Podcast appearances and mentions of dan blank

In this episode of the Self-Publishing with ALLi podcast, host Dale L. Roberts chats with branding expert Dan Blank about building authentic connections, balancing creativity with marketing, and the key role of branding in an author's success. Dan shares tips on audience growth, cost-effective strategies, avoiding pitfalls, and staying true to your voice while adapting to trends. Sponsor This podcast is proudly sponsored by Bookvault. Sell high-quality, print-on-demand books directly to readers worldwide and earn maximum royalties selling directly. Automate fulfillment and create stunning special editions with BookvaultBespoke. Visit Bookvault.app today for an instant quote. About the Host Dale L. Roberts is a self-publishing advocate, award-winning author, and video content creator. Dale's inherent passion for life fuels his self-publishing advocacy both in print and online. After publishing over 50 titles and becoming an international bestselling author on Amazon, Dale started his YouTube channel, Self-Publishing with Dale. Selected by Feedspot and LA Weekly as one of the best sources in self-publishing of 2022, Dale cemented his position as the indie-author community's go-to authority. You can find Dale on his website or YouTube. About the Guest Dan Blank is the founder of WeGrow Media and helps writers develop a human-centered approach to marketing and reaching their readers. He believes writers have a unique ability to create stories that inspire and connect people. For over a decade, he has worked full-time with thousands of writers and creators, helping them build meaningful connections with their audiences.

Are you considering doing a writers' retreat this year? Whether you want to create your own, find something far-flung and exotic, or consider the writing retreat's bigger cousin, the writers' conference, this episode gives insights, definitions, and parameters for retreating. Guests Ellen Sussman and Connie Hale are both writing retreat leaders who share about their own programs and so much more. There are a lot of resources in this episode, so we're offering these URLs for you to explore more: • Artist Communities Alliance Network • Sonoma County Writers Camp • Oahu Writers Retreat On Substackin' this week, we salute our friend and colleague, Dan Blank, for the great and encouraging work he's doing at The Creative Shift, and point you to his Substack. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dan Blank didn't plan to be a soccer coach or a best-selling author. But after stumbling into coaching almost by accident, Blank began thinking about how written resources could help coaches and players, alike, play the game of soccer with a bit more acumen. In 2012, when self-publishing had become more common, Blanks wrote and published Soccer IQ: Things That Smart Players Do. Sales were initially modest, but some well placed promotion launched Soccer IQ onto the bestsellers list and made it one of the most purchased soccer books in America. Blank's title underscored a growing wave of both soccer literature as well as the beginning of other self-published resources about the game, such as training courses and videos. With an abundance of information available for Americans to access and consume, there were new ways to get smart and catch up on a game historically more accessible in other countries. Blank joined Founding Futbol to talk about how he came to write Soccer IQ, discuss some of his other titles, and more. Founding Futbol is a year-long exploration of the critical moments that have led to soccer's emerging popularity in America. Visit our website for more information: ⁠⁠FoundingFutbol.com. Email us at kent@foundingfutbol.com. Subscribe to Founding Futbol on your platform of choice. Host: Kent Malmros Guest: Dan Blank (Head Women's Soccer Coach, The College of New Jersey) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Dare to Dad, hosts Dr. Lester Clowes and Dr. Bobo Blankson interview Coach Ian Stover. Ian has spent more than 20 years coaching soccer and goalkeepers across all levels of the sport. They discuss the impact of parental pressure on young athletes and emphasize the importance of ensuring that sports remain fun for children. They delve into the evolution of youth sports, the role of parents, and how to choose the right coach. Coach Ian shares his insights on balancing being a dad and a coach, and the significance of allowing children to define their own sports journey. The episode also explores gender differences in sports and offers advice for parents whose children aren't top-tier athletes. Link to Dan Blank's Amazon Author Page - The soccer author mentioned during the show. If you received value from today's episode, then please follow our show and leave us a 5-star review. It's a tremendous help in our show getting discovered by other Dads out there that need to hear these conversations. Also, we're ramping up our efforts to get our message out to other platforms. Here's a list of them below, and we'd love your support if you're already browsing these spaces. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@daretodadpodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/daretodadpodcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daretodadpodcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@daretodadpodcast TIME STAMPS 01:59 Special Guest: Coach Ian's Background 05:14 Coach Ian's Coaching Philosophy 12:19 The Influence of Social Media on Youth Sports 16:41 Choosing the Right Coach for Your Child 20:23 Balancing Fatherhood and Coaching 24:24 Dealing with Kids Losing Interest in Sports 31:57 Should Every Kid Play Sports? 35:44 Balancing Pressure and Enjoyment 39:29 Understanding Your Child's Goals in Sports 41:43 The Role of Parents in Supporting Athletic Dreams 51:33 Coach Ian's Final Piece of Advice for Dads

Upcoming High School Coaches Clinic from The Art of Coaching Volleyball this weekend (7/13)) Check it out here: https://store.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/high-school-prep-clinic-24/ Skill: The Difference Between Just Playing and Playing to Win and How To Win More Through Intentional Training Scenario: Tod's Book of Lists This week's videos from The Art of Coaching Volleyball https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/karch-kiraly-mini-games-to-practice-serving/ Karch's serving mini-game https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/karch-kiraly-validation-6-v-6-game/ Karch's “Validation” drill set up https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/6-vs-6-competitive-tug-of-war-drill/ Tug of War   Resource: https://www.soccerpoet.com/ Dan Blank's online home for his international bestselling book about soccer and more coaching tips and resources

It's EPISODE 401! That's a lot of episodes. We're proud. We're also not done—and a couple weeks ago, a fellow writer decreed, in an email post that went rather viral, that No One Buys Books. We disagree. Instead, we offer the following less bleak but not entirely rosy corollary: Nothing Sells Books. But Books Still Sell. Coming at you in this episode are four somewhat cynical authors, one who spends her time now working with writers rather than writing herself. We've all had books hit various lists… and we've all had books that have not, have neither hit any lists or reached target numbers or earned out or anything of the sort. And we have thoughts. Listen for them… but meanwhile, here I am, KJ, with my very own soapbox bc I said “I'll write the shownotes” and the others, spotting an opportunity to let someone else do a thing, semi-wisely agreed because now I get to tell you what I think.I mostly think that we authors have bought into a story in which we have more control over our sales than we do. We believe—or want to—that we can TikTok hustle up readers, tweet our way to success, muster our many Facebook friends to buy three copies each (it's not that much!), put some links in our Substacks and call on our Notes, Threads and Insta buds to click those links. And traditional publishers want so badly to believe that too—because if it's not true, then we don't know what is. Reviews MIGHT sell books. Ads sometimes work. Even celebrity book clubs, the last magic best-seller wand, only work when there is a match-up between readers and the book—some Reese, GMA and Jenna picks sell big while others don't, and there is absolutely no way to beg, buy, or steal your way onto them anyway. (Maybe? Story idea, yours for the taking: author blackmails way onto celeb book list, things go terribly wrong.)And I want to tell you that this is not true, because I don't entirely want it to be true. It arguably hasn't been true for me, and I've seen it not work for many if not most of other authors. To get more specific, I've had not one but TWO excerpts of a book in the NYT and had it not move the needle. I've had an essay in LitHub, ditto. I've been on many, many podcasts, I've sent emails, I've made TikToks and reels, and I've watched friends push these buttons hard and less hard to mixed results—but not NO results, and that's an important distinction. Below, I'm offering a few success stories, all with massive caveats, the most important of which is this: I probably only see the successes.The TL;DR is this: nothing easy sells books. There is no short cut or even a long cut. For most of us, nothing we ourselves are willing to do or are capable of doing in the short term is going to move enough titles to make a significant impact on our success. The second half of our koan is also true, though. Books still sell. But most book sales, especially those that lead to wild success, come from forces beyond our control. Word of mouth, a lucky media hit, a celebrity boost. A hit TV show that comes out of the blue years after a series is published (Bridgerton), or maybe after the author has died (The Queen's Gambit). Or they come from enough people picking up the book and sharing it with enough others in ways that cannot be planned or gamed. You can't count on those things, although one thing remains true: lightning can't strike a book that hasn't been written.The most important thing to do is to write the books. Sarina notes in the podcast that nothing sells (your) books like more books (by you)—witness, for example, Taylor Jenkins Reid. Daisy Jones and the Six was not her first book by any means—but its success brought her backlist roaring into prominence. I think about TJR a LOT, because she stuck to the thing I want to stick to—writing the books, not recording video confessionals about the writing process and setting them to the music du jour. But… that's a thing. That people like. That honestly can (maybe, kinda, and I'm not at all sure how much you control this) sell books.The depressing (to me) truth is that if you really throw your whole heart and soul into marketing your title, you might be able to get somewhere, but the thing is I am talking ALL IN. I'm talking hours of content creation one way or another. It might be hard-hitting researched work in an area that fascinates people. It might be hot takes on a world that really is your wheelhouse. It might be soul-baring, emotional videos about the process. It might be really digging into Facebook ads and Amazon algorithms, SEO and tagging. Either way it's a lot of non-writing work to create podcasts, ads, videos and well-produced reels. It takes time, much of it spent on details like lining up the right music and analyzing results and repeating again and again and none of that is easy or fast. Let me offer some case studies. First, Breanne Randall. This one is painful for me because we had similar books coming out at a similar time (Playing the Witch Card and The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic), and hers hit the NYT list and mine did not. Is it possible that she wrote a better book? Sure. But she hit the list for one week only (NO SHADE that's amazing), her first week after going on sale, which means that the vast majority of those sales were pre-orders and most almost certainly didn't result from WOM from happy readers. So at that moment, it probably didn't matter whose book was better. What mattered was something else, and it's quite possible, even likely, that that “something else” was her impressive hustle, especially on TikTok but also on Instagram. I did some. She did more. A LOT more.For all the details on her hard work and results, read Dan Blank's description here—but suffice it to say we're talking hours and hours of video and posts, an excellent eye for what was resonating with viewers and readers and a willingness (up to a point) to really share the journey. She's also attractive and closer to the TikTok demographic and probably herself loves the format—all things that go a long way to success in any genre. It's really hard to put that kind of time and effort into a creative act that you aren't enjoying (and unlikely to succeed). And the book itself fits the TT demo as well—but that's not enough on its own. She did the work, and she reaped the reward, and I both admire and hate her for it.Here's another approach: become the go-to expert in an area you're passionate about and develop a fan base around it, then write a book in that area that is absolutely for your fans. My example here is Virginia Sole-Smith, who we've had on as a guest (Episode 362: Talking Fat Talk and Substack Success, and Episode 128: #PlanItOut). Virginia has shifted around somewhat, from a more parent-oriented place to one centered on diet culture, anti-fat bias, feminism and health. You'll find her—and her podcast, email and many many media hits and her best-selling book—here. She's an excellent example of laying the platform groundwork but again, this isn't something that can be done lightly or easily—or quickly. This took time and passion and persistence. I sincerely don't think you can fake this or game it, but if you can see your way to it—it sells books.For a contrarian take on same, go look at Jo Piazza's last year of content. She is all hustle, and she threw herself, heart and soul, into promoting her novel The Sicilian Inheritance. (Listen to her on Episode 393: Writing What I Want to Write). And she sold a ton of copies—she should be and is thrilled, it's a success by almost any measure. That “almost” is because—and this is her talking and her measure of a success she'd hoped for, not me judging (although I too define success in this not-very-healthy way)—she didn't hit any lists. I say maybe she still will, but the truth is that most books, if they're going to hit, do so in the first week. (By no means all—see TJR above, or Colleen Hoover, or The Queen's Gambit, etc). Jo was and is and always will be true to herself and her wide-ranging interests, and that means her last year of content, which has been wildly popular, has also been all over the place, from tradwives to Little House. She's had amazing media hits, but they didn't sell enough books to satisfy her. (I write this with some hesitation, I hope she doesn't kill me… IT IS A FUN GREAT ENTERTAINING BOOK BUY IT NOW.) Maybe if she'd been Virginia and thrown herself all in after… Italian genealogy? True crime? Family history? Then the result might have been different and maybe not. Maybe she'd have been bored. Maybe she'd have missed something she's done in the past year that will lead her to still bigger and greater book sales. WE CANNOT KNOW.Because… Nothing Sells Books. But People Still Buy Them. The End (and also, the beginning.)Announcements: * The spectacular Summer Blueprint for a Book program, with coaches and episodes and a workbook and all sorts of things to get you rolling on your next project, is coming (details soon, start date 7/2/24). * Our new monthly Booklab First Pages Review Podcast, starting 6/1/24 (early episodes will be free, later episodes will go to supporters only). Want to submit your first page? Supporters will find the link in their welcome email! (Can't swing a subscription because $$ is tight? Reply to this email and we'll set you up.)* Become a Sticker or Sparkly Sticker supporter before the end of May using this link and get 20% off your first year. This isn't much, since supporting us costs less than a trendy Stanley mug, but it will buy you a fancy coffee. LINKS* Abdi Nessenian, Only This Beautiful Moment* The Creative Pragmatist* Sarina Bowen's The Five Year Lie* Amy Smilovic on the Second Life Podcast* The first page of Sarina's thriller… below. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amwriting.substack.com/subscribe

How can you connect to readers in a way that is sustainable for you and effective at selling books? How can you choose the best platform when there are so many options? Dan Blank gives his recommendations. In the intro, TikTok ban signed into law in the USA [The Verge]; No One Buys Books [Elle Griffin]; […] The post Human-Centered Book Marketing With Dan Blank first appeared on The Creative Penn.

Wanna start—or fix—your email/Substack? We GOT YOU. Dan Blank is, truly, THE GUY when it comes to helping writers identify our audience, find ways to reach them and also feel great about the process. Before you do anything else, go subscribe to his Substack. I'll wait. Ok, those Substack links are BIG. But brace yourself, there's more of them. In this episode, which you must go listen to, Dan, Jennie and KJ talk about the three ways to approach a Substack, why you should have an email list no matter what, finding your role (inspiring, entertaining, teaching) and—most importantly—not heading out there with something that's half baked. Our message today is: BAKE THE THING.What do you believe above all? What do you want to explore? What do you want to share? Who do you want to come hang? Answer those questions, and Substack—some version of it, which may or may not involve $$ and trust me we get into that—is YOURS. Today instead of books, we have Substack follow recommendations! (and you DO NOT have to use Substack to get these emails. If you don't, they're just emails. Subscribe!)KJ's REC'sFree and gonna stay that way:Welcomes $$, plenty that is free and lovelyWorth every $$Jennie's RECSDan's RECSDuring the pandemic, there was an explosion of people who wanted to write memoir, and many of those writers are now struggling to make sense of their drafts and figure out how to approach the marketplace. It's a great time to be a book coach who specializes in memoir, and in March 2024, Author Accelerator is launching a certification course to give memoir coaches the skills, tools, and experience to meet writers where they are.Our year-long program is robust and intense. I'm inviting any listeners of this show who are interested in our coaching program to sign up for a one-on-one session with me to strategize about whether or not this course is right for you. Just go to bookcoaches.com/amwriting to sign up for a time that works for you. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amwriting.substack.com/subscribe

Authors Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith present perhaps their most candid QWERTY Writing Life episode yet. They don't have any earth-shattering answers for the questions they pose on the topic of redefining self care. What they do have are honest reflections from their own lives and examples of how to redefine self care, specifically for the creative life. As shared in the show, this is the QWERTY Definition of Self-Care: How we care for ourselves physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually (all the ways that make us human beings) that enables us to pour into the people in our lives and into the responsibilities and opportunities we've accepted, without sacrificing personal peace (our own wholeness). Check out the links referenced in the show: QWERTY Writing Life, Season 5, Episode 5, Interview with a Creative: Creative Place & Purpose with Dan Blank: https://youtu.be/hIvSma0YZXk Subscribe to the QWERTY's monthly newsletter (be sure to click the box next to “opt in to receive news and updates” and check your spam for the confirmation email): https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/z9f1z5 Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/qwertywritinglife Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/qwertywritinglife/ Intro music created and performed by Brent Smith. Continue this week's chat via email at qwertywritinglife [at] gmail [dot] com. For more information about the QWERTYs, the show and their writing craft book series, head over to https://qwertywritinglife.com. Subscribe in your favorite podcast portal. Or, if you'd rather see their grinning faces, ring the bell on their YouTube channel. Please share our podcast with your friends, too! For more about Mea and her writing, visit storyswell.net. Joy and her details can be found at joyerancatore.com.

