The Destination Birth received a 4+ star review, making it an IndieReader Approved title.
Following find an interview with authors Alex Bisset.
What is the name of the book and when was it published?
The Destination Birth, June 2023
What’s the book’s first line?
“Ah, the miracle of life.”
What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”.
The book is a true story of my wife and I, who live in NYC, having our daughter 5.5 weeks early over 2,000 miles from home at a wedding near Bozeman, MT in May 2022. It is a wildly entertaining, humorous, but educational story about two new parents navigating childbirth and more for the first time, written from a new father’s perspective.
What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event?
I’ve never written a book before and had no intention of doing so when this all started. After what happened with our childbirth, my wife asked me to take notes about everything that transpired in Montana so we wouldn’t forget. Once I started notetaking, I realized it sounded so much better as a story. I started writing, and it was therapeutic to get everything out and in print. I gave my wife the first manuscript for her birthday in December 2022. She loved it, but I thought she was just being nice. She encouraged me to share it with our parents for Christmas. I did some more editing, and over the holidays shared it with each side of our family, who also loved it. I still thought everyone was just being nice and blowing smoke, but we thought it would be fun to get something in actual book format to be able to share with the rest of our family. I did a ton of research into self-publishing, the process, where to get help with editing etc., and I landed on the Reedsy website. There I met my editor, who was skeptical at first, but once she read the manuscript, she told me it was one of the best books by a first time author she had read in her 30 year career in the family and relationship genre. I was speechless, but that’s when I knew I needed to publish the book. And my wife and I realized if there was any chance it was successful, we would be able to pay forward all of the excellent care we received at Bozeman-Deaconess Hospital by donating 10% of any proceeds to the Bozeman Hospital Foundation NICU fund:
It has been quite the adventure since then. I understood setting out, that having a successful book for a first-time, self-published author is somewhat of a unicorn event. But we’ve gotten some great reviews and press, including an article in People:
Couple Welcomes Baby at Destination Wedding 2,000 Miles Away from Home (people.com)
What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?
This book is for any expecting & new parents, or just any parent in general looking for a fun, easy read. When I was reading books to “study up” for our first child, I found there were so many educational books or step by step guides, but very few about actual birth stories. And I think I understand why. Some births can be scary, some can be normal, and everywhere in between. This straddles the line between something that was very scary at the time, that then turned into a wild adventure, and has a happy ending. We think this book bridges the gap of being able to share an actual birth story, but also helping expecting parents learn a thing or two about the process. And one thing that has happened that has been amazing for us: our story has made people more comfortable sharing theirs in turn. We don’t think there is enough dialogue between friends and parents of sharing their actual stories, and it has really warmed our hearts to hear these from others.
When did you first decide to become an author?
When my wife asked me to take notes, but not until my editor told me I had a great book!
Is this the first book you’ve written?
Yes.
How much time do you generally spend on your writing?
When I was writing 6-8hrs a week, now a few hours a week.
What’s the best and the hardest part of being an indie?
I often find myself not knowing what the next step is to help spread the word. It feels like without a publicist or anything else, you are pushing a stone uphill, without the top in sight. And you end up throwing spaghetti at the wall until something sticks.
What’s a great piece of advice that you can share with fellow indie authors?
Don’t give up! It feels daunting at times figuring out the process and not knowing the next steps, but stick with it, reach out to people in the amazing writing community, and you will find help along the way from unexpected places.
Would you go traditional if a publisher came calling? If so, why?
I’m not sure at this point, it would have certainly helped getting the word out, but now that I know what steps to take I think if I wrote another book it would go more smoothly.
Is there something in particular that motivates you (fame? fortune?)
My family and helping donate money to the Bozeman Foundation NICU fund to help any family with pre-term babies.
Which book do you wish you could have written?
Beneath A Scarlet Sky.