Book Publishing ...dReams to Reality

I am an author. Be it on my own terms :). In October 2006, I attended a conference and heard Dr. Bridget Hilliard preach a sermon that spoke directly to me about pursuing dreams. She spoke that there were those of us who had books in us that needed to publish them. I knew that message was for me, but I began to talk myself out of it because of the following:
1. I didn't have the funds to do it. Excellence matters to me so I couldn't just print anything and put my name on it.
2. I didn't know a thing about publishing.
3. My favorite topics aren't popular among my audience of church folk (etiquette and hospitality).

Then I heard this from God:
1. Write the book and I'll make provide the funds.
2. Write the book, and I'll show you how to publish.
3. Write the book and I'll give you an audience.

Here's what happened:
1. I wrote the book and a friend agreed to edit it for free. She was an English major and did a great job.
2. I remembered that I had met a friend 8 months prior at a conference that was a book publisher. I reached out to her and she coached me through the book publishing process. Confused, I didn't really know which publishing option to pursue. It's difficult to predict your needs when you don't have ONE guaranteed sale, speaking date or any interest in your book outside of your family and close friends. So, I went to Kinko'sand began printing spiral bound copies of my book. Each book cost me about $15. Then, one day I decided to place my order online through Staples copy and print center. I didn't know it but submitting print jobs this way saved me almost $4.50 per book. I was excited! A few months later, I was sharing my story with a friend and she told me to check out www.instantpublishing.com. This turned out to work fantastic for me. I submitted my book through their website and 2 weeks later I recieved my books through UPS for the great price of $4 per book! The books were spiral bound, high gloss cover and high quality paper (my books are resource manuals so spiral binding works best but they can print in other formats).
3. I added a tag line to my email signature announcing my book and the word began to spread terrifically! AND, the success of my books has led to the birth of me being a conference speaker and workshop presenter.

I now have written 3 books and produced 2 DVD's. I also host my own workshops and an annual conference.

So, you see, listen to God and walk in faith and the rest is history!

Remember,
Excellence Matters!

Robin M. Ware
www.thewareagency.com
www.robinmware.com - coming soon!
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