So don’t let other people dictate your writing career directions.

Your best knowledge comes from trusting your instincts, even as you consult with helpful, caring others.

When I’m coaching a writer, all of my suggestions are encouragement to dig deeper and tap into the most professional, substantial vein a writer can identify based on what they have already done.

It’s the not the end of their platform story—it’s just the springboard to the next chapter of the story.

Your writing career is going to last a long time if you trust it.

But it’s not going to get off the ground if you hand your instincts over to…a fellow like this guy up there.

Happy Groundhog’s Day writers!

Write your own success story. Plan something you can succeed at tomorrow, today.

Welcome, February!

Have you noticed that the stores are going crazy, over-the-top with the Valentine’s Day stuff?

This photo was taken in my local Fred Meyer yesterday. My jaw dropped when I walked in the sliding doors.

Talk about leveraging love for money. Wow.

I approach the whole love and money scenario a little differently as a writer and writing career coach.

What you love is important. It’s what makes you you. It’s the reason you are not me or anyone else.

I’m more interested in the idea of creating from what you love and turning that into money rather spending money simply because you love. (That will take care of itself, in my experience.)

I was speaking with Phil Sexton, the publisher of Writer’s Digest, at the Writer’s Digest Conference in New York about how the two thoughts connect. If you are reading my new book, The Writer’s Workout, you know that it explores the intersection in depth and encourages writers to make and keep the connection.

I proposed that we launch a short writing contest based on the intersection of the two ideas. More info on that coming soon.

In the meantime, let’s get brainstorming. Love and money…do they connect for you in your writing career?

I’m offering TWO scholarships, one for each of the following classes that begin on Wednesday, February 22, 2012!

Each scholarship has a value of $275. (Pretty good, right?)

If you’d like to apply for a scholarship, you have to choose one. Please do not apply for both.

The first scholarship is for the newly updated Writing & Publishing The Short Stuff class.

The second scholarship is for the newly updated Discover Your Specialty & Launch Your Platform class.

Be sure to make it clear in the subject line which scholarship you have selected. I’ve listed the guidelines for each below. First WPSS and then DYS&LYP.

Best of luck!

[Begin WPSS Scholarship Info]

One full scholarship is granted each time the class is held. Please read this post  completely and double-check your application before submitting. The recipient will be announced on Monday, February 6th in this blog.

Please feel free to spread the word about the scholarship, even if you do not intend to apply. This is a full scholarship. The recipient commits to participating fully in the class and delivering all six assignments on time.

Please do not apply if you cannot make the commitment to participate in the class, which involves reading the weekly workbook, completing your assignments, and learning from your classmates work. (To learn about what you will get out of the class, please read the full class description.)

No additional time or special coaching is offered with the scholarship. It’s up to the scholarship recipient to make the most of the class.

Please note that this is a scholarship, not a giveaway. This scholarship is only for moms and is offered by class instructor, Christina Katz (that’s me).

One scholarship is available per WPSS class. The scholarship is not transferable if you fail to complete the class. The scholarship is also not transferable in the case of illness, family emergencies, a move, etc. If you have already paid for the class, you do not qualify for the scholarship. If you have already taken the class, you also do not qualify.

What is written in your application is private and your personal information will never be shared or sold beyond announcing the name of the recipient. The only way to qualify is to apply each time. No one else will view your application.

The application questions are below. Copy and paste them into a Microsoft Word document (to take the class you must be able to create and read Microsoft Word documents—no exceptions). Attach your application as a Word doc to your e-mail. Please answer each question concisely and completely.

Send your application to: “christina at christinakatz dot com” – this the only email address for the scholarship. If you do not receive the scholarship, save your application for future scholarships and re-apply. Always add in your most current publication credits, since they are important. Put “WPSS Scholarship Application” in the subject line.

The scholarship recipient will be chosen based on the following criteria: demonstrated effort, need, and enthusiasm. The most important consideration is demonstrated past effort, so please don’t skimp on details of your past writing efforts. Applications accepted from U.S. residents only at this time.

Please Note: The Writer Mama Scholarship is only for moms who legitimately cannot afford class tuition for whatever reason. So if you work at home, earn money, receive money, or your spouse or partner earns enough money for you to afford the class, please expect to regular pay  price. My classes are kept affordable specifically so moms can afford them!

To register for the class as a non-scholarship candidate, please visit the registration page. Space in the class is limited.

Here’s the application:

[Copy and paste the following application form into a Word doc >>>]

Name

Address

Email

Phone

Have you read the book, Writer Mama?

How long have you been reading my blog(s)?

