After attending the Writer’s Digest Conference in New York last weekend, I discovered I am not the only one who feels this way about writing careers right now.

Why is this the best time ever to be a writer?

Because writers have increased choices for how to publish. Because we have increased choices of how and where to seek assistance. Because we have so many easy, inexpensive career-building tools at our fingertips. And because it has never been easier to locate and make the most of everything we need to succeed in the short run and the long run.

What’s missing from this success equation?

Discipline. Focus. Clarity.

Basically, if you don’t have these things, you’re sunk. Just as so many options offer us more, more, more, these same choices can bog us down, make our head’s spin, and turn us into formula-following sheep because it’s easier than thinking for ourselves.

Your writing career comes THROUGH your writing. This means writing goes at the center of your career. Not anything else. Please don’t ever forget this.

As a writing career coach, I recognize the burden of responsibility that comes with the times, especially for writers who have not yet found their writing and publishing momentum. And, of course, that’s why I spent two years writing The Writer’s Workout. (Learn more)

I wanted to start a writing revolution. I wanted all writers to have a shot at the opportunities that are available to writers today, not just veteran writers.

Of course, I can’t leave veteran writers out. There are plenty of tips for veteran writers in TWW for focusing and streamlining your writing career so you can better navigate the new gig economy, as well.

If you are new around here, welcome! There truly has never been a better (and perhaps more challenging) time to be a writer. But we’re up for the challenge, right?

We know how to ground, center, and focus our attention to succeed.

For those of you who attended the Writer’s Digest Conference, if you turn to page 190 of The Writer’s Workout, you’ll find some helpful suggestions for grounding and centering all that you learned at the conference. Any writer can use this tool on any given day to ground and center their attention and start making solid career-building strides.

Thanks for coming by. I’m glad you are here but I don’t want to be your new guru. I just want to offer you helpful resources so you can pick and choose what’s best for you and your creative confidence and go along your merry writing way.

If you live in Portland, Oregon and you would like to hear more about why there has never been a better time to be a writer, I hope you will join us this weekend at the Making It In Tough & Changing Times Mini-Conference. Not too many spaces left though! Contact jessicapage at spiritone dot com for more info or visit Jessica’s website.

I am at that point in my book launch where there are so many people to thank and I can’t keep up. (Just moan quietly if you know the challenge of whence I speak.)

So, I’m going to give it a shot here and offer a quick shout out to all the folks who have been so wonderfully helpful and generous this past week.

Here goes…

Oregon Writers Should Join Willamette Writers

First, I want to thank Willamette Writers for having me speak to the Portland branch on Tuesday, January 3rd. I had a wonderful time and it was great to see so many familiar and new faces. Special thanks to Mary Andonian, Bill Johnson, Cynthia Whitcomb, Val Mallinson, Leona Grieve, and Mary Margaret Maitland. I’d also like to thank William Hertling (@hertling) for blogging my talk so nicely.

Writers Heading To NYC Should Not Miss The Writer’s Digest Conference

I would also like to thank all the fine folks at Writer’s Digest, who I know are working their tails off right now to put on a great educational immersion experience for writers in NYC from Friday, January 20th – Sunday, January 22nd.

I will see tons of awesome folks once I get there and their names literally speak for themselves, but the folks you will want to thank for all of this literary inspiration include:

Phil Sexton

@KateTravers

@DavidNussbaum

Sally Slack

@nicole_miller

@KateRados

@ChuckSambuchino

…and many, many more!

Follow @WritersDigest for all the scoop.

But first use MY MASSIVE DISCOUNT if you want to sign up for the full conference because it’s the best code out there. See the conference badge in the sidebar and follow the instructions >>>.

Making It In Tough & Changing Times Mini-Conference in Portland, Oregon

If you are wondering why I am not doing any conferences around my home town…I am! I’m the keynote speaker at veteran author Jessica Morrell’s mini-conference in Portland, Oregon, which takes place all day on Saturday, January 28th. If you would like to hang out all day with me, this is they closest and most convenient way to do it…this month. Did I mention that this conference is only 99 bucks? You can’t beat that price, which includes breakfast, lunch, workshops, and my keynote. Inspiration? Education? Writers! Yowza! Hope to see you there! More info…

Your assignment today is to track down a cupcake and eat it in honor of the publication of The Writer’s Workout.

