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"Do or Do Not, There is no 'Try'"- Yoda in the movie The Empire Strikes Back
In December I had a very vivid dream that I had a new born baby. Well I am well past the age that is even possible. Since I had just published my book a few days earlier, I am pretty sure that dream was about taking care of my book.
It took exactly nine months from the time I started writing, just after I got home from the Boston Marathon until the book was published.
Writing was the easy part and only took about two month. Editing was harder since I had to go over the book to make the corrections my editor wanted.
There was a bit of family drama about getting a release so we could submit to a book contest. All that is easy with what comes now.
Now I have to promote and sell the book. Asking people to buy my book is not in my skill set so I know that is going to be a challenge. I think about how to promote it all the time. Unfortunately most of the promotions cost money and putting this book together cost thousands of dollars already. I will be lucky if I break even because I am donating most of the profits to CMT research and programs.
I heard the other day the average author only sells about 250 books. I also heard a radio report Wisconsin Governor Walker only sold 7000 books and he is known across the country.
It is tough to break through a crowded book market. Still I am going to try. I have partnered with the Hereditary Neuropathy Foundation to promote the book A story will appear in their next newsletter. The newsletter has a circulation of over 20,000 so if even if only a small portion buy the book we will raise a nice amount of money.
Some other plans in the works as well which I will write about as they unfold. I kept this book almost completely secret when I was writing it. Only one person knew about it. I kept is secret because one of the other CMT groups seems to copy everything I do. I wanted it published and in circulation before that could happen. Always seems to be drama in the non profit CMT world.
So along with juggling training and writing I can add promotion to my "To Do" list. Sometimes I wonder where I will find the time for the energy. I have to tell myself promoting this book is like training for and running a marathon. It does not have to happen right away. I have to take my time and let it unfold.
Sometimes I hold back on telling people about my book, especially co-workers. I wonder what they will think. Not that I am trying to hide my CMT. It is just that I wrote some really personal things both about being a CMT affected athlete and some of the things that have happened in my life.
I think that is normal for an author. When I went to an author meet and greet at my publishers a few months ago, several authors said the same thing. Many expressed how their books shared very personal stories or were about tough topics like battling depression. Expressing these things makes us human and I think makes for an more interesting stories. I hope those who read the book find it an interesting and inspiring story.
So I have lots to think about and lots to do, but I have gotten this far with my book and I intend to take good care of my baby. I want it to sell as widely as possible to raise awareness of CMT and to raise funds for CMT research and programs.
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| Author at National Duathon Championship Arizonia 2013 |
Chris
Wodke
Founder
& Manager Team CMT
www.run4cmt.com
Chris is
a triathlete and long distance runner. She is a two time participant of the
Boston Marathon. She was the 2012
National Champion Paratriathlon Open Division. In 2013 she qualified as a
member of the Team USA Duathlon Team. She will compete in 2014 at the Age Group
World Duathlon Sprint Championship in Pontevedre Spain .
She is
the author of the book, “Running for My Life” that details her experience as a
CMT affected athlete.
Team CMT
is a group of athletes and supporters working to raise awareness and to find a cure
for CMT. We have 143 members in 28 states. We also have members in Australia , Canada ,
Vietnam , Turkey , Finland
and Iran .
If you wish to join us visit our web site; www.run4cmt.com
or www.hnf-cure.org
CMT or
Charcot-Marie-Tooth is the most commonly inherited peripheral neuropathy. It
affects over 155,000 Americans (as many as MS). It is a disease of the nerves
that control the muscles. It is slowly progressive, causing loss of normal
function and or sensation in the lower legs/feet and arms/hands.
Symptoms
include; muscle wasting in the lower legs and feet leading to foot drop, poor
balance and gait problems Atrophy in the hands causes difficulty with manual
dexterity.
Structural
foot deformities such as high arches and hammer toes are common.
Poor
tolerance for cool or cold temperatures and many people have chronically cold
hands and feet.
Additional
symptoms may include fatigue, sleep apnea, breathing difficulties and hearing
loss.
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