Talk About Self Awareness!

get it published.  I researched, then approached a handful of publishers in London, Vancouver and Toronto and received no interest.  I found the process frustrating as none of them want to see a manuscript. They all have different requirements such as a chapter, or 500 words or a synopsis.

In the end I have decided to self-publish, not because my story isn’t good.  I know it is.  A professional editor I hired last year, from Cambridge no less, thinks so too.  I have realized to get a publisher interested in printing a memoir, an author needs to be famous (think Michelle Obama) or have an extensive network.  My biggest network remains the players I connected with in the wealth management industry.  Not many of them would be interested in my story unless they had lived something similar.

There is a lot more to self-publishing than meets the eye.  I’ve had to make decisions on what I want my book cover to look like, font choices, content creation for its launch to name a few.  It is a project.

The company I’m using helps with promotional tools.  Consequently, I have had to get FOCUSSED about the compelling message of my memoir for readers.  As it is not easy to be objective about oneself, I have engaged the help of AI.  I’ll share the blurb AI came up with.  Never mind the writing, it seems like the real work has yet to begin. I would love to know your thoughts as it will really help me hone my communication with potential readers.

Blurb:

‘Born into a family shadowed by unspoken cruelties amid Canada’s tolerant society.   I grew up without rigid demands – yet with the heavy expectation that I would be my mother’s rock, her confidante.  This memoir charts my path from that emotionally burdened childhood, through fractured bonds and hidden unkindness, to reclaiming my life with wellness, global travel and resilient self-discovery.

Through one woman’s raw perspective, witness how memory reshapes family pain into strength.  Perfect for fans of Educated, seeking intimate viewpoint-shifting family tales.’

Does that compel you to give it a read, or at least look inside the book?

‘Educated’ for those of you who don’t know, is a memoir by Tara Westover.  The unashamed way she writes about her family and its foibles made for not only a fascinating, engrossing read but as inspiration to be undaunted in my storytelling.  To date, Tara’s memoir is my favourite amongst the number I have read for research.

Both Tara and I agree that family patterns don’t break themselves – you break them by choosing differently.  This requires conscious decision-making.  Too many of us think life is something that happens to us.  And that was true when I was a little girl.  I had no choices.  I had to stay put.  But even back then what I could choose was what I concentrated on.  I imagined well … about the life I could, that I would, have one day.

From my studies of NLP and Hypnotherapy, what I have learned is that the subconscious mind does not know the difference between what is real and what is imagined.  Either way, it will ensure your conscious mind concentrates on the direction of your imagination.

Now, I love my life. Sure, I’m thrown curve balls as much as the next person but maintain a sharp mental awareness.  I step into ‘OBSERVER’ and ask myself what and who I need to help me and develop a strategy.  I also allow myself to be immersed in emotion when it arrives because one thing I have learned over the years, when I bottle things up, an explosion will follow.  I can go full feral raccoon, and it isn’t pretty.  The position of OBSERVER is an effective emotional intelligence tool.  .com/podcasts.