for Fern Reiss's readers) you are going to write something original, compelling, and guaranteed bestselling in just a few weeks? (Another of her how-to's is called "The Publishing Game: Publish a Book in 30 Days.")

Personally, I have spent as long as 9 ½ years working on a single book: "Wrinkles Are God's Makeup," an advanced book for face readers. "Aura Reading Through All Your Senses" was quicker. It took just three complete rewrites, which I managed in a super-fast 6 ½ years.

Besides publishing books like these, I have taught workshops, done personal sessions, and trademarked the system involved. So far, that means four chunks of intellectual property:

*Aura Reading Through All Your Senses(R)
*Face Reading Secrets(R)
*12 Steps to Cut Cords of Attachment(R)
*Empath Empowerment(TM)

Of course, every how-to book doesn't have to result from developing an innovative system worth a trademark. Even a small advance on existing knowledge can make a book worthwhile. But do take time to research other books in your field; make sure you know your stuff and that you also develop skill as a writer.

6. What's the big deal about developing skill? If you're going to learn how to write, go for it! Begin by writing a full-length book.
FALSE

People who do not know much about professional writing may not realize this, but book-length writing is not the ideal way to start. Say you're interested in developing carpentry skills. Is it smarter to start with a chair or try building the Sistine Chapel.

Blogging can help you to develop skill as a writer. Texting, alas, will not. At least texting can give your fingers something to do when you aren't busy using them for writing. Otherwise, there are plenty of other ways to develop skill in advance of tackling a full-length book.

My background is probably typical for a professional writer. As a teenager, I wrote articles for my high school literary magazines, submitted articles to magazines. Then I majored in literature in college. Like so many other writers who aren't household names, I have literally (literature-ally?) spent years of my life writing non-fiction articles, stories, pitches to editors and agents, outlines, and book proposals.

Before publishing my first book, I had already spent years writing full-length books for practice: Three for adults plus many for children. And let's not omit my venture into that extremely in-demand literary form, a 30-page epic poem in blank verse; it was modeled on the work of that hot poet William Wordsworth.

Free-lancing feature stories for newspapers helped me to grow technically, as did working in the book division of Rodale Press (publishers of Prevention Magazine). Twice I've written regular columns for extended periods of time, and I also have written many magazine cover stories.

Although there is plenty I still have to learn about writing, I do know enough to be puzzled when a complete newbie tells me, "Writing books can't be hard. I don't bother to read too often, but I just know that I have the knack.

That reminds me of when I took Bio Sci in college. I didn't study. Why? Other kids were saying, "This course is so easy. All you need is what you learned in high school biology. Oops, I forgot that I had managed to get through high school without taking a single course in biology. So, of course, I flunked.

7. You don't need to know much about the writing business, not as long as you have a dream.
FALSE

That's like saying you don't need to know much about healing, not as long as you have talent. I remember vividly listening to an exchange between "Dan," a would-be healer and Machaelle Small-Wright, founder of Perelandra and author of some books that have won a world-wide following. Here's how I remember that conversation:

"I'm so inspired to help people. I'm a born healer." said Dan.

"That's great," said Machaelle. "Have you actually studied healing with anyone.

"No, I'm too inspired to need that."

"Dan, when you're working with a real person, and that person is in pain, you'd better have technical skill to fall back on. Don't you dare to go into practice as a healer until you are qualified. Inspiration is fine but pure inspiration isn't enough.

If you learn anything at all about how publishing works in America today – outside the fictional world of Carrie Bradshaw – you would never approach a stranger at an Expo and ask her to publish your book. Instead, you must learn about the writing business, how to research if a publisher would be right for you, and how to approach a publishing house as a professional.

There's a lot to the writing business. So educate yourself queries, proposals, agents, the merits of different publishing venues. Learn the truth -- that your chances of selling a successful book through a mainstream publisher are smaller than winning the lottery. After you learn those basics, then write your book.

Based on my experience, inspiration does matter most. It has kept me going through good times and bad. Joy is the bottom line for this writer, not money. If you feel inspired, too, that is great. Keep that light shining. Our world needs the unique light, love, and power that only you can bring