Part 3 of a four part series By Rhonda Britten, founder of the Fearless Living Institute

Sponsored by:

The editor of a publishing house is not just the person who will hold your hand through the whole book publishing madness; this person is also THE person in charge of selling your precious book to the entire publishing house. (See how important they are!) You can see the quandary you might find yourself in. The publisher who loves you (and your book) may not have the personality, drive, marketing skills to actually convince anyone else that your book is the next big thing. That's one of the big reasons your book could languish in oblivion after you have given it so much love and care.

But wait, it is normal to send your book and/or proposal to a ton of editors at the same time. (That's called a simultaneous submission.) And after fifty rejection letters and only one, 'I Love It" letter, you may be tempted to go with that one person who gets you. But wait, they have zilch personality and can't find their way out of the restroom. Ask yourself: Do you want this person to shepherd your book through the book maze? The answer, regrettably may be no.

Remember, each publishing house has multiple imprints. You can actually send your book to each and every imprint. Imprints don't normally mingle with each other so just because you were rejected by Dutton imprint of Penguin-Putnam, it doesn't mean you won't get picked up by Perigee of Penguin-Putnam. See, the opportunities are amazing. Your job is to find the one that gets you and has what it takes to speak, sell and breathe your book day in and day out so your book gets the attention it deserves.

Therefore, what's next? What are your options? Hire an editor to help your book become better. Contact a ghost writer and slash the book until it shines. Throw the thing in the trash and start over. Keep on sending it out. Decide mainstream publishing isn't for you and do the e-book/website combo. (FYI: That might be your best and most lucrative option.)

Note to self: Choose your editor wisely. They are THE key to a successful relationship with your publisher.

It isn't always the best choice to have your book published by a large publishing house. Sometimes the greatest gift you can give yourself is put your dream of fame aside and actually get down to the work of the work, your work. And that might mean building a new website with gads of savvy tech stuff so you can sell your book via e-book chapter by chapter. Or give away a teaser chapter for free and sell your book to all those folks who clamor for more.

It all comes down to your intention. What is your reason, your purpose, your motivation to write this baby? Build your cache? Create a brand? Open up new markets? Knowing the reason why you write what you write will help you determine what is the best form to express your words of wisdom.

Here comes the coaching part:

If you could pick one result you would absolutely achieve by writing a book, what would it be? Only one please. And if it is getting on Oprah, an Oprah appearance does not guarantee a New York Times bestseller or that you and Oprah will have lunch every Tuesday. So what's the real reason? Money? Fame? Accolades?

The best thing you can do is be truthful with this one. Don't tell yourself it is for sharing who you are when you secretly have a desire to get more gigs, more money and more whatever. If you aren't truthful here, your whole book will be a fraud.

The truth is always best. The Fearless Truth!

Feedback is welcome at ExpertSeries@choice-online.com
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This email is sponsored by The International Coaching Consortium for Coaching in Organizations ICCO invites you personally to attend the 6th annual symposium, "Leveraging Cultural Differences in the Global World" being held Oct 11 - 13 in Toronto , Canada . There will be conversations about organizations and coaching and how they interrelate. For more details see www.coachingconsortium.org/events- 0507.html.