As 2021 was coming to a close and I sat reflecting on the previous two years, I decided to do something I’d never done before. Write an end of the year YAY-YOU! letter to my clients because collectively and individually they made the last few years easier to walk through and continue to give me many things to celebrate.
While many received the letter in the mail or their inboxes, I've decided to post a portion of the letter here. First, because it provides clients mentioned below a link to share with friends and family, one more asset they can use to build their brands and promote their work. The other reason is to give people who are interested in what I do a snapshot of my work and the wonderful people I get to do it with.
For all those reasons, I’m delighted to announce the following.
• Etaf Rum’s debut novel, A WOMAN IS NO MAN, which quickly hit the New York Times, Publisher’s Weekly, and Amazon Charts bestseller lists and was a TODAY Show Read with Jenna Book of the Month pick when it launched in 2019 went international in 2020. It is now available in English, Arabic, French, Italian, Greek, Vietnamese, and Portuguese.
• GONE: A MEMOIR OF LOVE, BODY, AND TAKING BACK MY LIFE, a survivor memoir by Linda K. Olson, MD (retired), was listed by PARADE Magazine as one of the “24 Best Memoirs to Read in 2020” and Brit + Co.’s “12 Must-Read Memoirs for Fall.” It also won a Shelf Unbound 2020 Top Notable Indie and was listed as a Warwick's bookstore San Diego, CA Nonfiction Favorite. UpJourney Magazine also listed it as one of “40 Best Self-Help Books for Women.”
• Monica E. Pierce’s LEANING OUT: AN ALTERNATIVE PERSPECTIVE FOR THE MODERN CORPORATE WOMAN was a Publishers Weekly BookLife Prize quarter finalist.
• Colleen Higgins, R. Ph.’s book, THE CANNABIS PRESCRIPTION: HOW TO USE MEDICAL MARIJUANA TO REDUCE OR REPLACE PHARMACEUTICAL MEDICATIONS, was a NYC Big Book Award winner and Amazon #1 New Release in Pharmacy.
• SHADOWS TO LIGHT: A MORALITY TALE by M.V. Maddux was a Rediscovered Books bestseller.
• Memoirist Carol Glick took me seriously when I said that every author benefits from being published by publications that exercise editorial discretion. She wrote, pitched, and found homes for essays in the following literary magazines: Potato Soup Journal, Scarlet Leaf Review, and Adelaide.
• Laura Jenski launched her novel FALLING PLASTER. About it, The BookLife Prize says, “Jenski’s novel is fast-paced and well plotted.”
• Patty George Beckman’s book, THE SELLOUT, which is based on a true story, kicked things off in 2021 with its launch early in the year. Reviewers enthusiastically recommend it.
• Nightlife entrepreneur Steve Adelman signed with Santa Monica Press for his forthcoming entertaining and intellectual memoir, NOCTURNAL ADMISSIONS: BEHIND THE SCENES AT TUNNEL, LIMELIGHT, AVALON, AND OTHER LEGENDARY CLUBS.
• Stephen M. Sagar, MD’s fascinating medical history book, VITAMIN C: A 500-YEAR SCIENTIFIC BIOGRAPHY FROM SCURVY TO PSEUDOSCIENCE, was acquired by Prometheus Books and will be published in 2022.
• Lou Anne Wellford, MD is a Writer’s League of Texas General Nonfiction Winner. Her manuscript offers a multi-facetted look at organ donation.
• BUT MY SPEECH IS FINE! SPEECH LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY: TRUE STORIES OF A MISUNDERSTOOD PROFESSION by Lauren Hermann, M.S. CCC-SLP was an Amazon #1 New Release in Job Hunting; an Amazon #1 Best Seller in Audiology and Speech Pathology; and an Amazon #1 New Release in Audiology and Speech Pathology soon after its launch.
• THE CANNABIS PRESCRIPTION, won an Independent Publishers Silver Medal in the Health/Medicine/Nutrition category.
• GONE continues to touch reader’s hearts and garner praise, winning an IPPY Gold Award for Autobiography/Memoir; Reader Views Reviewers Choice Award, Silver; and a Maxy Awards for nonfiction.
• Carol’s 2020 piece “Indulgence” was selected as one of the few to be published in Potato Soup Journal’s 2021 anthology.
• BROKEN TO BRILLIANT: OVERCOME OBSTACLES TO CREATE OPPORTUNITIES & ACHIEVE THE IMPOSSIBLE by Gary Buckmann, a former National USA coaching staff member for women’s gymnastics and has worked with 5 Olympic Gold Medal winners, is full of heart and wisdom, the perfect pandemic pick-me-up.
• LEANING OUT continues to resonate with working women and was an Eric Hoffer Nonfiction/Self-Help winner and a finalist for the Montaige Medal.
• Scott Marchant’s Hiking Idaho hiking guidebooks were popular pre-pandemic, but the influx of people to Idaho and need to find socially distanced ways to exercise have made them all the more popular.
• Professional photographer David R. Day’s coffee table book, IDAHO WATERS, is a hit—making Rediscovered Books Top 10 Bestsellers list for 12/6-12/12/2021. David is staying busy with book signings at art galleries and local retailers.
• And retired police officer Clayton Moore’s memoir, GOOD COP, BLACK COP: GUILTY UNTIL PROVEN INNOCENT won an NYC Book Award in Nonfiction/African American.
I can hardly wait to hold in my hands Steve Adelman, Steve Sagar, Larry Mandelberg (business/leadership), and Alicia Robertson’s (divorce recovery, self-help) books—all scheduled to launch in 2022. On the academic press side, I’m counting the days until the release of Lisa Schelbe, PhD’s book that offers a window into social work and the lives of the people it touches.
We will also likely see a memoir by Andrea Kirby, the first full-time female reporter in ABC Sports history and a regular on College Scoreboard and Wide World of Sports. And stay tuned for renowned wildlife artist (featured in the New York Times and recipient of special Congressional recognition) JoAnne Helfert Sullam’s memoir.
Based on what I’ve seen this year from new clients and the momentum many long-standing clients have created for themselves, 2022 is shaping up to be a stellar year on the publishing side.
Ready to talk to an experienced and results-oriented ghostwriter/book collaborator, book doctor, and developmental editor? To schedule a free, 30-minute consultation, click here.
Feature Image by Alexandr Podvalny from Pixabay
CI Communication Strategies
2022