What version of Microsoft Word software are you currently using?

Have you applied for The Writer Mama Scholarship before?

Write a short paragraph in response to the following questions:

1. Please write one short paragraph about why you want to take the class, Writing and Publishing the Short Stuff.
2. Please list by publication name and date only, any publication credits you’ve accumulated thus far. Briefly list any other experience you think is relevant.
3. Please briefly state why you are unable to afford the tuition for the class at this time (see note below).

[<<<Stop copying this application form]

Thanks for applying for The Writer Mama Scholarship!

[End WPSS Scholarship Info]

[Begin DYS-LYP Scholarship info]

[End DYS-LYP Scholarship info]

Look forward to announcing the scholarship recipients on Monday, February 6th!

I train writers to stretch beyond their comfort zones and grow their writing careers.

I train writers to focus on opportunities that earn and that will likely keep earning.

I train writers to focus on targets they can hit and to hit them over and over while they build up to targets they might not hit as often or as cleanly.

I teach classes on topics that have proven through much trial and improvement to be the most helpful and prosperous to writers.

Upcoming classes I am teaching to writers all over the country include these two six-week email classes turn around on Wednesdays:

• Writing & Publishing the Short Stuff, Especially For Moms LINK
  
• Discover Your Specialty & Launch Your Platform LINK
  

And these two six-week classes that turn around on Thursdays:

• Pitching Practice: Write Six Queries In Six Weeks LINK
  
• 60 Ways To Flex Your Content & Prosper In Your Niche LINK
  

My classes were recently updated and improved. They will updated and improved again over the summer of 2012. Therefore February and April are your last two chances to take these classes at these prices.

In a moment, I am going post the scholarship application to the following two classes:

• Writing & Publishing the Short Stuff, Especially For Moms LINK
  
• Discover Your Specialty & Launch Your Platform LINK
  

I was going to teach Micro-publishing for Mom Writers in February and 60 Ways to Flex Your Content in April, but I’ve flipped the order, so now 60 Ways starts in February and Micro-pub starts in April. Sorry for any inconvenience this change may have caused.

Happy writing. I hope to work with you!

Yes, it’s never been a better time to be a writer. I keep saying this and so do others. We all seem to agree on this point, however, there has likely also never been a more challenging time to be writer because of the spectrum of choices available to writers on a daily basis.

From the perspective of the writer, which seems to often take a backseat to the points of view of publishers and pundits, writing career growth is on a spectrum. It’s on a spectrum from the moment you start trying to sell your work when you begin to see how many possible targets you have for your best writing.

• Writing exists on a spectrum of lengths (from a tip to a magnum opus).
• Publishing options exist on a spectrum of options (from self-published to big six).
• Partnering options are also on a spectrum (from indie and unagented to traditional and agented).

Just because you are traditionally published and agented, does not mean that you can’t also make the most of micro-publishing opportunities. And just because you are not agented, does not mean that you can’t also make the most of micro-publishing opportunities.

Increasingly publishers agree. They won’t turn down work just because it has already been published.

So what are you waiting for, writers? I’ve been telling you to produce your own careers for seven years. Barry Eisler calls it be the CEO. I don’t care what you call it. I just care that you step up to the podium and start orchestrating your own success because no one else is going to do it for you. There are no more good reasons not to write your best work and get it out there in multiple formats.

I know it’s a bit overwhelming because there are so many choices at any one given moment. I wrote The Writer’s Workout to aide writers during these tricky times (Amazon link). It’s a great tool to help you get focused and stay focused on your journey.

The thrust of the four season sections are listed below:

• Spring: Find your writing  momentum
• Summer: Sell your words
• Fall: Work your platform dynamic
• Winter: Build a body of work and a life-long career

I have said that indie publishing is dead. Indie publishing isn’t dead because it’s no longer an option. What’s dead is the idea that you have to choose us or them–indie or traditional. Every writer is a publisher now, and once we all accept that, likely by the end of 2012, we won’t need the distinction between the indies and the traditionals any longer. Every writer will be an author. Every author will be a publisher, even if they are also traditionally published.

There will be a spectrum of choices at every decision-making juncture. That’s what we are seeing in the news with best-selling authors already. And perhaps that’s how it should be.

Thoughts? Comments? Objections?

~ Photo, revolution, by Peej’s Photos

I’ve never been a person who gathers up things that are “fun” and puts them in a blog post.

But now I’m wondering, why not? There is so much positive to partake of right before our eyes on a regular basis. Isn’t some of it blog-worthy?

Let’s try it for a few weeks and see. Cuz that’s how I roll.

Who Needs a Good Laugh?

