Write a book (nonfiction)

This is not a priority goal right now; it’s a back burner goal.

I do have three subjects I (might) know enough about to write a nonfiction book about them bouncing around my head. I won’t tell you what those subjects are, though. :-P

Still, I love to write, and I’m pretty sure there’s at least one book in me.

And I’m 100% certain it won’t be fiction. My mind just doesn’t work that way.

So I’ll just let this goal percolate quietly in the background until that book decides that it’s ready to come through.

Well, I’ve done it!

Baby Talk is coming out everywhere September 21, 2006. The publisher is Tarcher which is an imprint of Penguin. I’m so excited. I have an advance copy in my hands and it’s so cute. I have a publicist working for me and am expecting some publicity within the next 8 weeks.

for a self-help book I am writing..

The book was sent to the packaging company as of late October 2005. They are working with the illustrator and beginning the layout process. We have an M.D. on board to write the foreword. Publishing date is still unknown but it will be this upcoming fall.

I can’t wait to see it and have the final product in my hands!!

It is so worth it! I just bought a book binding machine also. Now days we can use desktop publishing Print the pages with a laser printer and bind them at Kinkos or buy a thermal book binder or spiral book binder for about 50.00 no excuses!! LOL

I took a unique approach to break into the market.

After writing a few articles on thrifty entertainment and living a post-dot-com very meager existence, I realized I was an expert on partying on the cheap. So I pitched and sold and wrote a book about it (Party Like a Rock Star: Even When You’re Poor As Dirt). It was far harder to write than I expected, but now there is book out there with my name on it. And that’s so damn nice.

I am currently writing my first book, which is a non-fiction book about sign language for babies. I totally got lucky. A company in the UK was seeking someone to write text for an illustrated baby signing book and they chose me based on the website I created and run on the same subject.

The book is due out in the fall of 2006 and I am undergoing some crunch-time issues at the moment. My final deadline for all text is October 21 and I am 3/4 done. They gave me a total of about 6 or 7 weeks to write 20,000 words. I think I am going ok considering the strict timeline but being a mom of three it has been pretty difficult. Not only working around my youngest child’s naptime (she’s almost 3) but we have had a lot of illness these past few months, including two very stressful ER visits. Of course!

I am getting a lump sum payment with no royalties, but I will take it, considering if I were on my own I’d have a difficult time getting published. This way I have some spending money and the beginning of a writing resume that will hopefully “take me places.”

Pictured is the first “set” of spreads, which I sent in September 23, 2005. I will be so happy to unload this second set next week!