Dan Blank, founder of WeGrowMedia, visits QWERTY Writing Life and chats with authors Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith about Creative Place and Purpose. He gives practical tips on how to take overwhelming aspects of the creative life—marketing, author platform, author purpose and mission statements, collaborations and audience—and make them manageable, approachable and even fun. Dan also explains his "human-centered approach to marketing" and shows how it plays out in the lives of authors through real-life examples. Learn more from Dan at these links: Subscribe at Substack for his weekly newsletter that is always packed with inspiration and practical steps you can take to improve your creative life: https://danblank.substack.com/ Visit his website for more on his “human-centered approach to marketing” and his consultations for authors: https://wegrowmedia.com/ Follow him on Instagram or X for daily encouragement: https://www.instagram.com/danblank and https://twitter.com/DanBlank  And, of course, get your own copy of his creative life-altering book, Be the Gateway: A Practical Guide to Sharing Your Creative Work and Engaging an Audience: https://bookshop.org/a/95576/9780998645216  (Note: This is Joy's affiliate link for the book on bookshop.org. Thank you for supporting Dan, Joy and independent bookstores!) Subscribe to the QWERTY's monthly newsletter (be sure to click the box next to “opt in to receive news and updates” and check your spam for the confirmation email): https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/z9f1z5 Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/qwertywritinglife Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/qwertywritinglife/ Intro music created and performed by Brent Smith. Continue this week's chat via email at qwertywritinglife [at] gmail [dot] com. For more information about the QWERTYs, the show and their writing craft book series, head over to https://qwertywritinglife.com. Subscribe in your favorite podcast portal. Or, if you'd rather see their grinning faces, ring the bell on their YouTube channel. Please share our podcast with your friends, too! For more about Mea and her writing, visit storyswell.net. Joy and her details can be found at joyerancatore.com.

Authors Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith tackle a huge topic in this episode of QWERTY Writing Life: bringing Authors and Readers together. They seek to reduce the overwhelm of the topic, though, through a set of six lessons they've learned over their years as Creatives. Check out the links referenced in the show as well as a few suggestions for fellow authors seeking to identify their ideal readers: QWERTY Writing Life Podcast, Season 5, Episode 1, “Calibrate Your Creative Purpose”: https://qwertywritinglife.podbean.com/e/calibrate-your-creative-purpose/ QWERTY Writing Life Podcast, Season 5, Episode 2: “Where Is Your Place in the Creative World?”: https://qwertywritinglife.podbean.com/e/where-is-your-place-in-the-creative-world/ Suggested Resources for Identifying an Ideal Reader: Dan Blank's book, Be the Gateway: A Practical Guide to Sharing Your Creative Work and Engaging an Audience: https://wegrowmedia.com/bethegateway/ Dan Blank, We Grow Media consulting: https://wegrowmedia.com/work-with-us/ Belinda Griffin, Smart Authors Lab: https://smartauthorslab.com/about-smartauthorslab/ Kimberley Grabas, Your Writer Platform: https://yourwriterplatform.com/about/ Subscribe to the QWERTY's monthly newsletter (be sure to click the box next to “opt in to receive news and updates” and check your spam for the confirmation email): https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/z9f1z5 Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/qwertywritinglife Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/qwertywritinglife/ Intro music created and performed by Brent Smith. Continue this week's chat via email at qwertywritinglife [at] gmail [dot] com. For more information about the QWERTYs, the show and their writing craft book series, head over to https://qwertywritinglife.com. Subscribe in your favorite podcast portal. Or, if you'd rather see their grinning faces, ring the bell on their YouTube channel. Please share our podcast with your friends, too! For more about Mea and her writing, visit storyswell.net. Joy and her details can be found at joyerancatore.com.

Since childhood, people ask that loaded question: “Where Do I Fit In?” Creatives still ask that question, but with a twist: “Where Is My Place in the Creative World?” Authors Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith have asked the same question, and they've developed a three-tiered approach to help Creatives answer where they belong. In this episode, Joy and Mea provide Creatives with 11 questions to answer. These prompts cover the first two tiers of finding your place in the creative world. The third tier—connecting with the right creative audience—will be covered more thoroughly in Episode 3 of Season 5. To answer Where Is Your Place in the Creative World, decide who you are and what you want as a creative by answering these six questions: #1: What are your fundamental standards? What is your code of conduct or the set of standards that guide what and how you create? #2: Why do you have to create? #3: What do you want to create? #4: What are your goals for what you create? #5: What do you want to make people feel? #6: Envision yourself as a successful artist. Who's around you? Where are you? How are you holding that success—are you headlining conferences as a keynote speaker or touring bookstores and libraries across the country or traveling while you create? Next, look outside yourself to who you want beside you on your creative journey, by answering these five questions: Question #1: Who do you want to support? Question #2: What do you want to promote? Question #3: What support would you like? Question #4: How can you help fellow creatives? How are you willing to do this? Question #5: What safeguards can you put in place to make sure you engage wisely in ways that are best for you and them? Check out the links referenced in the show: QWERTY Writing Life Podcast, Season 3, Episode 17, “Fundamental Standards for Creatives”: https://qwertywritinglife.podbean.com/e/fundamental-standards-for-creatives/ QWERTY Writing Life Podcast, Season 5, Episode 1, “Calibrate Your Creative Purpose”: https://qwertywritinglife.podbean.com/e/calibrate-your-creative-purpose/ Dan Blank's book, Be the Gateway: https://wegrowmedia.com/bethegateway/ “Writing with Maggie Stiefvater” digital writing course: https://www.etsy.com/listing/806360184/writing-with-maggie-stiefvater-8-hour Learn more about their book on writing critique partners, Finders Keepers: A Practical Approach to Find and Keep Your Writing Critique Partner: https://www.logosandmythospress.com/finders-keepers Writer Moms Inc. Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Writermomsinc/ Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi): https://allianceindependentauthors.org/?affid=7767 Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA): https://www.ibpa-online.org/ Rom-Com Author Sharon Peterson: https://sharonmpeterson.com/ Subscribe to the QWERTY's monthly newsletter (be sure to click the box next to “opt in to receive news and updates” and check your spam for the confirmation email): https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/z9f1z5 Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/qwertywritinglife Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/qwertywritinglife/ Intro music created and performed by Brent Smith. Continue this week's chat via email at qwertywritinglife [at] gmail [dot] com. For more information about the QWERTYs, the show and their writing craft book series, head over to https://qwertywritinglife.com. Subscribe in your favorite podcast portal. Or, if you'd rather see their grinning faces, ring the bell on their YouTube channel. Please share our podcast with your friends, too! For more about Mea and her writing, visit storyswell.net. Joy and her details can be found at joyerancatore.com.

Authors Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith have been prepping for a life-changing literary submission. As part of that, they must submit an Artist's Statement. Neither of them was sure what that was, but after a bit of research, they discovered they've been crafting theirs for the past several years. Listen in as they take this discovery and share how their statements have developed organically over their time as evolving creatives. In reference to their creative purposes, Joy and Mea explain how those important foundational details have adapted over time as they've grown as authors. You will hear four practical steps to intentionally calibrate your creative purpose. The QWERTYs look forward to hearing about your implementation of these tips. Check out the links referenced in the show: QWERTY Writing Life Podcast, Season 1, Episode 35, “Goal Planning with 2020 Vision, Part 1”: https://qwertywritinglife.podbean.com/e/goal-planning-with-2020-vision-part-i-template-for-goal-setting/ QWERTY Writing Life Podcast, Season 3, Episode 17, “Fundamental Standards for Creatives”: https://qwertywritinglife.podbean.com/e/fundamental-standards-for-creatives/ Dan Blank's book, Be the Gateway: https://wegrowmedia.com/bethegateway/ Subscribe to Dan Blank's weekly newsletter, packed with great information and encouragement for creatives: https://wegrowmedia.com/contact-us/ Subscribe to the QWERTY's monthly newsletter (be sure to click the box next to “opt in to receive news and updates” and check your spam for the confirmation email): https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/z9f1z5 Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/qwertywritinglife Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/qwertywritinglife/ Intro music created and performed by Brent Smith. Continue this week's chat via email at qwertywritinglife [at] gmail [dot] com. For more information about the QWERTYs, the show and their writing craft book series, head over to https://qwertywritinglife.com. Subscribe in your favorite podcast portal. Or, if you'd rather see their grinning faces, ring the bell on their YouTube channel. Please share our podcast with your friends, too! For more about Mea and her writing, visit storyswell.net. Joy and her details can be found at joyerancatore.com.

The life of a creative entrepreneur is one of gig work. I'm sure you've heard the phrase, “gig economy.” For workers in many industry, this gig economy is a totally new thing. In decades past, engineers and computer programmers used to always work as employees of a company. They didn't have to jump from project to project on their own. My grandfather worked for the same textile manufacturing company his entire working career. He even lived in a town built by and named after that company! But that has never been the case for creative entrepreneurs. Even Shakespeare had to continually be writing new plays, hoping that his next project would be as successful as the last. Paganini had to keep writing music and playing concerts in new places. Picasso had to keep painting more paintings. But no creative lands every gig every time. Sometimes, we don't get the gig, or the release flops, or no one buys. When Moby-Dick flopped upon its release, Herman Melville immediately stopped attempting to write big, ambitious books, and not long after, he eventually stopped writing forever. Melville's reaction to “not getting the gig” was to allow the rejection and disappointment to swallow him to the point that he left his creative industry. I don't want that for you. I want you to have a thriving, satisfying, delightful creative business and creative career for years to come. So today, we're going to talk about how to handle the rejection that is part and parcel of living and working as an artist. Let's figure out what to do when you don't get the gig. In this episode, you will learn: Why it's important to process your feelings of disappointment after a rejection. How to find joy in the process of auditioning or submitting yourself for consideration. What a few other prominent creatives have done when they faced the reality of not getting the gig. What action steps you can take to make sure that you're giving yourself the best chance of getting the next gig. How to adjust your work in the short term so that you can get the kind of work you want in the long term. In this episode, I mention that registration is now open for the summer 2023 session of my Taming the Muse Group Workshop. I discuss Giannis Antetokounmpo's answer during a press conference on April 26, 2023, and I mention Episode 8 of the Crafting Audiobooks podcast. I consider a recent interview with writing coach Dan Blank and author Janae Marks, and I refer to Mo Willems' appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. I also reference one previous episode of this podcast: 016: The Six Components of a Thriving Creative Business. A full transcript of this episode can be found here. Full transcripts of every episode will always be available at the Starving Artist No More Blog. Thank you for listening. Please feel free to reach out to me at www.StarvingArtistNoMore.com, with any questions, comments, or feedback. I'd love to hear from you.

This week on the podcast, Megan and Greta talk with the amazing Dan Blank. Dan has worked in the publishing industry for decades. In this interview, we step back and take a look at the big picture before we drill down to what all of it means to us as individuals. He also gives us a peek into how he works with his writing clients. There are so many great pointers in this episode, it feels like a coaching session. Plus, you get to hear Megan fan-girl all over the place. Dan Blank is the founder of WeGrowMedia, where he helps writers develop their author platforms, connect with readers, and launch their books. He is the author of the book Be the Gateway: A Practical Guide to Sharing Your Creative Work and Engaging an Audience. He has worked with thousands of writers, and amazing organizations who support creative people such as Penguin Random House, Sesame Workshop, Hachette Book Group, Workman Publishing, J. Walter Thompson, Abrams Books, Writers House, The Kenyon Review, Writer's Digest, Library Journal, and many others. Question of the week: What's one thing you've decided you'll NEVER do as an author? Let's chat on the Facebook page @AuthorWheel.Follow Us! Dan Blank:Website: https://wegrowmedia.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/danblank/Twitter: https://twitter.com/danblankThe Author Wheel:Website: www.AuthorWheel.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorWheelGreta Boris:Website: www.GretaBoris.comFacebook: @GretaBorisAuthorInstagram: @GretaBorisMegan Haskell:Website: www.MeganHaskell.comFacebook & Instagram: @MeganHaskellAuthor Support the showFREE Mini Email CourseHave you ever struggled to explain to others exactly what you write? Or wondered which of the many fiction ideas running through your brain you should tackle? If so, The Author Wheel's new mini-course might be your solution. 7 Days to Clarity: Uncover Your Author Purpose will help you uncover your core writing motivations, avoid shiny-thing syndrome, and create clear marketing language. Each daily email will lead you step by step in defining your author brand, crafting a mission statement, and distilling that statement into a pithy tagline. And, best of all, it's free. Click here to learn more!

Our Kickstarter campaign is finally over. It was a lot of work, but really successful on a number of levels. Thank you to everyone who supported us and backed the project!Now, we're taking some time to digest everything we've learned. The biggest takeaway? Clarity of purpose and messaging is everything. Today we're discussing how Kickstarter helped us find our core purpose and refine our messaging to bring our project to life. Then, we talk about how we've applied some of those same lessons to our writing life, and how you can too. It's not just about Kickstarter. We promise.Question of the Week: What tactics have you found helpful to refine your elevator pitch, whether for a book, project, or your own brand?Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast on your favorite player! We have some phenomenal new guests coming up, including Dan Blank of We Grow Media, cover designer extraordinaire Mariah Sinclair, and writing community leader Maddie Margarita. You won't want to miss a thing. Stay tuned!Follow Us! The Author Wheel:Website: www.AuthorWheel.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorWheelGreta Boris:Website: www.GretaBoris.comFacebook: @GretaBorisAuthorInstagram: @GretaBorisMegan Haskell:Website: www.MeganHaskell.comFacebook & Instagram: @MeganHaskellAuthor Support the showFREE Mini Email CourseHave you ever struggled to explain to others exactly what you write? Or wondered which of the many fiction ideas running through your brain you should tackle? If so, The Author Wheel's new mini-course might be your solution. 7 Days to Clarity: Uncover Your Author Purpose will help you uncover your core writing motivations, avoid shiny-thing syndrome, and create clear marketing language. Each daily email will lead you step by step in defining your author brand, crafting a mission statement, and distilling that statement into a pithy tagline. And, best of all, it's free. Click here to learn more!

For this episode, Becky is joined by Dan Blank, who is the author of Be the Gateway: A Practical Guide to Sharing Your Creative Work and Engaging an Audience and founder of WeGrowMedia. Becky and Dan share ways to sustain energy through your book marketing journey, methods for growing your audience, and tips for showing up authentically on social media.During the episode, you will learn: More about Dan's work to help writers develop marketing strategies for their books.The power of newsletter writing and how it can grow your audience and keep them engaged with your brand and message.Ways to utilize Reels to expand your reach and identify your target audience on Instagram.The inspiration behind Dan's book, Be the Gateway: A Practical Guide to Sharing Your Creative Work and Engaging an Audience.How to navigate being personable on social media while also maintaining a level of personal privacy. What you can do to overcome barriers that stagnate your growth on social media. Be sure to look at our show notes, which include action steps and resources.Please feel free to send a message to Becky at becky@weavinginfluence.com to share your thoughts!

THE LESSER DEAD is an 8 x 30-minute immersive audio drama about a disparate group of vampires living in the wild-and-wooly world of 1978 New York City.  Our narrator Joey Peacock (Jack Kilmer) — an irreverent, eternally-young 19-year-old — introduces us to his unconventional family and its formidable leader, Margaret McMannis (Minnie Driver), who has built a home for all of them under the subways of the city. Margaret's strict rules have kept them safe and secure for decades... Until one night when Joey's discovery of three little kid vampires turns their world upside-down forever.  The Lesser Dead also stars Danny Huston and Saul Rubinek. It is written by Christopher Buehlman who is also an Executive Producer with Mark Stern, Joshua D Maurer, Minnie Driver and Jack Kilmer. Dan Blank is the director. It was produced by SALT Audio.

What happens when a truck driver picks up a loaded trailer, but has no idea what's really inside? Tony, Grammy, and Emmy award winner Cynthia Erivo journeys down a dark and lonely highway in this seven-part original scripted thriller. With immersive audio techniques that create a dimensional listening experience, the audience is strongly advised to use caution, wear headphones if possible, and listen... carefully. Produced by QCODE. Starring Cynthia Erivo. Written and Directed by Dan Blank. This week our "Carrier" double-feature includes episodes 1 and 2 with "Backhaul" and "Bolt Seal". It's Audio Drama Time! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What happens when a truck driver picks up a loaded trailer, but has no idea what's really inside? Tony, Grammy, and Emmy award winner Cynthia Erivo journeys down a dark and lonely highway in this seven-part original scripted thriller. With immersive audio techniques that create a dimensional listening experience, the audience is strongly advised to use caution, wear headphones if possible, and listen... carefully. Produced by QCODE. Starring Cynthia Erivo. Written and Directed by Dan Blank. This week our "Carrier" double-feature includes episodes 1 and 2 with "Backhaul" and "Bolt Seal". It's Audio Drama Time! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hij gaf zijn geld uit aan booze, birds, horses, casino's en fast cars. De rest smeet deze Britse voetbalheld over de balk - al zegt ‘ie het zelf. De snobs memoreren hem terwijl zij zich vergrijpen aan een Blanc de Blanc van Ruinart. Terwijl Yvo zijn eigen voetbalverleden deemoedig opbiecht, verliest Jort onverhoopt zijn hart aan een boer die bedankte voor de bak. En alsof dat nog niet voldoende begrip is voor het volk, presenteert Yvo een waardig alternatief voor het vermaledijde vanilleboompje in de auto.❤️ Insta: @desnobcast

In one of Jane Friedman's online workshops, Dan Blank recommended that authors make a list of their beliefs. I did. The result was a list of 78 beliefs.