If you don’t eat a cupcake today, I will feel very uncelebrated.

So please, grab some cupcakes, share them with your families, and have a cupcake toast in the general direction of the Pacific Northwest.

Thank you for celebrating with me!

I promise to pay you back by eating cupcakes in your honor any day of the week.

Sincere thanks to so many people for so much support!

~ Photo by Sugar Daze

This coaching experience is reserved for folks who have already purchased a copy of The Writer’s Workout.

It’s not too late to get your copy and send me your receipt by email, so you can come. Order information for the book is here. Just email your receipt to: christina at christina katz dot com.

Please email your receipt to me TODAY by noon Pacific Standard Time (that’s 3 pm ET), so I can finish up my administrative work at a reasonable hour and send you all the instructions you’ll need.

During the flash class, I will be coaching writers in every genre on three topics related to writing success in 2012:

• How to Assess The Power of Your Writing Portfolio (audio coaching)
• How to Build Your Best Bio for 2012 (audio coaching)
• How to Discover Your Unique Platform Dynamic (audio coaching)

Your job in the flash class is to listen to three short audio recordings and follow each with some focused brainstorming for your writing career in 2012.

When the day is over, the class is over. So please mark your calendars and show up ready to jam out some ideas.

For now, your job is simply to put a reminder on your calendar to swing by some time on Tuesday. You are probably wondering how much time you should set aside.

Well, I’m a softie, so I’ll probably send you home with materials you can work on after the flash class, in case you don’t have enough time tomorrow to complete all of your assignments.

But if you’ve already set aside time, you’ll be glad you did because you can get a jump on your work.

You know, my students have done some incredible stuff thus far. And I have been very blessed to work with all of them.

And tomorrow, Tuesday, January 10th, I look forward to working with all of you!

No need to read your book first or bring it with you when you access the “flash class.” Purchase is only required to enter. Your book purchase is your ticket to a day’s worth of free coaching. But naturally I hope you will read the book eventually.

I’m so excited! I’ve never tried to coach this many people all over the world in one day. I think it’s going to be great fun!

I’ll see you here tomorrow. Look in your email inbox for instructions to arrive just before midnight tonight.

Happy New Year, writers!

One thing I always like to do at the end of each year is reflect on all that I have accomplished in the past year, before I move on to the next.

This is what I have accomplished in one year with twelve years of momentum leading up to this year. If it was my first year in business, obviously the results would look a lot different.

I worked hard in 2011; therefore I accomplished a lot. And the results are either visible or about to become visible, which is a good feeling. So here goes…

I finished a book that was almost two years in the making and is now published. I think you know which book I am talking about at this point. I set out to create a portable supportive and encouraging context for any writer, and I am pleased to have accomplished that goal. Batteries or no batteries required!

I wrote a self-study course, “Build Your Author Platform,” which was originally sold by Writer’s Digest but as of January 1, 2012 will be available for purchase on my website in PDF workbook format. The workbook is a companion to Get Known Before the Book Deal (Writer’s Digest 2008). More info coming January 1st. Newsletter subscribers have already been notified.

I wrote a new class curriculum, “Micro-publishing for Mom Writers” and taught the class twice. Four students launched ebooks in 2011 and three more will launch them in early 2012. This is one of my most challenging and rewarding classes and it’s the perfect finish line for my most advanced students.

I taught thirteen six-week classes in 2011 and facilitated 6 dream team groups over five months each. I am not the only one who kicked butt in 2011. My students also kicked butt. Many of the got published for the first time ever, broke into national publications, or began writing regularly for the nationals. Platform-building students got on TV, built or upgraded blogs and websites, self-published unique, saleable products, landed speaking gigs, increased their visibility, productivity and profitability, started conversations with highly coveted agents, and just generally rocked. (Prospective students can check out the four classes I am offering in January here.) Dream Teams are for former students only.)

