Hello to all my new non-fiction writer colleagues! I'm Lauriann and I live in Philly. My first book was published in 1995 by a small publisher in Seattle. The subject was injury prevention for massage therapists, and it was the first book ever on that subject. He was inexperienced and gave me progressive royalty rates: I think it was 15% for the first 5000 books sold, then 20% for 5-10,000 books sold, and 25% after 10,000 books sold. In the first six months, we sold 15,000 books. He never imagined the book would sell so well and he'd have to pay me so much money! So he started cheating me on my royalties, which led to an arbitration, which led to me getting the rights to my book (and half the money he owed me). I tell this story as a cautionary tale!! I started a publishing company, had the books reprinted, and started selling the book myself using a fulfillment company. I took other jobs, but I wrote articles for industry magazines, spoke at industry conferences, and sold my books at those conferences and also to many massage therapy schools worldwide who made it required reading (something to think about if you have the right book subject). In 2006, I met an ergonomist/massage therapist and together we worked with a professional association to create the first statistical study of injury prevalence among massage therapists. We then decided to write the second edition of the book together (see my bio for the name of the book), published in 2008. It started out well, then the financial crisis hit and I lost all my school and other customers. I sold the rights to someone else, and went into a different field. I worked in that field (wine and wine tours in Europe - I'm a French certified sommelier) until COVID hit, and that was the end of that. About 2 years ago, I realized that the person publishing my book had let it go out of print. After 6 months out of print, the rights reverted to me and I decided to write the third edition of the book, which I once again self-published last December. Except now, I'm doing POD - what a difference! It's on Amazon in all its countries, and I use Ingram and Bookvault for international distribution.

My last 2 published projects were sci-fi novels, and now I am back to NonFiction. My latest project is a biography of my father. Here is a snippet about the book. I would love any feedback on the cover. Thanks! Good Cop Dad Cop is the true story of Sergeant Jim Mildon, a beloved Twin Falls, Idaho police officer whose greatest legacy wasn't the badge he wore—it was the lives he touched. Part biography, part small-town history, and part collection of unforgettable stories, the book follows Jim from his mischievous childhood in the 1950s and 60s, through military service, ambulance work, and a 31-year career with the Twin Falls Police Department. Along the way are humorous pranks, dangerous police calls, championship coaching seasons, acts of quiet generosity, and countless moments that earned him the respect of an entire community. Told through the eyes of family, friends, fellow officers, and the people whose lives he changed, Good Cop Dad Cop is ultimately about character, service, fatherhood, and the lasting impact one ordinary man can have on an extraordinary number of people. It is a celebration of a life well lived and a reminder that the greatest measure of success is the difference we make in the lives of others.

For my book about treating digital addiction, I want it to be professional looking. Should I choose the 70lb paper? I don't want there to be any see-through that might happen with the 50lb. What has been your experience?

Today I joined Shane and fellow author Rene in the Book Marketing Lab. This was extremely helpful regarding fine tuning my author website. Shane is great, personable, and conveys his expertise in a very relatable and helpful way. I have homework to do this week and plan on joining the lab again this next Monday.

Who has tried to get the Bookbub Featured promotion and succeeded? Was it worth it? How much does it cost?