In 1972, I moved from Southern California to the San Francisco East Bay town of Lafayette. I was beginning a new phase of my life as Director of a Catholic retreat and spiritual growth center. About that same time, I discovered Transactional Analysis (”I’m OK, You’re Ok”). It made a great deal of sense and helped me understand my life and how I got to be the (often confused) person I was.

Also located in Lafayette was one of the founders, or at least, chief proponents of TA, Muriel James. She was a world-renowned therapist and author of the international bestseller, Born to Win (over 4 million copies sold). She was also ordained minister (a fact I learned only later in my life). I attended some of her workshops and found her to be one of the wisest persons I had ever met. At our center, we often drew on principles of TA, which integrated well with Catholic Christian spirituality. I resigned my position at the retreat center in 1979 and lost touch with Muriel.

Fast-forward 17 years to 1996. By this time I was writing professionally and had published three nonfiction books, with another–my first novel–on the way. Feeling the need to associate with other local authors, I joined the Mt. Diablo Branch of the California Writers Club. Among the many personal and professional contacts I made, one was a particularly great surprise and joy. Muriel James was also a member! This second phase of our  relationship gave us an opportunity to get to know each other as friends and colleagues. I saw another side of her–a writer of great energy and enthusiasm. For the 13 years of our renewed friendship, she has always been working on four or five books at the same time. I could only handle my manuscripts sequentially. Well into her ____ties, Muriel is still an occasional participant at Writers Club luncheons.

I would love Muriel no matter what, for her humility, kindness and loving spirit, but it doesn’t hurt that she loves everything I have published, fiction or nonfiction. Muriel James–mentor and model to me in so many ways. And it all began with Born to Win.

Like the Creator in Genesis, I looked at the product of the last year-and-a-half of my life and felt . . . proud. At last, I held in my hands the book I’d envisioned when I first took up this project.  

PS: I’ve been afraid to read a published copy, because I don’t want to know if there are any typos or–God forbid–other horrible errors. So far, no one has mentioned anything, and I’ve learned that readers aren’t shy about pointing out your flaws.

Another motivation to seek commercial publication is found in the professional writing association I belong to. When I joined the group in 1996, and for a decade after that, “published” meant royalty- or fee-paying publication. Within the last few years, the organization’s Policies and Procedures have been rewritten to admit self-published authors to the highest level of membership. Nonetheless, there persists within the consciousness of members, whose work has been accepted and distributed by name-brand publishing houses, a sense that that self-published writers don’t deserve “published author” status. 

Six of my nine books have been published by royalty-paying houses. Would I like to add to that total? Of course. Then, why did I go POD with The Wisdom of Les Miserables: Lessons From the Heart of Jean Valjean? The answer is complex.

I researched the spirituality market and targeted agents and publishers most likely to be interested in my manuscript. I even had an inside lead at one of the major spirituality publishers. My queries and proposal submissions produced puzzling responses that, translated from industry-speak to common language, meant, “Interesting and unique, but I don’t get it” and/or “Well written, but I don’t know how to categorize this book.” I might have continued my search, but several factors led me to another solution.

I could have spent another six months trying to convince an agent to represent the book. If successul in securing representation, it could have taken another six-to-nine months to sell the manuscript. (Or not.) With the clock ticking from the moment of signing a book contract, publication might take another 12 to 18 months. Total time from marketing the manuscript to availability for sale? Easily two to two-and-a-half years! Having passed the age of 70,  I have a creeping sense of running out of time to write and publish all the books waiting inside me (including another based on Victor Hugo’s classic Les Miserables).

Another reason for self-publishing is the nature of The Wisdom of Les Miserables itself. My intention from the beginning has been to develop a series of workshops and retreats based on the book’s themes and personal Reflections. I made no senses to wait two-plus years for the book to come out. Therefore, the decision to self-publish turned out to be an easy one.  I let go of my professional pride and insistence on royalty-based publication–or no publication.

In the three weeks the book has been in circulation, it has sold well (by my standards) and earned positive feedback. This despite absence of bookstore availability. Another strike against the book is Amazon.com’s recent decision not to sell any POD book not produced by its in-house BookSurge (POD press). This arrogance has engraged a large segment of the publishing world, including the many royalty-paying publishers who use POD to produce and ship their books. 

In my next post, I will share why I chose Lulu Press, Inc. to produce The Wisdom of Les Miserables.  

An Interview with Cover Artist Douglas M. Lawson

In my search for cover art for The Wisdom of Les Miserables, I found a close up of church doors with beautiful inset stained glass. The church appeared to be European and date from the 19^th century. That works, I thought. The grain of the oak doors spoke of solidity, maturity, and–yes–wisdom. Then, I stumbled upon a piece of art that captured in a much deeper way my vision of the book’s soul. The art was titled, “Val,” and the artist, Douglas M. Lawson, was someone I already knew. What I didn’t know was whether he would consent to let me use this work for the cover of my book. I was just as thrilled when he said yes, as he was to have me ask. Now, I want you to get to know him.

Garrotto: Doug, how do you feel about having “Val” on the cover of a book?

Lawson: I’m elated. It’s an honor.

Garrotto: You’ve titled the work, “Val.” Can you explain what that means or refers to?

Lawson: “Val,” is short for heart-valve. It’s an interesting coincidence that your book is about Jean Valjean and that you were drawn to the picture. We are looking into a cutaway of a human heart. The shape of the heart, in this case, is that of a broken human being, as Jean Valjean was. If you look closely below the heart and to the right, you will see the outline of a dove—a symbol of wisdom, peace and love.

Garrotto: Exactly what the book is about. What is it that you try to express, not just in this work, but in your art in general?

Lawson: I want to express many different shades of human emotion—happiness, sadness, anger—and spirituality, as well.

Garrotto:  How would you describe your artistic style?

Lawson: I don’t like to describe it in words. Rather, I am attempting to combine the surrealist ethos with abstract expressions.                                                                                                   

Garrotto: What are your goals as an artist?

Lawson: To have my work published, to become more involved with video production and animation.

Garrotto: What media do you work with?

Lawson: I use Photoshop, Illustrator, and Video Studio. Although I am left-handed, I do most of my computer work with a right-handed mouse.                                                    

Garrotto: Can you tell us what you are currently working on?

Lawson: A music-video featuring Johann Sebastian Bach’s little fugue in G minor.

Garrotto:  I understand that you have an interest in writing. Can you tell me something about that?

Lawson: I’ve started an advice book: Never Bet on a Horse Named Glue…and Other Logical Choices.

Garrotto:  I love it already! Can’t wait to see it in print someday. Thanks, Doug, for sharing with us and for making “Val” available to me. No more suitable piece of art exists to accompany what I am trying to express in The Wisdom of Les Miserables: Lessons From the Heart of Jean Valjean.

By the way, I have my eye on another of Douglas M. Lawson’s works for a second WLM book. You can e-mail the artist at douglasmlawson@yahoo.com.