Worrying As A Job

A loved one
worries about everything.
She always has something
she’s concerned about.

We joke and call worrying
‘her job’
because that’s the truth.
A good portion of her day
and her brain power
is spent worrying.

That’s time she could spend
either preventing the thing
she’s worrying about
from happening
or doing something else
that’s constructive.

Seth Godin
shares

“Worry is useful
when it changes our behavior
in productive ways.

The rest of the time,
it’s a negative form of distraction,
an entertainment designed
to keep us from doing our work
and living our lives.”

If worry doesn’t lead
to action,
it is preventing action.
Ignore it.

Shopping And Connection

One of a romance writer’s primary tasks
is to ensure the reader (customer)
cares about the main character
as soon as possible.
This emotional connection
is what sells books (products).

Why?

Because most humans
crave emotional connection.
Desperately.

Seth Godin
shares

“In their race to out-Walmart Walmart,
retailers everywhere forgot
the real reason we need stores.

Because shopping together
makes us feel connected.

Because it’s fun.

Because there’s something
about the shopping
that’s almost as good
(or even better)
than the buying part.”

Connection is something
small businesses are better
at supplying
than large businesses are.

It is a huge competitive advantage
we have.
Use it.

Published
Categorized as Marketing

Even (Or Especially) Artists Take Classes

With the self-publishing movement
came the idea that
everyone can be a writer.
All she has to do
is start typing.

Yes, everyone can be a writer.
Not everyone can be a good writer.
That requires skill
but, most of all,
it requires learning
-reading the great books
in the niche,
taking workshops,
constantly improving our craft.

I’m a USA Today Bestselling,
have a healthy readership
and I still take courses every month.

Seth Godin
shares

“Art, on the other hand,
is something we value
because it leaps.
Art is more than engineering
–art is the thing that might not work.

But even art is based on best practices.”

Do you know
your industry’s best practices?
Have you studied the greats?
Are you constantly improving?

Are Your Strengths Being Utilized?

Most talented writers can write
a half-decent story
in almost any genre
(subset of an industry).

Half-decent, however,
isn’t good enough
in a crowded market
(and almost all markets
are crowded).

We need to create amazing
(but that doesn’t mean perfect)
products,
products that will wow
customers.

It is easier to do that
if we utilize our specific gifts.

One of my gifts as a writer
(a product developer)
is world building.
I’m awesome at it.

But I had a great relationship
with a huge New York publisher
who wanted me to write contemporary romance
(a subset of the industry).
The readers (customers) in that subgenre
don’t value world building.
It doesn’t excite them.
They prefer it be minimized.

I moved to a subgenre
that DID value world building.
My sales went from next to nothing
to bestseller list levels.

That’s what happens
when our strengths
are being utilized.

Are you in a position or industry
where your strengths are valued
and utilized?

Using The Tone Of Those Around You To Benefit You

The next story (product)
I was to write
was going to be happy
and light in tone.

The issue is…
the holidays make many people
(customers and prospects)
grumpy.

It is difficult to write
light and happy
when I’m surrounded
by grumpy people.

I switched
to an angry, fierce
enemies to lovers story
(product).

Every time
someone is grumpy
with me
I funnel that feeling into the story.

This is making the story
powerful and gripping.
It is a better product
because of the unhappy folks around me.

There is a way to use
every emotion swirling around you
and inside you.
Note what those emotions are
and then use them
to benefit your business.

Avoiding The Difficult

I’m part of a writing (industry) organization.
Recently, I posted
about a serious issue,
a big issue,
an issue we need to tackle
or it will cause problems
for all of us.

I stated the facts,
outlining the situation,
and mentioned a possible solution
(what, I feel, is
the ONLY solution).

No one said anything.

Another writer then posted
about a trivial issue,
an issue I could solve
with a mere Google search.

It was like everyone breathed
a collective sigh of relief.
Hundreds of people posted
about the easy issue.

The difficult issue
isn’t going away.
The next time I address it,
it will have grown in size.
Soon,
it will be ‘solved’ by other entities
and we won’t like that solution.

Avoiding the difficult problem
doesn’t make it go away.
Tackle it today.

Persevering Is Important

A buddy of mine
is a brilliant writer.
He has so much skill.

But he’s a quitter.
When a story gets challenging
to write
(and they ALWAYS get challenging
to write),
he quits and starts a new one.

He has never finished a story.

I have a fraction of his talent
but I push through
the challenging bits
and finish stories.
That’s why I have a solid
writing business today.

Karl Subban,
author, educator,
and father of
THREE NHL players,
shares*

“There are a lot of kids
who can skate really fast
and shoot the puck,
but I think
dealing with the tough times
and persevering
is very important.

I call adversity life’s Buckley’s:
It doesn’t taste good,
but it’s good for you.
A couple of tablespoons of it
each day
is not a bad thing.”

It doesn’t matter
how much talent you have
if you quit
as soon as it becomes tough.
Keep going.

*September/October
The Costco Connection

The Value Of Having A Mentor

Most of my success,
both in business building
and life,
is due to having great mentors.

Even today,
I have a group of writers
I turn to
when I’m having writing business
issues.
They are more successful
than I am,
have tackled many
of the same issues I’m having,
and are generous with their advice.

(The interesting thing is…
they are technically
my competition.)

Anita Ramachandran,
director of
MicroMentor,
in the
September/October
The Costco Connection,
shares

“There is definitely
a significant correlation
between businesses
that receive mentoring
and their survival rate,
revenue growth
and job creation.”

Consider linking up
with a mentor
(or two or ten).

Choosing A Holiday Card

I don’t send holiday cards
in December.
They get lost
in the flood of other cards.
In 2018,
I plan to send cards
mid-year,
a time few people
receive cards.

The cards I send
will be keepsake cards,
cards I will only give out once,
cards I hope readers (customers)
will keep.

Jessica Natale Woollard,
in the November/December
The Costco Connection,
shares

“Choose a card
that’s refrigerator-worthy.
If it remains on display,
the recipient has more time
to develop an emotional connection
with you,
and research shows that
emotionally connected customers
will be more profitable
to your business.”

Choose a card
your customers/prospects
will want to keep
forever.

Published
Categorized as Marketing

The Skills You Need To Be Successful

I was speaking
with a writing buddy
about a friend
She said,
“(Our friend) is a great writer
but she doesn’t know
how to promote her stories.”

Then she isn’t a great writer.

Being a successful writer today
requires having the ability to promote stories.
It is part of the job.
If the promoting isn’t done,
the job isn’t done.

Seth Godin
shares

“It doesn’t take a genius
to see that competence
is no longer about our ability
to press certain buttons
in a certain sequence.

Far more often,
competence involves
the humanity required
to connect with other people,
in real time.”

Look at the skills,
ALL of the skills
required to be successful.