The Price Tag of Innovation

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

In these entries on The Writing Life, I talk about different aspects of the world of publishing. In about a week, I begin to teach a continuing class at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference in Asheville, North Carolina. This event is one of the largest in the country with over 600 people last year. It’s been my honor to teach at this event a number of times. Like other aspects of publishing that I’ve mentioned, to be considered on their faculty, I have to pitch what I will teach. To give myself the best opportunity to be selected, I intentionally pitch something different than I’ve taught in the past. 

Months ago I pitched teaching a continuing session (Making Books Is Easy but Selling Books Is Hard. Unlock the Mystery: How Do Authors Sell Books?). I created a brief paragraph about each session. My personal challenge is that when I teach, I pour a great deal of time and effort into my handouts and the information which I will be giving to my class. 

Because of the size of this conference and the other classes, I never know ahead of time how many people will be at my session. Some years I have taught a full class with someone in every seat. Other years I have had two or three people (yes that number is correct). Other times I have had a dozen people in my class. I always prepare as though I will have an overflow crowd--whether that happens or not.

My challenge is finding the time to prepare for these new sessions. My handouts for the sessions are due ahead of time. Instead of printing a bunch of handouts which are not used, all of the handout information will be stored in a password protected area (just for people who have paid for the conference) to access and use. Unlike some of the other instructors, I do not use a powerpoint or an online slide deck. Through my years of attending these conferences, I  been in the audience where the instructor spends the bulk of the hour trying to get their computer to work or some other glitch prevents the audience from receiving the information. Instead when I teach, I focus on producing handouts with a lot of information (way more data than I can teach during the time period) and put it online for the participants to use when they return back to their homes.

On top of this continuing class responsibility, I’ve been invited to give one of the keynote talks to the entire conference. It’s another opportunity that I do not take lightly. I've worked and reworked my stories and what I will be saying during this time. I’ve prepared a special business sized card which I’m carrying to the event and plan to give to each person at the end of my talk. They can put this card on their computer or bathroom mirror or some other place where they will be reminded of my different key points. 

I learn a great deal as I prepare to teach and it helps me crystalize some of the actions that I take on a regular basis for my own books. Also I’m intentionally telling stories of my various experiences in publishing combined with some how-to steps for every listener. I can’t make any listener take action for their own writing life. All I can do is give them the various resources and point to where they can go on their own journey.

What do you want to accomplish? Write a specific goal and give yourself a deadline for that goal. What will it take for you to complete it? How can you break the tasks into short bursts that you can mark off and move forward? It will be your persistence and consistency that will eventually get it done. 

As authors, each of us are on this journey to find our readers, sell our books and help others. I called this article, The Price Tag of Innovation. There is definitely a cost and investment for every speaker or teacher at these events. It costs time and energy away from my office and other responsibilities. It costs time and energy away from my family. Yet from my experience of attending writer’s conferences for many years, I know the teaching to the right person can be life-changing. From my experience, the price tag of innovation is worth it.

What price tag are you paying for innovation? Maybe it’s an investment in a writer’s conference or taking an online course or maybe you are getting up an hour earlier each day to crank out some pages on your current manuscript. It could be dozens of things that need to be accomplished to reach more readers with your words. Let me know in the comments below.

My Writing In Other Places:

With these articles, I encourage you to publish your work beyond your blog in other places. Below are a couple of locations where my work has been recently published.

Each month I write an article about book proposal creation for Almost an Author. This site recently was hacked and went down but is now back up. I encourage writers to Build and Maintain Editor Relationships at: https://bit.ly/4jRmRKK 

Each month I guest blog for the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference blog. In this article, I encourage authors saying: You Can Reach Your Writing Goals at: https://bit.ly/4j3uUTC

Tweetable:

According to this prolific author and editor, there is a price tag for innovation. Are you aware of this cost and how to move forward with your writing? Get the details here.  (ClickToTweet)

During my decades in publishing, I’ve heard the unrealistic expectations of writers. The reality is many aspects of the publishing process are outside of anything an author can control. I wrote 10 PUBLISHING MYTHS to give authors practical help. You can get decades of insights in 10 PUBLISHING MYTHS for only $10, free shipping and over $200 of bonuses. 

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Since 2004, I have blogged about The Writing Life over 1,700 entries and one of the top 27 content writers. With this simple form, each week you can get my new articles, encouragement and insights at: https://t.co/W6uU64u6aA

Writers Must Look in Two Directions

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

When I was a child, my parents sternly warned me, “Look both ways before you cross the street.” It was wise counsel then and is also relevant today. As writers, we have immediate deadlines and long-range plans. Are you working on both? These actions are important for every writer and it is something that I do every day—work on both types of deadlines.

Immediate Plans

As an acquisitions editor at Morgan James, I am processing submissions and talking with authors about the details of Morgan James to see if it is a fit for their book. If so, then I need to champion the book to my colleagues with relevant details to see if they will agree—and then send an official publishing contract. When the contract comes, I need to send it to the author (or their literary agent) and then answer questions and negotiate and finalize the contract. There are numerous steps in this process yet it is important to keep moving on these submissions and contracts. It is a continual part of my immediate work.

Also as an editor, I make follow-up calls and send follow-up emails to authors about their contract to see if they have questions and encourage them to move forward. Authors have many choices about their books and sometimes it takes many of these follow-up calls before they sign and move forward. It is a continual process and often with many twists and turns.

As a writer, I'm sending magazine editors and online editors requested articles on their deadlines. I have a number of these deadlines and use reminders on my phone to make sure I meet their needs. As my friend New York Times bestselling author Jerry B. Jenkins says only one in a hundred writers will hit their deadline. As you meet deadlines, it is one of the simple ways you can distinguish yourself from others.

Another immediate deadline is to prepare for upcoming conferences. For example, next month I will be teaching a continuing class on Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams at the Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers. The conference gives the faculty deadlines for their handouts. I have taught this class other places so I have a prepared handou—yet I need to check this handout and make sure everything is working on it (all the resources, etc.). My class will be teaching related but distinct material from my book, Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams.

Another immediate deadline is working on growing and feeding my own social media connections as well as my own network and platform. The growth process is continual for every author. These immediate deadlines are just examples of immediate deadlines—and not a comprehensive list.

Long-range Plans

Besides these immediate plans, I am constantly initiating long-range plans as well. I'm in discussion with some authors and publishers about writing projects. I'm blocking time and regularly writing on my current book project. I'm initiating and making marketing plans for the launch of my next book. I'm pitching myself as a speaker at forthcoming conferences and events. Some of these plans are for events in a few months and some of them extend into next year. Long-range plans are also mixed into my schedule.

As you think about your own writing life, are you looking in both directions? How are you mixing short term plans and long-term plans into your day? Let me know in the comments below.

Tweetable:


Are you making immediate and long range plans for your writing?Get insights here from this prolific reader and writer.  (ClickToTweet)