All about Writing and Publishing

Recently, I have been listening to the advice of several people connected with the writing and publishing industries.  These talks have been made possible by Christine Kloser and include the following people:

If you find this blog in time, you can listen to many of these talks for free until Monday 27 May 2013. Simply go to the website and register for access:

Discover how to become a Hay House author with Reid Tracy.  FREE replay until Monday.  www.TransformationalAuthor.com  #TAE2013

How to write a book proposal… FREE replay with Linda Sivertsen until Monday! www.TransformationalAuthor.com  #TAE2013

How to organize your book content… FREE replay with Fabienne Fredrickson until Monday!   www.TransformationalAuthor.com   #TAE2013

Learn about eBook publishing… FREE replay with Ellen Violette until Monday! www.TransformationalAuthor.com  #TAE2013

Make the most of book industry changes… FREE replay with agent, Bill Gladstone until Monday!   www.TransformationalAuthor.com   #TAE2013

Discover your world-changing story… FREE replay with Gail Larsen until Monday!  www.TransformationalAuthor.com  #TAE2013

You’re right where you’re meant to be… FREE replay with SARK until Monday! www.TransformationalAuthor.com  #TAE2013

From a UK perspective (and in my opinion), the approach and style is quite American, but the advice when you reach it is worth noting down as it applies to anyone anywhere.

It takes 10 years to be an overnight success!

This past week, I've spent quite a few hours listening to interviews with people connected to the publishing world via www.transformationalauthor.com. The title of this post is actually a quote relayed by Hay House President and CEO, Reid Tracy.
 

Once you get through the first 10 to 20 minutes of each session, with everyone saying how wonderful they are, each interview does in fact contain some useful and informative advice on being an author and creating the right conditions for success in publishing, marketing and sales - not to mention the most important aspect of all: developing a following and readership.

One of the main surprises for me, was how much emphasis publishers put on authors to develop the market for their own books.  Various online publishers offer packages for authors and to be honest, all of them seem to offer what I can already do pretty well on my own - yet none of them offer what I really need - help with finding a readership.  So anyway, I now realise that 80% of "marketing" is down to me alone.  Bugger then!

I think it was Alvin Toffler, in his book 'Future Shock', who stated that cultural change in society took 15 years.  Of course, when he wrote this, we didn't have Internet access and the World Wide Web.  I used to be involved with the development of e-learning in education and by the time we got to 2005, I suggested that traditional change time had been reduced to about 5 years.  Now in 2013, I would revise this down to 2 years in many areas of social acceptance of change.  I mention this in relation to the 'overnight success' quote.  It's already been shown that for some people, gaining overnight success has been a reality.  For example, think about some of the 'viral' videos on YouTube, people who have produced amazingly successful Apps for mobile devices, and kids who have suddenly produced a great IT idea from home. 

The real challenge in today's world isn't becoming "famous", it's staying noticed once you have been discovered!  We now live in a transient world where longevity is facing extinction.  Attention spans are shorter and the need for refreshed gratification in everything we experience means that (if you are an individual) trying to come up with and offering something new to the same people is going to burn you out.  Therefore, your most realistic wish should probably be in the area of expansion outwards of your key offerings to reach and touch new people who will embrace them.

Miracles, Health and Attachment - Articles from 2009

This past week, I've spent quite a few hours listening to interviews with people connected to the publishing world via www.transformationalauthor.com. The title of this post is actually a quote relayed by Hay House President and CEO, Reid Tracy.
 

Once you get through the first 10 to 20 minutes of each session, with everyone saying how wonderful they are, each interview does in fact contain some useful and informative advice on being an author and creating the right conditions for success in publishing, marketing and sales - not to mention the most important aspect of all: developing a following and readership.

One of the main surprises for me, was how much emphasis publishers put on authors to develop the market for their own books.  Various online publishers offer packages for authors and to be honest, all of them seem to offer what I can already do pretty well on my own - yet none of them offer what I really need - help with finding a readership.  So anyway, I now realise that 80% of "marketing" is down to me alone.  Bugger then!

I think it was Alvin Toffler, in his book 'Future Shock', who stated that cultural change in society took 15 years.  Of course, when he wrote this, we didn't have Internet access and the World Wide Web.  I used to be involved with the development of e-learning in education and by the time we got to 2005, I suggested that traditional change time had been reduced to about 5 years.  Now in 2013, I would revise this down to 2 years in many areas of social acceptance of change.  I mention this in relation to the 'overnight success' quote.  It's already been shown that for some people, gaining overnight success has been a reality.  For example, think about some of the 'viral' videos on YouTube, people who have produced amazingly successful Apps for mobile devices, and kids who have suddenly produced a great IT idea from home. 

The real challenge in today's world isn't becoming "famous", it's staying noticed once you have been discovered!  We now live in a transient world where longevity is facing extinction.  Attention spans are shorter and the need for refreshed gratification in everything we experience means that (if you are an individual) trying to come up with and offering something new to the same people is going to burn you out.  Therefore, your most realistic wish should probably be in the area of expansion outwards of your key offerings to reach and touch new people who will embrace them.

