Self-Advocacy Goals

Whether you are building a business, a writing empire, or both, you need to be known. And to do that, you need to step out of your comfort zone and start advocating for yourself!

On a recent GoalChatLive, I discussed self-advocacy with Jackie Bailey, founder, The Speak Feed Lead Project; Jamie Martin, a life and leadership coach; and Bob Wheeler, host of the Money You Should Ask podcast. During our conversation, Jackie, Jamie, and Bob shared what self-advocacy is, the value of self-advocacy, how to get better at it, and more.

Self-advocacy is ... 

Having the ability/courage/desire to speak up for yourself (Jackie), Coming from a place of alignment, so you can voice your values (Jamie), and becoming your own champion (Bob).  

How to Self-Advocate  

• Jackie: Stop worrying about how everyone will react to what you are doing. Ask yourself: 
• What is the worst thing that can happen if I do this? 
• What is the worst thing that can happen if I don’t do this? 
• What’s the best thing that can happen if I do this? 
• What’s the best thing that can happen if I don’t do this?
• Bob: Get clarity. If you know your purpose, it helps you align with self-advocating, since it’s in service to others. 
• What do I want?
• Why do I want it?
• Why don’t I have it?
• What am I willing to do to get it?
• Jamie: Practice. 
• Take a video of yourself self-advocating!

Self-Advocacy Goals 

• Jamie: Become aware of what stops you from sticking up for yourself. When that happens, write it down, so you can objectively look at what is happening.
• Jackie: Write long-hand where you are vulnerable and why, and why you hesitate about advocating for yourself. Then think about how you learned it and change the story to include “I can do this.”
• Bob: Make a list of top 5 things you are not self-advocating. Pick the one that is least scary. Set a deadline to get it done.

Watch our conversation.

Final Thoughts 

• Bob: Gratitude. Being grateful goes a long way.
• Jamie: You have a voice and it needs to be heard, so others can learn from you.
• Jackie: Your voice is your superpower. Advocate for others, as well as yourself.

When you advocate for yourself - when you build a platform and shout from the "rooftops" - you not only help yourself. You help others who need to learn from you, understand your message, or be entertained by your work.

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For more inspiration and motivation, follow @TheDEBMethod on Facebook, Instagram, and Linkedin! 

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How do you self-advocate? Please share in the comments. 

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Debra Eckerling is the award-winning author of Your Goal Guide: A Roadmap for Setting, Planning and Achieving Your Goals and founder of the D*E*B METHOD, which is her system for goal-setting simplified. A goal-strategist, corporate consultant, and project catalyst, Debra offers personal and professional planning, event strategy, and team building for individuals, businesses, and teams. She is also the author of Write On Blogging and Purple Pencil Adventures; founder of Write On Online; host of  #GoalChatLive aka The DEB Show podcast and Taste Buds with Deb. She speaks on the subjects of writing, networking, goal-setting, and social media.

Your Author Platform - Is It Ever Too Soon to Start?

 

 By Karen Cioffi

Newbies to the writing arena have many questions about creating an author platform. And, the most puzzling one is whether they need a website before they have a book published or in contract.

In fact, I’ve recently been questioned twice about whether a newbie with NO book on the publishing horizon should bother to start working on a platform and more specifically on an author website.

Both individuals felt it would be like putting the cart before the horse.

It’s important to know that this, though, is far from the case.

Creating a website at the get-go is putting the horse before the cart. It’s one of the forces that will pull you forward and help you establish your online platform, your presence and visibility.

So, the answer to the title question is NO.

It’s never too soon to begin your author platform or your author website if:

- you want to be a writer or an author
- you intend to submit manuscripts to agents and/or publishers
- you intend to self-publish a book

The time to get your online platform started is RIGHT NOW. And the foundation of your platform is a website.

Keeping up with Marketing Trends

When one author mentioned she was writing a children’s middle grade book and didn’t have a website, I responded that it was a mistake. I told her websites are an essential part of an author’s online platform.

Her reply caught me by surprise. She was advised by a well-known and respected institute for children’s writing that she should wait until she received a book contract before creating a website.

If this were 10 or 15 years ago that advice would make sense. But, today, agents and publishers want to know what the potential new author’s platform is beforehand.

The size or lack-of-size of an online platform can make or break a contract.

The powers-that-be expect you to have a website in place and be involved in social networks before you even submit a manuscript. They expect you to be a big part of the marketing involved in selling the book.

