Testimonials 2

From Terri M Cooper, co-author with Sally Healey, of ‘Women on Top – against the odds’:

What was the problem you needed solved?

“My friend and business colleague, Sally Healey, CEO of Jigsaw Consulting Group, and I had for a long time held a common vision and goal to write a book, and after attending a publishing conference we knew it was time to make the dream a reality. We wanted to tell our own stories and invite other women to do the same, with the aim of showing the true ups and downs of our business growth as we overcame obstacles and found the strength to keep going against the odds. We felt let down by another publishing company offering an expensive packaged service who had said they would provide all the hands-on support we needed to make the book happen: now on our own we had no idea where to start.”

Why did you approach Bev Ryan?

It was Sally who recommended we talk with Bev Ryan about getting the book happening, as Sally had always admired the publishing work Bev had done with women in business in her role as publisher and editor of ‘Honestly Woman’ magazine. After speaking in person with Bev, we felt confident to entrust our vision to her, as she is genuine, professional and quietly confident: she also listened to us carefully and understood exactly what we wanted. She was happy to mould her services to suit us, rather than cram us into a pre-determined ‘package deal’ template.

What was the result?

From the moment we said, ‘Go ahead’ and Bev took on the role of project manager, things began to move. We were very excited to watch the book come to life in Bev’s calm, capable hands. Everything she did was professional and well-planned. She reported back to us regularly and there was never a time where we were unhappy with the direction she took with the book, as she interviewed some contributors and co-wrote their content, coordinated all of the other contributors and mentored them with their writing when needed, edited all material, and liaised with photographers, book cover and layout designers, printers and the website builder.

Thanks to Bev’s great network of contacts we were able to include Dr Lois Frankel, international speaker and author of ‘Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office’ in our book. Topping that off was the gala launch of the book in June 2011, just six months after commencement, which was also fully event managed by Bev. She scored a brilliant coup by securing Lois Frankel as guest speaker at the book launch as well, as she was touring Australia from America at the time: it was a fabulous night.

‘Women on Top’ is now available in bookstores and online through print-on-demand and as an e-book, all thanks to Bev’s coordination of book distribution. Because Bev is also a Lightning Source publisher, she has our book listed in their international print and e-book catalogues, and we can use them for future small print runs using their print-on-demand services.

Would you recommend Bev’s services?

Sally and I confidently recommend Bev’s unflappable publishing project management skills (and book coaching/mentoring) to individuals, business owners/managers and organisations needing help with bringing a non-fiction book to fruition. Bev made our book vision come to life in a smooth and professional way: without her diverse skills and services, calm guidance, knowledgeable and trusted network of contacts, we feel sure that our book may not have seen the light of day!”