From time to time in this space, WestBow Press publishes articles written by our authors in which they share some aspect of their self-publishing journeys. The following are the words of Karen D. Wood; a licensed clinical social worker, and author of “Brain Prayers.” To begin your self-publishing journey, get your free WestBow Press publishing guide today!
It basically happened in a matter of days. I was reading a book on different parts of the brain, and it had one line prayers in each chapter. I appreciated the idea, but the prayers did not relate to the wonderful brain part of the chapter.
As a neurotherapist teaching clients about the brain, I would often pray for their brains. So, I wondered. They would ask me to write the prayers out. What would a book look like with prayers for specific parts of the brain. Who could write it?
Karen D. Wood, L.C.S.W.; is a neurotherapist and “brain trainer.”
Just a few days later, driving down an oak shadowed, curvy country road, the idea was clear in minutes. Ten parts of the brain, with three pages on each, so it could be read as a thirty day devotional. Full of colored pictures and information, in boxes for quicker reading (for us ADHD readers!). For someone with a minute or an hour. And prayers. On the left side of the page for the reader to pray for their own brain modeled after the Lord’s Prayer.
It is familiar, when brain parts might not be. After all the amygdala, hippocampus and corpus callosum are not in the Bible! On the right side of the page, a prayer to pray for another’s brain. Wow! What a great idea! So many are hungry for information on the brain, yet it just isn’t very available at a level most can understand.
But, wait. Who would write it? I remember driving down that curvy road, laughing at the thought of writing a book. Not me. Not an author! Rather, a therapist passionate about the amazing brain and how it could heal. But, by the end of the curvy road, I was the author. I was overwhelmed to tears by the very thought of the task, but I knew the format idea was a clear gift that day.
I started researching brain images, and was drawn to one, which became the color scheme. I started finding information, writing the prayers, and designing what the pages might look like, to present the idea to a publisher. After searching for a publisher, I chose WestBow Press for its publishing , and was encouraged by my first contact there to develop the graphics I had started.
What? I was planning on handing that project to a graphic artist. And yet, I began the long journey of learning about copyrighted images, and getting rights to publish images. It often seemed to be such a daunting process, as the first draft was lost on a stolen computer. I went to a cabin in the mountains for a week to recreate the whole concept. Two months later, that second draft was delayed as I healed from a crushed back. The final edits were done from the hospital bed in my family room. But, soon came the moment of opening the boxes of full color books as they arrived. Friends, family, and clients started ordering more to give as gifts.
Now I have the joy of hearing how the book Brain Prayers is being used by clinicians and clients, grammas and their grandchildren. Recently I was sent a video of a pastor’s wife in Ghana learning about the concepts of the brain and praying for it. Other editions are now being drafted.
-WBP-
WestBow Press authors who’d like to share a 350-600 word experience related to the self-publishing of their books, are invited to do so by sending a message through the WestBow Press Facebook page, by tweeting us @WestBowPress, or by emailing kgray@ westbowpress.com. We may not be able to use every story, but we will read and consider them. WestBow Press reserves the right to edit stories for content, grammar and punctuation accuracy; as well as for space.