The Dream

Sep 17, 2012 by admin

I came across this verse on Facebook the other day and asked the author, Mark Baker, if I could share it here on the blog.  It just rang so true with me, and is yet another reminder that life is for living, stop putting things off till tomorrow, you may find you run out of them and never get to embrace your dream, whether that’s setting up your own business, telling someone you love them, visiting somewhere you’ve always wanted to go, or just realising your dream of writing your own book.  Stop procrastinating and start believing and doing.  Thank you Mark for allowing me to share this lovely piece of writing.

 

The Dream by Mark Baker

A man lay on his bed at the end of his life waiting to die.

His dream came to pay its last respects and to bid farewell to the man who had never used it.

As it entered the room the man looked down in shame.

“Why did you not realise me?” the dream asked.

“Because I was afraid,” said the man.

“Afraid of what? Said the dream.

“I was afraid I would fail”.

“But haven’t you failed by not attempting to use me?

“Yes, I did, but I always thought there would be tomorrow”.

“You fool, said the dream, did it never occur to you that there was only ever today? The moment you are in right now? Do you think that now that death is here that you can put it off until tomorrow?

“No.” said the man, a tear gently rolling down his cheek.

The dream was softer now, because it knew that there were two types of pain, the pain of discipline, and the pain of regret, and while discipline weighs ounces, regret weighs pounds.

Then the dream learnt forward to gently wipe away the tear and said,” You need only have taken the first step and I would have taken one to meet you, for the only thing that ever separated us, was the belief in your mind that you couldn’t have me.”

Then they said goodbye, and they both died unfulfilled.

(c) Mark Baker

read more

Author Interview: Richard Parr

Jul 25, 2012 by admin

What prompted you to write your book in the first place?

It was never my intention to write a book! The story itself was always in me as it was a real bedtime story I had made up for my 5 year old daughter one bedtime and the story evolved over many nights. Therefore the story has very specific details in it that are special to my daughter and I. After recounting it to various people I was encouraged to put it down “on paper” by my Mother. She noticed the story had lots of early years values and thought it would make an excellent book for pre-school children. As she has worked extensively with this age group and ran Montessori nurseries I felt that this could become something quite special. I would say she was the strongest influence.  Also, the thought of wanting to capture a moment in time of my daughters childhood and to share with her for future years was a big pull.

Give us a brief synopsis of your book? 

On Katie’s 5th birthday she receives a very special gift from her Nana – The gift, a blanket, takes her on a world of adventure with her trusty sidekick Penny, a well worn but well loved toy dog. Katie is taken to magical lands to solve problems and learns lessons along the way.

Why did you decide to go down the self publishing route? 

It became clear after contacting several publishers that very seldom do they take a risk with new Authors. The other alternative would seem to be companies who advertise to “self-publish”, however we know someone personally who has had a very bad experience of using a large, well known, internet based “self publishing” house and were therefore not prepared to risk this project due to the amount of investment both in time and money. Keeping control of the book was key.

What has been the best part of your publishing journey? 

There have been many. Ranging from holding the very first printed copy to the first sale to someone we didn’t know. Friends and family have been very supportive but it’s such a special feeling when you know someone has bought your book without our influence. You can’t beat hearing great feedback on the book especially when the journey seems so long.

What has been the worst part of your publishing journey? 

Having to finance it ourselves – we’ve had to sacrifice a large amount of income from a one income family to pay for this book.

Would you consider writing another book? 

Yes, I am underway with the second one. The story is written and is currently being illustrated, it just needs to go through the editing process and we are hoping to release it in time for Christmas 2012.

What would you have done differently in hindsight?

I would love to have found a local printer for the first book rather than go overseas to reduce costs and by staying local we could have obtained a shorter print run. By going overseas we had to run at a minimum of 1000 copies, which seemed (and sometimes still feels) daunting. However, we have subsequently found a printer based in South Yorkshire for our second book.

What advice would you give a budding author?

