Physicians and other suitably credentialed healthcare professionals are advantaged in a variety of ways. Their specialized knowledge and aspirations to get ahead give access to educational opportunities others might not have, such as Harvard Medical School Continuing Education Programs. Julie K. Silver’s "Publishing Books, Memoirs and Other Creative Nonfiction" (March 15 - 17, 2007) is a significant example.
Over the years, I’ve been to a variety of conferences, courses, and workshops put on by bodies more specifically geared to writers and their craft. These include: ASJA (American Society of Journalists and Authors), Boston Center for Adult Education, Cambridge Center for Adult Education, Grub Street (Boston writers’ group), International Women’s Writing Guild, National Writers’ Union, and Harvard’s Nieman Program (for narrative journalism).
I was aware from Silver’s introduction that this Harvard educational and networking opportunity would be a little different than those provided by these others. Early on, she drew attention to 10 interesting points:
1. As a "health expert" it’s perfectly okay for someone else to write your book and you still be the primary author—so long as the ideas included are yours.
(Note: This doesn’t just happen with "health experts." Many others, with the funds or power position, let others do the grunt work while they get the recognition.)
2. Publishing is a field to be respected on its own, where you can expect rejection, editing, "egos," and having to meet deadlines—publishers/editors have really "big egos" and they don’t like authors with "egos."
(Note: Should "health experts" expect different "ground rules"? Publishing and its protocols is just as significant as medicine and its protocols. Being an expert in one area, doesn’t guarantee you’ll be an expert in another. Writing is more than just a "delivery mode"—it’s an art. And art, not unlike medicine, requires practice, perseverance, creativity, and education. Not everyone’s a "natural.")
3. Publishing is all about deadlines. Medical people are notorious about being late for deadlines.
(Note: How long have you been stuck in a medical waiting room, without explanation? In other professions, there’s different rules, responses, and consequences—and less excuses.)
4. Re. "Platform": "’Platform’ is who you are and how you can reach your audience. ‘Platform’ is about bragging in a nice humble way."
(Note: More than most, "health experts" might have an edge with platform. On all kinds of levels at all kinds of times, they’re more likely to be viewed as having "authority." But, doctors can be wrong too.)
5. "Bristley" literary agents weed out "riff raff"
(Note: Some "health experts" might consider themselves exempt.)
6. Brag when you sell yourself to the publishing industry.
(Note: This may be easier for "health experts" to do, and they may be more able to get away with it than others.)
7. Book title objective: to be positive with a promise. That means being "ethical" about what you’re presenting, but you have to do something to get people to open the book…."Over-promising can make you sound silly…or you can get by with it…"
(Note: Experience shows us that promises are often broken, and too many supposed "authorities" get by with silliness.)
8. A key reason why a book might not sell: an author lacking a "platform" ("platform" describing "who you are and how you can reach your audience").
(Note: For some "medical experts," a "platform" is a "given." Others may be surprised to learn that being a "medical expert" isn’t always enough. That’s when support teams (paid for by their instituions) and devoted spouses come in handy.
9. Non-fiction sells better than fiction. People like to buy things that will help them.
(Note: Present company considered?)
10. "Americans have smaller and smaller attention spans and want the information in more and more compact ways, and we have to give them that."
(Note: Present company included?)
Other faculty members for the program included (in order of presentation):
• Jonathan Edlow
• Jean Tomson Black
• Lawrence Kutner
• Susanne Klingenstein
• Edward Hallowell
• Larry Dossey
• Howard Zaharoff
• Suzanne Kovern
• Cheryl Olson
• Julia Fox Garrison
• Marvin Krims
• Jeff May
• Joni B. Cole
• Katherine Russell Rich
• Susan Aiello
• Lisa Tener
• Regina Brooks
• Rusty Shelton
• Linda Konner
• Elizabeth Rider
• Debbie Carvalko
Creating a hybrid program from medicine and writing, it was evident, is not an easy task. Julie Silver’s efforts were commendable. I was also impressed by Regina Brooks (Serendipity), Debbie Carvlko, Lawrence Kutner, Suzanne Klingenstein, Lisa Tener, and Howard Zaharoff.
Julia Fox Garrison, whose book about her stroke, Don’t Leave Me This Way, put her in a league of her own. She had the first and only standing ovation in the history of the program. Physicians, it was clear, have a lot to learn from non-physicians. It’s a long hard road to become an MD, but becoming a published author can be even longer and harder—as well as a lot more uncertain. The MD credential helps, but isn’t an automatic ticket to an audience or publication.
Unfortunately, Larry Dossey, the presenter I most expected to be engaging, wasn’t. Either he was "on stage" at points in the day when people were most likely to doze off, or he’s a more stimulating writer than speaker.
After a three day program like this, it’s only when you get home, and back to work, that you can appreciate how motivational it’s been. You need to follow-up and -through—take suggestions, examples, and networking opportunities seriously (as soon as possible).
The Fairmont, Copley Paza, Boston, the setting for the program, isn’t only an exquisite hotel, but it also has a very unique staff member, Catie Copley. Since this dog-star has a new book coming out about her, perhaps, next year, she should be invited to present too!
(DocSusan and Catie after a pre. conference walk)