The world of social media continues to expand, and for most of us, it can be overwhelming. Dan Blank, in conversation with Carla King, shows us how to create systems to help remove that overwhelm of sharing on social media platforms. Find out more about our guest including show notes, highlights, and the transcript at https://nonfictionauthorsassociation.com/category/podcast.

Business owners consider Focus one of the top tools of their trade, regardless of the type of work they do. Creative Business Owners are no different; in fact, as authors Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith share in this episode, Focus is an ever-changing constant for them. With each new season, they must reevaluate their Focus and determine how to achieve the goals that are most vital to their creativity and business at that time. Follow these links to dig deeper into the topic: Dan Blank's website with more information about Creative Clarity Cards and Finding Your Ideal Reader: https://wegrowmedia.com/ Dan Blank, The Creative Shift Podcast, “Start the Year with Creative Clarity” (creative clarity cards): https://wegrowmedia.com/start-the-year-with-creative-clarity-podcast/ QWERTY Writing Life, Season 3, Episode 17: “Fundamental Standards for Creatives”: https://qwertywritinglife.podbean.com/e/fundamental-standards-for-creatives/ QWERTY Writing Life, Season 1, Episodes 10-12: “Benefits of Short Fiction” https://qwertywritinglife.podbean.com/e/benefits-of-short-fiction-part-1/ Mea's books:  Grief Like a River (poetry): https://storyswell.net/books Finders Keepers: A Practical Approach to Find and Keep Your Writing Critique Partner (nonfiction): https://www.logosandmythospress.com/finders-keepers Writing with Maggie Stievfater Course: https://www.etsy.com/listing/806360184/writing-with-maggie-stiefvater-8-hour For more from the QWERTYs, subscribe to their monthly newsletter: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/z9f1z5 Intro music created and performed by Brent Smith. Continue this week's chat via email at qwertywritinglife [at] gmail [dot] com. For more information about us, the show and our writing craft book series, head over to https://qwertywritinglife.com. Subscribe in your favorite podcast portal. Or, if you'd rather see our grinning faces, ring the bell on our YouTube channel. Please share our podcast with your friends, too! For more about Mea and her writing, visit storyswell.net. Joy and her details can be found at https://joyerancatore.com/links/.

Dan Blank of WeGrowMedia shares the central tenets of his concept of human-centered marketing: Give yourself permission to create; understand who you hope to reach; and connect to a person, not an audience. He discusses the pitfalls of counting your success by numbers of Likes and Follows, and how a focus on tools and algorithms can kill the creative spirit. And he shares tips for how introverts can reach out to form lasting bonds with those who will love their work. Dan Blank is the founder of WeGrowMedia, where he helps writers develop a human-centered approach to marketing and reaching their audience. He is the author of the book Be the Gateway: A Practical Guide to Sharing Your Creative Work and Engaging an Audience. He has worked not only with thousands of writers, but also with companies including Penguin Random House, Sesame Workshop, Hachette Book Group, Writer's Digest, Library Journal, and many others.

Banyak orang merasakan ketegangan dan kebingungan saat diminta untuk berbicara di depan umum. Apa yang bisa dilakukan?

Dan Blank was "the art kid" in school who eventually grew up to become a pioneer in the new age of Content Creation. In the midst of the last recession, he then made the bold move to first-time entrepreneurship and launched WeGrowMedia. Now 12 years later, Dan has helped thousands of other people launch their new businesses successfully. Dan has tons of solid (Un)Retirement advice and he helps his clients (and our listeners) learn how to effectively clarify. communicate and collaborate to accomplish their Second Act goals. It's not surprising that often as we grow older, we tend to get more fearful of failure. Dan talks about ways to stay on track and focus on the projects of our dreams. • More about Dan Blank: https://wegrowmedia.com • Episode Content: https://pickleballmediahq.com/blog/Dan-Blank-Interview-The-Best-Kind-of-Road-Map • Subscribe to the "I Used to be Somebody" Newsletter: https://pickleballmediahq.com

In this episode, I talk with Dan Blank of We Grow Media. Dan helps writers connect with readers, and I wanted to bring him on the show because I know many of you are trying to figure out how to build your author platform.  Dan shares a wealth of tips and a whole new way of thinking about things like promotion and marketing, all about how to make it feel personal and why social media is both similar and different from that neighborhood coffee house he worked at back in the nineties. Dan’s website https://wegrowmedia.com/Ira Glass “Taste Gap” video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91FQKciKfHIDan’s book, Be the Gateway: A Practical Guide to Sharing Your Creative Work and Engaging an Audience *Get your copy of 3 Questions You Must Be Able to Answer About Your Book Idea *If you're enjoying the podcast be sure to subscribe & consider leaving a rating and short review on Apple Podcasts.