I had an original feature published in Writer’s Digest magazine. You can now read, “50 Simple Ways To Build Your Platform in Five Minutes A Day” online at WritersDigest.com. Here’s what one Writer’s Digest magazine reader said about it:

I just read the March/April 2011 issue and am compelled to send my gratitude to Christina Katz. Her article “50 Simple Ways to Build Your Platform in 5 Minutes a Day” was so specific and helpful, I was moved to act right away. She saved me hours of research in a field that is pretty foreign to me.  ~ Karen Ashley, July/August 2011 Writer’s Digest ReaderMail

I set up a writing conference/event tour to spread the word about my new book. I will be a presenter and panel moderator at the January 2012 Writer’s Digest Conference in New York City. I will be the lunch speaker at an intimate Portland, Oregon mini-conference hosted by Jessica Morrell that is called, Making It In Tough & Changing Times. Space is limited, register early! I will also be the keynote speaker at two conference in April, Missouri Writer’s Guild in St. Louis and Mad Anthony in Hamilton, Ohio. Invitations continue to roll in.

I granted eight scholarships at $275 each to eight mom writers. That’s a total value of $2,200 in scholarships that I gave in just 2011 alone. I’ve given thousands of dollars in scholarships to worthy writers since 2006. And I feel good about each and every one of them!

I wrote more parenting articles than I have since I became an author. I enjoyed every second of the process, and the personal satisfaction reminded me why I became a writing teacher–because writing for publication is so rewarding in and of itself. And every article you write can pay off in both the short run and the long run. Want to see an example? Here’s a good one for the New Year…Ten Tidy Reasons To Get Cleaning Help in Durham Parent.

I got a bunch of reprints published. There is nothing I love more than seeing my hard work pay off more than once. Some reprints were offered by me, others got reprinted on their own (surprise checks!). Some were from books, others were from past articles. All were reasons to celebrate! Cupcakes for everyone! (That’s how I celebrate.)

I finished off season four of The Northwest Author Series and did the programming for and launched season five. This season kicked off with a bang with The Oregonian’s Jeff Baker, novelist Emily Chenoweth, and myself. And wait until you see the second half: Karen Karbo? Bill Johnson? Pamela Hill Smith? Kevin Sampsell? Heather Vogel Frederick? It’s going to rock! In Wilsonville, Oregon no less. At our awesome library.

I updated my website. This is something that I worked on, on and off, all year long. New features include a permanent home for the 236 Movies About Writers and the Writing Life list that I created with my husband in 2010. And a permanent home for a list of Books By Women Writers For High School Students that I created this year. I also have a Clips page, a Credits page, and a Thank You page that help me keep up with myself, in addition to the usual suspects: classes, dream teams, and scholarships.

I did a Beta-test of Creative Rx with Christina Katz and learned a ton. So of course I had to change the name. Now I’m calling it: The Prosperous Creative Affirmation Intensive. I cannot wait to launch this empowering affirmation intensive tool on January 1, 2012. More info coming soon. If you are a subscriber, you already got it.

I revived my old book giveaway as “The Writer Mama Every Day In May Book Giveaway.” I enjoy doing this annual event as a way to celebrate the hard work of other mom writers during Mother’s Day month. And yes! I will definitely be doing it again in May 2012. Please email me at christina at christina katz dot com if you are interested in participating.

I presented at one conference in 2011, The Associated Writers & Writing Programs Conference and spoke at one writer’s event, The Terroir Writer’s Festival in McMinnville. I knew I would be busy with so many other things, so I kept my 2011 presenting schedule to a minimum. And it feels like that was the right choice for 2011. But in 2012, I will be moderating another panel at AWP and a whole lot more. Please contact me if you are interested in hiring me to speak or present at your event.

