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Through
her book, Dodson reaches out to other women to share the frustrations
of dating. She began compiling her dating tales five years ago,
and over that time has also interviewed women about their personal
dating stories. This ultimately led to her classification of men
into 14 types of fish, a system designed to help women identify
them on dates. What resulted was a book that would ultimately
communicate a message of dating empowerment and feminine self-respect.
After writing several different versions of the book and not finding
an agent, she never gave up. “I was aggressive in calling
the studios,” she says. She consistently focused on the
Dr. Phil show by emailing the show each time the topic of dating
was posted online. In February 2008, Tricia got her dream phone
call from Dr. Phil’s studio in Hollywood. Within a few weeks,
she was sitting next to the Texan, trembling at the notion of
being on national television. “It was surreal,” she
says of meeting Dr. Phil in person. “He had so much makeup
on that is makes you realize these are just real people, just
human. It kind of takes the glamour out of it and somehow makes
big stars seem more accessible.”
Tricia’s excitement, however, was curbed by the stiffness
and pain she had endured from a work-related injury that she now
acknowledges gave her the time off she needed to actively market
her book. Donning a back brace, Tricia pushed through her pain
during the filming of the Dr. Phil show, speaking up on her views
about dating in a face-off with one man she describes as a "Blowfish."
While Dr. Phil did not mention her book during the show, the episode
has aired twice, and Tricia has expressed interest in returning.
Additionally, Tricia's book was picked up by Strategic Book Publishing,
a small traditional publisher that she calls “very hands-on,
responsive and timely.” When asked about how working with
a traditional publishing company makes a difference, Tricia commented
that the professional editing made the book much clearer. “And
I love my book cover,” she added.
While
Tricia has a sales background and marketing comes naturally to
her, she is enjoying working with a PR staff now. "I want
to make sure that I leave it in the hands of the pro's but I still
think an author needs to do their part by offering events at local
bookstores and being on the lookout for marketing opportunities,"
she says.
Her advice to new authors? “It’s hard being new when
nobody knows who you are,” says Dodson. “When it’s
your time in the spotlight, never complain if they don’t
plug your book. Work on developing a good reputation with the
media so that they want you back.”
Tricia is currently working with Miranda Spigener, AEG Publishing
Group's Director of PR, on a focused launch for Blowfish.
She’s also working on her next book, feeling excited to
write more about women dating in a way that is respectful to themselves.
To order Tricia’s book, visit:
www.strategicbookpublishing.com/blowfish.html
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