Playing the Long Game

 

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

Are you writing with the long game in your sight? Or are you just focused on the day to day writing work. I understand we need to be working on your current writing project such as a book or a magazine article or some other type of writing.  

At the same time, we need to be focused on the long game or what you will be doing in the weeks ahead. For example, I know the book printing supply chain is still challenged. At the end of March and May, I will be traveling and teaching at a couple of writers’ conferences.  Last week I ordered more books so they would be printed and I would have them available to take to these events. With the challenges in the supply chain, books take time to get printed and shipped to authors. You have to plan ahead for such actions to make sure you have the books that you need when you need them.

Also last week, I pulled the various handouts for several workshops I will be teaching next month. I checked and double checked the information to make sure everything was updated and the website links worked before I sent them to the conference. I tackled this extra work because I've been in workshops where something goes wrong with the handouts or the technology. I see this work as part of my actions to play the long game and make sure I give the best possible teaching experience in my workshops. Follow this link if you want to possibly attend one of these sessions. I encourage you to attend writers’ conferences because some of my most important and lasting relationships were formed at these events. They can propel your writing life through the instruction, insights, inspiration and relationships.

Also I’ve been working on some new marketing materials to take to these conferences. It takes time and thought to design a bookmark because I don’t want it to simply be a bookmark. I want it to contain some valuable information. Then the reader will keep it and take it home with them. The effort I put into creating a bookmark is all a part of playing the long game with your books. If I design and create the right bookmark, it will be used for possibly years in the future.

As another example of a long-game action, on a social media channel, I noticed a well-known author had finished the first chapter in her second book. I know she self published her first book and I wanted to help her get more distribution for the second book. I wrote and told her about the broad distribution at Morgan James and even included a photo of my book in an airport bookstore. Intentionally I crafted a short yet focused pitch to this author then emailed it to her. Will she send me her manuscript? I have no idea but my pitch was playing the long game and hopefully giving Morgan James the opportunity consider publishing this second book. 

Whether I am reading, taking an online course or a class at a conference, I’m always looking to expand my market and the reach of my words as I continually grow my connections. I hope you are taking these types of actions for your own writing life. 

In the days ahead, where do you want to go with your writing life? I encourage you to take the long game approach to get there. This approach will give you better marketing whether you are writing novels, nonfiction, short stories, or magazine articles. Whatever you write, you need to learn the process, then practice it over and over. 

From my study of publishing, there are no overnight successes. Jerry B. Jenkins wrote in the foreword to 10 Publishing Myths that Left Behind was his 125th published book. He was not an overnight success but had been faithfully writing for years before this successful series. People wonder how I’ve published so much material over the years. It’s one step at a time and playing the long game. How are you playing the long game with your writing life? Let me know in the comments below.

My Articles in Other Places

I encourage you to write for other websites and here's a couple of my recent articles:

Is Any Aspect of Publishing Easy?  Once a month I write for the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference blog. In this article, I’m helping authors have a realistic view of publishing.

I’m Tired of Pitching Once a month, I write for Writers on the Move and used my title to talk about a basic for every aspect of publishing--whether you are a beginner or a long-term professional--you still have to pitch--even if you are tired of it.

Will an Editor Fix All My Mistakes? Also once a month, I write an article about proposal creation for Almost An Author. In this article, I attack a common belief that the editor will fix all of the writer’s mistakes.

 

Tweetable:

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Interview Insights When The Roles Are Reversed

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

Over the years I've interviewed New York Times bestselling author Jerry B. Jenkins a number of times for different magazine articles. When we met at least three decades ago, both of us were magazine editors and attending the Evangelical Press Association convention. One evening at EPA, three of us (all editors) played scrabble against Jerry—and Jerry won. He is a world-class scrabble player and knows all of the strange three letter words.

When Jerry and Tim LaHaye wrote the first Left Behind novel, Jerry sent me a review copy. I read it while on a trip and was skeptical about the plot. The opening scene where half of the people in a 747 are raptured (disappear) seemed unbelievable (even though I understood this concept from the Bible). Then I got hooked with the characters and read every one of those books (which have sold over 60 million copies).