It's terrible to think about, but 1500 applicants who did not get an interview already know they will not match in Phase 2. What is troubling is that another 2500 applicants will learn, at the exact same time, they did not match. Here are my five steps for success in Phase 2 and where you can go for one-on-one help https://residency.teachable.com/courses The Five Steps to Take If You Don’t Match Introduction These are the five steps to take If you don't match. I am Tony Guerra, PharmD of the Pharmacy Residency Podcast. And I want to talk a little bit first about the emotional impact of the match and then how little time you have to take that next step. And I'll tell you why. And it has a lot to do with the numbers, but let's first take a look at that [match] day and how you might feel if you don't match. You're going to feel like you let your teams down, not just your college, but your friends, family, and everyone that has kind of supported you. Maybe you have an immediate family and you're married, have kids, all of these things. And you're going to have this feeling that you made mistakes and you didn't do well enough. You also are going to feel that you let yourself down. You worked hard, but in hindsight now you might be able to see some of the opportunities that you had, that you didn't take. And under the duress of all the work that you had to do, it was really, really hard for you to make the right moves and you weren't able to do it. The feeling is going to be one that your heart is going to be pulled out of your chest. The problem is that if you're going to apply for phase two, you have literally hours till the list comes out. And then just a few days until you have to get your application in to the next step, because when you go into phase two, the issue is that you have 2,500 other people that just found out that they didn't match - in addition to the 1500 people that already knew that they wouldn't match because they had no interview invitation. Now there are approximately 4,000 people that are going to try to either move into phase two or move into the job market. It's pretty clear the road will be difficult. I work out and do CrossFit and two of the people that I work out with sometimes are pharmacy supervisors. They've already seen the uptick in applications of students who want to quotation fingers, get back to the community,. This is really saying, “the residency thing didn't work out, I gave it a shot. I'm not going to try for phase two.” But many people will try for phase two and they have about 96 hours from just before the weekend to the next week. You have to get your application in, as soon as it opens because there is such a flood of applications that even if the residency sites don't shut their site down, they will stop looking at applications because they're going to have enough. As we move along it’s accelerated in phase two. It's more competitive, it's accelerated, and it's just tougher. Think about it as moving from a sport that was high school competition to now going to state or even nationals. You have to revise your letters of intent, articulate clearly why this site and how you match and you have to change around your CVs, especially if you're changing from [applying to] acute care to ambulatory care, ambulatory care to community, community, to ambulatory care or something like that. The order of your APPEs is the biggest thing where you need to have the most relevant sites that you went to at the top. Let’s say for example, that you had it in chronological order and you were applying to ambulatory care sites, but you put your acute care sites at the top, which may or may not make a lot of sense or your electives at the top, just because they were first in order. That's not what you want to do. The next thing includes the recommendations which I've talked about before. Not only do you have to let your recommenders know you're going to phase two, you also need to figure out if one of those recommendations or maybe more than one was toxic. Now it is absolutely the most painful thing to think that someone that you trusted did not give you a positive recommendation. But the question you have to ask yourself is, did you ask them if they would give you a positive recommendation? What is absolutely brutal, and this is one of those aspects I don't want to call a secret, but it's certainly something few talk about. Many times it is a faculty member at your own college that writes an honest recommendation. They're doing their job to write an honest recommendation, but the [unwritten] expectation is that if they are not able to write a positive recommendation after you spent a quarter of a million dollars on this education, it would have been nice for them to tell you, “I will write it, but I'm just letting you know that it would difficult for me to write a recommendation as positive as it might need to be for you to be successful in this residency search.” I have done that clearly articulating the nature of the recommendation and said, although you've done well, I don't think that the recommendation I will give will support you as well as maybe someone who came after me when you knew a little bit better what was expected [in rotation]. So, you have this very small window to get everything done and you need a team. I will be there from the time that everybody hears they didn't get it residency to the time where the application needs to be turned in. I'll be turning around letters of intent within 48 hours, usually sooner. And it's just going to be a matter of making sure that you know where your top site is, because what I do is I take that top site and help you make a letter of recommendation for that top site. And then I give you a template from that one so you can build your other letters and I can help you with those other ones if you want. But the fee for the course is for this one letter and if you want other ones, that's fine, but we can talk about that later. Right now, we need to focus on the team. Who are they? Whether it's your pharmacy fraternity, your college pharmily, or your friends. This may be the hardest thing for you to do, but you must let everyone know you did not match. If you do this quickly, it will be like pulling the Band-Aid off really quick or diving into a cold pool where once you get underneath the water, it’s fine. You must let everyone know you did not match because of what's going to happen with social media. The majority of the social media feeds are going to be filled with people putting pictures up of the that they matched and where they matched. But it is rare, and I mean one in a hundred or one in fifty that an applicant will l put up that they did not match. What applicants need to post, if they did not match, is that, “I need your help.” People cannot help you if they don't know you didn’t match.   What's going to happen when you tell a group whose primary responsibility is to help people that you need help? The first thing they're going do is reach out to you and, and try to help, and that’s what you need, from a little word of encouragement to a recommendation to them saying, “Oh my gosh. I can't believe you didn't match. Let's talk a little bit about what happened.” We might find that you applied to the top four sites and you only applied to four sites because that is what the initial application fee paid for. They can put a good word in for you, but they cannot help if they don't know. Let's talk about the five steps for phase two and how you should approach it. The Five Steps Read the Book I've written a book I need you to listen to or read. The phase two book will take an hour. It needs to be your first step. Don't start looking at the menu of sites that are open. Don't start doing anything that would take you down the negative road of what did I you wrong. Just listen to my advice for an hour on what you need to do and what phase two is all about.I assure you that if invest that one hour in listening to the book, it will make it a lot easier for you to get to where you want to go a lot faster. Identify Sites Then, and only then after you have that perspective, identify the sites in phase two that you are interested in. For example, you might live in a state where there might only be four or five available sites in that state. In general, there are around 200 spots. There were about 3,500 to 4,000 spots in phase. Of those, there's about 200 to 250 left. The issue is that there were 8,000 applicants for 4,000 sites and now there are 4,000 applicants, potential applicants, It's not that many, for 250 sites. So, the competition is much higher. Contact Sites Before the Application You must contact them about your interest. This is not an application. This is starting the conversation. Hey, I saw that you didn't have a match in phase two. I am also available. I just wanted to let you know that I will be submitting an application to you. Is there anything specific that I should know about your process and what you're doing? From these, you might get a conversation, but this is not a formal interview. You may get some informal interviews. Revise Your Letters of Intent, CVs, and Recommendations LOIs. You can send a past letter to tonythepharmacist@gmail.com to have me look at it and I can tell you in about five or ten seconds what the primary issues are and if I can help you. If you have a letter of intent that looks perfectly good, then it's something with your CV or your recommendations. But if I look at it and I see the UCSF template or the ACCP template, and I'm not going to judge you, but I'm just going to tell you that this is a generic letter of intent. We have a couple of hours to make this into a letter of intent that shows how you uniquely matched better to that site, better than anyone else. That's your goal. CVs. You need to, especially if you are changing from ambulatory care to community, community to ambulatory care, or acute care to ambulatory care, whatever it is, you need some revision, but maybe not as much as the LOI. Recommendations. And then the recommenders, you need to let them know right away. Hey, I'm going to need recommendations for phase 2. I want to go for it. Will you be willing to write a positive letter of recommendation for me? It is so important to put the word positive in because if they cannot, this gives them an opening that yes, I could write a letter of recommendation, but I don't feel that it would be positive at the level that you would need. And what that also does is tells you why maybe you didn't match in phase one. Immediate application. You must apply when the applications open at that hour. Crash the servers. Do what you must because there are literally hundreds of applications going to these sites that maybe before they didn't get a lot of applications. They're going to get them now because the numbers are so overwhelming. Again, it was 8,000 applicants for 4,000 spots. Now it's 4,000 available applicants for 200 spots - an order of magnitude different. Let's walk through these steps. Step 1. Read the Book – Expanded First we're going to get perspective and listen to a book about a student who matched in phase 2. The book is called Crushing the Phase 2 Pharmacy Residency Match: Proven Tactics to Earn a Clinical Pharmacist Training Position. Before you can even start this process, you first need to believe, and I know that's cliché but you can match in phase 2. eBook If you have Kindle Unlimited, you can already get the eBook for free. It's part of your Kindle Unlimited. I have made it that way so you can have access to it. It's like 10 bucks if you get the eBook without Kindle Unlimited. Audiobook If you've never been on Audible.com before, you can get on and get this audiobook for free, or you can email me at tonythepharmacist@gmail.com. I have 20 free codes left. I've given a couple of them away, already to people that have asked me for them that know that they didn't unfortunately get an interview opportunity. But, I do have a couple of free codes left. I don't think it's expensive though. I think it's like $5 or something like that, but it is under $10 to get the audiobook. But what I need you to do is not only understand how phase two works, but I need you to hear a story about someone who did it, and this is the key. They matched in an academic medical center, one of the toughest residencies to get. Parts of the Book There's an introduction explaining the numbers from a year ago because it takes so long to write a book like this and get it published in audio format, but the information is still relevant. You will learn about match day, the four day weekend, 96 hours when phase two opens for applications and how you use match statistics to inform your application. So, if you're coming from a school that matches well traditionally, then phase two sites are going to be very excited about your application. For example, if you’re at Kentucky or UNC or Drake or Iowa or Minnesota, or UCSF and someone sees your application, then they will look very favorably on your application. Are they just going to look at your school? Imagine if you got 200 applications in a single day and you have four residents and yourself who thought the process was over and now you and those four residents need to somehow evaluate 200 applications. What's the very quickest way to do it? Look at the top schools. Dr. Key Gales, who worked for me for a couple of years helping as a college teaching assistant matched  in phase two, not only in PGY-1, but in phase two of PGY-2. It's a story about someone who was well qualified, who did something that is very difficult to pull off. He applied to acute care sites, being very honest about his goal to be an ambulatory care. But I think he actually ended up wanting acute care after he began his residency. He matched to a highly sought after academic medical center, which is hard enough to do in phase one, which is nearly impossible to do in phase two. And I don't think that if he didn't come from Drake, one of the top schools in that year, I don't think he would've had a chance. But he was a Midwesterner coming to a Midwest site and I'll talk more about location later. And then there's a chapter about another book that I've written called Finding Your Unicorn Job for Pharmacists: Financial Freedom, Flexible Hours, and Personal Fulfillment Beyond the Pharmacy Counter. The misconception is that a unicorn job is when there is only one of them. And what I am really saying is that it's a job that you create because it's exactly a perfect fit for what you want. But again, I made the Crushing Phase 2 Book intentionally just an hour so that you can get through it on the drive home. Step 2. Identify Sites Expanded The first thing you want to do is get your head around is that this is a people game, not a qualifications game. When you have 200 people applying for the same spot, that means that the director needs a way to sort it out. And I've talked to RPD after RPD, and they all say the same thing. It doesn't matter what we do with the rubric. Everybody's a couple points from each other. We need to know people and we need some kind of connection. Sites Where You Know People The very first place you want to go is where you know someone or where someone, you know, knows someone. And this is where it becomes so important that you were in an organization, especially if you were in a leadership position. And from that leadership position, you can reach out to other people. If you did an APPE at the site, you've already done a five-week interview and you can let them know, “Hey, I didn't match. Are you open to an interview?” You can communicate with them and get that started. But also, you can speak to your faculty, and say, “Hey, you know, I didn't match.” And they will help not just because it looks better for the school if extra students match, but because they genuinely have been building you up and developing you and they want you to succeed. In-State Sites, then Regional, then National I would definitely prioritize sites in your own state, then sites in your own region and then sites nationwide - in that order. It is really hard in phase two with the speed that all of this happens for someone in the Southeast to articulate their value to someone in the Pacific Northwest or someone in the Southwest to articulate their value to someone in new England. You have to build that relationships. Maybe with APPEs or through connections, but you might be in a state that has only one or two available spots and you'll expand to your region. And then from that region, you'll go nationwide. But again, we are going to start talking about contacting sites because the process really is going to start happening the day that that notice goes out at noon. Step 3. Contact sites before application day. One. Sites often schedule informal meetings before the application day, but they cannot accept your application, that has to go through PhORCAS. Don't think that good places aren't in phase 2. Maryland was in phase 2, which gets easily 200 applications per position. Cleveland clinic was in Phase 2 last year. There are many, many very good programs in phase 2. And they are there because they didn’t need to rank everybody that they looked at in Phase 1, because they know that there's going to be plenty of good applicants in phase 2. Yeah, it's going to be a pain, but they know that the quality of their residents will remain very high. Two. An email of interest that allows you to see which sites are receptive to you. They really want to hear from you and this may sound strange, but you're going to be thinking, well, I don't want to bother them if they're going to have all this volume. Well, what needs to happen is that you need to contact them, make the application, and then build a relationship and you have to do this very quickly. I have heard of students emailing 30 or 40 sites and actually hearing back from maybe half that, 15 to 20, and then making applications to those where they got a positive response. And what that does is it halves your work, instead of hoping that these sites are going to be receptive to you, you're going to find the sites that are actually receptive to a quick email back saying, “I definitely think you should apply to our site. I think we're good fit.” Here is best practice. You should attach and put your information in the body of the email. I remember when I was hiring during the housing market crash and I was still running a real estate practice. Because there were so many real estate agents going out of the business, I had plenty of work to do, and I was hiring, but I was getting all of these applications. And what I would find is that maybe they application was in Pages, which is Mac or Apple's word processing program. I couldn't open it because I had a Dell at the time. Now I have a Mac. Make sure that you put a relevant part of your cover letter or CV in the actual body of the email. So that instead of that need for an extra click, the director can quickly scroll down and immediately and see, “Oh, wow, they've got a bunch of these rotations that they've done at nearby hospitals. This person might be a really good person to interview. So again, attach and put the same information in the body of your email. Step 4 Revise LOIs, CVs, and Recommendations – Expanded LOIs This is the book I've written it, The Strong Residency Letter of Intent: Writing to Be Interviewed with a Cover Letter that Earns the Invite. You must revise your letter of intent. The LOI is not why you are the best, someone will always have more qualifications. This is the number one reason that someone did not get an interview. They are trying to win a marathon against a marathoner and they are a 5k runner, or they don't work out much at all. There is always going to be someone more qualified. What you must do is match them best and show how you are the best fit that the marathoner may not be a very good fit with a group that likes to play hockey. And I'm just making up some sports analogies. Show don't tell how you match. Let's say there's a Children's Hospital that has an opening available. And you say, this is a story about my experience in the PICU. And I want to talk about the PGY-2 rotations that you have that are really something that I would love to build on the experience that I had in the PICU. That is showing why you are qualified. What is telling that you are qualified is to say “I want to do pediatrics.” The big thing with this phase 2 is making sure that you are able to show them quickly in a scannable document. What that means is that the most important thing is in the first couple of sentences that you are writing a unique letter to them. You cannot pull off a generic LOI in phase 2, it's just not going to work. The Illusion of Explanatory Depth. A letter of intent is, and when you wrote it the first time you may have just taken a template, written a letter, made sure the grammar is right and sent it in. It's just a letter about you. It should be really easy. This is the illusion of explanatory depth. So why is it so hard to write a good letter of intent? And this is an excerpt from the Strong Residency Letter of Intent Writing To Be Interviewed With A Cover Letter That Earns The Invite. Here's a nerdy answer. Can you tell me how a microwave works? You'd probably say sure, but then when i asked you to give me a detailed explanation with drawings, you would really struggle. This is the illusion of explanatory depth, which basically says, most people think they understand something better than they do until they have to explain it to someone else in detail and I should have put after that “or do it themselves.” We need to write a cover letter that tells us about your past, about how your experiences match the site’s offerings. We need you to do it in a single page and please use 11-to-12-point font with one-inch margins and proper business formatting, making sure to double space between the paragraphs. Okay. Got a little harder. Right? So, when you try to write a letter of intent, you are the victim of this illusion. You've written emails, papers, maybe a resume or CV, but properly crafting a letter of intent that earns you an interview takes a specific skillset that you likely haven't honed. It's not that you couldn't do it if you were given enough time, but in 96 hours, you have to write maybe 10 letters. That's why people come to me because what I do is I help them write that first template, the perfect unique template to them, to that first site. Then I helped them with the template for the second through 10th letter. While the people I'm working with are banging out those letters, no problem, getting them done and moving on to the CV and recommendations, fine tuning their emails to those people that they want to talk others are wondering what went wrong with their letter. I've read hundreds and hundreds of letters. It takes me seconds to figure out what was wrong. And it takes me a little while longer to make it right, but I assure you that I can. And if you've not worked with me before you just go to residency.teachable.com/p/extremeLOI and sign up for the course, email me your letter and CV and first choice residency and we will be off and running or contact me at tonythepharmacist@gmail.com. I mentioned this before, you must prioritize the rotations they offer in the APPEs you match to. You don't have to list APPEs chronologically, which often makes no sense. And if you're listening to this on audio and can't see the image here is the image of someone who doesn't seem like they didn't match. They're relaxing on their backpack, on a beach, just typing with the waves in the background, what you want to do as you're doing the CV is relax. As you're writing the letter of intent is acting as if you are going to match and that if you don't match, no problem. It's a very tough feeling to pull off. But what you want to do is not write this in this frenzy. What I hear over and over again from the people I work with is that “I feel so much more confident. Now my anxiety is so much less. Now, at least I know that I did the very best I could in this area.” There are no guarantees or anything like that, but what I can do is change the feeling that you have from one of scattered, chaotic confusion, and lack of confidence for a better term, to a confident, well-articulated argument that you match to. If you can't see the image, it's a soccer coach talking to a group of kids sitting down and showing the game plan. You want to gather your recommenders and game plan with them. They will fight for you if they really liked you and they want you to succeed. They will make the calls for you. You never know if in the background, someone called someone to say, “Hey, I think you should really take a look at this person. I know that they're going to apply.” Okay. What, what was the person's name? How do you spell that last name? Okay, great. And you say, no, that really doesn't happen. I assure you. It happens all the time. Pharmacy is a small world. We know a lot of people. When you have a preceptor and especially if they're in a specific field, they have an even smaller group, but they can let you know about some opportunities that you may not have heard of, or that are coming up. But again, the network, the organization that you have put your time into, that's where you really want to go and make sure that the recommenders know what they need to do. Apply on the first day - Expanded Even if the sites don't formally close, the sites will stop taking applications. They will stop answering emails. If you've ever been in a community pharmacy where maybe two people called out and you don't even have time to answer the phone, it’s like that. You must apply on the first day and early in that first day as many Phase 2 sites have never done Phase 2 before. Let's use the number 200 if 4,000 matched. Okay. That means that only 5% of sites would not have matched in the past year. And I know that this math is not exactly right, the way that I'm doing this, but that means that if we had 4,000 sites every year, and if every year, 200 didn't match, that means that it would take 20 years between times they didn't match. It is at least a rare event that Phase 2 sites have not matched. So, when you say, gosh, they seem really disorganized. What you want to do is provide the solution. Let me help you. Let me tell you why I can solve your problem. Let the other applicants go. I am your solution. Obviously. You're not going to write that, but that's what you've got to think is that, Oh, wait a minute. They're really struggling, they've got to scramble to get the interviews in, to get this job hire person hired, because if they don't get hired, the institution may cut that person from the budget. The volume is absolutely overwhelming on their side. In this last part I want to talk about a sports analogy. And I don't want to call it little league because it's soccer, but my daughters are nine years old, and they've been very successful in soccer. And the reason is because of a small shift and a single book that I read, and yes, I've been coaching them. But when we started this and I mentioned this in the number of my books, I was not good. We lost games, a lot of games. We only won a few. And I said, okay, well, this is my fault. Let's see what are the things that we can do? And I became a student of soccer so that I could serve them at the highest level. Now I'm going to help you become a student of the Phase 2 process and how to do this in such a way that you can maximize your chances. The book on soccer, the book is from Dan Blank, who was a Division I coach for a little while, but his fame actually came from being, I think, an NAIA coach where he clearly articulated what the things are that a student of the game would need to know. And I'm going to tell you three of those things and how they relate to the residency process. The Holy Grail of Soccer and Phase 2 -  Speed of play where everything is faster to tactics. We'll talk about the 50/50 throw-in ball and odds as you have to know where you stand based on your college. And if you're applying in-state / out-of-state and all of those things to know how many applications and where to apply Right place, right time. The kids used to wear wristbands. And I bought them these wrist bands where blue would be the strikers pink would be the midfielders and then white would be the defenders or backs. What we would do is we would set it up in such a way that they would know exactly where they need to go and we would make these shifts as we're transitioning people in. And they would know exactly what their role is as they went in, because they were getting this wristband now in COVID. We couldn't do it. But again, that's, the approach that we took. Let me talk about the Strong Letter of Intent Book excerpt, as I relate to speed of play tactics and being at the right place and right time In applying for residency, you don't realize your speed of play is not up to par until a professor rejects your recommendation requests, because she has too many already. When you spend weeks on your CV compared to hours on your letter of intent and recommendation, your tactics are off. The LOI and recommendation letters count much more than your CV and four years of school. When you try to talk with the residency director during the mob, that is the residency showcase you're not meeting in the right place and right time, meaningful conversations happen at the evening, relaxing state and college gatherings later in the day, I don't want you shut out. Like my team was in that game. I want you to be a member of the team to beat. You have to increase your speed of play, study, successful tactics, and put yourself in the right place at the right time. Speed of play: Take everything you do and do it faster In soccer. I remember this game so clearly, and I remember the other coach screaming at the ref, and there's nothing I could have done. And the ref couldn't hear him. My daughter was so fast at getting the throw in and throwing it in that she no longer cared if it was our throw in or the other teams. The ref, it was their very first time refereeing a game, but she didn’t stop my daughter who just kept throwing it in for us. This coach is just screaming and there's nothing I could do. Because everyone in the team knew where the ball was going to go, they didn't have to bother setting up. They were already running towards the goal. The other speed of play aspect, which is a little bit tougher, and this is really more when you're kind of getting to 9 and 10 year olds and maybe 11 year olds is the one touch pass, where the ball comes to you and you don't sit there and wait with it, kind of look around and then make a decision. But rather you've already made the decision as the ball is coming to you. And in one touch, you make the pass so that the defender can't attack you or tackle you. In residency, you must apply on day one of phase 2 and you must communicate before the application turn-in day. That is an increased speed of play. You are talking to them beforehand. You are not waiting, hoping that you’re going to submit the application and cross your fingers and hope for the best. You are an active person, making sure to lean into your network and to talk to those people ahead of time and apply on the day. Tactics The picture is actually the daughter that does the throw in thing. I became a student of the game and I found out that in soccer, throw ins are a 50/50 ball. That is whether you are throwing it in towards your team or not, you will lose the ball fifty percent of the time. In such a short field, if you throw it at their goal, instead of throwing it back to our goal, to maybe one of our players, to bring it up the field, you have not only gained 15 feet towards the goal, but not lost an additional 15 feet towards our own goal. In residency, you must apply to local versus national first. That's your best chance where you have relationships. You want to apply where your pharmacy school has had historical successes. Some pharmacy schools traditionally have sent many, many students to residency. I've mentioned this before, but the top 10 schools send 500 students to residency. That is an order of magnitude of 10. If your school is at the bottom, you know that you must increase the number of applications and you must apply locally. You must increase your connections to the people who are making the decisions. If you're in the top, you must lean into the network. Take advantage of that. And hopefully you have a local site to apply to. Right place, right time. Position yourself for success In soccer. The shape must change in offense and defense, and it was completely my fault, but we lost the game because of just this tactic. When you are in offense, your defenders should be spread out and should be up closer to the midline which is the second image on the right. If you are defending, you should contract and you should both be really at the top of the goal box. For  about six minutes of the game, I had wwo players that thought they were wings and not defenders. And it was up to me to clarify that and clear it and figure it out. And I didn't, and we lost the game by one, but in that six minutes, the other team scored four goals as they just attacked right down the middle, right down the middle. We just opened it up that lane for them because we were in the wrong shape, in the wrong position. Local equals less risk for the residency site. And for the applicant, if they know you're from around here, then you'll probably stay around here, and it'll be a better deal. How do we start? How can I help? I have helped almost 200 students this season, in just this season. So, we're talking that of the entire national applicant pool to residency this year. I have helped 3% of that entire group. I will be helping students with letters of intent all weekend from the time they find out where to the time that you need to apply, I will be returning those letters of intent within 24 to 48 hours. People ask, well, how many revisions do I get? You don't need them. I'm a PhD level trained English, major undergrad has done master's work and PhD work in English. I have taught Composition I and Composition II and Comp II is most important because it talks about the arguments and logos, ethos, and pathos. That is what you're really doing is making an argument as to why emotionally, logically and through evidence that you should be the one that matches. Go to http://residency.teachable.com/p/extremeloi It's $95, if you want to work with me. And if you are PDC, please let me know because a portion will be going to national. That's a new thing, but I just want to let you know that if you are a PDC, please let me know when you send me your old letter of intent and your CV. I will always look to see. So even if you don't tell me, I can see if you were the worthy prelate or in another position. LOI Course But it is $95 if you want to work with me, but I assure you that turnaround and the quality that you get. Ask somebody who's worked with me as I've worked with so many people. There's probably someone at your school that have worked with and my track record speaks for itself in terms of success. I have had a student I've worked with who has, I believe, 15 interviews and another one, who was perfect, getting interviews at all the places they applied. While I can't guarantee that you will get the residency position, I can guarantee that it will be the best that you can possibly do given the amount of time. And it will be a very high-quality letter, but that is my specialty. I can look at CVs and things like that, for an additional charge, but I I'd really recommend you use me for the letter of intent. I'm good at grammar and syntax with CVs and seeing what needs to be where, but in terms of formatting, that's just not my thing. Interview Course And then if you do get an interview, I do have an interview course, residency.teachable.com/p/ interview that will, in three hours, explain the point system to you. So, if you did have interviews and you asked, “Why didn't I match?” With the interview course you get up to six months of email support from me. So, if you have questions like this is my thank you email, is this grammatically correct? And I'll say, okay, well, no, it's not. Here's what it should be. And then I'll help fix it for you, or I'm trying to rank these. Can you help me with the rankings? Yeah, sure. I can do that for you. Past Interview Review If you want me to do this, and I only do this for a couple of people for $295, I will listen to up to an hour of your interview that you have had or a half hour of interview questions that you will answer. And I will provide my feedback on what happened, why didn't you match with the answers that you had. But again, that $300, that's kind of a premium service. I only do it with a dozen people. If you really want it, I'll do it. I do enjoy it, but again, I know that's a lot of money for someone that just spent a couple of hundred thousand dollars, but again, the payoff is of course, hopefully getting, the residency in Phase 2 but sometimes the easiest thing to do is just email me: tonythepharmacist@gmail.com. Sometimes it might just be easiest to just contact me with a question that you have, and I'll let you know if I can or can't help you. I apologize if you're emailing me during that busy time. I'm going to prioritize those that have already enrolled in the course and that have sent me their letter of intent and CV, but I'll try to do my best to help you, but the volume is immense during that weekend. and I've cleared my schedule for that so that I can honor that promise of returning a high-quality letter to you within 24 to 48 hours. But if you have a question now has been a better time to ask me at tonythepharmacist@gmail.com.  

Dan Blank is the founder of WeGrowMedia.com where he helps writers develop a human-centered approach to marketing and reaching their readers. We discuss: How we would have written the headline 50 years ago [02:40] Ways people are missing the boat when it comes to marketing their creativity [05:03] Why you should be promoting your competitors to your customers [09:27] The art kid who carved out a blogging role for himself [11:18] A pyramid of clarity cards [13:14] Loving working with people who love their work [14:54] How the web is changing publishing [16:30] The biggest sigh of relief [19:04] A marketing campaign that gives your work the best shot [21:10] What’s bigger than you in 10 years from now [22:45] Learn more about Dan at https://wegrowmedia.com/ (https://wegrowmedia.com), https://www.instagram.com/danblank/?hl=en (Instagram), https://twitter.com/danblank (Twitter) and https://www.facebook.com/wegrowmedia/ (Facebook).

