Combining Hard-Earned Skills
An interview with author Leslie Rinchen-Wongmo and her certified book coach, Michele Orwin.
MICHELE: The book is in part about your journey to become an accomplished textile artist. Could you talk a little about your writing journey in creating this book?
LESLIE: From very early in my textile art apprenticeship to a Tibetan master in India, I knew I was likely to write a book about it. I felt a responsibility as an English-fluent student of this rare sacred art form about which very little has been written. For many years, though, I preferred making the art over writing about it. Then, I thought I needed to get an advanced degree in art history to address the topic properly. Finally, I realized I just needed to write from my hands-on lived experience.
So far, so good, right? But I hate writing. Most of the writing I’d been doing in recent years had been website copy and other “persuasive” forms of writing. I find that kind of writing painful. So, I reached back in my memory to a time when I’d enjoyed writing. When I set out to travel alone in Asia, I sent letters home to my mother, who served as my internet in those days before social media. Mom photocopied my letters and stuffed them into hand-addressed envelopes to a long list of friends and relatives. People loved those letters and told me I should write a book. And I loved writing those letters. They flowed from my experience.
To get the book started, I decided to recreate that letter-writing experience. I didn’t know what form the book would take, but I knew its general boundaries and topics. So, every morning for several months, I sat up in bed and wrote longhand in a notebook. I’d start with a relevant memory or idea and let my words unfold from there without reference to what I’d written the day before, as if I’d just landed in a new city on my journey. Words flowed. Old memories reemerged. I found I had something to say.
After some months, there came days when I wasn’t sure if I’d already written a certain story or idea. That was my cue to go to the computer and organize these pages into some kind of structure. As I typed my handwritten pages into the computer, I gave them their first round of editing. From there, I merged some sections and divided others. I put them in metaphorical baskets, categorizing them into pieces of personal story, history and techniques of fabric thangkas, and meanings and teachings in the imagery.
I worked with one developmental editor and then a book coach and finally built what I’m told is a moving and inspiring book that honors the tradition while speaking equally well to people who know nothing about it.
MICHELE: When did you know you were ready to look for a publisher?
LESLIE: It took a while. I first needed to discover what kind of book I was writing. I didn’t want to be pushed by a publisher’s vision in a direction that didn’t feel true for me. I have a low tolerance for contrived communication. I needed to find my own authentic framing of my journey before I released it to others.
MICHELE: You had the blessings of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to share your knowledge of this sacred art of making thangkas — what an honor. Did that make finding a publisher easier?
LESLIE: Well, I think I finally received His Holiness’s foreword around the same time I signed with my publisher. Before that, I had his blessings only by my own reporting, from private conversation. That gave me a bit of confidence as I sought a publisher, but I don’t know if it actually made it any easier. I did have hope and faith that I would receive a foreword, but it took repeated outreach from various directions to actually secure it, and I don’t know how much stock publishers and agents put in my faith.
I’ve also been reluctant to put His Holiness front and center in my outreach because I don’t want to be exploitative of his blessings. Humility feels like an important value in how I carry my work into the world.
MICHELE: You’re being published by She Writes Press, a highly respected hybrid publisher. What has your experience been like leading up to your book launch?
LESLIE: I’ve appreciated having creative input and control throughout the process. I like having control but I also value accompaniment, partnership, so the hybrid model suits me well. I really appreciate having someone on my team, someone with more experience to provide reality checks and share the stress of decision-making. My project manager at She Writes Press provided some of that, as does my publicist. SWP is now publishing about 100 books a year with a very small staff, though, so there’s less personal attention than I might like. But nothing’s perfect! Everyone, on any route through the publishing journey, wishes they had more marketing support! One of the best aspects of working with She Writes Press is the community of authors with whom to commiserate and bounce ideas. Overall, in a world of imperfect options, I think SWP has provided the perfect path for me.
MICHELE: I follow you on Facebook and I’ve been impressed with all your terrific posts, including videos. It looks like you’re doing a great job marketing. Are you enjoying it?
LESLIE: My publicist - Wildbound PR - has played a big role in amplifying my social media presence over the last couple of months. On my own, I tend to be a bit sporadic, so I’m glad to have help in this critical period. That said, we’re building on several years of cultivation. I have been sending Weekly Wake-ups to a small but solid mailing list for 12 years, and posting those messages on Facebook every Monday. I think that consistency has served me well, even if everything else has been sporadic.
We’ll only know whether I’m doing a great job marketing when we start to see sales results a few weeks after publication. My fingers are crossed. I really want this book to gain a readership wider than my own Facebook followers, and I hope it will inspire many people. In the meantime, I definitely enjoy seeing positive responses to my postings.
The other marketing activity we’ve been focused on is pitching and scheduling appearances at bookstores, sewing groups, Buddhist centers, and libraries. The work is endless, exhausting, and far outside my comfort zone. Soon, I’ll have to shift from Pitching to delivering.
I’m taking the book on a cross-country road trip this fall. Public speaking terrifies me, but I will greatly enjoy conversing with curious humans around the country. That’s going to be fun. Check out the events page of my website to see if I’m coming to your town. I feel a deep responsibility to this book and to the rich artistic tradition the Tibetans shared with me. I need to give it my best.
Congratulations, Leslie and Michele!
Leslie Rinchen-Wongmo’s book, Threads of Awakening: An American Woman’s Journey into Tibet’s Sacred Art, is being published on August 23, 2022.
Part art book, part memoir, part spiritual travelogue, Threads of Awakening has been called a delightful and inspiring travel memoir and a beautiful story of self-discovery.
With a foreword by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and a string of excellent advance reviews, Leslie’s book was already in the top 100 books in 3 categories before the book was even out.
Michele Orwin is an Author Accelerator founding certified book coach. To learn more about Michele’s book coaching services, visit her website.
