I spent the weekend at an "Inspire a book" workshop with Julie Salisbury and seven aspiring authors. The variety of book projects was amazing, and so was the synergistic energy. Under Julie's enthusiastic and expert tutelage, seven people with an amazing array of book ideas helped one another to move all their projects forward.
As the only fiction writer, I felt at first that I might be out of place -- but not for long. The useful feedback and enthusiastic advice I received helped me express my book concept briefly and attractively. Julie's interactive forum helped us refine our titles, subtitles, back cover headlines, tantalizers and author bios.
Another bonus was networking. Participants brought variety of relevant expertise. Joe knows how to use the internet effectively; his forthcoming book will help readers do the same. Bobby, aka Dr. Love, has already created the highly successful Synchrohearts relationship game. DeAnn designs graphics, including books, and I edit.
Some unique and inspiring books are on the way. Lori's book on emotional healing through acting sounds promising. Also in the pipe are Joy's playbook for children, and two books from DeAnn. Janette, who's becoming the poster girl for kicking drugs and finding a much healthier high, is embarking on a memoir about how she got clean and happy in under four years.
Along with valuable insights about who my readers might be, I came away from the workshop with new knowledge about book design, publishing and marketing, and new perspectives on my work. All in all, it was an inspiring and exhilarating weekend.
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