How I ended up where I am today as of 11/2005

I have always been an avid (excessive!) reader and writer. I always wanted to be a writer but was told at a young age, I couldn’t do that for a living. So, I went to college and took business classes and worked in an office, so I would have the “secure” job. I was very unhappy spending my days in a cubical. In an issue of Ms. Adventure, under Bookish Women, Mary Lou Santovec said it best when she said “Publishing has been called an accidental profession. Many of us gravitate toward it having tried other things first.” I was no exception.

I was a bill collector for over 17 years. Because I hated being trapped in a office, and I was getting a divorce, I wanted to be home with my children but still needed to make a living. I started my own collection agency from my home and ran it successfully for 8 years. I did everything myself, buying books, taking classes online and through the mail, networking and doing whatever I could to learn from people who had been there, done that. I gained a lot of positive publicity for my agency and there suddenly was a demand for a book about Starting a Collection Agency. I wrote my first book in 2002, based on that demand, “Starting a Collection Agency, How to make money collecting money” and am now working on the second edition. I never considered not self publishing my book, and read everything I could about it to make it happen. My bible was (and still is!) Dan Poynters book, The Self Publishing Manual.

Throughout my debt collection career, I wrote many articles, e-books and was always working on other books. I just published “Become the Squeaky Wheel” which I had started writing when I was still working for someone else, so this was over 10 years coming! My goal when I was a child was to be a female Stephen King; I read everything he wrote, over and over. I always wanted to be a writer, but never even considered business writing. I wrote what I found people wanted and there was a demand for. It is very exhilarating to write something then have people call and write to you to tell you it has changed their life. I am so glad to be able to help people like this. I base my books on personal experience, so I know they are good and that they can help someone who is driven and motivated succeed. My biggest accomplishment is not how many books I have written but the calls and letters from others who say, they are successful and in part because of my book.

When I sold my collection agency to write and publish full time, I thought I was prepared. Prepared for the working from home, working alone, having no money, keeping motivated and positive and the marketing frenzy that every author must have to be successful. I can tell you that being a writer and publisher and promoting your work, is one of the hardest things I have done. It is fun and rewarding, it is discouraging and depressing. You never know what a certain day will bring. The one thing to remember, especially when you feel isolated, alone and down because “nothing is happening”. It will happen if you keep on. Trust me. Self promotion is the key to success.

I have written and published 5 books, through my publishing company, Never Dunn Publishing LLC. I have just signed a contract with Entrepreneur press to write a book for their Ultimate Series, tentatively titled, The Ultimate Book of Credit & Collections. This is all because of my actions. Every author, no matter what genre you write and how you publish, must be a marketing guru. I have found that many authors do not know this, and think a publishing house will provide marketing for their books.

Because of this, and because of my success with my publicity, I have found another demand for a book that I am working on. It is a book on Free to low cost marketing. I have kept a diary of my marketing efforts since the day I sold my agency. This way I can show anyone, how they can market their books or business, step by step, day by day, for free or with very little money. I know it works, I have been doing it. Based on my marketing efforts since January, I have:

Sold over $17,000.00 worth of my books and e-books

Been in the Wall Street Journal

Been on the CBS Early Show

Been featured in many national and regional magazine and newspapers

Signed a contract with a publisher for a book, received an advance and royalties

Signed with a successful Literary Agent

If someone had told me I could do all that in less than 8 months with no paid advertising or publicist, I would not have believed it. So now I know I need to share this information with everyone else out there who is struggling. Together we can all be successful.

My books are available at bookstores, Amazon.com and through my website at www.michelledunn.com or www.credit-and-collections.com Please email me anytime at michelle@michelledunn.com

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