Chris Vonada's Blog, page 17

The HA!! : The Perspective Of Schuss

Time for “The HA!!” – This is my mini-series on life lessons I’ve gained through my humbling sports endeavors… I LOVE sports but genuinely suck at most of them, and, therefore, I’m a “HA = Humbled Athlete.” Please check out the other posts in this series at THE HA!! page.

It’s been said that a humble person keeps their talents, gifts and capabilities in proper perspective. (Click To Tweet)

Sports have always been an outlet, or playground, if you will, for me. Since I’m not really great at any one sport, I don’t have the difficulty of having to overcome an ego or pride when it comes to being top dog. I just don’t have all that much game when in athletics… there’s simply nothing to be proud of.

Which way to go?

My passion for travel and the mountains lead to the pursuit of a winter sport that I can’t seem to get enough of… skiing. As I progressed in this activity I realized that my natural duck-footed stance makes skiing with both feet straight and perpendicular utterly unnatural. It’s more than unnatural, I would call it downright painful to have to orient my feet in the proper position to move gracefully down a slope all day. A switch to snowboarding helped keep me on the easier (green) slopes and provided relief to my aching knees. I would much rather “schuss,” or fly straight down an easier slope, than struggle to keep my speed moderated on a more difficult one.

Going fast on a ski slope brings the possibility of injury closer to home for me and, therefore, I am overcome with an emotion that I learned early on in my skiing days… fear. After a few serious wipe outs while trying to advance to more difficult slopes, combined with stories of people dying when they made solid contact with the immovable objects we refer to as trees, got me thinking…

Fear has a way keeping me humble and putting things into perspective.

There is a moderating effect exiting a ski lift and making a decision on which runs to take back to the bottom of the mountain. I’m not an adrenaline junkie. Understanding rational fear seems to always boil down to one core issue: Control. A rational fear is one that I can face because I have the ability to influence my internal dialogue. (Click To Tweet) Conversely, an irrational fear is one that isn’t based on reality… these are beyond the scope of The HA!!

If I’m at the top of the mountain and thinking about which run to take, I can choose either the runs named Elevator Shaft, Brain Damage, Steeper Than Jesus, or The Widowmaker (double black diamond runs) or the tamer ones… Zippidy Do Da, Bunny Hop or Groomed Corduroy. What’s in a name? More than you might imagine, when it comes to ski runs. Conquering the mountain for me is simply having fun schussing on the easy slopes, and living to tell the tale.

That’s not for you?

Instead, maybe go Off-Piste today…

Wait a second…

“Off-Piste” ??

Yea, that’s just ski lingo for the backcountry. Speaking of which, the half-pipe might be a great place to chill a hot mood… (just sayin’)…

To chill… yep, there is another rational fear in the back country… the big chill… remember the movie? Stick that one in your Netflix que, we’re referring to the avalanche here… being buried in an avalanche would be chilling!

OK, so we’ve reached the bottom of the hill… back to the gondola for the last ski run of the day…

Then what? Well, everyone that didn’t end up with a torn ACL that day has one final destination…

Apres-Ski. Yep, where we’re all thankful for another safe day of schuss on the slopes. Stick with the greens and you’ll keep fear in perspective… and live to apres-ski another day…

Is there an activity that you enjoy that God uses fear to help keep you humble?

Two Changes That Occurred When Our Portable Church Landed

That’s the place!

Just over a year ago the church where I am connected found a home. We had been a “portable church” for 5 years (I’ve been there for 3.5 years now…). Being a portable church was a challenge. There was a small group of people who showed up to church very early on Sunday morning to help unpack 30,000 pounds of our environments from a truck and trailer to set up for our services. Because we had a solid group of people contributing to the effort it was accomplished in just a few hours before and after the service.

After we moved into a facility our lives changed a little and became much easier.

 

No longer were people showing up for church at 6 am. Now, we could sleep in on Production Team and show up at 7:15. Many other people who used to come in at 7:00 could now show up to volunteer for activities as late as 9:00. This was more dramatic than it may appear as our service time was moved up one hour, and we now have two services instead of just one. Before, many volunteers didn’t even have an opportunity to sit in worship service. A few would show up for the early rehearsal to sing to God.

