Wow...

This has been an amazing week. Busy. Crazy. But awesome. Good things are happening for your friend, Shoog and I am all but in a fit of giggles seeing how doors open in a way I would never have planned.

So a few weeks back, I get a message from Jen of The Classy Closet asking if I'd be interested in trying out for the co-host spot on The Classy Closet radio show. Sure, I say. Now, we are down to the wire in voting and I am at the edge of my seat wondering how it will turn out. As I'm typing this, I'm in the lead, but only by a couple of votes. It's been like that all weekend. Not stressful at all!!

Through some communicating with Jen, I found out that US Family Guides in Colorado was looking for an editor for their San Diego Kids Guide. I applied and a couple of days later was on an orientation call. So now, I'll be working on getting all the best family friendly attractions and activities reviewed and on the site. If you're planning on a trip to SD this summer, check us out!

Who loves Queer Eye for the Straight Guy?? ME, TOO! So imagine how stoked I was to find out that I'll be on a Press Conference Call tomorrow with Thom Filicia and 24 other bloggers. It seems that Mr. Filicia has a fabulous design book coming out, Thom Filicia Style. He'll be promoting the book on The View tomorrow morning when he unveils the revamped Green Room. He'll also be making a very special announcement... you'll want to check it out if you can. And I will have a copy of his book to give away here at Living - In Theory! Stay tuned for the details on that one.

OH! And one last thing. I am migrating! Yes, finally! If you subscribe to my feed, it'll be like the digital transition... seemless. If you use Favorites on your computer, you'll want to use my url: www.living-intheory.com. I will now have all of my multiple personalities at SugarJones.tv. I'm using a SmartSpace from Go Daddy. I don't care what anybody says, WordPress is a nightmare. Sorry... don't hate me... I just would rather spend my time writing posts than decoding CSS.

A couple of other neat things that I can't really talk about... very hush hush... ;) If you'd like, please follow me on Facebook and Twitter. You never know who you'll meet there.

Please make sure to check in tomorrow for our Making It Happen Mama feature. There will be some pampering products up for grabs this time!!

Mini Mall Melt Down

I love it when I freak out in public…

And quick! Hit play so that this ridiculous freeze frame shot of me will disappear!

Mommy Melt Down at the Mini Mall from Sugar Jones on Vimeo.

Kung Fu Panda Wisdom

Our family loves Kung Fu Panda. We probably watch the DVD once a week. Every time you watch it, another little nugget of wisdom is revealed. These are the seven pearls I took away from the movie:

Be Yourself : Po’s dad tells him of a “stupid dream” he once had to make tofu. “We’re noodle folk!” Don’t try to be who your mom, dad, friends, or anyone else think you should be. You will never be happy!

Don’t Get Cocky : Shifu believed his protégé, Tigress was the Dragon Warrior. And Tigress thought she had it in the bag. Then out of nowhere, this big fat panda drops in. If you get too confident that everything will surely continue as YOU planned, some whacky, unforeseen thing might really put your world in a tailspin.

Today is a Gift : Po is so wound up over what to do, who he was, where he is going… Oogway, in all his old turtle wisdom reminds him that you can’t change the past and worrying about the future is fruitless. Today is a gift… that is why it’s called the Present. Duh!

Don’t Judge a Book by It’s Cover : An oldie, but a goodie, and one that we can’t be reminded of enough. Po the Panda is clumsy, fluffy, and a bit of slob. But under all that, he has heart. He loves Kung Fu with the innocence of a kid. He has a passion for it in his heart. That’s what made him the Dragon Warrior. The others were measuring strength on the outside. His strength came from his heart.

Believe : Po, against all the tricks and trials, stayed because he wanted to believe that he could be the one to read The Scroll. Even when it seemed impossible, he worked with that belief in his heart. And guess what? He did a bang up job.

There is no charge for awesomeness. Enough said.

There is no secret : but that's the secret. You have to see the movie to get it.

One big underlying lesson was the way the crisis came about. It was set off by events made to secure the safety of the village. The wise turtle says “One often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it.” There’s a lot to that as you watch the movie. I don’t want to give any of it away… you have to see it yourself. But it’s funny how that hit me. How many times do people try to control their environment and circumstances only to come face to face with their fears? You have to face them some day. And only when you stop avoiding your destiny will you be able to really live. The end is a bit of a surprise, but another lesson I don’t want to give away here… you’ll just have to grab some popcorn and watch it yourself.

