Serendipity and Passion - Two Peas in a Pod: An Interview
with Michael Sterns
Michael Sterns didn't plan on writing a children's book.
But, once the book was written, his success at selling the book has been no
accident. He's sold over 33,000 copies of his original self-published book
Kokopelli and the Butterfly, and almost 9,000 copies of the sequel Kokopelli
and the Island of
Change. And, now, he's
actively promoting audio versions of the first book, with the second audio
rendition soon to follow.
Michael's success is remarkable by any standards, especially
for a self-published author of a children's book. While Michael didn't reveal
his specific strategies for success, once you understand a little about his
diverse background, his success makes perfect sense.
When I spoke with Michael on the phone, he was sitting
outside a Vermont
book store in which he'd just placed his books. Michael was on the road for his
summer run up and down the Eastern Seaborg, hitting book stores, telling
stories, camping out, and staying at hostels to keep the costs down. He was
relaxed, having fun, and clearly in his element. Even in our brief
conversation, he never stopped selling.
How an eclectic business man became a children's writer
The good news is that Michael loved writing in High School.
He'd won awards and taken several advanced placement writing classes. The bad
news is that his college didn't require any additional writing classes. Then,
like many of us, Michael took the path he was supposed to take: get a job that
makes good money.
His search for meaning brought him through med school,
business school, law school, property management, real estate, sales, and
advertising. Diversity of interests certainly has its advantages, but making a
good living usually isn't one of them. Frustrated and disheartened by an
inability to find his passion, Michael decided to take a break.
He carried his camera, a couple hundred dollars, and camping
gear to the four corners region where Utah, New Mexico, Nevada, and Arizona meet. Known for
its beauty and solitude, this was the ideal place for Michael to face the big
questions in life. In his words, he sat by a river and asked, "What the hell am
I going to do?"
To maintain sanity and a connection with his girl friend
back home in Florida,
Michael and she traded hand-written generally romantic stories via snail mail.
While in Santa Fe,
Michael bought a small book about Kokopelli, the flute-playing, roving minstrel
or trader, rain priest, hunting magician, trickster, and seducer of maidens
from Anasazi or "Ancient Ones" tradition.
The story of Kokopelli and the Butterfly flew from his mind
to the tip of his pen. "I could hardly keep up with the words that were
streaming from my head," Michael relates. If you're a writer, you've likely
experienced this exhilarating phenomena. He adds, "My eyes were wide the whole
time as these really cool ideas kept coming out."
Michael had always wanted to write children's books, but he
never considered it a remote possibility. Yet, long after the story was
written, he kept coming back to it. "It had all the good morals, a wonderful
story line, and my girl friend loved it," he says.
What then? This is the point at which most wanna-be authors
turn back to their "real work" instead of letting destiny, fate, or as James
Hillman calls it - your Daemon - take over. Fortunately, Michael decided to let
serendipity do its magic.
Anyone who has followed a dream can attest to the
wonderfully strange synchronicities that take place. For Michael it was in the
creation of the book. He knew that to do it right he needed high quality
images. But, where to find a good graphic artist with whom he could work?
The weekend following his decision he met a cartoonist from
Walt Disney Studios who was so inspired by the story that he agreed to do the
artwork for $1,500 and a promise of 5% of the gross sales. That's about $50,000
worth of artwork for a fraction of the cost and a shaky promise of more later.
"I totally took our chance meeting as a sign," says Michael.
It was just the beginning of what has become his life's mission. "For the first
time in my life I became a visionary. I was given all these little stepping
stones to make it happen. That's how you know you're on your path." 
Serendipity didn't end with the artist. When Michael was
ready to print and market the books, he figured he'd need about $10,000 in cash
to do it right. He didn't have one dime of what he needed, which meant every
cent had to be raised. Again, he was introduced to the right person at the right
time, who with a wink and a simple gesture, gave Michael the clue to raising
the funds easily. (If you want to know what he did, you'll have to read the
next issue of this magazine...)
Within a mater of weeks Michael had the full $10,000 to
print 2500 copies of his full-color, hard-bound (and heavy) book.
Now, Michael knew, comes the hard part - selling the book.
Be sure to tune in to the next magazine issue to hear the
rest of Michael's story and where he is to day in his travels, and more
importantly, his sales.
Also in this issue: "Why This Successful
Self-Published Author Said NO to Traditional Publishing"
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