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Gifts For Yourself or Others By Christina Katz

It’s the holidays season, all right!

And whether you are buying gifts for under the tree or after the tree, you can find a nice assortment of gifts for writers right here.

Under The Tree

Writer Mama, How To Raise A Writing Career Alongside Your Kids Purchase

Get Known Before the Book Deal, Use Your Personal Strengths To Grow An Author Platform Purchase

The Writer’s Workout, 366 Tips, Tasks & Techniques From Your Writing Career Coach Purchase

After The Tree

Write For Regional Parenting Magazines For Fun & Profit Purchase

Discover Your Platform Potential, A Get Known Companion Workbook Purchase

Permission Granted: 45 Reasons To Micro-publish Purchase

Get Writing Every Day!

21 Moments Monthly Writing Challenge: Round One Register

21 Moments Monthly Writing Challenge: Round Two Register

21 Moments Monthly Writing Challenge: Round Three Register

21 Moments Monthly Writing Challenge: Round Four Register

21 Moments Monthly Writing Challenge: Round Five Register

Build Your Platform!

Platform Bingo With Christina Katz: Level One Register

Platform Bingo With Christina Katz: Level Two Register

Platform Bingo With Christina Katz: Level Three Register

~ Photo by colemama

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Quote 7: Permission Granted, 45 Reasons To Micro-publish

You know what’s cool about being an author today?

Seeing your work appear all over the globe. That’s what.

I feel so grateful to live in such technologically advanced times.

Does anyone remember when the Internet didn’t even exist yet?

Yeah. Me neither!

Check out Permission Granted rolling out around the globe, like this sales page in the German iBookstore.

Best time, ever, to be a writer.

You’d better believe it!

Here’s another quote from Permission Granted:

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Kerry Mazengia!

I look forward to working with you in Writing & Publishing The Short Stuff, which starts in just a few short weeks on Wednesday, January 22nd.

Thanks to EVERYONE who applied! Choosing scholarship recipients is  extremely difficult because I always receive many applications from worthy writers. And it never gets any easier.

Subscribe to The Prosperous Writer e-zine for all the details on future offers.

I will be offering one scholarship for each Writing & Publishing the Short Stuff class session next year. That’s five scholarships total.

If you have not checked out my classes, you can learn more on the “Register” page. I am still accepting students for the January 22nd Writing & Publishing the Short Stuff class. But, hurry, because space is limited.

If you are interested but cannot afford the class at this time, keep in mind that Paypal offers interest-free financing for folks who pay in full within six months. That’s a great deal!

If you plan to apply for the scholarship again, I strongly suggest reading and applying the suggestions in my newest e-book, Write For Regional Parenting Publications For Fun & Profit, which is now available in every digital format under the sun. Learn more here.

Congratulations again, Kerry. I look forward to working with you.

Next chance to apply is for the March 2014 class. Stay tuned for details!

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Quote 6: Permission Granted, 45 Reasons To Micro-publish

Yesterday, I participated in a podcast hosted by Winning Edits founder Matt Gartland with Jane Friedman and Wayne Ude.

Often we were talking about MFA programs, but really we were talking about writing careers in general.

During the entire panel, I felt like I was struggling to articulate something but I couldn’t quite say it.

Then finally at the end of the panel, I got it.

And here it is.

We have to stop teaching writers how to be writers and start teaching them how to be publishers.

I have been doing this for over two years with writers and the results are exciting and are about to become amazing.

The question is not merely are you a writer first or a business-person first?

The question is, why aren’t you a publisher?

And if you are not a publisher yet, then why aren’t you working on it, at least?

Naturally, it takes a lot of skill acquisition to become a publisher. If you can’t write well, please don’t become a publisher unless you are publishing those who can write well.

But for authors, the choice seems clear to me. Become a publisher as soon as possible. You owe it to yourself, to your readers, and to your legacy.

And if you have doubts, please pick up my book, Permission Granted, 45 Reasons To Micro-publish, which will start rolling out in all digital formats next week.

Sorry it has taken so long to get into digital formats and thanks for your continued patience. There were some hiccups with the digital formatting that needed to be addressed.

Of all of the folks who should be micro-publishing, traditional authors with successful books are at the top of the list.

