Branching Out
Do you dream of taking time out from your busy life to write that book that is inside you?
Publishing is defined as making information made public. How do we make this happen if we don’t know where to start? The key is to ensure you are working with someone who understands your vision, the process and the promotional requirements needed. That person needs to be an active listener and have a clear understanding of the fundamental behaviour of people and how creative expression impacts our lives. When Cath Grimshaw from Charters Towers in North Queensland called me, this became a testament of that understanding.
Frustrated by her lack of free time due to the demands of being a mum, wife, part-time chef and running her own online nursery with her husband, Cath called me to discuss the process of writing and publishing a book to help solve the time evaporation issue she was having. Every night for several hours she would have eyes on screen responding to enquiries about the upkeep and management of the Desert Rose plant, the specialty focus in her business. Sleep became a luxury as did enjoying her job, so if the situation didn’t change it would soon become untenable.
Whilst not my primary focus, through the early months of 2016 I mentored and supported Cath in the writing process. Along with discovering the cathartic appeal of writing, she managed to develop a sound manuscript that covered all the areas where she was fielding enquiries. Supported with beautiful photos, we took her baby into the publishing process.
Whilst in editing and design, Cath and I began the journey through the Book Marketing Mentorship. With this education and training she successfully launched a pre-sale strategy nearing the middle of the year. Within 4 days Cath had sold almost 250 books and once the books arrived in Charters Towers a few days later, she had sold out and had ordered a 500 copy reprint.
Since then the success of her book has been phenomenal, she has produced a calendar that has sold just as well as the book, committed to a sequel, her social media presence has exploded and she just recently ran a competition on social media which went viral leading to a reprint of another 500 copies.
'I knew nothing about publishing and even less about book marketing. Within one day I had pre-sold over 200 copies. Within a week of receiving the 500 print run they were all gone. I am amazed and extremely grateful to Ocean as his guidance and mentoring is what made the jump from an idea to a successful reality.'
- Cath Grimshaw, Growing Desert Roses www.growingdesertroses.com
Cath is in her early 40’s and had never left North Queensland. I invited her to an event I was running that involved the celebration of independent authors. Soon after her arrival she became overwhelmed. In tears, she realised what she had achieved and where she was. Later that day, I awarded her with a small award identifying the confidence and tenacity it takes to branch out.
The reality is that if we don’t give it a go, we never know. The ability to craft words into vision, whatever the reason or purpose, opens up opportunities we never saw coming. It helps establish legacy and a sense of achievement, like never before. Cath is one of many success stories I have been a part of and I aim to be sharing more in future blogs and my hope is that one day I am writing about yours.
