Positioning Yourself for Success By How You Handle the Targeting in Your Book Proposal

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Taking a "position" as an author is essential. By this, I mean the following few things:

1. Deciding where you and your target reader will intersect. Imagine a vertical line crossing a horizontal line. That point of connection represents the "location" of your book. In a book proposal, you are turning on your GPS tracking system. From the beacon of how you state your position, the publishers find you! This decision then sets you up for ultimate success when your book comes out.

(FYI, I talk about how to GPS navigate your proposal in The Book Proposal Intensive.)

2. Choosing who you want to be in the public sphere. Is your dream and your immediate goal to be the go-to expert on home decoration, on nutrition, on bicycle maintenance, on personal finances? Writing a book is a way to establish yourself with the reputation of an expert. In preparing a book proposal, you are stepping into the zone of the information that you will share with the world. Your authority comes from being adept at everything that is trending in this zone of expertise. Your background research seals your intention.

3. Clarity of purpose will keep you from getting lost. Oh, I understand the temptations of detours! It's so much fun to follow the winding highways and intriguing byways we come across in everything we do. Wandering can be fun and inspiring, and I'd even say, at times essential. But when you set about to do a book, you begin to need to pin things down. This kind of clarity has its own special intensity that is spectacular. Like looking at vibrant particles in a spectrometer, clarity of focus heightens our vision and feels electrifying.

4. Making a stand that is distinctly yours. There is incredible liberation in taking a stand and speaking your truth. A book proposal gives you a forum and vehicle to make a case for what you believe--based on your life experiences, your background, your training, and your insights. This is your opportunity to contribute relevant opinions and knowledge to your community. It's a chance to lead from where you are! You can be as controversial, as compassionate, as wise as your position requires. You only have to articulate it. Pull out your soap box and megaphone. Dust off your podium and reach for your notes. Publishers are waiting to "hear" what you say on the page.

In The Book Proposal Intensive that I'll be teaching for the next five weeks (from October 20 to November 21), I'm going to walk my students through every section of a book proposal, one by one, constantly returning to the question of their position until it is nailed down, articulated, and celebrated in a way that is indelible.

Registration is open and you are welcome to join in this adventure: http://bit.ly/TheIntensive

In this course, which is taught by webinar and teleseminar, as well as in private laser coaching sessions, I'll be giving you a ton of my time live to ask and be answered, to hold you accountable, and inspire you.

I like to say, when you decide to get it done, DOING IT QUICKLY is easiest. That's why I now teach in short and detailed steps where action comes right on the heels of instruction. Small assignments build to big discoveries--and those who throw themselves into the process experience tremendous outcomes. I've literally seen lives changed, I've literally seen businesses transformed, I've literally seen great emotional healing come from the experience of doing a book from the ground up with an established plan in place.

We're in a shifting landscape in publishing, and yet it is only the delivery mechanisms and production systems that are shifting--it's NOT THE CONTENT! Authors are more than needed--without us there would be no publishing industry. Kindles would be empty. Nooks would be Gameboys. Blogs would be templates.

Publishers are buying manuscripts to fill their pipelines. Opportunities exist. Your job is more than to persuade them, it's to understand YOUR POSITION so you can write a book that is timely, relevant, and meaningful to the audience you serve.

Get it?

Are you ready to write a book proposal?

Then please join me for The Book Proposal Intensive that starts later this week. Seriously! What the heck are you waiting for? Someone's permission? If you've got a good idea, then give yourself permission. Step up to the plate. Swing your bat. Aim for the outfield. People like me are earnestly interested in YOUR IDEAS.

Read more about The Book Proposal Intensive.

Is Your Creative Process a "Ring of Fire"?

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Walking past the carousel in Central Park on Sunday I heard strains of "Ring of Fire" by Johnny Cash piping through the air. Besides being slightly thrilled that New Yorkers are raising their kids to appreciate good music, hearing that song reinforced an idea I've been playing around with related to the archetypes of writers. If we had theme songs, what would they be? Like Johnny, are writers falling down, down, down into the burning ring of fire? Hmmm.




I read somewhere that there are only seven basic plots beneath the stories of cultures from around the world. While I can’t absolutely verify that idea, it’s something to consider: whether the story is rags to riches, overcoming the monster, rebirth, voyage and return, or something else.

Acting teachers tell us that plots either have to do with love or power. Numerologists tell us there are only nine numbers in the world that influence our lives. Healers say it’s the consciousness of the energy of the seven chakras . . . Astrologers say it’s the twelve Zodiac signs.

Is this too simplistic or a great jumping off point for further exploration?

My view is that we get to decide what our lives are about—including our creative lives—and I believe it’s an essential decision. But it’s also not the end of the world. Take it lightly and you’ll be on the right track. Grind on it in order to find a quest to undertake or a monster to slay and you’re really not there.

Lightness of mind, high energy, peace/joy, fluidity = right track.