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Register Now For Writing & Publishing The Short Stuff

Writing short and tight is the future, folks. And in this spirit, on January 22nd my newly updated Writing & Publishing The Short Stuff class will launch once again!

I have been teaching this six-week e-mail course for over seven years and the moms who have taken it consistently rave about what they learn from it.

But anything worth doing is worth improving, right? So I will be upgrading the class to a Deluxe Version in 2014. The course will include an audio pep talks from me that addresses typical weak spots I have been noticed over the years. It will also include more worksheets and brainstorming tools that break complex steps down into fun, manageable processes for busy writers.

And keep your eyes peeled, because I will be  upgrading all of my classes in 2014 including 60 Ways To Flex Your Content & Prosper In Your Niche, Discover Your Specialty & Launch Your Platform, Pitching Practice, Write Six Queries In Six Weeks, and Become Your Own Imprint, For Serial Micro-publishers.

My micro-publishing class has been broken out into two classes, because more time and intensive learning have proven to be necessary for writers to learn these critical techniques that will help them prosper for the rest of their lives. So now the class is offered as Micro-publishing Part One: Position & Write Your Micro-pub and Micro-publishing Part Two: Edit & Launch Your Micro-pub.

There is a reason I have prerequisites for my classes, and that is because the skills that are needed for writing career success build on each other. For example, you can’t write a micro-pub well, if you can’t write a nonfiction article or an essay well. And most of the writers I work with like to write things themselves; they don’t hire that part out. Naturally this requires skill acquisition and practice, but who says practicing has to be dull or repetitious?

There is only one way to learn and that’s by doing. Lucky for me, I attract a very high-level of commitment and effort in my students, so when you work with me, you’ll be working alongside, highly motivated, eager to learn writers, who enjoy learning and growing.

And the best part is my classes are designed for you to succeed more in your career after the completion of each class. I don’t teach any classes that do not have a specific career-building purpose, so you should see your success rate go up once you start consistently applying what you’ve learned from any class.

If you need help with accountability once classes are over, I can help with this, too, because I offer four levels of Dream Teams. But first thing first. If you want to work with me, it all starts with one six-week class, and that class is Writing & Publishing The Short Stuff.

Writers who have taken this class and who have stuck progressed through my other classes and Dream Teams over the course of several years, are now making a variety of types of income as writers, without sacrificing personal fulfillment and integrity.

In my classes, the focus is on writing and writing career growth, so, if you want to be joyful, prolific, and prosperous with your writing career, then I hope to work with you in 2014!

Here’s what recent students have said about their WPSS experience:

Even though I already have longer work being published, this class opened up a whole other market that I didn’t know how to get myself into. Christina introduced me to a world of publishing opportunities that I never new existed. The regional pub market is enormous! Who knew?  ~ Rachel A.

Taking this class really helped me jump start my writing. I developed a regular routine of writing and with the helpful tips and advice offered by Christina, I’m hopeful getting published is right around the corner!  ~ Colleen R.

I had no idea how unrealistic my expectations were about getting published, and learning how to write short pieces and how to propose them to editors was invaluable. This class kicked my butt and was just what I needed to move my writing career forward.  ~ Sarah B.

The WPSS class motivated me to take the next step in my writing career.  Christina made me believe that success is possible; I just have to go get it.  ~ Janine Q.

I read Writer Mama and I loved the book. However, I found being able to get direct feedback from Christina, helped me take what I learned in the book to a new level. In addition, because the course had deadlines, it helped me push past my procrastination tendencies. I was able to discover that if I do small steady chunks of work I can produce a good article. ~ Karen R.

I learned so much from Christina.  I loved working alongside other writer mamas and pushing myself to become a more focused, disciplined writer.  I really feel like I have taken a solid first step, after completing this class. ~ Ruth H.

This was a great class.  It forces you to sit down and write and by the end you have several articles ready to submit, along with instructions on the submission process.  ~ Emily K.

A great class to learn about and practice specific types of non-fiction writing. Feedback was helpful and presented in a positive manner.  ~ Yvonne S.


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Roundup Of My Best Gifts For Writers Posts

Here’s a recap of great gifts for writers posts from recent years…which means I’m warming up for a new one!