Here are the two apparent changes that I noticed when our portable church landed:

We lost some level of connection that we had experienced before. I was having breakfast with one of the elders from church not too long ago and we were talking about how we both missed connecting with other people at the church in the same was we used to when the church was portable. I couldn’t put my finger on why and he zeroed in on the reason… we no longer spent time with the folks we had come to enjoy volunteering along side. Now, if we saw them at church it was a very brief smile and hello. We still have the camaraderie within the service teams, but it doesn’t feel as we’re as connected as before. I miss that.
Our church grew. Once we moved into a facility that seemed to be more permanent we instantly blossomed. Part of that seems to have been the location, an existing church property in an established residential neighborhood. Maybe the most exciting part of this growth is in the children’s ministries. Lots of new faces everywhere. That is exciting to be a part of.

Our pastor Rich Barrett always emphasizes trying to make an impact on our city. I see that happening at Access Church in so many ways. Praise God. This place is diverse.

To exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly. Henri Bergson

Sometimes being responsive to change is a healthy sign of maturity. Change usually involves uncertainty. We often get comfortable in our setting, and change can be scary. We never know what new possibility that change may bring about. Think of change as a new opportunity to see the world differently…

It is not the strongest of the species that survive nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change. Charles Darwin (Click To Tweet)

I don’t know what God has in store through the changes occurring at my church, but it is pretty exciting to watch it unfold!

The Q: Do you find yourself wanting to go back in time due to change? How do you see God at work in your world through the opportunity created by change?

Interview With Author Carol Peterson

That’s Carol !!

Carol Peterson is a blogger friend that has helped me tremendously in learning how to write and through encouragement to complete my books and continue down the path to being an author. I was able to flag her down recently to answer a few questions about her writing, she’s pretty busy as you will see below…

Chris: We ran across each other through the Christian Writers Blog Chain, a great place to connect with other believers who have a passion for writing. It was quite some time before I realized that you have a second website, carolpetersonauthor.com. It looks like you have written 4 books that are educational and used in the classroom. Are you working on any other books right now?

Carol: Christian Writers is an awesome group of talented and Christ-loving folks!

I’m not working on any educational books right now, although I still have a heart for writing for kids and am working on a couple of young adult novels. Recently, my writing focus has moved toward adult Christian women. The book I’m most excited about is a bible study on the Book of Esther. Call Me Esther was one of those God-inspired projects I tried to argue with God about. “A book, God? Really? How about a nice series of blog posts instead?”

It never works to try and persuade God that your plan is better than His. Call Me Esther became a book.

Chris: I am curious how you got started writing, did you recognize this as a gift at an early age or was it something that you stumbled upon later in life?

Carol: I have always loved writing but it wasn’t until 12 years ago that I finally sat down to pursue writing seriously. Several months later I had a 450-page middle grade novel. You can correctly assume from the page count that it was horrible! I’ve since understood that “horrible” is part of the process for a story or an idea to become something good. It reminds me of the process God goes through when He works on our character. I’m sure glad He doesn’t give up at “horrible”!

Chris: We’ve talked a little bit about publishing and self-publishing, and you actually encouraged me to self-publish my first book. Do you see people self-publishing educational books? I’m guessing this market must be a little different than mainstream book publishing, right? Are there specific publishers that specialize in educational books?

Carol: I don’t see self-publishing for educational books at this time. Teachers work from curriculum standards—requirements by grade, subject matter and content—specified by each state’s Department of Education. A writer might have a self-published book—a biography, for example—that an individual teacher might like. But if you want to really focus on educational writing, then for now, you’re better off working with an established publisher. Teachers have an awesome responsibility to educate our kids. They need the assurance that what they share with their students has a respected publisher’s fact checking behind it.

In answer to your second question, yes, there are many great educational publishers. The best way to find one that fits your specific book is through Children’s Writers and Illustrators Market Guide or the Society of Children’s Writers and Illustrators (www.scbwi.org).

Chris: You’re someone that I truly admire the passion that you have for learning more about Jesus. Do you ever find it challenging to keep growing in your relationship with Jesus?

Carol: Thanks, Chris.

Jesus wants to be known by us. Seek and ye shall find; speak, Lord for your servant is listening…I take those verses to heart. I figure that as long as I continue to seek God, He will continue to show me more of His character. He will also continue to show me parts of my character He’d like me to change. But that’s a good thing, too because I know He’ll be with me, loving me through it all even if it takes practically forever. And for some areas of my character, it feels like it’s forever already…

Chris: You’ve attended some writers conferences, how are these beneficial for writers? Can you recommend any good ones?

Carol: Writing conferences are fabulous! I attend as many SCBWI conferences as I can. When I began writing for kids, I was starved for information about the publishing business and the craft of writing. Now, I attend conferences for the opportunity to meet agents and editors and learn more about how to market the books I’ve sold.

