Do It Myself Blog – Glenda Watson Hyatt

Unlike in-person bookstore appearances that attract only small audiences, unless you are a well-known author, virtual book tour appearances remain on blogs long after the tour has ended. Online book promotion expert Patrice-Anne Rutledge explains, “A virtual book tour can generate buzz and book sales that extend far beyond the actual timeframe of your tour.”

Four weeks after wrapping up my “40 Blogs in 40 (Business) Days” virtual book tour, promoting my autobiography I’ll Do It Myself, bloggers are still writing about me, my book and my virtual book tour. For example, freelance writer Patrick Borders blogs about sophiscated ideas for world book exposure and mentions my virtual book tour in a recent post. Thanks Patrick.

Spanish-speaking parents of a daughter with cerebral palsy share their experiences with rehabilitation and help to “leave the time back where the discapacitados ones were hidden”. They mentioned my book I’ll Do It Myself on their blog last week. Google Translate provides this approximate translation:

Sailing by Internet, I found blog call “Do it my self” whose author, Glenda Watson Hyatt, was born with cerebral paralysis. The name already says much. I prefer to leave blog speaks by itself and that you enjoys this woman who has caused certain commotion. Single I want to recommend an article that wrote on the language of the discapacidad. Here call “What is in a Word”.

Caused a commotion? This red-head? Never! (If anyone can provide a more accurate translation, I am curious to know what meaning is really intended.)

I would have never imagined reaching a Spanish-speaking audience on my book tour, virtual or otherwise. Isn’t the blogoshpere amazing! Maybe a Spanish version will be the first translation of I’ll Do It Myself…

People are still reading the interviews conducted during the virtual tour and then stopping by my blog. The buzz continues long after book signings at brick-and-mortar bookstores would be forgotten: another benefit of virtual book tours!

The votes for the Best of Blog Awards have been tallied and…in the Inspirational Blog category…Do It Myself Blog is 1st runner-up! Only 34 votes short of first place. Drat!

Congratulations to first place winner Christine from the Abbey of the Arts blog, and 2nd runner-up Graciel from the Evenstar Art blog! May your blogging experiences continue to be rewarding.

Thank you to everyone who voted for my blog. And, more importantly, thank you for continuing to stop by to read my blog, to leave comments and to email me. You have already made this blog a winner!

(Photo credit: Anatoli Styf)

Since wrapping up my “40 Blogs in 40 (Business) Days” virtual book tour for my autobiography I’ll Do It Myself, I have been down with bronchitis. This bout has really sucked the energy out of me. With my cerebral palsy, nearly everything I do takes extra conscious effort, which tends to limit the energy I do have. This limited energy combined with the power surge from the bronchitis has left me doing the bare minimum for the past few weeks.

I find this “dead battery” feeling extremely frustrating because, even though I physically feel like doing nothing, my mind is still racing with ideas, plans and all the things I have to do. I then remind myself that, like everyone else, I am a not a human doing, but rather a human being. It is okay to sit mindlessly at my window and watch the birds build their nest; it’s okay to spend a couple of hours during the work day reading in bed – I may even finish reading April’s O Magazine before May’s issue arrives! Except for meals and minimal laundry, pretty much everything else really can wait.

Surely my book tour hosts won’t mind receiving their thank you notes later rather than sooner. The ebook about the lessons I learned from doing a virtual book tour can wait another month or so to be written. Revenue Canada, on the other hand, won’t really wait beyond the end of April for income taxes, so that becomes my top priority. What a priority! Other things, like drumming up votes for the Best of Blog Award, fall off the priority list. Although winning the award would be nice and would give Darrell and I a reason/excuse for going to Las Vegas, something we’ve been talking about doing for a few years, the award won’t change how I blog, and I doubt it would change my life’s larger picture.

Life involves constantly readjusting priorities and finding balance.

(Photo credit: Chris Chidsey)

To me, Easter is a time for new beginnings and new life; a time for new hope. From my observation, when people are in crisis, they often take drastic measures to find a resolution. In reality, they are searching for hope. Finding that hope determines whether or not they pull through the crisis.

In this season new life and new beginnings, I would like to offer a glimmer of hope to those who are in desperate need – those who are homeless and those living in extreme poverty. The Union Gospel Mission here in Vancouver will be serving Easter dinner to men, women and children who are hungry, hurting, and homeless. Each dinner costs $2.59. I would like to do my part.

For each copy of my autobiography I’ll Do It Myself that I sell between now and Good Friday, April 6th, at noon PDT, I will buy an Easter dinner for someone in need. Together, let’s see how many we can give a morsel of hope. Thanks in advance!

April 4th update: To date, eight people in need will be enjoying Easter dinner, thanks to my generous readers! How many more can we provide Easter dinner for?

April 5th 9:30 am update: Ten people will be enjoying a hot meal for Easter, thanks to my awesome readers! And there is still one day to go. Woohoo!

I excitedly announce that Do It Myself Blog is a finalist for the Best of Blog Award, under the Best Inspirational Blog category. Winners will be determined by the number of votes received until Friday, April 13, at midnight EDT. The Grand Prize winner for this category will be announced in Las Vegas at Blog World Expo in November, and will receive free exhibits registration at the expo. Darrell and I have been talking about going to Las Vegas with friends, so Vegas for my birthday would be a blast! Let’s see if the Law of Attraction works here!

I was not aware that I was a finalist until last night and, apparently, voting has been open for a while. I would like to request your assistance in making up for lost time by helping to spread the word, please. And, voting is “American Idol” style — you can vote once per day (cookies must be enabled on your computer for your vote to be counted each day).

Thanks to Wendy Piersall for nominating Do It Myself Blog for this award!