Unlikely Duo Create Book to Encourage Writing, Publishing
Writers naturally tend to view life as a series of narratives, each event as a potential plot line, each person a potential character with a unique story to tell. For many aspiring writers, it is not a lack of ideas or anecdotes that keeps them from writing, but the misconception that they will pour themselves into their masterpiece and never realize the magic of seeing their words in print. If Neil Shulman and Eric Spencer have things their way, not only will these publishing stereotypes be broken, but every person who reads Get Between the Covers: Leave a Legacy by Writing a Book will go on to author a book of their own.
When Shulman and Spencer first met through a family friend in 2001, they envisioned writing a useful and interesting book that was accessible to emerging writers. "There are millions of people out there who would like to write a book," said Spencer. "Our goal with this project is to help these people go from having an idea about a book to actually writing and getting it published." Shulman agrees, and believes that everyone should try to write a book at some point in their life. "Writing is one of the healthiest things you can do, spending some time with yourself and your own creativity and experiences. It's a real confidence builder," he said. "Everyone has a book in them. A page a day for six months and it's done. It's the one thing in life you can do that you have total control over."
Shulman and Spencer set out to write a book that covered every facet of writing and publishing. They researched over 150 books and interviewed 100 of the publishing industry's best and brightest authors, editors and publishers, many of whom have endorsed the book because of the impact they feel it could have on the future of the publishing industry. The duo worked together in a creative partnership that brought together the best of two worlds. "Neil is more of the creative mind, and I am the business man. In any partnership, it is important to find someone who complements your style," said Spencer. Shulman agrees, saying "It takes a certain chemistry to collaborate on a project like this. With my writing experience and Eric's fresh approach of just starting out, we represent both ends of the spectrum. We felt we could make much more impact working together." After five years of research, writing and editing, the two were ready to make their book available to the millions of potential writers who were looking for the motivation to write their own story.
With Shulman's background in writing and publishing, the two were familiar with traditional publishing houses. "I've been writing and submitting my work to traditional publishers since 1974," Shulman said. "I've gotten so many rejection letters that the mail man used to cry when he delivered my mail." But the two were not worried about their work being accepted by a traditional publisher. Instead, they wanted to spread the word about the self-publishing option. "If you go out on the street and ask people about self-publishing, most people just don't realize it's possible," Shulman said. "Publishing with AuthorHouse was a statement in itself. It was a way to encourage other people to get between the covers."
For Spencer, the largest problem with traditional publishers was the time lag between submission and release of the book. "When you compare the amount of time it can take to get a book published, not even counting the entire acceptance process, it can take years to get a book out," he said. By choosing AuthorHouse, Shulman and Spencer were able to work with a team of Author Advocates who were as excited about getting their book on the market as they were. "We felt that AuthorHouse had more to offer than the other print-on-demand publishers," said Spencer. At AuthorHouse, they were able to submit their completed manuscript at the end of September, and within two months were approving the final galley, choosing their royalty rate and setting the market price.
Shulman, after years of working with traditional publishers, was glad to be making decisions and providing input about Get Between the Covers. "It's like having your own publishing house, where you can make all your own decisions and do things your way," Shulman said. Like many first time authors, Spencer was excited to be working with a design team and speaking directly to his book designer. "The design team was amazing, and it really blew my mind to see the galley. It's a quick process for such a high-quality product," Spencer said.
With the book finalized and ready to go to print, Shulman and Spencer set out to implement their marketing plan. The first step includes a December 28th launch on Amazon.com designed to gain exposure and drive the book to the top of the Amazon bestseller list. To encourage purchases on the launch date, Shulman and Spencer will be investing all of the profits from sales on the 28th to create two community literacy programs. One endeavor will include a literary grant and scholarship program to encourage high school and college students to write and publish a book, and another program will donate books to less-fortunate children in hopes of generating a love of reading at a young age. As with every other aspect of the project, encouraging people to read and write is Shulman and Spencer's primary goal.
Both Shulman and Spencer found writing and publishing Get Between the Covers to be a fulfilling experience, and encourage other aspiring authors to take the first step toward writing their own book. Shulman recommends that writers dive in when they feel the urge to write: "Don't think about it too much, you can always tear up your first draft and start on another. But until you have some content, there isn't much to work with." Spencer advises emerging writers to read Get Between the Covers to get a basic understanding of writing and publishing and then stick with their decision to write. "Even if you are writing about something that interests you, writing can take discipline and learning on the job, but you get better as time goes on. Everyone has ideas and knowledge that is important to share with our generation and future generations," he said.
On the surface, Shulman and Spencer may seem like unlikely partners. Shulman is an author, doctor and speaker with over 25 years of writing experience. He's written or co-authored over 20 books, including What? Dead Again?, which became the movie Doc Hollywood starring Michael J. Fox. When he began working with Shulman in 2001, Spencer had just graduated from Duke University with a background in finance and entrepreneurship. But the combination of writing experience, creativity and a double dose of passion for the literary arts created an undeniable synergy that has produced a book that will inspire all who read it to begin writing their own story. For more information about Get Between the Covers: Leave a Legacy by Writing a Book, the authors and the December 28th release date, please visit http://www.getbetweenthecovers.com/.
