Join the Generous Community

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

When they survey the personality of writers, the majority of them are introverts. Most people who have met me in person at a conference or an event would not categorize me as an introvert. I’ve taken personality tests and I do land in this category. At a party or event, I’d rather be sitting in the corner speaking with a person than leading the group or speaking to many people. Writing is something we do alone in our offices. Some writers intentionally need a busy environment to write so they will write in a coffee shop. I have written in those busy environments but it is not my preference.

While writing is a solitary activity, you don’t have to be alone or by yourself in this process. Years ago I learned to join the generous community of writers. Through my local writer group, I got connected to a community of writers. I joined a critique group (learn more how to do that here). At that time of my life, the bulk of the people I interacted with on a daily basis were Christians. I decided to expand my connections and I joined the American Society of Journalists and Authors. Some years I’ve been more active in this group than others. For over 20 years I served as the chairman of their membership committee. Unlike many groups, you have to apply and meet the member requirement of the ASJA to join it. Also I served a term on their board of directors and often attended their annual conference in New York City.

During one of those trips to New York, I rushed to the airport and when I reached my destination and unpacked, I discovered I had left my clothing in my closet at home. In NYC, I had a series of meetings scheduled with literary agents and editors and planned to wear my suit and be appropriately dressed. I called my wife, Christine, in a panic and she suggested, “You are in the biggest city in the world. Go buy yourself a suit.”

The next morning before my scheduled meetings, I went to Harold’s Square and purchased a suit off the rack. That shop adjusted my pants during the day and I returned later for them but I was appropiately dressed for my meetings.

The ASJA had two group meetings. One was the large well-known public meeting. A second meeting with a smaller group was only for members and held the day before the public meeting. That year, one of our members had written a book with Roselyn Carter and they had invited the Carters to attend our member meeting. As a regular member, I wasn’t invited to sit with the former President but with a colleague, we figured out where the Secret Service would sit and sat at that table.

That year I had written a new book with Joe Leninger, who traded for ten years in the Eurodollar Pit of the Chicago Merchantile. Broadman and Holman published our book, Lessons From the Pit and I had a copy in my briefcase. Also I knew Broadman Press published President Carter’s first book, Why Not the Best? I asked the Secret Service, “When could I give President Carter a copy of my book?”

He said, “I’d do it now because we are going to eat, greet and leave.” With the permission of the Secret Service, I signed my book to President Carter, then walked over to his table. The former President stood, shook my hand and graciously accepted the copy of my book. I have no idea if he opened and read anything in it but I know this book was the only one he carried out of the room that day.

I had this incredible opportunity because I joined the generous ASJA community. Among the members, a common saying is “We train our competition.” It’s true there is no competitive spirit among the members because there is plenty of writing work for all of us.

If you are feeling disconnected and alone as a writer, I encourage you to join the generous community and here’s some specific ideas:  

1. Make a short list of the types of groups that tie to your type of writing.

2. Join those groups online or in person and make plans to attend their gathering. 

3. When you are at the event, make sure you bring your business cards and swap with everyone you meet, then follow-up and expand your connections.

Through the years, I’ve met some incredible authors and writers through our generous community. I encourage you to not feel isolated in your writing but to take action steps to join the community and expand your connections and opportunity. I have no doubt my work and what I write and teach is built on what others have taught to me.

What actions are you going to take in this area to increase your connections to the community? Let me know in the comments below.

Tweetable:

We write in isolation. In this article, this prolific writer and editor encourages you to join the generous community with specific action steps. Get the details here.  (ClickToTweet)

Much of the publishing process is outside of the writer’s control. 10 Publishing Myths helps writers have a realistic perspective and take action. Get 10 Publishing Myths for only $10 +FREE shipping + over $200 of free bonuses.

Writing in Spare Moments of Life

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

Sometimes I write in the cracks of life. I’ve been in publishing for a long time and have many things that I have to get written. There are follow-up calls and letters to potential Morgan James authors. I have meetings to schedule and paperwork to turn into my colleagues so authors can get considered and possibly get a publsihing contract. These details are only a few of the numerous ones I am handling day in and day out. Also each week I write an original article on The Writing Life.

Outside of writing that I need to get done, I also enjoy doing some other writing such as book reviews. I’ve written over 1,000 reviews on Amazon and enjoy supporting other writers with a review. It’s hard to fit this writing into my routine with the pressure of other writing. Where do I get it done? I write my reviews in the spare moments of life. It amounts to reading late at night (outside of my work) and marking some passages that I want to highlight then finding a few moments to write my review and post it. Like everything, even writing a short review takes time. Each of us have a finite supply of time. My question is are you writing in the spare moments of your life?