Stay true to what it is you want to write and be sure the book on the shelf will be what YOU wrote. Be prepared to invest more of yourself and your money than you might envisage! The price of keeping control of your books destiny does come at a cost, however in the case of my book, the cost of giving it away and losing that control would have been much greater.

Do you feel different in any way now you are an author? 

Being a Graphic Designer, there are occasions when I look on a supermarket shelf feel proud to say “I did that” but seeing this book on a shelf and seeing children’s eyes light up in wonder when they hear the story makes me far more proud than anything I have done to date. I guess this is how authors feel when someone tells them they really like their work.

Where can readers purchase your book? 

From our website www.magicblankettales.co.uk, Amazon, Hebden Bridge Book Shop, Salts Mill Book shop and at various markets and fairs we attend in Yorkshire.

read more

Author Interview: Susan Popoola

Jul 18, 2012 by admin

What prompted you to write your book in the first place?

I decided to write my first book, “Touching The Heart of Milton Keynes” because I found something that I was passionate about that I wanted to create an awareness of.

Give us a brief synopsis of your book? 

Touching the Heart of Milton Keynes: A Social Perspective explores Milton Keynes as a place with the diversity of it’s demographics.

Milton Keynes comes to life in this concise, yet comprehensive and multi-dimensional exploration of a city often misunderstood.

Carefully and lovingly researched, this is a tale of roundabouts and concrete cows, of earlier settlers often marginalised and forgotten, or a promising football team, of lakes and water sports, a thriving business and social community with unique issues, but a very promising future.

The reader is drawn into ‘a place of growing beauty and charm that truly has something for everyone’. Details are woven together with the robust opinion of a proud stakeholder. A strong sense of the author’s experience and passion for the city is conveyed right through the pages

Why did you decide to go down the self publishing route?

I worked with a Book Coach on my first book and she recommended self publishing largely because it would enable me to maintain greater control over my material and enable me to produce my book in a limited time frame. 

What has been the best part of your publishing journey?

It was fascinating to go through the process of having my book develop from dream to reality i.e. seeing the transition from manuscript to a book on bookshop shelves.

What has been the worst part of your publishing journey?

The worst part of the publishing process for me was times when there was a lack of clear information or communication on the process which at times caused delays

Would you consider writing another book?

I have already written a second book, Consequences: Diverse to Mosaic Britain.  I’ve also got plans to write a few more.

What would you have done differently in hindsight?

I would have spent less time procrastinating and gone for it earlier.

What advice would you give a budding author? 

Find something that you are really passionate about, develop a clear plan, put the time aside and just do it!

Do you feel different in any way now you are an author?

I feel as if I have fulfilled a lifetime dream as I’ve always wanted to write. More pronounced is that fact that there are people that treat me differently now that I’m a published author.

Where can readers purchase your book?

My books can be purchased from my website www.SusanPopoola.com. They can also be found on Amazon, Waterstones and other outlets.

read more

Author Interview: Stuart Sorensen

Jul 11, 2012 by admin

What prompted you to write your book in the first place? 

There are several reasons for this. The most mundane answer is that it simply evolved from blogging and the many comments I’d had from friends and colleagues encouraging me to publish my work. The most cynical is that I hope to make money from it and the most personal (some might say pretentious) explanation is that I’ve always believed that I ‘have something to say’ and so I eventually decided to try and say it in book form.

Give us a brief synopsis of your book? 

I have written three Ebooks to date. They’re all aimed at support workers in health and social care because I feel very strongly that there are many extremely competent people out there who, because of funding concerns, have been denied the training that they need to do their work properly. So my books are designed as accessible guides to fill that gap. They’re all designed to be punchy, as jargon-free as possible and not so long that hard-working people won’t have the time to read them.

So far I’ve covered:

Coping with challenging behaviour;

Safeguarding adults;

An introduction to mental health and disorder.

Why did you decide to go down the self publishing route? 

