There is no feeling in the world that can match the moment when, as a new author, you get to see the first box of your books opened. You take out the first copy and the rush of adrenalin, joy, emotion and excitement can knock you sideways. I experienced this myself, back in 1985, when my first book, French Tarts, arrived at my London flat.

Last week, it was Niamh Ni Bhroin’s turn. Her memoir, The Singing Warrior, had arrived on my doorstep the previous week when she had been away for Christmas and it was agony for me to look at the box of 30 copies that sat on the floor of my office, knowing that its author had yet to hold the first copy in her hands.

As a publisher, I am privileged to watch many of my authors as they take that first copy in their hands, turn it over, smooth the cover, hold it to their heart for a moment and then look me in the eye for a moment before they dare to take a peek inside.

Here is Niamh, signing the first copy of her memoir for me. The next day, she admitted that she had gone to sleep that night holding her ‘baby’.

Niamh’s memoir tells the story of her journey from childhood abuse in Ireland, to a life overseas and, at the age of 50, her path to healing. If you would like to review this book or interview Niamh please get in touch with me.

I first met Carolyn a little over two years ago when she interviewed me about my own book, A Career in Your Suitcase, for a local paper called The Local Expat. What grew from this meeting was a friendship and business relationship that has led me to hire Carolyn as one of my editors and Carolyn to hire me for publishing advice. I have known about black and (A)broad since soon after it was conceived and have been delighted and privileged to be part of the process of birthing this wonderful, deep and insightful book, which was published last week. Carolyn has been writing a blog at BlackandAbroad for a while now and in 2009 it won the Best International Blog Award.

In  black and (A)broad: traveling beyond the limitations of identity Carolyn writes about how traveling and living abroad have transformed her identity as a black American woman. It is through the pages of this beautifully written memoir that I have come to understand more about the identity of a black American woman than ever before and how that is further impacted by moving overseas as what is sometimes called a love immigrant.

Over a year ago, I spoke to Carolyn about her book, in a vodcast for the Publishing Academy and that you can look at  here, below.

Today, I bring you the answers to the questions you are all burning to ask.

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JP

Why did you write it?

CV

My initial motivation to write my memoir was that I had something to say, and I wanted to say it. As I got deeper into the writing process, my motivation changed and it became about inspiring others to avoid limiting their potential by buying into other people’s definitions of who they are.

JP

Why do you think needed to be written? What will your book do for other people?

CV

My travels taught me that the negative images and stereotypes surrounding black womanhood are geographically specific and culturally determined. Unfortunately, too many black women in America have internalized the culture’s racist and sexist ideology. Being outside the US gave me the physical space I needed to question the beliefs behind the negative images and stereotypes. I discovered that my beliefs about myself were much, much different. With the emotional distance gained from living abroad, I was able to redefine the strong, independent black woman label that I’d been trying to live out. I’ve reached the point in my journey where I can define my identity in my own terms and on my own terms. I hope my book will inspire other black women to embark on their own journey toward self-definition.

JP

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?

CV

Even though I wrote black and (A)broad: traveling beyond the limitations of identity with black women in mind, it can benefit the expat community. Many of my experiences that deal with settling into a foreign culture will resonate with expats of any color or ethnicity. Furthermore, my message will resonate with a general public because we all have identity issues.

JP

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?

CV

I was recently interviewed by Don McCauley of The Free Publicity Group about my marketing strategy for my memoir. Click on the link to read it!

JP

How did you publish your book? What was your route to publication?

CV

Early on in my writing process I decided to publish independently. I established Adelaar Books for that reason. I wanted to be in control of my creative process, which included using my own voice to write my life story. In addition, I figured I knew best how to reach my niche markets: black women and expat women. I built up a strong network online as well as through a phenomenal networking group in The Hague called Connecting Women.

JP

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?

CV

Staying confident in my writing abilities and in the belief that my story was compelling enough for others to want to read about was my biggest obstacle. I’d read a book called The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron and took up her suggestion to do a writing meditation every day. Writing my “morning pages” created a safe space for me to empty my head and my heart of the self-sabotaging thoughts I’d been carrying around for a long time. They gave me a tool for looking at my doubts square on and understand the underlying beliefs that informed them. In addition, I got lots of positive feedback from the articles I posted on my blog. Winning the 2009 Black Weblogs Award boosted my confidence and motivated me to keep writing. I also joined two writing groups, which gave me the support I needed.

JP

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?