Maybe you have put mental walls or parameters on your writing time. For example, some have decided to write a chapter or a story or a book proposal or manuscrpt, they need a chunk of time to get that written. From my experience, this mental wall or restriction is a false one. I can write a short piece in the cracks of my life.

As I’ve explained in other articles, the books from publishers and authors pour into my mailbox throughout the week. I attempt to read as many of them as I can handle during my limited reading time. Then when I have a spare moment, I will write a review and often go back to it several times to make sure I like how it is written. Then I will post that review on Amazon and Goodreads. Sometimes I post it on some other sites as well. The Goodreads review always posts immediately but Amazon and others can take a few days before they post on the site. 

When I see that one of my new reviews has posted, I will tell others through my social media connections along with a unique image of the book. In this simple way I can support and help other writers to tell others about their books. Several years ago I wrote another article about this process called Writing In the Cracks of Life. It’s another way with some different examples of how I handle this process of writing in spurts instead of a lengthy session. I hope it will give you some ideas for your own writing life. 

Also I use the reminders feature on my phone so I don’t miss something. I freely admit to being human and every now and then something gets missed. Whenever this happens I give myself some grace which is something each of us need.

The process of consistently writing isn’t easy for anyone--even someone like me who has been doing it for a long time. The key is to keep sitting in your chair and moving your fingers on your keyboard--over and over. If you get a paragraph written, then eventually you will get a page written. When you get a page written eventually you can write a chapter and then a manuscript. Your persistence and consistency is a critical part of the process.

Have you put some mental restrictions on the length of time you need to do some writing? Or maybe it is another issue that prevents you from writing in the spare moments of your life. Let me know in the comments below.

Some of My Writing in Other Places

In these articles, I encourage you to write in other places. As a writer, you can consistently write in other places. I do not add this feature every month yet every month I am consistently publishing my writing on other sites. Here’s a few recent articles:

Many authors on the publishing journey, wonder, “Where is the easy part of publishing?” In this article, I give authors the honest answer and resources.

It is not simple for any author to get book reviews. In this article, I give details and resources to help authors understand book reviews require author effort. 

What is the hardest element to find on your book proposal? In this article, I give the details and a resource to make sure you put what the editor or agent is expecting in your submission before you hit the send button. 

Tweetable:

As writers, we can’t always choose when we will write. According to this prolific writer and editor, it is a matter of mindset and writing in the spare moments of life. Get his insights here.  (ClickToTweet)

Much of the publishing process is outside of the writer’s control. 10 Publishing Myths helps writers have a realistic perspective and take action. Get 10 Publishing Myths for only $10 +FREE shipping + over $200 of free bonuses.

Pour Creativity Into Your Marketing

 

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

Hopefully every writer pours a solid dose of creative energy into their writing and their mansucript. Ironically it is in the writing where the bulk of writers put their energy. I understand and believe it is important to build a solid foundation in the writing and storytelling. You select a way to publish your book and get it into the world. 

After your book is available to others, then you move into a different area where you market or sell your book. To help in this process, I recorded a free teleseminar where I gave a dozen different ways to sell books (follow the link to check it out).  In this article, I want to call a different aspect of the writing business to your attention: creative marketing. 

In the process of marketing your book, it often takes some financial investment such as to hire a publicist or to produce marketing materials or any number of other aspects. What if you don’t have the money or your financial resources are limited? Keep reading this article because I have some ideas and examples which any of you can do if you take action with these creative marketing ideas.

Several years ago I learned about Publishizer which is a free fund-raising tool. If you follow the link, you will see Morgan James Publishing has their own branded version of it. In some ways, Publishizer is like some other fundraising sites like GoFundMe or Kickstarter. Publishizer is focused on books where you can use these other places for many different kinds of fundraising projects. Check this page to get more details about how it works. 

Before your book is published, you can use Publishizer to create different packages. Then you can use an email list or social media to promote those packages and gather pre-sales on your book or funds which you can use for creating the packages but also for marketing or anything else you need with your book. Several years ago I worked with Terri Levine who is a Morgan James author. Terri used this tool to create her campaign and as you can see from the website, she raised $12,500 using this system. 

