How to Write a Best Seller

Journey Through Heartstrings, an 80 page book of poems Written by 11 year old Mattie Stepanek, made the New York Times best seller list on November 11.

Cheryl Barnes who runs the Vacation Spot Press from her backyard cottage met Mattie while volunteering at Washington D.C.'s Children's Hospital. There the staff introduced her to the 50-lb. child suffering from a rare form of muscular dystrophy. Mattie was in intensive care and spoke around a thick oxygen tube in his throat. After reading his poems she decided to publish 200 paperback copies of a portion of his 2000 poems

To kick the book off Barnes invited local media to his book signing at the hospital at the end of June--the first time she had ever publicized the launch one of her books. The first printing sold out almost
instantly to Mattie's family friends and supporters.

The next day the Washington Post ran a sympathetic profile of Mattie Out of this came an hour-long interview with Ophra who with a tear in her eye said "If ever I had a book to recommend its Mattie's Journey Through Heartsongs. If ever you were going to buy a book I recommend it." After that the book took off and has now sold 167000 copies.

Since his appearance on Oprah "people have been buying four and five copies of his book at signings saying This is my Christmas gift this year. In the meantime Stepanek has interviews scheduled on Good Morning America in People magazine and on National Public Radio.