CV

Procrastination is an ugly little beast! I missed almost all of my self-imposed deadlines. It took me three years to write my book because I was doing it part time. I have two small children, 7 and 3, and could only write when they were at school and daycare. Since I only had 16 hours per week to write, I had to build up my discipline. Each writing day the same thought raced through my head: I don’t feel like writing today. Each writing day I reminded myself of a piece of advice from Julia Cameron’s book, which was to show up at the page. I figured, if I didn’t do anything else but to show up willing to write, inspiration to write would follow, and nine times out of ten it did.

Another thing I did to stay motivated was to not censor the ideas as they came. If the universe entrusted me with the gift of words, who was I to judge the words as the universe fed them to me? I learned to trust the magic behind the words, which also kept me motivated to write them down. Of course, I had to go back and revise, revise and revise again, but I did so with trust instead of doubt.

JP

What was your biggest challenge regarding the writing of your book? How have you overcome that?

CV

My biggest challenge was self-doubt, and I overcame that by not giving into self-criticism. Julia Cameron’s book taught me that that critical voice inside my head was nothing more than the fear of reconnecting with my authentic self. My identity had been wrapped up in the tragedies of my childhood as well as in America’s obsession with race. Those things had created a thick wall around my authentic self. In order to reach that self, I had to let go of the beliefs that I’d carried around me my entire life. That’s scary stuff. What if I didn’t like my authentic self? As I broke through that wall, I discovered things about myself that I didn’t like but, with the help of the morning pages, I was able to embrace those ugly parts of myself while focusing on the beautiful parts. That process gave me lots of confidence. I also kept reminding myself of all my accomplishments, even the banal ones like getting out of bed every morning, showering, putting on nice clothes and make up, hugging my children every morning, getting them fed, dressed and out the door on time. We tend to take those things for granted, but they are accomplishments, and seeing them as such boosted my confidence, which kept me writing.

JP

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?

CV

Through my blog, my writing groups and my writing coach.

JP

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?

CV

Just do it.

One 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

Could you, should you, write a book?

If this is a question that you often ask yourself, then maybe it’s time to find out. On 9th July I’m running a Special Interest Group workshop for the European Professional Women’s network in Amsterdam. It will cover topics including:

• what makes a book sell?
• what is a wow factor?
• could I really write a book?
• what book would make me the most money?
• how can a book help me raise my fees?

So, if you need to be inspired, informed and supported hurry and grab your place on this free workshop. led by me, Jo Parfitt, from 7-9pm at the Renaissance Hotel in Amsterdam.

Places are limited and the link is here http://europeanpwn-amsterdam.net/workshops/publish-your-book

I have just had a great meeting with Bea Stanford, who found herself as an expat in a part of The Netherlands that has no existing infrastructure for expats like her. So, realising that there was a need to network with other expats she started Inside Twente. This neat site has blogs and forums and is a kind of Facebook for Twente dwellers. It is also a really good place to get yourself know. Being a big fish in a small pond means you are more likely to get noticed. So, if you have a book that might interest these hungry Twente expats, or would like to meet some inspiring folk. Drop by Inside Twente. I’ve just joined the club and am thrilled by Bea’s wonderful initiative. I am glad to be part of Inside Twente.

On May 10th I had the privilege of being invited to attend the ordination ceremony of my friend Barbara Rogoski. Now able to perform ceremonies in English for people of any religion, Barbara is based here in the Netherlands. Her inordination as a Pathways of Life minister was the culmination of her own spiritual journey, which has led her from a high-stress, high-pace corporate sales career to this. Barbara runs a business called Authentic Matters. I was thrilled to attend her special day.

I belong to a great networking group here in The Hague, called Connecting Women. This year is our 10th anniversary and to celebrate we are collecting stories from our members old and new. These stories are available online for everyone to see and be inspired by. Do take a look. As soon as we have 100 we are going to produce a print book. If you want to see what kind of a bunch we are – and see me too (I am in the red dress) then take a look at the photos we have posted from our anniversary dinner at Madurodam.

I have always believed that belonging to a group like Connecting Women is key to my settling in somewhere new. In fact, joining a group that shares my own interests is the first thing I do when I arrive. The next thing I do is to try to get a position on the board. After six months here, I joined CW in charge of workshops.

Despite my own passion for networking, it seems others do not share my enthusiasm. This is why I am now offering a new workshop called Networking Know-How, designed to dispel all those myths and fears and have you all clamouring to network too!