“I found this book to be an easy read because Bill and I agree with one another… Bill is definitely a native guide, so you can trust his lead. Follow his umbrella as he takes you through this complex but manageable maze.”
— Bernie Siegel, M.D.
Author, A Book of Miracles
“I am so grateful to Bill for writing this book. I encourage – enthusiastically – folks passing through Cancerville to take along this travel atlas!”
— George P. Kansas
Survivor and Author, iCanSir
How does one measure “failure”?
In 2005, my 31-year-old daughter was diagnosed with breast cancer. I pledged that if she came through that I would devote the rest of my career as a psychologist and the rest of my life as a person to helping people in the dreadful place I came to call Cancerville. She is fine and doing very well almost nine years later.
I began writing five years to the day after her mastectomy. First came How to Cope Better When Someone You Love Has Cancer, quickly followed by How to Cope Better When You Have Cancer, and I’m Not Only a Cancer Patient, I’m a Survivor: A Workbook for Adults.
Financially, the books have been a dismal failure by any and every measure. From a piggy-bank point of view, I totally failed. I will never ever get back the money I spent to bring these books to market—not even close.
But there is another bank we all have that I call our pride bank. A few thousand people have bought my books. Hopefully, those books helped them cope with Cancerville just a little better. One reader said, “This book saved my life!” That fills my pride bank every day. For me, personal contribution trumps profit every time and makes what others might see as failure into success.
Also published on the Independent Book Publisher Association website
