Get The Right Connection

 

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

From my years in publishing, I understand while on the surface publishing a book may look simple, it is full of complexity. One of the ways to cut through this complexity is to find the right guide or mentor with the right connection. Sometimes finding this right connection can take years. 

In this article, I want to give you some ideas how to find the right connection for you and your publishing. Maybe you’ve read Malcom Gladwell’s bestselling book, The Tipping Point. In 2019, I wrote this article asking Where Is Your Tipping Point? on the Writers on the Move blog. The book highlights four personality types and when I read it, I understood that I’m a connector. Even if you aren’t a connector, you can understand the importance and grow your connections.

As I think about it, my connections come from many different places such as conferences, LinkedIN, podcasts and many other places. It’s important as you make these connections to keep track of your data such as their email and cell phone number. I have several places including my address book and my phone where I will add someone's contact information. It takes a few extra minutes but whenever I need the information (and that may be years later), I’ve made it easy to locate and use. If you don’t have a system or habit or practice for such details. I encourage you to create one that will work for you. 

Years ago I exchanged business cards with people at conferences, connected them with a rubber band and brought them home and put them into a drawer in my desk. The information is there but not in an “easy to use” format. Through the years, I’ve gathered thousands of business cards. 

When you return from a conference or gathering, I encourage you to take a few minutes and add the details into an address book that you can search, save and find when you need it. 

Sometimes the right connection takes time and even years to happen. As an example, I’ll tell about a pair of my Morgan James Publishing authors with a forthcoming book. Their editor and ghostwriter is one of my long-term friends and one of my former editors from Penguin / Random House. She is no longer there. The authors are expert in a current topic and snagged the attention of a  literary agent. For over a year, this agent shopped their excellent book proposal to publishers. In a few cases, they came close but no contract was offered from a traditional house and their agent gave up on shopping it because she could not find the right connection.

These authors had not tried an independent publisher so my editor friend reached out to me. I loved the authors, the topic and their book proposal and book. Through a process, my colleagues agreed and offered these authors a book contract. They signed and now their book is in production. In November both authors will be speaking at a large conference in Boston. We are on track for them to have books to sell at that event. Several months ago, this opportunity to sell books was not going to happen. Also this timely book will release next year in the bookstores. This process begins with finding the right connection and that takes work.

I’ve got many of these types of stories but the bottom-line is: to make the right connection every author has to be in the right place, at the right time with the right stuff. Yes, there were three rights in that last sentence. It takes work and continued effort to make that connection. If someone gives up, the connection doesn't happen.

Action Steps: 

1. Take a hard look at how you process emails and phone numbers from whoever you meet. Do you have a consistent habit with this information? If not, create one and begin the habit.

2. If you don’t have a profile on LinkedIN, then make one and completely fill it out (a critical element including your photo), then make new connections. Are we connected on LinkedIN? Follow this link to my profile and check. If not, then send me a connection invitation. Publishing professionals move around but they take their LinkedIN profile with their move. When I want to reach someone I’ve not connected with in years, LinkedIN is one of the first places I turn to see their contact information. Use this resource to get the right connection.

3. It takes persistence and patience to find the right connection. Last spring I taught at several writers’ conferences. I’m still adding these new connection to my address book and following up with these authors. In my view, it is never too late to restore and renew a connection with someone. Make it a part of your writing life.

What steps are you consistently taking to make the right connection? What steps have I not included? Let me know in the comments below.

Tweetable:

A key element in publishing is making the right connection. In this article, a prolific author and editor gives you the stories and details how to find that connection.  (ClickToTweet)

New Podcasts:

In these articles, I’ve encouraged you to use PodMatch or some similar tool to book and record podcasts. Last week two more podcast recordings launched:

 

Ruth Douthitt and I spoke about publishing myths on the Writer’s Day Podcast. Listen at: https://bit.ly/4n4Etoh  

Carol Graham and I spoke about what are the 10 Publishing Myths You Need to Know and Understand on the Never Give Up Hope Podcast. Listen at: https://bit.ly/4mzGyYp 

Even if you self-publish your book, you need to be cautious about your decisions and who you choose to work with for your book production. I’ve met authors who have spent thousands of dollars in the self-publishing process and unknowingly worked with someone in the Philippines and produced a terrible looking book which is only sold online. I’ve heard the unrealistic expectations of writers. 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.

Subscribe to Terry’s Newsletter:

During the last year, once a week I’ve been sending a short free newsletter. Just follow this link to subscribe. When you are added to the newsletter, you will receive a FREE 87-page Ebook which is packed with insights for every writer.

