Megan Sharma's Blog: The Savvy Surgeon's Wife

Congratulations to the Book Release Date Giveaway Winners!

2/19/2018

Congratulations to the winners of my Book Release Date Giveaway, and many thanks to everyone who participated!

Winners will be notified via email.

Exciting news on two release dates coming soon:

Paperback edition of "100 of Your Toughest Business Emails: Solved"
Digital edition of "Memoirs of a Surgeon's Wife"

Stay tuned to this blog for more info!

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Enter Megan Sharma's Book Release Date Giveaway to Win a Free Paperback Copy of Business Email Book

2/13/2018

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Book cover design: How I developed a concept for my indie author book cover

1/29/2018

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2018 is going to be an exciting year for this indie (independent) author. Think: acting a fool level of excitement.

I recently decided to self-publish my debut nonfiction book on love and modern medicine: Memoirs of a Surgeon’s Wife: I’m Throwing Your Damn Pager into the Ocean. And it’s going to happen in the next couple of months! Happy dance!

Although I have written and published a business writing advice book, available free on Amazon, this will be my first self-published full-length nonfiction book.

One of the coolest things about being an indie author is that you maintain creative control over the whole shebang, including the book title and the cover art.

I’m no professional artist or graphic designer, but I have taken art and photography classes and have a decent artistic eye [pats self on back].

Since this book is kinda my baby, aside from my actual baby (who is no longer a baby, as she frequently reminds me), it’s important for me to get it right.

I’ll be working with a friend who is a graphic designer on the book cover design, but I wanted to come to her with several ideas and concepts to get the ball rolling.

So, for any other indie authors, self-publishers or the curious among ye, I’m sharing my process for developing a book cover design concept. You can judge the final result when we have…ahem…the final result: the big book cover reveal!

Book cover design: How to develop a concept for your indie author book cover

Step 1: Shop around

To know what you like and what you are drawn to, you need to shop around. You can accomplish this this by browsing bookstores or browsing online.

If you choose to browse a bookstore, check out the bestsellers for all genres first. Make note of or discreetly photograph (for your own personal use only, of course) the covers you covet. Then make your way to your book genre’s section and see what grabs you.

I personally started my search online with good old Google. I googled “Best book covers of 2017” and found several curated lists. For me, this was a good starting point.

Step 2: Create your vision board

Since I chose to go the online route for my initial research, I created a Pinterest board called Book Cover Inspiration, and linked the book covers that had me swooning. I also made short notes on what elements of the book cover I liked (illustration style, colors, typography, etc.).

The board confirmed what types of book covers I’m drawn to and helped me narrow down my favorite styles.

Megan Sharma's book cover inspiration board on Pinterest

Step 3: Consider the heart of your book

Now is the time to ask yourself some questions about your book.

What is the overall tone of the book? What is the message of the book? Why did you write the book? Who is the book’s primary audience? What category does the book belong in?

Since I initially pursued traditional publishing for my book, all these questions were answered in great detail in my nonfiction book proposal.

But I still took the time to think through them and write down succinct answers. This information will also come in handy during the final step.

Photo credit: Theo Crazzolara on Visualhunt / CC BY

Step 4: Pretend you’re an artist

Once you’ve captured the key tone and message of your book, brainstorm some ideas, then grab a pen and some paper and get to drawing!

I hand-illustrated 12 concepts, hated most of them, and came up with one that I absolutely love.

The process is fun and helps you tap into your creative side.

You can also try a digital mock-up, if you’re so inclined, in Canva. Just pick a template for an e-book cover and get to work.

Step 5: Hand it over to a professional

The importance of a professional-quality, striking book cover cannot be overstated. This is not a job to take on yourself, unless you are a graphic designer or a book cover designer.

Think about it: we all judge books by their covers. It’s not a vanity thing – it helps us determine which books are worth our time and money.

Thankfully in this digital age there are plentiful and affordable options for book cover designers – both for e-books and for print books.

Here are recommended designer resources from authors I trust:
Joanna Penn’s recommendations
Mark Coker’s Smashwords recommendations

I haven’t experienced it yet, but I also intend to give Fiverr’s freelance book designers a try.

Take these extra steps to conceptualize your book before the professionals jump in. It will help you narrow your vision and improve the ultimate quality of your book.

What book design tips can you share with us? What are your favorite book covers? Leave a comment!

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On The Write Life: 18 Ways to Support an Author (Besides Buying Their Book)

1/17/2018

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New year, new byline, and new tips on how you can support your favorite authors!

The Write Life is a trusted source of information for writers of all genres.

This piece, published on The Write Life, focuses on how you can show love and support for authors – without spending a penny!