I’ve not attended any Christian writer conferences. American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) has an annual conference I understand is terrific. Since I haven’t yet jumped into the Christian fiction pool though, small local Christian and online writing groups fill the gap for me.

I encourage folks who can’t attend a conference far from home to start their own small group in order to gather and share information and encouragement. There are more struggling writers “out there” than you’d imagine. It’s hard to sit in a corner and write alone. Much better to find encouragement from others who understand what you’re doing and going through.

There are “yahoo” writing groups online to get a person started. Sometimes simply posting a notice at the library will find you several book-loving writer cohorts. And, of course, at ChristianWriters.com, folks can find oodles of great Christian writers.

Thanks so much, Chris, for the opportunity to chatter on about my love of writing and, especially, about my love for Jesus. You geologists rock!

Do you have any questions that you would like to ask Carol about her writing or publishing books?

Book Review: “The 15 Invaluable Laws Of Growth” by John C. Maxwell

Click the image to purchase this title at Amazon

Invaluable is a fitting word for this book. It amazes me that John Maxwell has written so many good books and keeps coming up with home runs. This one is loaded with excellent ideas and examples of growth principles that will lead one to reaching their potential. The common sense and inspiring principles, or laws, are easy to learn about and remember.

Here are The 15 Invaluable Laws Of Growth:

1. Law of Intentionality – Growth doesn’t just happen.

2. Law of Awareness – You must know yourself to grow yourself.

3. Law of the Mirror – You must see value in yourself to add value to yourself.

4. Law of Reflection. Learning to pause allows growth to catch up with you.

5. Law of Consistency. Motivation gets you going. Discipline keeps you growing.

6. Law of Environment: Growth thrives in conducive surroundings.

7. Law of Design: To maximize growth, develop strategies.

8. Law of Pain. Good management of bad experiences leads to great growth.

9. Law of the Ladder. Character growth determines the height of your personal growth.

10. Law of the Rubber Band. Growth stops when you lose the tension of where you are and where you could be.

11. Law of Tradeoffs. You have to give up to grow up.

12. Law of Curiosity. Growth is stimulated by asking why.

13. Law of Modeling. It’s hard to improve when you have no one but yourself to follow.

14. Law of Expansion. Growth always increases your capacity.

15. Law of Contribution. Growing yourself enables you to grow others.

Here’s what John says this book is all about:

“What do I mean when I write about growth? That will be as unique as you are. To discover your purpose, you need to grow in self-awareness. To become a better human being, you need to grow in character. To advance your career, you need to grow in your skills. To be a better spouse or parent, you need to grow in relationships. To reach your financial goals, you need to grow in your knowledge about how money works. To enrich your soul, you need to grow spiritually. The specifics of growth change from person to person, but the principles are the same for every person. This book offers laws that will teach you how to approach the worthy goal of growing.”

Bravo! This book is a winner for everyone who is interested in learning how to continue to grow in any area of your life.

Religious Freedom: What Does Jesus Really Look Like These Days?

pc or mac? If religious freedom were only that easy…

I was reading about Martin Luther King Jr. the other day. I wanted to learn more about this guy who has been credited with accomplishing more for our civil rights than possibly any other man in U.S. history.

While I was cruising the internet in search of information about MLK Jr. I found something most enlightening… a website popped up prominently in google searches that seemed to serve to expose a darker side of King. I read it and thought… why? Well, maybe you’re a white guy (like me) who isn’t all that concerned about civil rights (that would be where we differ). Indeed, the tone of racial injustice has improved in our society today, in comparison to the time of the civil rights movement in the 1960′s. I know I’m thankful for that. However, if your community is anything like mine, I would wager that the #1 issue facing your community and, specifically, the common ground to unity today, is hatred. I believe the only way to overcome this is through resolving our individual shallowness and having a personal relationship with Jesus. That’s letting Jesus into our heart. This only happens one person at a time.

Someone once said, “there’s safety in numbers.” While that may be true on a battlefield, we have to be very careful in our daily walk who we join hands with. This litmus test could be this: Am I honoring God in the journey that I’m traveling? I would contend that the mob that showed up on “Bloody Sunday” to turn back peaceful demonstrators walked down a very dark road of irrational fear and self-righteousness.

Hatred many times seems to be centered in our own shallowness. We feel threatened that a revelation will occur exposing a dark side of our personality or past, a blemish that we would rather erase instead of just accepting truth and grace and the fact that Jesus came for every one of us… and that we indeed all needed Him. Jesus came for all of us so we could have an opportunity to have a relationship with God through faith.

