IACCW MEMBER EVENT: Conscious Marketing for Authors

Julia McCutchen interviews Lisa CherneyLisa straight

Have you ever wondered how you are going to attract the attention of agents, publishers and readers with your book ideas when there are so many other writers trying to do the same? You know that your approach / story / philosophy is different but how do you communicate that and ensure your voice is heard?

In this interview we will talk about ways for you to find the words you need in order to market yourself successfully. You will learn how to talk about your Unique Abilities with passion and clarity, and by the end you will know:

  • The value of effective marketing for authors today
  • How utilizing Unique Abilities will make you stand out from the crowd
  • The critical differences between your “target” and your “ideal” agent/publisher/reader
  • Simple methods for communicating your uniqueness in your marketing
  • How to build your Unique Ability portfolio to build your author platform

Lisa Cherney is a marketing expert and President of Conscious Marketing, now celebrating its 10th year. Lisa’s mission is to help business owners find their authentic marketing voice so they can attract their ideal clients. As co-author of Inspiration to Realization: A Women’s Guide to Business, Personal & Spiritual Fulfillment, Lisa has the personal and professional expertise to adapt her award-winning and insightful approach to showing authors how to engage with successful marketing strategies to support publishing success. For more information see www.consciousmarketing.com

Date: Thursday 9 September   Time:16:00 BST / 11:00 EST

Want to listen to this teleseminar interview for free but not yet an IACCW member?

Find out about how to do so and discover the other benefits of becoming a member of the International Association of Conscious & Creative Writers (IACCW) by clicking here …

Writer’s Journey Tip: How to Select the Right Publisher for Your Book

Publish_wordHere are 3 tips to help you find the right publisher to approach with your book:

1. First of all, think about who you know who might know someone with a connection to the world of publishing.

Before you dismiss this suggestion with the thought that you don’t know anyone who has anything to do with writing or publishing, just stop and ponder for a moment.

Sometimes a friend of a friend may be just the person you need to speak to. Perhaps their colleague at work happens to know someone who’s just had a book published or started a job in the industry? Or maybe they know someone who works in a bookshop and who is familiar with the subjects that publishers specialise in.

You just never know where these connections can take you and naturally if you are able to come up with leads that result in personal recommendations of publishers to approach, this can be one of the best ways of being introduced to the right publisher for your book.

2. Another excellent approach is to go into a few good bookshops – both independents and chain bookstores – and research what books have already been published in your category or genre.

Look on the shelves under the appropriate category or genre as well as on the display tables to find books that are along similar lines to your proposed book.

When you have found appropriate titles, simply look inside those books to see which publisher has published them (usually specified at the bottom of the page which has the book title on amongst other places).

Then you can research those publishers further by looking up their websites and even calling them to request a catalogue. If they are already publishing books which are similar, and assuming that those books are doing well, they will usually be interested in seeing new projects in the same vein.

The proviso on this is that your book offers a different angle on the subject and is not just repeating what has already been published of course!

3. In addition you can use the internet bookshops like amazon to research publishers’ preferences by searching for books in your category or genre and seeing who published them.

Then proceed to find out a bit more about those publishers as outlined above.

Good luck!

Julia

PS Don’t forget that this month we’re inviting you to share your thoughts, ideas, comments and suggestions about what we are offering at the International Association of Conscious & Creative Writers. We’re so looking forward to hearing from you and thank you in advance for letting us know what you think of the IACCW so far. You can have your say by clicking here …

PPS Our next IACCW Member Event is on Conscious Marketing for Authors with Lisa Cherney and takes place on Thursday 9 September. Read more about what you will learn in this important interview here …

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Julia McCutchen
Founder & Creative Director
International Association of Conscious & Creative Writers
Writer’s Coach, Mentor & Professional Publishing Consultant
www.iaccw.com www.juliamccutchen.com +44 (0)1380 871331
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Writer’s Journey Tip: How to Discover Your Sources of Inspiration

lightbulb_headIt is a core principle of the Writer’s Journey to nurture your creative spirit on an on-going basis. Yet if it’s been a while since you gave your inspiration a boost how, and where, do you start? Here’s a possible way forwards for you.

Walking in nature can be deeply inspiring and is a good place to start. You may well find that ideas and creative thoughts come to you along the way. So take a notebook and a pen and when you feel the flickers of inspiration stirring, find a place to sit down for a while to write.

Invite the fires of inspiration to burn brightly within you and brainstorm ideas of other possible situations or activities that could offer you the opportunity to access your feelings of inspiration.

Don’t think too hard about it. Just write as many ideas down as you can – or draw quick images – and aim to capture as muc h as possible. Keep your pen moving on the page as a way of overriding the censorship of the inner critic who may show up and try to steal the show!

Your ideas could include different settings when you are outside in nature such as by the sea, walking along cliff tops or in a forest, as well as different times of the day such as watching a beautiful sunset.
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Last Chance to Raise the Bar …

I hope you’re having a good week so far as we head into the new month of August.

This is just a quick courtesy reminder that today, Tuesday 3 August is the registration deadline for the Writer’s Journey Raise the Bar Individual Coaching Program.

