by Alvin Ramirez July 13, 2012
Noted author, publisher, licensed chiropractor and holistic health doctor Dr. Mark William Cochran joined Dr. Angela Lauria in this week’s episode of Book Journeys Radio. Dr. Cochran is the author and publisher of the award-winning book, Oby’s Wisdom! A Caveman’s Simple Guide to Health and Well-being. This first book is a holistic health and wellness book that presents ideas on the benefits of natural medicine using a family of cavemen led by Oby, or Obsidian J. Stone, his wife, Fern, and son Scooter. It gives weight to natural medicine as a powerful alternative to the conventional medicine of today. The book illustrates points on how this simple yet timeless wisdom about natural health empowers the “Doctor within” and creates the holistic mindset and lifestyle that will lead to a lasting state of good health while at the same time keeping it light and easily understood for his readers.
Cochran revealed that his experience in suffering chronic debilitating inflammatory arthritis inspired him to write “Oby’s Wisdom.” He shared that he was once a member of the US Marine Corps but resigned due to his illness which left him virtually crippled. However, through his journey of learning natural healing, his life experienced a turnaround that didn’t just restore his health, but actually allowed him to become a triathlete and a marathon runner. This understanding led him to his goal of sharing the information to as many people as he can by means of writing and publishing a book. “If you’re selling people your book,” he said, “you’re serving them because you are giving them information that is going to be able to help their lives and change their lives.” He also emphasized that “Oby’s Wisdom” caters not only to people who are suffering the same disease that he did, but also to serve as a simple guide to people that are confounded by the complexity of today’s health and wellness issues.
During the interview, Dr. Cochran also shared his experiences during the first phase of publishing and marketing his book. Like other first-time authors during that time, he attempted to sell his book through traditional publishing means, that is, getting an agent and securing a contract to known publishing companies. Like most novice authors, it didn’t go well in a way as he had hoped and planned. Fortunately, Dr. Cochran found his calling in self-publishing and marketing by founding a publishing house called Bitterroot Mountain Publishing along with the collective help of other published authors. He described their publishing house’s unique and vigorous publishing and editorial review process, making sure that they produce and maintain the impeccable quality of books that they offer. He proudly noted that with Bitterroot, the author gets a much higher cut of the profits compared to the traditional publishing house, which charges between 7 to 15 percent. However, Bitterroot does require that authors handle the marketing efforts for their books themselves.
Cochran finally leaves some advice for aspiring authors. “Write the best book, the highest quality, the most appealing, the most entertaining book you could possibly write,” he said. “You have to put a good quality product out there.” Additionally, he pointed out that by exerting more work, research and knowledge to your published book, you gain more credibility with your readers, and that in itself is its own biggest benefit.
Listen to the Dr. Mark William Cochran Interview on Book Journeys Radio
Transcript of Dr. Angels Lauria’s interview with Dr. Mark William Cochran