The Real Story of the Little Engine That Could

by Geela

Published on this site: November 12th, 2005 - See more articles from this month

Gone are the days when self-publishing was synonymous with self-defeat. Authors such as Deepak Chopra, Mark Victor Hansen and Neale Donald Walsch, originally self-published successfully before selling their books to major publishers (in order to gain even wider distribution) so we now know that self-published books can match and even surpass the quality and the success of books released by the major publishers. As such they deserve serious consideration. And while the small press may not enjoy the same level of resources as the large press, still in terms of quality and the ability to reach the ultimate decision makers - the buyers, the small press has proven that they can compete with the "big guys," with enviable success.

Even before Geela's self-published book, The American Dream - An Immigrant's True Life Story of Winning Against All Odds was released, it had already generated rave reviews and feature stories in addition to offers for representation by top literary agents, offers from various major publishing houses and even an offer for a movie deal based on Geela's life's journey. However, Geela passed on these lucrative offers mainly because it would have taken at least two years for the book to be published, if not first abandoned because of internal politics of the publisher. In addition, it was clear that Geela would lose the creative control, the direction of the book and the original vision of the book in the process of publishing it. Since timing, and maintaining the integrity and the original vision of the book, were critical to the success of the project, she made a conscious decision to take the road less traveled - by self- publishing.

Establishing a new company is never easy, however, Geela is no stranger to this process. Years ago she successfully established her own record company called Global Vision Records and released many albums including Geela's acclaimed album The Veil of Life, which has touched many lives both domestically and internationally. Here is a sample of what other well-respected people are saying about it:

• Geela's 'The Veil of Life' is like a magic carpet ride around the world, celebrating the human spirit in the realm of infinite possibilities." - Deepak Chopra, best-selling author
  
  
• "Geela is a rare combination of brilliant, polished professional excellence coupled with heartfelt, spiritually inspired music and lyrics. She creates and writes from the heart and sings from the soul! She's just what we need to take us higher at the dawning of the new Millennium!" - Jill Lawrence, Wisdom Radio Network (a nationally syndicated show)

Geela's growing success in the entertainment industry along with her passion to help children's causes, resulted in the establishment of an innovative nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting children's causes and world peace, called one spirit, one world (www.onespiritoneworld.org). In fact, the book was written primarily for the purpose of drawing attention to the timely mission of her nonprofit organization with the belief that through personal empowerment and innovative solutions others too can have the courage to believe that the possible can exceed the impossible (including global unity) no matter what the odds.

Global Vision Media (a consolidation of Global Vision Records and Global Vision Books) is in many ways like The Little Engine That Could, experiencing a momentum that keeps on growing every day by drawing on successful past experiences, extensive resources combined with a lot of creativity. However, success is not a one-man show. It takes a dedicated staff, working in a joint effort with key people in the industry, a comprehensive marketing and promotional plan including on-line marketing and promotion, a national media campaign (print/radio/TV), and personal appearances by the author to make the book a best-seller and that's the track that Geela is on. The title recently hit the best-seller list on Amazon.com. When you put The American Dream next to a book released by a major publishing company - one can't tell which book is self-published. That's because Geela's book is a high quality book with outstanding packaging backed by a solid infrastructure and a comprehensive marketing and promotional plan using similar marketing and promotional strategies as the "big guys," in terms of securing national distribution (wholesalers and distributors) and national media coverage (in a joint effort with top PR and marketing firms) to support the success of the book on all levels.

Mastering the art of the possible is at the heart of Geela's book The American Dream, which is about overcoming obstacles and winning against all odds. It is intended to help others to go from poverty to prosperity and achieving excellence. This universal theme, along with a timely message of hope, which is in great demand particularly during uncertain times, gives Geela's book a mass appeal both domestically and internationally. Geela is a living proof that the possible always exceeds the impossible. Her story not only captures the true spirit of The American Dream but it also makes you a believer in dreams, particularly when it's written by a female immigrant who came from humble beginnings with no money or support system whatsoever. After years of great sacrifice, she finally achieved tremendous success as defined by The American Dream, with many awards and a blossoming career only to discover that there is more to life than achieving material success. She finds that The American Dream is based on a materialistic values system that is a dead-end to anyone who is after riches of the heart. Geela's ultimate goal is to help others to achieve their own seeming "Impossible Dream," while achieving global peace and prosperity for all. Her unusual and extensive experiences (including a near-death experience, serving in the Israeli Air Force, gaining unusual abilities from healing to composing without the benefit of being able to play any musical instruments) and the profound insights she gained in the process of "making it" can enormously help others on their own journey.

Geela is an award winning singer/songwriter/composer, columnist, and author of the best-selling book "THE AMERICAN DREAM," her true- life story of how she came to America as a young immigrant with nothing and overcame incredible obstacles to achieve mega-success. She founded ONE SPIRIT, ONE WORLD to help children and promote a culture of peace and harmony. Get a free sample of her music and her book at http://www.Geela.com