SUMMER SERIES: There’s sound and then there’s immersive audio - sound that reaches into your bones and allows your mind to paint a rich and textured story. Few know more about this style of audio than ‘Carrier’, writer and director Dan Blank, who joined us earlier this season and explained his creative process. An immersive experience is one that draws you into a new or augmented reality, largely enabled by technology. So how does podcasting, in its purely audio format, achieve this level of experience? One way is to record binaurally, a method that requires specially arranged microphones to create a 3D stereo sound sensation for the listener. Like you’re actually there. And there’s no better person to take us on this journey than Dan Blank, writer and director of the immersive podcast ‘Carrier’, so lifelike, it warns you to use caution during your journey. This episode of Podcasting Essentials is presented by Nick Schildberger and Nicole Goodman of SoundCartel.  Reference Carrier Podcast: https://www.qcodemedia.com/carrier   Podcasting Essentials is produced by: SoundCartel soundcartel.com.au +61 3 9882 8333 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"walking someone through your gate should not feel as though you have now become a “marketer” instead of a creator. It is about extending the experience of your creative work to at least one person in a meaningful way" https://wegrowmedia.com/

As a child development expert one of the most important jobs I have is to give parents permission to disagree with teachers or other authority figures in their children's lives. Starting at around the 50-minute mark we talk about that. It's coming up for many podcast listeners and Ninja Parents right now, and it's important to discuss! But first, I share three super important lessons that I learned the hard way recently, by ending up in the hospital with diverticulitis. It's the illness I had nine years ago that brought on the tendon condition that I lived with ever since, so there was some serious PTSD in getting it again! It was no accident that I got it now, in the pandemic with pressure mounting societally, in our home, and with the families I serve. I got it by failing to adhere to these lessons, which I will list for you right now: 1. On the Human-Dehumanized Axis, stay close to the Human side. Maybe it means unplugging, but it definitely means connecting more on a human level. Be sure that, when connecting with folks having to do with your child, that they are very human too. 2. Remember that sugar is an inflammatory food. What we need is good nutrition! I'm a living example of what happens when you don't get that. 3. Understand your own worth. How you think about yourself matters. I forgot that, and had to undergo a very painful and scary illness as a result. Most of all, in thinking about these three lessons I want you to think about where you are "coming from" with regard to them. This isn't about me telling you "here's a list of stuff you need to do." It's about coming from a place of human connection. It's about coming from a place of good nutrition, most of the time, without worry or pressure. It's about coming from a place of feeling worthy – both for ourselves, and for what we model for our children. Here are the links that come up in today's conversation: I am a featured speaker in the  Virtual Summit, which you can enjoy for free by clicking here: https://www.sarahscheldt.com/empoweryourparentingonlineseries Click here for episode 279, my conversation with picky eating coach Jacky Lemenzo For the first time since creating the We Turned Out Okay Playbook, as a result of my hospitalization I'm doing it myself (instead of just writing it for others)! Click https://weturnedoutokay.com/playbook to learn more about the Playbook! Click here for episode 270, my conversation with creative coach Dan Blank. Thank you for being along on this journey with me! You rock! Cheers! And thanks for listening/reading to this, episode 349, which you can view on the web by going to: weturnedoutokay.com/349 Karen Karen Lock Kolp, M.Ed. Creator and Founder of https://weturnedoutokay.com

In this week’s episode of Fix Yourself, Dan Blank and I discuss using clarity cards to get clear on where you want to put your energy. While Dan usually focuses on creative energy, I started to see the potential of these cards to be used in a broader way. Perhaps they could help us create a roadmap to guide us through this challenging time. In the midst of a pandemic, an election, a climate crisis and a reckoning with our cultural racism, maybe we could all use some self reflection to figure out where to put our energy. Dan and I discuss other topics like healthy engagement with social media, and the ability to connect genuinely with other people around the globe to share ideas. We discuss happiness and how to create balance in this challenging time.

What makes a book a bestseller? It’s a question that’s captivated us as readers and as writers. In this episode, Eve and Julie talk to three experts who might have cracked the code: Miranda Beverly-Whittemore, author of the New York Times bestseller Bittersweet; Dan Blank, founder of WeGrowMedia; and Matthew Jockers, co-author of The Bestseller Code and co-founder of Authors A.I. Find us on Twitter (@bookdreamspod) and Instagram (@bookdreamspodcast), or email us at contact@bookdreamspodcast.com.

An immersive experience is one that draws you into a new or augmented reality, largely enabled by technology. So how does podcasting, in its purely audio format, achieve this level of experience? One way is to record binaurally, a method that requires specially arranged microphones to create a 3D stereo sound sensation for the listener. Like you’re actually there. And there’s no better person to take us on this journey than Dan Blank, writer and director of the immersive podcast ‘Carrier’, so lifelike, it warns you to use caution during your journey. Reference Carrier Podcast - https://www.qcodemedia.com/carrier   Podcasting Essentials is produced by: SoundCartel soundcartel.com.au +61 3 9882 8333 See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

Maybe you need to hear this message today. In this episode, I discuss: 1:28: Announcements: My interview with Dan Blank on The Creative Shift Podcast: https://wegrowmedia.com/make-every-moment-a-creative-moment-with-author-michael-la-ronn/ Reminder that Advance Review Copies of Your Self-Publishing Questions Answered (in ebook and audio) will be soon be available. Reserve your copy at www.authorlevelup.com/qaadvance 3:23: Wins for the Week: Audiobook is DONE 50 people have joined my ARC list for Your Self-Publishing Questions Answered, which is a record. How STOKED I am that Vellum now supports internal links in ebooks!!! It means I may return to interactive fiction again in the future. 7:28: Lessons Learned This Week: Writing Lesson: When writing fight scenes, avoid sports broadcasting…Watch my fight scene video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7csKnHKRw8 Business Lesson: Personalized videos for fans. Copyright Lesson: If you look up a copyright registration, sometimes the entry will have contact information of how you can contact the copyright owner for permission. 11:12: Idea of the Week: A comprehensive brand monitoring system that actually works 13:10: Topic(s) of the Week: My near-death experience in 2012 and how it made me a writer How the pandemic reminds me of 2012 in so many ways…but for other people How difficult it has been to get to where I am today, and the very real social and financial consequences I have chosen to bear in my journey to become a bestselling writer You can listen to past episodes of the show at http://www.michaellaronn.com/podcast Listen to my other podcast, Writing Tip of the Day: http://www.authorlevelup.com Learn more about me and my books at www.michaellaronn.com My YouTube Channel for Writers: http://www.youtube.com/authorlevelup Also, join my (Fiction) Fan Club to get 3 free novels, early launch pricing, and notifications whenever I release a new book: www.michaellaronn.com/fanclub If you like the show, don't forget to rate and leave a review!

