If you’ve ever heard my “Mistakes, Myths & Miracles of Book Publishing” 
presentation or any of my publishing success seminars, then you know I tell Laura Duksta’s amazing story of South Beach bartender to New York Times bestselling author over and over.
Perhaps you were on the VIP Author Talks call last night and heard Laura for yourself. Even if you were not on the call, you still have the opportunity to learn the secrets to publishing success from this very talented author–and take advantage of a very special offer from Laura just for VIP Authors!
I read about Laura Duksta long before we ever met. I saw an article in The Writer magazine about a bald woman who was making remarkable sales as a first-time author with her self-published children’s book, “I Love You More.” The story caught my eye first because of her appearance and I remembered it because she was local to my South Florida neighborhood. Soon after, I saw her sitting in front of me at a writers’ workshop given by the Broward County Library, but was too shy to introduce myself.
Several years later we met and exchanged cards at a networking luncheon. Laura agreed to speak at my NAWW writers group meeting without compensation, even though she was an established speaker, regularly pulling in high-paying engagements with major corporations and educational groups.
Laura inspired our group with the story of how she lost her hair permanently at age 11 due to a condition called Alopecia. She spent almost the next 20 years hiding her true self under a wig, insecure and embarrassed by her baldness. Yet shortly before her 30th birthday, she decided to throw away her wigs, and once she did, she was able to reveal her authentic self to the world.
Shortly before the wig tossing, Laura had had another life-changing experience, which led her to write a children’s book. At the time, she was employed as a bartender on South Beach–not a likely candidate for a successful children’s book author. And in another reason-defying move, she agreed to have a friend with no art experience illustrate it. The project was not attractive to agents or publishers and Laura borrowed her mother’s credit card to self-publish her first 5,000 copies.
Realizing she had no knowledge of what to do or how to do it, Laura attended writers’ conferences, enrolled in coaching programs and basically took a crash course in book marketing. The first 5,000 copies sold, then another, then another, then another–until she had sold 175,000 on her own, almost one by one! She sold books in children’s stores, gift shops, art fairs, street festivals, you name it.
With those kind of sales, agents began contacting her! Laura signed with one, who was able to bring her several offers from major publishers in a short time. But none of them shared Laura’s vision for the book, and wanted to make changes. Until one day, a publisher called to say that “I Love You More” was the book she had been looking for and wanted to publish it–almost exactly as it was. “I Love You More” was re-released by Sourcebooks in November 2007. On February 14, 2008, Valentine’s Day, I received an email from Laura–”I Love You More” was on The New York Times Bestseller List. The book has achieved that honor several times since then, too.
Laura has created the Children’s Author Academy and developed a teleseminar to share the secrets behind her success with others who dream of writing and publishing a children’s book. She will reveal the mistakes and miracles behind her almost unprecedented success.
Some might think it odd that this bestselling author is willing to give away her secrets to other writers who will essentially be competing against her in the children’s market. But, it’s not surprising to me that Laura would want to share her knowledge to help others. Her mission is “to spread a conversation of love around the world.” She started doing it one book at a time, and now she continues on her journey. If you dream of being a bestselling children’s author one day, you might want to join her.
To receive the special VIP Author $50 discount, go to the Children’s Author Academy page, and use the coupon code VIPAUTHOR when you register. The coupon is valid only through May 1, so do it now. Then start planning your first book signing!
Your mother may have told that “You can’t judge a book by its cover,” but people do it all the time. And, you don’t have to be an publishing industry expert to spot a poorly done, unprofessional cover that screams “self-published.” Most people can tell immediately if the book looks like it is worth picking up in a bookstore, or clicking the “Buy” button on a web page.
Included with every program.