Marketing the book: Resilience

Marketing the book: Resilience

I’ve been thinking about how best to market my book Hiking Toward Heaven.  I thought about going door-to-door, like Frank Dalby Davidson did to get his bestseller “Man-Shy” off the ground (because no-one wanted to publish it). That book, written in the 1930s I believe, was an enchanting story about a heifer’s thoughts and actions when she felt trapped by encroaching fences in Australia. It’s a gem of a book.

I haven’t tried door-to-door, but last week I did give a copy of my book to the lady sitting next to me on the plane. By the end of the one-hour flight she had read half the book!

• “What did you like about it?” I asked.
• “It flows easily, and I loved the hiking stories”, she replied.
• “But I was moved by the chapter on persistence, especially the poem from your mother…..I needed to hear the words of that poem.”

Strangely, my pastor spoke about persistence in church today, as he explored the story of Joseph, and everything that went wrong in his early life.The pastor used the word resilience in referring to Joseph’s bounce-back persistence.

In the same week, I watched some of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament (the best tournament in the world!)One commentator used the word “persistence” in reflecting on the never-give-up approach of one team.

I was euphoric when my team, Arizona, beat last year’s champ Duke in a surprise victory. Unfortunately they ran out of “persistence” when they fronted up U Conn, and were beaten by 2 points in the next game!

• “I also liked the spiritual aspects of persistence in the book”, the plane lady added.
• “What do you mean?”
• “Ask and keep on asking, knock and keep on knocking….” she quoted what Jesus said in the sermon on the mount.

Resilience, I have come to believe, is a key spiritual strength.

-The Gray Nomad