This blog page is about the history of the new eBook Dyspraxic Adults Surviving in a non-Dyspraxic World. and is a blatant excuse to advertise the book.
I was thinking of writing a book on adult dyspraxia but hadn’t got round to it .I was sick of feeling like the bridesmaid and not the bride as I have been a case study in a few dyspraxia and neurodiversity books but I had not published my own book.
Then about 4 years ago. Mary Morris (Dyspraxia Foundation Manchester Adult) Support group contacted me on Facebook and half-jokingly said she wanted to lobby me to help her write the ‘Idiots Guide to Dyspraxia’. I looked at the submission form and thought that submitting an idea for a dissertation looked a much more easy option. So we agreed to get permission from the trustees of the dyspraxia Foundation to write a book on Dyspraxia in Adulthood as Mary Colley’s last edition of ‘Living with Dyspraxia’ was not updated after she very sadly passed away in 2009. The book is dedicated to her.
We could have just updated her book but we both wanted it to be a completely new book with the theme that we were surviving in a world where the majority of the population are non-dyspraxic. We also wanted to show that the term ‘dyspraxic’ shouldn’t be embarrassing that needs to be brushed under the carpet, instead it should be something to be proud of. We wanted the book to be positive and inspiring and be good for dyspraxic adult’s emotional well being.
We set up a facebook group with the same title as the book. To provide emancipatory research. We recruited several volunteers to contribute to the book, by writing chapters. Mary and I set questions so that the group could share their experiences of living with dyspraxia and their coping strategies. While the book was being written we had over 200 members with about 20-30 making regular contributions. When the book was finished. I was intending to close the group down.. I didn’t have the heart to do this as membership had more than doubled. The facebook group by popular request became a support group and now we have over 3,000 members. (Mainly thanks to Marys positive posts and encouragement). Mary and I appointed admins to negotiate when members were falling out with each other as it was too much for 2 to manage. For reasons mentioned in my other blog posts My life became hectic and Mary Morris became poorly, so thanks to the Admins for running the group for us.
The book got input from dyspraxic professionals. Including an occupational therapist, Speech and Language therapist, Neurodiversity job coach, crèche worker, librarian, job centre plus worker and several more as well as people from all walks of life.
It took us 2 years for various reasons to write the book. It was submitted and rejected by Jessica Kingsley publisher, probably for being too long. It had 22 chapters and I didn’t have the heart to shorten it as everyone had worked so hard., although I did eventually reduce the heavy word count. We eventually were told that the DF would fund a hard copy. We had to split the book into chapters got some people from the adult advisory panel and other volunteers with various specialities to review each chapter and some of the Dyspraxia Foundation medical and educational panel to review it. This took at least another year before it was all reviewed. Then Sally Payne offered to proof read it after her PHD so that took another year.
The Dyspraxia Foundation Trustees agreed to find funds for hard copies but they didn’t realise how big the book was so it became an eBook instead. It would have been too expensive to fund and distribute such a huge publication and might have caused the Dyspraxia Foundation office floor in the Hitchin office to collapse.
Dyspraxic Adults Surviving in a Non -Dyspraxic World was launched on November 20th I 2015 in time for dyspraxia awareness week literally at the last minute/ W have on average sold 40 copies a month and at the last count in March 2016 we sold 174 eBooks globally in the UK, Germany. Australia, Canada & the USA Just think how many copies we could sell if we got funding for a hard copy. The book is available on Amozon and all proceed 70% of the takings has been donated to the Dyspraxia Foundation Adult support groups
Mary & Janet would like to thank all those who were involved with the writing and reviewing of this book.
A very special thanks to the Face book group with the same title of the book for globally sharing their coping strategies and experiences of living with dyspraxia, without them this book would not be possible. (Originally over 200 participants at time of devising the book, but now with over 3,000 members).
Thank you to photographer David Tyrell for the stunning cover photo.
Thank you to all those who wrote chapters for the book (Individual acknowledgement by names of authors in title of each chapter).
Thank you to, Zachary Inman Atlas, Richard Todd, Maxine Francis Roper, Andrew Vasey, Chris Stribblehill, Loni Singer, Ian Woolams, Robert Hopkins, Yvonne Lee, Frances Beaumont & Rebbeca Greenan for reviewing chapters.
Thank you to The Dyspraxia Foundation Medical Advisory Panel, Trustees & other volunteers, for taking time to give medically review relevant chapters. Professor Amanda Kirby. Michelle Lee, Sally Payne, Gill Dixon, Dr Kate Essler, Lois Addy, Sharman Jeffries, Judy Sutherland and Pam Williams.
Thank you to Warren Freid Co-ordinator of Dyspraxia Foundation, USA for his valuable input.
Thank you Facebook group admins for holding continuing to sort out the facebook group.
Ruth Foley, Chris Bennet. Rebecca Surtrees, Thias Rodriges, Fran Cooke, Megan Holman, Elfin K Brook, Emma Gardiner.
Previous Admins Monique Crain, Star Harris, Chris Stribblehill, Adam Kasper.
Thank you, Michelle Lee for writing the forward & Sally Payne the Introduction
Thank you Barry Gilheany for patiently proofreading the chapters. And Sally Payne for the final proofread
Thank you Peter Keegan Dyspraxia Foundation Adult Support Group representative for liaising with the DF Trustees to keep them up-to-date with the book’s slow but steady progress.
Thank you to Eleanor Howes for supporting us all with this project.
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