July 2015 – Page 3

Innovation Time

It’s difficult to innovate
if we’re rushing from task to task.
Innovation requires time to think.

“Our job,
the reason we have time
to read blogs at work
or go to conferences
or write memos
is that our organization believes
that just maybe,
we’ll find and share a new idea,
or maybe
(continuing a run on sentence)
we’ll invent something important,
find a resource
or connect with a key customer
in a way that matters.”

If employers are giving
this free time to employees,
we, entrepreneurs, should consider
giving this free time
to ourselves.

Block free time to innovate.

Inspiration, Not Imitation

Most creators
(artists, business builders,
marketers)
look at the work
of other creators.
Amateurs imitate.
Professionals use these works
as inspiration.

In June’s
FHM,
Instagram star,
Emmanuel Cole,
shares

“It’s a great idea
to follow lots of other people
and get inspiration
but after a while,
you need to step back
from that
and learn what your own style is.
Be your own brand,
and don’t imitate others.”

Don’t imitate.
Don’t be the same.
Become inspired
and
do something different.

Being First

In June’s
FHM,
Ben Philips,
Vine breakout star,
shares

“Embrace your platform.
I like Vine
because it’s so simple.
It’s just six seconds
and it’s instant.
You need to focus
on the platform.
Choose one thing
to start with
and be ahead of the curve.
Being the first person
on a new format
automatically
puts you ahead.”

I admit to never being first
at… well… anything.
I was slow to blog
(client k aka Road To Forbes
is only 10 years old).
I was slow to write
in my chosen
romance subgenres.
I was slow to join
Facebook, start a newsletter, etc.

Being slow won’t kill you
but being first IS a clear advantage.

If you can be first,
be first.

Clarity

If I can’t pitch a story
in one short sentence,
I don’t write it.
Why?
Because I know
I won’t be able to sell it
to publishers, editors, readers.

Reducing a 400 page novel
to 7 or 8 words
is challenging
but it brings clarity to the project.

Diane von Furstenberg,
fashion designer,
shares

“I think the most important thing
is to believe in what you do.
And identifying a goal,
to have clarity,
is very important.
You cannot fake clarity.
When you don’t have clarity,
you don’t.”

Can you sell your product
in one sentence?

The Art Of The Panel

You’re asked to be
on a panel of experts
at a conference or workshop
or some other event.

How do you prepare?

The questions I ask the organizer are

-What is the topic?
-Who is the audience?
-What is the setup of the event?

and

most importantly,
-Why did you ask ME?

A great panel organizer
wants diversity.
The answer to this last question
will tell you
which group
you’re representing.

I was recently asked
to be on a writer panel.
I’ve been published
with a big New York publisher,
smaller publishers,
and have self published.
I could have represented all of these groups.
The big New York publishers
and the self published
had ample representation.
I was the only writer
to publish with small presses
and that is what I specifically talked to.

I also looked across the panel
and saw serious faces.
This was supposed to be
a lighter, fun event
so I knew my other responsibility
was to lighten the tone,
to crack jokes, to tease the other writers,
to make it enjoyable for everyone.

All of this should tie into
your key branding.
It’s what you’re known for
which is why you were asked
by the organizer
in the first place.

Know which role you’re playing
on expert panels.

How To Work With Influencers

In the Romance novel business,
there are a handful of bloggers/reviewers
who are considered influentials.
When they review a book
and like it,
thousands of other bloggers/reviewers
pick up the same book.

Every industry has influencers
(or influentials).
Identifying them isn’t the challenging part.
Gaining their trust is.

So how do you work with them?

Andrew Hutchinson
shares

“Interact with their content,
ask questions,
be part of their community.
Becoming part of the wider social conversation
is a great way
to build your own influence
and expertise in itself,
but in order to get on the radar
of relevant influencers,
it’s important to understand
who they are,
why they do what they do.
If they’re influencing the people
you want to reach,
it’s likely that they’ll be able to teach you
a lot about the expectations
of that community.”

Become part of the influencer’s community.
Learn what that community expects.
Then deliver it.

Venting

We all need to vent
from time to time.
Things set us off
and we can’t keep our ranting
to ourselves.

There are places
we shouldn’t rant
— on any social media
related to our business
or personal brands,
in front of customers
or business partners
or hell, anyone we don’t 100% trust
who has a phone.

Rants recorded anywhere
have a lifespan of infinity
and will come back
to bite us in the a$$.

I have a small, select group
of people
I trust with my rants.
Normally, I’ll vent
with someone I trust
who is completely disconnected
to that industry.

If I’m venting about writing,
I’ll talk to someone
who can count on her fingers
how many books she’s read.

If I’m venting about business,
I’ll talk to (usually) my mom,
a woman who won’t even play Monopoly.

These trusted folks don’t care
about the topic I’m ranting about.
They aren’t fully listening
and are unlikely to remember.
I vent, let off some steam,
and then get back to work.

Find safe people to vent to.

Independence Day

Today is July 4th,
Independence Day in the U.S.

Independence Day,
not Safety Day,
not Be Cautious Day,
not Be Scared Day.

It’s a day to celebrate freedom.
Freedom to take risks.
Freedom to be who we want to be,
try what we want to try,
make the differences we want to make
in this world.

It is not only our right
but the expectation of our ancestors
that we do this,
that we push ourselves,
operate balls to the wall.

Honor them today
by doing something that scares you
just a tiny bit.
Be brave.
Be independent.

Who Is Calling The Shots?

If you’re a small business
and you have a large customer,
odds are…
your customer will try to
convince you to offer a service/product
you don’t normally offer.

The temptation is to say yes,
to grab this new business,
but there WILL be a price for agreeing.

A huge New York publisher
asked me to take on a large project.
I was excited and flattered
to be offered this opportunity
and said yes without thinking about it.

This project destroyed
my pen name’s readership (customer) base.
My brand also morphed
into writer-for-hire,
making it almost impossible
to sell one of MY ideas
into another publisher
(they want me to write THEIR ideas).
I took all of the risk,
ended up earning no money
and it will take years,
perhaps a decade to repair the damage.

Yes, I made the publisher happy
but that publisher is now
working with other writers
and not me
(because this pen name no longer
has the readership).
They cut ties without hesitation.

THINK about whether or not
you’ll take on special projects
for your large clients.
This is YOUR company.
Ensure that you’re calling the shots
and making the decisions.

The Middleman

There’s quite a bit of debate
in all industries,
including publishing,
about whether or not
a middleman (an agent) adds value.

Almost everyone agrees
that a great middleman
knows what each side wants.

I asked an agent today
what her key publishers
are looking for.
She hemmed and hawed
and gave me
the ‘they’re looking for great stories’
bullsh*t answer.

That told me nothing
It didn’t help me tweak my product
or my pitch to appeal
to these prospective partners.
I’d derive more value
talking to them directly.

If your middleman doesn’t know
what your prospective partner
wants,
look for a new middleman
or do the deal without one.