I was interviewed a bunch of times. Here’s the best of the batch:

• Tweet Magazine
• WOW: Women on Writing magazine
• 2012 Writer’s Market (it’s in the book)
• The Missouri Writer’s Guild (I’ll be keynoting at their conference in April 2012)

I got a couple of grooves back. Namely you will be seeing my column in Willamette Writers again this year (click here to check out WW membership) and I am offering a brand new class to my most advanced students: 60 Ways To Flex Your Content & Prosper In Your Niche. And I have a lot more new offerings coming down the pipe in 2012. Stay tuned!

I started a workout accountability group for writers on Facebook: Writers on the Move. Anyone can join. Even folks who have fallen off the workout wagon and are trying to get back on (like me).

I dropped a few tasks that were not integrated with everything else I do. It’s always hard to say no to people and invitations. But I had to on many occasions in 2011 in order to meet my goals. Does this mean I don’t like those folks or that I don’t care about them or support their work? Of course not. As you can see, I had a lot of commitments in 2011 with a lot more coming in 2012. I say yes to people all the time, but not every time. Busy moms have to learn to say no to what is no longer manageable, in order to say yes to the things what we’d like to manage.

Finally, I put on my publicity hat and worked with my publisher to make The Writer’s Workout a book readers could not refuse and so far, they love it! I created an attitude-adjusting inspirational poster to go with the book. I helped my publicist and editor package up this awesome, downloadable excerpt on Scribd. I created an online media page. I sent out review copies. I solicited blurbs and reviews of the book. I did a little launch-time blog tour. And I’ve invited book buyers to come participate in a FREE, one day “Flash Class” right here on Tuesday, January 10th. There is still a lot to do to get the word out, but I plan to enjoy every step of the process. Thanks for sharing your enthusiasm for the book, too!

Okay, I think that pretty much covers the highlights of my year. If I have overlooked anything, I apologize. And now it’s your turn, I hope!

Can you make a list like this with all of your most satisfying accomplishments from 2011?

If you do, I guarantee you will learn a ton, as I did, in the process. It’s also great to relive all of those satisfying moments from 2011.

After we have assessed what we’ve reaped, we can better see how we can sow better next time. Share your results on your blog or in your ezine, if you like. Or keep them private. It’s up to you.

Keep in mind how long you’ve been at it before you judge your results. As I said at the start, I’ve been working steadily for twelve years, not including the years I invested in college and graduate school education. Regardless of what or how much you have accomplished, I hope you will pat yourself on the back for all of your hard work in 2011.

2012 will be here soon! Now is the time to take a moment to feel grateful for the work that we have been privileged to enjoy in 2011.

Thank you, 2011!

And welcome, 2012!

~ Photo by BlueLily  Arlene

I’m so happy to be chillin’ and spending time with my little family having the simplest of Christmases.

I hope you are having the perfect kind of Christmas for you, whatever that means.

Here’s a beautiful song by a beautiful girl…

I love how the music seems to sing her rather than her singing the music. She obviously feels comfortable within this context.

I wish you the same experience in 2012. Let your song sing through you. Find the place where you can let that happen. And then allow your passion to steer you to the most joyous of expressions.

Peace. Love. Joy. Lots more of it in 2012.

You deserve it. I deserve it. We all deserve it.

Merry Christmas. Happy 2012!

This is a post about the ULTIMATE holiday gifts for writers.

If you could have anything for a holiday gifts this year, writer, what would it be?

I will be expanding this post over the course of December and I’ll take your suggestions into account.

I’m going to kick things off with a few choice tech items. And then we will proceed with more categories as people chime in.

Here we go!

Techno Gifts for Writers 2011

Kindle Fire

I’m not sure if I can justify an iPad when the Kindle Fire is so much more affordable and practical. What do you think of the Kindle Fire, Full Color 7″ Multi-touch Display, Wi-Fi? Anyone have one?

iPhone4S

I’m getting one of these bad boys as a holiday gift. Cannot wait for all of my apps to work again. I’m thinking I will get it in white. Do you have one? What do you think of it?

