Thompsons' Book Signing a Success

Trudie, Lloyd and Jaja Thompson were all at Waterstones in Preston, Lancashire on Saturday to launch their book, Dreams Do Come True.

We understand that Waterstones are keen to have them back because of the popularity of the event, so if you missed them on Saturday, don't worry, we'll let you know when they're due to return.

Authors of Dreams Do Come True Interviewed on BBC Radio

Trudie and Lloyd Thompson were interviewed on the BBC's Sally Naden show yesterday, you can hear the full programme at:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/p00p01hc

CGW Publishing Entered into the Bookseller Industry Awards 2012

We have been entered into the 2012 Bookseller Industry Awards in the category of Best Independent Publisher.

We're obviously very excited about this, and our entry reflects the unique way in which we support our authors, helping them not only to sell books but to grow their businesses.

The shortlist will be announced at an event at the London Book Fair in April and the winners will be announced at the awards ceremony in London on May 14th.

Of the People, By the People, For the People

In his blog on The Bookseller, John Pateman talks about a new operational model for libraries that is being trialled in Suffolk - handing over library management to volunteers.

Well, for some time now, I've been watching what's been going on in the High Street; major chains disappearing and more and more charity shops replacing them, with 'superstores' and also niche stores specialising in furniture, white goods, even designer labels. I think this is the next retail revolution, driven in part by the likes of Freecycle, Gumtree and Ebay that make second hand culturally acceptable. Tatty furniture is rebranded as 'shabby chic' and old T shirts with holes in are 'retro'.

So why shouldn't more services go the same way? I think libraries are an excellent example. The hub of the community, libraries offer free access to literature for all, so why shouldn't they be managed and run on the same basis? The population is ageing rapidly and we have a growing group of people who want a third career, would often be happy to volunteer and have a lifetime of management and operational experience to bring.

I guess the trendy phrase is 'social enterprise', but it amounts to the same thing; of the people, by the people, for the people, as Number 6 would say.

Ask The Pitch Doctor in Real Business Magazine

Paul Boross, aka The Pitch Doctor and author of The Pitching Bible, now has a regular column in Real Business magazine, where he'll be answering readers' questions about presentations, pitches and other public speaking problems.

In the first column, Paul answers a question about how to approach speed networking events, which will be invaluable to anyone hoping to develop their business through networking in these tough times.

The NLP Practitioner Manual in Training Zone's Book Club

The NLP Practitioner Manual by Peter Freeth and Stepheni Smith is being featured in Training Zone's Book Club.


Peter is currently working on the sequel to the book, entitled Genius at Work, which we are hoping to have in print by early summer 2012.

Dreams Do Come True at Waterstones, Preston

Trudie and lloyd Thompson will be be appearing at Waterstones book store in Preston on Saturday 10th March 13:00 to 15:00 to sign copies of their book, Dreams Do Come True, and answer your questions.

We've heard that they are also talking to a national newspaper about their remarkable story, so expect to see a lot more of them over the coming months.

Coaching Authors Choose CGW Publishing for Their First Book

Ronna Smithrim and Christopher Oliphant, authors of Accepting the Radical: You Can Not Be Fixed, have chosen CGW Publishing to get their first book into print.

“I was thrilled that a publisher was interested in my work and have not been disappointed”, says Oliphant, who had previously been considering self publishing as an alternative to every author’s worst nightmare; endless rejection from the traditional, risk averse publishing houses. However CGW’s Christopher Greenaway recognised the quality of writing in the book and the potential of the subject as fitting with the existing range of books and addressing an important niche in the market.

“There’s no doubt that the self-help book market is saturated, with everyone from Donald Trump, Jack Canfield and Paul Mckenna through a range of minor celebrities and business gurus, down to every street corner life coach publishing a book or ebook.”, says Amelia Hartley, CGW’s co-founder and Director. “The proliferation of ebook readers such as the Kindle, iPad or Kobo have also lowered the barriers to producing a book, and that has definitely impacted on the quality of what’s out there. So when we see a book that is genuinely well written, with clarity, passion and strong case studies, we know that it will stand head and shoulders above the rest of the books out there.”

CGW Publishing specialise in working with authors whose books are written to support their service businesses, by packaging their intellectual property, providing additional revenue and demonstrating credibility.

“We launched and ran a successful management consultancy for ten years, and the books that we published in that time played a huge part in our success”, says Christopher Greenaway, CGW Publishing’s Managing Director. “The publishing imprint that we launched back in 2002 has evolved over the last ten years to become CGW, and we’re now very proud of the authors we’ve attracted and pleased to apply our expertise in this area to helping them grow their businesses”

For the authors of Accepting the Radical, the primary push behind writing the book came from their clients. According to Smithrim, “Their push came from two questions. The first being, “This teaching is really powerful, why haven’t you written a book?” The second was, “Are there any books that teach acceptance?” The answer to the second question was a sad, “I know of only one other author and she who wrote from a Buddhist point of view.” Any other books that talk about acceptance apply conditions to acceptance or support it in one sentence and then contradict that support in the next sentence.”

