Sunday Stroke Survival: Publishing, Selling Articles, and Guest Posting

I've recently received several comments, requests, and guest posting requests. In actuality, it's several requests a month over the lasts several years. As an author, I'm flattered. As a stroke survivor, I'm honored by the requests.

As a previously hybrid published author, I know what sells well and what doesn't. Another self published memoir of a stroke survivor just doesn't have the market niche that equals sales. It's a vanity press offering at best. What made my my proposal for Don't Get Your Panties in a Wad go to a bidding war between publishers with only the first draft of 30K words was it was a niche nobody had hit on before. It was a humorous point of view. Unfortunately, a third stroke left the book unfinished and nonpunishable.

While I write and syndicate a stroke survivor's blog/article each week, it's not the same as writing a book. Writing a book takes planning, outlining, and organizing. None of which I do well anymore. My blogs/articles can now take several weeks in the writing and editing stages before they are published. The confidence born of over 30+ years in publishing is gone. Words that magically popped into my brain in an instant may now take several hours or days to materialize.

So why struggle with doing it at all? It's important to me and others. It helps caregivers to understand their loved ones who may not be able to voice their thoughts. It helps other stroke survivors feel they are not alone. It may allow other stroke survivors to even look at their life in a positive light. The hundreds of emails I get each month can't all be crazy or trying to promote something. On average they are split 50/50 between stroke survivors/caregivers and medical/health care providers. While comments on various blogs may be in single digits, the emails and hits on any blog/article may reach into the hundreds or thousands. That speaks volumes to me and urges me to continue.

NOT!

I do write guest posts and do some personal appearances. I don't always mention them here. I am no way an "expert" although I accept the title of "advocate." I firmly believe everyone should be self advocating. Yes, I'm Dr Murphey with a PhD in theology, but prefer being called Pastor Jo. I have a lot of real life experiences that allows me to speak on a wide range of subjects but an "expert" that's stretching if in the broadest sense of the word. I do require two weeks notice on guest posts and at least two months notice on guest appearances.

I've always said that I could wallpaper a room with all of mine.  I recently threw out a box of mine and my husband's. That's how much stock I held in all the Associates, Bachelor's, Master's and

PhDs we held. It just added to papers we held onto to prove our man made gauges of how smart we were and the ability to add letters after our names to make it official. Who really cares about an a BSN and all the sub specialization letters after my name if I save your life? Isn't saving your life enough? It only matters to relicensing boards, and if I'm looking for a job even though graduation for some is dated in the 1970s if I still maintained my licenses for a fee. Computer programming langues I learned in the 1980s only were useful until Y2K. Made a killing with that (Grin). Now that information is obsolete. Accounting I learned in the 80s has been replaced with software that even a monkey can do. Still, once upon a time each of of them had value, but not so much anymore even with publishing anything. Everything is but what have you done lately?

So now I write about what I do everyday living post stroke and homesteading. Yes, I could do it for money, but unless I can clear five figures a year doing it, it doesn't pay for me to write for profit. Once upon a time it was possible, even upwards of 6 or 7 figures, but now I'm living  post stroke.  I realize my limitations for now. But..

Nothing is impossible.