July 6th, 2010
by tlbmedia
One of my favourite quotations is from George Elliot: ‘It’s never too late to be who you might have been’
They say life begins at 40. Well I reckon mine began at 43 and a bit;. Finally I have found my metier in broadcasting and writing and found the love of my life - Paul. But what about you?
Have you started a new career?
Taken early retirement to pursue a long-loved hobby full time?
Met the man of your dreams?
Started writing your first novel?
Changed direction?
Had your first baby when you thought you never would?
I am convinced life changes after 40; good, bad or indifferent, it changes and often a whole new vista opens up. It has certainly been a turning point for me and most people I know.
That little quote from George Elliot is my mantra and is the theme for a book I am researching. If you have tipped over 40 and found your metier in the second half of your life, or if life has changed in a way you never would have imagined, then get in touch. I’m looking for great stories to inspire, entertain and maybe even educate.
July 5th, 2010
by tlbmedia
I am a big fan of O Magazine. I love the writers and the articles; they seem to hit a level of maturity and provocation of thought which seems beyond most other magazines I have read. But then I like my thoughts provoked and stimulated. I rarely read just for light relief. Two things struck me in this particular piece from Oprah on decluttering house and life:
‘What I know for sure: Life is about an energy exchange. Everything and everybody is vibrating at different frequencies. And yet you get to choose the vibration you want to resonate with and how to manifest that choice through your actions.’
and in relation to decluttering your relationship with your work
‘…not only reducing the clutter of paperwork, inefficiency and overcommunication, but also striving to create a balanced workload and make your work invigorating, inspiring, collaborative and empowering to others’.
As I have been revamping this website and decluttering it of the old and the no longer relevant, I’ve been thinking about the kinds of clients I want to work with and these two quotes sum it up. I want to write with and for people who are invigorating, inspiring, collaborative and empowering of others. I want my words to be invigorating, inspiring, collaborative and empowering and I want them to vibrate at the frequency that attracts the right clients to me and the right people to my clients.
Yeah, that feels good!
July 5th, 2010
by tlbmedia
Uhh! I hear you thinking. Why would I think about publicity before I write the book? Surely you worry about publicity when you are publishing it? Here’s the no 1 reason why you put this particular cart before the horse:
Relationship with your readers
When you start to plan your book, you also start defining and thinking about WHO you are writing it for, don’t you? Well at the same time as defining who they are, you need to think about how you will reach them. What else do they read? Which magazines and newspapers? Which online and offline communities do they inhabit? Where do they go to get information, inspiration or entertainment? When you start to gather this information before or as you write it helps you do several things:
- you get to know your reader, therefore you write more effectively for them
- you can begin a relationship with your reader by developing a blog or online community that they join and contribute to
- you can feed pieces of news or interesting information to the communities they inhabit and the other sources they read
- you can invite them to contribute ideas, thoughts, problems, questions which you can address directly in your book, now there is a powerful tool to encourage them to buy it when it comes out - the thought that they helped you write it!
- you encourage word of mouth marketing so your readers become your sales force - there is no more powerful publicity than recommendation
- you save enormous amounts of time, effort and money by targetting your relationship building specifically rather than scattering press information to the four winds on publication, most of which ends up in the bin without being read
- you can build your newsworthy story - i.e. the real story behind the book (who you wrote it for and why) which journalists are far more interested in than the book itself
- and most importantly you build momentum and desire for your book before it comes out
Publicity is not just a press release; it’s the entire relationship with your reader. So start relating now, wherever you are at with your writing!
