With Gratitude: Part Two (Also People to Watch & Learn From in 2010)

At the beginning of the month, I thanked the folks I’ve worked with on my three e-zines in 2009.

Today, I’d like to thank some of the people who are helping me point my career to a more expansive future.

These folks gave me an education in 2009. Their examples have opened my eyes and I’ve learned a ton from them. And for this education, which is still ongoing, I am grateful.

Jane Friedman: Next to my students and readers, Jane has probably been the most influential person in my writing career. She is the one who believed in me and my first book, Writer Mama, back in 2005, and continues to be a fountain of excellent, up-to-date insights about the publishing industry in our interactions and in her blog, There Are No Rules. I have had the privilege of witnessing her ascent at Writer’s Digest, where she has worked for over a decade, from acquisitions editor to Publisher & Editorial Director of the Writing Community. Without a doubt, add her blog to your reader.

Chris Brogan The first time I heard Chris Brogan speak during a tutorial at the 2009 Tools of Change Conference in NYC, I wasn’t sure what to think. His presentation contained a few gems but it was free-floating and seemed a bit off the cuff for my tastes. The next time I saw him speak in May at Book Expo America, however, his presentation was focused and clear with informative slides that allowed him a lot more room for being spontaneous and interacting with the audience. I have become a fan of Chris’ blog, where I feel like he provides insightful posts on topics I can relate to. And I like his newsletter even more, where he shares a more intimate take on his work life. Suffice it to say I think Chris Brogan is someone to watch and learn from in 2010. I know that I learned a lot from him in 2009.

Cory Doctorow In the spring of 2009, I interviewed Cory for Writer’s Digest Magazine. I also met him at Tools of Change, and I found practically every remark he made fascinating. He struck me as someone on a mission, who is completely comfortable being an advocate for what he believes in. I felt like a got to know Cory better as a writer in our interview and during my preparation for the interview. He is the one, more than anyone in 2009, who helped me shift my focus for 2010. For me, he exemplifies the writer who is living on the cusp of the traditional publishing industry and the dawning of the new popular publishing movement. If you are a published author looking for a role model of how to balance what has been and what will come, I suggest that you subscribe to Cory’s blog because he’s living it, writers. He’s living it.

Michael Hyatt Although my name is Christina, I am not a practicing Catholic. So it’s not the religious component that attracted me to Michael Hyatt’s blog. What attracted me were his blogging abilities. I love the way this guy blogs! Also he’s found a way to fuse his professional life, personal life, and leadership skills into a blog that, for me, provides the perfect example of work-life blend that many of us are already living. I find his transparency about his work/life balance extremely comforting. Check out his recent blog redesign. It’s pretty darn cool.

J.A. Konrath I identify so much with the advice that J.A. Konrath doles out in his blog that I feel like we may have been separated at birth (except maybe he is the horror/suspense writing twin and I am the nonfiction how-to twin). Actually, we look nothing a like and are not twins, though we did attend the same graduate school writing program at different times. As I appreciate Cory Doctorow, I appreciate J.A. Konrath. I think writers need writer-to-writer advice as much, if not more, than we need agent-to-writer or publisher-to-writer advice and a steady stream of it. If you want that kind of tell-it-like-it-is advice, I highly recommend J.A. Konrath’s blog, The Newbie’s Guide to Publishing.

Ali Edwards It’s tough to find an example of a woman blogger who is as true to her authentic self as Ali Edwards is to hers. I can’t think of another female blogger, who is as devoted to her blogging practice and readership, as Ali is. Or as natural and transparent about it as she is. I’ve been a long-time fan of Ali’s blog. And whenever I need a touchstone for how real women blog, I turn to her. I hope you will too, whether you like scrapbooking or not.

Seth Godin I’ll be a Seth Godin fan for life. Even though I don’t love every single one of his books. Why? Because when I decided it was time to build my first real website, all I needed to do was check every single one of his books out of the library and speed read them all. And in a matter of a couple of weeks (he’s written quite a few books), I had myself an education from a master. And you can too. Seth’s blog is simply called Seth’s blog.