iPad

This is funny because normally I would just auto-default to the Apple product, but Kindle has me saying, “Not so fast!” I am undecided as to whether I would even want an iPad since I want a Kindle Fire and I have plenty of Mac computers, including a desktop and two laptops (not counting our older, half-defunct models). Plus I already have a bunch of Amazon ebooks on the Kindle I got for my birthday last year, which I was thinking of handing down to my daughter. Here is the Amazon page comparing the two. What do you think? I think I’m going to go Kindle Fire on this one…sorry, Apple.

iMac

I do not need a new computer right now, because we have plenty. But if I were to recommend one to a fellow writer, I think I’d recommend the MacBook Air. I have a MacBook Pro and the thing is darn heavy. It’s awesome. Just too heavy. So the whole lightweight concept should solve the problem. If you order I suggest an anti-glare screen, the larger size, and the three-year warranty.

iRobot Vacuum

I have this fantasy and it goes like this: I turn on the robot vacuum and leave the room and when I come back in ten minutes the whole room is swept. It’s all very George Jetson, but I could get into it. Just try me. Irobot Roomba 562 Pet Series Vacuum Cleaning Robot

Canon G12

I would like to be able to submit professional-quality photos with my work and have better photos on hand to use for blogging. I like Canon products and this camera has the features I want. It’s also is well-rated by users. Anyone tried it?

Brainstorming Tools for Writers 2011

So, before I launch into this list, let me set the record straight. There is one thing I won’t pay a lot for and that’s paper. Why? Well, for one thing my daughter the budding comic book artist has created a three-inch high stack of comic drafts since September—and those are just those that were good enough to keep. Between the two of us, and despite the hyper-digital age we are living in, the two of us consume quite a bit of paper.

My husband does his part burning through a three-subject notebook each month in order to sort out his thoughts and prepare for his school day. So with all the paper consumption going on around here, you can likely imagine why we like to have special tools for doodling around. Here are some of our favorite products:

Prismacolor Art Markers

These are my personal favorites for doodling. Before you say they are too expensive—they are sold at art supply stores, which often offer 40-50% off coupons on one item that is not on sale, especially at this time of year. These markers are rarely on sale, so they usually qualify for coupon discounts. Or you can buy them at Amazon and get them in the handy case, which is what I have.

Sharpies

My husband is a big Sharpie fan. I like to use black Sharpies to sign books because the ink doesn’t smudge or run. We have two kinds of Sharpies that we use most: fine tip and ultra-fine tip. You can even get them with two tips in one, like the Prismacolors. We usually get our Sharpies at Target or Fred Meyer or any other local store that carries them. I think their motto should be, “You can never own too many Sharpies.” A pack starts at about seven bucks and goes up to about fourteen bucks for fine point and about the same prices for an eight pack of ultra-fine points. But you can get 24 ultra-fines for only fifteen bucks here. I also like the calligraphy markers.

Pilot G2s

I buy these pens by the big multi-color pack at Costco and then buy handfulls of cartridge refill two-packs whenever I see them on sale in an office supply store. Even so, they all eventually disappear. I blame my nine-year-old, and also my husband because I use them until they break and then I toss the pieces.

Newsflash for editors: you can buy the red G2s by the dozen in red ink on Amazon. Okay, that is just the kind of thing that causes me to start geeking out. But what really makes me geek out is that you can do the exact same thing in PURPLE.

Costco does not show the big multi-pack in their online store, but they have good prices on refills. I prefer the fine G2 pens to the ultra-fine G2s because the ultra-fine is too scratchy-feeling for me. I don’t like my pen to scratch, I like it to roll, although this probably costs me in ink in the long run.

One Really Awesome Montblanc Pen

Have you ever had one? I had one once and I would like to have one again. First of all, I wonder if I would like signing books with it. Would the ink smudge? Would it roll better than my G2s? I would love to find out because these are not mere pens, people. These are “writing instruments.” Fancy. And it comes in WHITE so it could match my iPhone. Although it would cost four and a half times as much. But hey, this is the Ultimate Holiday Gift List for Writers so we are allowed to dream big.

