Monday, August 20, 2007

Jacob’s Tails . . . - the book launching

Did I ever tell you that one of the biggest reasons I left the Consulting World was because I was so tired of continually having to market? Hello! Guess what it takes to get ‘Jacob’s Tails . . .’ introduced to the world? Of course – it’s the marketing gig all over again!! I don’t know what I thought – maybe I just didn’t think . . . what do you do with all these books once you have them in your hot little hand? I maybe older now, but I don’t know if I am any wiser!!

Okay – Web Site – we got THAT (www.firstepbooks.com) and we even got it set up so that ‘Jacob’s Tails . . .’ is available as an e-book or hard copy with a credit card or Pay Pal. So, tell me – what good does that do if nobody knows it’s there or how to find it or even know if they might be interested in finding out about Jacob and his adventures?

So, where do we go from there? Well in my naïve mind, my first inclination was to search out the web sites that might be interested and let them know that Jacob was ready to tell his stories. Like I used to say to my career transition clients – how much rejection do you think you can tolerate?!

Back to the drawing board! Back to that personal one-on-one thing! I still think that is the best way to go . . . BUT . . . of course, there is always a BUT . . . I’m not going to start my campaign around here until we get back in the spring – why, you say?! We have this HUGE adventure planned and we’re leaving in a couple of weeks – detail to follow in the next posting (next week, I hope).

Just so you know a couple of people have read Jacob’s Tails . . . and here are their reviews.

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Jacob's Tails . . . Review by Alice Zyetz (http://www.rvhometown.com)
Congratulations to Lynne Benjamin, RV author, for her delightful book about her return to the land with husband Fred during the sixties as told by their dog, Jacob. He captures the adventurous spirit of his humans, who he says "tried, survived and are here to tell their tails."
Jacob's Tails recounts Lynne and Fred's experiences in a relatively underdeveloped area where they could build a home, raise their own food, generate their own power, and struggle to be self-sufficient. Lynne has selected an unusual narrator to tell her tale (oops, I mean tail). Rather than saying how she felt when she couldn't find the right property immediately, she lets Jacob describe her as "something like I look when I'm disappointed and walk off with my tail between my legs."
The book begins with Lynne and Fred's early attempts to find the right property and the adventure of title search where the data is embedded in the original handwritten land grants with descriptions like "starting at the spruce tree on the northeast corner wall, walk 100 steps east to the border . . . ." Jacob (er, um, Lynne) goes on to detail the dome house Fred designed and built and the unexpected disasters they encountered when they first arrived. RVers will note that their experiences are not unlike experiences on the road when our travel karma is not working.
The story continues with the choices they made, the day-to-day tasks they had creating their lifestyle, including raising goats, sheep, and pigs and planting fields of strawberries, turnips and plentiful kitchen vegetables. Photos add another dimension to the tails. I highly recommend Lynne and Jacob's book for an engaging and honest read that will carry you on their journey back to the land.
Visit the website http://www.firstepbooks.com to order the book as an e-book or hard copy. Contact Lynne at 2firstep@gmail.com for more information.
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Alice Zyetz, Author, Taking the Mystery out of Retiring to an RV
Co-author, The Woman's Guide to Solo Rving, Taking the Mystery out of RV Writing
Co-editor, RV Traveling Tales: Women's Journeys on the Open Road
Author, You Shoulda Listened to Your Mother: 36 Timeless Success Tips for Working Women

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Jacob's Tails by Lynne Benjamin portrays a humorous interesting story of her and hubby Fred's trip down memory lane. Lynne relays their adventures during the early 70's - a time when it was important for young people to become independent, self-sufficient, and free spirits, while they 'returned to the land'. Telling a story through the eyes of their pet dog Jacob is such a unique and unusual concept. This 150 page book is an easy and very enjoyable read. With all the heavy events happening in this world today, why not add this funny, humorous, captivating and unusual story to your reading entertainment?
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Peggi McDonald, Author of RV Living in the 21st Century and webhost of www.rvliving.net
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Thanks Alice and Peggi! Any review would be gratefully accepted

Stay tuned for details on our eight month adventure!!

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