The Therapist Writer: Helping Mental Health Professionals Get Published - Softcover

Cary LMFT, Sylvia

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9780982884799: The Therapist Writer: Helping Mental Health Professionals Get Published

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0982884796 ISBN 13: 9780982884799

Publisher: Timberlake Press, 2012

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Did you know that getting a book published is one of the quickest ways for a mental health professional to become known as an expert? It can lead to more attention, more referrals, more business and more money. This is a step-by-step guide for therapists (and others) to make their book idea into a completed manuscript. Written by a licensed psychotherapist and published author who knows the ropes. Part I (Gearing Up) talks about therapists as writers and the 10 main perks of getting published. It also talks about some of the special issues therapist writers face if they want to write about their work (such as maintaining client confidentiality), along with legal concerns that all writers have to deal with? copyright issues, trademarks, and piracy. You’ll get a quick overview of the current publishing scene, how it impacts you, and you’ll learn some work-arounds for pesky obstacles. Part I helps you prepare for the job ahead, including ways of positioning yourself as a credible expert and getting the word out that you’ve written a book so people will be eager to buy it. Part II (Writing It Down) deals with what is most often the hardest question facing writers: What should I write about? Should you consider trends or ignore them? Who’s your audience? Where do they hang out? There’s a chapter on “Nailing Your Niche” and seeing if there’s a book in it. What angle should you take? What’s your hook? Should you write a novel instead of a self-help book? What about memoirs? Is too much self-disclosure wise for a therapist? There are hints and tips to help you face that blank page, decide if you’re a daytime or nighttime writer, and help you get clear on your writing goals. Part III (Getting it Out) is where you’ll reach a fork in the road. Which publishing option should you pick? Traditional publishing? Self-publishing? An e-book only? If you go the traditional route, then you’ll need to write a book proposal and send query letters and deal with agents. There are chapters on how to do this. If you self-publish, you’ll need to spend time educating yourself on the subject so you don’t make costly mistakes or get scammed. Chapters 16 and 17 deal with the most important thing of all, marketing. There are 25 pages of marketing suggestions from A to Z. Whether you are traditionally published or self-published, you won’t sell your book unless people know it exists. Publishers used to do marketing for you, but that’s not a given anymore. Unless you’re a celebrity author or already a good money-maker for your publisher, you’ll be expected to spread the good news about your book yourself. You’ll need to learn the latest marketing tips and tools and utilize them to the best of your ability. Or you can write a book just for friends and family and do no marketing at all. That’s always an option. This book is a basic overview of how a therapist (or anybody else, for that matter) can get a book written, produced, published, distributed, marketing, and sold, all the while actually enjoying the process. The basics of what you’ll need to do in order to get the job done are here.

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From the Back Cover:

"Finally, a step-by-step guide for therapists to make their BOOK IDEA INTO A COMPLETED MANUSCRIPT." -- Marti Olsen Laney, Psy.D., author of "The Introvert Advantage."

What's in THE THERAPIST WRITER...
*Our Tribe
*What Therapists Need to Know About Publishing
*Start Building Your "Author Platform" Now
*Special Issues for Therapist Writers (Confidentiality to Self-Disclosure)
*Legal Issues (Copyright to Trademarks)
*Nail Your Niche and Find a Book in It
*Who's Your Audience and Where Do They Hang Out?
*The 3 Basic Publishing Options (and What to Avoid)
*When Self-Publishing is the Best Choice
*How to Become Your Own "Indie" Publisher
*Ebook Mania and How to Cash In
*Marketing Like Mad A-Z for Therapists

About the Author:

Sylvia Cary, LMFT, is a licensed psychotherapist and the author of five published books, five produced educational videos and dozens of articles which have appeared in national magazines. She was awarded the Clark Vincent Award by the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists to honor her literary contributions to the mental health profession. Her editorial book consulting business (Cary Editorial & Book Consulting) focuses on helping therapists and others get published. In 2010 she started her own publishing company, Timberlake Press. Her most recent book is The Therapist Writer: Helping Mental Health Professionals Get Published." It won the "Gold" in Dan Poynter's 2013 Global Ebook Awards (writing/publishing category), was a "Winner" in the 2013 Beverly Hills Books Awards (for the paper version), and was a Finalist in the 2013 National Indie Excellence Awards (NIEA). She is a member of the The California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, The Scriptwriters Network, Independent Writers of Southern California (IWOSC), Book Publicists of Southern California (BPSC) and Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA).

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