Publish a Book to Support Your Cause
It’s common for celebrities who experience tragedy and want to help others to have a book published by a traditional publisher. But now, “everyday people” can do the same thing. The power of publishing has truly gone public.
Thanks to continuing advancements in digital technology and print-on-demand resources, more people who want to make others aware of a worthy cause can have a professionally published book.
When Margarete Cassalina lost her daughter Jena to cystic fibrosis, her world stopped; life, as she knew it, was over. Within one year, however, Cassalina went from the depths of depression to simply existing to recovery, discovering that she could not just survive but even harness the power of true and absolute love. She literally went from “beyond breathing” to living a full and purposeful life.
Cassalina published her book, “Beyond Breathing,” through iUniverse (an imprint of indie publisher Author Solutions), and a film about her story is currently in production. Sixty-five percent of the net proceeds from book sales go to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
Indie book publishing empowers anyone to publish a professionally designed book, maintaining complete control of the content, rights and marketing. For as little as $1,000, a book can be available for sale on all leading online retailers and ordered at any bookstore.
In Reg Green’s case, his world turned upside down when his son Nicholas was murdered. Green published “The Nicholas Effect” through Author Solutions imprint AuthorHouse. The book chronicles his experience and promotes organ donation. Nicholas saved the lives of seven people who received his organs. Green has sold tens of thousands of books and speaks regularly on the topic of organ donation.
Self-Publishing Helps Parents Share New Books with Kids
It’s no surprise that parents today seek books that will delight, engage, and educate their children. However, some parents are seeing gaps in the available options of topics they want to share with their children. To combat this, there is a growing trend of parents who have taken matters into their own hands and turned to self-publishing to fill these holes themselves. Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) from Amazon is one self-publishing option that offers editorial freedom and ease of use for busy parents looking to create something that meets their kids’ needs. KDP success stories include Handeep Dhoot (who writes as “Dr. Dhoot”), a mom with a Ph.D. in chemistry who wanted to introduce her young daughter to STEM topics. Dr. Dhoot has self-published the growing Tinker Toddler series of STEM books aimed at young children, including Machine Learning for Babies & Toddlers.” Becoming a parent helped me realize the urgency for introducing scientific topics, like STEM, to kids while their brains are still developing. KDP allowed me to self-publish books that portray these ideas in an accurate and digestible way for kids, including my own daughter.” Gabi Garcia, a long-time school counselor and mom, turned to self-publishing when she saw a lack of books for Spanish-speaking and bilingual children about how to understand their emotions and feelings. “It’s so important to engage with children early to discuss mindfulness. Self-publishing on KDP empowered me to take all that I’d learned and seen as a school counselor and make it accessible to more children, in both English and Spanish.” She has published several books on these topics through KDP, including Listening to My Body, published in both English and Spanish. She now writes full-time on mindfulness and social awareness topics for children, parents, and educators. Brendan Kelso struggled with dyslexia as a child, but found learning and performing dramatic monologues helpful. He enjoyed Shakespeare, but, like many young readers, found the text hard to understand. After a career in engineering, he became a stay-at-home dad and came up with an idea to write versions of Shakespeare’s plays that were more accessible to kids. His love of theater and writing led him to self-publish several works through KDP, starting with Shakespeare’s Hamlet for Kids. “I have the freedom to spend more time with my family, while pursuing my passion on my own terms with KDP.” These parents have been able to create the books they couldn’t find for kids and found financial success – and sometimes a whole new career – in the process. For those parents who are toying with self-publishing, but still have questions, consider this:* KDP lets authors set their own prices and retain all rights to their work.* As an author, you can publish your book in minutes, and these books are available to a worldwide audience through Kindle online stores in 24-48 hours.* You can publish Kindle eBooks and paperbacks in multiple languages. Visit kdp.amazon.com for more information about Kindle Direct Publishing.