The Most Effective Ways to Live Longer by Dr. Jonny Bowden l Q&A + Blog Tour + Giveaway

Our guest today is Dr. Jonny Bowden, author of the health and anti-aging book, The Most Effective Ways to Live Longer.

Jonny Bowden, PhD, CNS, a board-certified nutrition specialist with a master’s degree in psychology, is a nationally known expert on weight loss, nutrition, and health. A popular speaker and a former personal trainer with six national certifications in exercise, he was the acclaimed “Weight Loss Coach” on iVillage for twelve years, and is now a regular contributor to AOL, a columnist for Better Nutrition and Clean Eating magazines and a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Men’s Health. He’s also the nutritionist for the popular website, www.eatdrinkordie.com, where his entertaining videos on food and nutrition can be seen daily.

His books have been acclaimed by a virtual who’s who in the field of nutritional medicine, garnering endorsements by Christiane Northrup, MD, Mehmet Oz, MD, Barry Sears, PhD. (who calls him “one of the best”), Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD (who calls him “the personal health coach I would want in my corner no matter what”), and many others. His book, Living Low Carb: Controlled Carbohydrate Eating for Long-Term Weight Loss has more than 100,000 copies in print. He is also the author of the Amazon best-seller, The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth: The Surprising Truth About What to Eat as well as The Healthiest Meals on Earth and The Most Effective Natural Cures on Earth and The 150 Most Effective Ways to Boost Your Energy.

He has been featured in The New York Times, The New York Post, Chicago Sun Times, Chicago Tribune, Time, GQ, Cosmopolitan, Oxygen, Remedy, Family Circle, Self, Fitness, Allure, Essence, Men’s Health, Pilates Style, Prevention, Woman’s World, In Style, Fitness, Natural Health and Shape and has appeared on Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, ABC, NBC and CBS as an expert on nutrition, weight loss, and health..

Dr. Bowden is a member of the American Society for Nutrition and the American College of Nutrition and is adjunct faculty for Clayton College of Natural Health. He lives in the Topanga Canyon area of Southern California with his three dogs, Woodstock, Emily and Lucy.

His DVD “The Truth About Weight Loss” as well as his popular motivational CDs, programs and free newsletter can be found at www.jonnybowden.com.

Welcome to The Writer's Life, Dr. Bowden. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how long you’ve been writing?

I’ve been writing since second grade. I had trouble behaving myself in class so they took me out of the class and gave me special writing projects. It turned out I was much better at writing than I was at behaving!

And I’ve been writing professionally (if by that you mean getting paid actual money for it!) since about 1995.

Can you please tell us about your book and why you wrote it?

This book is about what you really need to know to take care of your body so that you last a good 10 decades. It’s everything I’ve learned about aging and self-care and nutrition and exercise and emotional intelligence.

What kind of research was involved in writing “The Most Effective Ways to Live Longer”?

At this point I have my own system. I read everything, subscribe to a million journals and newsletters, go to conferences and am a Zen master of Google. And I have the nation’s top health professionals on my speed dial, and I’m blessed that they actually take my calls!

Has it been a bumpy ride to becoming a published author or has it been pretty well smooth sailing?

I was lucky. I had been writing professionally for magazines and internet sites, and I was a columnist for i-Village where I wrote the “Weight Loss Coach” column for five years. Out of the i-Village connection I was able to get an agent and sell my very first book. From then on it’s been pretty easy.

For this particular book, how long did it take from the time you signed the contract to its release?

It’s always the same. I usually take about 6 months from start to finish.

Do you have an agent and, if so, would you mind sharing who he/is is? If not, have you ever had an agent or do you even feel it’s necessary to have one?

If you’re going the traditional route of publishing with a major publisher, you absolutely, absolutely, absolutely have to have an agent. There are no ifs ands or buts. You can bypass an agent if you want to self-publish, but that’s a whole different story. I have a fantastic agent who’s been with me for the last seven books: Coleen O’Shea of the Allen O’Shea Literary Agency in Connecticut.

Do you plan subsequent books?

We’re currently working on a recipe book follow-up to “The Most Effective Ways to Live Longer”- kind of like the ultimate Longevity Cookbook.

Can you describe your most favorite place to write?

I write in my office which is a converted attic above my house. I commute by climbing a spiral staircase. I tell the dogs “come on! We’re going to work!” and they get all excited and run up the stairs and there we are.

If money was no object, what would be the first thing you would invest in to promote your book?

The absolute best publicist money could buy. Be prepared to spend a LOT.

How important do you think self-promotion is and in what ways have you been promoting your book offline and online?

In the past we’ve gone the traditional route- TV shows, radio interviews, tons of magazine quotes, that kind of thing. And I have a nice mailing list and a pretty decent following, and I send a newsletter every week, so my work stays in front of a lot of people. This time we’re going in a different direction with a more focused internet campaign—like this blog tour.

What’s the most common reason you believe new writers give up their dream of becoming published and did you almost give up?

Sorry to say it’s hard to be a writer. Virtually everyone I meet tells me “I should write a book!” but they often don’t realize that it’s not enough to have an interesting story, you also have to make that story interesting and universal for other people. And that takes skill and hard work. It’s about 10% inspiration and 100% perspiration.

Any final words of wisdom for those of us who would like to be published?

Keep writing. The history books are filled with people who got scaty thousand rejection slips but just kept on doing it until they finally hit. For those who have to write no obstacle is too great. Look at JK Rawlings… the odds against her were overwhelming, but she kept at it.

Thank you for your interview, Dr. Jonny. I wish you much success!

Thank you!

We're having a giveaway! Leave a comment or a question for Dr. Bowden between now and January 22 and you could be the winner of an autographed copy of his new book, The Most Effective Ways to Live Longer! Or simply write "I love The Most Effective Ways to Live Longer!" in the comment section!

Only those leaving email addresses with their comment or question qualifies.

The winner will be announced on Jan. 25.

Good luck!