Small Business and Self Publishing
Recently, we caught up with Julie Thompson. Julie is one of the co-author of “Show and Tell: A Primer for Self-Publishers”
Julie Thompson began her career 25 years ago at MTV Networks in media research, and has written a variety of marketing and sales collateral. As a key member of the marketing team for PBS program Walking the Bible, she brokered and managed the deal with presenting station KQED and helped develop additional revenue opportunities. Julie recently wrote two garden book proposals that were accepted by Timber Press, and was a contributing writer for How to Organize (Just About) Everything and How to Buy and Sell (Just About) Everything, published by Weldon Owen. Julie is currently completing her third screenplay.
Julie’s #1 tip for writers – “if you’re going to write a book, make sure you take the time to properly edit, design and market it so it’s worth your time.”
Is this your first book?
Yes, it’s the first book I’ve written. i just co-authored a permaculture gardening book that will be published in 2013, and have contributed to other nonfiction books.
Tell us a bit about you.
I’m one of those people who’ve always known I was a writer. Wrote and read a lot as a kid. But was told I needed to pursue something more serious, so after graduating from Michigan State, I worked at MTV in NYC, and did a lot of sales/marketing work. I’ve come back to writing later in life as I now realize how important it is to do what you love.
What made you write book?
This book was by the team at A Book in the Hand (Cathleen O’Brien, Ruth Hagopian and myself). We work with authors and kept finding certain pieces of information we gave them useful. It was one of those, “we know this so we think everyone does” moments, when in fact, it was new to them. We decided to compile the top tips in a fun and easy-to-digest format, and hopefully anyone who reads it will get some good advice and a few laughs.
What is the most common area where new authors get stuck?
Editing while they write. It’s so important to just dump your thoughts on the page and keep going. Then you can go back and start shaping and editing. Most new writers think it should come out polished and perfect and labor over every sentence, so they usually end up quitting because it’s taking so long.
Why should I write a book?
Books tell our stories, and those stories can be about us, our business, our brand or our area of expertise. The other great thing about a book for business people is that it provides a platform. Once you have a book (that’s professionally edited and designed of course), opportunities open up for you to get media attention, host workshops and seminars, take part in podcasts and blog interviews (like this one), and so much more. One of our clients had very meager expectations — she just wanted a book she could give to a few friends about how she lost weight. But through the process, her message crystallized and she has now been interviewed for a documentary about sugar addiction, participated in several podcasts, interviewed for blogs, and started Sugar Addiction Awareness Day (Oct. 30) in which many of her former mentors have joined her. The book was the key that opened the lock for her.
Will you write my book for me?
Sure! Ghostwriting is a great way for people who don’t want to write or don’t have the time to get their story out into the world. One of the things I like best when working with clients is the conceptual editing, which is listening to them tell their story, or reading what they’ve written, and then shaping and organizing it into a format that tells their story in a more compelling way.
Where can I learn more?
Go to our website at www.abookinthehand.com. Or contact me directly – Julie Thompson 415.793.4606 or email julietsf@mac.com