interviews & new releasesOne of the great things about my job is the way that complete unknown authors just end up finding me and writing to me. The next great thing is that I can then write about their books on my blog, here. Libby Fisher is one such person. In less than a week I have met her online, read her book and interviewed her. Her story is inspiring. She had a dream and went for it. Her book is both beautiful and charming. Read on:
Libby Fisher (Bertine Visser) was born on 10 November 1959 in Papendrecht, The Netherlands. She studied English as a major in combination with two minors: Spanish and Ancient History.
She now works at Rotterdam University, a leading knowledge institute for higher professional education with over 25,000 students preparing for their future career. She combines this job with translation work and her writing.
Libby lives with her husband and son in a place near Rotterdam. And… as a true story teller she has a cat who always plays herself in the stories!
JP
The concept
Tell me about your book. What is it about? Can you describe it in just a few sentences? To show that a book has focus it is vital that it can be described briefly and succinctly.
LF
This book is about the questions we all have in life. Some people would call these questions ‘spiritual’, some would like to call them ‘philosophical’. The main thing is that many people ask these questions. Everyday people, like you and me, try to find a meaning in life by asking questions. Each story is a miniature, taken from real life. Each story is a cup of ristretto. Fully flavoured. And each questions will trigger you…
JP
Your motivation
Why did you write it?
LF
At 47 I decided to write my first stories. Why? Because…
In November 2006 one of my students died. It was a sudden death, caused by drugs. We were close. Being close is my way of being there. I like to take a warm interest in people. I am interested in living life to the full with all its ups and downs. This sad event woke me up. Because I realized that the intensity of emotions is also about pleasure, fun, beauty. Mindfulness. About using all your senses: seeing, smelling, hearing, touching and tasting. About letting go. Enjoying life to the full. Intensely. I thought it was high time to let these emotions out. To write poems, to write stories.
JP
The need
Why do you think needed to be written? What will your book do for other people?
LF
This book will show other people my world, which is also their world. A world full of bright colours, full flavours, decisive moments. I want my readers to sit back, slow down and think what they take for granted most of the time.
JP
Who will read it
Who do you think will read your book? What made you think that there was a market for it? Now that it’s been out for a while, what proof do you have that you were right?
LF
People who are interested in spirituality and philosophy. But also people who simply like a short story about every-day life.
To be honest, I am not quite sure I reached my target group yet. Although the book had been on the market for a while, I am still learning on how to promote my book. And indeed, it was your remark that struck me. The fun is in creating the book, not in promoting it.
JP
The promotion
It does not matter how good a book is, or how good your writing is if no one knows about it. What steps have you taken or do you plan to take to promote your book? Are you a speaker or trainer? Do you have a blog? A website? A newsletter? Do you use Facebook, Twitter or other social media tools? What about press releases and sending out review copies and free articles? Have you had any other ideas? Which methods do you think work best and can you give me any examples?
LF
These are the steps I have taken so far:
- I created the website www.libbyfisher.eu (including facebook and twitter)
- I started promoting the book in my local bookstore
- I started promoting the book on the work floor (Hogeschool Rotterdam)
- I reached a deal with a company. They want to give my book to their business relations. Because we have something in common. We both think ‘out of the box.’
I am a trainer and a speaker. I would love to promote my book in this way. So far, I made a deal with two local clubs. They booked me for a presentation. (together with signing sessions)
For me, promoting the book is talking about it. About my inspiration. About my way of writing.
JP
The route to market
How did you publish your book? What was your route to publication?
LF
I published the book myself. I am registered at the Chamber of Commerce as a writer and a publisher.
JP
Belief in yourself
Self-belief can be a big problem for writers. How did you manage to stay confident in your ability and remember that you were good enough to write your book? How did you cope with the days when you thought you could not do it and that it was rubbish?
LF
I believe in myself. I believe in my stories. I never thought my poems or stories were rubbish. My short stories, in combination with its beautiful illustrations, are unique. I never had days when I thought that I could not write and I today I am still writing. Most of the time I start with a poem (to grasp the essence). Later on I will write my stories. I always start with the end, so in a way I write them upside down! Writing is fulfilling.
JP
Meeting the deadline
It’s easy to procrastinate, to blame writers’ block and to put off finishing your project. How did you keep yourself motivated? And how long did it take you to write it? What was your routine?
LF
Because I have a regular job, I always do my writing on the side. I take my time, but I never have suffered from a writer’s block. The 22 stories for the book Can Cats Fly were written within 7 months. But these are the stories I decided to publish. I wrote many more!
JP
The biggest challenge
What was your biggest challenge regarding the writing of your book? How have you overcome that?
LF
The biggest challenge was to find a way to let go of my emotions. Once I realized I could do this by writing I overcame all my worries.
JP
Getting feedback
I believe that getting feedback is really important to help you recognise when your writing is really good and to find ways of making it even better. How did you get feedback on your work?
LF
Fortunately, I had the opportunity of consulting many people: family, friends, colleagues, students, business relations. But my editor, Anneke Pot, was the one who really got me going. We studied together, but lost contact. One day I sat in my car and thought about my stories. And it struck me! “I will have to contact Anneke’. She knows about literature, she is bilingual. I will ask her. And so I did.
JP
The top tip
If you were to give advice to someone else who is thinking about writing a book based on their life experience what would be your number one tip?
LF
Please go ahead and start writing! But if you want to sell the book, think about several ways of promoting it. (I clearly underestimated that part)
Personal note:
The book and website were launched in 2009. In January my father got the message. You have cancer. Again. This was the fourth time. I made a decision to care for my father. To give him all the support he needed. He died 16 October 2009.
My father suffered from cancer in a period of 10 years, on and off. He is one of the characters in the story Two Ounces More? If I would publish another book, I dedicate my stories to him. With love.
Libby Fisher / Bertine Visser
