In the last 5 years, I have self-published couple of books exclusively for my family circle and an e-book on Blogchatter. Yet the possibility of working on a book for a global audience, and with a publishing house, from the scratch is always a first-time experience. Guess this is the novelty that keeps authors (and budding ones) to continue working on books and articles. Having engaged readers, like you, is always a pleasure, as it helps in improving my skills as a writer.
I remember when I first saw the email from Let’s Author in July 2022 requesting me to get in touch with them, to get onboarded as an author for a parenting book titled How to Parent in a Crazy World. I thought that the email was a phishing email.So the first step was to search for Let’s Author online, and to my surprise, I saw my college senior’s post on social media where she was backing an author for the book One for the Road. I still went ahead and ignored this email for almost a month or more. Suddenly in September 2022, I find the same message from Let’s Author on my LinkedIn messaging Inbox. This time I decided to engage with them. Given my personal & professional commitments, I let them know that until end of October 2022 there was no way I could spare time for this opportunity. Having said that, I wanted to, at the very least, have a conversation to understand what their proposal was. So, we decided to get on a call by end of September 2022 and from that point there has been no looking back.
The crowdfunding was supposed to close by 15th Jan 2023. I was told that if the pre-orders did not reach the target of 500, then this project will be scrapped. The pre-orders were the way to fund for the publishing of the book as well as see how well the book and its concept was received by the readers, a kind of a dip-stick survey of the public interest. The team that remained came together and got that extended, given that the lead author and book co-ordinator left us abruptly.
Without any delay, I decided to bell the cat and sent an email to the entire team of remaining collaborating authors with a copy to Let’s Author asking for clarification on the status of this project along with highlighting the lapse in communication and cohesion within the team and coordination between the author team and Let’s Author publishing & marketing team. This paved the way for many changes to come including:
- A change in title of the book – Raising Children in a Changing World
- Moving into the Lead Author role for this new title, along with Jayne Ruff.
- While Jayne reworked on the concept of the book, by bringing clarity to its USP, we all brainstormed for additional chapters based on which we could source for collaborating authors & I handle the programme management aspects of the book.
- From the team of 5 who were remaining from the original project for which we came together, today we are a team of 12 collaborating authors, with each of them contributing one chapter to the book.
- Sharing real-life, relatable stories about the different changes and choices facing parents today
- Offer a global perspective on parenting in a complex and ever-changing world.
- Provide practical advice based on personal experience on adapting and responding to the changes within and around us.
- Its honesty and diversity affirm that there is no one way of parenting but many.
- Chapter 1: Parenting Ourselves Before We Parent Our Children
- Chapter 2: Raising Happy Kids and Balancing a Meaningful Career
- Chapter 3: Being a 'Woke' Amma
- Chapter 4: Raising Gender Sensitive Kids
- Chapter 5: Raising Kids in a Virtual World
- Chapter 6: Parenting and Mental Health
- Chapter 7: Parenting and Learning from My Special Needs Son
- Chapter 8: Raising My Children While Re-Parenting Myself
- Chapter 9: Raising Kids in A World Of Distraction And High Demand
- Chapter 10: Raising a Kid as a Single Parent
- Chapter 11: Supporting our Children through their ‘Coming Out’ Journey
- Chapter 12: Empowering from Birth
- #CauseAChatter challenge, as this is one of the ways by which I am leaving behind my responsible #DigialFootprints as well as working together with the team for the benefit of the larger collective, not just the team benefiting by publishing, but carefully bringing authors and their respective parenting stories for the rest of the world to also benefit from their journeys and lessons.
- #TBRChallenge (#BookChatter) for the year 2023. Of course I am going to read my own book while building the manuscript as well as after.
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