A few months ago I hinted (here and here) that fellow blogger and friend Carla (MizFit) and I were working on a book proposal together.
This is uncharted territory for me. I know nothing of the traditional writing and publishing world. Nothing. But we pulled together a proposal with the help of an agent, wrote our sample chapters and are now waiting.
And waiting.
And WAITING.
For a blogger, or, well, ME, this is tough. I’m so used to having an idea, writing my thoughts and then hitting publish. There is no filter or pitch or editor or approval process. It’s me, my laptop and, well you!
The book world? Not so simple. I always assumed this, but now I know.
We recently asked our agent for some feedback and she replied with,
"…people are really excited about you [Carla] and Roni as authors. They love your style, LOVE your platforms and think you’re a winning combination. The main hangup right now, is that this book doesn’t have that one big dieting hook that will draw people."
Now, I realize I never told you exactly what the book is about so her comment may seem like a disappointment but it’s not. It’s exactly what I wanted to here!
Well, not exactly, but it didn’t bother me in the least bit.
Let me ‘splain.
No, there is too much. Let me sum up.
The book we are pitching is a journal of sorts. It’s not a "diet" book. It’s not a "look how we lost so much weight" book. It’s part inspiration, part journal, part resource. We share our experience and coach readers to make small changes in the way they think about food, fitness and confidence.
In a way, we are writing this book in response to the hundreds, if not thousands, of books out there that make outlandish claims and prey on our insecurities. The ones that tell us we can lose X number of pounds in X many days. The ones the outline yet another eating plan or exercise routine. The ones we keep buying in to because we are seduced by their empty promises when really our problem lies much deeper.
So when a publisher tells me they are not interested in my book because it "doesn’t have that one big dieting hook" I smile because that’s the point.
The Hook is… There is no Hook!
I’m tired of hooks.
Aren’t you?
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