Get these articles on your email: 

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

Is Self-Promotion Bad?

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

As writers, we are the people with the greatest passion about our area of expertise and our book. Yes, our publisher has an investment in the book and gets the book out into the marketplace. But over and over, I’ve learned it is the author's activity or promotion which moves that book out of the bookstore and into the hands of readers. This process happens in many different ways and methods. In the process of telling people about our book, we are involved in self-promotion. In this article, I ask and answer the question in my title, Is Self-Promotion Bad?

As Christians, we are taught to lift up (promote) others instead of ourselves. Even the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 12:3, “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought." (NIV)

From my decades in publishing, the key in this process is a balancing act along with a focus on helping and serving your reader with your various messages. For example, once a day in my social media feed, I promote my Billy Graham biography. I achieve this promotion with different words, different images and pointing out different places where others have interviewed me about Mr. Graham. Follow this link for an example.

Recently I’ve read and reviewed a resource which can help you in this area of self-promotion. Paula K. Parker, Mike Parker and Torry Martin have combined their experiences into Shameless Self Promotion and Networking for Christian Creatives. Each of these authors have vast experience in interviewing--and being interviewed with other creatives. Because they have worked as journalists as well as authors, they bring a different perspective and view to their readers. 

In the early pages of the book, they write, “creative people are often right-brain dominant; but while the right-brain opens the door, it’s usually the left-brain that does the business. That’s why we wrote this book, Shameless Self-Promotion, and Networking for Christian Creatives is designed to help equip you, whether you re an individual or organization, with the tools you need to successful self-promotion, using tried and proven methods and with out the need to sell your soul in the process.” (Page 4)

As Christian writers, they have a different perspective for example in the chapter about The Interview, they write, “We pray before every interview because we believe our meeting whoever we are interviewing can be a ministry moment. We believe that the stories we write about people and their art can impact the reader, in much the same way great music impacts the reader, and a great stage performance can impact the theater-goer. our responsibility is to help the person we are interviewing to tell their story in such a way that it might minister to the people who read it.” (Page 93-94) I hope you see the truth and insight in this quotation and how their perspective is different from the typical marketing book.  

In these articles, I’ve repeatedly encouraged you to build relationships in the publishing community. In this chapter they write, “Torry Martin is a master at networking from a different perspective. His unique approach to networking eschews the common idea of ’what can you do for me,’ and turns it around with a ’how can I help you?’ attitude that is both godly and powerful. It’s what we call shameless self promotion, because there is nothing shameful about it.” (Page 148)

Some books you read once and are done with them. That will not happen with Shameless Self Promotion and Networking for Christian Creatives.  This book contains a plethora of ideas and insights for every author from these three much published authors. I encourage you to read this book with a yellow highlighter and turn to these insights over and over for your writing life. 

The process of self-promotion is not easy for any of us. What methods are you using in your writing? Let me know in the comments below.

Tweetable:

Is self-promotion bad for the Christian writer? This prolific writer and editor details a resource with insight and wisdom to help every author. (Click-To-Tweet) 

Much of the publishing process is outside of the writer’s control. 10 Publishing Myths helps writers have a realistic perspective and take their own actions--no matter who publishes the book. Get 10 Publishing Myths for only $10 +FREE shipping + over $200 of free bonuses.

Use the Power of Introductions

 

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

From my years in publishing, there is an under-used tool which every writer can access. It doesn’t matter whether you have published many books or never published. In this article, I'm encouraging you to use the power of introductions. 

Who do you want to meet in the publishing community? Is it an editor, a bestselling author, a literary agent, a publicist or any other role? Make a list of these individuals. Who do you know who can introduce you to this person? 

There is a parlor game called Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon or Bacon's Law “where players challenge each other to arbitrarily choose an actor and then connect them to another actor via a film that both actors have appeared in together, repeating this process to try to find the shortest path that ultimately leads to prolific American actor Kevin Bacon. It rests on the assumption that anyone involved in the Hollywood film industry can be linked through their film roles to Bacon within six steps. The game’s name is a reference to “six degrees of separation”, a concept that posits that any two people on Earth are six or fewer acquaintance links apart.” You may not have considered it but it is likely someone in your circle of friends and relationships, can easily reach whoever you want to reach. You just need to be introduced to them. 

As an editor, authors often need to be connected to someone inside the publishing house. Whatever need you have, someone can help you. The action you need to take is to ask this person who is connected for an introduction. A Bible verse in James says you have not because you ask not. It may feel uncomfortable but to get to this person, you need to ask for an introduction. 