For new authors (present company included), it’s just as important, if not more so, to have help spreading the word than to make a few bucks on a book (although we don’t hate that! Go for it!).

Check out the article here, and feel free to add your feedback on creative and simple ways to share the love with the authors in your life and on your bookshelf.

You can find all of my articles on The Write Life here.

Cheers!

You may also like these blogs by Megan Sharma:
On The Write Life: 17 Incredible Possibilities if Writers Ran The World
On The Write Life: Get Inspired! 20 Writers to Follow on Twitter
Article on The Write Life: Think Like a Journalist to Improve Your Writing (Trench Coat Optional!)
How to be the perfect friend: a guide for the ladies
Writing tips: What I want to blog about vs. what I actually blog about
One year after my major career change from full-time mom to full-time writer: reflections and lessons learned
For writers: All your writing fears, squashed!
A real, imperfect day in the life of a writer: me
Your writing conference checklist: how to make it worth every minute and every penny (takeaways from the 2017 San Francisco Writers Conference)
The write stuff: An author’s favorite books and authors
Writing tips: Cutting down on word fat and other newsletter best practices
All about writing: writing 'til it hurts

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BIG NEWS! I’m self-publishing my memoir in 2018. Here’s why…

1/8/2018

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Hello, friends! Happy New Year to all of you!

I, for one, am especially pumped about 2018.

Why?

Because this is the year I will self-publish my debut nonfiction book: “Memoirs of a Surgeon’s Wife: I’m Throwing Your Damn Pager into the Ocean”.

And let me tell ya, this thing, this passion project of mine, has been a long time coming.

I started writing “Memoirs of a Surgeon’s Wife” in 2013 while I was working full-time as a Corporate Communications Manager. It was something I did on weeknights and weekends whenever I could muster the energy and inspiration.

Then, life decided to throw me a few more curve balls – namely, pregnancy and motherhood.

I didn’t work on the book for a whole YEAR.

It wasn’t until my daughter was 15 months old and started part-time day care that I was finally able to turn my attention to my book once again.

In less than six months, I finished the first draft. I was elated. I had written a BOOK!

To keep things moving, I strategically planned to attend the 2017 San Francisco Writers Conference, which forced me to quickly write my nonfiction book proposal, create and hone my elevator pitch, and research potential literary agents to represent my book.

At the conference last February, I pitched my book to several literary agents in person, and received three requests for my manuscript and book proposal, a huge win.

I also started tackling a necessity for today’s authors: building an ‘author platform’, or online presence for readers. Most of 2017 was spent in pursuit of this challenging endeavor.

I am thrilled to report that I now have nearly 10,000 followers across Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and my email subscribers (and growing).

Photo by Sean MacEntee on Visualhunt / CC BY

The one thing I was not able to accomplish in 2017 was to contract with a literary agent to represent my work, with the goal of securing a traditional publishing contract. I did have conversations with a few individuals and some positive feedback, but nothing more materialized. I could sit around and moan and whine about it all day, but I won’t.

Instead, I’m taking matters into my own hands: I’m self-publishing my memoir in 2018.

Have I done this before? Kinda.

I mean, I did publish this book, 100 of Your Toughest Business Emails: Solved, so I have some experience.

But taking charge of the complete book production, launch and marketing strategy for a full-length memoir? Nope, haven’t done it yet.

Here’s the thing: I’m not worried. I’m beyond-words excited.

What I don’t know how to do now I will figure out. I will ask for help when I need it. And I will remember that if something doesn’t seem just a tad bit scary, it’s probably not worth doing.

Why, exactly, have I decided to self-publish?

Because the very thought of it fills me with joy, honestly. And I want other medical couples out there to know that they can and will get through the training years and the difficult times.

So, that’s the big news for 2018.

Want to get involved?

I will be recruiting an exclusive launch team to help me spread the word about “Memoirs of a Surgeon’s Wife”. These folks will get to read the book before everyone else, will score a free copy, and will be privy to and part of the action behind the scenes of a real live book launch.

More on this soon – watch this blog for details.

What challenges are YOU taking on this year? Cheers to possibility!

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Married to medicine: Letter to a young doctor’s girlfriend

6/1/2017

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I was recently inspired by Dr. Suzanne Koven’s Letter to a Young Female Physician, published in “The New England Journal of Medicine”.

In her letter to herself as a young doctor, Dr. Koven describes the challenges she will face and the battle waging within her own mind: “I have wasted much time and energy in my career looking for reassurance that I was not a fraud”.

She ends on a positive note: “My dear young colleague, you are not a fraud. You are a flawed and unique human being, with excellent training and an admirable sense of purpose.”

Like any good Millennial, I immediately related her story to myself.