31 Small Holiday Indulgences For Writers

Think Big Holiday Gift List For Prosperous Writers

Turn Your Gift Cards Into Writing Career Investments

Gifts For Writers Roundup of Links

The Writer Mama’s 2009 Holiday Gifts for Writers List

10 Ways To Shop For Writer Mamas (Holiday 2012 Post)

11 Gift Books (Holiday 2010 Post)

12 Books for Writers (Holiday 2010 Post)

Ultimate Holiday Gifts for Writers 2011

Gift This: Outstanding Ebooks As Gifts

Other cool holiday gifts for writers posts I’ve seen recently:

18 Holiday Gifts From Meghan Ward

Susan Kaye Quinn’s Blog

10 Great Holiday Gifts For Writers from the MarketCopyWriter blog

PJ Hoover’s Gift Ideas

Holiday Gift Guide from The Mom Writes

Holiday Gift Ideas for Young Writers from Writers Inspired

Happy holidays, writers!

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More Of My Published Regional Parenting Magazine Articles

Ho-ho-ho, it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here! And, believe it or not, Hanukkah is already over.

I have to admit, I am sad about the latter. I actually prefer when Hanukkah and Christmas go hand-in-hand. That’s why I wrote one of my latest articles, “Ho-Ho Hanukkah, Balancing Hanukkah and Christmas Celebrations,” and it appeared in many publications around North America this holiday season.

The truth is personal-experience based writing sells. It sold in the past and it still sells today, when you know how to write and pitch it in a professional manner.

Another personal experience piece I wrote this fall was, “13 Reasons Our Tween Does Not Have A Cell Phone Yet.” My husband and I are fairly tech-savvy. So why doesn’t our daughter have that much-coveted smartphone? Read the article to find out!

I love the holidays. I’m a December baby and the whole period from Thanksgiving to the New Year is hand’s-down my favorite time of year. But it is sometimes hard to maintain that holy-day feeling in the hustle and bustle of the holidays. That’s why I wrote “21 Ways To Keep The Hush In Your Holiday Rush” several years ago. And, I imagine, that’s why it’s still getting published today.

Burnout is pretty common among parents this time of year, especially among moms, and this is probably why “Moving Beyond Mommy Burnout, Ways To Recharge In Only 20 Minute” is still a steady seller for me.

And finally, ’tis the season of generosity, at least we work on this as a family value in our house. So, I’m very happy to see my article, “The Compassion Cure: Let Your Kids Catch You Being Generous,” has been popular this holiday season.

If you are interested in turning some of your values, traditions, and points of view into personal experience articles that sell, please check out my Writing & Publishing The Short Stuff class. I am offering a scholarship for the January 22nd class right now.

When I write about topics that are meaningful to me and share them with the world, I feel like I not only have something to offer, I feel like I am putting what I have to offer to good use in the world.

Join me in 2014, if you are interested in exploring your writing interests, too!

Happy holidays! I hope yours are merry and bright.

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What’s A Cliché? Overused Words To Avoid In Your Writing

This post is excerpted from The Writer’s Workout, my third book from Writer’s Digest Books…you can learn more about it and all my helpful writing books right here.

Substitute “damn” every time you’re inclined to write “very”; Your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.  ~ Mark Twain

Avoid overused words that have achieved cliché status. Thanks to the increased speed of communication, it seems like a word can hit the cliché zenith overnight these days.

I like Sam Horn’s advice for how to handle clichés. In POP, Stand Out in Any Crowd, she says, “Substituting something unexpected for something expected startles people out of autopilot mode and pleasantly surprises them with your originality.”

Here is an assortment of tired words writers and editors shared with me that desperately need to be replaced with fresher ideas, plus a few words I’m weary of myself:

• Trust
• Wince
• Brand
• Wonderful
• Tribe
• Amazing
• Platform
• Leverage
• Connect
• Empower
• Human
• Intersect
• Funnel
• Authentic
• Gazed
• Lucid
• Literally
• Balance
• Peace
• Really
• So
• Like
• Soul
• Seriously
• Impacted
• Signage
• Gifted
• Journey
• Exactly
• Synergy
• Awesome
• Heaving
• Resonate
• Curate
• Actually
• Alternative
• Whatever
• Unique
• Very
• Issue

Of course, clichéd doesn’t merely apply to overused words. As author Scott Edelstein points out, “A cliché is anything trite and overused. Clichés are usually phrases (Look out for number one or It’s your funeral). But they can also be images (a cheery soda jerk with a pointed white hat; a cat pawing at a ball of yarn), ideas (war is hell; Californians are laid-back), or even whole scenes (the soldier comes home from the war; the lovers wake up to a magnificent sunrise).”

