A New Life for "Better Mondays"
A New Life for "Better Mondays"
Get your own copy of "Better Mondays" for FREE! – A Chapter at a Time
In the fall of 2020, my book titled, Better Mondays - The New Rules for Creating Financial Success and Personal Freedom while Working For the Man, was published by Redstone Press.
“It's a slam-dunk,” the publisher told me. “It's where the world of work is headed—toward designing a business career tailored to individual values and the needs of the worker.”
I was excited. I was looking forward to watching the holy grail of book sale indicators - the Amazon ranking – register somewhere in the three digits (meaning I was selling a bunch of books.)
In January of 2021, the first case of Covid was reported. "No big deal," we were told. “All under control. Nothing to worry about.”
In February, the shit hit the fan. Reports of Covid—and its devastating effects on those most vulnerable—began cropping up all over the country.
A month later, businesses were sending their employees home in an effort to reduce the spread of the disease. Small business operators tried to anticipate their losses, believing the shut-down wouldn't last more than a few months.
Public attention turned to health concerns: Wearing a mask, social distancing, praying for a vaccine, and utilizing the only available defense—isolation—in an effort to avoid contacting the virus.
At night, we watched news reports of overflowing hospitals, beleaguered doctors and nurses, and families watching their loved ones die through isolating glass panels and sheets of plastic.
Adding to our frustration was the lack of basic necessities. Panic buying swept the shelves bare, and many of us bought baby wipes to use as toilet paper. Next came the meat shortage, as packing plants were found to be virus incubators.
Restaurants became a nostalgic memory as non-essential businesses bolted their doors.
And my book?
Dead on arrival.
NOBODY was interested in learning how to accelerate their business career. The latest fiction releases garnered the spotlight, with readers wanting an escape - a way to momentarily forget how screwed up our lives had become.
But that was then, and this is now.
We've been on the road to recovery for months. Oh sure, there are variants still wreaking havoc with the unvaccinated and those with compromised immune systems. But stores and businesses have reopened, and now we greet smiling cashiers through sheets of Plexiglas.
What does all this have to do with my book?
I received an email from the publisher last week. He wanted to repackage and re-issue the content under a different title—"Corp-screw." He said a large part of the American work force now considers corporate America the scourge of the twenty-first century, with policies and practices designed to suck the very life out of their employees.
A speculative generalization at best, but a trending belief due to business gurus, writers, and consultants wanting to exploit the issues of employee retention to their benefit (spelled m.o.n.e.y.).
The publisher went on to explain there’s an advantage to be gained from the current worker sentiment. By appealing to their collective angst, the newly titled book will provide them with the motivation and encouragement they need to create their own business enterprise.
He might be right. And at first, I saw his suggestion as a logical solution to getting the book back on a profitable track.
But then I began to think about what he was really saying. And now, I'm not sure that's the direction I want to go. Frankly, I wondered if the idea was akin to slapping on a new color of click-bait and calling it “Improved,” or "Updated for today's challenging workplace."
As a writer, I've always believed the content of a book should stand on its own merit.
Clever titles and fancy covers won't make a book more interesting, valuable, or useful to the reader. Yes, the title is important—measured in terms of grabbing the reader's attention or creating expectations in the collective mind of the marketplace. But if it becomes a choice between pandering to the latest trend or telling the truth, I made my choice a long time ago.
For those reasons (and a few more that are personal) I've decided to take a completely different approach to marketing Better Mondays.
I’m going to give it away!
I’ve decided to serialize it. Next week, I’ll begin publishing a chapter a week here on Better Mondays. There’s no charge, membership fee, or other financial prerequisite - for now. Just watch for the weekly synopsis, click on the link, and you can read a new section of the book every week.
And to be sure you don’t miss a single segment, sign up below for Better Mondays to receive each new chapter as soon as it’s published.
I’m hoping you like what you read. If you do, I'd appreciate it if you’d leave a review on the Amazon book page. If you want to take a “sneak peek,” here’s a free preview from the eBook of Better Mondays:
Questions, comments, thoughts?
Shoot me an email at Roger@RogerReid.com or you can leave me a voicemail on my website, Success Point 360. Just click on the appropriate link titled “Voicemail” in the Main Menu Bar.
I have lots of great information to share, so be sure to subscribe here to The Takeaway, and check back often to stay up to date.
Thanks for reading,
Roger Reid | Success Point 360
Coming up next in Better Mondays:
Is This Book For You? Notes From the Author
Roger A. Reid, Ph.D. is a certified NLP trainer with degrees in engineering and business. Roger is the author of Better Mondays and Speak Up, and host of Success Point 360 Podcast, offering tips and strategies for achieving higher levels of career success and personal fulfillment in the real world.