Tag Archives: mike o’mary

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A Dream Come True and the Midwest Book Review

Saying Goodbye Front Coverby Mike O’Mary

Last November, I launched a new book publishing company called Dream of Things. In fact, the launch ended up including an interview right here on Freelance-Zone. I subsequently became a regular contributor to this space.

Over the past 10 months, I’ve learned a lot. For one thing, I’ve learned to focus my efforts. No one can be all things to all people, so I decided to focus on publishing quality memoirs, anthologies of creative nonfiction, and related books. That focus is paying off in the form of three books being published this fall and winter that are going to be great reads:

  • Everything I Never Wanted to Be, a memoir of alcoholism and addiction, faith and family, hope and humor, by Dina Kucera (release date: 10/1/10)
  • Saying Goodbye…to the people, places, and things in our lives, the first Dream of Things Anthology (release date: 10/11/10)
  • MFA in a Box, a Why to Write Book, by John Rember (release date: 1/1/11).

I am excited about publication of these books, and invite you to click on any of the above links to take a closer look. But I’m also excited about all that I’ve learned in the past year — and all of the resources available to writers and editors today. Freelance-Zone, for example, is a tremendous resource. Check out the “Writers Groups by State” tab, above. This is one of the most comprehensive lists of Writers Groups I’ve seen anywhere!

mbrAnother great resource for writers, editors, and publishers is the website of Midwest Book Review. Don’t let the title fool you. Midwest Book Review is a great source of objective, quality book reviews, yes. But it also has TONS of great info on writing and publishing, as well as a substantial list of resources for readers. The site features numerous articles authored by contributors from a broad range of fields. One of my favorites is this interview with James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief of Midwest Book Review, in which he discusses MBR’s mission of promoting literacy, library usage, and small press publishing. The site also has info on becoming a book reviewer. Check it out today.

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The Rewards of Doing Nothing

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iStock_000001624872XSmallby Mike O’Mary

More than 20 years ago, Marsha Sinetar wrote a book called Do What You Love, The Money Will Follow. It’s a nice idea, but I’m not sure the premise bears out. Perhaps it worked for the author—assuming, of course, that she “loved” writing a how-to book and making lots of money. But what if you “love” hanging out at coffee shops or eating donuts or taking long naps in the afternoon? It’s hard to see how the money is going to follow you to any of those places.

Or what if you love something but aren’t very good at it? I know lots of people who play golf, for instance, but most of them could never make a living at it. But then again, making a living at golf doesn’t necessarily have to mean making millions of dollars on the professional tour. Every course in the country has a golf pro or two or three to run the pro shop and give lessons. There are also people who sell equipment and organize tournaments and arrange trips for people who want to go to Myrtle Beach or Hilton Head for a golfing vacation. So I suppose you could stretch things a bit to say those people are all doing things that they love—although you don’t have to stray too far from the main subject before it starts to sound less like something you love and more like work.

So in the end, I guess I don’t buy the notion that you can do what you love and the money will follow. I think it’s usually the other way around: You usually end up paying money in order to do what you love. So I think I’m going to write a book called How to Find Out Where the Money Is and Do Something to Get It So You Can Turn Around and Spend It to Do Things You Love. But that’s a pretty long title and writing it sounds like a lot of work. Maybe the best thing is to just forget about the money altogether. You don’t need that much to hang out at a coffee shop anyway.

Mike O’Mary is founding dreamer of Dream of Things, a book publisher currently accepting creative nonfiction stories for anthologies on 14 topics, including an anthology titled “Cubicle Stories: Life in the Modern Workplace.”

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Everything I Never Wanted to Be

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072310 Everything Front Coverby Mike O’Mary

I am very pleased and proud to announce that pre-release copies of Everything I Never Wanted to Be by Dina Kucera are now available from Dream of Things. The book will be available at bookstores everywhere on October 1, but you can get your copy now by visiting www.everythinginever.com.

Everything I Never Wanted to Be is the true story of one family’s battles with alcoholism and drug addiction over four generations—as told from the unique perspective of a grocery store clerk with a ninth grade education who is trying to make it as a stand-up comic. To learn more about this amazing memoir – including excerpts, info about the author, and an early review from publisher and movie producer Mark Shelmerdine – visit www.everythinginever.com.

I also think it’s interesting and important to note that Dina’s memoir was rejected by 74 agents and publishers before it was published. It finally found a home after Dina posted excerpts on her blog and someone (yours truly) read it and fell in love with it. For more details about Dina’s path to publication, click here.

Mike O’Mary is founding dreamer of Dream of Things, a book publisher currently accepting creative nonfiction stories for anthologies on 14 topics, including an anthology titled “Advice You’d Like to Pass on to Others.”

