A 2014 Global Ebook Awards GOLD Winner for Best Self-Help Non-Fiction Ebook.
The C.A.T. Principle Book – On Winning a 2nd Award…
Two years ago, a compact book I wrote called The C.A.T. Principle: Change, Action, Trust – Words to Live By won an award at the Santa Barbara, California-based Global Ebook Awards. It took GOLD in the Self-Help – Non-Fiction category as 2014 Global Ebook of the Year. Naturally I was thrilled that a novice could pen something that other people deemed worthy of an award. Writing is a difficult aspiration at the best of times, never mind putting words to paper with the hope that someone might gather insight or at least a smidgen of entertainment from them.
A 2016 Global Ebook Awards SILVER Winner for Best Self-Help Non-Fiction Ebook.
Fast forward two years, and last week came news from Santa Barbara, California that the The C.A.T. Principle struck again. This time the revised & expanded edition of the book won SILVER as the Best Global Ebook of the Year in the Self-Help – Non-Fiction category. GOLD it was not, but winning SILVER and bestowed with a 2nd award is more than any neophyte author can be happy about. Solitary weekend hours spent at the keyboard, trying to make sense of random thoughts, makes one sometimes wonder whether or not the effort is worthwhile. It’s certainly not an endeavor for the faint of heart. But when recognition comes, whether in the form of an award or a reader expressing they’ve enjoyed something you’ve written, then the painstaking hours consumed at the computer screen seem to make that much more sense.
I recently purchased a copy of the Dubliners by Ireland’s celebrated author and one of the twentieth century’s most influential writers James Joyce (1882-1941). According to the book’s introduction written by Edna O’Brien (1930-Present), a renowned Irish author in her own right, it took Joyce more than nine years and twice as many publishers, before the Dubliners finally appeared in bookshops. O’Brien adds that only 300 copies were initially sold of which one hundred Joyce purchased. A telling story of the vagaries of wanting to write, even the literary giants of years past, found no solace in automatic recognition.
But as much as a writer desires to write something of value for others, the true heart of a writer is to write for the self. In this sense, writing is not only a solitary act, but also a selfish one. Writing isn’t so much about coming to terms with others, as it’s about coming to terms with the self as we relate to others and the world we live in. It’s taking our thoughts, musings and ideas, and placing them upon a saddle to which they ride to life. The primary objective is the writer’s comfort; the reader’s comfort, albeit desired, is secondary.
And it’s with this mindset that I heartily witness The C.A.T. Principle winning a second award. If perhaps some identify with my words or discover a truth within them, then the book has been more than a success, more than any writer can ever expect…
If you haven’t already read The C.A.T. Principle: Change, Action, Trust – Words to Live By, it’s available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. See the latest Amazon reviews here.
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As a friend and business colleague, you should be proud of yourself. Great job.
Thanks Allen, your kind words are greatly appreciated.