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.
Ended
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 toward the end. It has created such a mix of emotions for me. While I think the business side of art is always difficult for the artist, I've had the advantage of 30 years of business that I bring to the table. Even my book is a blend of art and business practicality. This process has been filled with surprises, nonetheless. There are several things I've learned.
My friendship network isn't as strong as I thought it was. Obviously, there are challenges with any social media platform. The algorithms are cryptic, and we can't always depend on them to serve up our updates to our friends' feeds. Even though I've put several promotional posts about the book on social media, I have been surprised by the silence of many of my friends who normally see my posts but haven't responded, shared the post, or even commented with "good luck."
My business network is even weaker. I've reached out to my business contacts both through LinkedIn and directly by e-mail. Again, silence. I've even had some with whom I've worked or found jobs, helped get promotions or land deals ask to be removed from my personal contact list.
Networks are about like-minded people helping each other. This exercise has allowed me to heavily curate my networks to focus on mutually beneficial relationships and good-hearted people.
My goal was 500 pre-orders. My minimum to move forward with publishing was 50. It looks like we may well hit the 50 book level. But I'd like to try to get more interest so that I have access to more publishers, and that requires me to make another ask of you. You have all already done so much by ordering the book and commenting on the campaign page or sending me such kind notes that I hate to press further. But could you share the link to the campaign on your favorite social media platform? If you don't do social media, maybe send the link to 5 friends. While I know not everyone will be interested in the subject matter, and not everyone will want to order the book, I would like to get my message out there. Ultimately, this is a story about realistic resilience. There is no toxic positivity. There are no fairy tale endings. But an authentic resilience after a tragedy can be the source of strength in many areas of your life. Won't you help me share the message?
In humble gratitude,
Jakob Franzen