Pay attention to words that habitually end up on your editing room floor. If you can discover what they are, you are halfway toward swearing off of them. And if you can’t train them out of your pen, at least you’ll get faster at plucking them out later.

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2014 Writing Career Booster Rockets From Christina Katz

Work with me in 2014, if you want to…

  • Move through inertia or self-doubt
  • Increase your writing productivity
  • Feel more technically confident about your writing
  • Go from unknown to known
  • Get paid to get published
  • Show others you can turn your writing dream into a reality
  • Prove to yourself that you can strive and make solid progress

I offer writing and platform challenges, classes, and Dream Teams, and registration for 2014 is open now.

Learn more about:

The 21 Moments Writing Challenge

Platform Bingo

Classes with Christina Katz

Dream Teams with Christina Katz

I go out of my way to offer options that fit every budget. The longer you work with me, and the more you advance through my offerings, the more time we spend working together.

And, if you qualify, don’t forget to apply for The Writer Mama Scholarship! The deadline is Sunday, December 15th.

I hope to work with you and help you realize your writing career goals in 2014! Please contact me via e-mail if you have any questions or concerns.

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Publishing 3.0: Want To Understand The Business Of Books?

Then tune in to the AuthorMBA Podcast, hosted by Matt Garland, available starting December 20th on iTunes.

I will be part of a panel on Publishing 3.0 with the illustrious Jane Friedman of VQR and Scratch Magazine and Wayne Ude, director of the Whidbey Writers Workshop MFA.

About the episode:

This is a special edition of the AuthorMBA podcast made possible by Yi Shun Lai of the Whidbey Master of Fine Arts program at the Northwest Institute of Literary Arts. We will discuss questions on subjects like:

Which skills are more foundational and predictive of a successful writing career: creative/literary skills or business skills?

Which apprenticeship opportunities and/or side projects are advisable to would-be writers who desire to make a go at a full-on writing career?

What are the pros/cons of the three primary publishing options: traditional, assisted, and self?

Answers to these questions and more! Hope you can listen. I’ll share the direct link to the podcast once it is available, so stay tuned!

About the show:

AuthorMBA features conversations with today’s brightest authors and publishing thought leaders who excel at the business of books.

Conversations feature insights into successful business models, revenue streams, publishing strategies, marketing know-how, author platform must-haves, content essentials, career decisions, and more.

To thrive in the new book economy, today’s most successful authors think like an entrepreneur and treat their books like a business. AuthorMBA is precisely that: business school for authors.

About the panelists:

Jane Friedman has spent more than 15 years in the media industry as an editor, publisher, and professor. Currently she serves as the web editor of the Virginia Quarterly Review (VQR), based at the University of Virginia, where she also teaches digital publishing and online writing. Her newest digital media initiative is Scratch magazine, a quarterly publication for writers, all about the intersection of writing and money.

Christina Katz teaches writing career success strategies that work even in a rapidly evolving publishing marketplace to writers who want ownership of their careers. Thousands of writers have learned how to build solid, saleable, life-long career skills via her classes, training groups, talks, books, and coaching. Learn more at ChristinaKatz.com.

Wayne Ude holds an MFA from UMass-Amherst and a Masters of Non-Profit Leadership from Seattle U. After 17 years of teaching and directing writing programs at universities, he moved in 1993 onto six acres of woods on Whidbey Island, Washington. He’s the founding director for the Northwest Institute of Literary Arts low-residency MFA Program.

Matt Garland is an editor, writer, and strategist. He’s the founder of WinningEdits.com. Matt specializes in digital content development at the nexus of web technologies, business thinking, editorial strategy, storytelling, and modern publishing. When he’s not gazing into a computer, Matt chases his imagination into a good book or travel adventure.

Hope you can join us!

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