Books can change lives. Sometimes I think we can get so caught up in looking at all the big names and their success stories we forget just what it means to be readers and writers. It’s easy to get caught up looking at James Patterson and Lee Child’s meteoric success, that we forget about the impact of self-publishing.
Let’s talk about Emma Sumner, an eight year old armed with the only two tools needed, a dream and belief in that dream. Her Dad had achieved some success in the self-publishing world. Mr. Sumner thought it was cute when his high year old walked up and announced that she wanted to write a book. Rather than just pat her on the head, Mr. Sumner told her to write fifty word and then show it to him. That’s exactly what little Emma did. From here her Dad began taking her out to Panera Bread every Saturday where he would help her write her own story. A few months later, “The Fairies of Waterfall Island” was released on the Kindle store. What happened next is my favorite part of this story, so pay attention.
Within the first three months little Emma’s book had made just over 4,000 dollars. Not bad for an eight year old wouldn’t you agree? What Emma did with her newfound fortune humbles me. She donated all of it to the Autism Awareness foundation. I’m ashamed to admit I don’t think I would have done that. But you see, Emma Sumner herself is autistic. So you could say that she has a personal stake in all this.
Let’s take a step back and appreciate this story for all its worth. Little Emma Sumner has school for five days of the week, and she chooses to spend her free Saturdays writing a book. I sheepishly admit that when I was eight I spent all my weekends trying to beat “Ocarina of Time”. Writing a book? Not even a distant thought in my mind. Emma Sumner is also autistic, which would make writing harder for her than the rest of us. And here the rest of us are complaining about our ‘writers block’. The next time I start to complain about ‘writers block’, I’ll think of Emma Sumner, sit down and shut up.
Emma’s book continued to make a fair amount of money. Her Dad wisely doled out her allowance from her profits, and even then there was still money left for her to enjoy some fun trips. Richly deserved, I say. If this little story doesn’t warm your heart and make you smile, you don’t have a soul.
I’m 25 and still working on my first draft. I’m writing about more mature themes than fairies, but little Emma Sumner inspires me. What she did is nothing short of amazing. She had a dream, believed in it, displayed the dedication necessary to make it a reality, and then uses her success to do good for others. In my mind Emma Sumner is as great (or greater) than James Patterson. Forget net worth and bank accounts for a moment.
Pursuing your dream can be challenging. If it wasn’t, everyone would be living out theirs. Emma Sumner reminds me that it’s not about making money. It’s about impacting the lives of others, about making a true difference.
I was inspired to begin writing after reading Tolkien masterful “Lord of the Rings” series. (including The Hobbit, The Silmarillion, The Children of Hurin, all near and dear to me) Obviously my own literary aspirations are a little higher than “The Fairies of Waterfall Island”. But you know what? I still salute Emma Sumner. I salute her for having the courage and dedication to chase her dream. I salute her for her compassion and humanity. I salute her for being one example for us all to emulate.
What this little eight year old can teach all of us is that our definition of success is somewhat skewed these days. At the end of every day, the whole point of writing is to touch the lives of others. Exactly what this little girl did. That demands respect in my opinion. Especially in a day where videos of people dropping vehicles from helicopters garners millions of views.