It was easy to arrange. I contacted a traditional publisher with an idea about two years ago but the proposal process in itself was arduous and, to be honest, I just couldn’t find the time to jump through all the hoops as well as running my full time training business.

What has been the best part of your publishing journey? 

I’d have to say the simplicity of the process. I’ve only recently taken this step and so I can’t talk about fame or fortune (perhaps I never will) but I found it easy to do and there is something heart-warming about seeing your own work for sale. I love some of the comments I’ve had from readers too either by Email, through Twitter and Facebook or via the online review process.

What has been the worst part of your publishing journey? 

I’m new to this, as I say and so maybe this is my naivety talking but there hasn’t really been a downside. I found the proof-reading stage tedious but that’s not a big deal really. I don’t think there has been a ‘worst’ part worthy of mention – at least not for me.

 Would you consider writing another book?

Indeed. I’m working on one at the moment.

What would you have done differently in hindsight?

I should have done this sooner. I’m sure that there are other things that I could have done better and in another year or so I’ll probably know what they are but right now I’m not aware of my mistakes – I’m too new to this. We learn from experience and reflection and I haven’t yet had the time to reflect.

What advice would you give a budding author? 

Go for it.

Do you feel different in any way now you are an author? 

Not really. I’m still me and I’m not about to lose perspective and think that self-publishing has somehow given me a status or personality attribute that I didn’t always have. I’m not one to take myself too seriously. 

My writing is just an extension of my work as a health and social care trainer and so it represents a change of media rather than a change in who or what I am.

Where can readers purchase your book? 

I’m so glad you asked. All my books are on line at the Kindle store here:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=node%3D341689031&field-keywords=stuart+sorensen&x=17&y=22

Alternatively follow the links from my website:

http://www.thecareguy.com/books.html

It is also possible to purchase paper copies by arrangement

read more

Author Interview: Dean Mansell

Jul 4, 2012 by admin

What prompted you to write your book in the first place? 

I started a website called ‘Away End’ a few years ago where football fan’s could share their stories from watching football. I always had it in the back of my mind that a collection of football fan stories would make a great book for like minded football fans. Earlier in the year I hit a milestone of 50 good stories on the website and thought now was the time to think about the book.

Give us a brief synopsis of your book? 

As mentioned above, the book is a collection of humorous football fan stories told by the fan’s themselves. The stories are from fan’s of clubs all over the country and the majority of the tales told are of away day trips to watch their team. All football fans have a favourite memory from a particular game they attended. The memories of the day are very rarely a great goal or incredible game they witnessed, more of the events surrounding the actual game itself like the disastrous journey to the ground or the one tipple too many before the game in the local watering hole. Football is a game you share with friends, either watching or playing. This book gives you an insight into the life of hardened football fan and the camaraderie that exists between them.

Why did you decide to go down the self publishing route?

I found out a friend of mine and fellow Spireite (Chesterfield fan) Gary Gorman had recently published his own book so took the opportunity to speak to him about the experience. Gary was great in offering me his advice and pointed me in the direction of Helen at HLS Publishing. The process seemed fairly straight forward and after a few e-mails with Helen, I decided to give it a go.

What has been the best part of your publishing journey? 

Getting the book published has been an incredible journey with some very memorable moments along the way. The best part has to be the morning I opened the package from Amazon to see and hold my own book for the very first time, what a buzz.

What has been the worst part of your publishing journey? 

Being a very keen and impatient kind of a guy, waiting for the approval email from KDP once the book had been submitted for review was the worst part. KDP have their own process for reviewing and approving books that involves checking copyright. This check delayed the approval of the book by a couple of days which seemed to go on for an eternity. In the grand scheme of things, this book had been a couple of years in the making so what was a couple of days going to hurt? Helen’s F5 key (refresh) that’s what!

Would you consider writing another book? 

Yes and I have already started. Now I have been through the process of getting a book published, I am already looking forward to opening the next Amazon package to see book number two and getting that buzz again.

What would you have done differently in hindsight? 

