It was fifth grade. It was the 1970s. There was barely any attempt to protect kids from anything or each other. Bullying was a rite of passage instead of a societal epidemic. The playground equipment was made of solid iron bars that rose out of unforgiving asphalt pavement. Boys played “smear the queer”; girls passed notes with tormenting rumors of each other.

The gym-class game this day was kickball. The teacher always picked two team captains from the students, who would then alternate selecting their team members. It was a savagely honest display of social status, favoritism, and outright discrimination. Perfect for preparing one for future adult life.

The numbers dwindled down to two students remaining to be chosen. One was an unfortunate girl cursed with far too many pounds, thick glasses, and the name Melba Grubb. The other was Andrew, who at age 11 was still “Andy,” yearning to reach 5 feet tall, and skinny enough to earn the nickname “Asparagus.”

The team captain with the next and final choice eyed Melba and Andy with all serious consideration, silently weighing the pros and cons of each.

“We’ll take Melba Toast,” he declared. “She’s so big that she can probably block the ball better than Asparagus.”

And with that, little Andrew learned yet another valuable lesson — life will bring you a lot more if you choose yourself.

Andrew has worked in many aspects of publishing over the past 35 years, including as a trade-published and self-published author, owner of two publishing companies, editor, designer, consultant, and in various positions in the publishing divisions of companies. In addition, he has a Bachelor’s Degree in Publishing and Writing from George Mason University, earned with a 4.0 GPA. This eclectic background matched with formal education is one of the things that makes him unique in the field.

Over the years, Andrew has literally taught thousands of authors and aspiring authors through his professional speaking (300+ seminars in the U.S., U.K., and Australia), writing (including more than 2,000 publishing answers on Quora), and as president of a large regional publishing association.

In this latter role, he led Publishers & Writers of San Diego in 2003–2010 from a dozen members to a thriving organization with 150 paid members and nearly 500 regular meeting attendees. In 2012, he launched the first website to feature ratings and reviews of self-publishing services by the authors who have used them (SelfPubSmart.com, now inactive). In 2015, he transformed his company July Publishing Inc. (started in 2000) into Social Motion Publishing.

Check out Andrew’s TEDx Talk on social-impact books.

Review Andrew’s LinkedIn profile.