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.

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Five Ways to Organize Your Writing

Over my writing life, I've written in many cluttered and noisy places—but it is not my preference or where I do my best creative work. For example, with my journalism training, I have written in busy noise editorial offices where everyone is pounding on their own keyboard right next to each other. The distractions are incredible in these situations. Some of my friends haul their laptop to a coffee shop and write.

I've discovered I do some of my best creative work when my environment is organized. Yes some writers use organization as a method of procrastination. They sharpen their pencils and other such tasks to put off getting their hands on the keyboard and writing words. If I take time to get organized, I've discovered my writing is more focused and less distracted and I become more productive.

1. Clarify your current goals. What are you attempting to write and how are you moving forward to accomplishing those goals? If you aim at nothing, you will be certain to hit it. Take a few minutes to write down and clarify what you are trying to accomplish then plan the steps to get that done. Maybe you need to set a specific amount of words you are going to write every day on a project so it gets moving ahead. Or maybe you need to create a little chart of your word count game plan then cross it off with each accomplishment. Organizing your goals and plans then moving ahead is a key part of the process. Use this link to get a more detailed handout from a workshop I teach. 

2. Reduce clutter in your office. Over the years, I've written more than 800 reviews on Amazon. This link is my public Amazon profile. Several times a day, I will receive emails from people who want me to read their book and write a review. Also in the mail, I get Advanced Reader Copies and review copies of books that authors and publishers want me to read and write reviews. In the last few months, the books have poured into my office and are currently overflowing my bookshelves and becoming clutter and somewhat chaos. I sort through the books and get my reading plans organized.

3. Expand your network and opportunities. Do you have unanswered email? Or phone calls that you have not returned? Instead of seeing it as a burden, you can view these emails and phone calls as an expansion of your network and new opportunities. It is often through the follow-up and follow-through that things will happen for you. I encourage you to continue meeting new people and expanding your writing network.

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4. Carry out what you've promised. One of the keys in the writing life is to complete what you've promised to complete. I have incomplete manuscripts and proposals and projects which have not been finished. An old proverb says, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” The good news is you can pick up projects which you didn't finish, make a new effort and get them done.

5. Look at new directions for your writing. Every writer needs to continually work at diversifying your income. Whatever is working now for you, may not be working in six months or a year. I've learned the hard way to create different income streams. Then when one slows or stops, you are not in a panic but able to quickly transition to something else. 

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Several years ago, I interviewed Robert W. Bly (Bob Bly) who has created an active online information business.  I encourage you to listen to this free interview (follow the link or click the image) and download the free Ebook, then take action to read and begin to create your own products. Or maybe your writing is headed in a different direction. Create and execute your game plan for this direction.

OK, there you have my five ways to organize your writing. Let me know in the comments, the action steps you are taking for your writing life. Maybe you have other ideas for us. I look forward to seeing them.
 
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Are you Pursuing the Different or the Same?

January is a wonderful time of the year. We've turned the page on a new year and we can take a fresh start at our writing and work in publishing. Repeatedly I have read the definition of insanity—doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result. Yes, that is insanity. 

What is your specific goal or dream for the days ahead? Is it to build your platform or connection to the audience? Maybe you want to have an opportunity to write for different magazines or book publishers? Possibly you want to increase your writing income or your impact on the world.

The pursuit of a different path begins with formulating a new plan and target for your writing. Recently, I was watching Sunday Morning on CBS and heard the unlikely story behind “Diary of a Wimpy Kid.” 





There are several lessons for writers from this short video:

1. Jeff Kinney wanted to be a cartoonist and pursued his dream for years. While he was pursuing his dream, he worked in a related field (animation for games). In the evenings, he worked on his adult book about the Wimpy Kid Diary--which grew to 1300 pages. Also notice his persistence to work on this adult book for eight years.

2. He was actively looking for a publisher and took a sample of his writing to a Comic Book Convention and had the courage to speak to an editor at Abrams.

3. Kinney listened when the editor took a look at his sample and said he had a great book for kids (a different target audience). Abrams ended up publishing the first Diary of A Wimpy Kid book for early readers. Now Kinney has over 150 million copies of those books in print.

Are you continuing with the same actions and expecting different results (insanity) or are you trying different types of writing and actions to achieve something different? If you want to sell more of your writing this year, then I encourage you to try something different. If you want to sell more books, then you need to touch your audience more frequently. We buy from people we know, like and trust. What steps are you taking to build that exposure in the marketplace?

Be encouraged to take action--yet different action from what you did without results.

Take Action To Grow in Your Writing Life

I love the energy and fresh start that comes with a new year. It's strange in some ways but turning the page to January 1 gives us a chance to start into new areas and set new plans into motion.