In general I wouldn’t change anything about how the book has been put together and published. From a personal point of view with my book, the stories I used had all been submitted to my website over a couple of years. The task of putting them all together to produce the manuscript could have been made a lot easier by starting from day one. Book number two in the series will be a lot easier as I’m collating and putting the manuscript together as I go.

What advice would you give a budding author? 

Believe in yourself and your book. If you don’t think it will be any good, how will you convince other people it will be? Go with your gut instincts but do take advice from trusted friends on your ideas.

Do you feel different in any way now you are an author?

It’s a great feeling to know I have my very own book published and I am very proud to have done it. I’m probably still in the honeymoon period as they say in football of just having the book released, but yes I do feel different and in a very good way. It definitely provides a talking point with people and the small amount of media interest has been a great experience.

Where can readers purchase your book? 

The book can be purchased via the Amazon website  in both Kindle and Print, and will also be available in the Chesterfield FC Superstore which for me is very exciting!

read more

Author Interview: Gary Gorman

Jun 27, 2012 by admin

What prompted you to write your book in the first place?

Initially I was asked if I wanted to contribute to Nikki Pilkington’s 30 Day Challenge series. The intention at first was simply to write a sales challenge e-book for Nikki’s series. Whilst in the process of writing this I was speaking to my VA Helen Stothard about how we might turn it into both a physical book and a Kindle book. One of my key goals this year was to publish a book so it also ticked off that ambition for me. It all slotted into place and went on from there.

Give us a brief synopsis of your book?

The book is called ’30 Day Sales Challenge’ and it’s a set of 30 daily challenges or tasks designed to take a new salesperson from being understandably nervous about selling through to becoming someone who is a confident, persuasive and engaging customer focused salesperson. I help them along that journey by sharing a daily piece of advice and then setting them a task related to that days insight. It works by getting the next task to build upon what has been learnt on previous days. I’ve been really pleased to hear that lots of my readers have improved so much over the course of the book.

Why did you decide to go down the self publishing route?

Because Helen told me it was the way to go! No, seriously, I knew Helen had lots of practical experience around self publishing so that definitely influenced my decision. I also felt I would have more control over the end product from self publishing and that has proven to be the case. Certainly with the growth of Kindle and e-books it’s never been easier to self publish.

What has been the best part of your publishing journey?

Opening the parcel containing the first copy of my printed book definitely. It is a moment I will never forget and made all the hours spent on the book worthwhile.

What has been the worst part of your publishing journey?

Waiting for the parcel to arrive was the worst part. I guess it’s like a child waiting for Christmas….it seems to take ages to arrive. It was worth the wait in the end though.

Would you consider writing another book?

Yes and in fact I have my second book coming out later in the year called ‘Inside The Entrepreneur’s Mind’ where I’m exploring what makes 21 real life business owners want to risk it all to grow their own business when they could settle for an easier life.

What would you have done differently in hindsight?

Nothing particularly other than I wish I’d have written my own book earlier. It has been a great thrill that I wish I’d have experienced sooner. I’d be on my tenth book by now!

What advice would you give a budding author?

Set yourself a clear date to finish the writing otherwise it just drifts and other things get in the way. Draft a basic plan of your content and chapter headings to provide a basic structure and try to have a distinct beginning, middle and end both to the book overall and to each individual chapter. Then break it down into so many words per day and make sure you churn those words out. They don’t have to be particularly polished (that can come later) but just the sheer discipline of doing a set number of words each day creates forward momentum. I’d also suggest they work with someone who has done it before and can help to get the book published.

Do you feel different in any way now you are an author?

Well my family hasn’t treated me any differently anyway J I feel proud that I have something out there in the world….a legacy I guess…..that can never be taken away from me. I feel pleased also that the book has enabled me to help far more people become more confident sales people than I possibly could have done face to face.

Where can readers purchase your book?

’30 Day Sales Challenge’ is available to buy on Amazon and Kindle and also via my website at www.GaryGorman.co.uk

 

read more