Back in December 2019, we set #WriterGoals for 2020.We had no idea. This week, we go back in and revisit—which goals still stand? Which do we have to let go, and which just don’t feel right any more? Was there any point in setting these goals in the first place?In the end, we decide (not very cheerfully, it has to be admitted) that while our goals are necessarily changing, they’re always worth setting and revisiting. We’ll all be settling down to think differently about what we hope for in what’s left of 2020. Are you revising your 2020 goals, or sticking to plan A? Head over to the #AmWriting Facebook group and tell us about it.#AmReadingKJ: Undercover Bromance by Lyssa Kay AdamsThe Body in the Garden by Katharine SchellmanSarina: The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady HendrixJess: Audible Original: David Sedaris, Themes and VariationsRat by Stephen King (found in the If It Bleeds novella collection)Hey—now is a great time to check out our sponsor, Author Accelerator, where you can launch a career as a book coach or get paired with the right coach to get your project moving. And if you’d like to support the creation of #AmWriting, we’d appreciate your help! Supporters get weekly Minisodes or Writer Top Fives—and our undying gratitude. Want in? Click the button. KJ (00:01):Hey everyone. KJ. Here we are talking writer goals again this week. It's our midyear review - pandemic style. If you're setting your own goals for the rest of 2020 our sponsor Author Accelerator can help you start a new side gig as a book coach or match you with a coach who can help you work through challenges both on the page and in the calendar for getting your current project done. Find out more at authoraccelerator.com/amwriting. Is It recording?Jess (00:33):Now it's recording. Go ahead.KJ (00:35):This is the part where I stare blankly at the microphone like I don't remember what I was supposed to be doing.Jess (00:39):Alright, let's start over.KJ (00:40):Awkward pause. I'm going to rustle some papers. Okay. Now one, two, three. Hey, I'm KJ Dell'Antonia and this is #AmWriting. #AmWriting is the podcast about writing all the things, short things, long things, fiction, nonfiction, essays, pitches, proposals, and as we say every week, this is the podcast about sitting down and getting your work done.Jess (01:11):I'm Jess Lahey. I'm the author of The Gift of Failure and a forthcoming book about preventing substance abuse in kids called The Addiction Inoculation. And you can find my writing at places like the Atlantic and the New York Times and the Washington Post.Sarina (01:25):And I'm Sarina Bowen, the author of some romance novels. My most recent USA Today bestseller was Heartland, which came out in early 2020.KJ (01:35):And I am KJ Dell'Antonia, the author of the novel, The Chicken Sisters, which is coming out in June of this year as well as How To Be a Happier Parent already long out in hardback, but coming out in paperback this summer. And actually that's still happening, which I'm pretty pleased about. And the former editor of the Motherlode blog at the New York Times where I am still a reasonably regular contributor. And that's who we are. And where we are is in our houses, which is actually where we all are. But you know, it bears mentioning on this the 9th of May, 2020. Yeah.Jess (02:15):Which contributes to our topic today. You want to tell everybody what we want to talk about today?KJ (02:22):Oh sure. So we're gonna revisit our goals. Every year around this time we like to take a little mid-year review. We usually do it in June, so I guess we're doing it a touch early, but it has occurred to us that perhaps some of our goals are not going to be the same for the rest of the year. So it seemed like it was a good time to sit down and take a look at what we thought we were going to achieve, what we have achieved and what we're still hoping to achieve. So we've all got them lined up right here in front of us and away we go.Jess (02:56):Who wants to go first?Sarina (02:57):I would love to open.Jess (03:00):Oh, please do.Sarina (03:02):Well, you know, we all are fans of Dan Blank who has been a guest on this podcast and also has his own terrific podcast as well. And Dan Blank's podcast is called The Creative Shift. So he sends out a weekly newsletter that is pure gold and you should subscribe.KJ (03:26):It really is, it's one of the best ones I know of.Sarina (03:29):So, two Fridays ago, he sent one out that began with sharing a New Yorker cartoon that really speaks to what it's like to be a writer right now. And it's a picture of a guy in a rowboat in the middle of a choppy body of water. And you can see there's a shark, and there's a ship sinking behind him, and there's lightning, and it's raining. And the caption says, 'This is it - the time to finish your novel.' And I love it desperately because, you know, remember back in March when we were all like, Hey, what are we going to accomplish while we're stuck at home? Or how about when the three of us (and I'm so happy we did this, I wouldn't change a thing), but we sat and recorded an episode in December right before our office party where we go out together for lunch and we very cheerfully made a list of goals for 2020. Not having any clue that 2020 would shape up to be quite unlike most of the other years that we've sat around planning things together. So I think we should revisit those goals and see what is capable on here. And what have we learned about goal making from our lists.Jess (04:54):I was going to say the first thing I've learned is to be flexible, and to shift, and to adjust to your surroundings. Cause clearly that's the theme of the day. Alright. So what'd you have on there, Ms. Sarina?Sarina (05:10):Well, you know, many of my goals could really stand up in terms of getting the same things done. Especially where I had goals about helping other people, and helping other authors, and helping other women. And those things are all still true and I've been trying to do more of that. But of course I had some goals about like how much I was going to accomplish in terms of writing. And, you know, I'm not teaching anybody to read right now because my kids are old enough to handle this stuff by themselves. But, I didn't count account for my own potential anxiety and the difficulties of making career decisions when the whole world seems to be shifting. So goal I'm having the most trouble with is the one where I was writing an entire book to give to my agent to sell in a new genre for me and that suddenly feels insurmountable even though my work day could look the same because I don't know if that part of publishing is going to be there for me when I'm done. And that's like a mental obstacle to doing that.Jess (06:19):You mean the YA genre?Sarina (06:21):Yeah. Well, you know, unfortunately I have a lot of knowledge of economics and I'm watching businesses fail around me. And I have like a mental block about writing into a publishing world that might not exist when I'm done.Jess (06:42):Yeah, I hear that. Absolutely.KJ (06:47):I am still plowing through, my top number one goal was to finish a book that has now got a different title than it had in my list of goals, but that is fine. Who knows what the title is going to be, but that was my top number one goal was to finish it, and then hopefully get it out, and pitch it to editors. And that is still my top goal despite the obvious changes in the publishing market. I'm not struggling with that as much, but it's probably because I don't have the alternative that you have. Like you could put your time into stuff that you can independently publish and you know you will be there, and readers will be there, and digital book sales will be there. So, it's different, you've got a different choice there.Sarina (07:42):I was just going to say that the fact that most of my publishing is digital is such a blessing and I just don't discount it at all. And also my fear about that other project is not entirely rational, but part of me is in that rowboat with the guy in the thunder storm. And I'm not sure what to do about that. Like how to disembark.Jess (08:09):Well, it was interesting, someone asked a question in the #AmWriting Facebook group this week about this question and said, 'You know, what's everyone doing? Like are we pitching? Are we querying? Are agents picking up new clients? And are people buying books?' And so I went ahead and asked our agent and I said, 'I don't have to quote you or anything.' And she said, 'Hell yes, people are buying.' She said, she's had a couple of auctions. She said, you can totally quote me that people are buying, people are looking, that things are still chugging along in book sale world. I think a lot of people are scared about releasing right now, which is a really scary, new world sort of situation. But people are still buying books. People are still picking up new writers. So there was that sort of gut check of, Oh, there is some normalcy happening out there and our agent is not the kind of person to be you know, to be blindly optimistic. She's the kind of person to give it to you like it is.KJ (09:18):Yeah. Or even worse than it is. My fiction agent says the same thing and my editor says she's acquiring. So people are acquiring of course, whether they're like whistling Dixie and a thunderstorm is another question. But, they're trying, everybody wants to keep going. And I would like to have a book to sell them. I would very much like to have a book to sell them. What I am finding is that the speed at which I can complete this is totally different than it used to be. Even when I'm sitting down to work, I can't work as fast. Both because I think my focus is off and because my house is full of people. People everywhere, everywhere I look, there's another person and they eat. They just won't stop eating.Jess (10:25):Yeah. I'm the place of, Oh my gosh, dinner really does happen every single day. Like everyone's on their own for breakfast and lunch. But that dinner thing, that's our sort of reconnect with each other. We're still doing dinner. Dinner is important to us. And because I have big eaters, they tend to start asking at like 4:45. I'll get these texts. So what's the thought for dinner? So dinner happens every day, shockingly. And that's actually been, if anything, a positive for our family. So having something, you know, to eat evening and sit down and even if it's just like last night I threw together a soup. It's been a good thing, but it is shocking to me how much they can eat. But on the other hand, like our grocery bills are freaking me out. But on the other hand we are not eating out at all. So we don't even do takeout. But KJ, did you finish? Can I start talking about mine? Because mine go in a weird direction.KJ (11:26):Well I didn't. I mean, the goal of finishing that book is the only one that stays the same. I have essay goals on here and I am just not feeling the essays right now cause it feels like the only essays I can write would be about this. And I don't want to write about this. I really don't. I know a lot of people do, but I really, really, really, really, really don't. So you know, I had humor on here. I wanted to do some of that. Does it have to be covid humor? I don't know. So there's that. My promotion goals around The Chicken Sisters, the ones that are on here are still the same because... Podcast goals. Yeah. Well the shift is in how, but I didn't really write how into my goals.Jess (12:20):No, I mean the real fact for you is that some of the things that you were counting on, some of them in there are not happening.KJ (12:28):So, no, but it's not like everybody else is out there hawking their books face to face and I'm not, so I am not as bothered by that as as I might be. You know, the advantage to it (as an introvert who's not super into travel) I really wanted to do these things, but not doing them is okay too. In some ways.Jess (12:57):Can I just offer another silver lining to this though, is that it's unbelievable to me how generous other writers are being with each other right now. I know you and I have both bought a bunch of books that we may or may not ever read just because we're supporting our fellow authors out there. And I think it's a fantastic thing. And I mentioned in another podcast that I'm a new devotee of this long form podcast and on that they're talking to a lot of writers right now who are trying to release books during this and they're talking about the generosity of other authors. So that's been really lovely to see. So hopefully some of that will kick in for you too, KJ.KJ (13:37):I think it will. I feel pretty good and I'm having a really good time. One thing I'm having a good time with is that when this all started someone mentioned to me that the warehouse might not be able to send out advanced copies anymore. And I went, 'Oh, so wait, they're just sitting there? So would they just put them in a box and send them to me?' So they did. I basically have all the remaining advanced reader copies. And so I'm sending the Good Reads giveaway winner copies and I'm sending all the bookstagrammers and I ultimately spent a lot of time sort of going, which would be the very best bookstagrammers. And last week I was just like, you know, I'm just going to send these to the bookstagrammers that I follow and that follow me and that are sort of in my universe and that'll be happy and excited to get it. And I've been doing that and it feels really fun. So that's entertaining.Jess (14:40):That's a very cool thing. Plus, you know, there's the whole decorating of them. But Sarina, you had something you wanted to mention to KJ.Sarina (14:46):I did because when she was talking about essays, it made me realize that how much of the news I'm reading is all focused on the same thing. So that means that relevancy is suddenly like a little bit of a wrench in our goals because you could still write essays, you still have the time, and you still have the voice, but the relevancy of the things that you were probably going to work on is just gone. And I'm struggling with some relevancy, too. It takes a whole lot of optimism to write romance and you know, I'm a little bit stuck on that. And even just literally, I looked at the epilogue of one of my hockey books and I had my team winning the cup in June of 2020 and guess what? There isn't even going to be a cup in June of 2020 and it never occurred to me. Like I try not to paint myself into a corner. I do it all the time anyway, but it never in my wildest dreams occurred to me that there would not be a champion.Jess (15:53):It takes an extra layer of imagination, too. I mean, you're already constructing new worlds for your books and now suddenly you're having to like construct a whole world for your own world so that you can construct those. I mean, you have to have a certain level of optimism. You have to have a certain level of ability to envision a world in which your characters are not going through this, not touching each other thing. And I mean, look at that. You are trying to write about people who are so much touching each other in a world where no one's allowed to touch each other. I mean, it's a really weird thing.Sarina (16:25):It is. And I saw a really funny tweet from a narrator who was doing a book and he, without naming the book said, 'You know, this book really confused me. I was telling my friend because it not a lot happens. There's not a lot of conflict. They go to Ikea and buy some furniture and I was just waiting for the conflict.' And the friend said to this narrator, 'Dude, what you just described is like science fiction at this point.'Jess (16:56):That's true. That's absolutely true. Yeah. Alright, well I wanted to talk about the fact that so I actually did finish the edits on my manuscript. That was my number one goal, finish the edits on the manuscript and you know, it wasn't anything like Gift of Failure but there was still some heavy lifting to do. And I got them done. I'm looking at the date actually I got them done well before the date that I was hoping to get them done by. And the reason I wanted to get them done by that date was that I wanted to have a new proposal or at least the shortened version to show my agent cause she has no idea still what I'm thinking about. And I wanted to have that to her by April 15th and of course that was smack in the middle of just trying to wrap my head around all of this stuff. And you know, for me also personally, it's been anxiety provoking. Like I can sit here in my house, in the woods. I was telling my husband, this is a really weird paradoxical thing. I don't go out very often, obviously, but when I do go out, I get pretty depressed because here in my home I can ignore it and I can kind of forget about it for short periods of time. But going out in the world has been just scary and weird and anyway, so the worst of this stuff has come right at a time when I was hoping to get a new proposal done. And so what I've decided to do is give myself a break and I'm doing a lot of my research through audio. And while I'm listening, I keep a notebook near me, but I am outside. Because for the first time since I started a speaking career that runs on an academic schedule, I've never been home in time to get really good gardens ready for the growing season. And I definitely never got gardens in my new house. And I've always felt a little adrift without my gardens. So I've been giving myself a big fat break. And I leave the house as soon as I'm done with my stuff in the morning and I go outside and I don't come in until I have to get that infernal daily dinner thing going again. I walk in at the end of the day and I look at my husband and I say, 'I am just so happy outside.' And the other thing was because of all this anxiety, I wasn't sleeping very well and just exhausting myself during the day outside, and just being sore, and tired, and drained has been much better for my sleep. So I'm giving myself a big fat break right now, in terms of the writing part. Definitely still researching, loving listening to all the audio, but giving myself a big fat break, thinking of it as a little vacation has been really important to me. And I have gardens now. I have the bare bones gardens down and it makes me so happy and I finally feel like this house is mine again. You know, it finally is a place where I live. And and that's been fantastic. So yeah. And then the rest of my goals were things like, so finish the edits, got those done on time, finish the new proposal, totally didn't happen on time. But that was my own internal schedule and that's okay. And then back with you on the essay thing, cause I had complete five essays for collection by the end of the year. I've definitely thought about them. And for me that's a big thing cause I do a lot of the thinking, the writing internally first, and then I just of get it down. But yeah, I'm not writing about covid and these essays are about things that are so unrelated to that. And so it's just been close to impossible to get that essay writing done. But I'm feeling better now and I feel like that's going to come back online really soon. Our friend Mary Laura Philpott has sold a new essay collection and I happen to know that she's trying to get down to work on that. And so, I'm sort of mentally trying to partner with Mary Laura and be thinking about those essays. Spanish was a big one and I haven't done that. I just absolutely 100% failed at that. We had some goals around Spanish that were going to culminate with some big Spanish speaking for a trip that got canceled. Well and now my thoughts have shifted also to things like I'm starting to freak out about some of the spring speaking events. You know, a big source of my anxiety around an inability to stay focused for a few minutes at a time has to do with money stuff because my non-writing income went poof. And that's the majority of my income. So that's been challenging. And my husband works for a hospital that just announced that all of the top level people will all take pay cuts. And so my husband's taking a pay cut in the midst of this as well. And then if anyone's been following my social media, they know we just spent the equivalent of a small used car on our dog who almost died. So that's a stressful thing, too. And yet we're so fortunate, I'm not scared about paying our rent, but I am just anxious. If I had to rewrite my goals now, it would be do more of what's making me feel really good right now. And that's making me feel really good right now.KJ (22:42):Well that's a good question. Are we going to rewrite our goals? I think it might be worth sitting down and doing. Because one of the other reason that some of this stuff happened - I've got some goals here around the podcast, and the email list, and marketing with other podcasts. There's no reason I can't do those things other than that I've got about three hours of brain power in me every day and I use it up on writing the book and then I just have so much less steam than I used to have. I don't know. I guess it's the anxiety, I guess it's that. But you know, I used to be able to sort of write in the morning and then go back to do all the other stuff in the afternoon. And it's also all the household stuff. It's all this stuff, all this stuff. And some of these are just like we were saying, I just don't necessarily want to focus on that as much anymore.Jess (23:37):Okay, well then put a line through it. I'm putting a line through the Spanish one. I'm letting myself off the hook for that. You know what, I was just looking at number five, which was one email a month for my email list. And my email list has gone up a lot this year because of some high visibility podcasting I've done. But I'm really glad we're doing this today because that is a good kick in the pants for me. But you know what I've done that's been also really wonderful. I think I'm just missing teaching so much that I've been doing this thing on Twitter where I teach about rhetorical devices and I do a long thread and you could see the smile on my face while I'm doing them. It makes me so happy. I'm like pulling all these books off the shelves and it's teaching and I'm having so much fun. So I'm going to keep doing that. And you know, doing more of that I think would be really super fun for me. So I may even stick that in instead.KJ (24:37):That is so funny because I said one of the things we could talk about today is changing our approach to social media. And you said, 'Oh, I didn't change anything.' I was like, 'Yes, you did.' That's what I was thinking of. You know, we're filling in some gaps of things that we used to do in real life with social media. And I feel like that is one for you. And if you could or wanted a new teaching job, you certainly couldn't get it now. So you have found that. I've been connecting a lot more on Instagram. I've been going back into Twitter, which I had been out of for literally years. Trying to find ways to use Facebook that don't involve getting sucked in. And actually I'm on Instagram way too much. I need to stop. But also feeling like it really is providing a connection and a place to talk about books and things that are important to me. Like these are the conversations I might normally be having, like at a hockey game or in line at the grocery store or at the bookstore over coffee or whatever. And now they're taking place online in different ways. So that was what I was thinking of, but I was also thinking about you. How about you, Sarina, have you changed your social media at all?Sarina (25:54):Well yeah, but it's not all sunny around here. I've had to take some breaks, some like multi-day breaks from social media just because it feeds my anxiety when I can see people sort of emoting about the same things that I'm worried about. I have to walk away because sometimes it just amplifies all the things I'm worried about. So I think taking some steps back has really helped me. And plus I don't want to amplify my own...I feel very brittle right now and I don't really want to be brittle on social media, so I've just had to sort of back away.Jess (26:37):It's funny you say that because now thinking back, just about every time you text that you're freaking out about something, it's because you saw something on social media that just triggered you. So I think that's fantastic.Sarina (26:47):I mean, I'm more caught up on news right now than I've ever been in my entire life, but it's not such a great thing because the reason I can't walk away from Washington Post and the New York Times is that I'm looking for someone to tell me what's going to happen. And of course they can't really do that, but that's why I keep going back. So I've had to kind of step away from that, too. Not because news is bad, but because it can't serve what I'm really searching for.Jess (27:22):Didn't you say that you were on Google for something and you realize that there was a commonly searched for question on Google, which was what's going to happen? I don't think Google can even do that.Sarina (27:42):I love to see what other people are searching on Google. And I will stop and screenshot them if they're particularly wonderful.Jess (27:52):Oh, can I tell you something really cool? At Google headquarters in California I got to speak there after Gift of Failure came out and they took me through and I got a really cool tour and one of the things they have as a staircase and on the riser for each step of the staircase are the most Googled things so you can watch in real time on the staircase as all the things that people are Googling changes. And it was really cool while I was there looking at other stuff. They also have this room you can stand in and it screens all around you like floor to ceiling screens all around you and you can enter any search term you want. It could be you, for example. So I entered Jessica Lahey to see sort of what the world sees when they look at me across all platforms. And it allows you to see like does your website match up? You know, do you have a brand that has unifying themes, blah blah blah. And it was just really interesting to see how does my website match up with what's going on on Twitter and what's going on on all these different platforms. It was really kind of cool. That was kind of fun. But I'm sorry I totally took things off the rails because you were talking about what's going to happen and no one being able to tell you that.Sarina (29:07):Yep. And they still can't so it doesn't really matter.Jess (29:09):Well what has been interesting is from, and I know you're looking a lot at a lot of this through an economic lens, cause that's who you are. But my son is studying economics and can you imagine - this is when my kid is getting his introduction to the world of economics, like this is such a weird and bizarre time and he has a summer job that is (and I don't think I'm allowed to say where it is yet because I don't think anything's been signed) but it's at the epicenter of what's going on economically. And so we've been talking about it a lot, but from a very academic perspective, which has been interesting. I guess it allows me to sort of set it over there and have a bit of a reserve around it. But I mean it's not like it's good news. It's just academic instead of about like our personal economic situation. Can I interject one tiny thing? Can you all look at your word? I have them all in front of me right now. How are you feeling about your words?Sarina (30:18):I still like my word.KJ (30:18):I hate my words.Jess (30:23):Okay. Well my word was practice and I'm actually still feeling good about that because it's a good reminder to me that it's not about having these huge breakthroughs. It's about the daily practice of either thinking about structuring, blah, blah, blah. So I'm still happy with that. Sarina, your word was, do you remember?Sarina (30:39):Abundance.Jess (30:40):How are you feeling about that?Sarina (30:41):Well, honestly, I should still tape it up into every room I walk through because the truth is it's pretty abundant around here. Ebooks are still performing. My life is fine. It's just a little more anxious than it used to be.KJ (30:59):And my word was magic and I'm not feeling very magical right now. Although honestly, I am up and down every day. I don't want to be Pollyanna about this. Nobody is happy about what is happening, but I suppose it is a little magical that my family has not killed each other in the 67 days that we have been largely cooped up together. That is kind of magical. And I was thinking that I might put some magic in a next book draft, after this one. I don't know, maybe that will happen. Yeah, magic did not turn out to be a super helpful for this time.Jess (32:11):Speaking of magical thinking and inhabiting fantasy lands that don't exist. Should we talk a little bit about what we've been reading? Alright. Sarina you want to lead off again since you went first last time?Sarina (32:24):Well, I'm reading something that KJ gave me. The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix. This was a book that spotted before KJ bought it and I thought, I'm just happy that book exists. The writing is terrific. His writing game is super strong from the first paragraph of the prologue and I am intrigued.Jess (32:58):Oh, good. Cool. What about you KJ?KJ (33:01):Well, I'm reading a book, Sarina gave me. I am reading Undercover Bromance by Alyssa Kay Adams. We need to book club on this one, Sarina. We need to have a discussion, but like her previous book in this series, The Bromance Book Club. It is fun, satisfying, fast paced, and distracting. And that's about everything I ask of a book right now. And I also am reading The Body in the Garden by Catherine Schellman. This is a historical mystery and I have not read very much in the mystery genre for many, many years. And it's kind of fun to see that in a same way that historical romances have taken a real turn for having a modern way of thinking within the historical romance as opposed to trying to keep people thinking as they might have in the time. This mystery also sort of falls into that category. It has a modern attitude within a historical time and space and that makes it fun. And that's by Catherine Schellman. So again, fun, distracting, light. Just what we need.Jess (34:16):Yeah, I I have a book I want to talk about today cause there's something really interesting in it and it's not something that you guys normally read is two things. Number one for the audio listeners out there David Sedaris released an Audible original. It's not a huge deal. Don't get too excited. It's only 30 minutes long. It's called Themes and Variations, but it's essentially him just riffing about the people he talks to on book tour and the things they talk about. I think it was like $1.89 or something like that. But I got so excited when I saw it and I've already listened to it three times just because I needed a little David Sedaris back in my life. But the thing I went and listened to is I saw that there was a new Stephen King coming out and a former guest on our podcast, Ruth Franklin, wrote the review of Stephen King's new book in the New York Times and it's a wonderful review. She's such a great writer. I was like, 'Okay, well if she has a nice things to say, I'll get it.' And it's a collection of novellas and short stories and I'm not going to talk about all of them. I want to talk about just one and there's one called The Rat and I'm not going to do any spoilers here, but if you are a writer who has ever felt blocked in your writing, this story is a truly delightful, dark, dastardly view into the writer's head when they're trying to wrestle with their demons and why they can't get the words on the page.Speaker 3 (36:26):And I was working out in the woods while I was listening to it and there was a giant smile on my face. I was cackling. I'm like, this is so mean. And it's similar to when he channels the writer in Misery, when anytime he's ever talked about sort of what it's like for him to write and to go through that trap door into his basement. And all of that good stuff is in there. All of that stuff from On Writing that we love so much about his reading, about his process that's all in there, channeled through this writer in this story called The Rat. And it's delightful. It really truly is. It would be worth getting the book if you can afford to do it. It would be worth getting the book just to listen to this story really quick. I mean, I've also been comfort listening and I was scrolling through my Audible books that I've been listening to and they've all been books about sort of overcoming hardship. I realized I relistened to Jenny Finney Boylan's She's Not There. And I relistened to Diana Niad's Find a Way, which is about swimming from Florida to Cuba.KJ (37:40):I think you're the only person who's still listening. Audio has just dropped cause nobody's in their cars, nobody is commuting.Jess (39:02):I'm glad we did this cause I actually feel refocused in a couple of different ways and I'm feel good about drawing a line through one of my goals and just saying nope. By the way, go check out the #AmWriting Facebook group if you want some interesting reading about how other writers are handling this time, because that's what really most of the conversation is about right now. Like, how do you handle stuff? Are people still pitching here? What do you think about this? It's a really reassuring and supportive place to be, but until next time, everyone keep your button, the chair and your head in the game. This episode of #AmWriting with Jess and KJ was produced by Andrew Parilla. Our music, aptly titled unemployed Monday was written and performed by Max Cohen. Andrew and Max were paid for their services because everyone, even creatives should be paid. This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at amwriting.substack.com/subscribe

Dan Blank discusses how to focus on your big vision in creating your website and developing your author base. It is all about defining who you are and what you are creating. Take this and communicate it often and in as many ways as possible while remaining true to your personality and vision. Be authentic and bold. Share your journey, passions, and struggles to connect with those around you. In this podcast, you will also learn: Five Tips on What Makes a Great Author Website- Own Your PlatformBuild Your Website Before You Need ItUse Your Website to Explain What You Create and WhyLead People SomewhereShow Up as a Real Person, Not a Faceless Author Get to know our Publishing Power Guest Speaker, Dan Blank!

So many writers and authors are feeling inspired to create during our national lockdown, and at the same time there’s concern and angst about how to share creativity, how to launch a book in the era of COVID-19, how to market without seeming tone deaf. Today’s episode, with guest Dan Blank, is an invitation to reframe the conversation you might be having with yourself about sharing your work. We hope you’ll appreciate this game-changing conversation about generosity, authenticity, and how to be heart-centered in how you share, engage, and promote.

