Angela Lauria’s very first interview on Book Journeys, on March 15, 2012, was with Ali Cudby, America’s #1 Bra Fitness Expert and bestselling author of Busted! The Fab Foundations Guide to Bras That Fit, Flatter and Feel Fantastic. In her book, Cudby deals with an issue that many women face but have no idea how to solve; the problem of wearing bras that are uncomfortable and harmful to them physically and emotionally. She offers advice to these women on finding bras that fit for the rest of their lives by introducing a whole new method of looking at bra sizes rather than the usual standards that we see in department stores. She wanted to capture a niche market with her book which seeks to talk to women in a place where they are feeling that pain and strain and this, for her, makes the book successful.
Ali Cudby’s expertise in bra fitness came out of her own pain and experience of feeling miserable shopping for bras because she could never find bras that fit. And when she discovered this transformative method that worked for her, she wanted to passionately share it with other women. She believes that women should have a proper foundation even in something as humble as a bra (also called a foundational garment) to have a solid outlook in life. She admits that writing this information down on paper was not easy but she learned the process of dictating the book into a Dictaphone and having it later transcribed which, for her, was very helpful in coming up with a rough draft. She started by organizing the information she had into chapter piles and then doing iterative approaches with the material, getting more specific with each pile. She created a whole storyboard which allowed her to look at the information visually on her wall and gave her an idea of what the book would look like. She then made other iterations with longer and more specific outlines, then talked through each chapter one at a time. She never found herself suffering a writer’s block, but she did have to carve out a specific amount of time, usually 90 minutes a day to focus on her writing.
For Ali, it was important that her book be a tool for getting the word out powerfully and in a way that she would be able to control the information, so she wanted to have a publisher that would allow her to retain the rights to her book. She didn’t care about having a big-name publisher and in fact, the smaller niche publishers spoke more clearly as to what she wanted to accomplish with her book. She also decided to work with a publisher and not go the way of self-publishing because she believed that there were experts who could do the job better and she wanted to spend her time building her business rather than learning about publishing. Also, she wanted the credibility of having a publisher which would give her media attention and publicity on a bigger scale. On top of this, a book with a publisher, for her, would allow the necessary checks and balances needed to assure its quality, which is not the same with a self-published book.
The most powerful part of coming out with her own book, for her, was being able to know how she has touched the lives of women, making a difference for them and changing their lives even over something as basic as a bra.
Listen to the Ali Cudby interview on BlogTalkRadio
DOWNLOAD Book Journeys Author Interview-Ali Cudby-March 15 2012