Just a blemish?

Whenever you feel threatened by hatred or an adversarial mob here’s what to do:

Invite individuals to engage in direct, one on one conversations. Open it up to a direct dialogue one person at a time. Leave that door open… and see for yourself what happens. Hatred often hides in our communities in groups. One on one interaction invites people to develop meaningful dialogue to understanding. And peace. That’s all it takes with reasonable people.

Remember a guy named Jesus? There was a crowd involved in his persecution and lynching. And why did He have to go? A group of people felt threatened by His teaching. Hatred driven by ego… is this sounding all too familiar on MLK Jr. Day? I mean, think about it: Jesus continually put his pundits in their place. These religious people were taking a beating by Jesus as He was bringing their hypocrisy to light. They didn’t like being called out on it, so they thought He had to go. When it came right down to it, they thought Jesus came to save them from oppression of the Roman government… but in fact Jesus came to give them a more liberating freedom… He saved them from their sins and offered eternal life. That just wasn’t good enough for them, because they wanted to live by the law instead of by grace. Truth and grace… it just wasn’t good enough for them… or, should I say, they thought they didn’t need all of that because they (thought they) were too good for it. You see, Jesus came to serve the people, not enslave them. He offered civil rights… an equal opportunity to everyone.

Think about this… how much more fair can it get? Freedom equally offered to everyone. 

Well, then I started reading about religious freedom in an excellent article from The Barna Group. It seems there are a lot of religious folks who feel like their freedom of religion is being invaded and that there is more trouble coming for our society down the road.

Barna defined and 90% of Americans surveyed agree that “True religious freedom means all citizens must have freedom of conscience, which means being able to believe and practice the core commitments and values of your faith.” That seems reasonable to want the freedom to practice our faith, but here’s the reality of the situation, according to Barna: Americans feel their freedom is being undermined because some groups are trying to move society away from traditional christian values.

Hmmm, this seems suspect so let me add a quick comparison from the past…

Remember the Moral Majority? I wonder how well that would fly today? Or, is it really sinking or dead in the water? Maybe the grumbling that we hear about “religious freedom” is really a group that is feeling their influence is fading from a more prominent position that it held in the past? The Moral Majority had the idea that these good people should go out into the world and have influence. I’m suggesting that HOW that was accomplished was the disconnect between religion and Jesus. This seems to be the single biggest turn off to religion, when we’re using our influence in a manner that society perceives as self-righteousness and hypocritical.

Maybe we’re afraid to really give people the freedom of choice? 

The tide has changed, and the people who seem to be struggling the most and causing the greatest uproar are those having difficulty adapting to changes that would shift the focus from what they think others should be doing to more of a self-awareness focus of how I can be a better person. This is similar to the change we’ve experienced in leadership from an authoritarian viewpoint to one of empowerment. Think about it: The ones who are really making an impact and statement today are those like Louie Giglio who do good and say, “Hey, I’m going to be the one who sets my agenda, I’m not going to let you chose it for me. I’m focused on doing good things that are relevant.” That’s really what our world wants to be a part of, and where our opportunity to be influential lies.

Can we really say we love Jesus… and be a part of a lynching mob at the same time? Maybe it’s time to walk away from the crowd and our shallowness and hold the hand of The One who CAN walk on water?

Unfortunately, until we all decide to just get over ourselves and realize that society needs help… that we need help… we’ll continue to struggle with issues of morality, harmony and unity.

You may recall my take on morality and harmony, based on C.S. Lewis’ work:

“Morality, then, seems to be concerned with three things. Firstly, with fair play and harmony between individuals. Secondly, with what might be called tidying up or harmonising the things inside each individual. Thirdly, with the general purpose of human life as a whole: what man was made for: what course the whole fleet ought to be on: what tune the conductor of the band wants it to play.”C.S. Lewis, from Mere Christianity.

Can we have both Morality and Harmony?

Absolutely, it’s possible if we keep in mind there is an important connection… it’s humility. If we want to keep morality, harmony and humility in the same sentence, we have to look within. (Click To Tweet). That’s our greatest opportunity to have influence and create change within our society. Only then can we look outside our own heart, to our relationships where we have the ability to make a difference. If you’re looking to have influence outside of yourself, strive to be a person who is growing in his relationship with Jesus. Then, look to be someone who is a game changer in the lives of others who lie within your close circles. Finally, continue to reach out and have influence with others by bringing them INTO the close circles. Strive to be someone who anyone may one day say “that dude is the person who brought me closer to God.” I think that’s the greatest positive impact any of us can hope to have on society and in our world today.