Let’s start with the artistically absurd. Want to see what my husband and daughter were watching on the Internet while I was in NYC last weekend? It’s a show performed in 1996 that merges Star Wars and Les Miserables.

The fun part, for my family, is that my husband is a big SW fan and he produced Les Mis at Wilsonville High School last year. Our daughter, Samantha, played one of several Little Cosettes. She was singing this in the backseat of the car when they picked me up at the airport. If you watch long enough you will see Han Solo singing a tune to “Greased Lightning,” as well!

P.S. If you are drinking something, you might want to take pause because this is pretty funny. At least, it cracked me up.

Celebrate People Who Are Thoughtful & Kind

Something caught my eye on Twitter a week or so before the Writer’s Digest Conference. The fine folks at WD were buzzing that the somewhat controversial Mr. Barry Eisler would be speaking at the conference. Someone in the ethers piped up and said, “And Christina Katz will be there too, right?” And that just made my day. I have nothing against Barry Eisler, of course. As it turns out, he may ruffle feathers online and in the news, but in person he is completely unassuming and friendly.

But back to the guy who wanted to make sure I was still coming. Turns out his name is Karl Sprague and you can learn all about him in his blog. I appreciated that Karl posted this poem by James Michener on his “about” page.

Karl says, I strive to be what James Michener described as a “Master in the Art of Living.”

Master in the Art of Living

A master in the art of living

draws no sharp distinction

between his work and his play,

his labor and his leisure,

his mind and his body,

his education and his recreation.

He hardly knows which is which.

He simply pursues his vision

of excellence through whatever

he is doing and leaves

others to determine

whether he is working or playing.

To himself, he always seems

to be doing both.

-       James A. Michener
I think you can learn a lot about a person quickly by noticing what they appreciate. In this case, I think we can learn a lot about what Karl is all about because he is so generous in sharing his appreciation. I guess what I’m trying to say is, if you want people to get to know you and enjoy knowing you, share a little more with us about what you appreciate and we’ll pay closer attention.

Make Good Things Happen

Okay, forget “fun” for a sec. I knew there was one more point I wanted to make at the end of my talk on Micro-publishing at the Writer’s Digest Conference. And this is it. Bottom line is this: you are either one of us: a person who makes good things happen. Or you are one of the others: a draining, whining, what-have-you-done-for-me-lately energy vampire.

Now, obviously, it’s not nearly this black and white. But honestly, sometimes, for me, it is. I can spot a person who has decided that I owe them a favor a mile away. I can see them coming at me before they are even coming at me. This is probably because I could not always tell and have been duped several times. I was so busy being generous with absolutely everyone that I was not using good discretion. My bad. I had to go back and analyze the difference between genuinely delightful people and those who put on that front so they can advance their own agenda. And I get it now. I’m not likely to forget either. (I have a lot to say on the topic of practicing good professional boundaries in The Writer’s Workout, specifically chapters 115, 297, 334 and 359.)

So, back to Karl’s blog. I love this post Karl wrote about his experience from the 2011 Writer’s Digest Conference where he describes in detail, nay, even analyzes the friendly leadership qualities of a person he’d met at the conference. That person is George Davis. I’d noticed him online as a positive force to be reckoned with last year and I was not even at the conference. I didn’t get to spend much time with George this year. But that’s not the point. I can tell that he and Karl and Barry are going to go far. Why? Because they are people who make good things happen. And if you focus on nothing else in your writing career, making good things happen would be enough. Because it all comes around eventually. And those who give the most good, reap the greatest rewards, each and every day.

Happy weekend, everyone!

Your author platform is as totally unique as this snowflake.

This is a special offer I made to my newsletter subscribers earlier this month and now I’m making it available to all, but only until January 31st.

You don’t need to spend a small fortune to cultivate your author platform, but you do need to think like an author. An author is the composer of a literary work or works, and platform development can and should begin long before a writer is ready for authorhood.

Most writers who are producing regular writing are ready to start thinking about their platforms. But often writers don’t realize that platform development is just as creative and synergistic as writing itself. In other words, you can enjoy creating, developing, and expanding your platform, just as much as you enjoy the rest of your writing career. In the long run, no two author platforms look alike.

I am all about teaching writers to understand their strengths and put them at the center of their writing careers. I teach writers how to discover their strengths and let their strengths lead. This dramatically simplifies the platform development process and puts you, the writer, in charge of the platform growth process.

Don’t give your writing career away. There are no funnels, no systems, no formulas involved in the way I teach platform. The way I teach platform it begins and ends with you. You don’t need me to have a successful platform…you need you.

