What is the title of your book?
Reflections of a Successful Wallflower - Lessons in Business; Lessons in Life.
What is your book about?
"This book is a life lesson, a success road map and a laugh-out-loud look into Andrea Michaels, one of the great business and creative minds working today." - John Klymshyn, Author of How to Sell Without Being a JERK! and The Ultimate Sales Managers' Guide.
Andrea Michaels is literally one of the backbones of the special events industry. She launched her event production business when there was no formalized or defined marketplace and became, and still is, a trailblazer, pioneering the way for others to follow. This book can only be compared to reading Andrea's diaries. This first inductee into the industry's Hall of Fame shares, candidly, not only the public wunderkind but the inner woman. Readers will discover the workings of one of the foremost event producers in the world. Her stories have made readers laugh, cry, and be in utter disbelief and fascinated at the same time. Her stories and her life are great lessons for everyone.
Why did you decide to write it?
I wrote the book for personal satisfaction AND because I hope that, in addition to being a fun read, it will inspire young people and women - two distinct populations I am dedicated to educating. Young people need to understand that their own power and internal drive can lead them to thinking creatively and decisively on more levels than tapping the keys on their computers for solutions. And women need to know that there is no "glass ceiling" if they can figure out a way to work around it. They have to believe that they can do anything, including raise a child, enjoy a marriage, run a business (do I sound like a Helen Reddy song?) [cue "I am Woman"] and do it all successfully and happily without sacrificing any one of these relationships.
My stories are about survival - business survival, and about approaches to challenges and how to overcome them. Business is no more than one element of life, and surviving in business is the same as surviving in life. It's all about approach and attitude.
How did you get your book published?
I decided I wanted to self-publish. I asked my editor to research what was available. After she presented me with all the options and recommended Outskirts Press, I went with them.
What type of readers will be interested in your book?
The obvious ones are other professionals in the special events industry and suppliers to that industry; business leaders, particularly women; young people interested in an incredibly creative and challenging career; women who have had challenging relationships in their lives. People who are looking for ways to laugh through the pain of working during difficult times and situations.
What is special about your book? What differentiates it from other books in the same category?
Most books by event producers display gorgeous photos of their events and talk a little bit about the. Others are "how to" books on the subject. My book is different because it reveals the challenges that I had to overcome to actually get the events produced. It intertwines my business and personal life. Each chapter is a story about an event and its challenges and the lessons I learned both professionally and personally, and I relate everything to my personal life. I expose my failures and my successes in an open manner.
Have you published any other books? Do you plan to publish more?
I have never published before, and I do plan to write a sequel to this one.
Reflections of a Successful Wallflower is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and on the Outskirts Press site.Andrea's web page address: www.extraordinaryevents.net
Andrea's Outskirts page: www.outskirtspress.com/andreamichaels
Extraordinary Events office is located in Sherman Oaks, California.
To see my book review visit Reflections of a Successful Wallflower
