Four Reasons to Get With Other Writers

Terry Whalin teaching at the Independent Authors Conference

This weekend I just returned home from back to back conferences. I had two days at home between the events. Each one was a completely different experience. 

First, I spoke at the Independent Authors Conference in Philadelphia. Book Baby organized this event and it was their second year. I taught a six hour class in two three hour sessions about how to Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams. This session was the day before the conference and included a small group of hungry writers—read fun to teach. This conference had about 400 people.

Some of IAC audience

I taught a packed room about the characteristics of successful writers. The speakers and sessions were on various topics and I met a number of people who I've corresponded with but never met face to face (again fun). Several of the people I met lived outside of the USA so it was a unique opportunity talk with them face to face.

Dr. Sherrie Campbell & Terry Whalin

Then I went to Nashville for our third Morgan James Publishing author event of the year. Our largest group of over 40 authors came to this unique gathering. As an acquisitions editor, I had not met many of the authors who I introduced to Morgan James. It was a brief but intense time with authors and my colleagues at Morgan James. Prior to the Morgan James event, I went to Lipscomb University for the Art of Writing Conference from the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association.

Author Panel at the Art of Writing

The afternoon and evening concluded with the Christy Awards to celebrate excellence in Christian fiction. The timing was perfect for me because of the Morgan James event and it gave me a chance to see old friends and meet new ones.

Our writing is a solitary experience. We sit and crank words into our computer. As storytellers (whether nonfiction or fiction), the start of the process is something we do individually. You don't have to continue alone. We are a part of a larger writing community which has been a large reminder to me again through these events. 

In this article,. I want to detail four reasons for you to attend events with other authors. While I've just returned from some amazing events, I recognize there are many types of opportunities for writers and my encouragement is for you to seize them and take action. 

Here's my four reasons why you want to attend these events:

1. Discover Innovative Ideas and Learn from Others. Whether in a classroom lecture setting or through a one on one conversation, I gained numerous insights from these events. The real work will come as I apply this information to my work. One author told me about how he was a poor typist and uses Dragon Naturally Speaking for all of his writing—including his emails. Years ago I tried this program with poor results so I did not continue yet this insight intrigued me and is something I hope to explore soon in my own work. I have pages of notes and insights from these events that I apply in the days ahead.

2. Invigorate your own writing and marketing. From being with other writers, I gained new insights and marketing ideas. Dr. Joe Malone and Sarah Harris have recently released Battles of the Sexes (Morgan James). They brought copies of their book and gave them to other authors (always a good idea). When I picked up the book, a page was sticking out from back. The natural inclination is to turn to this page and straighten it. This page thanked readers and encouraged them to be in touch with the authors—then it added something more with a handwritten note: “Review on Amazon and Connect with us. Joe & Sarah.” The bent page was brilliant to call attention. It takes some additional effort and work but will pay off for these authors.

3. Opportunity to give and help others. I've had numerous conversations with authors but also the chance to teach and give back and encourage. I will never know the impact of those conversations to help others.

4. Make new connections and renew others. I exchanged numerous business cards with authors at these events. The follow-up work will be critical to continue the relationship and explore new opportunities. If you follow-up, you will be rare since many people never do.

To attend a writers group, you don't have to travel. Maybe you have one in your area. Could you offer to speak at this group? There are infinite possibilities but you have to take action and attend. When you attend, bring your books and business cards to continue the relationship.

Are you consistently getting with other writers? Let me know in the comments below.

Tweetable:

Why writers need to connect with other writers. Get four reasons here. (ClickToTweet)

 

Review Your Business Card for Key Basics

I've become an expert at skimming business cards on the spot with writers. My actions spring from my own frustration with missing information. Over the years, I've exchanged thousands of cards with people at writer's conferences. When I did not glance at the card on the spot, I would tuck it into my pocket, take it home, then discover missing information like a phone number or email or mailing address. As an editor, it would force me to email this person and gather the missing information (wasting time and energy).