JetMax Desktop Carousel

Okay, after all of this talk about pens, your mind might be spinning. But spin this desktop organizer instead. It used to be made by Making Memories but now it seems like it’s distributed by JetMax, so I’m not sure who created the product in the first place. The important part is, I love mine. I love sorting my pens in it once a year and having them stay organized for about, oh, three weeks. What does it matter? The sorter spins around, holds pens, highlighters, scissors, paperclips, erasers—you name it. So even an imperfectly organized person such as myself can feel kinda organized. This is another one of those products that is good to get at your local art supply store, like Michaels, with one of those 50% off coupons you can find in the Sunday paper or on their website. (And now that I’ve seen the photo of the embellishment center, I want that too. I hope they still make it!)

EverNote

Blogger Colleen Wainwright swears by EverNote software for organizing blog posts and other writing-related projects. I swear one of these days I’m going to try it. In fact, I just downloaded it onto my fast computer so I can give it a whirl (meanwhile I am always working on my slow computer because I still need to transfer everything over to my newer, faster computer which is not even new any longer).

But here’s the thing, I think my brain works just like EverNote for Mac, so does this mean I don’t need it? I’ll report back after I’ve gotten the hang of it. I have some projects in mind that I think it would be perfect for in the New Year.

One-of-a-kind Gifts For Writers 2011

A Trip To The Sylvia Beach Hotel

I was put up at The Sylvia Beach Hotel once when I gave a presentation for the Coast Branch of Willamette Writers.  I wrote about my delight in the place many moons ago back in my old blog. That was a fun trip to a rare and unique writer-centric destination. I hope, if you will be in the Newport, Oregon area, that you will put The Sylvia Beach Hotel on your radar, stop by, and stay a night or two.

A Writer’s Tribute Coffee Table

Hey, every writer should have a coffee table like this one. Rescued from the gutter and totally restored beyond its former glory with writerly inspiration. Check it out. This table is in the Portland area, Oregonians! (At least I think it is, unless it’s in Portland, Maine.) Perhaps it’s not everyone’s taste, but I liked the idea of it, and thought I could help it find a home.

Uneek “Author” and “Literary Character” Dolls

My husband found these adorable literary dolls online. Check out Debbie Ritter’s Collection of hand-crafted dolls, which come in many themes, including authors and literary characters. Here’s what Debbie has to say about her dolls: I personally create and design each tiny miniature from start to finish, including painting each tiny detail of their faces . I love the process of capturing the expression of what I think they are thinking, or what I think shows their personality!

View all Uneek Doll Designs here.

Stocking Stuffers For Writers

Gift Certificate for a Full Body Massage

In an informal poll of my Dream Team students, a full body massage was the most oft-mentioned treat. In fact, while writing this, I am fantasizing about getting a massage from one of my favorite masseuses at the Bonneville Hot Springs Resort & Spa. THIS is the kind of place the writer on your list would love a gift certificate to so he or she can soak her weary typing fingers, relax her busy brain, and melt into a puddle of relaxed goo. And now if you will excuse me, I have to go make a massage reservation…

Apple Wireless Keyboard

One of my Dream Team students uses this keyboard to type into…her iPhone. You heard me right. Why tote your whole laptop around or even your expensive iPad, when you could just carry this keyboard with your phone and still get tons of writing done while sitting in the carpool line or dashing out for a quick coffee?

Movies About Writers & The Writing Life on DVD

Is my husband listening? If I were to get a handful of my favorite movies about writers in my stocking this year, I would want: Midnight In Paris, Confessions of a Shopaholic, Julie & Julia, Freedom Writers (we have it), Under the Tuscan Sun, Riding in Cars with Boys, Isn’t She Great? (one of my faves!), Shakespeare in Love, Bullets Over Broadway, Henry & June, Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle, Sophie’s Choice, Rich and Famous, and The Way We Were. What would you pick?

A Weekend Writer’s Conference

If your Santa can swing a trip to New York City with the gift, I recommend the Writer’s Digest Writer’s Conference. Or Santa can select one in your neck of the woods even if it’s at a future date like, Willamette Writers, the Missouri Writer’s Guild Conference, The Chuckanut Writer’s Conference or Mad Anthony.

