Boot Power

For all of you who have a dream of doing something totally outside your realm, I offer a story so that you might silence the voices of doubt and empower yourself to realize your goals. I hope you can feel my confidence building.

I recently finished writing a book. Despite the disclaimer that I’m vested, I’m pretty confident that others will find inspiration in reading it. It’s a true story about sisters, the power of a mother’s love, and the search for hope amidst despair; all revolving around a remarkable journey of healing. So, once I finished the book, the challenge became how to put the book on someone’s reading list.

Earlier this year, I attending a “pitch” conference in New York City where I had the opportunity to meet with editors from well-known publishing houses in hopes of generating interest in a very competitive publishing world. Prior to the conference, my assignment was to write a one page summary of my book so that I could “pitch” to editors from some of the major New York City publishing companies. In the literary world, they’re called the “Big Houses.” Although the expectation for a book contract was slim to none, I felt porous and willing to soak up all advice directed towards success in getting my story out there.

The experience can be summarized in the following analogy:

Say you were invited to a much-anticipated dinner party and asked to bring a pumpkin pie. You perfected your recipe and felt good about sharing your deliciousness with others. Once there, the host told you that really, no one liked pumpkin pie and “do you think you could run home and make an apple pie instead?”

Too excited to be discouraged, you run home, whip up an apple pie, and return to the party. As you present your apple pie in hopes it would appeal to everyone, you’re told that really it wasn’t a pie she wanted, but rather an apple crisp. Still feeling like the party was worth your effort, you prepare the crisp and return once again. “A crisp from Ohio?” the host said…..”if only you used ingredients from a larger, more credible part of the country, like green apples from Brooklyn.”

And then she finally says, “Oh, on second thought, we aren’t serving dessert after all.”

Are you kidding me?

So, you can imagine my frustration while attending the conference. I was asked to write, then rewrite, then revise again a few paragraphs intended to communicate the heart of my story. Forget the writing quality, story engagement, or overall appeal of the actual book, it was all about a one page pitch. First I was advised to write the pitch about my sister, and then I was told to not write a pitch about my sister as it felt too “ordinary.” I experienced one disjointed rejection after another. The conference left me with the kind of discouragement that can derail the most creative endeavors. It lasted for months. I couldn’t even look at my book, believing it was a story only a mom could love…..and she was no longer with me.

And then, one day, I looked at myself in the mirror and remembered who was in charge of my dream. I knew my book was good, and I also knew it embodied a universal message that could resonate with others. All of a sudden, those dusty “big-girl boots” were pulled from beneath the pile of my self doubts. What did these young-enough-to-be-my-daughter editors know about a story they’d never read? Who were they to tell me that because I was from the Midwest my credibility was less than if I lived in Brooklyn. Oh, no, I said to myself in the mirror that day, I’ll show you.

And this, my friends, is why I have decided to self-publish my book. When I made the decision to forge ahead despite others’ doubt, I was re-energized. If I fail, I fail. But in the meantime, I will not allow anyone else to squelch the destiny of my story.

I share all this because I know many of you are sitting on a dream that has been suppressed for a variety of reasons. All it takes is for someone to tell you it’s a dumb idea and we crawl into the abyss of “never.” So, I ask you to join me in looking for your “big boots” that are somewhere in your life journey. Find them, dust them off and have faith in their well-worn soles. Don’t underestimate how you’ve empowered yourselves in the past. Just take a look in the mirror, put your shoulders back and find a way to strut with confidence. Bringing our dreams forward makes us all better off. I say let’s all bring our own very delicious dessert with tasting forks for all. Imagine how beautiful our banquet table would be.