(Not me. Just a stock image of a Millennial girl in a fancy hat)

I thought about what I would have told my future self about what it’s like dating, being engaged to, and being married to a doctor.

If I had powers to predict the future, would I have made different decisions? Would I have changed the course of my life?

The answer is, most emphatically, NO. I would not.

Because when you find the love of your life, you don’t let him go.

Arun and me at Discovery Park in Seattle, one of our favorite places

Arun and me at Discovery Park circa May 2009, 5 months into our relationship

Here is my personal Letter to a Young Doctor’s Girlfriend:

Dear Young Doctor’s Girlfriend:

So, you’ve met someone? And that someone is a doctor? Kudos. Mazel. Cheers!

As your future self, I say this with the utmost respect and admiration: you have nary an idea what you’re getting yourself into.

I mean, you’re only 25, first of all (which is basically the new 19).

But you’re falling quickly. This one is different. You can feel it in your bones.

You’ll fall in love and spend your time conjoined like Siamese twins. Two peas in a pod. Eventually you will get engaged and married and have babies and buy a house together. All in good time, my dear.

For now, you’re content to snuggle on the couch watching Netflix and ordering calorie-laden Thai takeout from Golden Singha down the street.

The early days and even years won’t be without struggle, however.

Need I remind you that you are dating an ENT surgical resident, who has just started the first of his six-year residency training? It’s a long road. And even longer when you add that one-year fellowship to the end of it.

During your boyfriend’s first year of residency, he will have no control over his vacation schedule. His superiors will determine when he takes time off.

You’ll still manage to squeeze in an awesome trip to Puerto Vallarta to celebrate the end of intern year, your first of many international trips together.

Most nights, you’ll be lucky to see your man before 8:00 pm. When he does finally trudge through the door, he’ll be buried in work and will (10 to 1) fall asleep on the couch in his scrubs. Happy hour is out of the question.

You’ll grow accustomed to attending social events solo. Most of the time, your boyfriend will be on call or at the hospital whenever you make plans with your friends or family. Same goes for holidays—flip a coin.

He will wake you up every morning at 4:00 when he rises to prepare for the day. I know you’re not a morning person, never mind a middle of the night person. Get used to it!

His pager will become your most despised enemy. That thing literally never shuts up. It interrupts meals, sleep, shopping trips, conversations, romantic time, and even fights. Of course, it will cause fights, as well.

Financially, let’s just say that you will carry the burden for a few years. Seattle is an expensive city, and resident salaries don’t exactly match up to the cost of living.

You are one of the lucky couples who won’t have to grapple for years with medical school debt (THANK YOU GOD FOR THAT FULL SCHOLARSHIP!), so be grateful.

Believe it or not, once you get engaged (on your two-year anniversary while snowshoeing in Methow Valley, WA), you will plan your entire wedding around your fiancé’s rotation schedule. You will do most of the planning during his research year.

PS: an 18-month engagement is way too long. A year would have been just fine.

Once you finally get through six years of residency training, you’ll be jubilant, but you’re nowhere near off the hook.

You’ve lived on the West Coast for your entire life. All your beloved friends and family are in Seattle. Say goodbye to all that.

You’ve got a move on the horizon. A big one.

You’ll be trekking cross-country to Pittsburgh. In five short days. On your own dime. And then your husband will start his fellowship training while your newly rented apartment remains stacked to the ceiling with boxes, and you’ve got to get back to work, as well.

Wait! I almost forgot. Before that, you’ll sell your condo in Seattle two months before the end of residency. You’ll both move in with your parents while you wait it out.

And…oh, yes. You’ll also be PREGNANT.

You were going to drive cross-country to Pittsburgh, but your 24/7 nausea forced you to fly and make arrangements to ship your car.

One year later, after you have your first baby together, you husband will come to the end of his surgical training—a mere 16 years of education post high school.

You’ll pack those boxes once again. This time, to the Midwest, for your husband’s dream job. You’ll buy a beautiful home together, where your family can continue to grow.

True, life does get easier with your husband being an attending physician. But it also means he has ultimate responsibility for his patients, both ethically and legally.

You will buy expensive disability insurance, malpractice insurance, and life insurance to provide a snippet of comfort for the great, unknowable future.

Your husband will still round every weekend. He’ll still work late into every evening. He’ll attend more conferences, give more talks.

The life of a doctor’s wife is one of understanding and sacrifice.

You and your husband are truly a team, even though things are not always equal. Don’t keep score.

Whether you like it or not, you are both married to medicine. You’ll never escape that.

Just remember that you chose one another. Invest in your love and keep it strong.

It’s because of love that you’ve made it this far.

Warmest regards,

Megan
Your Future Self

Check out my debut book on love and modern medicine