Lori Goss-Reaves
How Dr. Lori Goss-Reaves's story made the government tell the truth
Dr. Goss-Reaves followed the typical first-time author journey. She explored the agented path. She courted traditional publishers. She was unable to find satisfactory terms. No traditional publisher is going to allow a first-time author creative control of their first book. It doesn't matter to large publishers whether the President pinned a medal around your neck or your husband is a nationally syndicated artist.
Next, Dr. Goss-Reaves explored hybrid publishing but ran into quality concerns. She kept finding atrocious cover design, poor typesetting, and unusable graphics.
Eventually, a mutual friend introduced Dr. Goss-Reaves to Writing Nights. We fashioned a cover that would resonate with her audience, had the book edited by a Stanford-educated attorney and then by a Federal Appeals Court clerk. And then we negotiated a path that allowed Lori to publish with an exclusive publishing imprint. That way Lori got the professionalism of a trad publisher—marketing bump, distribution strategies—while retaining the creative control that was important to her.
Kiss Lori For Me, a journey that started with an investigation into a government coverup that happened during the Vietnam War culminated in a book that earned multiple spots on the Best Seller charts, a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, and the President of the United States pinning a Gold Star to Dr. Goss-Reave's lapel.
Kiss Lori for Me—A Vietnam Corpsman’s Sacrifice, His Widow’s Undying Love, and Their Daughter’s Quest to Find the Truth