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Jakob Franzen

Jakob Franzen

Texas, United States

Jakob Franzen is a coach, author, speaker, and occasional podcaster helping others realize their own resilience. He works to give authenticity to the word transformation to build the lives we want.

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About the author

I have been fortunate to have lived an amazing life, but in 2019 that was all taken away. I lost my husband, and my daughters lost their daddy, to an unnamed disease. That event turned our world inside out. I took a new executive job that I shouldn’t have. I tried to balance being a parent, a provider, and a grieving widower in the midst of difficult trauma.

After a year of feeling stuck, victimized, and lost I realized I needed to make a change and begin to reinvent my life. I left my job, started The Modern Coaching Company, and began the difficult journey of shoring up my relationship with my children. Single parenting isn't easy! Now, I’m putting everything I’ve learned about surviving trauma, finding resilience, and 30 years of leadership experience into being a coach.

Fast forward to today. My girls and I are living a new life. It isn’t perfect. It’s messy. It’s loud. It’s still sometimes painful, but we’re learning the lessons and doing the work. We’re learning to celebrate the days when things go well and find the joy that’s hiding in them. We're building a new life with the lessons we learned from the old one, fueling it with the joy and happiness that was the legacy of that old life.
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Success! No Proper Grief has already sold 52 pre-orders , was pitched to 14 publishers , and will be published by Hybrid Global Publishing .
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No Proper Grief

A Path from Grief to Resilience

No Proper Grief is a story of loss that will take the reader through multiple attempts to overcome the isolation of grieving alone as well as the challenges of being a parent to grieving children. The book challenges what society tells us about how we’re supposed to grieve and helps readers embrace that when we understand the love at grief’s core, we can move forward on a path to rebuild the foundation for a resilient life.

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Personal Growth & Self-Improvement
50,000 words
25% complete
7 publishers interested

Synopsis

When grief strikes, we are rarely allowed to sit with it and be. Our hustle society demands that we get back to life quickly. Most workplaces that offer bereavement leave only provide about four days of paid time off for a spouse's death. Many of us have to or think we should return to work even though we are still dealing with death trauma. For some of us, there is no time off. All of this is a reflection of modern attitudes toward grief. We can be pressured by our friends to "move on." They find our grief uncomfortable and want to see us get back to the way they knew us. It's an incredibly selfish notion that comes from a caring place. Every day the grieving are forced to look away from their grief and pretend they have somehow resolved it so that they can get back to work or keep socializing with friends.

My story of loss will take the reader through my attempts to get back to work, the isolation of grieving alone, and my challenge of being a parent to grieving children. I confront each of these situations in a raw, open, and honest fashion. I'll explore the choices I faced and my mistakes in thinking I could get it all right. As we travel our grief journey, we have to find our path to resilience. We can't fully understand our strength unless we understand our suffering and, more importantly, how we have transformed. This book points out that:

• Grief irrevocably changes a person, and we have to acknowledge that.
• We won't get back to the person we were, but we'll become someone new. We'll begin to understand how our resilience needs to change, too.
• Grief is forever, and we build our new life around our grief. That requires embracing the awkwardly uncomfortable and facing who we've become.

My efforts to realize my resilience centered on living with and understanding my grief. I had to challenge contemporary attitudes toward suffering and grieve in a way that made sense for me. I had to find a way that gave me as much time as I needed and learn not to listen to all those who thought they knew exactly how I should grieve.

This story is one I'm uniquely qualified to tell. I spent 30 years in the human resources space. Much of my work was around designing a workplace culture that cares for employees. Yet like most, I thought a week or two away from the job would be enough for anyone dealing with grief. I coached executives and emerging leaders on how to be resilient and build resilient teams, using the assumption that tragedy or hardship didn't change you. When my husband died in 2019, I came face to face with those assumptions. In a slow, stumbling way filled with missteps and mistakes, I learned to look into the heart of my grief and understand the love that made it. I got to know it and understand how it was remaking me. I realized that my life was a life transformed by suffering. The love at the heart of that transformation was my path to resilience.