Stop promoting. Start connecting. Dan Blank's human-centered approach to marketing has helped countless writers forge lasting impressions, and in this episode, he guides listeners through his philosophy to help us do the same.

Our guest today, Dan Blank, sure seems like a man who loves his work. On his own podcast, the Creative Shift, he’s a warm and engaged interviewer. In his emails, he’s genuine and engaged. Is he selling his book and his services as an advisor to authors developing their platform and launching their work into the world? Sure, but it never feels like he’s selling. It feels like he’s sharing.Wouldn’t we all like to feel like that, and have our readers see us that way? We were hoping Dan would share his magic sauce and we’d all go skipping off towards easy street down a rainbow path, but it turns out there’s some work involved here. So instead, we talked about process, from the way you manage your personal trolls to the way you manage your emails, and then we talked—buzzword alert—authenticity, and finding the things you genuinely want to share with the people who are a match for your work. (You can download Dan’s free guide, 5 Ways to Immediately Connect with Readers, here.)Episode links and a transcript follow, and that’s it for shownotes, because man has it been a couple of weeks. It’s been February for at least a year, right? And I thought January felt long. A few things you can do to help us out or get more #AmWriting:Review us in your podcast app.Join the #AmWriting Facebook GroupSupport us with a little cash, and get periodic #SupporterMini episodes (next week: #OutlineShortcut) and weekly #WritersTopFives every Monday that isn’t an unexpected school holiday that kicks my ass. FanFaves include Top Five Details to Flag in Your Publishing Contract and Top Five Ways to Win at Newsletter Subject Lines. As always, this episode (and every episode) will appear for all subscribers in your usual podcast listening places, totally free as the #AmWriting Podcast has always been. This shownotes email is free, too, so please—forward it to a friend, and if you haven’t already, join our email list and be on top of it with the shownotes and a transcript every time there’s a new episode. LINKS FROM THE PODCAST#AmReading (Watching, Listening)KJ: Such a Fun Age, Kiley ReidHow Could She: A Novel, Lauren MechlingRed, White, & Royal Blue: A Novel, Casey McQuistonSarina: The Starless Sea: A Novel, Erin MorgensternDan: Churchill: Walking with Destiny by Andrew RobertsBonus: Clementine, The Life of Mrs. Winston ChurchillOur guest for this episode is Dan Blank, and you can find more about him at We Grow Media.This episode was sponsored by Author Accelerator, the book coaching program that helps you get your work DONE. Visit https://www.authoraccelerator.com/amwriting for details, special offers and Jennie Nash’s Inside-Outline template.Find more about Jess here, Sarina here and about KJ here.If you enjoyed this episode, we suggest you check out Marginally, a podcast about writing, work and friendship.Transcript (We use an AI service for transcription, and while we do clean it up a bit, some errors are the price of admission here. We hope it’s still helpful.)KJ (00:00):Hey listeners, KJ here, if you're in with us every week, you're what I like to call people of the book. And some of us book people discover somewhere along the way that not only are we writers, we're people with a gift for encouraging other writers. Maybe that comes out in small ways for you, but for some of you, it's a calling and an opportunity to build a career doing work you love. Our sponsor, Author Accelerator provides book coaching to authors (like me) but also needs and trains book coaches. And if that's got your ears perked up, head to authoraccelerator.com and click on become a book coach. Is it recording?Jess (00:41):Now it's recording.KJ (00:43):Yay.Jess (00:43):Go ahead.KJ (00:44):This is the part where I stare blankly at the microphone like I don't remember what I was supposed to be doing.Jess (00:48):Alright, let's start over.KJ (00:48):Awkward pause. I'm going to rustle some papers. Now, one, two, three. I'm KJ Dell'Antonia and this is #AmWriting. #AmWriting is our podcast about writing all the things - fiction, nonfiction, essays, book proposals, all the things that I list every week because this is the podcast about sitting down and getting your writing work, whatever that is, done.Sarina (01:20):And I'm Sarina Bowen. I'm the author of 30-odd romance novels and my new one is called Heartland. You can find more about me at sarinabowen.com.KJ (01:31):I'm excited for Heartland. I was just crawling all over your website today for no apparent reason. Anyway, I am KJ Dell'Antonia. I am the author of The Chicken Sisters, a novel coming out in June of 2020, as well as How To Be a Happier Parent, which is out in hardback now and in paperback this summer. And I am excited to say that we have a guest today. So let me just introduce him. Our guest is Dan Blank. He's so many things that I don't know what to put first, so don't judge me by how I rank these. But he is the host of The Creative Shift podcast, the author of Be the Gateway: A Practical Guide to Sharing Your Creative Work and Engaging an Audience, the creator and wunderkind behind the We Grow Media Organization, and a man with a true passion for what he likes to call a human centered approach to reaching your audience. And I would have to say that Dan has a human centered approach to everything. So, welcome Dan.Dan (02:32):Thank you for the lovely introduction. I appreciate that.KJ (02:36):You're welcome. A couple of weeks to go. We recorded an episode on what we do all day and you don't have to convince either of us that the most important thing that we do is create. But we both struggle to put that first sometimes because of all the other stuff that feels pressing. And all that other stuff is mostly about marketing, and promoting ourselves and our work, and getting it out in the world and communicating with our editors or agents or audio book recorders or cover designers - just so much stuff. So we are hoping to have kind of a two-part conversation with you: if getting the work out in the world is the second most important thing, how do we do that better and smarter instead of just chasing shiny new opportunities and how can we get it done? And full disclosure here, before I stop talking, I think that you love connecting your work with people or at least it feels that way to me. And Sarina and I both would like to feel that way. So I have dubbed this #HowToLovePromotingYourWork. And that's not a challenge or anything. I did not ask you a question. How can we start? What should be my first question?Dan (03:59):To me, it always starts with clarity. And I totally agree with you, that for a writer it begins with their craft. It begins with what they create, why they create it, and of course their ability to do so. And then from that, it's about the idea of connecting it with people. I find that a lot of people absolutely do what you say, they struggle to create because of all the other important things in life. And sometimes it is distracting. Like going on a co-host website for no reason and just spending time there, which I do all the time. But a lot of times it's critically important things like kids, and job, and to feeding your family, and that sort of thing. So when I think of the idea of productivity and getting writing done, a lot of what I think about is that battle for clarity. Of knowing what is the most important thing, and knowing it in your bones, and having made decisions around it. And I think if you don't have that first, then it's very difficult to start weighing things in your day. Of like, well I should volunteer for that, I should do this, maybe let me just check that out, and someone told me about that book let me check that out, or let me get back to email. So the place I like to start is talking about clarity, but I'm not sure if that's starting too far back for you.Sarina (05:23):I would love to jump in and tell you that you're already saying some things to me that really resonate. Because my relationship to productivity and to my clarity of purpose has changed so much over the last five years and not in a healthy way. And I'm sort of struggling to go back to where I was. Well, I started writing romance novels out of frustration about five years ago, because the things that I had been working on were not working, not finding a market. And so I wrote the first couple just out of joy and just for fun. And I accidentally became a romance novelist because the moment that my first romance came out, then I found success. So everything started to work for me. But the problem is now that my relationship to that work has changed so much because of reader expectations. And now my inbox is full of people who want things from me. Whereas, when I first started writing these stories, they were just for me. I mean, I had the hope that somebody would read them, but now I literally get messages every day from people who are demanding that I do a particular thing next. And it's really messed me up a little bit. You know, when I sit down in front of my computer in the morning now, I have all those voices in my head and they want certain things to happen in my fictional worlds and they want certain books next. But I'm on deadline on this other one. And you know, cry me a river, right? Because I have an engaged audience, but sometimes it's too loud.Dan (07:19):Yeah. I mean, KJ knows this about me. I work in a small studio here in New Jersey and on one of the walls is nothing but photos of artists, and writers, and musicians who inspire me. And I pick photos of them when they are either very young, before they've had success, or when they're sort of in that moment of risk. And I stare at them all day. And you talking about that thing that a lot of people have, which is I don't want to write to an audience, but I want to feel that my life is filled with an audience. And how to navigate that is a tricky thing. And as I look at that wall right now, I think of how all of these other creators had to deal with that, too. You come out with a successful album, or painting, or show, or performance, or book and you're immediately thrilled at the success and then saddled with that success. And you're also talking about not just in your head, you're talking about, it's like infiltrating your day through email, and probably through private messages, and things like that.Sarina (08:20):Yeah.Dan (08:24):Now we will get to the crying. I mean the first thing I think about that, is the ability to compartmentalize it. And sometimes that is a system you create. So you have a virtual assistant who is actually in your inbox and moves things to different places so that you're not always confronting them at a bad moment. That's one way to do it. Another way to do it is to sort of reframe feedback from readers almost in a community marketing role. So you're expecting this. And the way I like to think about that is to have a process. Because if we think about anyone, JK Rowling, anyone who has a big fan base, and all day long fans come up and tell them about their life there's a real emotional baggage to that. Let alone if they're saying, why don't you do this, why don't you do that? If it's reframed as this is a marketing role, this is a reader connection role, this is a me being there for people role. In a background way that might be a way to compartmentalize it in your mind, but then the service that you're doing of engaging with them, it's a whole different thing. You have a process by which to process that. And again, I think KJ knows this from from my work, but I have this little thing I call creativity cave trolls and it's basically anything that distracts you, takes you off of your clarity. And I imagine that this is one of those cave trolls for you. And the whole concept behind it is not that you want to kill the troll, the troll will always be there. It's sort of this dumb, lumbering thing that will always be a part of your life. And the way that you manage that is that you build a system to manage it. You're always going to get these emails so let's plan for those emails and let's find a way to process them. Again, it could be hiring someone, it could be flagging them in your inbox, and you deal with them only on Mondays from 4:00 to 8:00 PM. Or you have a script that you use, something where if you know they're going to come and take you off track, we find a way to process them. And then hopefully that would give you more mind space to create and then fewer things to take you way off the rails.KJ (10:40):And I think that we all struggle with that inbox full of demand. Whether it's reader demand, like Sarina gets, or editor demand, or school volunteer demand, or just all the things. My inbox right now is full of direct messages from social media and many of them there were, 'Yeah, I sure I would love to be on your podcast, actually.' But they all require sort of a processing time that is very real and that's so annoying. Why can I not just process them in the amount of time that it takes to read them? That's a little crazy, but it's just like, why does it take me 40 minutes to crank through three emails?Dan (11:35):Can I really dig into email? Is that okay? Cause I'm so passionate about this. Okay, so I know this is another thing KJ and I've talked about in the past, which is my philosophy that your inbox is not a to do list. And the problem I think a lot of people have with email is they ask for it to do too many things. And it's one channel. So a number of ways to even think about what you just said. And that's to: one, turn off the notifications. If they're going to go to Instagram, or going to go to Twitter, let them go to Instagram and Twitter. Don't also have them pop into email because then that's a bottleneck for everything. Another way to kind of lighten the load is to think about having different inboxes for different purposes. So one thing that I do is I have almost every newsletter that I get (and I get a ton of newsletters cause I kind of study them) I have an email inbox (a Gmail account) just for newsletters. So the email that I use every day gets almost no newsletters. And I unsubscribe from everything. You know, if I buy something from Guitar Center and they accidentally put me on their newsletter list, I actively unsubscribe from things, I actively route things to different inboxes. And the idea is the fewer things I have to even look at and sort through, the more clarity I have to manage the things that are there. So that's sort of the first thing I would say with email and the second thing is, again to sort of have a process to process the inbox. So I'm one of those really, really, really annoying people who's basically always at inbox zero. And that's because I'm always offloading things from email. So the super quick version of what I do is I don't consider my inbox my inbox. I use Apple mail and they have like a flag folder and Gmail has a star folder. So right then and there when I open up email and they all pop in in the morning, I don't really read them, I flag emails that I have to look at. So everything I don't flag just goes into the endless archive. I don't worry about deleting them, I don't move them into folders and pretend that I'm like a librarian of my inbox cause that takes a lot of time and decision making power. Then I just go to my flagged folder and there are just the 16 emails I flagged let's say that day. And from what I do then is I try to process what I can quickly. Like if I can just do a one word or a one line reply back, I do that. And for anything more, if it's client saying, 'Oh, can we do it out here and I'm gonna add this to our agenda', I move it out of email, I put it in the folder I have for that client. I move it into another working process, I don't keep it in the inbox. And for things I can't process right away either I leave it in there until later in the day or I email that person and say, 'Thanks, I'm going to get back to you within 48 hours on this.' So I always take action on it and where I can't take action, I at least set an expectation that I see you and you will hear back from me at a certain time. And that sort of has worked wonders for my inbox. It's been a very long time since I've ever worried about email because that system works for me. So I typically end the day with a totally empty flags folder.Sarina (15:05):Huh. I love how analytical that is because it seems like maybe I could manage that as I'm analytical about most everything, but I also hear you sort of saying that I should just get over my anger at some of the things that people email me.Dan (15:24):Yeah, I mean I think that there's such a power, there's such an energy that it takes and I like the idea of how do we flip that? How do we have a script that we can send to these people? How do we have a thing in your website that says how you deal with it?Sarina (15:39):Oh, I have the thing, it's just that people don't pay attention. It says in beautiful pink letters right above my contact form. Like, 'Due to the volume of questions Sarina cannot respond to questions about publication plans, audio plans, paperback dates, et cetera. Between the newsletter and upcoming releases we have you covered. Thank you for understanding.' And every day I get an email that just says, when is the audio book coming out? Or something like that. But it's partly this, I've had to cross this little personal rubicon where pretty much before last year I really believed that everyone who reached out to me with a question deserved an answer, and promptly. Because that person's about to throw down $15 for my audio book. And then I just had to come to a place of, 'Well, I won't ever produce another thing again if I'm always answering that question.'KJ (16:38):It's not a bad problem to have.Sarina (16:41):I saw it as a problem.KJ (16:42):I know you do.Sarina (16:44):Well, I actually don't respond anymore to that particular question and I definitely do not respond anymore to, 'Is there ever going to be another book about so-and-so?' Because, like I've said, I've reached this place where I can't actually reply to everything or I won't finish the writing goal of the day, but it feels bad not to tell that invested person that I can't answer your email. Except it says right over the contact form basically click here to see all the public plans. Like, if you're curious about a thing, here is the page for that. So yeah, I'm a little stuck.KJ (17:38):I know you have a virtual assistant, they could just weed those for you and have a canned response that says what the pink letters say, only friendly, not that pink letters aren't friendly. And then you would know like, okay those people all got an answer that basically said nothing, but I didn't have to do it. When I was getting my New York Times emails, I had somebody do that for some of the years, depending on the years, just, you know, volume of submissions, blah blah blah. Because I did feel like everyone deserved at least a basically automated response. It's hard, cause arguably everyone doesn't deserve a response. It's sort of like the social media direct messages for me. And that's an interesting one, Dan. Cause I don't actually ever go on this particular platform, but I have such a large following there that I don't want to shut it down. That's why the Twitter dm's come and my assistant handles most of them, but these were all things she couldn't handle. Somebody who was cleaning it out, but I don't know. I mean you've probably thought of that and there may be reasons that you haven't done it, or haven't done it yet.Sarina (18:55):Well, I have somebody on some of these platforms. But of course Facebook makes it difficult.KJ (19:04):Yeah, Facebook won't let you.Sarina (19:05):Yeah. Like if I share with my Canadian assistant, my login, then Facebook will flag me as not a real human.KJ (19:16):Really, Facebook messages are like the bane of my...that should have an audit. You should be able to have an automated response that basically says, 'I don't do Facebook messages.' or you should be able to turn it off.Sarina (19:28):Well, Instagram is actually even worse because they pile all of the actual messages in with so-and-so reacted to your story or whatever.KJ (19:38):Yes, that's a new thing that people can like make a little clapping sound under your story, which is fine. That's delightful, clap for my story. But now it's in my dm's and yeah.Sarina (19:49):Well, at the risk that I've just spent the last 10 minutes sounding like a horrible human who doesn't like having invested readers, I did listen to your podcast, Dan, when you were helping someone who was a nonfiction author, develop a more authentic relationship with her Facebook following and she was, I believe, a client of yours. And her topic was something very accessible, but also sort of serious, which was divorced, I believe. And you said the word authentic enough times when I was listening to it that I thought, 'Okay, okay.' So this is another lesson I need to take from you. And basically after I listened to that episode, I cut out a bunch of the things I was doing on social media that didn't feel authentic to me. And I basically came home and I wrote a list of when do I feel the most authentic in my social media communication. And then I just hammer that list lately. Like those are the things we're doing now because I feel the best about them. And I was left wanting to hear how that might change when you're dealing with people who write fiction though, because obviously somebody who counsels others who are going through a divorce has a very one-to-one relationship with helping that person. And since all marketing is sort of problem solving, but the problem I'm solving for you is just that you have something to read this weekend and you didn't before, so it's a more tenuous relationship with that follower. And I just wondered - you must have thought of this and I was curious about it.Dan (21:46):Yeah, I was thinking of this and I think it was maybe in Jennie Nash's newsletter this morning. She referenced like a Harry Potter podcast whose tagline was something like, 'We don't read for escape, we read to become more human or to more fully, you know, be a part of life.' And whenever I think of like a novelist, or even a memoir writer, I think of that. Which is, to me, it's not just about escape, it's about connecting to something within someone, a worldview, part of their identity, a theme, a possibility in life. And I think about how for a novelist that can be a part of what they share. And I also think a lot about the duality here, which is the author is not the work. You know, the work is the work and the person behind it is the person. Yet as a fan of a book, or a fan of a theme, or a story, or something like that, we can get engaged with the person behind it. And that's why we love seeing cat photos or dog photos of an author who doesn't write about cats or dogs. And we have little in jokes that aren't part of the book, they're a part of that. And I think about sometimes there's a crossover. There are things that novelists can share that is about the identity and about the worldview. So if you pick just big obvious themes about love, or friendship, or duality, or commitments, or whatever, you can think of lots of little things that one can share that they align with, the reader aligns with, and also kind of fits with stories. But I also think it is about being what you want to see in the world. The word authentic I think is a very challenging one, cause we like to think it's just what we want to do. It's like who we are. But authentic, you've got to be careful with that, too. Like what is authentic? If we were being authentic, we'd all be wearing pajamas right now. You know, we'd be in big comfy chairs, there'd be ice cream surrounding us, that's very authentic to how we'd like to be. But we're all probably wearing more regular clothing, we're sitting in a desk chair, we're sitting up cause we're on a podcast. And I think that we get to filter how we're authentic online. And I think that with this question or what you're sharing here and I'm thinking about, and even your other one, I think a lot about Bruce Springsteen. Partly because I'm from New Jersey and partly because the few times I've been actually right next to him, I'm surrounded by mobs of fans, and behind them are fans, behind them are fans, behind them are fans. And here's someone like you, who doesn't have enough time to get to everyone and he's had to find a way to be okay with that. And he is (to me) the great construct of an image of authenticity. He has an authenticity he's showing you that is true, but it's also a filter of what's authentic.Sarina (24:52):Yeah, well sometimes my readers help figure out these themes for me.Dan (24:59):Oh wow.Sarina (25:01):So well, yeah. So, of course I write in series and my series tend to have certain themes running through them. One of them is hockey, one of them is Vermont. So people will post in my Facebook group, news stories all the time that remind them of little things that have happened in those books. Like this past weekend, a goalie made a goal for his team by basically flipping the puck all the way down the entire length of the ice and scoring. So, when things happen that are newsy, those things will turn up in my reader group. And so people help me identify what are those external, internal. Like the blend of what people take away from fiction and put there. And for example, I had a book three books ago where a character's avatar was Lobster Shorts because of his picture. And he was known as Lobster Shorts for the entire book and people have been posting lobster printed clothing items since the day that book came out. So sometimes I get a leg up on what it is that people are charmed by or taking away from the stories, but sometimes it's mysterious to me and I have to sort of blunder my way through the conversation to figure out what's resonating and what's not.KJ (26:38):Well, I was looking at some notes from our interview with Marika Flatt a couple of weeks ago. And she had had this thing on her website about finding the theme of your work. Like the huge theme, not the individual theme for books. And I had was writing down sort of samples for me and samples for you. And I had written something like that your theme is romance can be hard but fun or something like that. Like, you know, it's complicated, but there's a joy in it and a humor in it. And to me, that's what comes across in your social media and that's what's authentic about your writing and your connection - is that there is always the humor. I mean, joy may not be the right word, cause sometimes it's kind of a snarky humor. But yeah, finding the funny in tough situations, to me, that's part of your brand.Sarina (27:38):Well that's the thing is it's great when people help you figure out what your brand is. But from where I sit, I'm looking at other romance authors and I see so much that's really not me. Like some romance authors, they're part of their brand or their family is part of their brand. And I'm more private than that, I don't share that much. It's possibly because I'm older and more circumspective, didn't grow up in a sharing culture, but I do struggle with that, too.KJ (28:13):What, with what you're not?Sarina (28:15):Well, just that I'm reluctant to share things that other people might share.Dan (28:19):One thing I look at a lot online is people that seem to be sharing so much as I really try to see, well where are their boundaries? And I'll notice things where someone has a big following and they're sharing their family, sharing their home, and their spouse, and their kids. And on that, well where are their boundaries? And if I look for them, I often see them where it's like, oh, they do share their kids, but it's never more than once a week. It's not always, but often a profile view, or it's at home and they never mention where they live, or the school, they mention them by nickname, they share their home, but it's only in a certain way. It's one thing I like to think a lot about is the agency that everyone needs to choose what and how they share online. Because I agree with you. Everyone needs to have their own boundary and it's a different place for everyone. And I like to think of it as an opportunity to define - you know, I'm going to share this interesting part of myself, whether people care about it or not, because who I am. And I'll share a little bit of this other thing, but only so far. And I think of that even in the offline world with polite conversation with how people talk and introduce themselves and how they're open and they're open to a certain degree so that they can get along and feel human, but then they protect the things that they feel should not be for public consumption either.KJ (29:43):So Dan, one of the things that I have done because of you and that I respect about you, is that you are really big on finding pretty much exactly what it is that we're talking about here. That authentic thing that we want to share or sort of the flip side of that is the audience that we want to reach. And by that you don't mean, you know women aged 18 to 35 living in big cities. You know, you mean who are we and who are we trying to reach? And you have some sort of ways to help people get at that. Can you talk about how we can figure out what our theme and our audience is if we're struggling with it?Dan (30:35):Yeah, there's a lot to take into there. I think in general, you wanna allow your audience to surprise you in a positive way. And I think sometimes we put up these rules about what we're not, and that closes us off to what we are or what we can be. So, one easy place to begin with this, and I'm not sure if this is too simple, but a lot of writers I speak to, they don't know where they fit in the marketplace. They don't know who their comparable books or comparable authors are. And they feel disconnected from social media because they feel they started too late. Is a conversation there a little too far back or is that okay?KJ (31:17):No, that's a good place to start. And let me just say that everyone feels like they started too late on social media.Sarina (31:25):That's true.Dan (31:25):Yeah. It's funny, this is something that I'm working into my next book and it was a part of the mastermind I run. Which is a couple of weeks in, I used to do a little video saying, 'Oh you're not behind.' And I noticed everyone loved that and I started moving it up and now I actually share that video the day before we start the mastermind. Because I found that even on day one, hour one, people now come in feeling behind from a lot of things in life and it already sort of makes their experience of things so much more difficult cause it's like showing up to a beautiful retreat and on day one you walk in and you already think everyone else knows what they're doing. They're dressed better than I am. They know where to go. Like it's sort of casts a shadow on the whole thing. So in terms of what you're about, I guess there's two main ways I think about it. One is internal and one is external. The internal way is I have a lot of different exercises I go through with people to get real clarity about what do you care about, what would you fight for, what would you rather spend time on more than anything else. So I have a process called clarity cards and it's really this idea of looking at not just what you create, but your whole life and thinking what matters to me. And some of that is task-driven. It's you know, your family, your health. But some of it is I've had so many people go through this and there's a lot on there that is about their fiction, and about their memoir, and about their nonfiction work. And what they're doing is getting really clear of this is who I am, this is what I believe, this is what I write about, but this is also why I spend my time there.KJ (33:02):Can you give us an example, without sort of calling out a person? Like what would be one of those themes that might pop up on these cards?Dan (33:12):I'll use myself as an example, cause it's the easiest thing to do with no preparation. You know, for myself, I am an introverted germaphobe who is scared of going out and doesn't travel cause I'm scared to fly. Yet I have this business where I work with writers and it's typically more in the marketing end of things. So, what that means when I look at that (and I tried to describe that really pathetically) so when you look at the themes that I care about, well because I genuinely care about people who create, it's writers and it's not just writers, it's people who create. Because I feel like if you're doing that, you are advancing our culture and you are taking a risk that other people are not. So you are my people. So one, I'm already defining it there. It's not just I help writers with marketing. It's the deeper why of why do I spend all my time? Why is my wife an artist? Why have all my friends growing up been artists and writers, photographers and performers all day now? I'm at 10 years of this company and all I do is talk to writers and creators. So it's that drive part of it. It's not just I help writers market things. It's the deeper why there. Then, I look at how you started this conversation, which is if we're not creating, nothing else can happen. So what I think a lot about is the creative process and like the photos on the wall here, I meditate on this idea of having clarity of what you create and embracing, of going all in. And when I look at stories of writers, or performers, or creators, I look at the ways where they did have to isolate themselves. They had to sacrifice, they had to have the world laugh at them, laugh at their idea, and persist anyway, and only later did they see what the genius was. Also because I believe in the creative process, I mean I'm working a few blocks from where I live. I have a very small life geographically and other things I kind of said tongue in cheek before (Oh, I don't like to fly. I don't like to go out.) well that's allowed me to embrace this idea of having a life that's dedicated to my family. I'm either with them or I'm here working with writers. So in a way that's a very small life. And what it means is that I've had to say no to a lot of things because I want to embrace those two things as fully as I can. So to summarize, if you look at my Instagram, or my newsletter, or my podcast, you see those themes coming up. It's who I am and that gives me a lot of latitude to not just say, 'This is the marketing for writers podcast where we teach you how to sell, sell, sell.' Which, sure, it's part of what I do, but it's maybe paper thin when you think about all the things holding that up and all the things that I love talking to writers about. And that's what I think gives me, you said this very generously earlier, which is like you seem to love what you do. And I do. And that's why I love what I do, because I've just explored - if I don't like to go out, and I don't like to fly, and I do this job marketing with writers, like how is that the thing that fuels me? And I wake up super excited to do this work.KJ (36:31):It is so hard to take the time to work through that thought process. But it's really, I think, important and rewarding and also a great thing to think about at the start of a new year and a new decade. Going back and revisiting if we feel like we've already done it, to go back and try to find those themes and find that clarity. I'm loving this as a general thought. So to bring it all back home to this question of, okay, how can we love marketing our work? I can answer that for you, but I want you to answer it.Dan (37:13):If you know why you create, if you make creating a priority in your life, which does mean a lot of decision making and turning down other potential obligations, and you believe that the work that you are creating has a purpose and that can be a lower case P, it can be an uppercase P for you, that this work can and will connect with someone, and you care about this for all whatever deep reasons you have, sharing that work is your ability to just communicate that, to just say, this is what I believe and why, and I'm sharing it with good intentions and not shoving it down your throat. As the idea of wanting to fill your life, not just with, I wrote these books and they're on a shelf at a store, but living the life of a writer is someone who fills their life with moments, and experiences, and other people who care about these themes, or these types of work, or the conversations you have. And I think that does look different for everyone. But in general, it's not just about how do we get it done. It's how do we build a life that feels fulfilling in what we create, how we share that with other people, how we connect with them, and how that comes back around. And I firmly believe that creative work is complete when someone else experiences it. Because half of that work is what you intended and half of that work is what the reader brings to it. And I think that that is utterly, totally, completely magical.KJ (38:50):I love that. And magic is my word of the year. So, now I'm especially delighted that we're sort of wrapping up on that note. So, to shift gears, I forgot to warn you, but I hope you remember that we ask everyone what they've been reading and loving of late and to give you a moment to regroup, Sarina will start. Ha ha, you're on the hotspot.Sarina (39:22):I am digging into The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern.KJ (39:27):Oh, I have that! Is it good?Sarina (39:28):You know, the beginning is great.KJ (39:31):I just finished Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid and I am currently reading a book called How Could She and I forget who the author is. And I'm having this really interesting experience that maybe even gets down to what we've been talking about, which is that I don't like the people in either of these books. I don't think you're meant to, if I'm not enjoying a book on some level, if I'm not getting something out of it, and if it's not well done, if it's not fulfilling, I don't finish. And I 100% finished Such a Fun Age and I'm gonna finish the one that I'm reading right now, but in both of them, they both really center around people with what I would call kind of a sour view of life.KJ (40:40):And in a lot of cases, a sour view of pretty good lives. Now Such a Fun Age has a lot of characters that are hugely demographically different. It's got themes of race, and class, and money. So not every character is sour about their privilege, but none of the people in these books feel very hopeful. And so I'm not having very much fun with them, even though I'm reading them. And I don't quite know what to make of that. They are more challenging than reading, you know Red, White, and Royal Blue, which is so, so totally on my bedside table and I'm super looking forward to. So I guess there's that, there's different themes. But yeah, it is this question of do you spend more time reading about characters that you would actually like to spend time with or characters that you maybe have a different life outlook and maybe you want to know more about? Maybe that's where I am with those. It isn't that I don't recommend, I wouldn't mention the book if I didn't like it. It's just, it's a different kind of liking. It's a weird kind of liking. Your turn.Dan (41:57):My turn. I'm 200 pages into the thousand page biography on Churchill called Churchill: Walking with Destiny by Andrew Roberts.KJ (42:08):And do we like this? Do we want to spend more time with Churchill?Dan (42:14):It's interesting really, for probably the reasons you just said, a very complex character, very complex era. And this is a newer biography and it seemed to be the one that balanced (by all the reviews I could read) a lot of different thoughts, recent things that have come out, new archives that were not available earlier. So it seemed to be a very recent, modern take on a very complex subject.KJ (42:46):I just heard about a book that was about Churchill's wife and it's new and I am trying to find it, but I am stymied by the fact that there are actual human beings named Anna Churchill, and I think her name was Ana. Just throwing that out there and I'll find it for the show notes that there's apparently an interesting - I actually don't even know if it's sort of a fictionalized version or if it's a biography, but that she was apparently a really, really interesting character. So you can follow up, if you need more Churchill. Alright. Well, this was great. We really appreciate it. Before we sign off, tell people where they can find you and what you've got going on right now.Dan (43:40):You can find me on my blog at wegrowmedia.com. The podcast is called The Creative Shift with Dan Blank. Social media @Danblank and I have a little Facebook group called The Reader Connection Project that I've been doing a lot of teachings recently on social media for writers. We have a thousand writers in there, you're welcome to join. And I do a lot of different programs on the idea of how to connect with your readers and all the different facets around that from marketing, to book launches, social media websites, and then even what we've talked about a lot here, which is productivity for writers. So you can check all that out. Thank you.KJ (44:26):I'm going to give a co-sign to the idea of signing up for your weekly email because it is really good, and really heartfelt, and an excellent example of the genre, which I guess wouldn't be surprising since you read a lot of them. Sarina, you want to take us out?Sarina (44:45):I will, right after I sign up for Dan Blank's weekly email. I would like to remind you all to keep your butt in the chair and your head in the game. This episode of #AmWriting with Jess and KJ was produced by Andrew Parilla. Our music, aptly titled unemployed Monday was written and performed by Max Cohen. Andrew and Max were paid for their services because everyone, even creatives should be paid. This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at amwriting.substack.com/subscribe

