Join my email book club. Over 330,000 people read 5-minutes a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/
Dear Reader,
Curtis was curious, so he wrote and asked...
"Suzanne, I just realized something. I don't remember you writing about what 'you' are reading and how it impacts you. You seem to be living my dream life, surrounded by books, free to kick back and read what you like and getting paid for it to boot! I would love to do what you do.
My passion is turning people onto audio books. I check things out of the library and lend them to co-workers just to get them started. I love to get the book back and then have a chat about how they liked it. One thing I can't believe is how challenged people are in using the library. I would love to run training sessions on using the online catalog, reserving books and tapes, etc. How can I get paid for doing what I love? (Instead of crunching numbers and stressing over deadlines all day.)
I suspect the reality of your job may be somewhat different. Maybe you are so busy answering emails, calling publishers and libraries and baking cookies that you don't have time to read. That would just be too bad!"--Curtis M.
(Suzanne responds:)
Curtis, one of the books I've been reading lately is Writing Poetry: From the Inside Out by Sandford Lyne. Even if you aren't interested in learning how to write poetry, you'll love the book. The author snagged me right away with his wonderful storytelling.
I was so inspired when I was reading Sandford's stories, that I found myself talking out loud to him, making comments and hoping for a reply. But when I called the publisher to get Sandford's telephone number I discovered that he'd passed away this past February, one month before his book was published. What a sad thing to hear. But thankfully Sandford didn't have to wait to write a book to discover his passion, he'd been leading poetry writing workshops across the country for 20 years.
It's wonderful that you've discovered something you're passionate about, too. Keep your day job and don't be concerned whether or not you're getting paid when you work on your new idea.
I'm not downplaying getting paid for what you do. Everybody needs to pay the light bill. But I'd have to say that most of the things I've done in my life--the things that have turned into a career--I started out doing for free, including the book clubs.
Offer one "how-to" library class, and see what happens. Think of it as an experiment. And don't be put off by numbers, if ten people sign up, great. If only one person signs up, that's just as good. You still get to share your love of books with another person. Trust your instincts and follow your heart.
Now about my job, yes, it's very different from what you envision, but that doesn't mean I don't love what I do. There are 15 people on my staff. Not only do we provide book clubs for libraries, we also create specialty book clubs for publishers and we develop software programs for libraries, too. And yes, I do get time to read, but who ever gets enough time to read--not even me!
Best of luck to you, Curtis. I hope you decide to create an adventure for yourself. And in the meantime, sample some of Writing Poetry: From the Inside Out by Sandford Lyne. To read two inspiring chapters and enter to win a copy of his book--I have 15 books to give away--go to:
http://tinyurl.com/2t5uma
Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.
Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com
http://www.DearReader.com
AUTHORBUZZ: Books that you'll want to read, authors you'll want to meet and signed copies for winners. Jean Sasson, Love in a Torn Land; Jennifer Kaufman and Karen Mack, Literacy and Longing in LA; Emma Mclaughlin and Nicola Kraus, Dedication; and Kate White, Lethally Blond. Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader
READ THE CLASSICS: My Antonia by Willa Cather and enter the free Penguin Classic's Drawing. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/358deh
Comments