by Alvin Ramirez July 18, 2013
The featured author on this week’s Book Journeys is Tamara Cortez, who wrote Flow Notes: A Collection.
“What’s your book about?” was the first thing that Angela asked author Tamara Cortez about her book, Flow Notes: A Collection, but it took a while before Angela was able to get what it was all about. At first, Angela wasn’t able to follow Tamara who went on with her explanation, making references to her “flow notes” and the “group” of people who received them. They would share the notes to their friends who would then email Tamara saying how the notes have helped them in their life. Eventually, it became clear that Tamara’s hobby of writing notes that allowed her and other people to grow and thrive was what led to the book. The great feedback she received on how beneficial the flow notes were in opening up people to simple truths in life also helped her to take the step to publishing the book.
The notes are really insights that people normally don’t realize when they’re challenged. Tamara cited as an example, how, one time, she was having a bad day and was complaining about how late the pizza was, etc., when a homeless man came into view. It was then she realized how trivial her complaints were, realizing how happy the homeless man would be with just some change given to him by a stranger. It was her emotion that got her stuck in an undesirable loop but she was able to get out of that negative loop and get back in the flow of things because of the realization that was triggered by the presence of a homeless man. The recollection of that simple incident totally explained Tamara’s flow notes and how they benefit people. it became the foundation for the book.
So it was inevitably suggested (must be fate) to Tamara that she turn her flow notes into a book and that’s how it started. As a yoga and spiritual instructor, it made sense to her to share them with more people and not just with her group. So she called up a self-publishing company and that was that. She revealed, though, that the experience wasn’t without any hitches. Her initial efforts had her talking to two publishing representatives who suddenly left the company. It was not at all what a writer would want to experience with a publishing company. She advises aspiring authors who want to get their works published to do their research and be prepared so they know exactly how they want their book to look like. They should know the font type, the font size, the line spacing, and other things that come together to make the book as how they would want it to be once it’s published.
Angela explained how it’s really possible to self-publish on one’s own without having to go to a third party, but Tamara said paying to get her book published was a solution for authors who knew little about the nitty-gritty of the publishing industry. It was really a learning experience for her and because of the positive feedback that she had received, she has a second book called Gratitude Notes, which is a continuation of what she did with her first one. She does not mind paying for publishing because to her, her books are her gifts to the world and it’s the responses that she gets that validates her decision in sharing her thoughts to other people.
Listen to the Tamara Cortez interview on BlogTalkRadio
DOWNLOAD the PDF: Book Journeys Author Interview-Tamara Cortez-July 18 2013
Next week, watch out for Angela’s interview with another exciting author.