1. What inspired you to write this book?
When I told friends and acquaintances about some of my
travels, they were interested in the stories and suggested I collect them into
a book. As I began writing, I thought it makes more sense to have a series of
books, each about a specific adventure in travel rather than a collection of
unrelated anecdotes.
2. What exactly is it about and who
is it written for?
This book is about the sights and experiences on a Viking
River Cruise called “Paris to the Swiss Alps” which my wife, Sandra, and I took
in Spring 2019. It (and the rest of the Travels with Spot series in
development) is written for two groups of people: those who are not able to
travel, and those who want to know what to expect when they do travel.
3. What do you hope readers will get out
of reading your book?
I hope that those who are not able to travel for any number of
reasons get the feeling of what it is like to be in the various places — to
have a vicarious adventure. Those who do travel will want to go to the places I
have been to enjoy the ambiance and experience the same and new adventures for
themselves.
4. How did you decide on your book’s title and
cover design?
The title came from the idea of writing a series of books, which
suggested the title of each should have something in common. Another title
concept is derived from John Steinbeck’s book “Travels with Charlie: In Search
of America” (except that Charlie was his dog and Spot is me) which describes
his trip across America and is roughly similar to my descriptions of my
travels.
The cover design concept comes from old newsreel leaders and
movies such as the Indiana Jones series in which the route the traveler is
taking is displayed on a globe. I wanted to use this motif to quickly
illustrate where the travel occurs.
5. What advice or words of wisdom do you have
for fellow writers – other than run!?
As we were all told in school, “Walk, don’t run.” Don’t rush
into getting published, but certainly proceed with writing. I think writers
need to decide first why they are writing. For personal gratification? To
earn a living? Because they have an important message? To occupy their spare
time? Or some other reason or combination of reasons? Once you’ve decided why
you’re writing, estimate the realistic size of your reading audience (No,
everyone is not waiting breathlessly to read your book. Ten people, perhaps,
but probably not tens of thousands.), and how much time and how much of your
money you’re going to put into it.
Sales, whether books or mouse traps, happen not because you’ve
got a better version than everyone else. Sales happen because people hear about
your product (book in this case) and decide they need it. Marketing is
essential, time-consuming, and expensive; and roughly 80% of the marketing
expense does not result in sales — but it’s nearly impossible to determine
which are and which are not effective. Choose a marketing team that has
experience marketing not books in general, but in marketing your type of book.
6. What trends in the book world do you see --
and where do you think the book publishing industry is heading?
The largest trend is a dramatic increase in self-publishing
which is largely due to the current technology of printing on demand and small
volume printing. While this makes it easier to physically produce books, it
does nothing to ensure the quality of the contents or determine the realistic
market for any given book. “Traditional” publishers use their own money to
publish and market books, so they tend to be more discriminating in selecting
what books they will publish because they have a good understanding of what the
market is for a specific book. Conversely, self-publishing houses use only the
author’s money, so they will publish essentially whatever the author gives
them, and marketing is generally an afterthought or very generic.
I suspect the industry will continue to become more fragmented
with less and less critical review and revision of books prior to publication.
E-books of various formats will continue to grow in importance as people rely
more and more on electronic devices for their information. (Why buy a book and
carry the book and your phone when you can download the book
onto your phone?) More and more books will be available only in electronic
form, making publishing easier and easier, but making writing for a living
harder and harder.
7. Were there experiences in your
personal life or career that came in handy when writing this book?
The high school I attended required high quality writing in
every course. You could not get an A on a science paper or anything else unless
it used good grammar, proper punctuation, and was well written using
appropriate vocabulary. We wrote papers for every subject every week, so
writing and self-editing became second nature. I learned to write as I would
speak, and the writing improved my speaking and thinking.
8. How would you describe your writing style?
Which writers or books is your writing similar to?
My writing style is, I hope, conversational, especially in the
sense that it is how I would speak face to face. I try to select each word that
is appropriate to the moment and look to employ onomatopoeia and alliteration
which help convey images and flow in the language. While generally
conversational in tone, my style also changes depending on the topic;
describing the process of preparing a presentation to an audience is different
than describing what it’s like to walk down a steep gravel path.
I like to think my writing is like John Steinbeck or Louise
Penny, both of whom tell their stories in a straightforward manner with graphic
description where necessary and storylines that pulse in intensity.
9. What challenges did you overcome in the
writing of this book?
The biggest writing challenge was getting started, deciding how
to proceed. I finally began with the schedule of events and then filled in the
details in a linear manner. Marketing the book is a challenge yet to be
overcome.
10. If people can buy or read one book this
week or month, why should it be yours?
Travels with Spot: Paris to Zürich is a little escape from whatever you’re
doing, yet it feels real in the moment. We can all use a little escape now and
then.
About The Author: Parker G. Emerson has traveled throughout
Europe, the United States, and parts of Africa, Mexico, and South Korea
beginning with an unguided trip to Europe in 1973. He acquired the nickname
“Spot” as the navigation center supervisor on the nuclear missile
submarine USS Simon Bolivar (SSBN641) during eight years and
15 deployments deterring global thermonuclear war. He completed his B.S. in
business administration at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA, while still
on active duty. After leaving the US Navy, he moved to California where he
worked in the aerospace industry and simultaneously earned his MBA from the
University of Southern California. Mr. Emerson has held senior management
positions and has started and sold several companies. He is a co-author
of The Public Administrator’s Companion: A Practical Guide 2nd edition.
Now retired, he and his wife, Sandra, enjoy traveling and writing about their
adventures. For more info, please see:
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Brian Feinblum should be
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copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2024. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now
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dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The
Writer and IBPA’s The Independent. This
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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, BookCAMP, 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
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Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, &
Co-Op Association Handbook. It was featured
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