As you use introductions, you need to understand the role of persistence in this process. From my years in publishing, persistence is a key characteristic for every successful writer. We often hear the word “no” or “can’t” in the writing life. The key is to understand that particular action didn’t work but the next one may work for you. 

As an example of persistence in the area of introductions, during the last few weeks I’ve been trying to get introduced to a particular literary agent. Her email isn’t on the agency directory or on other directories of literary agents. I know because I’ve searched for it and come up empty. Instead I turned to introductions. I called a friend who lives in the same town as the agent. They had no connection. I called a literary agent friend who might have worked with this agent years earlier. Again the connection didn’t work. Finally I texted a former colleague of this agent who gave me the right email address. Then I crafted an email to this editor and a few days later I received a response. 

My purpose for telling this story is so you see that reaching the right person takes persistence and finding the right connection for you. It is not a singular action but could involve multiple actions to get there.  

Do you use the power of introductions in your writing life? What techniques work for you? Let me know in the comments below.

My Articles in Other Places. 

Often in these articles, I encourage you to publish your work on other blogs and places. Here’s some of my articles which have been published recently:

Escape the Catch-22 of Publishing Editors and agents are looking for people who have published to publish them some more. Yet how do new writers break into that cycle? I give the details how writers can escape this catch-22 of publishing. 

Do you have a Side Hustle? Every writer needs to diversify their income and in this article I give the details and ideas for every writer to get at least one side hustle.  

Why Publishers Prefer Proposals Every author needs to create a business plan and in this article I give writers the specifics why publishers prefer a proposal submission. It contains information that never appears in your manuscript but is important as they make publishing decisions. 

Tweetable:

Who do you want to meet in the publishing community? This prolific editor and writer encourages you to use the power of introductions. Get these 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.

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.

Every Writer Needs the Right Connections

According to Malcolm Gladwell's book, The Tipping Point, there are three basic types of people: Connectors, Mavens and Salesmen. I believe each of us have characteristics of each of these types. If you don't have these characteristics, then you can learn and acquire them as a writer. In this article, I want to emphasize the importance of connections and talk about how you get connections in the first place.

For writers to succeed and get published, they need to send the right material at the right time to the right place and the right person.  You are searching for a champion to communicate with you and guide you to that right place. Admittedly you have to take action to find this place and experience some mis-steps and rejection in the process. The persistent search for the right connection is a key part of the writing life.

Whether you've been in publishing for many years or are just getting started you have connections. For each relationship, you need to collect information and preserve this information in a format which you can use. For example, I have an email list and for each email, it includes my mailing address and phone along with my email address. The information makes me easy to reach. A week ago, when I spoke at a writer's group, I brought business cards and made sure each person who attended, got one of my cards to reach me if needed.

As a writer you want to exchange information with others and carefully put this information where you can easily access it. I put much of it into my iPhone because the contact information is backed up automatically and preserved. I also collect it through my email account and online address book. I do not use the information carelessly—i.e. calling people and wasting time chatting on the phone.  I call or email when important to reach the other person—admittedly a judgement call on your part.

Last weekend, one of the websites that I use went down for the first time. The website is a critical piece in a teleseminar event. This particular site collects the questions from the participants in a teleseminar. I've been using this site for years and it has never gone down—until this weekend. I tried sending email messages for help to their support address and anything else that I could think of to reach the site. The bill that I get each month had a phone number attached to it—so I called that phone number—yet it was no longer a valid number.I was stuck. My event was stalled because of this missing piece. No one could register for the event because the site was down. What else could I do? As typical, this situation happened on the weekend and not during the week.

I recalled that the owner of this site was good friends with another one of my contacts. For this particular contact, I had his cell number in my phone. I sent a short text to this friend about the situation and asked if he knew how to reach the owner. It turns out this friend was in North Carolina in a mastermind meeting with the owner of the downed website. 

Since they were in a face to face meeting, they were away fro m their email and computers. Because I reached them, the owner immediately looked into his down website and in a short amount of time it was back up and running. My event can go forward since everything is working now.In fact, if you want to hear the event (which is now on replay), you can have immediate access to it—just follow this link.

I'm certain there were many others who were stuck with this down website. Yet through my contacts, I was able to creatively reach the right person and get it resolved. There are several action points from this story:

1. Always be working on increasing your connections with different types of people.

2. Keep their information in a format that you can easily access—on your phone or on your computer. I'm using tools which are internet based and can be accessed any place. If it only on a printed business card, then that information doesn't help you away from your office. You want the information in a format you can access any many different situations.

