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Senior Authors Give Back

by: Francine Silverman

As editor/publisher of Book Promotion Newsletter, I am fortunate in having an eclectic group of subscribers who number in the thousands. The ezine is interactive and subscribers are encouraged to share their innovative marketing techniques.

What has impressed me most, however, is the tenacity and good heartedness of the over-50 members of my list. Dr. Ted "Gorgeous" Borgeas is a retired, sports-oriented podiatrist and author of nine books. When he was appointed as a volunteer to the Medical Services Division of the Athens Olympics 2004, Ted thought it would be very informative and appreciated to initiate a volunteer translation project of his book, When My Feet Hurt, I Hurt All Over (Cameltrotters Publishing 1976; last revision 2004). His idea was to distribute the book free to the athletes in their native languages. To accomplish this, he recruited volunteers to translate the book into half a dozen tongues. Ted didn't receive a penny on this project but his satisfaction is priceless. "The response was fantastic, encouraging and exciting.it was such a joy to be able to show some of the athletes pictures and a translation of their problems." http://www.atborgeas.com
Miller Caldwell lives in Scotland. Even though the profits on his book, Operation Oboe (Authors Online 2003), are greatly reduced when he donates two pounds (approx. $1.5) from the sale at every book signing, the Scottish Police Benefit/Welfare Association and Alzheimers and Dementia groups benefit from Miller's largesse. http://www.millercaldwell.org
Authors who have suffered illness or death of a loved one sometimes find solace in helping others. Brian Hartford, co-author of Change of Heart (PublishAmerica 2000), lost his first wife to cancer and later underwent a heart transplant. Brian speaks to groups about transplantation and organ/tissue donation and feels that by telling his story and promoting organ donation that he's giving back for the "precious gift" of life he received. He donates 20% of profits of books sold at these events to TRIO (Transplant Recipient International Organization). http://www.authorsden.com/brianahartford
Bobbi de Cordova-Hanks was a professional musician for 30 years before she developed advanced breast and thyroid cancer and given five years to live (18 years ago when there was little information on breast cancer). When she met her husband, Jerry, he had lost his wife to ovarian cancer a few years earlier. The couple co-authored Tears of Joy (Infinity Publishing 2003) and 16 years ago formed Bosom Buddies, a breast cancer support and education organization. The two travel the country with their presentation, "In Sickness and in Health: A Survivor and Caregiver Share Their Story of Tears and Hope."
"Breast cancer has been a positive force in my life, if you can believe it," says Bobbi. http://www.speakersforlife.com

About the Author

Francine Silverman is editor/publisher of Book Promotion Newsletter, a bi-weekly ezine for authors of all genres, http://www.bookpromotionnewsletter.com, and author of Book Marketing from A-Z (Infinity Publishing 2005), a compendium of marketing strategies of 325 authors. http://buybooksontheweb.com (Category: Marketing)