Sales arguments

  • A 2016 study by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) found most employers offer four days for the death of a spouse or child, three days for the death of other family members like a sibling or parent, one day for an extended family member like an aunt or cousin, and zero-days for a friend or colleague. No one can nurture their resilience in 4 days.
  • No US law grants workers the right to paid leave for the loss of a family member. The most recent figure from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates only 60% of private-sector workers have bereavement leave. That means many of those who work and are in grief have no time to understand their grieving.
  • My social media presence includes over 1,300 connections on LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/in/jakobfranzen), over 130 followers of my company on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-modern-coaching-company), over 550 contacts on Facebook (www.facebook.com/https://www.facebook.com/jakob.franzen.52), and over 480 followers on Twitter (www.twitter.com/jakobfranzen).
  • I regularly interact with over 250 high-tech HR executives, having served on an information exchange round table for 20 years.

Similar titles

  • A Year in the Grief Valley by John Pavlovitz (Parson's Porch, December 2019). My book will be similar to this famous book in that it is a very personal story and will support the idea that grief is experienced alone. My book will be a deeper exploration of getting to resilience.
  • No Happy Endings: A Memoir by Nora McInerny (Dey Street, an imprint of William Morrow, 2019). My book will be similar as it will be a personal story that is frank, honest, and doesn't promise storybook endings.
  • Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy by Cheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant (Knopf, April 2017) My book is similar to the ideas posited in this book as it relates to confronting grief honestly, with compassion, and with empathy. This book unfortunately strays into the area of prescriptive advice and assumes that this advice will work for everyone who has suffered a trauma. My book focuses on the honesty of knowing not everything can have a happy ending right away.

Audience

About 2.5 million people die in the United States annually, each leaving an average of five grieving people behind, all of whom are looking to understand how to authentically realize their own resilience in a life irrevocably changed.

7 publishers interested
Golden Dragonfly Press logo Golden Dragonfly Press

500 copies • Partial manuscript • Looking for personal growth, mind & body, poetry, and spirituality. Golden Dragonfly Press is a small publishing house located in Amherst, Massachusetts. Our mission is to publish beautiful, visionary, and transformational work. We look for fiction, non-fiction, and poetry titles with Body, Mind & Spirit themes.

Traditional publisher

Mind & Body, Poetry, Art & Photography, Biography & Memoir, Mindfulness & Happiness, Motivation & Inspiration, Personal Growth & Self-Improvement, Religion & Spirituality

Worldwide

Hybrid Global Publishing logo Hybrid Global Publishing

250 copies • Partial manuscript.
Hybrid Global Publishing is a full service Hybrid Publishing Company dedicated to helping authors, speakers, and entrepreneurs get their message out by writing and publishing a book. We offer developmental editing, publishing, distribution, and marketing services for independent authors who are interested in speaking on stage, becoming more visible in the media, and establishing more credibility. The team has a combined 80 years of experience in publishing and has held editorial, management and marketing positions at major publishing houses, including The Free Press, Crown, Random House, and Avon.

Hybrid publisher

Children Fiction, Christian Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Historical Fiction, LGBT Fiction, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Horror & Suspense, Mind & Body, Poetry, Romantic Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Women's Fiction, YA Fiction, Biography & Memoir, Business & Money, Career & Success, Children Non-Fiction, Christian Non-Fiction, Cookbooks, Food & Wine, Communication Skills, Corporate Culture, Creativity, Current Affairs, Economics, Education, Entrepreneurship & Small Business, Health, Fitness & Dieting, History, Humor & Entertainment, Illustrated Books, Journalism, LGBT Non-Fiction, Management & Leadership, Marketing & Sales, Mindfulness & Happiness, Money & Investment, Motivation & Inspiration, Nature & Environment, Parenting, Personal Growth & Self-Improvement, Philosophy, Politics & Social Sciences, Popular Science, Productivity & Time Management, Psychology, Religion & Spirituality, Sex & Relationships, Society & Culture, Technology & the Future, Travel, Science Fiction & Humour

Worldwide

1106 Design, LLC logo 1106 Design, LLC

Dear Author,

You worked hard to write your manuscript; finally, it's ready to release. You know that expert assistance is needed, but perhaps you didn’t know that it’s no longer necessary to work with a publisher—especially publishers who charge fees to produce your book upfront and deduct more costs on the back end whenever a book is sold.

1106 Design is an author services company. We provide all the editorial and design services you’d expect from a publisher to turn your manuscript into a market-ready book—editing, cover design, interior layout, proofreading, eBook formatting, and more—at the traditional publisher level. Unlike a publisher, we’ll help you obtain print-on-demand printing and worldwide distribution in your name so that you earn, in most cases, several dollars more for every book sold instead of a measly “royalty.”