If you haven’t yet had a chance to check it out, you can read all about it, watch a short video and access the audio recording of the Preview Call by clicking here …

This individual coaching program has been created for writers at any stage of the writing journey to benefit from professional feedback, guidance, structure and support.

My commitment to you is that I will meet you exactly where you are on your writer’s journey and guide you to raise the bar to the next level – whatever that is for you – so that you make solid progress and experience tangible results.

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5 Qualities of Successful Authors # 3: Perseverance

Female rock climber reaching the summit.Perseverance is about dedication, resolution and stamina, and can be defined as the ‘steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose … especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement’.

If you were to exchange the word ‘perseverance’ for the phrase ‘writing a book for publication’, the remainder of the sentence would still be accurate!

The Writer’s Journey certainly includes many points along the way which demand an incredible amount of determination and tenacity.

It can be a long path from inspiration to publication and how you handle the inevitable challenges will make all the difference to the quality of your journey and to the end results.

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IACCW MEMBER EVENT: Embracing the Mystery of Creative Writing

Julia McCutchen interviews Sarah Jane Sloane SarahJaneSloane125

By the end of this interview you will know:

  • Why writing intuitively and organically can yield the most surprising work.
  • Why relying on the element of chance to galvanize your writing is so important.
  • How to interpret I Ching hexagrams in ways that will be useful to your writing.
  • Why it is important to use these creative tools with playfulness and humor.

Sarah Jane Sloane is a professor of English and Co-Director of the Program in Creative Nonfiction at Colorado State University.  She has published creative nonfiction, poetry, reviews, and short essays, and has given numerous presentations on topics ranging from how to get started as a writer to the element of chance in writing.  She is the author of Digital Fictions:  Storytelling in a Material World (2000) and The I Ching for Writers:  Finding the Page Inside You (2005).

Date: Thursday 5 August    Time:16:00 BST / 11:00 EST

Want to listen to this teleseminar interview for free but not yet an IACCW member?

Find out about how to do so and discover the other benefits of becoming a member of the International Association of Conscious & Creative Writers (IACCW) by clicking here …

Are You Ready to Raise the Bar on Your Writer’s Journey? Here’s how …

Raising the Bar on the Writer’s Journey means knowing what you already have in place, understanding precisely what you need to do next, and applying yourself consciously and creatively to consistent action! Raising the bar is an integral part of the journey to successful published authorship and needs to be applied at every stage along the way.

Join me on Tuesday 27 July at 8pm (BST/3pm EST) for a FREE Preview Call* to present the Raise the Bar Individual Coaching Program and learn the secrets of successfully raising the bar on your writer’s journey.

Click here to register …

I’ll also be sharing with you the details of the * 4 month * Raise the Bar Individual Coaching Program for just * 10 writers * starting in September (registration closes Tues 3 August). The Raise the Bar Individual Coaching Program has been created for writers at any stage of the writing journey to benefit from professional feedback, guidance, structure and support.

Read about the Raise the Bar Individual Coaching Program here …

If you’re ready to learn more about raising the bar on your writer’s journey, why not join me for an inspiring and interactive Preview call on Tuesday 27 July at 8pm (BST/3pm EST).

Click here to register …

If you can’t make the live call, no problem. Register anyway and we’ll send you access to the audio recording so that you can listen any time.

Enjoy the journey!

Julia

(*Usual telephone call charges apply)

Ignite Your Creative Fire with Music and Dance

larmartreeWhen was the last time you immersed yourself fully in music and dance?

Your sense of self dissolves as you become one with music and movement. Energy flows for you to express yourself freely, time is of no significance and your experience is effortless and engaging.

What has this to do with writing you may well ask?

The parallels of being in the zone, including all the benefits of that experience, are clear. Yet there is more to it than that.

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Summer Special IACCW Membership Contest – starts today!

IACCW_logo vert_purp, goldSMLIt’s summer and we’ve created a fun Summer Special IACCW Membership Contest which starts TODAY, Thursday 8 July and runs for two weeks until Thursday 22 July.

Check out the details by clicking here …

This is a playful contest which has serious intent because the task we are inviting you to engage with to enter the Contest is one which needs to be done anyway! So it is entirely relevant to everyone who is writing a book – or who wants to write one – and there are a range of fabulous Prizes on offer including two Bonuses which all participants receive!

We would love to invite you to join the fun, participate in the Contest yourself (it’s quick and easy to enter), and invite all of your writing friends too!

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5 Qualities of Successful Authors #2 Commitment

Commitment_TickoverRedCircleMaking a commitment to something – or someone – is all about making a pledge or a promise … and then engaging yourself totally in the fulfilment of it.

As far as your writing is concerned, developing and strengthening the quality of your commitment will mean the difference between writing or not writing, and taking action or allowing resistance to hold you back.

Commitment sets the scene for all of the small choices that you make every day in relation to your writing.

It also guides you when you come to make the larger decisions regarding how to move forwards when you’re ready to take your work out to the marketplace. And it helps you to access the information and support you need to do so.

Ultimately, your degree of commitment to your writing will be a strong determining factor in your experience of ‘success’ or ‘failure’ – however you choose to define what those terms mean for you.

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