The Real Invisible Man

Up to the age of 9, I tried to be invisible to my teachers - I didn't want them to ask me questions that I didn't know the answers to. I was very creative and practical - but not 'academic'. Between ages 9 and 10, I became more confident in presenting myself as a person that could do things - I let a few friends and teachers see what I was capable of. Between ages 11 and 16, I tried to be invisible to my peers at school - I didn't like the attention I received from the bullies! Between 17 and 20, I began to mix more with others - and speak to girls and women for the first time. As time went on, I valued my privacy more and found ways to avoid unsolicited attention - everything from junk mail through the post or email to sales people in the street. By the age of 40, I had become so good at avoiding attention that I could walk down the street and not be noticed, or even enter a room of people and not be seen.  Now, at age 52 - and despite a good Internet presence - I feel that my invisibility is no longer serving my best interests.

Being invisible is not helping me to meet people or inform them about my books, talks, meetup groups, art work, or workshops.  I am on several social network and multimedia websites - not to mention 9 websites built and managed by myself - but despite this seemingly high profile I still remain largely invisible. Even when I gave two Pecha Kucha presentations at the Hepworth Gallery in Wakefield, the event website changed several times and recordings of those early occasions were not placed in a publicly accessible archive.

I believe I have some really interesting, useful and often entertaining information to share with others that can really make a positive difference to their lives. From self-healing with crystal wands to a deep understanding of the law of attraction, I have discovered and compiled some amazing life tools... But what good is this if no one knows about me or where to access this stuff?

Perhaps I might put this lack of profile down to two things: I'm not naturally comfortable to engage in off-the-cuff chatting to strangers in the street; and I'm pretty useless when it comes to shallow 'small-talk'.  However, I'm great once I have an audience or someone steps in to make some introductions.  For those meeting me in this way for the first time, I probably suddenly appear, or shimmer into their existence. People are often delighted by my company, knowledge and sense of humour and I always enjoy positive feedback.

Of course, by the nature of the law of attraction, when I do meet people, they are often too much like me - people with few contacts where the opportunity to spread a bit of 'word-of-mouth' to others that could really help with my promotion, simply doesn't exist!  

So here I am - possibly writing about invisibility in a blog that is itself probably invisible! But in case one of you has found this, perhaps I can request that you share it with some of the people you know - because I sure as heck can't!

And if you'd like to check out some of my websites...


www.richardgentle.co.uk
www.chat-to-change.org
www.keekoo.co.uk
www.handoflight.org
www.light-boxes.co.uk
www.landofgobeyond.co.uk
www.who1.co.uk
www.elearningcentral.info
www.onepage.org.uk

Made and managed for others:

www.wakefieldjazz.org
www.ylmp.co.uk
www.rogerking.info

Valentina vs Glastonbury

Valentina vs Glastonbury

I was all set to book a ticket at the Royal Albert Hall for Valentina Lisitsa - one of the most phenomenal pianists of recent times.  I found my seat, after searching seating online for several hours, and then went to trainline followed by an accomodation search.  Well... £35 for a good seat at the Albert Hall was fine - I'll gladly pay that for Valentina... but when it all added up to about £200 it kinda took the arse out of it, as they say.

A few days later, over a coffee, my good friend Helen mentioned going to Glastonbury and 'not really wanting to go on her own again this year'.  She asked if I'd be interested.  Actually, I had thought about this when she first said she was going a few weeks previously.  Suddenly, it seemed like a good idea; something different.

After returning home, I checked the diary and noticed that one of the days coincided with the Albert hall concert.  However, I decided to inform Helen I would drive her to Glastonbury. 

The initial plan was to go from Sunday to Friday, but when Stuart Wilde announced he was doing some free healing - and then changed his day from Sunday to Saturday, Helen asked if we could go on the way to Glastonbury.  (In the end, we did Saturday morning to Wednesday morning).

I hadn't been sure whether I was too bothered about having any healing, as I generally heal others or myself.  However, it was an opportunity to try something new and meet Stuart Wilde (whom I knew very little about).

I spent a day or two working out what provisions and equipment I would need for the trip, bearing in mind the weather forecast was torrential rain!  Anyway, I loaded up the Jeep and a couple of days later, collected Helen and her things and started the journey south.

We arrived in Simonsbath, found our campsite at the end of a long, one car-width, lane and checked to see if we could stay.  The woman looked at us and said we 'must be mad wanting to camp in this weather', but took our money and directed us to a couple of fields.  For a while, we sat in the Jeep in the battering rain.  However, it did stop for just long enough to get the tents up.  (We had two pop-up tents and I also took a large tarpauline to give additional shelter).

We drove off to Simonsbath's Church of St Luke, found it easily, and continued down to the local Xmoor Forrest Inn.  It was 5.30pm and no one was around.  I guessed the pub would open at around 6pm, so we waited outside in the Jeep.  We entered the pub at 6 and had a drink.  Snippets of overheard conversation suggested other people were waiting to see Stuart Wilde and at about 6.45pm we thought we should go to the church.  However, it transpired that Stuart had been 'kicked out' of using the church and we returned to the pub where they had kindly provided him with a room.  However, we were now waiting in a small queue and then discovered people had ticket numbers!  So now we would have a longer wait as numbers 33 and 34.  It actually turned out okay and also gave Helen an opportunity to be sat near the Inn door when Mark, a friend made on a trip to Findhorn, suddenly came through the door and recognised her.  (In all, Stuart healed about 60 people that evening).

I got on well with Mark and asked if he would take three of my books as a gift for Findhorn.  Although he said he would (and there were three opportunities to give him the books that evening) he promised to meet us in Glastonbury the next day and take them then.  Sadly, he didn't show up.

Today, I thought I'd check up on reviews for Valentina and discovered that her concert had been recorded - so I got to see it after all.

Footnote:
Sadly, Stuart Wilde died on 1 May 2013 (More...)