eBook

Home Funeral Guides:  Illuminating the Path, a serialized subscription eBook and commentary.

Subscribers proceed to Members Only page here >>

Twenty thought-provoking chapters by Merilynne Rush, Home Funeral Guide, former hospice nurse and midwife.

Subscription cost:  $25.  Starts February 7, 2012.

Every two weeks (February – October, 2012) on Tuesday morning, subscribers receive an email with a fresh chapter as a pdf attachment. The chapter can be printed out on paper or read on the computer. The email contains the link to make comments. Subscribers can log in multiple times to read and comment.  At the end of 40 weeks we will have created an historical document about the emerging profession of Home Funeral Guide.  Don’t miss this opportunity to participate!

An eBook is different from a printed book. It is a dynamic process. Readers discuss the content chapter by chapter and get to know each other. It’s like being in a virtual book discussion group.

An eBook is different from a blog. The chapters are substantive and consistent in style, length and quality (blogs are often short and erratic). Each chapter is sent to you on schedule.

Email me if you have questions, or subscribe now!  I look forward to hearing from you.  -Merilynne Rush

Serialized Subscription eBook
More about the eBook:
Why not just publish a printed book?  A printed book is a static document that is created in a specific time and place and does not change after it is sent out or purchased.  Any mistakes or new information can not be changed until a later print edition is published.  An eBook is interactive.  It is sent out in installments and is discussed by the readers chapter by chapter.  Readers comments may even influence future chapters.
What’s to prevent me from sharing it with my friends without them subscribing?  Well, frankly, you could do that.  I want the information to be shared and the more people we have in the conversation, the better.  However, it would be dishonest and unethical to do that.  My hope is that you will encourage your friends and colleagues to subscribe.  Writing this eBook is a way I can earn income while dedicating myself to being on-call for families and doing presentations and advocacy.  Much of my consultation work is unpaid.  Home funeral guides often seek multiple sources of income to support themselves, as many of you know, and as will be addressed in one of the chapters.
Does this eBook constitute training to become a home funeral guide?  No.  There are many aspects of training that will not be covered, not the least of which is hands-on experience.  This eBook is meant to be an additional innovative avenue to training and a way for us to learn and teach each other as our new profession grows and defines itself.  
What do you mean by “virtual support group”?  People from around the country who are involved in advocating for and educating about home funeral, and those who support families who wish to care for their own dead, have frequently stated that they wish for more opportunities to talk to others who are doing this work.  By reading about a particular aspect of the work and then commenting with others, we are supporting each other without being in the same place.  The on-line discussion format allows for readers to log on and comment at their convenience and then be able to “chat” with others in a non-timebased format.  The only constriction is that we will move on to a new topic after two weeks.
What if I miss a week?  You will still receive the chapter by email and can read it later.  You can see others comments in the archives and even add to it, but it may not be read by as many people, as we will have moved on to the current chapter.
What if I join late?  See above.  You can view past chapters as soon as you subscribe and you can join us where we are.