Interview with BookMarketingBuzzBlog

Friday, January 7, 2022 / Interview with Author Bobbi Linkemer

  1. What motivated you to write your book, to force you from taking an idea or experience and turning it into this book?  I had to make several life-altering decisions at the same time: sell my condo and stop living independently, decide where to live instead, give up my car, and close my book-coaching and editing business. I realized I was not the only person with these or similar issues, and I could share what I learned with others at the same stage of life. I started researching and decided this was worthy of a book.
  2. What is it about, and who is it for?  How to Age with Grace is an owner’s manual for aging that helps older adults live fulfilling lives in the present and make intelligent plans for the future; it does this by telling them what to expect, answering their most pressing questions, and guiding them through tough decisions.
  3. What takeaways might the reader be left with after reading it?
    For older adults, How to Age with Grace:
  • Takes the mystery out of the aging process
  • Helps them understand and accept this stage of their lives
  • Arms them with the necessary information to maintain their autonomy as long as possible
  • Helps them confront and make the best life-altering decisions.

For their adult children, the book:

  • Allows them to understand what their parents are experiencing as they age
  • Provides them with facts to make the necessary decisions on behalf of their parents
  • Helps them overcome their own fear of aging
  • Prepares them for the end of their parents’ lives

For caregivers, it:

  • Helps them see their patients or clients as individuals worthy of respect
  • Encourages them to form lasting bonds with the people they care for
  • Educates them about the aging process in general and specific conditions in particular
  • Helps them assuage their own fear of aging
  1. How did you decide on your book’s title and cover design?  I arrived at the book’s title quite spontaneously. It was exactly what I hoped to do in my own life—to age with grace. For the cover, I worked with my long-time book designer, Peggy Nehmen, who always captures the message of my books with the perfect cover.
  2. What advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow writers?
    other authors?
  • Fall in love with your subject. Try to see it from every angle. Immerse yourself in it.
  • Stay focused on what the reader needs. What questions will your book answer? What problem will it solve? What information will it provide?
  • Have a conversation with the reader. Don’t lecture, pontificate, or talk down to the reader.
  1. What trends in the book world do you see — and where do you think the book publishing industry is heading?  It isn’t easy to predict where publishing is going next, but there are always a few people who identify and act on industry-changing trends, e.g., Mark Coker, founder of Smashwords, and Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon and developer of Kindle.

According to Karen Mc Dermott of the Forbes Business Council, these are some of the trends to watch for:

  • Smaller publishers will refine their niches.
  • Marketing will provide more targeted content to the current audience.
  • More people will turn to audiobook platforms, especially in the self-help field. New audiobook platforms will be launched, but the general public may stick with Audible.
  • Marketing budgets will be used to improve websites and SEOs to attract more traffic.
  • Partnerships will take precedence over competition.
  • Podcasting will be a new norm for publishers.
  • Digital subscribers will grow because of the instant access to content.
  • Print will be strong into the second half of this decade.
  • Educational institutions will employ audio and other innovative platforms to deliver content to their students. 
  1. What challenges did you overcome to write this book?
  • To vanquish my own negative emotions about aging and adopt a more positive though realistic attitude
  • To present the material in an accessible, authentic way
  • To find a balance among personal recollections and observations, academic research, and interviews with older adults and subject-matter experts
  1. How would you describe your writing style?  Personal, conversational, candid, direct, authoritative
  2. If people can buy or read one book this week or month, why should it be yours?  America is going gray. The population is aging. By 2050, there will be 80 million older people. Baby Boomers already qualify as old; their numbers are expected to double by 2050. This is uncharted territory for them and for their adult children. They will have decisions to make and tough questions to answer. This book will help them tackle both of those issues.

About the Author: Bobbi Linkemer has been a professional writer for more than fifty years. During that time, she has written twenty-eight books, coached many aspiring authors on how to write and publish their books, developed and taught writing courses online and for the community college system in St. Louis, Missouri, and written on a wide array of subject matter for print and electronic media. After thirty-four years as a creative entrepreneur, Bobbi retired in 2019 to concentrate on writing books. Her current mission is to help older adults live well now and plan wisely for the future. How to Age with Grace: Living Your Best Life in Your 70s, 80s, and Beyond is her most recent book. For more information, please see: https://www.howtoagewithgrace.com

About BookMarketingBuzzBlog: A unique blog dedicated to covering the worlds of book publishing and the news media, revealing creative ideas, practical strategies, interesting stories, and provocative opinions. Along the way, discover savvy but entertaining insights on book marketing, public relations, branding, and advertising from a veteran of two decades in the industry of book publishing publicity and marketing. For more information, please see: http://www.bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com