1. What inspired you to write this book? As I interacted with international
students, teachers and scholars, and would tell stories of my growing up on a
ranch in Wyoming, they would always say, "You have such interesting
stories, you should write a book." Then I retired at 74 during the
pandemic. So, I wrote a book.
2. What exactly is it about and who is
it written for? As a leadership scholar, I thought it was a leadership book.
But as I see people react to it, I realize it is a reflective
exercise for people to think of their own childhood, influences in their
childhood that shaped their lives. It combines my early childhood
education background, my love of my Wyoming background, my pride in my global
work, and my study of leadership.
About The Book: Explore the vanishing Wyoming sheep ranching
life of the 1950s while pondering parenting influences on your children to
develop into leaders for the complexity of tomorrow's world. I take you
on a ride of personal adventures set in the solitude of Wyoming's sagebrush
prairie and globally in far flung places such as Kyrgyzstan and Nigeria.
Madae richer with family photos, My details about the day-to-day life on
the ranch with developing dispositions for leadership. Each chapter ends
with a question inviting the readers to. ponder their own
childhood experiences. Finish the book laughing as you discover the
story of "Bull Sh*t with Cream on It."
3. What do you hope readers will get out of reading your
book? I want people
to enjoy the book, to be informed, to think about things in new and different
ways, and the enjoy the reading.
4. How did you decide on your book’s title and cover design? I have a photo collage of a
child on a stick horse with a bucking bronc and bull in the background like the
image in the child's head. That inspired the book design. The
title of the book comes from the first time I told on my myself--I said,
"Bull shit with cream on it," when I had a bike wreck.
But later thinking it was funny, I told my mother--who, of course, scolded me
for saying words like that at 8 years old. Now I have written a book of
stories on myself.
5. What advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow
writers – other than run!?
Share your writing and ideas early on with others. I
started, threw away the first attempt. Then with this book, I was too
eager for it to be done. Get advice on layout, size of font, have people
with different backgrounds read for different perspectives.
6. What trends in the book world do you see -- and where do
you think the book publishing industry is heading? AI is going to
change everything about publishing. Memoirs will be somewhat protected
from AI because it is a personal experience. This may make them special
in the future.
7. Were there experiences in your personal life or career
that came in handy when writing this book? I always have been a risk taker, an
innovator. I hadn't written a book, but that didn't stop me. I
interviewed lots of relatives and Wyoming ranchers. I connected with a
family in deep and meaningful ways. I am like a border collier, I gather
up my resources, and then feel content. After the informal research and
lots of walking in the parks of Ohio, I was ready to write.
8. How would you describe your writing style? Which writers or
books is your writing similar to? In typical fashion for me, after I wrote the book, I read many
memoirs of Wyoming ranching life. I realize that I was trying to still
be the life-long educator in writing this memoir. It is a parenting
book, a leadership book, a reflective book, a history book, a memoir--and only
164 pages. If I had it to do over, I would try to simplify that.
9. What challenges did you overcome in the writing of this book?
First attempt was too
academic. Threw it out after a couple of friends read the first
chapter. I write like I talk--we had big discussions with friends who
were my informal editors about whether the words should be like I am telling
stories, or should it be written more formally. The compromise is
somewhat in the book. I am a very direct, informal person. My
early schooling was not very sophisticated, and with uneducated parents, even
with a PHD, my writing and oral language is still simple. I didn't
realize the need to rewrite, rewrite, and rewrite, and how really valuable that
is.
10. If people can buy or read one book this week or month, why
should it be yours? This is a book to put
on your desk. When you have a decision to make, have a bad day, need
some advice on something, consult the chapter, the Will Rogers quote.
When you need a "hug," read about the home life of this family who seemed
to overcome obstacles with grace and purpose. It isn't necessary a book
to read and forget. It is a book to read and use.
About The Author:
FACEBOOK posts about the book and many presentations in
Wyoming and Ohio. Last one: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/7avdZvMZhYFQWmAz/?mibextid=WC7FNe
LinkedIn posts about the book. Last one:
Need PR Help?
Brian
Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, with over 3.9 million page
views, can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com He is available to help authors promote their story,
sell their book, and grow their brand. He has over 30 years of experience in
successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him be your
advocate, teacher, and motivator!
About Brian
Feinblum
Brian Feinblum should be
followed on www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum. This is
copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2024. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now
resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue
dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The
Writer and IBPA’s The Independent. This
award-winning blog has generated over 3.9 million pageviews. With 4,900+ posts
over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by
BookBaby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018
as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by
www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades,
including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book
publicity firm, and director of publicity positions at two independent presses,
Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres,
right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark
Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay,
Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan
RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He
hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and
has spoken at ASJA, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence
College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association,
Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and
Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have
been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY
Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington
Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, &
Co-Op Association Handbook. It was featured
in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.