Achieving a Long-Time Goal Feels Great!
Ever since I can remember, I have been a writer. It is how I think of myself even though I never made my living doing it. Once a colleague said, “Well you are a writer. That’s how I think of you.” That made my day!
All my life I have written articles and short stories. My dream was to make my living as a writer but the reality of paying bills moved writing to my avocation category. However, whatever job I had, I made sure I could do writing as part of my regular responsibilities. Over the years, I wrote articles and blog posts for work as both an employee and a consultant.
Over the years, many people have said to me, “You should write a book.” I often thought I’d like to, but did I have anything new or interesting to say? I tend towards non-fiction writing so that was always an important question for me. A former colleague who published a few books said, “Everyone has a unique perspective so you should share yours.”
Another colleague who has published several books with big name publishing companies said, “the first book is the hardest. Once you do that, the next one is much easier.” All this advice stuck with me over the years and then I finally made a commitment to ACTUALLY WRITE A BOOK.
It was still intimidating. And then the big decision: what the heck will I write about first? It’s hard to go from ideation to publication of anything – even my weekly blog posts that are the feature article in my weekly newsletter. The big questions for actually making this happen were: Where do I start? And what publishing company would be right for me?
Fortunately, I met Carl Weaver of Broken Column Press. He’s a 21st century Renaissance Man with many interests and pursuits; he’s good at all of them too which is what makes him a Renaissance Man. What makes it a great working relationship is that he is from an association management background so we have many things to talk about besides books and Godzilla movies.
We met a few times to discuss working together on a publication. He answered all my questions about the process of working with a boutique publisher, and how he can support writers getting to the final manuscript. As an author himself, Carl knows the struggle of making the “sacred time” for writing and the many internal hurdles that writers have to overcome.
My final question for Carl was this: “I’ve heard it can take 3 to 4 years to get a book to publication. How long does it take your company to get a book published?” His response was “How fast can you write?” I knew this was the publisher for me.
Despite having a broken leg and a serious back injury from falling off my crutches earlier this year (I was laid up for about 5 months) working with Carl helped me achieve my dream of writing a book. That is how Carl describes his job; he helps people make their dream of writing a book happen. You can get a copy of my first book, “Association Chapter Systems: From Frustrating to Fruitful” exclusively on Amazon (use this link to learn more) https://amzn.to/48ZKUTo
My lifelong goal of writing and publishing a book was achieved this year, and I’m looking forward to writing more books, both non-fiction and fiction. Writing brings me joy and contentment so I will continue doing it as long as I can type and hold a pen.
As we wrap up 2024, this is our last newsletter issue and blog post of the year. All of us here at Rogue Tulips Consulting wish you a very happy winter holiday season! May your dreams come true in 2025 and we hope you find both joy and contentment in all you do.
Happy holidays from Rogue Tulips Consulting!
Our newsletter, Rogue Speak, and our podcast, Radio Free 501c will be on hiatus for the winter holidays December 20, 2024 through January 12, 2025.