Cloudy mind, drained energy, pain/sorrow, rigidity = wrong track.

When you’re writing, just understand that the source of your desire may be the story that runs the infrastructure of your life. If you’re stuck (aka on the wrong track), change your story.

I am not a burning-pit, flames-of-hell kind of writer, though I do grind a bit too often. Fundamentally, I am engaged in a love story with myself and the world. My heart has been broken more than once, and so I sometimes forget that this is my essential story, and yet wherever I honor love my life gets better.

This week, I’m going to take more walks in the park and still get my writing done.

The Evil of the Semi-Colon: A Rant on Pompous Punctuation

I try to have a sense of humor about grammar. Otherwise certain punctuation marks would cause me tremendous grief, anxiety, and suffering. Specifically, I’m referring to commas, exclamation points, and semi-solons. Please don’t even get me started on the whole hyphen vs. en dash controversy, or the average spiritual authors’ irresistible Love of Capitalization. I might groan so loudly I’d disturb my next-door neighbors. I’m going to vent now—just getting it off my chest.

Commas appear to be travelers. They just won’t stay put. I put them in a manuscript in one place, and then my clients move them elsewhere. Why? I don’t know. Some writers seem to disdain them. Others seem to crave them. But hardly anyone wants to let them rest. They’re tired. All those poor, misunderstood commas are trying to do is help us take a tiny breath between ideas. They don’t want to travel. Give them a break, writers! You need them for lists (x, y, and z) and, YES, they precede the word “and.” Help preserve the endangered commas.

What! Is! Up! With! Exclamation! Marks?! Seriously, folks . . . you’re coming across little prepubescent girls writing notes to each other in elementary school. Next we’ll have to start coping with tiny hearts and stars. Even bestselling authors of my acquaintance (who shall remain nameless to protect their privacy) indulge in unbridled expressions of their enthusiasm. Grow up!!! When I see an exclamation point I hear one of two sounds in my head: either a high-pitched squeal or yelling. In my body, I feel it like a slap across my face or a poke in the ribs. Intellectually, it’s like you don’t believe I can form my own opinion. And possibly you are trying to control me emotionally, but you don’t believe you yourself actually possess the technical skill to capture my attention with your words. This is not good for our relationship.

Semi-colons are the spawn of the Devil. I simply advise you to resist their lure until you are an accomplished writer. They are the single most pompous piece of punctuation ever invented. You may think you appear intelligent when you use them, but using them wrongly gives the opposite impression. It’s that whole issue of lists again. Where does a comma go? Where a semi-colon? I’m not saying I’m perfect and all . . . because I still regret the semi-colon on the first page of the first book I wrote (Barker’s Grub, 2000). What was I thinking when I crafted that sentence?

Live and learn.

My advice is to use semi-colons sparsely, if at all. Better to end a sentence with a period than to stick in a semi-solon and continue it by joining it with another full thought. It’s really okay to write short sentences. This makes them chewable, digestible morsels for your readers. Be simple. Be direct. Be clear. Writing is all about communication, and the goal is to be understood.

And, of course, all of the above being said, do not let your punctuation define you as a human being. Punctuation is not where you value comes from . . . at least not to me. Some people fret that they'll be judged on the merits of their commas. Or feel miserable for making typos. Not me. And one sucessful client whom I called an "over-exclaimer" yesterday, and said he reminded me of an excited teenage girl, told me, "Perhaps I should begin my next book with OMG." We laughed and laughed.

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6 Interesting Blogs for Writers

There is a wealth of wonderful resources for writers in the blogosphere, all right at your fingertips to enjoy. Here are some of my favorites.

How I Met 10 Amazing Woman Bloggers: On Carol Tice's helpful "Make a Living Writing" blog, an excellent post on how to find good bloggers, plus a collection of 10 great women bloggers.

15 Blogging Tips I Wish I Knew When I Started: Also at "Make a Living Writing," this post covers a number of points that will help you skip over a lot of stumbling blocks as a blogger.

First Chapter Plus: This is a fantastic service that distributes an e-catalog of first chapters of new books to libraries, bookstores, readers, media, etc. A great way to get exposure and readers for your book.

The Author's Dilemma: To Blog or Not to Blog: This post outlines the various options for blogging: daily, weekly, issue-focused, or blogging with a group of people. Then it gives a great overview of what makes a good author blog, and the pros and cons of blogging for authors.

15 Must-Read Blogs for Blog Writers: A great collection of blogs that are worthy reading for those aiming to write a sucessful blog. Topics include writing, finance, and Internet business.

White Hot Truth: Danielle LaPorte is a writer, entrepreneur, and visionary whose blog consistently offers gems of inspiration, practical advice, and spiritual wisdom. Case in point: The "Open up Anyway" poem in her latest post.

Let me know if you find any others that I can share with the Get a Book Deal community.

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