What plans do you have for your writing life? Are you writing down those goals then returning to them and looking at them on a regular basis? As you look at those goals, you can readjust the goals to make them more realistic and make sure you are moving forward to accomplish them. Successful people take these types of actions to move ahead and complete various tasks. Planning keeps you focused and not wandering around “trying to write” or “hoping to complete ____ this year.” See the vague nature of those plans? Make your plans specific and focused and realistic.

One area that I'm devoting some time and energy to in the coming months is libraries. I love the library and use it often to get books and other resources. It is a key part of my regular interaction with books. I do not know much about how libraries purchase books. Yes, I've read some material on this topic and heard some lectures. I've been learning a great deal from this course from Elaine Wilkes. At $27, this course is a bargain for every author or would-be author. The course is packed with audio interviews and written information to equip you to be successful as you approach libraries. I've been working through it and amazed at the valuable information. If you have any interest in reaching libraries, I highly recommend Elaine's course. 

If you purchase this course, you have to take action to apply the information to your books and writing life. Buying the course is the first step, then listening to audio interviews and following the seasoned advice will be critical.

I recently wrote about How to Get Reviews by the Truckload on Amazon by Penny C. Sansevieri. This Ebook is loaded with terrific advice. One part of the Ebook is the specifics about Good Reads. In 2011, I registered for a Good Reads profile. I know Amazon.com purchased Good Reads but until I studied this infographic, I did not realize they have 25 million members. Now that is a huge number and basically I've been silent and ignoring Good Reads. 

Now I have plenty of excuses why I've not been on Good Reads. Instead of wallowing in those excuses and guilt, I decided to change and take action. I began to use my Good Reads account a few days ago. I've written hundreds of book reviews on Amazon. I pasted over 80 reviews into Good Reads. Yes, I went from zero reviews to 80 in two days.

Also I was not registered as an author on Good Reads. It allows you to promote events, interact with readers and many other benefits—but you have to take action and connect your books to your author profile. Yes, it takes a bit of action and consistent effort. In the long run, I believe it will be well worth it.

Do I have everything figured out in these two areas of libraries and Good Reads? No but I'm on my way to learning and applying this information to my writing life.

What active steps are you taking to grow your writing life?

Make Plans for Next Year

This weekend marks my second in a row where I'm home. Why is that different? I recently completed going to six conferences in a seven-week stretch. I met some fabulous writers and had the opportunity to teach and help other writers. It was intense but in a good way.

With a month and a half, left in this year, I've turned my attention to my speaking schedule for next year. If you follow this link, you will see some events are already on my calendar. There are only a few conferences at the time I'm writing this material. I expect it to grow in the coming weeks because I'm actively working at adding events to my schedule.

In recent months, I've moved to a new location and now I'm working with a New York based publisher—yet living in California. I've written friends who run conferences where I've spoken in the past but I'm also exploring new conferences and opportunities. 

In a word, I'm proactively asking the conference director to consider me for their 2013 or 2014 faculty. I wrote some friends who lead a large conference. They responded their conference was set for 2013 and they would think about me for 2014. I wrote back and asked when I should send a reminder for 2014–-and they told me the time period for next year. So I would not forget to send them a message next year, I set a reminder which will sound on my computer some time next year and send this conference director a reminder.

For some conferences, I'm approaching their director as a cold call (someone that I do not know). I'm introducing myself, pitching my position as an acquisitions editor with Morgan James, sending my short bio and list of possible speaking topics and workshops. I do not know if I will hear from them or not—but I'm asking for their consideration—and I'm expecting that some of this asking will result in scheduling more conferences in 2013 and 2014. I'm not passively waiting for it to happen.

What are you planning or dreaming about for the year ahead? Some writers would like to get their book published next year or get published in some magazine. What active steps are you taking to accomplish these plans?

Some writers would like to meet a particular editor or agent in the year ahead. Are you making plans to cross paths with that person in the year ahead? Publishing is a relational business and who you know is important and who you can reach out and touch is a key part of succeeding with your plans and dreams. It does not happen in isolation or without taking active steps.

One of my friends has completed a novel that he would like to see in print. Yet he's not reached out to a single editor or literary agent. The manuscript remains in his computer and will stay there until he takes active steps to get it into the marketplace. The writing and story has to be excellent—and this excellence is foundational—yet the writer must take action and enter the marketplace. 

Some of those pitches will be completely cold—as I've been doing to line up some speaking for 2013 and 2014. Other pitches will be where the author has a connection (however slight) to that editor. 

Maybe you are planning to attend a particular conference in 2013. That is excellent. Are you watching the conference website to see which editors and agents will be attending that conference? Then are you targeting those editors with material that they need or are searching for? I always enjoy my meeting with writers who have done some initial research about my publishing house. For those conversations, they instantly plunge to a deeper level than someone who has no idea what types of books we publish.

What are your plans for the year ahead? Are you actively working at seeing those plans come to reality? Take some steps today to move forward. 

As you knock on the doors, you will be surprised at the opportunities which open to you.