Category Archives: writing

How to Cook a Good Book

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“March on. Do not tarry. To go forward is to move toward perfection. March on, and fear not the thorns or the sharp stones on life’s path.” ~ Kahlil Gibran 

It is mid-March and the other day we adjusted our clocks ahead giving us more daylight. Along with spring comes an urge to begin to eat a little differently. Our diet of satisfying  hearty stews, soups and chili is gradually replaced with lighter fare. The clothing we wear has less bulk, too. Before I transition my diet from winter to spring, I am going to offer one last fulfilling, robust recipe that many independent publishers have been working on perfecting all winter long – “How to Cook a Good Book.” 

Step 1 –

Test the water first – make sure you have a hot and a unique idea.

Begin to stew on a pre-publication marketing plan.

Fill the pot with energy, insight, creativity and stick-to-itiveness.

  • Include the necessary base ingredients– a central theme, strong character development, story line that supports the theme, engaging plot, and cohesive writing.
  • Incorporate varied vocabulary with shades of meaning to support the base.
  • Make adjustments to the recipe – edit ingredients that provide no flavor.
  • Add more seasoning, if needed, to make a more fulfilling concoction.
  • Let it cook and stir, cook and stir some more.
  • Send your creation off to some taste testers.
  • Satisfied that the  ingredients are complete?
  • Add a “read hot” title and packaging to match. 

Step 2–

  • Consider branding the idea.
  • Place it for sale on-line and in other pre-determined markets.  
  • Ramp up all marketing efforts.
  • Promote yourself as the chef.
  • Advertise and promote the finished product.
  • Saturate the market.
  • Share “dribs and drabs” of the finished product with others.
  • If you need help with smokin’  “soup d’jour” e-marketing tactics – seek help!  

Way to go! You have cooked your book and now you can add “published author” to your Curriculum Vitae. What other recipes can you follow to make your life more fulfilling?

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Yankee Writers Gathering!

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“If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.”~  Thomas Edison

 New Englanders are hearty souls! I can attest to that after having lived in the State of Vermont for 35 years!  On March 25th and March 26th there will be a gathering of New England Writers focused on how to “Survive and Thrive” as independent publishers. The New England Publishing Conference will be held at Chapel Hill-Chauncey Hall School in Waltham, Massachusetts. 

Veteran publishers, industry experts and vendors to the independent publishing industry will be on hand fulfilling the need for knowledge for those who are starting out in book publishing. Book promotion and selling through e-marketing and other channels such as libraries, book fairs, bookstores and to non-profit organizations will be topics of discussion, too. 

Cevin Bryerman from Publishers Weekly Magazine www.publishersweekly.com will address the crowd. Don’t miss out on that! Cevin always has a lot of interesting things to share about the industry. There will be workshops focusing on e-books, blog writing, e-marketing, and other information on the business of publishing both domestically and globally. Another important speaker, Tim Brookes from Champlain College www.champlain.edu will be speaking about Publishing in the 21st Century – The Campus Revolution. The keynote speech will be given by publisher David R. Godine www.godine.com. 

For more information on this important educational conference, please visit www.ipne.org. For questions, e-mail talktous@ipne.org. There are special conference lodging rates at the Holiday Inn Express in Waltham, MA. Make your reservation now, so you can take advantage of this block of rooms set aside for the IPNE Publishing Conference. 

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Treasure Trove On-Line

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“When you are curious, you find lots of interesting things to do” ~ Walt Disney

I like visiting other blog sites as much as I enjoy being the author-in-residence for our company blog, All Things Fulfilling. What I find most interesting is the uniqueness in look and the independent thought, words and views that each blogger brings to their site. 

Popping in on other blog sites is like a visit to the thrift store! You never know what you are going to stumble upon that may be of great value to you in your life or to the life of someone else you know. There are all kinds of useful things you can find when you delve into the blogosphere. I enter without expectation of what I am going to find, ever mindful of the Irish proverb “better one good thing that is, rather than two good things that were, or three good things that might never come to pass.”

Trading blog site links is like sharing books, films and music. It is especially satisfying to share blog postings and blog sites with people who you know would relate and enjoy the content. I have my favorite sites that I return to frequently. http://bit.ly/ekghXc.   I revisit some that have been transformed from an earlier state and that is interesting, too. http://bit.ly/fVDoqu.

All bloggers, from time to time, struggle with how to provide content that is useful and valuable to others. If you are stuck in a rut with your blogging, sometimes all it takes is a fresh set of eyes to evaluate and suggest what other treasures you can share with readers.

