Ginkgo leaves at Rhinebeck train station
See the little shoot with the small gingko leaves just beginning to unfurl in the photo there? That's about how small and inexperienced I feel about writing a book, publishing it, and having an audience that wants it. Pretty darn small.
Coming back from the Omega Institute at Rhinebeck, New York, I was waiting at the train station, feeling discouraged, when I saw the ginkgo trees lining the tracks. Taking out my Nikon, I let my telephoto lens take me into the comforting arms of its golden-green, juicy-berried presence.
Kelly Notaras' Writer's Workshop delivered the bitter reality of publishing with a spoon full of honey. Though the attendees kept smiles on their faces and thanked Kelly for being such a wonderful bearer of bad news, I'm sure everyone felt the harsh blows to their publishing ambitions as she described the current state of publishing in the digital age.
Read on for her take-home message and my reflections on facing our Goliaths.
Just Because It's Difficult Doesn't Mean It's Not Worth Doing
My take-home message from Kelly Notaras' writer's workshop
Kelly Notaras, Hay House editor and owner of kn literary arts, shared with the group that she was going to self-publish her book because even her platform (people who know her and would want to buy her book) wasn't big enough for a traditional publishing house. However, the CEO of Hay House, Reid Tracy, offered to publish her book and help market it because she has been, after all, their main editor.
That's great, and she's certainly paid her dues to be where she is today, but what about everyone else in the class who doesn't work for a publishing house?
None of the information on traditional publishing was really news to celebrate, but the two PowerPoint slides that really "put the nail on the head" (as I would say) showed the numbers of followers and email lists that would be associated with the "ideal writer" to a large publishing house and to a small, indie publishing company. My eyes glazed over the number of zeros after the initial "1."
It's like buying one's first house. There's a minuscule amount of money for the down payment and one hopes for an affordable, nice house in a nice location. Publishing houses are like princely mansions in magazines that one leafs through but never seriously considers purchasing.
The takeaway: Be famous first, then knock on the publisher's door. Otherwise, find your own way through self-publishing.
Anyway, perhaps you are wondering what writing a book has to do with you.
You can substitute my publishing ambitions with your own secret ambitions that you've wanted to follow in your life. Sometimes, the world puts dents in your desire to follow your dreams. Before you even take the first step, the world seems to be opening a door to the future where only the icy wind blows through the blizzards along your path. Would you start your journey anyway?
Imagine what the world would be like if every seemingly difficult dream was choked off before it got started. I guess we wouldn't have airplanes, cars, or computers. Don't even think about the internet. Come to think of it, you can scratch off the toilet too.
The future can't unfold without the strength of faith--and a big dose of stubborn persistence. If David had beaten Goliath by shooting him in the back, he wouldn't have earned quite the same reputation, would he? The whole point was that David faced his foe knowing Goliath was ten times his size, and all he had was his slingshot and a few pebbles—and faith.
The arc of the hero's journey involves overcoming impossible odds and ends with gifts of growth. What kind of story would our hero have if s/he took the journey by a cruise boat, faced no obstacles, and just came back with a nice tan?
As far as I'm concerned, the road to publication and your road to reaching your ambitions is supposed to be difficult. As you push, wade, fight and crawl along this path, you'll find the gems, gifts, strengths, and triumphs that come from living life fully.
So, don't be afraid to be fully human—as David Kopacz, MD would probably say—and fulfill your purpose in your beautiful life.