Enjoy!

Get Known Before the Book Deal

I’m implementing a new series here at Living – In Theory. Every Monday, I’ll be featuring a Mom who makes things happen. Oddly enough, I’ve decided to call it: Make It Happen, Mama! The first interview is a woman who inspired me to move toward my dream of being published (there, I said it) and who continues to inspire me by just being Christina. If you’re inspired, please feel free to leave your comments below.

 Interview with Christina Katz on Get Known Before the Book DealFor limited release

January 4, 2009

Christina Katz is the author of Get Known Before the Book Deal, Use Your Personal Strengths to Grow an Author Platform (Writer’s Digest Books). She started her platform “for fun” seven years ago and ended up on “Good Morning America.” Christina teaches e-courses on platform development and writing nonfiction for publication. Her students are published in national magazines and land agents and book deals. Christina has been encouraging reluctant platform builders via her e-zines for five years, has written hundreds of articles for national, regional, and online publications, and is a monthly columnist for the Willamette Writer. A popular speaker at writing conferences, writing programs, libraries, and bookstores, she hosts the Northwest Author Series in Wilsonville, Oregon. She is also the author of Writer Mama, How to Raise a Writing Career Alongside Your Kids (Writer’s Digest Books).

What is a platform, and why is it so important for unpublished writers to have one?

A platform is a promise, which says you will not only create something to sell (a book), but also promote it to the specific readers who will want to purchase it. Your platform communicates your expertise to others and it works all the time so you don’t have to. Your platform includes your Web presence, any public speaking you do, the classes you teach, the media contacts you’ve established, the articles you’ve published, and any other means you currently have for making your name and your future books known to a viable readership. A platform isn’t what you once did. It’s what you currently do. If others already recognize your expertise on a given topic or for a specific audience or both, then that is your platform. A platform-strong writer is a writer with influence.

Why is it so important to publishers that writers have a platform?

One writer can have a great book idea at the perfect time and be the absolute best person to write that book and still not land the deal if he or she doesn’t have the platform that is going to fulfill the promise to sell the book. Agents and editors have known this for years and look for platform-strong writers and get them book deals. If you want to land the book deal, today, then you need to become a platform-strong writer. You need to stand out in the crowd by the time you are ready to pitch your book.

Why did you write Get Known Before the Book Deal? What was the intention behind the book?

Most of the other self-promotion books for writers pick up with the book deal. No other book dials self-promotion all the way back to how to get started. My intention for Get Known was that it would be the book every writer would want to read before attending a writer’s conference. It should increase any writer’s chances of writing a saleable proposal and landing a book deal whether they pitch the book in-person or by query.

As I was writing the book, I saw how this type of information was often being offered as “insider secrets” at outrageous prices. No one should have to pay thousands of dollars for the information they can find in my book for the price of a paperback! Seriously. You can ask your library to order it and read it for free. Get Known outlines the complete platform basics step-by-step.

Is there a single most important thing authors need to do to build a platform?

When you think about the fact that about 500 books are published each day in this country, you realize that writing a book isn’t going to set you apart. So, the first thing you need to know is what makes you and your expertise unique and communicate that. If you don’t know who you are and what you uniquely offer, how is anyone else going to know? I call this cultivating your identity, not branding, because that word is so grossly overused these days. Identity also nods to the importance of keeping things real and staying true to yourself, while also making self-promotion a priority.

Can you give three specific tips to help writers launch their platform?

Sure. Here’s my top three…

1. Clarify the expertise you have to offer. If you don’t know what your expertise is, then mulling it over could take some time. And that’s okay. Consult experts you respect. Do some self-reflection. Get out and connect with others like you through associations or conferences. Write some articles on things you know how to do. Don’t be afraid to take time for platform development before you start spending a lot of time online…especially if you already are online but are not getting any closer to accomplishing your professional writing goals. When it comes to clarifying your expertise, taking a step back and looking within is a good strategy.

2. Carve out a distinct niche among others who are offering similar expertise. How are you different? Inquiring minds want to know. You’ll have to communicate who you are and what you do quickly. Attention spans are getting shorter, so writing down what you do concisely is critical. Platform isn’t the credentials or your resume; it’s what you currently do. It’s current, constantly evolving, and updated on an ongoing basis. A blog is a good example of a place where a writer can authentically share what she is learning to assist others. Any niche should always be a win-win proposition like this. But again, give your topic some forethought. Realize that a hundred people might already be blogging on the same topic.