I met Kirsten Pistorius through her children’s book submission to Morgan James Publishing. She wrote and illustrated a beautiful picture book called My Little Prayer Book: Inspirational Verses for Children. Her campaign is just starting and in pre-sales. I encourage you to look at it and if you can help her with some pre-sales. 

 

If you want to use Publishizer, I encourage you to carefully study the website to learn about the packages and pitches other authors have made for their books, then use these ideas for the creative marketing you will pour into your book.

Publishizer is not for one type of book. Terri Levine’s book was a nonfiction business book. Kirsten Pistorius has a children’s book and she lives in Zimbabwe. You can also use Publishizer for fiction. Debra McIntyre has published a historical novel with Morgan James called A Wishful Eye. Follow this link to check out Deb’s campaign which is also in process (which means you can participate in her campaign and get one of her packages). 

Using Publishizer is a creative way to turn your marketing into book sales and money. You can use this process in the early days of your marketing. 

Also you can use Publishizer after your book is already in the market to create a special sales campaign. Just like the regular program, you have to fill out a form and apply to Publishizer to use the tool for your campaign. Follow this link to the form if you want to create a special sales campaign. 

The key message I want to make with this article is there is not one path or one strategy to use with your book marketing. You can use several different strategies with your plans. It’s important to learn about these opportunities, then take action and use them effectively for your book. I hope I’ve helped open your eyes to some possibilities other authors are using--and you can use as well. 

If you have used Publishizer or have other creative ways you are marketing your book, let me know in the comments below.

Tweetable:

Do you want to pour creativity into your marketing? Prolific author and editor highlights the Publishizer website with some examples. Get the details here.  (ClickToTweet)

Much of the publishing process is outside of the writer’s control. 10 Publishing Myths helps writers have a realistic perspective and take action. Get 10 Publishing Myths for only $10 +FREE shipping + over $200 of free bonuses.

It Boils Down to Choice

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

As writers, we live in a world of many choices. Do you write this story or this online article or this screenplay or this book? In this article I want to give a personal story and practical example of a choice and change I have made in my own life.

Throughout any day, each of us make many choices. One of the most personal choices relates to what you eat and drink. Through the years, I have made poor choices in this area. During my 29 years of marriage, my wife has watched my weight go up and then down. As I’ve grown older, she wondered if I would ever go down again. A few months ago, I made a decision to change what I was eating. I’ve eliminated sugar and carbs in my diet and focused on my eating. It has not been an easy choice because I love to eat many of the things I have not been eating. Like many things we do, the process is slow and takes time. During the last few months, I’ve dropped 30 pounds and I’m at one of my lowest weights in about 15 years. 

As an example, I am not drinking sodas but instead I am drinking more water. For a snack, I am not eating chips, popcorn and cookies as in the past but instead eating vegetables or a hard boiled egg. I make these simple food choices every time I eat something. Over time, I have dropped the weight or pounds. I don’t pretend that these choices are simple but they have to be made consistently and the results compound over time. 

I understand every day and each meal is a choice what I eat and do not eat. I’ve decided for the benefit of my health and the longevity of my life to continue on this course for the rest of my life. Yes occasionally I can make a different eating choice but overall I’ve come to a peace with this choice. Many of my relatives and ancestors made a different choice and were known as “big” men (read heavy). I’m certain that choice took years off their lives and daily health. I’m determined to make a different choice in this area and continue this pattern. 

In many ways it is like our writing life, there are many choices. Do you watch a TV show or write more words on your current book project? The choices we make determine what we will accomplish during our lifetime. Many people wonder how I’ve written over 80 books and for more than 50 publications. I’ve had incredible opportunities and I’m grateful for each one. A lot of it boils down to choice and making the right choice for you day in and day out.

As I’ve written in the past, writing is like the age old question, how do you eat an elephant? The answer is simple: one bite at a time. Just like eating an elephant, we write one sentence and one paragraph and one page at a time. As we keep writing pages, after a while, those pages turn into a book manuscript or a book proposal or a magazine article. We accomplish it sitting at our keyboard and putting words on our screen.

Throughout this article, I’ve been writing about how what we accomplish in our writing or our lives boils down to choice. What choices are you making in your personal or writing life? Let me know in the comments below.

Tweetable:

According to this prolific author and editor, many of the results of our life will boil down to choice. Get the details about his choice here.  (ClickToTweet)

Much of the publishing process is outside of the writer’s control. 10 Publishing Myths helps writers have a realistic perspective and take action. Get 10 Publishing Myths for only $10 +FREE shipping + over $200 of free bonuses.