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Two Quotes

iStock_000012305069XSmallby Mike O’Mary

I have two quotes for you today. The first is from Maurice Sendak, the award-winning author of many children’s books, who once made the pointed observation that, “There must be more to life than having everything.” Unfortunately, he didn’t say what more there must be.

I used to subscribe to a newsletter called “The Meaning of Life.” Although it had the same title as the Monty Python movie, it was not a humorous newsletter. It was a serious attempt by a University of Chicago professor of philosophy to help people find and examine the things that add meaning to their lives.

At various times, the newsletter examined various traits and values that can help bring meaning to your life. Things like integrity, enthusiasm, honesty and spontaneity, among others.

Those are all things that we strive for in our lives. But it’s important to realize that those things are intertwined. You can’t have enthusiasm without integrity, for example, or spontaneity without honesty.

Those thoughts are not my own. I didn’t make the connection until I came across the following quote from Robert Schuller: “Integrity makes enthusiasm possible. Only honest people are subconsciously liberated to be totally spontaneous. Without that quality, enthusiasm is contrived and not an authentic motivating factor in life.”

If you want to have enthusiasm and be spontaneous, you have to be honest and have integrity. There are no shortcuts. And if you want to do more than “have everything,” you must aspire to “be” something. Being honest and having integrity is a pretty good place to start.

Mike O’Mary is founding dreamer of Dream of Things, a book publisher currently accepting creative nonfiction stories for anthologies on 14 topics, including an anthology titled “Advice You’d Like to Pass on to Others.”

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Overzealous Demographers

iStock_000005894033XSmallby Mike O’Mary

Whenever a company comes out with a new product, they usually do a lot of market research first. I recently read the findings of a company that identified several market segments it wanted to reach. I won’t go into all the demographic details. Instead I’ll skip right to the interesting part: the sweeping generalizations made about each segment.

One market segment is called the “Metro Mix.” This group is the most likely to eat at donut shops, have a window air conditioner and make purchases from the Home Shopping Network.

Next is the “Urban Up and Comers.” They are the most likely to bank by ATM card and drink imported beer and wine.

Then there are the “Rustic Homesteaders.” They are the most likely to own a rifle or shotgun, an outboard motor and shop at Wal-Mart.

I also heard about a segment that tends to eat at fast-food chicken restaurants, pays utility bills in person and likes to watch television shows about cops. Oh, this group is also more likely than average to have someone in the household change the oil on their car.

Another segment likes to purchase home furniture by mail or phone, read health magazines and listen to NPR. Yet another group was characterized as ranking first for eating at Red Lobster and watching soap operas.

I don’t know if I got much out of all that research, but I was able to identify another market segment. I’ll call this group the “Overzealous Demographers.” They spend too much time on the phone, haven’t seen sunlight in years and tend to make sweeping generalizations that are of little use to anybody. If you run into one of these people, take your window air conditioner and outboard motor and run!

Mike O’Mary is founding dreamer of Dream of Things, a book publisher currently accepting creative nonfiction stories for anthologies on 14 topics, including an anthology titled “Cubicle Stories: Life in the Modern Workplace.”

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“Added Value”

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DSCF0570by Mike O’Mary

If you talk to businessmen and entrepreneurs today, they are all busy trying to “add value” for their customers. So, in the spirit of helping you get your money’s worth, here is one man’s guide to finding good values in today’s world.

A plain cheeseburger at most restaurants is a “good value.” On the other hand, anything advertised as a “Value Meal” is probably a waste of money.

Merlots and cabernets from Washington state are usually a good value. Pinot noirs from Oregon, meanwhile, have gotten a bit pricey and still don’t come anywhere close to rivaling French burgundy.

Here’s a no-brainer: Your local public radio station is a good value. Meanwhile, any radio station that plays hours of prerecorded schlock interrupted only by long bursts of monster truck rally commercials has little of value to add to our lives.

Books and compact disks are good values. For $14, I can purchase a book that contains the 25 best essays of the past year. Or for about the same amount of money, I can own a recording of Duke Ellington performing live at the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival. Now that’s a good value.

Compared to books and CDs, most video games are a poor value. I’m sure the graphics have gotten better since I last played a video game, but what’s the point of enhancing something that remains a colossal waste of time?

And finally, for my money, a round-trip ticket to Paris is one of the best values on the market today. In comparison, paying 40 cents to drive on I-88 from DeKalb to Aurora is a waste of money. The road is in terrible shape, and then when you get there, you’re still only in Aurora! I suppose it could be worse. You could start in Aurora and end up in DeKalb. Either way, you’re better off forking over the extra money to get to France.

Mike O’Mary is founding dreamer of Dream of Things, a book publisher currently accepting creative nonfiction stories for anthologies on 14 topics, including an anthology titled “Cubicle Stories: Life in the Modern Workplace.”