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"This little gem of a book offers sage advice..."
Fred Brock
The New York Times
Too Young to Retire,
the perfect retirement gift for those who aren't calling it quits, is
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Ada P. Kahn:
Health Educator
Launches Book on Music and Aging
 "No sign of retirement for Ada!" says Ada P.
Kahn, Ph.D., 68, community health educator and author of ten books on health and
women’s empowerment. From 1990 until August of this year, she was Manager, Community
Health Education at Rush North Shore Medical Center, Skokie, Illinois. Her most recent
title, Keeping The Beat: Healthy Aging Through Amateur Chamber Music Playing,
blends her love of music -- she has played the flute since high school -- with her
expertise in healthy aging. It is her 11th title, and her second self- published work
through Wordscope Associates, Inc. She is also the author of several books for Facts on
File (New York) including Stress A-Z: A Sourcebook for Facing Everyday Challenges,
reissued in paperback in May. Most recently, Ada Kahn co-authored Facing Fears: The
Sourcebook for Phobias, Fears, and Anxieties (Checkmark Books, New York, June 2000).
"Any activity that challenges the mind and
helps dexterity benefits us as we age," Ada said. "Playing an instrument demands
physical and mental involvement. Upper-body strength, lung capacity and mental
concentration all come into play. But what makes the playing of chamber music
exceptionally powerful for older adults is the social dimension." This can be a boon
for people who relocate later in life: "Connecting with a musical group provides a
new circle of friends." Ada herself performs chamber music with the Music Institute
of Chicago’s Emeritus Orchestra, and took her instrument to interviews so she could
perform with musicians she was meeting for the first time.
It was the Amateur Chamber Music Players’
newsletter that led her to many of the 24 musicians profiled for her book. They include
amateurs and professionals who coach or play with older amateurs. "The people I
interviewed emphasized the benefits of social connections made through playing, the
physical and mental exercise, and opportunities for setting goals and reaching them,"
Ada said, "The oldest player I interviewed was 94; several are in their upper
80s."
"The players you will read about in Keeping
the Beat have indeed experienced The Mozart Effect¨," said Don Campbell, author
of that book, who wrote the foreword. "All music participation affects...moods...Read
and enjoy their stories. They will be inspirational not only to musicians but also to all
who want to know more about one avenue toward healthy aging."
"Being a self-publisher is challenging.
I’m the CEO and also the shipping clerk. The biggest hurdle is getting distribution
of a book," Ada said. "Arrangements have been made with major distributors
(Baker & Taylor, Ingram, and Quality Books) to get the new book into bookstores.
I’m trying to utilize Internet marketing, so I have a website: www.keepingthebeat.com It gives all details
about the book. The book is also available from www.amazon.com."
Ada has appeared on television programs in San
Diego, Baltimore, and St. Louis talking about the benefits of staying active - and
particularly, playing chamber music. She is a frequent speaker at local libraries and
senior centers in the Chicago area. She is on the Visiting Committee to the Department of
Music, University of Chicago, on an advisory committee for the OASIS Center for Music
(headquartered in St. Louis), and on an advisory committee for Encore Chicago, a City of
Chicago Department of Aging venture which helps older performers find venues for their
performances. She is active in the Rotary Club of Evanston
Why does an accomplished author and speaker go
back to school for a doctorate (in public health from The Union Institute, Cincinnati, in
1997)? "It’s a better by-line for a book. Without a Ph.D., publishers want a
co-author who is a Ph.D.or M.D."
When she isn’t busy with her job, writing,
speaking, Ada Kahn plays flute (occasionally, the piano) with friends, including guitarist
Larry Ege who illustrated Keeping the Beat. She also has a new grandson, born in April.
What’s next? "I am working on a revision
of a previous encyclopedia of mental health terminology. This will be published by Facts
on File, Inc., NY in 2001."
Getting Started
Some brief tips on self-publishing from Ada Kahn:
1. Have a good reason to self-publish. Consider
other publishers first.
2. Know your target audience. The more specific
the better. e.g, birdwatchers, people who golf, people who play chamber music.
3. Prepare to handle innumerable details such as
securing an ISBN number, copyright, locating book producers and printers, and finally
handling storage, distribution, and shipping and promotion.
4. Become acquainted and develop contacts with
appropriate book distributors. Know that they buy your books from you at a very big
discount.
5. Manage your business as a business! Develop
systems to keep records of costs, sales, and be sure to record income and file sales tax
reports with your state as required.
6. Plan and expedite promotional activities after
publication. Become familiar with websites to which you can develop links. Be available
for television, radio, personal appearances and media interviews. You can’t be shy!
Toot your own horn!
7. If this sounds like a lot of work, for your
next book, find a publisher! Then, all you’ll have to do is write the book!
Keeping the Beat
Wordscope Associates
P.O. Box 7033
Evanston, IL 60204
www.keepingthebeat.com
Become a whiz at self-promotion on the Internet
www.artofselfpromotion.com
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