Don't Buy the Anger Lady's Books from Amazon

(Re-post)

It turns out that my first book, Top Ten Lists to Live By is a pretty popular little item on the Internet these days. On the advice of one of my book marketing gurus, I decided to run a little search on Amazon.com to see if my book is being re-sold anywhere on the web.

Check this out:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/ - a re-seller has this book posted for 17.68 in British pounds.
http://www.amazon.ca/ - a re-seller has Top Ten Lists posted for $35.33!
http://www.amazon.com/ - you can buy a pre-owned copy from anywhere between $18 and $20 plus shipping and handling.

Now I have to ask you, why would you want to purchase a book that is STILL in print for more than its listed retail price? And, I have to ask, how do these folks get away with it? Perhaps it is because no-one has set the record straight about what they're doing... So here I go.

There are three reasons I can think of that one might search for a book on Amazon and pay more than the suggested retail price: the book is incredibly special (e.g. the author is very famous, dead, or is no longer writing), is out of print, or is a rare item on the book market. So let's clarify:

Top Ten Lists to Live By was the first book I ever published. I suppose that makes it special, but only to me and perhaps to my mother (God rest her soul). I can't imagine that anyone else is so excited about obtaining the first published work of Julie Christiansen that they should pay more than it is actually worth (in terms of retail price). I am definitely not dead yet, and as you can see by this blog, I am still writing.

Top Ten Lists to Live By is not out of print. It is still in print and is available for purchase - autographed - directly from me, or not autographed from the publisher, who will ship it direct to the purchasor. The listed retail price of Top Ten Lists is only $14.99 CN or $9.99 USD. Anyone who has paid more for this book through Amazon should be asking for the difference in a refund.

Top Ten Lists is not a rare book. It has been a poorly marketed one. That's not the same thing. If you would like to get a copy of the book, I would encourage you to contact me directly via my website: http://www.juliechristiansen.com/ or purchase directly from my publisher's online bookstore, http://www.buybooksontheweb.com/. Search by title or author (Julie A. Christiansen), and the title will come up right away for you. The publisher, Infinity Publishing, will process your purchase and ship your book to you within a couple of days, and you will get a brand spanking new, unspoiled copy of your very own. I don't think Amazon can beat that!

Listen - don't trust these charlattans who think they can fool you into purchasing a "rare" copy of my (or any other author's) book on Amazon. Before you buy, go to the source and see what the writer is selling them for.
Originally Posted by Julie Christiansen at www.juliechristiansen.com/blog 4/13/2009 7:24 PM

Musings of a Road Warrior

As I sit here in the terminal at Edmonton International Airport waiting to board my flight home, I am once again struck by how easy it is to fall into a comfort zone and get stuck there. Case in point: in 1999 I was hired as a professional speaker for Pryor Resources Inc., one of the first and largest companies of its kind in the U.S.A. My typical schedule was one week on; one week off - so every second week I was headed to some new place. Several of the "runs" I went on were to places I had never been. I faced those adventures with relish and excitement - I always prepared for the unexpected - I carried a book of maps with me, then cross referenced my maps with the ones provided by the car rental companies. If I got lost, most of the time I just went with the flow and used my "common sense" to get me to my destination. I was careful, to be sure, but I never shied away from the adventure.
Fast forward to 2009 - My stint with Pryor ended when they declared bankruptcy in July of 2001. I went back to a desk job and didn't fly anywhere except for two visits to Jamaica. Speaking engagements all seemed to be close to home, or within driving distance of home, and somewhere along the way I got comfortable with my shrinking universe. I got the sense last year that as my business evolves and continues to gain momentum, that travel will once again become a regular facet of my life; although now I get to choose when, how much, and how far I will go. But I also noticed a certain sense of apprehension when I thought about travelling more again.
So here I am, June 2009, sitting at the Edmonton airport. This was my first time to Edmonton - first time out west. I only know one person who lives here - she offered to be my taxi for the week, and I almost took her up on it. But then I had flashbacks of the days when I was "on the road" and the freedom I felt as I was able to get in my rented car and drive around the city or countryside where I was - enjoying the scenery, and the quiet... having the space to stop on the side of the road if I wanted so I could take pictures... the simple pleasures of listening to whatever I felt like (music, motivational CDs, or just nothing at all)... having the option to choose the road I want to travel, rather than the one chosen for me...
Sure, it was nice to see my friend and to enjoy a nice evening out with her. But I have to say that I'm glad I didn't HAVE to depend on her. I needed to broaden my horizons again - I needed to allow myself the space to grow and experience the journey in my own way.
This expansion of my comfort zone extends not only to the experience of travel itself: I am not by nature drawn to crowds, and I am reluctant to strike up conversations with strangers. But going to a conference where you know absolutely no - one, you have to step outside of your comfort zone.
What about you? What can you do to step out of your comfort zone?

Is Addiction a Disease or a Choice?

This just in - MacLean's Magazine (http://www.macleans.ca/) - page 19, Charlie Gillis interviews Harvard psycholgist, Gene Heyman on why drug or alcohol addiction is not a disease, but a matter of choice.

Heyman's findings are not really so earth shattering as we might think at first glance. I find it interesting that he began by reviewing existing research and just looked at it from a new perspective - with fresh eyes so to speak. He says in the interview that his initial goal was to learn how drug use morphed from voluntary behaviour to involuntary, but what he found was that addicted people, "stopped using the drugs... because of family issues, or there was a choice between their children and continued drug use, or they were moving on to an environment where it was disapproved of. In other words, the kinds of things that influence all of our everyday decisions were influencing people ... to stop using."

Heyman says that behavioural disease is marked by compulsivity, meaning it is "beyond the influence of reward, punishment, expectations, cultural values, personal values." He says that the epidemiological evidence more strongly supports addictive behaviour as a choice as opposed to disease as described above.

I love what he says when asked about the billions of dollars spent annually, trying to treat the "disease" of addiction. He says, "It's possible that the reason we're not making much progress is that we're not treating decision-making directly." This is so key to all behaviour change in my mind! And this is what we talk about in Anger Solutions (http://www.angersolution.com/) all the time... that the secret to producing lasting, radical change in people with "anger issues" lies in teaching them a better decision-making model that will help them to choose behaviours that will get them the best short and long-term outcomes regardless of who or what caused them to feel angry.

Heyman's argument lends scientific support to some of the amazing outcomes we have seen in Anger Solutions when it is applied to individuals who are struggling with anger and addictions, who after completing the program found that they no longer needed or wanted to abuse alcohol or drugs - either because they had better coping strategies and methods for expressing their anger, or because the emotional intensity had subsided to the point where they no longer felt the need to self-medicate with substances like drugs or alcohol.

I urge you to get the June 1st issue of MacLean's magazine and read this article for yourself. I believe you will find the implications in Heyman's message incredibly empowering.