The best time to gather this missing information is when you are meeting face to face with this person. Recently I was in Nashville for a Morgan James Publishing author event. I met a number of authors at this event and exchanged business cards. One of these authors, a medical doctor-turned-writer-podcaster, lived nearby in Boulder, Colorado. When we exchanged cards, I glanced at the information and it only contained his website. There was no email address nor phone number. He said, “My email address is on my website and I want people to go to my website.” It was good to know he had a rationale for the missing information—but I still collected it on the spot and wrote his email and phone on his business card. Others might not have his information from his business card but I gathered this important data on the spot.

When I attend events, my business card is one of the key tools that I use. Some of my long-term friends are amused at the changes in my business card over the years. I've added and improved my cards. Each time I reprint, I evaluate the information to see if it contains what I need. Because I work for a New York publisher, I have a business card which contains my photo, direct dial phone number, work email, and other information. Here's my Morgan James business card:

Whalin Morgan James business card - Front

Whalin Morgan James business card - back

Yet I live in Colorado and I'm also an author with my own blog, local mailing address and books. In recent years, I've been carrying two business cards. The local card shows off this information. Here's the front and back of my personal business card:

Whalin Personal Business Card - Front

Whalin Personal Business Card - Back

Since I've shown you what I'm using for my business card. Now take a minute to review your card and make sure it includes the basics:

*a current photo

*your phone and email address

*your physical address (or at least your city to give the receiver your time zone)

*twitter name

*blog website

*giveaway to build your email list (one of the most important author tools)

How did you do on the basics? Are you missing something? The most difficult element to proofread is something that is missing. That's why we need a checklist to make sure you cover everything. If you are missing some element maybe it's time to reprint your business cards.

Let me know your experience with business cards in the comments below.

Tweetable:

Is Your Business Card Missing An Important Element? Review the basics here.  (ClickToTweet)
 

Blog Milestone:

With this article, I've gone over 1400 entries in the Writing Life. I've been writing this blog since 2009 and posting only one article a week, takes time to reach such a mark. There is a massive amount of information in these entries. If you have never used it, I have a search tool in the right hand column of the blog (scroll down to locate it). You can use it to find information on different topics—and I often use this tool to find past entries.

Create Your Own Events

Is your current project getting any activity in the marketplace? Are your books selling into the hands of your readers? What about the activity from your publisher? Is much happening there? 

From my experience, the longer a book is out, the less activity—but it does not have to be like that. Action breeds more action. In this article, I want to encourage you to do more on your own to stir this activity.

I encourage you to watch some of my activities and model them yourself. Can you give away part of your book or some combination of articles into a theme? Create your own ebook and give away this product—only if the person gives you their first name and email address. Use this giveaway to build an email list. I give much more detail about list building in The List Building Tycoon or you can get the Amazon Kindle version of this information.

Notice how I have the site: www.askterrywhalin.com On a regular basis, I have been speaking on different topics.

Currently it is blogging but earlier this year, it was on how to become a prolific author. I use a teleseminar tool. You can use the same tool to set up your event and get a trial at: www.myinstanttelewebcast.com.

Here's some of the steps: 

1. Choose a date several weeks out so you have time to promote the event.

2. Give away something as an incentive for people to sign up to your event.

3. Promote the event to your email list, forums and other places. I encourage you to create press releases and send it to different places. My friend Sandra Beckwith has a great new 50–page Ebook: Get Your Book in the News: How to Write a Press Release That Announces Your Book. This fantastic resource is only $9 and loaded with tested information for every author.

Getting the word out about your event takes a bit of planning on your part but it will pay off in good attendance.

4. Take some time to plan to present some detailed information before your event. As you can see from my event, I'm collecting questions from my participants. I will carefully go through these questions before the event. I've also got some teaching and content that I will present during the event along with answering questions. From my experience, it is easy to fill 70–minutes with valuable information for the participants. When you answer a question, it is likely that many others on the call have the same question and are looking for this response.

If you are not a self-starter with your book promotion and creating your own events, then who will do it? Ask yourself that question with honesty. I've found that the responsibility is mine. I encourage you to take action today.

Do you take additional steps to create your own events? Comment below and I look forward to your feedback.