Books

Kelly James-Enger's non-fiction titles are listed here. For her lighter works, see her fiction page.

Small Changes, Big Results

I am a health book junkie. I’ve read dozens of diet books for my work as a journalist and author, and always enjoy reading about fitness, self-help, relationships, and psychology.

So, when registered dietitian Ellie Krieger contacted me about collaborating on a book, I wondered whether the world needed yet another diet plan.

But Ellie’s program wasn’t a diet. Instead, it lets people focus on the areas of their life they’d like to change and offers simple ways to help them do it. The book we wrote covers nutrition, fitness and wellness, in a doable program that can be adapted for anyone.

If you want to eat better, get fitter, or attain more balance in your life, pick up Small Changes, Big Results: A 12-Week Action Plan to a Better Life, which will be released in January 2005.

The book doesn't promise buns of steel or a six-pack tummy. But it can help you live a healthier, happier life—and have energy to pursue the things you want to do.

Six-Figure Freelancing

Forget writing for the thrill of seeing your name in print, or worse yet, for the “exposure.” I believe writers should be paid—and paid well—for their work. If you dream of making a good living or a second income as a freelancer, you need more than writing ability.

My first year of fulltime freelancing, I only made $17,000. But I learned, and hit the $60K mark by my fourth year. By my sixth, I reached another long-term goal—cracking the six-figure mark.

Making more doesn’t mean that I work more. (In fact, I put in fewer hours now than when I started.) It does mean I work a lot more efficiently than I used to. That experience, along with discussions with other six-figure freelancers, led to Six-Figure Freelancing: The Writer’s Guide to Making More Money, which will be published by Random House in April 2005.

Six-Figure Freelancing will show you how to:

• take a business-like approach to your freelance career
• negotiate more writer-friendly contracts with editors
• develop your own system of writing templates and forms
• identify ways to produce more work in less time
• create and maintain relationships with clients and colleagues
• set short-term and long-term goals for your writing career

Ready, Aim, Specialize!

When you develop a writing specialty, you set yourself apart from other freelancers, save time researching and writing articles and command higher fees for your work.

Contrary to what you might think, you needn’t be a PHD, or recognized "expert" to focus your writing in a particular area. Your educational background, life experience, and interest in certain subjects can all be translated into a writing-related specialty.

Best of all, using your background and experience can help you get your foot in the door with editors, nab your first writing assignments, and build a lucrative career. In the second edition of Ready, Aim, Specialize! you'll hear from dozens of talented, successful freelancers about how to break into the field, find and interview sources, develop relationships with editors, and treat your writing like a business. You'll also find samples of 20 queries that nabbed assignments from new writers to use as templates for your own query letters.

You’ll also learn:

• Why you should develop a niche of your own and determine which areas of your background can be mined for writing ideas
• What the top ten writing specialties are and how to break into and write about each one
• How to better market your work and research and write more efficiently
• How to find sources, research, data, and experts for articles
• How to maximize your time and income—and make more money as a freelancer

The Belated Baby

More than seven million women in America alone struggle with infertility, but most go on to become parents, through fertility treatments ranging from Clomid to in vitro fertilization to surrogacy or through adoption. We both did. We're Jill and Kelly, the owners of this site, and the moms of our own "belated babies." We've realized that our experience as parents has been colored by our infertility experience as well. In talking to other "post-infertility parents," we found that our feelings were shared by many others.

That's why we decided to write The Belated Baby: A Guide to Parenting after Infertility. The book will let you know that you're not alone—and you're not crazy. It will help guide you through the transition of infertility patient or hopeful adoptive parent to parenthood. If you're still "trying," it offers encouragement that there’s happiness and life after infertility. The foreword is written by well-known actress Brenda Strong (Desperate Housewives), who experienced infertility and is a spokesperson for the American Fertility Association.

In Belated Baby, you'll learn more about the emotional impact of infertility on your role as a parent, how to maintain your bond with your partner, and how to strengthen relationships with family and friends. You'll also hear from dozens of other infertility veterans and get advice about career and financial issues, dealing with secondary infertility, and deciding how (and whether) to share your family's unique story. 

Find out more on the BelatedBaby.com website or buy the book here.

Are you planning your own book or article? Review our list of consulting services for ways we can help you or contact us to find out more.