Jane Friedman, Media Studies instructor at the University of Virginia and former publisher of Writer’s Digest, advises that authors must cultivate a relationship with readers every day of your life. And she advises that you start TODAY.

Why do you need to start your online platform TODAY?

In a single word, the answer to that question is TIME. Establishing an online platform takes time.

It takes time to establish yourself as an authority in your niche. It takes time to develop a relationship with your readers. It takes time to develop trust. And it takes time to broaden your reach and acquire followers/connections.

Real life example:

One of my former clients created a website. She also created pages on two of the major social networks. She did all this way before she started to get her book written.

The results? She has thousands and thousands of followers on both social networks. I’m talking about over 30,000 followers at the time of writing this article.

You can be sure I added this information when writing the query letter for her.

Do you think this will make a difference in a publisher or agent’s view of this new author?

You bet it will.  

They’ll know she’s able and willing to help sell her books.

Since your website is the foundation of your author platform, it’s absolutely, positively necessary to get a website setup and optimized as soon as possible.

It’s from this focal point, your hub of information, that you will draw the attention of the search engines and readers. You may even catch the attention of a visiting editor, publisher, or literary agent.

Your website is also the place you will get readers to sign-up for your mailing list – further building your marketing reach. It’s the place you will begin a long-term writer-reader relationship.

Think of your author website as the launching pad of your book marketing platform.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Karen Cioffi is an award-winning children’s author, a successful children’s ghostwriter with 300+ satisfied clients worldwide, and an author online platform instructor with WOW! Women on Writing. For children’s writing tips, or if you need help with your children’s story, click the link above.

You can check out Karen’s books at: https://karencioffiwritingforchildren.com/books/

 

 The Lazy Way to Be a Great Writer

Positive Thinking and the Writer

How to Write Vivid Scenes 

Free Coffee Chat with Pinterest Specialist Deb Gonzales

Writers on the Move's Linda Wilson has been working with Pinterest guru, Deb Gonzales and is sharing her information with all of us, along with an invite to a free Zoom meeting where Deb will discuss marketing strategies.

 

Hello, there! I’m jumping in real quick to see if you’d like to join me for a quick Coffee Chat via Zoom on Thursday, September 23 at 1:00 EST. Our clients are  doing so many cool things with their websites and platforms. I’d love to share their marketing strategies with you. Perhaps they’ll give you some ideas you might like to try.  You see, we’re preparing our platforms to capture the holiday content trends on Pinterest. We’re busy culling our content and crafting our pins with an eye to capturing our audience’s fancy at the precise time they’ll be searching for our wares. I’m eager to show you what we’re doing. I’d also like to lead a discussion about why someone would choose to establish a marketing platform on Pinterest in the first place. Is it really worth the effort? We’re discovering so much about clarifying goals and establishing strategies to meet them. We’re also learning that, unlike other social media platforms, we have to step away from the impulse to shine the light on ourselves to discover ways to edify our audience. As one client mentioned, “I love that this [Pinterest] is all about the other and not about me. It feels right.” I agree. I hope you can join us  for the Coffee Chat on Thursday, Sept. 23 at 1:00 EST.  Sign up here if you think you might be able to come.  Have a great week! Deb

 

 

 

 

Copyright © 2021 deb gonzales, All rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

 

Tips for Getting Known

Tips for Getting Known: Platform – Brand - Content

Your Platform is a useful necessity for all authors whether you write essays, articles, blogs or books, fiction or nonfiction. Brand is who you are. You are your brand, built by words, images and delivering as promised. Success depends upon visibility. We communicate with clarity and offer valuable information through our websites because Content is King.
 
Getting Known is all about providing content of interest.
Your Platform includes all the ways you are visible to readers:
•    Communicates your expertise quickly with clarity
•    Where to find you online, books, magazines, etc
•    Optimized metadata, SEO and keywords
•    Consistent delivery of valuable content
•    Balanced creativity and business

The Essential Commonplace book:
Useful and informative content makes for great visibility, thus using a commonplace book is essential.

Have you ever lost an idea because you couldn’t jot it down? Writers have been carrying notebooks for centuries, so I thought I’d mention commonplace books. Renaissance humanists of classical scholarship began using commonplace books as a form of study and note taking.  

