As an actress, Outskirts Press author Kim Weiler waged a singular battle with psoriasis that carried a special significance in her life. The painful condition is characterized by over-multiplication of skin cells that causes raised, red plaques on the skin. It can wreak havoc on an individual’s life and health, and tackling the disruptive disease is never a simple or straightforward process – especially during a career in the public eye.
The years-long journey led Kim to self-publish her memoir, Ps – It’s All About Love, chronicling the pain of this condition and her inspiring path to wellness. Her compelling personal journey has resonated with readers … and her marketing efforts have paid off. With determination, and help from Outskirts Press, Kim has already made remarkable strides in publicizing her book.
Recently, Outskirts Press sat down for a Q&A with Kim Weiler to learn more about her experiences since the publication of Ps – It’s All About Love.
Outskirts Press: A lot has happened since you published Ps – It’s All About Love earlier this year! Give us the highlights of the attention the book has gotten in the last few months.
Kim Weiler: The exciting news is that the minute I had leverage that I would truly have a book published to support my story and self-healing journey, along with the fact that I had been in the TV and film industry for years, I got accepted to attend a very exclusive NYC Publicity Summit. This jump-started my success by getting media contacts who wanted to schedule me the minute my book got published. While writing the book and working on creating a marketing hook, I also worked hard at getting my website re-vamped and polished, reaching out to people I knew and starting to schedule group events to share my story, my business healingmyskin.com and my book. All these actions have gotten attention for me.
As of now, here are some of the amazing opportunities I can share:
- I’ve had almost 10 radio station interviews from Fox Sports Radio with Dr. Veronica Anderson to Maggie Linton on Sirius XM Radio.
- I’ve had the pleasure of writing articles for various publications: everything from newspapers to magazines to blogs. I just got the news that USA Today Magazine will be publishing an article I wrote some time in the near future, which is fantastic!
- I’m extremely excited to have completed my very first TV talk show appearance on a show called “Beyond My Crisis” for public access TV in New Jersey. It’s the start to so much more.
- I have big goals to be on “Dr. Oz” … one day! Most importantly, I’ve been hearing from lots of people with wonderful feedback about how well-written and beautiful every part of my book is but more importantly that it is helping them; even people without a skin condition. That’s really the best result of all!
OP: What inspired you to share your story through a book in the first place?
KW: I’ve always loved to write and have been blogging about my healing journey for almost two years now. My heart really goes out to all those millions of people suffering in the world from skin disease, and I was ready to give back and do something where I contributed to the world. My dad once said, “Helping people makes your soul feel good.” It really does! It’s so rewarding when you help someone feel relief and hope, sometimes for the first time in their life.
In the end, I healed my skin naturally but the 21 years of struggle, confusion, pain, medications and doctor visits was such a hard journey that I don’t want other people with skin conditions to suffer the way I did. My goal is to get my book into the hands of as many people as possible so that they, too, can take control of their health and heal! Outskirts Press is making all this possible!
OP: What was the most difficult part of that process?
KW: Finding patience when it came to the moments where I had to “hurry up and wait.” My patience wasn’t tested so much in the writing of the book – that was the easier and more enjoyable part. It was when the book was out of my hands and in the editor’s hands or Outskirt’s hands that I found myself really wanting it to be done. [But] good work takes time! After each and every re-read of the final manuscript, after each correction, and correction after that, I ended up with one incredible book! Did I mention it was all done in less than a year?
OP: When it came time to publish, how did you go about choosing a publishing company? What were the deciding factors that led you to choose Outskirts Press?
KW: My writing coach recommended Outskirts Press to me from the start. She was aware of their wonderful reputation, and she shared how many delays would be involved if I went the traditional route with a large publisher. We researched their publishing packages and loved what we saw! It wasn’t until my manuscript was approved that we realized what a great decision that was.
OP: It sounds like the partnership with Outskirts Press has worked out for you. What’s been the best part of self-publishing with Outskirts Press?
KW: The best part was the team of people who helped me along the way and are still helping me! Everyone at Outskirts Press has been so supportive, efficient, and overall amazing to work with. I’ve felt very safe the entire time with my baby in their experienced hands!
OP: What advice would you give authors who might be on the fence about publishing their own stories?
KW: The world needs to hear your story! No one else can tell it like you can. Just write. Don’t overthink anything about structure or outline or chapters – just write and see what happens! Just know that your writing can and will help someone! If you have any desire to write a book about your story, that means the universe is nudging you to do so … It needs to be out there. Start with a blog or email to friends or a journal, but whatever you do, WRITE.
Want to learn more about how to authors like Kim Weiler are achieving success through Outskirts Press? Call a Publishing Consultant at 1-888-672-6657 (OP-BOOKS), or chat with us using the live chat option on our website for information about our affordable, effective publishing and marketing options.
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