After months of writing a book—recording and transcribing interviews, composing multiple drafts, plus the editing and copy-editing—it’s finally time to PUBLISH!
This is the fun part of book writing–the final result of a huge amount of work.
At last, rather than just reading your book on a computer screen, you can hold in your hand an actual printed book, the tangible result of your vision.
I can never forget the time I held my first book, the biography of legendary concert pianist Vladimir Horowitz. The book took 3 ½ years to write, and at last, it was done.
And so it is for Frank Fiume, a pioneer in the youth sports industry and founder of i9 Sports, nation’s leading franchisor of youth leagues and camps.
After almost a year of intense work, Frank has finally completed his personal memoir, RUNNING WITH MY HEAD DOWN, a captivating account of his family history and the trajectory of his business.
(He’s even got a second book on the way, an inspirational business memoir that will be commercially published. So stay tuned.)
As Frank demonstrates, when you have a passion and purpose, and when you’re laser-focused upon it, anything is possible.
You can overcome bankruptcy, as he did. You can counter-punch any naysayer, as he did. You can take calculated risks, as he did. And you can triumph over physical illness, reversals of fortune, and loss.
The final result is THE BOOK.
As you can see, the printer sent us these moment-to-moment photos from the production line of RUNNING WITH YOUR HEAD DOWN, each book wrapped by hand.
The 570-page volume has been bound into a deluxe hardcover edition, with burnished gold letters, embossing of the book jacket, and hundreds of interior photographs that illustrate the story.
It’s the best of memoir writing—when the words on the page match the photos, bringing the story to life for every reader.
It’s an unforgettable experience for every author, a true cause for celebration. So congratulations Frank!
Here’s a little excerpt:
What am I meant to do with my life? What is my destiny? And how am I going to get there?
These were some of the age-old questions that most preoccupied me from adolescence through young adulthood.
Repeatedly, when in doubt about my future, I’d turn to my dad for his advice. As I think back on it now, I was really asking him: What is my purpose in life? Dad, who was a self-confident, successful medical professional at a prestigious Manhattan hospital, would always respond to my question in the same reassuring way: “Don’t worry about it. You’ll figure it out.”
But how? First, I had this insane misconception that I was going to wake up one day and have a life-altering epiphany. I figured I’d hear the voice of God telling me exactly what to do with my life, like something out of the movies. But it never happened.
Then, as a naïve college student, it seemed as if the happiest people were the ones who found the Holy Grail of purpose, while those who didn’t were doomed to struggle emotionally and financially. (I didn’t want that to be me.)
So I put a lot of pressure on myself, wanting to find out why I was put on this earth. How would I know when I found that purpose? What if it was too difficult to attain? Who would help me get there? I guess you could say I wasn’t exactly a go-with-the-flow kind of guy, so these questions about my future gnawed at me for years.
To this day, I’m intrigued by how people solve the puzzle of their lives—discover their passion, find their purpose, and earn a good livelihood, one hopefully leading to another.
And as a bonus throughout the upcoming book, you’ll read about how Frank was inspired by the work of the world-renowned peak performance coach Tony Robbins. We witness the profound impact of Robbins signature seminars such as Date With Destiny and Unleash The Power Within. That’s where transformation begins.