Like many expert authors, Smithrim and Oliphant found it relatively easy to get their ideas down on paper, but less easy to organise those ideas into the structure required for a book. Oliphant says, “The writing was easy. I have taught the material often and the words just flew from my mind on to the page. The editing process was another matter. I worked with a wonderful editor who helped my structure my ideas and wouldn’t stop until the text made each concept clear to her. This process with my editor also gave me some insight into just how difficult these ideas are to understand: how they run contrary to much of the popular thinking of today.”

Oliphant summarises the publishing experience by saying, “CGW Publishing have been professional and thorough. They delivered a quality product quickly and efficiently, saving us months of work in text formatting, cover design and the many mysteries around getting a book ready for print. Christopher went above and beyond in the graphics work, proofing editing and both text and eBook formatting and we remain very grateful to everyone at CGW Publishing for all their hard work.

Accepting the Radical by Ronna Smithrim and Christopher Oliphant, published by CGW Publishing, is available now from all good book stores, ISBN 978-1-9082931-0-7.

Dreams Do Come True authors make their first donation to St Marys Hospital

Trudie and Lloyd Thompson have made their first donation to the IVF fund at St Mary's Hospital, the IVF facility that made their own dream come true.

'Dreams Do Come True' documents their unconventional love story as they deal with a 12 year course of IVF that sees them lose two businesses and eventually file for bankruptcy before finally realising their dream of becoming parents. 

Lloyd, who is now a proud father to 12-year-old Jaja commented; "Writing the book was a great way for us to reflect on the whole journey that really made our world complete - even though we do talk about it nearly everyday. For me writing this book was a great way to show other men that it is ok to talk about IVF, you don't need to keep it locked in."

Trudie added: "I started writing my feelings down as over the years I came to realise that until I had my beautiful boy I was addicted to getting pregnant as it was all I wanted in the world. Throughout our IVF I experienced a range of emotions, so I really wanted this book to help others who might be experiencing the same. It is also very important to us as a family that with this book we are be able to give something back to the hospital that set us off on our journey – Saint Mary’s Hospital."

Still searching for a solution to life’s problems? Try Accepting the Radical

Accepting the Radical is the new book from experts Ronna Smithrim and Christopher Oliphant, and it contains surprising advice for anyone seeking support with their success in life. Rather than looking for a problem and trying to ‘fix’ it, the authors advocate accepting yourself fully as you are, as a route to achieving the life you want. If this approach seems radical, then it is – Radical Acceptance.

Oliphant explains, "Our journey began when we started out using the various ‘fix’ therapies – but soon found them to be limited. The more we explored, the more the idea of acceptance emerged. This led us to develop the Wheel, a tool we explore throughout the book. We carried on, developing the idea of acceptance until it emerged in its current form."

Oliphant and Smithrim continued to develop their new approach, continuing to achieve outstanding results with their clients until, one day, someone asked them what they did, what was this way of thinking and teaching called? Smithrim replied, "Acceptance, I suppose: Radical Acceptance." And so it was born.

The authors explain the principle of Radical Acceptance; "The basic premise of Radical Acceptance - what makes it so different - is that your ‘fixer’ is powerless: no matter how hard you try, you can never fix yourself. What’s so paradoxical about acceptance is that the more you accept a part of who you are, the less you need to act on it. Radical Acceptance has the power to give you a degree of control over your life that endless years of ‘fix’ therapy couldn’t touch. Its subversive teachings can help you to recognise and accept the powerlessness of the ‘fixer’ within you. From there, you can accept all of who you are."

Since the creation of Radical Acceptance, the authors have taught the simple yet powerful principles and techniques to groups around the world – and under constant pressure from the students in these groups have finally produced this book. What it contains won’t be for everyone: Radical Acceptance is a multi-faceted approach to personal growth work which can be both demanding and painful, opening up doors in readers’ lives that can be highly challenging yet ultimately liberating.

With the tools, exercises and case studies shared by Smithrim and Oliphant, readers will discover a new way of seeing life’s problems, both for themselves and for their clients, quickly discovering that the path to happiness, success and fulfilment really does lie in Accepting the Radical.

"Accepting the Radical: You Can Not Be Fixed", ISBN 978-1-9082931-0-7, is published by CGW Publishing and available now from all good book stores, priced at £15 or $25.