3. Identify and respond to your audience. If you are vague about your audience, the whole writing process takes longer and typically requires more rewriting. This applies to books, blogs and everything else. But when you identify your specific audience and begin speaking to them directly, the conversation can spark all kinds of wonderful ideas, connections and opportunities. Small concrete steps build over time and create career momentum.

Times are tight, and people don't necessarily want to shell out money right now. Do you have any tips that are cost-friendly?

Platform development shouldn’t break the bank. My advice is don’t shell out money at the get-go. Instead educate yourself first and then take small steps. Try to avoid the impulse to slap together a platform quickly to impress others. I suggest a more long-term approach and working slowly and steadily in order to spend less and save more in the long run. This means, while you are working on your novel, you should at least be planning your platform. And if you want to write nonfiction, I suggest platform development first and book proposal development second. Platform development will help you write a stronger and more impressive proposal. The numbers of people you influence will help close the deal.

What are the special challenges for fiction writers building a platform?

Fiction/memoir/children’s writers will often spin off a series of topics they can explore to help promote themes they’ve already written about and hope to sell in book form. For example, novelist Marc Acito wrote How I Paid For College, A Novel of Sex, Theft, Friendship & Musical Theater. Afterwards, it made sense for him to write and teach and speak on how to write humorous fiction and how to write a page-turner. Note how specific his topics were. He spun them off after mastering them in his process.

Other things fiction writers often learn about involve: place, a topic from their research, a time period, a truth or phenomenon, universal human themes, a particular time or phase every person experiences (like coming of age), or the creative process itself. These can become promotional opportunities (sometimes even paying ones) that spark book sales.

How do being prolific and/or productive relate to platform building?

Many writers promise publishers that they have the ability to make readers seek out and purchase their book. But when it comes time to demonstrate this ability, they can’t deliver. This explains why so many books get into print, only to go right out of print within the year. They don’t go out of print because they aren’t well written, mind you. They go out of print because they don’t sell. My mission is to empower writers to be 100 percent responsible for their writing career success and stop looking to others to do their promotional work for them so this won’t happen to them.

Platform development is crucial to the sustainability of your writing career. Don’t think: get a book deal. Think: get book deals. A prolific writer can churn out words. A productive writer closes deals and signs contracts to write the kinds of books she’d love to read.

Are there any types of writers who don’t need a platform?

Yes. There are dozens of reasons to write but only writers who want to establish themselves as professional writers, who aspire to publish a traditionally published or a self-published book should concern themselves with platform development. If you’re writing for other reasons, such as to heal, to connect with friends and family, or just for pleasure, then perhaps you don’t need a platform.

When you're done platform building, how do you find time to write?

My career goes in cycles. I have periods that focus on writing followed by periods that focus on self-promotion. I’m in a promo cycle right now and it’s fun! I’m thoroughly enjoying myself. And I’m still writing plenty. I have noticed that these supposed “non-writing times” often yield the next book idea, which has been the case again this time. I can’t wait to pitch it.

If a writer starts today and allows platform development to be an integrated aspect of her writing career, I’m sure she will find that the two efforts—writing and self-promotion—feed each other and help her career to grow naturally and authentically. And what writer wouldn’t want that?

You can learn more about Christina and her offerings at http://www.christinakatz.com.

 

Technorati Tags: Christina Katz,Get Known Before the Book Deal,Writer Mama,writing,publishing

Magic 8 Ball Resolutions: 2009

Resolutions. What would we do without them? We could just pretend that we don’t have any specific intentions for the New Year. Or we could just list our goals and hope that we don’t jinx them by calling them resolutions.

Or… we could ask the Magic 8 Ball to predict the likelihood of hitting that goal. If it’s a negative response, well, hey! Check that off and move on!

Here are mine:

Will I get my pilot’s license this year?

It is decidedly so.

Will I complete my photojournalist project on “real women” this year?

Without a doubt.

Will I be on Sirius Satellite Radio this year?

Don’t count on it.

Haha… well, two out of three isn’t bad. Doesn’t mean I won’t work towards that goal… just might happen in early 2010!

Obviously, this is just for fun and while I don’t recommend basing life’s big decisions on the answers from a toy, it is interesting to see the answer. So, if you’re game, play along. Frame your resolution in the form of a question and click on the 8 Ball in the sidebar. Let us know what the outcome was in the comments section!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

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