In March I thought that my book would be out by April. By late April I thought it would be out by the end of June. By the beginning of August it was finally ready!!! Then, something came out of the blue which halted everything. I found out about a connection I had with a reputable publisher that I previously had no clue I had. They agreed to look at my book and said that it would take a “month or so.” Even though I was committed to self publishing and marketing my book I figured it to be worth a try. It can’t hurt to at least get their feedback let alone having their resources behind me if they choose to pick it up.
From the beginning the communication wasn’t…great. I didn’t hear back from them when I first sent them the manuscript. After a second email a few days later they confirmed the receipt and gave me the month+ timeline. At the one month mark I checked in with them…nothing. I emailed back another week to no avail. Then, my connection had another reason to see them in person where they confirmed that it was still in the review process. I waited another week and checked in again, asking where it was in the review process. No reply. Another week later my connection texted them, then called them another two days later. If you’re a Christian you may have heard of when Gideon put out the fleece and asked God to make it dry when the ground was wet and wet when the ground was dry in order to confirm God’s will. I have told people that I put the fleece out and the next morning my fleece was gone.
So, after much prayer and consultation with folks, I have decided to move on. Whereas I feel like we all built a good bit of momentum that got stalled by the waiting, I feel like we’re still in a good place. Sadly, very sadly, I have one to two people tell me about someone that they know who has had a loved one recently diagnosed with cancer or other life threatening disease. My heart breaks when they ask me if the book is out yet. I can’t wait to be able to equip people for the battle of their lives.
So, later this week we will be putting into place our entire pre-launch marketing program. Then, the book will launch around the middle of November. Why that long? Rachael (my marketing director) put it this way, “While you have great support from your base, there’s a lot of people who don’t know you and your story yet. We can build a lot of momentum in the coming weeks to reach the most people possible. If we launch before doing that, the impact is much less.”
So I ask that you continue along for just a bit longer. Beyond that, please stay close for updates and abilities to help us launch. Stay tuned for different press releases and podcast appearances where you can let others know (beyond our immediate circle) about what we’re doing.
Thank you again for your patience and your participation. Your support means the world to me. We’re doing this together and I’m ever so grateful for that!