There’s just too much to recall and consider further later. A commonplace book is uniquely yours, a central storehouse of knowledge. It is a helpful resource to gather your notes of wisdom, impressive sayings, and practical applications. As you read, collect what pops out; capture an idea by making notes, scribbles and comments.

Let your commonplace book become your treasure store of ideas and wisdom. It will help you realize what is most important to you. Organize it as you wish, in traditional format, diagonal snippets, and vertical standout points. It’s your book and best handwritten with your doodles and diagrams. Like Melissa Donovan says, “There’s something about the tactile experience of writing in a notebook that seems to boost creativity.”

During corporate meetings, I’ve used ringed notebooks to capture significant points of the meeting, schedule and plans. I wrote every which way, no one could make sense of it but me. However, with these notes I recalled where I was, what the meeting was about and my next steps. I’m sure you have a method also.

As a source of creativity, use your commonplace book, your everyday book, as a resource for writing your next article, essay or blog post.

Helpful Links:
Melissa Donovan, Author, Coach, Teacher, Editor of Writing Forward
https://www.writingforward.com/  
 

Deborah Lyn Stanley is an author of Creative Non-Fiction. She writes articles, essays and stories. She is passionate about caring for the mentally impaired through creative arts.
Visit her My Writer’s Life website at: https://deborahlynwriter.com/   
Visit her caregiver’s website: https://deborahlyncaregiver.com/
Available on Amazon --- Mom & Me: A Story of Dementia and the Power of God’s Love 

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Indie Authors : Sell your Books Face-to-Face

RJ Mirabal's New Children's Adventure Series

Last year, pre-pandemic, I was gearing up to arrange a book signing, school visits, and gather materials to sell my books in a booth at local events. At the same time, I was working on creating a viable platform that would introduce the world to MOI.

All that changed, of course, but we indie authors are forever optimists. I’m glad I had to wait. Now, another year smarter, I’ve come up with a much better plan than I ever could have had a year ago, one that I think will be attractive enough to interest local librarians, teachers and parents, and online readers.

Find your Platform: Explore your Deepest Desire

If you need to create a plan and a platform on how to present yourself as a tour-de-force author, here is an idea. Explore what you’ve done in the past, what you’re doing now, or a skill you’d like to develop; use it as your focus and expand on it.

My focus has turned out to be puppets—a project I pursued when my two daughters were very young, under five years old. My idea at the time stemmed from my elementary-teaching background. I wanted to enhance my children’s creativity. That, and being involved in my children’s lives, worked. My daughters, now in their 30s, are both very creative.

The reason this idea of focusing on puppets hadn’t occurred to me until now is because my first book project was a mystery/ghost series for 7-10-year-olds. Puppets never occurred to me as perhaps in the back of my mind I must have thought that children that age wouldn't be interested in puppets. Rather, I devised a way to present myself in the classroom and at libraries by doing a science experiment, which would illuminate part of the Secret in the Stars story. The ghost in the story appears to Abi Wunder in a cloud. I would create a cloud. I thought of other types of presentations I could come up with, such as a presentation about honey bees, which is a prominent subject in the story. However, I didn’t have much confidence that these ideas would be attractive enough for me to be invited into schools and libraries.

Enter the realization that the one project, the Abi Wunder mystery trilogy, needed more. More book projects. I looked through my files one day and found several stories suitable for possible picture books. Two of these stories have now turned into completed picture books, currently being illustrated, and planned to be published sometime this year.

Expanding into picture books turned out to be key. I have collected the puppet plays and materials I saved from those past puppet presentations, and am creating a plan to write puppet plays from my picture book stories, create the puppets and materials (without a stage, rather the plan is to keep the presentations simple), and make a short list of the first places I would present these puppet plays, with the hope that requests for more presentations would follow. Of course, the Abi Wunder series would become an integral part of these presentations, both in person and online.

Selling Books Face-to-Face, by RJ Mirabal

RJ Mirabal, an adult and children’s author, and member of our SCBWI chapter in New Mexico, gave a terrific presentation on the ins-and-outs of selling our books locally.

After publishing an adult fantasy trilogy, the Rio Grande Parallax Series, a finalist in the NM/AZ Book Awards, in the science fiction category, RJ burst onto the children’s literature scene with the award-winning first book in a series for children, Trixie Finds her People, a story based on his rescue dog. One of five finalists in The Next Generation Indie Book Awards, an international contest honoring independent and self-published books, Trixie Finds her People won first place in the Animal/Pets category; and the book was also a finalist in the New Mexico Press Women’s Writing awards, a regional contest. The next Trixie book will be coming out sometime this year.