What does religious freedom mean to you? How can you draw others into your closest circle of influence?

The HA!! : Acceptance

Time for “The HA!!” – This is my mini-series on life lessons I’ve gained through my humbling sports endeavors… I LOVE sports but genuinely suck at most of them, and, therefore, I’m a “HA = Humbled Athlete.” Please check out the other posts in this series at THE HA!! page.

My dose of humility in the sport of basketball came at the tender age of 12. I loved to play this game and tried out for the Junior High School team in Vero Beach. I didn’t make the team, and was offered the equipment manager position.

If you’re wondering what the equipment manager does this person basically was in charge of rounding up the basketballs and sweaty towels for the team during practice and games. I traveled with the team for the away games and sat with the coaches and team… I sat with those players that were on the bench anyway. I got really good at “bench dribbling” and at spinning the basketball on my finger. So good, I can still pick the ball up and give it a whirl.

When I first decided to take the equipment manager job I was sort of embarrassed. I thought to myself… why? Why should I do this? The coaches encouraged me. I thought, this seems dumb! The coaches were persistent, they cornered me in the hallway at school and asked me in such a way that it seemed like an honor. It seemed silly because I was the only one doing it, and my other friends who didn’t make the team just went about their lives and did something else.

I found out much later that this was an important lesson in humility. Here’s why:

The equipment manager was a servant. This was a role of helping other people with little expectation of anything in return. I looked at this as an opportunity to help other people reach their goals. That made me feel good about myself.
I was able to overcome the one thing that seems to keep people from being humble… my sense of pride. Remember, my first thought was “this equipment manager thing is dumb!” It seemed lowly and embarrassing. I did it anyway, and found out quickly at an early age that having an ego is much more embarrassing than being humble. (Click To Tweet)

“Success in life comes not from holding a good hand, but in playing a poor hand well.” Warren G. Lester

So how did God turn this situation for my good? Well, in addition to learning the primary lesson of acceptance, and about my ego/pride plus how to be a good servant, I got a bonus!

Interestingly, the coaches saw my good attitude and gave me something in return that they really didn’t have to: they let me practice with the team. Think about it… now I was able to practice regularly with the best players my age. Through that experience my basketball skills grew and I was able to significantly improve my game. A paramount life lesson: If you want to learn and grow surround yourself with the best players in the game. (Click To Tweet)

My basketball career… as the equipment manager. And my valuable life lesson in humility… and acceptance.

Have you found acceptance to be an important part of humility in life?

The 10 +1 Building Blocks Of Relationships: Respect

The 10 building blocks are delivered in alphabetical order (with the exception of “+1″, it is last for a reason, more on that later…). Today’s post is #8 in the series… Respect.

Respect is sort of one of those backwards virtues… sometimes the more we want it and try to get it the farther it wanders away. Respect, like patience, often comes at times of adversity, and through humility. (Click To Tweet)

Good, healthy hearts build relationships through long-term commitment… and these relationships grow like the tulip whenever there’s mutual respect. Here’s the most relevant idea of why respect is a part of 10 + 1: Respect is accomplished directly in one-on-one relationships.

Love is so often expressed from the heart through these 10 + 1 building blocks, and respect is possibly the most important expression of love. It shines like the brilliance of a springtime bed of tulips, God’s brilliant declaration of perennial love.

Today I’m honored to be continuing this series as a guest at Carol Peterson’s blog, I hope you’ll follow the link here to Carol’s blog and to the seventh post in the series, The 10 + 1 Building Blocks Of Relationships – Respect

I’ve created a page compiling the links to the previous months’ building blocks too, you can catch up over here.

Carol Peterson is a writer with a heart for encouragement, sharing parables of faith on her blog From Carol’s Quill and making learning fun in Fun with Finance and other teacher resource books.

A New Opportunity To Change The World

I’m writing today as a contributor to the Christian Writers Blog Chain. Our theme for this month is Forward. Christianwriters.com is an excellent place to network if you’re a Christian writer or author.

A new way to look at you’ll never walk alone.