Jerry graciously agreed to write the foreword for my newest book, 10 Publishing Myths. Both of us have appeared on the same stages at various writers' conferences yet Jerry had never interviewed me—until recently. Jerry runs the Jenkins Writers Guild and each month has a Master Class interview (follow this link to see a sample and even sign up.) Several months ago, the Jenkins Guild released our interview. I asked (and received) permission to post this 36-minute interview here. Either click the link to open the video in a new window or use the video below.

 

We covered a wide range of questions including:

• the legacy of Billy Graham

• advice from 10 Publishing Myths

• how writers can get a literary agent

• why go to a writers' conference

• how to turn off the critic when writing my first draft

• key mistakes I've seen writers make in their submissions

• the details of Morgan James Publishing (some people will be surprised to hear Jerry's endorsement)

• the importance of blogging and The Writing Life

• what makes a book proposal standout

• and much more.

Yes there is a great deal of valuable content packed into this video. I had fun answering Jerry's questions and I hope each of you will enjoy and gain value from this video. It was a different experience for us to reverse roles for this interview and Jerry interviewed me instead of my interviewing him.

Have you experienced this interview reversal? Tell us about your experience in the comments below.

Tweetable:

Bestselling author Jerry B. Jenkins interviews this prolific editor and author. Watch this valuable video when the roles are reversed. (ClickToTweet)

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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.

Tweetable:

How do you react when your big book gets away? Four actionable ideas here. (ClickToTweet)

Meet A Lover of Words

While many people recognize my years in the book publishing business, I spend years as a magazine editor and a journalist writing for different print publications.

I was an editor at a missionary publication called In Other Words which was the flagship publication for Wycliffe Bible Translators. In Other Words was a member of the Evangelical Press Association and because I was the editor of the magazine, the various staff members were active members of the EPA.

Often during these years I was able to attend the annual conventions of the Evangelical Press Association. These meetings were held in different locations in the U.S. and involved listening to keynote speakers who challenged us to be better editors and also attend workshops to improve our craft as editors.

As a part of these conventions, we got to visit with our fellow editors and exchange stories and experiences. I always looked forward to these gatherings with several hundred colleagues as almost like attending an annual reunion.

One of the regular attendees to these conventions is someone who is now a bestselling author Jerry B. Jenkins. At times a number of us would get together and play games like Scrabble. Late one night I learned first-hand about one of Jerry’s skills.

He is a lover of words and grew up in a family who loved solving puzzles. In fact, he is a world-class Scrabble player. I mean the type of player who knows the three letter words and the critical game-winning strategic thinking for Scrabble. To make things “fair” Jerry played against three of us. Three editors against Jerry didn’t seem like it was fair in some ways—except even three editors working as a team were whipped that night. Talk about a lesson in humility!

Over the years, I’ve had some terrific opportunities to interview Jerry for different magazine articles. I have cherished each opportunity because I learn so much more than I’m able to build into the magazine article which I eventually complete.

Now on January 5th, I again have an opportunity to ply Jerry with questions—except this time the majority of questions will come from you. Will you take advantage of this opportunity?

If you could ask Jerry B. Jenkins, the bestselling author who has sold over 70 million books—any question about writing or marketing for the Christian writer. What would be your question?

Take 30 seconds and think about it and type in your question along with your first name and primary email address. I hope it’s one of the questions that I will use when I interview Jerry.

Anyone can ask a question at: www.askjerryjenkins.com and register for the free live 70-minute telewebcast on Thursday, January 5, 2012 at 5 p.m. PST or 8 p.m. EST. Every registrant will receive a free 24-page Ebook, Pursuing Publication, an excerpt from Jenkins Writing for the Soul.

Don’t have time to listen during the workday? The event will be recorded and every registrant will receive access to the replay links which can be downloaded to a computer or iPod.

An Unusual Interview Opportunity

I love to learn from others who have spent years in publishing—and especially those rare individuals who have written many books and become bestselling authors. One of my long-term friends is Jerry B. Jenkins. He has written more than 175 published books and sold over 70 million books including over 62 million in the Left Behind series.

