Friday, June 21, 2013

Birthing A Book

by Deborah Wilbrink

The excitement is palpable: a book lies in a brown paper UPS envelope on my door step, half wet from the rain. Ripping it open, I gasp. It’s beautiful! I rush it to the author, Barbara Goodall, and she agrees. So does the buyer at our local Barnes & Noble bookstore. Now I’m on Cloud 9.

Do You Love Me? started as a pamphlet with another title, published far below the author’s expectations. Her family encouraged her to take it to a professional level, and she contacted Writers in the Sky. I knew it was a treasure when I began reading. It’s taken months to get this ready – editing, consulting, then formatting design samples and formatting the book; getting design help for the cover; and that’s just getting this print on demand proof. Then I led Barbara through the forest of ISBN and Library of Congress and copyrights, finding my way more easily with the Internet and experience. Barbara is a pleasure to work with, and her book, Do You Love Me? is so worthwhile. We still have a few periods to place and commas to knock out; a photo to enlarge. But now I know these precious words, all her own, will survive.

The journey to get the word out to others begins: distribution, sales, marketing, publicity. There’s no budget for this. But this book has a message, so we have faith.

My parents and grandparents, a couple of four, were always together—but there was no room for me.
Do You Love Me? is a true story of how an abandoned child struggles to belong, and how she finds fulfillment in giving. Repeatedly left in the care of strangers, Goodall tells her story in Part 1 of looking for love and a home. She wondered whether she was worthy of love. In Part 2 she is loved by her husband. Together they provide a loving home for others: their four children, twenty-five foster children, and finally the mother who rejected her. Along the way, Goodall maintains a career in finding public housing for those in need. She has a reputable and honored career, despite having to leave high school those many years ago. Barbara Goodall’s memoir is a living testimonial to the miracles of attitude and faith. A heartrending story of abandonment, redemption, and forgiveness, Do You Love Me? inspires and motivates.

Do You Love Me? will be available in mid-June from Amazon; or ask for it at your local bookstore and library, who can find it in “Books in Print” by August. We are getting the nursery ready for our “baby” and welcome all comers to admire it, and to share in our joy.

If you are writing and preparing a book, congratulations! It takes a lot of effort; and is very rewarding. Ask for help. That’s why we’re here.



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