So you want to change the world? What you do today will affect your future, and how you will be living tomorrow. When I think back to my past there are many things I would possibly change. But then I start to think… I’m blessed with an amazing family, having 4 generations of family that live within 3 miles of each other, and I see my grandchildren nearly every day; I’m in a solid, healthy relationship; my heath is excellent for a man my age (If you’re wondering I’ll be 5-0 this year!); and I’m living a dream in being able to fulfill a life-long ambition to be an author and write books. That’s not to say everything is perfect. While I do tend to focus on the positive, there are many challenges for me, like everyone, on my daily walk through life. I feel extraordinarily blessed with joy, peace and love in my life, and if I could and did change the past, would I be in the same place right now? I don’t know, but I can share this with you: my experiences from the past have helped to shape the person that I am today, and I’m thankful for that.

Every day I have an opportunity to change the world. It starts with two choices: I choose to focus on changing me. I choose to be kind. Some days it seems we’re so caught up with our very own agenda we forget the capacity to change the world through simple acts of loving kindness.

So you want to change the world? Here’s my advice on the starting point:

It only happens in the present. ”Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We only have today. Let us begin.” Mother Teresa. Enough said.
I have to begin with me. If you’re spending your time trying to conform to the norm and be a part of the herd maybe consider focusing on that one relationship that means the most… a personal relationship with Jesus. Our witness… that testimony we give before God. It’s our true self – our character when the lights are out. Is that really me? Yep, while I may not always want to admit it, that’s really me… it’s the stuff we find in our heart. But that’s just where the journey begins… that’s where we have a choice to make. The most important choice in trying to changing the world is to make the one choice every day to take a step forward.

Real change begins within me and only ends when, for example, the bad habit, whatever that may be, is broken… that’s a good start. Then, and only then, can a transformation of the heart occur. That occurs one day at a time. Then I can receive the joy and hope found in the Holy Spirit, and be a disciple…

Jesus said, “I now send you, to open their eyes . . . that they may receive forgiveness of sins . . .” Acts 26:17-18

Every day we have a new opportunity to change the world. I want to change the world. I want to change me. I’m ready to take a step forward. It feels good. I’m eager to share this experience with others, through kindness and the model that Jesus gave me. Will you join me?

Christian Writers Blog Chain

Book Release: “Believe… And You Say?”

Click the pic to head over to Amazon

My second book is available at Amazon today, it’s FREE for Kindle for the next 5 days so please follow this link to swing on over and grab your copy!

Here are the deets on this book…

Science says we can look to a theory development process to ensure our beliefs are sound, and based on a body of conclusive facts. John Dalton, Albert Einstein, Charles Darwin and other scientists contributed to and validated the Scientific Theory.

Science, like religion, has unanswered questions. Where do we find hope, morality and joy? Where does our faith reside? What should we believe? Answering those questions can be life changing, and can put one on a course to greater achievements.

“Believe… And You Say?” is a short book about how I balance my faith in God with my education as a scientist.

“The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education.” Albert Einstein
Moses said, “If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you.” Exodus 33:13

Book Review: “APE” by Guy Kawasaki and Shawn Welch

Please click the image to purchase on Amazon

Guy Kawasaki’s most recent book, “APE,” is a collaboration with Shawn Welch and a valuable reference tool on how to publish a book, from the traditional pathway to a exhaustive look at the three key components of self-publishing: Author, Publisher, and Entrepreneur. This is the standard guide for swimming with alligators.

“All writers think of what they do as an art. Smart writers understand that writing is also a business. Really smart writers see themselves also as entrepreneurs.” Barry Eisler

Reality sets in when you follow the book’s link to a funny video… “So You Want To Write A Book”

Guy and Shawn provide an invaluable resource for the capable artist who also strives to be a really smart writer. The APE book is a resource with more information than you may ever need; that’s what a good resource always provides. I expect to go back again and again to this book as I learn more about publishing and marketing.

The APE journey begins with an outline of the evolution of publishing, from traditional to eBooks. From there, we find out how to finance, edit, design, layout and put a book together. Distribution channels are discussed, and the value of author-services and print-on-demand companies addressed. The role of agents, editors, copyeditors, designers, and publicists are defined.

APE provides insight into working with major vendors, sellers and resources, including the world of Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple, Adobe, Createspace, crowdsourcing, Google +, social media, Lulu, Lightning Source, Kobo, Kindle Direct Publishing, Calibre, EPUB, direct sales, Smashwords, and many, many more.

The authors give us a glimpse of what the future holds for publishing, and how to scale the Empire State Building as a big APE – Author, Publisher and Entrepreneur!

You may already know that I have a thing for monkeys. I believe you’ll find this APE to be the sort of gorilla that you’ll want to swing from the rafters with, just like me!