Keep your “treasure trove on-line” restocked creatively and regularly and you will have return visitors time and time again. 

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International Communities of Women

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“No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself or get all the credit for doing it. “~ Andrew Carnegie

 The pressure was on this year, from my international friends. Last year on the 8th of March, I hadn’t a clue that it was a day to remember women all over the world. I woke up to Happy International Women’s Day greetings from a few of my friends, one from Macedonia and another from Australia. This year I wanted to remember this day of  global celebration of economic, political and social achievements of women , lest I be scolded for being a typical American – celebrating only the holidays that are heavily marketed here in the States.

Now, through the power of social media marketing, we can connect with women having similar values, interests, hobbies, business, political and social interests through the world-wide-web. There is an international community of women all faced with the same issue of fulfilling their responsibilities in the workplace while still getting the “job done” at home. Balancing home life and work life is a concern for the majority of women in today’s world. 

There are four common traits of leadership that women in all countries use for success in both the home and in the workplace.

  • Be Goal Oriented
  • Communicate Effectively
  • Use Emotional Intelligence
  • Know How to Delegate

 These leadership skills are as useful for the full-time family manager (aka stay at home mom) as they are to the women working full-time outside of the home. To read more information on how we can empower ourselves for successful living, in and out of the home, by using these management qualities, please visit http://bit.ly/94VjbA.

 Women on every continent are setting service organizations, business, and political communities on fire with their passion, their energy, their ideas and their leadership skills. Happy International Women’s Day to All, and a special shout out to women involved in Kiwanis International www.KiwanisInternational.org!

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Connecting with your Creativity

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“Creativity involves breaking out of established patterns in order to look at things in a different way.” ~ Edward deBono 

Abraham Maslow, founder of humanistic psychology said that “creativity is a characteristic given to all human beings at birth.” How many of us tap into our innate gift of creativity as we go about our daily life?  For those who work in careers involving the Arts, using one’s own God-given creativity is naturally incorporated into every day life. For others, it takes consciously finding ways to live life inspired. All of us have a different interpretation of what living an inspired life means. 

In essence, Maslow’s theory says that once our psychological needs for safety, love and affection and esteem are satisfied, then we as human beings are freed to travel down the path of toward self-actualization. We can begin fulfilling our need to create and do what it is we were born to do, if our basic needs have been met. For more information on the Maslow theory, please visit http://bit.ly/X2iQX. 

If you are a person whose career does not involve the Arts, March is Crafting Month, and it is the perfect time to explore new ways of incorporating more creativity into your life for personal fulfillment. Craft a unique and creative piece of Art through the written word. Writing poetry, essays, old-fashioned love letters, short stories, haiku or full length books will get your imagination and your brain working in innovative ways. There is no cost to that and anyone in this age of independent publishing can be a published author!  Join a local writing group, to enjoy the camaraderie of others whose spirits also soar when putting pen to paper. 

Let March be the month to rebuild your life creatively.Find  a new hobby and live a life inspired. It will provide you with hours of entertainment and personal satisfaction, too.

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Writers, Rev Your Engines!

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“The most beautiful things are those that madness prompts and reason writes. “ ~André Gide 

If you have a spark of an idea for a book and wish to rev up your knowledge on how to go about independently publishing, the Colorado Independent Publishers Association College is the place to be.  For those who are entrenched in the independent publishing scene, everyone knows what the arrival of March means. It means the Colorado Independent Publishers Association College is coming up. The hosts of the “College” The Colorado Independent Publishers Association http://bit.ly/hFVW1A  is one of the largest and most active independent publishing trade associations in the United States. 

This year, CIPA’s Publishing “College” is scheduled for March 18th and 19th and CIPA does a great job of fulfilling the need for educational opportunity for beginning and experienced independent publishers. They even have a program called YAL – Young Authors League, designed to get kids inspired to write and become published at a young age. 

Exhibitors will be present at the March 19 publishing college event. Consultants on internet selling (e-commerce) and internet marketing (e-marketing) will be on hand. Other providers such as book printers, editors, cover designers, graphic designers and video book trailer specialists will be available at the CIPA College to answer questions about their products and services. There are on-going educational seminars throughout the weekend. It is a great time to network with other independent publishers to learn how they are publishing as a means for personal fulfillment and for sharing ideas, wisdom, knowledge and expertise with others.

 Check out http://bit.ly/hFVW1A for full details of the event or go to the Colorado Independent Publishers Association Facebook page http://on.fb.me/hZjR1T for additional information.

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