Last week I met with one of my new authors at Morgan James Publishing. He was in Colorado since his son was in a hockey tournament. Even though on the weekend, I drove up to his hotel and we spent some time together, talked and exchanged business cards.  As a writer, you always need to be working on your connections and relationships. You never know when a particular relationship will be important to you.
  
Tweetable:

Writers Need Connections. Here's Tips on How to Get Them & Keep Them. (ClickToTweet)
 

Keep Yourself "In Sight" and "In Mind"

“Out of sight. Out of mind” is a common saying. When you are a writer or an author, you want to continually work at the complete opposite of this saying. You want to keep yourself “in sight and in mind”. You take these actions for your readers, for booksellers, for librarians, for members of the media, for leaders of book clubs and many other segments of the population. How do you accomplish this simple goal of being visible in the marketplace?

In this article, I want to give you several strategies that I use on a regular basis. I confess that I'm still learning new insights and work every day at increasing my visibility. I understand being visible is a challenge for everyone. To be honest, there is a lot of noise in the marketplace and you have to continually work at visibility.

Here's some actions to take:

1. Follow-up with your connections. That follow-up is critical and can be through email or phone or the mail but you have to create a regular connection with people. I've written about this issue in the past so check this link for more information.

2. Create an email list and use that list on a regular basis. There are easy to use tools but every author needs to select one then faithfully use that tool. If you don't have a list check out this resource. For example, I have a number of free ebooks that I give away online. The back of my business card has a small cover of my ebook, Straight Talk from the Editor and says, “Free Ebook: www.straighttalkeditor.com” I'm inviting anyone who receives my business card to get this resource. When they request it, they give me their first name and email address. They join my email list in this process. What types of free giveaways are you using to collect this information and touch your audience? 

3. Use social media and continually expand your network and presence. Being on Twitter, Facebook,  LinkedIn and other social networks is important to remind others about your expertise and books. I've written about the steps I take every day here.

4. Always be trying new ideas to reach more people. I encourage you to set up your own online press room or create infographics or bookmarks. You can also reach out to booksellers with a specific reason. 

For example, Billy Graham turns 98 on November 7th. I've reached out to a local bookstore to see if I can set up a signing around that date. Also look at this press release related to this event (which has already garnered several more forthcoming radio interviews about Billy Graham). There are an endless range of ideas you can take to get in front of more people. My key point is to be taking regular and continual action.

This weekend in church I met someone new. We exchanged business cards. It wasn't until later in the day, that I read the information on the business card and focused on this person's background. I learned he was a retired Brigadier General in the United States Air Force. I imagine someone with this background has incredible personal stories (if he can tell them). I took a couple of minutes and sent him a follow-up email. Will something come from it? I have no idea. I'm certain if I fall off his radar and out of his immediate sight, then I know exactly what will happen—nothing.

For every writer, it is your responsibility to keep yourself in front of other people. Are you using the tried and true methods or something new? Tell me in the comments below.

Tweetable:

As an author, how do you keep yourself “In Sight” and “In Mind?” Get specifics here. (ClickToTweet)

Grow Your Writing By Teaching Others

Twice last week I taught about helping authors be more effective on Goodreads. I helped some of my colleagues at a local meeting of the American Society of Journalists and Authors. We brought our laptops and worked on improving our Goodreads tools right on the spot. I'm still learning about Goodreads and feel like I'm far from an expert—but I was further along the path than the people I was helping.

Then on Saturday, I spoke about Goodreads again to the Colorado Author League. There were more people in attendance during this second session and I helped authors increase their effectiveness on this significant site which has 40 million registered participants.

From this experience, I want to draw a couple of principles for you to use in your own writing and publishing life.

Teaching Forces You To Know The Details

While you may have experimented and learned some things when you create your own work, I have found teaching forces me to return to the basics and recall my early mistakes and successes. I have to capture the sequence of steps that I used and write them down.

As a part of teaching a workshop on a topic, I prepare teaching notes and a detailed handout for the participant. It is one step to gather information but quite another to put it into a format where the listener can take action and apply the information to their own work. I was focused on the people who take action and helping them succeed with the promotion and exposure for their books and writing.

Goodreads provides many tools for authors to help in this effort. It does not happen in a vacuum without action. It is passive to learn about a topic and gather information. The rubber meets the road when you begin to do something with this information.

You may intellectually understand millions of people use Goodreads, but if you don't become a Goodreads Author, work on your profile and use the site, then that knowledge is not being used. I've gained a much more detailed working knowledge of Goodreads because I taught it twice this past week to others.  You will have the same opportunity as you teach the skills you learn to others.

