[happysobercrafter]

I could really use some career advice. I have a fountain of knowledge from working hard on bettering my mental health, plus have been sober for over 12 years now and have successfully eliminated ALL cravings. I have none from alcohol and none from needing to overeat. My eating habits are getting overhauled slowly. I have lost weight and have gained no weight back.

There has GOT to be a way I can earn a living from what I have learned where I can still pace myself because of my chronic fatigue problems which are much better but I still have to be careful.

I know doing videos and podcasts is one avenue, but there has to be one where I can use my writing besides my blogging.

[Medusax]

GOOD for YOU!! Wish I could get a handle on my weight. I have no excuse except laziness. I know all about diet and fitness. I just "don't wanna" anymore.

[happysobercrafter]

@Medusax

Hi! Thank you! It's WONDERFUL to not have cravings eating away at me. My brain is quiet and I can think. Plus, I am exploring some new recipes and learning to eat a regular nutritional diet. It's fun!!

I am sorry to hear you just don't wanna anymore.

[bpcyclist]

That is so exciting, Crafter!

I have a couple of nonfiction books published. The process works basically two ways. One, you are already well-known or famous in your area of expertise and the publisher comes to you because of that. That's the easy way and it is how I got my stuff published. Easy.

The other way is the same for everyone else. Ideally, you finish your book and then go about the process of getting an agent. For nonfiction, some agents don't require the book to be finished, but you should be well into it. Fiction agents generally require that the work be done before contacting them.

It is extremely competitive to get an agent. I believe JK Rowling was turned down over 30 times before someone finally thought Harry Potter was worth anything. Michael Crichton (Jurassic Park) famously carried rejection letters around with him, still bothered by it even after he was a famous kazillionaire.

Those are both fiction authors, of course, but the principle is the same. It is challenging.
Here, The Ultimate Guide to Getting a Literary Agent [2019]
– So You Want to Write?, is a free decent guide to how this process works. There are other guides available on amazon.

The best advice I ever got about writing a book long ago from a successful author was: "If you want to be a writer, then write. Writers write."

And that was exactly correct. So, if you want to write a book about your experience, do it. Sit down and write. Because in the end, if you don't have a book to shop, an agent isn't really going to do you any good.

[happysobercrafter]

@bpcyclist

Thank you for your feedback!!

I should have provided more information in my entry. I have written an ebook about how I became a bully, how I acted out, and how I have gotten better. Yesterday, I realized I had a better name for it. So, I am working on that and will go through the ebook again and see what I want to change around.

I work hard on healing my mental health and as I heal, my thinking gets better too! I love that part! And it helps me on my blogs too. The addresses to those are in my signature below. Each blog represents different stages of my recovery from addiction.

One new thing I am doing is I called my local school district to see if they have a program or anything about bullying to see if I can plug in somewhere. That's a start for me.