Seize Your Day

During the last couple of years, I've been aware of the brevity of life and the need to seize the day and make the most of every moment and experience. As a young man, these thoughts never crossed my mind but wisdom and experience has changed me. I'm eager to follow the Latin term “carpe diem” or “seize the day.”

In this article, I want to give you some ideas how to take the opportunities of life and make the most of them. As a writer, I understand much of the publishing world is outside of my direct control. I don't determine which articles are published in a magazine or which books get published. I don't control who buys the books that I've written or what they tell their friends or don't say anything about them. I don't control which literary agents read my proposals and offer to work with me. I don't control Twitter or Facebook or LinkedIn or any number of other online places. It's easy to grow discouraged and feel like you have no power or opportunity.

The reality is actually something different from my years in publishing. I do control what I write about and what I pitch to editors of magazines and book editors. I can write query letters and emails to see if the editor is interested in my ideas. If I don't know how to write a query or a book proposal, then I can learn how to create these publishing tools. After they are written, I can make sure they are excellent, then pitch them over and over until I find someone interested in my idea.

I don't run a conference but if I want to teach others, I can craft pitches to the directors of conferences and see if they are interested in my participation. I don't control who interviews me about my books or my work. Yet when someone interviews me, I can replay and promote that interview to tell others about it. For example last week, Angel Murchison interviewed me about Billy Graham and my biography, Billy Graham, A Biography of America's Greatest Evangelist. The interview aired last Saturday in northern Maine and West New Brunswick, Canada. Angel sent me a copy of the interview and you can hear it here (on my own site so I know this link and the 25-minute interview will not disappear since I'm controlling it).

While I can't force people to buy my books, I can focus on the benefits of the books and tell as many people about it as I can reach through social media or email marketing or blogs or any number of other possible tools.

Every writer has these opportunities with your work. Are you seizing the day and latching on to these possibilities? As you do it, you will expand your audience and the reach of your message. Another way that people in the publishing community speak about it is platform. If you want to expand your possibilities, I recommend this free ebook that I wrote called Platform Building Ideas for Every Author.

Each of us have the same finite amount of time in a day. How are you seizing those opportunities?

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Increase Your Learning with Your Flash Drive

Through the years, I've collected a number of flash drives. Sometimes I will attend a writers' conference and all of the sessions (even those I miss) are sold on a flash drive. Often these flash drives will pile up in my desk drawer. How do I find the time to listen to this material?

In May I taught on the faculty and they offered the entire conference without cost. I know these audio files contain valuable teaching insights for every writer. The files came as an online download and I put them in a folder with the conference name on a flash drive. Because I used the flash drive, these files are portable and don't fill my main computer. 

In the past, I've mentioned about using the Bluetooth feature of my car audio and listening to audio books. My car has a USB connection on the dashboard that until recently I had never used. With the flash drive which contained the audios from the writers' conference, I turned on my car and plugged it into the port.

Touching the “files” on my dashboard, I saw all of the audio MP3 files from the flash drive. Last weekend, I drove 45 minutes to an hour to a writers' meeting in Colorado Springs.  Instead of listening to an audio book, I listened to several teaching files from the flash drive.

Steve Laube, founder of The Steve Laube Agency, taught a workshop titled, “Do I Need a Literary Agent?” While much of the information was familiar, I enjoyed hearing Steve's stories and insights on the audio file. My time in the car passed quickly and I was learning from my flash drive.

Also I heard another literary agent, David Van Diest, teach on the elements of a book proposal. While I have a bestselling book on this topic called Book Proposals That $ell, there is always more to learn on this subject from this seasoned publishing colleague. David has worked in marketing and other aspects inside publishers as well as run his own agency for many years.

To be honest, I have many more hours of teaching to catch on these audio files. Instead of never hearing them or leaving them stuck in my desk, through using the flash drive, these files are actively on my car audio system. Whether I'm driving a long distance or only across town, I can grab a few more minutes of writing instruction.

Through this experience, I've been reminded of a simple principle: There Are Many Different Ways to Learn Information. Some of us learn best through reading. Others learn through actually doing while still others are audio learners. 

I'm glad I decided to explore how to use the USB port on my car dashboard. Now I have one more flexible way to learn in my car. Bestselling author Zig Ziglar recommended turning your car into a “rolling university.” 

You probably have some of these audio files on your computer. Can you transfer them to a flash drive then begin listening to this instruction in your car? Getting the information is the first step, then apply the information to your own writing life.

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When The Big Book Gets Away....

Much of the publishing world is outside of our personal control. As an acquisitions editor for me to find a New York Times bestseller is almost like the storm chasers looking for the perfect storm. It is rare for the right variables to come together. Yet it does happen and I continue actively looking for that book. When the big book gets away for a multitude of reasons, you keep searching for it.