Teaching Gets You Out With Others

Most of us spend too much time in our office and computers alone and not interacting with anyone. Yes we are cranking words into our computers and sending emails. That process is great but does not get us out of our office into the world to interact face to face with others. This personal time with others is important on several levels. It helps you to listen to others and their ideas and learn what they are writing and working on. Also it gives you fresh opportunities.

When I taught twice about Goodreads, at each session I made new connections with other speakers and also with participants who attended the event. We exchanged business cards and emails. When you teach, make sure you bring business cards. As you meet new people, offer the other person a business card and at the same time, ask for one from them. Because I initiate this interaction, I'm often surprised that agents and others only have a few business cards and I get one of those few exchanges. If you bring plenty of business cards (which I do), you can make sure to be liberal with your business cards. 

Each participant at the event received my handout. I made a point to include some of my key websites and email information on the document. Why? Even if I don't exchange business cards with an individual, they have my information and can easily reach me. It is critical that anyone can easily reach you.

My major point of this article is the teacher learns more about a particular subject than anyone else. You can grow your writing life by learning new areas, then teaching it to others. How have you found this effective in your own writing life? 
 

Terry Whalin Writes a Billy Graham biography . . .Twice!

Recently my friend Diane Huff Pitts interviewed me about my Billy Graham book and a number of other great topics. The interview is located at this link.

I'm letting you know about it in this article so you can click over and read my interview. She is publishing it in two parts. 

Just to give you a taste of what it contains, here's her questions:

About my Billy Graham Biography

HC (High Cotton): Terry, what instigated the Billy Graham biography? What has to happen to get a book like this sanctioned by someone so famous?

Faith Impacts Whalin’s Work

HC: In “Two Words That Changed My Life” you introduce visitors to your initial faith walk. How has faith impacted your job in the publishing world?

Networking and Educating Writers

HC: Was there anything in your writing career that gave you a heart for championing new writers?

My answers form the article. Hope you enjoy it and learn as I'm learning.
 

Why I "Fish" Every Day

It takes great practiced skill to fish successfully. While some people fish for a hobby, the seasoned fisherman knows he has to fish many times to gain skill and also to catch fish.

To be honest, it has been years since I've been fishing but I “fish” every day. A fisherman puts his line into the water and is positioned to catch a fish. I put quotations around the word “fish” in the headline since I'm using fish for the word networking or connections. You have to be in the market talking and connecting with others every day to make a difference with your writing. Yes you need to craft an excellent book and good storytelling. I always encourage writers to learn that skill but you need something more than good writing. You need the right connection.

Much of publishing (and any business) is a matter of making the right connection with the right person at the right time at the right place. You can't make that connection working alone in your office at your computer or curled up with your legal pad writing your story.

What steps are you taking today to “fish” or network with others? It begins with your goals for your writing. Do you want to sell more books? Do you want a traditional publishing deal or are you going to self-publish? Do you want to build your platform or group of readers? Do you want more people to know who you are and what you ar doing? Then you have to make a conscious effort every day to reach out and touch other people.

Some of us reach out to others through Twitter. I've mentioned how I follow 800 new people every day—people within my target market of publishing. It does not consume lots of time but the consistent effort is important to my constant expansion of this tool.

Also I dig into my network of friends and connections. I pick up the phone and call people leaving little messages or connecting with them for a few minutes. Yesterday I spoke with several literary agent friends. Why? Because these agents represent numerous authors who they want to get published.  Those agents need to be reminded that I'm constantly looking for great authors to publish through Morgan James. Our publishing program will not be right for every one of their authors. Yet it will be perfect for some of them. I'm looking for the right author—every day.

I have authors who have submitted their manuscripts and I'm scheduling calls with them to see if Morgan James is the right fit for these authors. I spend a great deal of time on the phone and answering my email but it's part of my daily work. Your daily work will be different but are you working every day at expanding your connections? I hope so.

I think about activity in the past which has been productive for me. For example, I've made terrific connections speaking at conferences. I'd like to do more speaking next year. It will not happen if I don't take any action. Instead, I'm making a list of conferences where I'd like to speak and conscious of who runs these conferences. Can I fill a need for this event with a workshop or keynote? There are numerous conferences and events where I can help others—but I have to be proactive to get on their radar.

I'm eager to continue to promote my Billy Graham and Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams books (as well as other books that I've written or been involved with). Can I book a radio show or podcast or do a guest blog post or some other event to get in front of a new audience? The answer is yes but from my experience it does not happen without my initiative (sometimes but rarely). Most of the time these opportunities come through proactive pitching and follow-up work. Are you building this type of fishing into your daily schedule?

Throughout today I will be emailing and calling people. You have to have a line in the water to catch fish. What steps are you taking?