When I first sat down in front of my computer to write a book I never dreamed that it would be seven years later before I would finally hold it in my hand. I don't remember thinking of a deadline, but I am sure that I never thought it would be this far down the road. I thought the hardest part would be the actual writing. Then I joined a writers group and began editing the book, and realized that this was harder for me than the writing. When the editing was almost complete I began looking for a publisher. This phase was even harder than the editing. Each publisher has their own format for submission and each states up front that if you do not follow their guidelines perfectly they will gladly trash your submission. Given these instructions most TBI survivors' heads will explode. Mine surely did! I am now entering the marketing and sales end of this, and I have a feeling this is going to be the highest hurdle yet.
Isn't it that way with any large project? You begin all starry eyed until you start performing the actual work. As it takes more time, and costs more than you originally thought, you begin to question if the project is worth the expenditure. At this point many projects are scrapped. Fortunately for me this project has never been about me. This project is my way of trying to raise money for TBI survivors by donating the profits from the sale of my book to TBI organizations. My goal is to donate at least one million dollars to brain injury organizations. It is a formidable goal, but certainly is obtainable, if I am willing to keep plugging away at it, and if I can convince others to part with $12.50 to buy the book. This leads me back to the original goal of writing the book.
If I did my job on the front end of this project then this final goal can be achieved. My grandmother used to say, "The proof is in the pudding," and she made the best banana pudding in the universe. I won't say that this book is as good as my Nanny's banana pudding, but she was an avid reader and I would like to think it would pass the pudding test. Go to my book page and buy a copy of the book. Read it, and then come back by the blog so we can talk.
