Today, we shine the spotlight on Sharon Nir, author of the memoir The Opposite of Comfortable. Sharon shares her thoughts on being an independent author and how the release of her book, a very private, personal invention, compares to some of her other "life events".
Check it out......
The Rewards of Indie Authorship
(Spoiler: Money and Fame Is a Windfall)
I was prepared. Two years of hard work that included writing literature for the first time in a non-native language, receiving more rejections than most people get in a lifetime, learning about the publishing industry and concluding that being an author in the 21st century required superhero qualities or a medieval-style patronage had come to an end.
The podium stood five feet away. The last time I spoke to an audience from that spot had taken place years earlier when I was a breakthrough innovation project manager, before I accepted the United States Immigration Services’ regulations mandating I stay unemployed until the conclusion of my legal highly-skilled immigration process.
I remembered the feeling. An astonishing sensation of accomplishment blended with pride, satisfaction and self-fulfillment, which made me naturally smile and sense a chill up my back followed by goosebumps along my arms.
The bookstore manager presented me to the crowd. She said, “Allow me to introduce you to Sharon Nir, who will be sharing her debut memoir, The Opposite of Comfortable: The Unlikely Choices of an Immigrant Career Woman.
Born in Tel Aviv, Israel, Sharon holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in language and literature from Tel Aviv University and an MBA in marketing and international management from Northeastern University of Massachusetts. She blogs for the Huffington Post and has contributed to many women’s interest publications, including Women’s ENews, Shelf Pleasure, and The Glasshammer.
Sharon’s memoir follows her journey of immigrating to the U.S. When her husband was offered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in New York City —a surgical fellowship at Mount Sinai – Sharon made the tough choice to leave behind her career and country to keep her family together and embarked on an adventure that would change her and her family’s lives forever– a decision that has brought her here.”
A lifetime in less than a minute.
I rose, stretched my skirt down, stood a little taller and stepped up. I looked at the guests and had a revelation. No matter how many people would buy my book, no matter how many reviews it could receive, how many awards it might be nominated for, how many endorsements and praise comments would adorn the second edition cover, no matter if I ever covered the expense or justified the opportunity cost, ALL that mattered was this moment on the podium presenting my greatest creation. Because unlike other creations in my life, such as my two magnificent children or the smart and innovative knowledge management system I designed and implemented, my book was not a success shared by others.
How many achievements in life are the product of our individual motivation and created solely by us? Most people, small businesses, companies, campaigns or organizations need help to create something, anything. Indie authors are different. They need a computer or a notepad and a chair.
Indie authors do not require an agent, a publishing house or a promotion company. From the idea for the story and the writing process, through the formatting and design and the distribution to social media—they do it all, with very little help. Their success is based solely on their vision and resourcefulness.
I think that in life people do much better if they owe their success to as few people as possible, because that forces the individual to be the best he or she can be, and work harder for the desired goal. Indie authors’ reward is the fact they owe their success first and foremost to themselves, and that is one of the most incredible feelings in the world.
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Visit sharonnir.com and connect @sharonvnir and facebook.com/sharonvnir for more info.
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