The Build Your Author Platform Workbook was featured as a self-study course in the September 2011 Build Your Platform Premium Kit from Writer’s Digest, so you know it’s high quality. On January 1st the right to the material reverted back to me.

Now I can offer this 8-week workbook to you for only $29.99. The price will return to $39.99 on February 1st, so order now!

Learn more about the Build Your Author Platform Workbook here.

(Oops! The button was not working but all fixed now.)

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 have a chapter in my new book, The Writer’s Workout, on permission marketing. It’s chapter 198 and it’s called, “Get Permission.”

I also discuss permission marketing in chapter 217, “Safeguard Your Rolodex.”

The other day, a gal I vaguely know popped on over to my page and posted her book promotion with a message to me to tell all my friends about it.

Now, this happens once in a while. Here’s how I usually deal with it: first I delete the post and then I unfriend the person.

I don’t take it personally, I just feel like my wall is my space and other people should not be treating it like it’s theirs.

But I didn’t do that this time. I’ve bought this person’s annual ebook a couple times, so instead, I just let her know I didn’t like it.

Bad idea. I should have stuck with my first policy.

She let me know in no uncertain terms that it was my fault she had posted on my wall because I had not turned my wall off.

I was like, You’re kidding me, right?

It got worse. I said I disagreed. She said these were the Facebook rules and anyone who had been online as long as she had knows what all the rules are.

I said what did I know, it’s not like I’m a expert on the topic or anything.

She let me know that everyone knows that book publication doesn’t make anyone an expert on anything.

At that point, I just gave up. She clearly didn’t care about our relationship—and I should have realized that from the moment she posted her promotional materials on my wall.

Which brings me back to my original policy, which is, if you post your stuff on my wall, I will quietly take it down and then unfriend you.

It’s not personal, it’s just my space, my rules, and a place where I treat people with respect and expect to be treated with respect.

When someone comes along with a different agenda, they kind of stand out.

I know I don’t have to DO anything. I can just let people do what people do.

But it’s my space. I’ll decide what I can live with and what is just annoying. I’ll also decide whose work I recommend and whose work I won’t recommend.

Do you think I will be recommending her work?

I don’t think so.

So much of recommendations are determined by whether or not people use good permission marketing or not.

If you have a copy of The Writer’s Workout, please read chapter 198 and then pick up a copy of Seth Godin’s book, Permission Marketing. I don’t enjoy kicking people out of my space. And I really don’t want it to happen again.

A lot of people have not read Seth’s work. They don’t understand basic permission marketing concepts, and if they are going to write and sell books, they really should.

You do, right?

Write, sell, learn, specialize, self-promote, micro-invest in your writing career, and succeed. In other words: produce your own success. That’s what I teach no matter where I go, what I do, and what I have to say. I have have had several new posts and buzz around the extended writing community lately…

Commit To Micro-publishing Something in 2012

This is one of the best posts I’ve written in a while on the topic of writers and micro-publishing, so if you are a fan, you don’t want to miss it. My guest post Stop, Drop & Micro-Publish appeared over at the blog of the #amwriting community. Feel free to learn more about the #amwriting community and the person who started it, Johanna Harness.

Gear Up for 2012: Invest In A One-day Writing Conference

What better way to kick off 2012 than with an intimate, educational, and inspirational writing conference. And for a bargain price, too! You may have heard that I am the keynote speaker at this upcoming mini-conference in Portland, Oregon: Making It In Tough & Changing Times. Veteran author and writing teacher, Jessica Morrell, did a fine interview with me for her blog about my writing life. Check out the other folks teaching. I can promise you that a great time is going to be had by those who attend.

Hope to See You at the Next Northwest Author Series, Featuring Karen Karbo!

Karen Karbo is our speaker at the upcoming Northwest Author Series in Wilsonville, Oregon on Sunday, January 29th. Her topic is close to my heart. It’s Passions Into Paychecks: Make A Living Without A Brand. I noticed that she had a cool profile of how she works in the Oregonian. Take a peek to learn a bit more about her. Hope to see you at the Wilsonville Public Library at 3:30 pm on Sunday, January 29th. We’ll be giving away a couple of Karen’s books at door prizes!

Join Willamette Writers, You’ll Thank Me Next Year

I am a columnist for The Willamette Writer’s Newsletter, which is free for members. So…are you a member? No? Then you can’t read my column, which is a darn shame if you ask me. So, why not do one more thing to get your 2012 off to a great start and join. Check out all the awesome benefits and then get your credit card out and join. Members will get a nice discount off this year’s conference. Hope to see you there!