A-ha!

Wiping out illiteracy - one book at a time

Post by Tom Collins.

One girl.

Thousands of books.

Making a difference.

If one 11-year-old girl can distribute thousands of books, establish libraries, establish an international literacy foundation, what should the rest of us be doing to support her effort?

Meet Natascha Yogachandra. Learn about her projects from Rochester, NY, to Africa, to Sri Lanka, and more.

Her main attack on illiteracy is called Project Book Angels. With lots of help from other kids and adults, Natascha has collected and distributed:

1,000 books to an inner-city school in Rochester, NY.

1,500 books for a school in Kenya.

Over 3,000 books in Sri Lanka.

The foundation created to support Natascha's work is called Hope is Life. At the website you can learn how you can help by collecting or donating books, buying Hope is Life wristbands, or getting involved.

We've been following Natascha's efforts for a while now, since her father is our friend Nat Yogachandra, author of several books, including Beauty, Bureaucrats and Breaking the Silence: The Status of Women in Asia.

Authors helping authors.

Lots of us helping Natascha wipe out illiteracy, one book at a time.

How Do You Write A Book? My Story

Post by George Kittredge

How do you write a book, especially when you have never written one before? Here’s my story.

For years I have suggested to many of my colleagues and friends that they aught to write a book. I have a number of friends with extraordinary, creative minds. They would be perfect candidates for writing an entertaining fiction. And others who have particular expertise, interest and experience in areas such as business, the arts and travel seemed to me to be authors in waiting. So I encouraged all of them to pursue something that they had never done before. Write a book.

Curiously, I had never encouraged myself to do the same thing.

That was until a little over two years ago. I was doing some volunteer counseling for a business-oriented, not-for-profit organization when one of organization’s leaders asked if I would be a presenter at an upcoming seminar/workshop they were planning. The workshop was to be attended by approximately 30 business owners. They wanted me to offer some ideas and tips drawing on my sales and marketing experience about how to promote a business and attract clients.

I agreed to submit an outline of what I would talk about. The understanding was that if they liked my outline, I would do the workshop.

As the workshop date approached and with me scheduled to be one of the presenters, I began to seriously think about what I was going to say. It had to be entertaining, interactive and provide each of the audience members with some lasting value. So I had to have more than just an outline.

In the weeks that followed I began to write down ideas addressing each of the topics in my outline - at first just phrases and thoughts, and later paragraphs. One of the first things I realized was that ideas can strike you at the strangest times. (Did you ever try to write something on a clipboard while negotiating a corner on a ride-on mower in third gear?)

Over the next few months, my one-page seminar agenda was turning into a book. And as this book began to unfold, it also began to take on a life of its own. I found myself, at times, working on four or five chapters at a time. There were some months where I did not write anything at all. Then I would pick it up again and write as the ideas came to me. Most importantly, I did not try to force ideas. When I was inspired, I wrote. When I was not, I did not.

As I completed one chapter after another (with lots of re-writing), my goal became just to finish the book. I’ve met a number of people who have started books, then put them on a back burner where they still remain. Finishing this project became important to me.

Early in 2005, I made a resolution to myself that if I was going to complete the book (and it looked like I was), then I was going to get it published. I figured that if I had spent all this time writing a book, at least I should give other people a chance to read it. Besides, it is kind of neat to be able to say that you are a published author.

I discovered that with today’s technology, publishing has become much more author-friendly. It makes no difference whether your book is the next best-selling novel or winds up as gifts to your family and friends. Anyone who has the desire to write can become a member in good standing in the universal author’s club. And you don’t need to print 2000 copies to warehouse in your garage either.

Thanks to the good folks at WMEBooks, my book was published and released this past August. The book is now part of seminars and workshops that I still do. And I have to tell you, it’s a lot of fun to have other professionals read you book and offer their reviews and opinions. So far, people have been very kind.

In a later post, I will share with you a mistake I made when it came to publishing my book and how I corrected it.

It took me two years (on and off) to write my book. Will I write another? I don’t know. But I do know that I will encourage anyone who has even the faintest desire to write a book to do so. I think they find it as personally rewarding as I did.

How to Write a Book

The most frequently asked question I get from folks who find out we're a publishing company is, "So, how, exactly, does one write a book?"

The 'how to write a book' question is fraught with emotion. When I hear it, I pause a moment to gather my thoughts, all the while observing the person who asked it -- because it's in that observation that I learn the true question behind the spoken words. Often, it isn't confusion over how to write a book -- the easy answer, of course, is -- sit down at your keyboard and type [or grab a pen/pencil, a legal pad, and begin) -- the confusion is actually in organizing one's writing to become a book.

I'm putting together a simple, straightforward how-to called THE 'How to Write a Book' Book with advice and personal experiences -- from a number of folks who have written books. Many of the contributors are first-time authors. I asked them to write about their experience, about what inspired them and kept them working until the project was done.

This book will grow, over time, as I hope to add more author essays. For the time being, it will be a free download on the WME Books website. When it gets to -- oh, 100 pages or more -- I will ask a small contribution of say $5.95, where 50% will be gathered in a fund for aspiring writers to apply for, and the other 50% will be given to a woman's charity since I write a great deal about women over at my other blog and much of that (including my current book) has helped fund WME Books.

The people who so generously contributed to this book will be thanked profusely, by myself, of course, but also by the folks who download (or buy) the book. I just think it's more powerful to read the experiences and thoughts of writers who have gone before you, than it is to pick up a Writer's Digest magazine and devour article after article on character development, or citations, or voice.

Writer's Digest is a worthy publication, don't get me wrong. I recommend it highly. In fact, it was instrumental in opening my eyes to the 'active voice' issue. And, I learned to 'show' not 'tell' by reading it. So, don't think I'm trashing any of the great publications, magazines and/or books already written to help new writers learn their craft. I'm merely saying, I'm taking a different approach. I want to show you how, not tell you how.

Over the last year, WME Books has seen some hard times, as any new start-up will. We've also seen many happy times. We've met some outstanding writers, lots of really talented people, and over the months we've learned that being flexible is key to our success. We maintain our belief that all would-be authors deserve respect and consideration, just as much as established authors.

Currently, we are going through a transition, redefining our approach to print-on-demand publishing. This comes from interaction with the numerous contacts we've made this year, via the net and via referrals in our local community. We aspire to excellence -- which means -- we will work with our authors to make sure their book is everything they hoped it would be. We will not publish each and every book that comes across our desk. But, we will tell the authors openly and honestly, why we choose or do not choose to publish their work.

For those few authors, and there are only a few (so far), who do not meet our standards (we need to feel confident we can market the book successfully; it does the author no good and WME Books no good, if the book is not marketable) we offer training -- which costs money, yes. We also give advice, suggest other publishers that might suit their needs better, and we offer encouragement, because the act of writing and presenting that writing to someone for a review, deserves applause, in and of itself.

I hope YOUR publisher is doing as much for you.

Stay tuned for the announcement on our THE 'How to Write a Book'  Book -- COMING SOON!