While I can champion a book to my publishing colleagues so they issue a contract for the book, even when the author signs and the book moves into production, there can be snags in the process. Recently I learned one of my books was in stall because the author had not delivered their final manuscript nor a complete author questionnaire. Both of these missing elements are important for the production process to be completed. When our managing editor reached out to this author, there was no response. Who knows the reason for the lack of response but the book was stuck.

Even though I acquired this book weeks ago, I have a relationship with the author. I reached out and learned the author needed an excellent editor (even though they had not given this information to my colleagues). I have a list of terrific editors that I sent them right away. I tell my authors that finding the right editor can be like finding the right spouse. The timing and other elements have to be a fit for it to work. As I sent the editor contact information, I mentioned if he didn't find the right editor to reach out to me again and I would find someone else. I'm eager to help this author succeed—-and every Morgan James author in fact. Why? Their success as individuals will be my success as an editor. It's a team effort.

Many times I've discussed finding a bestseller with my wife. In fact, we've talked about it so much that to be honest she doesn't want to hear about my big potential book. Why? 

Because that bestseller hasn't happened—yet.  You may be in this situation yourself—looking to get published or looking for your ideal literary agent or looking for your champion within a publishing house or ???. Here's some steps every writer can take as you continue on your journey:

1. Continue writing. You want to write for blogs and magazine articles and your books. The consistent work of writing will help you practice your craft. 

2. Continue promoting your current and past work. Look for opportunity to speak and review the books of others and write.

3. Use your current opportunities. Whether we realize it or not, each of us have opportunities. We have email. We have phones. We can reach out and set up coffee meetings or offer to write for new publications or send query letters or reach more people on twitter. The key is to be taking consistent action. For ideas, download my free Ebook, Platform Building Ideas for Every Author.

4. Keep searching for your bestseller (or whatever your big goal) and learning about the craft of writing and growing. My friend Jerry B. Jenkins wrote over 100 books before his mega hit with the Left Behind series. The first book in this series continues to sell over 150,000 copies a year—even though originally published in 1996. Notice the work that went into his writing life before that bestseller. You may be on the same journey. You can hear Jerry answering your writing questions here (follow this link).

I'm on the same writing journey as each of you but I've been at it for a while. Every day I continue to build my audience and reach people with my books and blogs and other tools like twitter. During the last few months, I've been on the list of the top 100 marketers on Twitter from Evan Carmichael. Check the July link and you will see I went up in the last month from #50 to #46.

Every day keep moving forward. If I can help you in this journey, let me know.

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How To Lean In & Keep Going Forward

The writing life is filled with opportunities and challenges. As writers, our work gets rejected. We pour huge energy into writing which gets published in a book then does not sell. Our bills pile up and we wonder how we will be able to make the money that we need.

While I've written books which have sold over 100,000 copies, I also experience the range of emotional ups and downs that I put into the opening paragraph. Writers have to be actively looking for the right place for their writing to get published—whether in a magazine or a book. Your material has to find a connection with an editor or literary agent to find a champion to guide you through the process. The writers who succeed take action when they face feelings of discouragement and rejection. 

Here's some action steps when you get these types of feelings:

1. Adjust your mindset. Your mindset will be reflected in your actions and I encourage you to take a different course of action. When writers get rejected once or twice, many of them will decide, “No one wants this book.” In contast, authors who get published will decide they have not knocked on the right door yet and will move to the next publisher. Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen were rejected over 160 times with Chicken Soup for the Soul. When rejected, they looked at each other and said, “Next.” This single word is hopeful and a tool you can use with your own rejection.

2. Approach a new audience. I've got a number of marketing books on my shelf. One of the most thorough is 1001 ways to Market Your Book by John Kremer. It's always wise to open this book and read a few of the ideas, then take steps to implement one of them. It will propel you forward.

3. Create a new product (online or in print). If you are looking for some insights. Listen to this free interview with marketing expert Bob Bly, then actively take action in a new direction.

4. Write something different.  If you are writing books, then write a magazine article or post to your blog or beef up your social media. Moving in a different direction will help you keep going ahead.

5. Get some fresh air. Walk around the block or take an exercise break. Just changing your position, will help you.
From my years in publishing, here is a simple truth: everyone has issues in their life. Children are ill or worse. Our cars break down. Our parents grow old and ill or any number of other issues.  What is the distinction between those people who get their work into print and into the market and those who do not? The people who succeed take act. They move ahead in spite of what else is happening. 

The key is not to mope around and get discouraged, stop or stagnate. Move forward. Read some of my Pro-Active Author columns on The Wordsmith Journal or some other blog. Lean into your situation.

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