Meet B Alan BOURGEOIS

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful B Alan BOURGEOIS a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

B Alan, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
As an author advocate, I have seen a great deal of changes in the publishing world in the last 20 years, and many more are on the horizon. The number of changes for someone new to being a writer/author has little to no effect. But, for me, it is challenging to keep up to date with all the changes, it can be exhausting.

The thought of constant change is also a fun challenge to see how the industry is changing good or bad. Seeing the number of individuals and companies that spring up for the sole purpose of making a quick buck from authors is what keeps me on my toes Knowing that with my experience as an award-winning author/speaker, I can help new and established authors stay ahead of the curve, and aware of those who are just trying to rip them off with false promises.

My dedication to helping my fellow authors to succeed is where my resilience comes from, and what keeps me moving forward as I see them succeed in new and exciting ways.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I began my writing career as a challenge in 1989 to write a short story about something that had happened to me. It re-ignited my desire from childhood to be a writer when the story was published in a local magazine. From that day on, I worked on short stories, articles, and novels. I have been honored to win several short story contests, a book award, and a speaking award in my 30-plus years.

From this experience, I desire to offer my services as an Author Advocate, which is someone who supports authors in a variety of ways, including keeping them aware of new challenges, opportunities, and pitfalls that this ever-changing world of publishing is offering.

While authors tend to focus on the writing, when it comes to publishing a book, it is another challenge that can cost them dearly in lost revenue, or by overspending with people and companies that don’t deliver. It is my goal and objective to keep the author clear of those road mines and on a path that will benefit them artisticly, and financially.

I have created a variety of programs over the years that are now in other people’s control, which allows me to stay focused on being a true advocate for authors. But, my passion as a writer has allowed me to write over 40 books, and to create a unique museum in Texas known as the Texas Authors Institute of History, Inc., (HTTP://TexasAuthors.Institute) a museum for Texas Authors. We are the only state to have such a museum that protects, the rich history while inspiring future authors.

My ultimate goal is to create a space for the museum that holds the millions of books Texas Authors have and will write, but also an educational center with a hotel and restaurant where authors can spend weeks working on their next great novel. This will be my legacy for the State, Nation, and even the world.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
My life has been full of challenges and joy, and as I look back on my life, I have been grateful for my determination, and sometimes stubbornness in creating a program or event that I believe in. The lack of worry about what others think of me, and the simple pleasure of knowing that what I have done has helped others along their path.

These three things keep me moving forward when I see a new program, or opportunity to use what I know and help those in need, regardless of their imposed status by others. Supporting those that are considered to be a minority, or different is the responsibility of all of us, no matter what our financial, or social-economic status is preserved as. We all deserve to attempt to reach our goals fairly and equally.

No matter what the project is, if it is meant to improve lives, then stay focused and determined, but also be aware of ways to change the course to better serve the human race. Stick to this, and you can achieve your goal, even if it doesn’t look like the original goal you had in mind.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
As I reach the later stages of life, I am eager to bestow my vision projects and events with a younger generation that can see the value of what I do and would like to continue the journey of helping others. I hope to meet those people along the path I keep all lines of communication open for those who would like to reach out to me via phone at 513-783-9171 or by email at [email protected].

Contact Info:

Image Credits
none

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Highlighter Series
Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?

Culture, economic circumstances, family traditions, local customs and more can often influence us more than

Highlighter Series
Is the public version of you the real you?

We all think we’re being real—whether in public or in private—but the deeper challenge is

Highlighter Series
Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?

We asked some of the most interesting entrepreneurs and creatives to open up about recent