We’ll customize a package of services to suit your exact needs at affordable prices ranging from $4,000 to $10,000, depending on your manuscript's word count and complexity. And we’ll manage all the intricacies of book production, so you don’t have to. After this one-time investment, every penny of net revenue from book sales goes directly to you, never to us.

If this sounds like a better way to publish your book, I invite you to browse our services, design samples, no-surprises pricing, outstanding customer reviews, and educational articles at https://1106design.com.

1106 Design has been in business since 2001 and is rated A+ by the Better Business Bureau. We are a “Highly Recommended Expert” at IngramSpark.com and rated "Excellent" at Alli, The Alliance for Independent Authors, at SelfPublishingAdvice.org.

How can we serve you today?

Sincerely,
Michele DeFilippo, owner

Service publisher

Children Fiction, Christian Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Essay, Literary Fiction, Mind & Body, Mystery, Thriller, Horror & Suspense, Mythology & Folk Tales, Poetry, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Women's Fiction, YA Fiction, Biography & Memoir, Business & Money, Career & Success, Children Non-Fiction, Christian Non-Fiction, Cookbooks, Food & Wine, Communication Skills, Corporate Culture, Current Affairs, Economics, Education, Entrepreneurship & Small Business, Health, Fitness & Dieting, History, Humor & Entertainment, Journalism, Management & Leadership, Marketing & Sales, Mindfulness & Happiness, Money & Investment, Motivation & Inspiration, Nature & Environment, Parenting, Personal Growth & Self-Improvement, Philosophy, Politics & Social Sciences, Popular Science, Productivity & Time Management, Psychology, Reference, Religion & Spirituality, Science, Sex & Relationships, Society & Culture, Sports & Outdoors, Technology & the Future, Travel, YA Non-Fiction, Science Fiction & Humour

Worldwide

Atmosphere Press logo Atmosphere Press

250 copies • Partial manuscript.
Atmosphere Press is an independent publisher dedicated to author rights. We publish in all genres and have an exceptional editorial, design, and promotional staff. We stand for Honesty, Transparency, Professionalism, and Kindness. We want our authors and their readers to be blown away when they first hold that book in their hands. It needs to look good inside and out, and feel good to the touch. And, of course, the words need to be top-notch, and our editors are devoted to making that the case.

Service publisher

Children Fiction, Literary Fiction, Mind & Body, Mystery, Thriller, Horror & Suspense, Romantic Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy, YA Fiction, Biography & Memoir, Business & Money, Career & Success, Cookbooks, Food & Wine, Health, Fitness & Dieting, History, Journalism, Personal Growth & Self-Improvement, Politics & Social Sciences, Religion & Spirituality, Science, Society & Culture, Sports & Outdoors, Technology & the Future, Travel

Worldwide

Bright Communications LLC logo Bright Communications LLC

Looking for all types of books, including fiction, children's books, health, memoir, business books, and cookbooks
Bright Communications LLC is a woman- and veteran-owned custom publisher in Hellertown, PA. Founding CEO Jennifer Bright is a Book Doula, whose passion is helping authors bring their books to life. Our team of expert editorial, design, and marketing pros help authors go from idea to completed books and retain 100% of the rights to their work. We also offer four custom publishing packages and a $1900 self-publishing assist program.

Service publisher

Children Fiction, Christian Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Historical Fiction, LGBT Fiction, Literary Essay, Literary Fiction, Mind & Body, Mystery, Thriller, Horror & Suspense, Mythology & Folk Tales, Romantic Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Women's Fiction, YA Fiction, Art & Photography, Biography & Memoir, Business & Money, Career & Success, Children Non-Fiction, Christian Non-Fiction, Coloring Books for Grown-Ups, Comics & Graphic Novels, Cookbooks, Food & Wine, Communication Skills, Corporate Culture, Crafts & Hobbies, Creativity, Current Affairs, Economics, Education, Entrepreneurship & Small Business, Health, Fitness & Dieting, History, Humor & Entertainment, Illustrated Books, Journalism, Management & Leadership, Marketing & Sales, Mindfulness & Happiness, Money & Investment, Motivation & Inspiration, Nature & Environment, Parenting, Personal Growth & Self-Improvement, Philosophy, Politics & Social Sciences, Popular Science, Productivity & Time Management, Psychology, Reference, Religion & Spirituality, Science, Sex & Relationships, Society & Culture, Sports & Outdoors, Technology & the Future, Travel, YA Non-Fiction, Science Fiction & Humour

United Kingdom, United States, Canada

eBooks2go logo eBooks2go

100 copies • Completed manuscript.
eBooks2go, Inc. was founded in 2011 to provide the missing link for all your publishing needs. Our end-to-end solutions provide the guidance and support that enable publishers and independent authors to pursue their passions. To date, we have helped more than 750 authors and 100 publishers worldwide. We offer an array of simple and affordable solutions to assist self-publishing authors at every stage of the book publishing process. Our comprehensive service offering includes editing, print and eBook production, book marketing, cover designs, ISBN registration, and even website designs. We are a single source for all of your publishing needs.