RJ’s new children’s series, Dragon Train, is about a dragon who makes an unscheduled stop in a small village because this dragon towing a train is dying of exhaustion. A curious young farmer runs down to the tracks to help her, which sets the young man and dragon on an epic adventure to gain freedom and happiness. Learn more about Dragon Train and RJ’s other books: 

https://rjthestoryguy.com; adult books: https://rjmirabal.wordpress.com; and to order books: https://rjm-creative-arts.square.site/ 

 Open up for Business in your State 

To open for business in your state, there are certain things you need to do. Here are a few examples from RJ’s presentation:

• Register your business with the state; you will have to pay gross receipts tax for your sales.
• You may need to register in your town or city, which might require a business license. RJ registered in Albuquerque, NM. Cost: $35.
• Register your business as a sole proprietorship; you don’t need to register as an LLC.
• Report your income on personal tax forms.
• Create a name for your business. RJ's is RJM Creative Arts.
• Obtain a PO box, a good idea to use as your professional address.

Create your Display:

• Purchase a portable table and tablecloth to match the mood of your books.
• Decide how you want to display your books, author swag, a bowl of candy, etc.
• Have a full-color poster (11 X 17 is an economical size that can be printed at Staples) made to use as a table display.
• Have a banner made, a long sheet of plasticized paper, to match the banner on your website.
• Have pictures from yours books, characters, book covers made to display.

RJ has graciously agreed to provide a PDF from his presentation for anyone interested. You can contact him at rjmcreativearts@gmail.com. Learn more about RJ’s children’s books: https://rjthestoryguy.com; adult books: https://rjmirabal.wordpress.com; and to order books: https://rjm-creative-arts.square.site/. To see an insightful interview with John Hoffsis at Treasure House Books & Gifts in Old Town, Albuquerque, NM, go tohttps://www.facebook.com/100003819340/videos/1288478417989098. 

Linda's younger daughter in a
puppet show at two years old

Linda Wilson lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She has two daughters, who inspired her stories when they were younger. Linda is the editor of the New Mexico Society of Children’s Writers and Illustrators newsletter, and has written posts for the Writers on the Move blog since 2013. She is a classical pianist and loves to go to the gym. But what Linda loves most is to make up stories and connect with her readers. Find out more by visiting Linda’s website at https://www.lindawilsonauthor.com.

Market Your Product

Market Your Product

As authorprenuers, we must market our products i.e., books, articles, and niche.  

Platform, Brand, and Website form the vehicle to make that happen. These, along with your mission statement tell your readers who you are and what you are about. Closely aligned they present a consistent message.

Your Platform is a useful necessity for all authors whether you write essays, articles, blogs or books, fiction or nonfiction. Brand is who you are. You are your brand, built by words, images and delivering as promised. Success depends upon visibility. We communicate with clarity and offer valuable information because Content is King.

Tips:

• Start building your writer Platform now without delay and maintain it to keep connecting with your clients; building a Platform takes time,

• Clearly show what you have to offer and what makes your work stand out,

• Develop an email list of subscribers to build your following, and offer subscribers free eBooks, articles, and newsletters

• Guest post on sites within your niche to reach additional readers, and invite those bloggers to contribute to your site,

• Social Media is a part of Platform, use it often,

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• Identify your target audience’s needs and suggest meaningful alternatives,

• Be the wealth of information that can work for their success with info that solves a problem,

• Qualify your work stating your connections and building expert status as an authority,

• Accept responsibility for ongoing marketing and promotion of your services,

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• Create or update an email signature to promote your website, book and products,

• Respond to comments, be reachable,

• Join organizations that will support your work,

• Promote, promote, promote with posts and news via your social media pages,

Links of interest:
Create a Strategy that Delivers Great Content: https://www.writersonthemove.com/2019/06/create-strategy-that-delivers-great.html

What does it take…Great Content: https://www.writersonthemove.com/2019/05/market-with-content.html

Write clear & concise, personable yet professional.
Know your reader.
Use quotes & antidotes whenever you can.

 
Deborah Lyn Stanley is an author of Creative Non-Fiction. She writes articles, essays and stories. She is passionate about caring for the mentally impaired through creative arts. Visit her web-blog: https://deborahlynwriter.com/ 

Facebook at: Deborah Lyn Stanley

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