To a grand-slam finish

Ghosting. The final 20,000 words of the ghostwriting project I’m working on have to roar and run and come to an exhilarating conclusion! I’ve found a local Marines vet who is reading the first pages of the text and has agreed to help me fill in details to complete the book. I’ll start working with him as soon as he’s finished the pages I gave him.

HealthWorks. Time to plan, write and produce the next edition of HealthWorks. What can I do to make this publication helpful and interesting? What can I put in there that people will want to keep permanently?

BeWell. My other big newsletter should be ready to deliver tomorrow or the next day. We’re now printing 6,500 copies per edition. I know it costs a lot, but I think it makes a good impression and helps build confidence in the primary care clinics. I wish I knew a way to prove that.

Urology book. My author wasn’t happy because of the problems we had last edition with the wire-O binding, and then when I goofed on the size of the book getting him prices for this edition, he was understandably upset. When he told me he could get the job done for a good price at a local printer’s, I told him I understood. Then he said he’d decided to use my services. Close call! Too close.  

Residency book. The author of the residency book said he’s sending me $$, but I haven’t seen the check yet. Still waiting for his assistant editor to plow through it and dig up things never pointed out before. It dawns on me that I have two books with 400+ pages each. That’s nice.

Blogs. I set up a brand-new “building your medical practice” blog Saturday night and within 24 hours had 23 hits. Wow! I thought maybe I’d stumbled onto something, but today received only 1 visit. I think it was a streak of good luck!

Moving ahead

A Successful Match. The book of 200 rules for helping a medical school graduate make a successful match with a residency is almost done, but I decided to take the week end off so that Kay can help me fine tune it next week.

The Mask. I’m still swimming looking for a good story line to finish writing this book. Both of my bros have emerged as literary consultants, and both are thoughtful and helpful so far.

BeWell. Waiting for the artwork to arrive from my premiere designer, Lia. She works during the week and apparently didn’t find time to get the job done during this week.

My MedInfo Journal. Visited yesterday with the author of a very practical log/journal for people with diabetes. She says she has an insurance company interested in it. She doesn’t have a lot of financing so will have to pre-sell the book.

Consulting. All is quiet from my real estate development client and my hospital consultant/client. I expect to hear from both of them soon.

HealthWorks. I feel in my bones that now is the time to “sell” HealthWorks to insurance companies, but I don’t know how to begin.

Office concerns. I have four computers, and none of them is working at full speed. The one I’m using now is okay except that the mouse dies every now and then, and I have to turn everything off and on before it’s okay for a little longer. I do have another mouse designed for a laptop that I can use, but the big one is more comfortable.

Work agenda at Griffith Publishing

As September approaches, and the long days of summer are being clipped bit by bit at both ends, here’s what’s going on at Griffith Publishing.

We were closed down from August 12 through 19 while the owner went on an 8-day vacation tour to Glacier Park and Yellowstone Park in Montana. I thought I’d get work done and bought a laptop computer just before I left, but the seats on the bus were so crowded and wi-fi availabiliy to limited, I got very little done.

Status of work right now…

HealthWorks. This semi-monthly publication for occupational medicine was printed while I was gone and has been mailed. I am starting a subscription-boosting campaign by adding new businesses and other businesses mentioned in the news media to our subscription list. My assistant, Kay, gets to do that. Received a request from J. R. Simplot Company to use information from HealthWorks in an employee-only publication. Granted.

BeWell. I have a good start on the content list for the Oct-Nov-Dec edition and input from my lead medical adviser, Doug Hill MD. When I have the story list, I’ll probably post it here.

The Successful Match. This is a book with about 420 pages that will help IMGs (international medical graduates) and others match with the right residency for them after they complete medical school. It’s pretty much ready to go except for checking page by page and handling errors and formatting problems as they present themselves. Waiting for back cover copy from the author so we can go to print.

The Mask. Still working away on this novel cum advice book on the lifelong effects of childhod molestation. This is a ghostwriting project, and I have full confidence in completing it, but I don’t know when.

Consulting. I am providing business marketing services to a new commercial loan service that will be opening soon. First job is to prepare a set of web pages for the client.

Web design. I am learning more about creating interactive forms using CSS or Acrobat, and generally about CSS and related topics. Talk about “clouds” and I’m lost. Talk about “virtual” anything, and I’m staring into space. 

Vacation. It’s for the birds. I don’t mind 2-3 days away from work, but 8 days is too much, especially with a group of 45 seniors with an agenda of sitting, waiting, eating, sitting, sleeping, eating, and waiting.

Writing from the Desert

No floods in southwestern Idaho to report. No tornadoes, earthquakes, or tropical downpours, either. What’s going on in the world of work at Griffith Publishing:

• Anticipating materials we need to write and design a marketing brochure that will be used to sell a two-physician medical practice in the West.
• Finished a pro bono editing job on the nature of the Trinity and turned it back to the author in Australia. He is happy with the job.
• Turned down a potential client who says he has a 280,000 word novel, but he doesn’t want editing or cover design services and says he wants only a few copies. No margin there!
• Plugging away on the ghostwriting project on child molestation.
• Changed the “tune” on my anti-tobacco blog to a dialog between Philip and Morris.
• Added content to my HealthWorks blog: thoughts on workplace falls.