Jerry’s diverse career has included stints as a sportswriter, photographer, sports editor, magazine editor, magazine publisher, book editor, book publisher, biographer, marriage and family author, syndicated cartoon strip writer, and graduate school writing instructor.

On Thursday, January 5, 2012, at 5 p.m. PST, 8 p.m. EST, I’ll be interviewing Jerry in a FREE 70-minute teleseminar. During our interview, I will be encouraging listeners to learn about and get a copy of the 27th Edition of The Christian Writers Market Guide. Last year, Jerry took over the authorship of this critical reference book from our friend Sally E. Stuart.

Everyone who registers for this free event at: http://askjerryjenkins.com will be able to ask Jerry a question about writing or marketing. I’ll use these questions to grill Jerry during the teleseminar.

In addition to asking a question, for registering, you will receive a chapter from Jenkins’ book Writing for the Soul called Pursuing Publication. This free 24-page Ebook is immediately available when you register for the event.

If you can’t make the LIVE event on January 5th, I encourage you to go ahead and register for the event. If you don’t have a question, just say “no question” and reach the confirmation page where you can download Jerry’s free Ebook. Why go ahead and register? The event will be recorded. Shortly after the teleseminar, everyone who registers will receive the link to the recording. Then on your own schedule, you can listen to the replay recording on your computer or iPod.

I’m looking forward to the January 5th event at: http://askjerryjenkins.com and hope to speak with you soon.

The Danger of A Single Focus

"Focus, focus, focus," one of my friends said when I told her about the diverse efforts in my writing life. And she's right in that to complete anything successfully--and especially something the length of a book project--you will need to have a consistent focus on the project for days on end.

Yet in this entry on The Writing Life, I want to point of the danger of a single focus for your writing. I've met many writers who have only focused on their lengthy fiction project and never considered writing anything smaller like a short story or a nonfiction magazine article. Because of their single-minded focus, they have never experimented with the other writing forms to their own detriment. Why? They have failed one of the key ingredients for any successful writer and not built a body of work.

When someone looks into the volume of writing that I've done over the years, they often approach me wide-eyed and some times even say, "How in the world did you do it?" Yes, I've written for more than 50 printed magazines and published more than 60 books with traditional publishers--and my first book was released in 1992. I compare all of that writing to the way that you eat an elephant. You do it one bite at a time and you write the words one page at a time.

Almost 20 years ago, I was on the faculty of an East Coast writer's conference because of my role as a magazine editor. I flew into the Philadelphia airport. I had a couple hours of riding in a van to reach this facility and I sat in the back with one other faculty member--a literary agent. I had never met this person and we spent the time getting acquainted and talking about long-term goals for our publishing dreams.

During our conversation, this agent pointed out something that has become somewhat of a mantra for my own writing life. He said, "Every writer needs to build a body of work and just look at Jerry B. Jenkins." Both of us knew Jerry personally, the author of the bestselling Left Behind series. At that time, I believe Jerry had written 60 or 70 books or a large volume of material in print. His fiction writing was just getting started in those days. His specialty at that time was writing books for well-known people like Meadowlark Lemon from the Harlem Globe Trotters or the Evangelist Luis Palau. We marveled at the volume of writing which Jerry had in print--and it's much greater today.

"Jerry didn't just wake up one day and decide to write 60 books," the agent explained. "For years, he has been actively building a body of work."

It was a lesson that I've never forgotten and has driven the diversity of my own writing life. While I've written longer projects like books, I've also focused on writing shorter magazine articles and online Ebooks and many other types of writing. Each type of writing builds that body of work.

Throughout the publishing world--whether magazine or book or online--your experience weighs into the consideration process with the editor. The buzz or consistent phrase says, "Writers need to build a platform." Whether you write nonfiction or fiction, the platform or visibility in the marketplace is important because that's how you attract--and keep--readers.

What are you doing today to build your platform or your body of work? Are you balanced in your approach to your writing or have you fallen into the danger of a single focus without looking at the big picture?