Releasing A New Generation Into The Wild

 

Dropping off my youngest at college this past weekend felt a little surreal. I kept thinking about all of the summer camp drop-offs, mostly for French Woods, where my wife and I would drive her from Westchester to a street corner near Lincoln Center in the city. A bus would then take her to camp. She would have a heavy body bag’s worth of clothes, stuffed animals, and a few books. There would also be some Ikea plastic thing with draws and a shopping bag of miscellaneous things that fill up the world of a tween and teen.

This time we had a car load of a young adult’s life, but it was not so different than what she used to take, including that body bag of goodies. There were some new additions: lipstick, jewelry, and a laptop. She still had her tap shoes and squishy pillow dolls, but her books have mature themes and her collection of cut-off shirts accommodate her newly pierced belly button ring.

Our daughter seemed to go from being a kid to a young woman along the 386-mile car ride. She left home having just finished up her summer job as a lifeguard for the day camp she used to attend as a little girl. Next week she will start taking the classes that count towards graduating a school that could lead to a job and career. It all happens so fast.

I remember when my first child was born and a number of people advised that we soak up every day because they get big too fast. I took the advice to heart — and they are right. Every day is a gift, even when you feel the urge to scream over their behavior or sulk over the inconvenience and cost of placing your needs and desires way behind those of these little monsters.

Before my wife and I took off from her campus, I handed her a folder of 10 laminated pages of advice and Dad wisdom. I think she is aware of each of my dozens of encouraging tips and lived insights, as I always have dished them out or demonstrated with my behavior, hoping by osmosis that she will absorb some of them. But now she has it in her hands, to refer to if needed.

She will live her own truth and will need to follow her heart, make her mistakes, and find what makes her happy. Hopefully, I gave her a framework of encouragement and support for her to discover who she truly is. One day she may hand over my notes to her child, or even better, she will revise them to reflect what she knows of this evolving world at that time.

I am excited for her and am jealous of her campus environment. We need to turn our neighborhoods into campuses, where people freely socialize, exchange ideas, and expose themselves to learning something every day. I love the curiosity, energy, and beauty of the youth. They are emerging but not yet fully formed. They are open to many things and as much as they learn of “how things are done” they also are the class of people to reinvent “how things are done.” New traditions and styles await society.

And I await the return visit home of my daughter, eager to look for signs of change — or to be reminded of who she always has been. 

Marketing Help?

Brian Feinblum can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com  He is available to help authors like you to promote your story, sell your book, and grow your 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

This award-winning blog has generated over 8,600,000 page views. With nearly 5,700+ posts over the past 15 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 2026, 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.”  Copyright 2026.

 

For the past three decades, Brian Feinblum has helped thousands of authors. He formed his own book publicity firm in 2020. Prior to that, for 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and as the director of publicity 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.

 

His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully) and (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/10-things-my-dog-taught-me-about-marketing-books). He was recently interviewed by the IBPA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0BhO9m8jbs

 

He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, three times at BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association, Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, five times at Morgan James Publishing Red Carpet, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. He served as a judge for the 2024 IBPA Book Awards.

 

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.

 

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.

 

You can connect with him at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum/ or https://www.facebook.com/brian.feinblum