Bookworm talks to Christine Comaford-Lynch, New York Times bestselling author of Rules For Renegades....,

Renegade entrepreneur — and runaway success story — Christine Comaford-Lynch has lived the kind of life most of us can only dream about. From model to monk to multi-millionaire, she has always gone after what she wanted—and gotten things done. She’s won, lost, worked, played, and every step of the way, she’s written her own rules.

Now Christine is ready to tell her story. In ten outrageous life lessons, she’ll show you how to make your dreams come true. Your way. Your rules.

Visit www.rulesforrenegades.com to learn more!

When did you start writing? 

Feb 2004. Rules for Renegades was published by McGraw-Hill in August of 2007, and hit the New York Times Bestseller list in September 2007. It is now in 8 languages (English, Chinese Long Form, Chinese Short Form, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Vietnamese, Arabic). Over 70,000 copies are circulating the globe.

Why did you choose your particular genre? 

I started with memoir short stories, then morphed into business/self-help so I could share my business knowledge and also incorporate colorful memoir vignettes to illustrate my key points. My life is rich with compelling stories and my career is rich with examples of what to do—and not do!

How difficult /easy has your experience been as a published writer? 

It was difficult learning to write (which is a continuous learning process!) getting an agent, getting a publisher, marketing the book, selling the book, doing a sleep-deprived and “always on” book tour for 5 months. It was grueling. It was something I had to do, though. My passion for this project overwhelmed the odds.

That said, the pay off was getting on the New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, Amazon.com bestseller lists! The emails, cards, letters I receive have touched my heart—I had no idea my book would literally save lives (one man was contemplating suicide and decided against it after reading Rules For Renegades), save businesses (one woman turned her flailing business around after following the advice in Rules for Renegades), and inspire/encourage/motivate/uplift others. These cards, letters, emails have made all the work worthwhile.

What advice would you give other aspiring authors? 

Read Rules for Renegades and visit www.RulesForRenegades.com. I did a tremendous amount of research on book marketing—learn from what I’ve done. Create a compelling marketing plan with article distribution, a joint venture email campaign, a high profile column (if you can’t get one, write an exceptional blog), speak and read anywhere you can. I did 115 speeches, radio spots, book store appearances, TV appearances—that’s what made me a bestseller. Offer free goodies on your web site in exchange for someone joining your mailing list. Sell your book in exchange for speeches: during our launch, if a corporation bought 500 books I would speak for free. Talk to successful authors, find out what they did and do what makes sense for your genre and target market. There’s so much to do! 

Anything else you would like to share with the WNBA? 

After you read my book, read Putting Your Passion into Print by Arielle Eckstut. You need to understand the publishing biz, how it works, who has what power, the pitfalls of publishing contracts and how to avoid them, etc. This is a business in addition to being a creative pursuit—never forget that!

Are you a published WNBA member who would like to be featured as our Author Spotlight?  Please email Sara at newsletter@wnba-sfchapter.org