Lang's Father Daughter Books Sell
Writing From the Heart Sealed Book Publishing Deals for Author Dad
Even a New York Times bestselling author can be blindsided by challenges and pitfalls blended with the joys of father-daughter relationships. Gregory E. Lang, who has penned 20 books, most recently, "Daddy's Little Girl," learned the hard way that predicting behavioral patterns in adolescents and teens is doable, but predicting the impact of a daughter's womanhood on her dad may not be so straight forward.
"I had no idea how it would be to deal with the pulling away on a personal level as she became a young woman. Our relationship changed when she got her first period. She had relied on me for everything, then suddenly, could only relate to her mother on those issues," said Lang, who holds a PhD in child and family development. He spoke to this writer in a 2008 interview.
He began writing a book for his daughter, in 1998, expressing his love and hopes for her. The book was rejected 62 times and ultimately appeared four times on the New York Times list.
An Author's Focus and Motivation
Lang's writes on family life, using autobiographical information. Daddy's Little Girl, he says, is the first time he used other people's lives as learning opportunities, and it worked. The 48 year-old author works from his home, leveraging that flexibility to build close relationships with his daughter, Megan, and stepdaughter, Linley, four years younger than Megan.
The combination of being home, his love of writing and desire to provide stability for his daughters parlayed into a lucrative writing career. It's about writing what he knows, and he dedicates the books to his daughters, whom he knows best.
Building on Writing Successes
Writing from the heart, touted as an effective connect to readers, has given Lang success. Many of the books, including his current effort and his prior, Why a Daughter Needs a Dad, document his father daughter relationships, over time, to motivate other dads and daughters to get the most out of their relationships.
He stays with family and romantic relationships with another book in the works, from the mother's point-of-view. Called, Mom's Little Angel, and scheduled for release in spring 2009, it will be a collection of stories from mothers and daughters about life-affirming moments. Lang is actively seeking anecdotes for the book.
"Daddy's Little Girl brings readers to date on our relationship. I'm going a different way with the new book, but maybe I'll do another when Megan graduates college or marries and has a baby," Lang concluded.