Something Your Writer Covets

Is it a new ring? A new pair of boots? A ski trip? A new camera lens? A new laptop (see above)? A mani-pedi? In my humble opinion, whatever your writer wants is exactly what she should get. After all, she works hard all year long, putting in long hours at the keyboard, staving off eye-strain and Carpal Tunnel. So if you really love her, the holidays are your chance to show just how much with the ultimate writer gift that fits your budget.

A Chance To Work With Me

You want to make your writer happy, right? Well, I can tell you from experience that a productive writer is a happy writer. Maybe all your writer really wants is the chance to take a class or join a Dream Team with me. Maybe she has read my old books, Writer Mama and Get Known, ordered my new book, and is ready to put all the things she has read to work. I have known of writers who have put my classes on their wish lists for years before finally letting themselves take one. If this describes your writer, you can make her very happy by telling her on Christmas morning to take her pick of classes or Dream Teams because you fully support her desire to develop her writing abilities. You might think this doesn’t sound very romantic, but trust me, sometimes it’s exactly what a mom is dying to hear.

What’s your ultimate writer gift this year, writers? Chime in!

This is my contribution to well-gifted writers this holiday season. Feel free to pass this list around.

Happy holidays, writers!

~ Photo by alancleaver_2000

I am feeling very blessed this holiday season. I am grateful for me. And I am grateful for you.

One lesson that I have learned in this long writing journey is that every single lesson counts. I am the person I have become because I learn from every opportunity and challenge.

I have had a couple of productive, prosperous years. I’ve funneled the best of my advice into more teaching tools in more formats than ever, which I make available for reasonable prices. I also share quite a bit of the best of what I have to offer for free, with more on the way soon.

I want to acknowledge ever person on my “appreciation list,” a habit I developed after noticing that novelist Jennie Shortridge had created a tradition on her website of thanking not just a select few but a wide variety of helpful folks in her career. I thought this was a brilliant idea, so I made it my own.

Thank you to every person on my appreciation list. Even if you are not on my list yet, thank you for being here now. Whether you helped me in a big way or in a little way, whether you helped me in many big ways or in many little ways, and even if you taught me a lesson I might have preferred to skip, I am grateful for every favor and lesson.

Happy holidays, writers. I hope you will take the time to honor what you have accomplished, honor what you have learned, and honor the folks who have helped you along the way.

I was commenting to my most advanced Dream Team students that there are several types of assistance that contemporary writers tend to need. I thought I’d share those ideas with you. Here they are:

A good editor (or several of them).

A good proofreader (or a readership that enjoys hunting down typos).

A graphic designer who gets you and can help you communicate what you offer.

An awesome agent, who is just an agent, and not twenty other things.

An e-book layout designer, who can bounce your quality content back to you in all available formats.

Tech/computer help/education, if you require it.

A bookkeeper and/or tax-prep help.

A flexible, supportive spouse or partner (whom you support back).

Children who create and engage in their own worlds/ideas. (You want them to grow up creative like you, right?).

Childcare providers (for children too young to create/engage in their own worlds).

Housecleaning/landscaping help if you can manage it. So you can do more of the fun stuff.

Publicist, Publicity coach or Publicity consultant/trainer (suggested by Porter Anderson)

I’m sure there are more I’m overlooking…more ideas?

In case you have not heard, every person who pre-orders my book between now and December 5th, will receive a pre-order bonus of some kind.

Over the summer, I offered the first fifty pre-orderers a chance to win a free one-hour platform power phone consult with me, which is regularly a $199 value, unless you are a former student, and then it’s half of that.

This month, if you pre-order, you will receive a complimentary copy of my e-book, Author Mama, How I Became A Published Author & How You Can Too (I shared the details of the offer yesterday in a blog post).

And so, without further ado, here are the three winners of the free one-hour Platform Power Phone Consult:

Zahie El Kouri

Sarah Lindsey

Angela Stevens

Thanks to everyone who participated in the drawing!

I sure do appreciate your support.