Service publisher

Children Fiction, Literary Fiction, Mind & Body, Mystery, Thriller, Horror & Suspense, Romantic Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy, YA Fiction, Biography & Memoir, Business & Money, Career & Success, Cookbooks, Food & Wine, Health, Fitness & Dieting, History, Journalism, Personal Growth & Self-Improvement, Politics & Social Sciences, Religion & Spirituality, Science, Society & Culture, Sports & Outdoors, Technology & the Future, Travel

Worldwide

IngramSpark logo IngramSpark

100 copies • Completed manuscript.
Ingram is a rather large company with several different divisions and supplies books to bookstores and libraries in over 200 countries around the world. Ingram also has a print on demand digital printing company, Lightning Source. IngramSpark is the platform that combines those two services together. At IngramSpark, we work with authors and independent publishers to print their books for orders they need (no minimum order) and we have a way to list the books as available for sale to all of Ingram’s 39,000+ customers- distributors, bookstores, retail outlets, libraries, etc., so you never miss a sale. You would provide us with the print-ready digital files (one for the cover and one for the interior) and we print the books as they are sold through our distribution partner’s websites. We pay you for those sales approximately 90 days later. The compensation you earn is based on the retail price you set, minus the wholesale discount you offer our distribution partners, minus the print cost.

Service publisher

Children Fiction, Literary Fiction, Mind & Body, Mystery, Thriller, Horror & Suspense, Romantic Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy, YA Fiction, Biography & Memoir, Business & Money, Career & Success, Cookbooks, Food & Wine, Health, Fitness & Dieting, History, Journalism, Personal Growth & Self-Improvement, Politics & Social Sciences, Religion & Spirituality, Science, Society & Culture, Sports & Outdoors, Technology & the Future, Travel

Worldwide

  • Update #2 - Time Is Running Out! May 4, 2021

    Dear Readers,

    When I started this journey, a month seemed like a long time for a book campaign. It has flown by, and we're now headed …

  • Update #1 - And We're Off! April 17, 2021

    Dear Readers,

    What a grand launch! I am both humbled and grateful for all of you and your interest in my story. The launch wasn't …

Please log in to comment.

  • Jonathan Strober
    on April 15, 2021, 1:53 p.m.

    I am so excited to read your book! I have learned so much from getting to know you over this year and know there is so much more you can teach me.

  • Sharon Barclay
    on April 15, 2021, 3:39 p.m.

    Thank you for your courage and vulnerability in taking such a painful experience and turning it around to help others.

  • Lynda Birge
    on April 17, 2021, 12:52 a.m.

    Very excited for you and to receive my copy.

  • Jason Bradley-Krauss
    on April 17, 2021, 12:54 a.m.

    Jakob - Your friendship in grief has helped me immeasurably. I know this book will be a wonderful comfort to so many - you are such a talented writer! I can't wait to get my copy.
    Best, Jason

  • Staci Nathan
    on April 17, 2021, 5:50 p.m.

    Jake! It is my honor to be able to support you in this endeavor! Looking so forward to reading this! Love and good vibes!

  • Elizabeth Mott
    on April 19, 2021, 4:44 p.m.

    Love you and good luck with this new chapter in your life (pun intended)
    Libby

  • Jill DeLine
    on April 20, 2021, 6:40 a.m.

    Can’t wait! So thrilled fir you. :)

  • Carol Buck
    on May 1, 2021, 4:29 p.m.

    Jakob,

    I am so sorry for your loss! Grief is such a difficult
    topic and unfortunately, we all experience it. I hope you and your beautiful girls are doing well.
    I know sharing your experiences will help those who need support and encouragement the most.

    Wishing you the best of luck with the book!

    Carol

  • Susanna Rachut
    on May 4, 2021, 5:10 p.m.

    This is a very personally important subject, and I'm looking forward to reading this!

  • Susan Price
    on May 8, 2021, 12:25 a.m.

    So glad you wrote this book. I can’t wait to read it.