Creating the Book of Your Heart

Your Book Can Heal the World: Looking in the Mirror of Our True Nature

By Naomi Rose

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The “Deeper Self” Book in the Marketplace: Who You Are & What You Value Makes a Difference

Judging from the news about the marketplace, it might seem that the deeper Self doesn’t have much of a place there. Although some wonderful books are of course being published, the publishing industry has suffered from the same corporate takeovers as other powerful systems. While there are many, many publishers around, many of them small- to medium-sized, there are now only six major publishers, all owned by corporate dynasties. The 3 P’s are paramount: Promotion, Profitability, and Platform. Authors now have to guarantee a track record of credibility in their book proposals — a huge mailing list, workshops, contacts in many lands, etc. — so that publishers are even willing to publish their books.

It used to be that publishing was considered “a gentleman’s profession,” and that good writing and esthetic concerns were mostly all a writer needed. This was in the days of the legendary Scribner’s editor Maxwell Perkins, who took then-unknown writers such as Hemingway, Thomas Wolfe, and F. Scott Fitzgerald under his kindly wing, accepting, for example, overflowing cartons of manuscripts from Wolfe and personally paring them down into the masterpieces Wolfe has left behind (Look Homeward, Angel, and more).

Our time — although certainly also filled with some wonderful books — has shifted its values. The “bottom line” has gotten pretty low. There is a growing tendency in popular culture to trivialize book writing and make it seem like it should only serve the marketplace, as the following reveals:

• From a writing coach: “I don’t even let my clients start their books until they know what publishers are buying. Then they can write what will sell, and be assured of publication.”

• From a PR consultant, writing about writers promoting their books: “It doesn’t matter if your book is well written. You can always hire a good writer to do it for you. What you really have to have is charisma.”

• And from a newsletter on self-publishing (a good one, too): “You have heard of paint-by-the-numbers. This system in a binder shows you how to WRITE-by-the-numbers. [You will be supplied] with a 33-page book-writing template in a 3-ring binder. You just fill in the blanks.”

This, as my father used to say, is “putting the cart before the horse.”

But the good news is that, rather than despairing that you have no choice but to follow the marketplace’s view of what sells, you can raise the bar to match what you write and who you are. If you stay true to what’s in you, and follow the unfolding wisdom in your heart (and learn some writing-craft, if need be), your book will pave its own way. The spirit that called you to write your book is not finished with you just because the publishing marketplace is in a certain state at the moment.

If you follow your heart, guidance will come to you from within. Doors will open. Red carpets may unfurl at your feet. The goal you thought you had in the beginning may evolve into something much vaster and higher. The publisher of your dreams may find you. Or you may decide to publish your book yourself. If you stay tuned to what’s inside you, that which called you will guide you all the way through the process. And you will succeed beyond your deepest dreams in touching the lives of people who will take your book into their lives and be forever transformed.

So no matter what kinds of discouragement you may read about or encounter in the marketplace, remember that what called your book into being is still there to guide and serve you. And remember, too, that no one really knows what the public will buy ahead of time. Trends are guesses, based on what came before. The more you as a reader and book-buyer indicate your preference for books written from the deeper Self, the more you become instrumental in shifting the balance towards a readership of deep books. You can do this by:

• Reading them.

• Contacting the authors to tell you how you were affected by their books. (You can write to the author c/o the publisher, and they will forward your letter.)

• Contacting the publisher to tell them how much you value a certain book. (This builds a “good rep” for the book, which the publisher takes seriously.)

• Asking your local bookstore to stock the book. (This indicates the presence of potential buyers for the book.)

• Telling your friends to buy the book! (Word of mouth is the surest sales tool.)

My point is that no matter what state the publishing industry is currently in, you can have a hand in how it functions. You can help raise the standards of what people want to read. And you can help develop a favorable climate for the publication and eager reception of your own book, once it is completed and ready to be sent, with great love and winged communication, out into the world. It’s all within you. •

Copyright © 2007 by Naomi Rose. All rights reserved.

About the Author | More by Naomi Rose
Naomi Rose, Book Developer and Writing Coach, has successfully used her “Writing from the Deeper Self” approach to help people with an inner-directed focus write the books of their hearts. This organic approach to writing provides a gentle, listening way to bring forth what's within onto the page, without pushing or forcing anything. Drawing from transpersonal studies and over 30 years in the publications field as a writer, editor, consultant, and book developer, Naomi specializes in working with first-time book writers. She lives in Oakland, CA, and her website is www.essentialwriting.com.

10/16/07