Hope Springs Eternal for Rejected Author

I attended a Buddhist meeting last month and was asked to give an experience about having my book, Erase Negativity and Embrace the Magic Within, published. I have practiced Buddhism for 22 years and I’ve experienced a lot of benefits and personal growth, but the one area where I seemed to be falling short was in my lifelong dream to be a great writer.

I’m not a total slouch. I’ve won some awards, had articles published and even made a living in the writing world through my public relations firm, Marks Public Relations, but I have yet to sell a screenplay (although there are two movies out right now that bear remarkable similarities to two of my scripts) and I haven’t had a book on the best seller list.

However, I’m a stubborn and persistent woman. Every time I received a rejection I sent out three more queries in retaliation. When I ran out of publishing companies and agents, I contacted a few again with a slightly different letter. However, even the optimistic and perseverant have to change the game plan when it’s not working.

I decided to self publish and market the book myself.

If I must say so myself, I’m a darn good publicist. I write convincing copy with creative hooks, I have a plethora of media contacts and I never burn a bridge. I also have a passion for the message I’m trying to convey. Still, things were not happening for me. I expected a gusher, and all I was getting were little drips of publicity.

Then I studied to take a study exam based on the principles of my Buddhist practice. I’m pretty sure I passed, but I still think I missed a couple questions. So I decided to review it. One part stood out.
“A passage in the Six Paramitas Sutra says to become the master of your mind rather than let your mind master you.”

In the study guide it said: “Becoming the master of one’s mind ultimately means basing oneself on the unwavering foundation of the law.”
Bottom line, for SGI Buddhist practitioners, that means “basing ourselves on the Gohonzon and Nichiren’s writings.” Hmmm. I was basing my life’s work on the writing and law of journalism and publicity, not Nichiren Daishonin.

It was time to change course. I didn’t ignore my journalism training. Instead I put my Buddhist training first by chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo to elevate my life condition. My goal was to produce a result that would encourage others (and myself.)

At first, things went slowly. I called businesses to see if they would carry my book. One decided to carry it on consignment. Not the result I was hoping for. I had already sent out press releases and dropped my book off at the Phoenix TV stations. One, then two rejections came. In the meantime I wrote a story about feeling grumpy and stressed and how to overcome it. This was a bit ironic as I was feeling a bit grumpy and stressed myself, but I kept plugging away. And with my new determination to put my spiritual principles first and my secular training second, there was a big shift in the universe.

I submitted my feeling grumpy and stressed article to Diva Toolbox. Within hours the story was picked up by More Magazine’s online magazine. It was my first national exposure! Woohoo! A few minutes later I got an email from ABC’s Sonoran Living on channel 15 in Arizona asking me to be on their morning show on Nov. 10 to talk about erasing negativity and my book. A few minutes after that I received an email from an Arizona Republic reporter. She said the newspaper didn’t do book reviews, but if I could do an event, like a talk or a book signing, and as long as it was in Scottsdale, Paradise Valley or the Northeast Valley, they would do a story.
I emailed the one bookstore in Scottsdale, Mystic Moon Bookstore, that is carrying my book and asked if I could give a talk. She had just had a cancellation and I had my pick of two dates – Nov. 10 or Nov. 17. We decided to go with Nov. 17 and I’m going to talk about “How to Deal with Negative Relatives During the Holidays” and sell and sign copies of my book. I was ecstatic!

Finally, with all this potential publicity coming, I contacted one of my clients and told them I would be on the news and would they carry my book. They have 4 schools in Arizona and 17 in other states. My little drips of success were turning into a gusher.
I’ve practiced Buddhism for 22 years, so it’s not that I don’t know I should chant first, then take action. But I’m human. I know it’s better to be a master of your mind than vice versa. But sometimes we need to be reminded.

Believe it or not, sometimes I reread my own book to remind me to maintain an optimistic outlook by erasing the negativity that wants to sneak in when I’m not looking.

Erase Negativity and Embrace the Magic Within is not a best seller yet, but I know it’s on its way. And those of you who know me, or read this blog, can help me. Please spread the word about the book.

And no matter what you do in life, pursue your passion and never, ever, ever give up. Once you do, there will be no chance of success. But as long as you plug away, you are one step closer to turning your little drips of success into a full blown gusher. Remember this great saying and apply it to your life like I do for mine: “Hope springs eternal in the human breast.”

