Roger Williams

Transcript:

Author Roger Williams on Working With Xlibris

My name is Roger Williams and the title of my book is Turn Back Blow. The video that inspired the book is the YouTube video “Jamaica: Mongrel Dog Used as Bait to Capture CROCODILE!”, with those men throwing that poor, helpless dog in the river to the crocodile. I said to myself, “These young men, they would like someone to throw them in the river and into the crocodile.” So I thought of the saying “Do unto others as you would like them do unto you”. Turn Back Blow is an old Jamaican saying by old and wise people in the village. It means that whatever evil you do, some form of evil can turn back unto you, hence the title Turn Back Blow. It’s a very, very powerful title.

When you work with a print-on-demand company like Xlibris, you have the advantage, you have the last say in the book. It’s different when you have a traditional publisher where once you put in that manuscript, you don’t see it again until the book’s release. With publishing companies like Xlibris, they respect the author’s view. If they have a suggestion, they contact you first. You’re a part of the team, rather than publishing your book in a traditional company where you don’t see a book until it’s in print. In my opinion, you learn more this way because I can know the dos and don’ts. I love the freedom of doing this, and the most important thing is I own the rights to my book. That’s every author’s dream: to own the rights to your book.

There are so many people who can connect to this book. I just got a message from someone, and he said, “Roger, I just saw your book and I’m interested in getting this book. Thank you so much for writing this book.” So I think I have achieved a lot with Turn Back Blow. People love the story, they appreciate it, and they just love the message of the book.

If you’re thinking about publishing a book for the first time, my advice is to stay focused. It can happen. This book took me two years to write and I’ve had a lot of trials and tribulations, but if you find the right publishing company like Xlibris, who is just there answering your emails, answering your calls on time, a company like that can help you achieve those goals. With the right mind, the right spirit, the right motivation, you can do it. Never tell yourself that you can’t do it, because if I can do it, anybody out there can do it.

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