Dr Johnson on Success

Samuel Johnson grew up poor and handicapped in 18^th Century. He was also brilliant and determined to be independent. Son of a bookseller, Johnson was a voracious reader.

While attending, young Samuel was mortified when a fellow student left a pair of shoes on the doorstep one night after noticing the condition of his tattered shoes. He dropped out of after a year, unable to pay his tuition.

Johnson started a teaching career. Lacking a degree, and with physical handicaps that made him a target for children’s disrespect, he was not successful.

So he turned to writing where his career finally blossomed. Johnson was a prolific writer, creating a dictionary, poems, sermons, books, and political essays. Today he is the second most frequently quoted person in the English-speaking world, second only to Shakespeare.

What does this story have to do with you?

At first glance, nothing.

Look a little deeper into his writings and you’ll find this quote:

“To be happy at home is the ultimate result of all ambition.”

Bam. Kind of hits you right between the eyes doesn’t it?

At this time of year when we are rushing around with holiday preparations, looking back at 2008 and beating ourselves up for all the things we did or did not do, those twelve words put it all into perspective.

Ponder this on a winter’s night:

• Are you happy at home?
• How can you mark and celebrate the richness of your home life?
• In what ways does your business support your home life or subtract from it?
• What are you going to do to enhance your happiness at home?

As you wind up 2008 and look ahead to 2009, use these words to create what really matters in your life and your business. Do the same for your readers.

“To be happy at home is the ultimate result of all ambition.”
Samuel Johnson

Raise your glass with me in celebration of all the little things that make home feel like home.

Salute!

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Advocate for Your Readers

In my work as a publisher, I have the opportunity to read many manuscripts from new authors. Many are wonderful. Some unfortunately, are in need of a makeover.

Some books just feel ‘off’.  It’s hard to identify the problem, but they just don’t feel right.

After much study and comparison, I’ve identified a trend in the manuscripts that are not quite ready for publication. It’s a very subtle but important distinction.

The best books are written FOR a reader.
Unsuccessful books are written TO a reader.

If your book feels preachy, arrogant, or judgmental, your reader will not benefit from your words.
For example, if you have strong feelings about teen drinking and write a 250-page book on how sinful and terrible teenage drinking is, how many teens do you think will read it?

On the other hand, if you wrote a funny, compassionate book about the struggles teens encounter with peer pressure, including the pressure to drink alcohol, and gave them easy strategies they could use to avoid alcohol and drugs, your book would be much more attractive to your readers. It would be even better if you had a teen-aged co-author who could speak directly to his/her peers, using their language.

As your plan and write your book, use these questions to ensure that you are advocating for your reader in your book, instead of lecturing them:

• Who is my ideal reader?
• What problem does this book solve for my reader?
• What emotional impact does this problem cause for my reader?
• How can I demonstrate my understanding and compassion for my reader?
• Where can I praise my reader for seeking a new solution in this book?
• How can I encourage my reader that the solutions in the book will help?
• What stories can I tell that will show my reader that I understand this issue and demonstrate my own vulnerability?
• How can I make reading this book an enjoyable experience, even if it is about a difficult topic?

When you remember that as an author, you are an advocate for your readers, you will write a book that connects to the heads and the hearts of your audience.

‘For’ and ‘to’ are small words. Yet, they carry a powerful reminder for authors. I have them on a sticky note on my computer as a constant reminder.

Hope this article was helpful FOR you!


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