The Happiest $5 I Ever Made

I’ve been trying to earn money since I was old enough to cross the street by myself. I started out doing the usual money-earning projects – selling lemonade, collecting pop bottles, raking leaves and babysitting. I even engaged in atypical pursuits such as providing a backyard carnival (complete with a ride where my brother, Terry and I rolled kids in a wheel barrel through a home-made African Safari adventure we constructed). I can’t say I made a lot of money, but my needs were minimal and being able to purchase a few Pepsi Colas and chocolate bars were enough to keep me happy.

Of course I moved on to bigger and better things, earned a journalism degree and started my own public relations firm. Every time I book a client on television, place a story in a magazine or some other publicity-grabbing coup, I still get a thrill. But nothing compares to the $5 I earned last week.

Well, to be exact, it wasn’t $5, it was $3.86. I sold my first book, Erase Negativity and Embrace the Magic Within. It’s an ebook that lists for $4.99. Smashwords gets a commission, so my cut is $3.86. But the excitement I felt when I was notified of this first sale was priceless.

I have made a living as a writer for several years. Having people pay me for a story is not that unusual. But this was different. It wasn’t a story about a client. It wasn’t an article on an event. This was a book that my co-author, Jackie and I cooked up all by ourselves. We saw a need, and we decided to address it.

Honestly, I never set out to be a self-help author. I love reading self-improvement books and articles. I always have one or two on my night stand. If I don’t have a new one, I reread an old one. Inspirational stories fuel my soul. Through the years, people who know me best have suggested that I write a self-help book. I wasn’t interested.

That is not to say that I wasn’t writing something. I’m always creating a pitch, press release, background story or article. That is what I do for a living, and I love what I do. For fun, I have written screenplays (five to date), plays (maybe three), teleplays (four), a children’s book, and several short stories. But Erase Negativity and Embrace the Magic Within is my first book for grown ups.

And somebody bought it! Actually, last time I checked (five minutes ago) four people have purchased the book (see link below).

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/11183

Now at least three of these people are folks that I know. One is a client, one is a family member and one is a friend. But that fourth one, that is someone I never met. He or she went on the Smashwords website, or found it through another means, and decided to have their own electronic copy of Erase Negativity and Embrace the Magic Within.

And I couldn’t be happier.

Writing (and expecting others will read it) can be an emotional roller coaster. Throughout my writing career I have been rejected hundreds of times. I’ve heard the bad news through email, snail mail, on the phone and in person. I try not to take it personally. It’s like having a favorite food. Just because someone else doesn’t like asparagus doesn’t mean you can’t eat it with relish (well, maybe with butter or hollandaise sauce).

The same is true for writing and reading. Everyone has different tastes. But I was beginning to think publishers thought my book tasted like cod liver oil.

Not one to accept defeat, I tried self publishing. Someone (thank you Sam and Mary!) suggested Smashwords. And it worked. Not one, not two, not three – but four people have bought my book. Will I get rich this way? Who knows? It doesn’t really matter. People are reading the book and I’ve already received one lovely response on how much she enjoyed it.

In the end, I’m helping people. And, in the process, someone plunked down their hard-earned $4.99 to erase some negativity in their life and they gave me the thrill of a lifetime – all for $3.86.

The Book is Out!!!

Dear Readers,

At long last, my book has been published! For those of you who have offered encouragement, helpful advice, an occasional kick-in-the-butt- I want to thank you for your support.

My book is currently an ebook. By next week, it should be available as a download for kindle, iphones, Apple reader and other similar devices. In time, I hope to have it published as a traditional book, but for now it will be electronic only.

Now I really need your help. I’m asking you to click on the link below and check out the book. If it doesn't work, please cut and paste it or google Sally Marks, Erase Negativity and look for the smashwords entry.

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/11183

Right now, you can read half of the book for free. If you decide you want to download it, it’s only $4.99. However, the more people who download it, or even click on the free version, the higher the book will go in the ratings and the better presence it will have on the page.

I’m asking all of you to please let your friends, family, everyone in your computer contact list etc., know about the book and have them check it out. Of course I will be doing all the typical promotion I can, but word-of-mouth publicity is always the best. Everyone knows other people, and those people know folks. If I can get you to help me spread the word by asking your friends, co-workers, neighbors etc to check this out, I would be very appreciative.

I am very proud of this book and I truly believe it can help others in a significant way. Although I have always wanted to be a writer, I never saw myself as a self-help writer. I always thought my expertise was in comedy. I feel like writing this book is a true calling to help erase negativity in the world. I sincerely hope you will help me spread the word about the book and ask your friends to ask THEIR friends to do the same.

Many thanks to all of you.

Love, Sally