Spoooooooky Halloween everybody! This week's episode is all about the creepy, kooky and downright spooky so we've found podcasts to recommend that are (hopefully) guaranteed to make your skin crawl. Liz recommends an immersive drama featuring some star power with Cynthia Erivo, Carrier; Zane looks to this mortal coil with real-life supernatural encounters in Spooked WNYC; and Patrick takes a look the frightening history behind common folklore with the podcast that spawned an Amazon Prime TV series, Lore.Liz Recommends - Carrierhttps://www.qcodemedia.com/carrierThe main reason Liz got so, erm, carried away with Carrier was the immersive experience factor. Thanks to excellent soundscapes and use of surround sound, you really feel like you're in the episode and experiencing every eerie thing the protagonist is experiencing."What happens when a truck driver picks up a loaded trailer, but has no idea what’s really inside? Tony, Grammy, and Emmy award winner Cynthia Erivo journeys down a dark and lonely highway in this original scripted thriller from Qcode and creator Dan Blank. With immersive audio techniques that create a dimensional listening experience, the audience is strongly advised to use caution, wear headphones if possible, and listen... carefully."For both: It's a serial so start from the start and listen with headphones for a full experience.https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/carrier/id1468956772Pat Recommends - Lorehttps://www.lorepodcast.com/Hosted by Aaron Mahnke, Lore is an award-winning, podcast about true life scary stories. Each episode revolves around a them a takes a dark little dive into some of the darker nooks and crannies of history. These pieces run for about a half hour and include 2 or 3 stories, that's just value you can't turn down. New eps drop fortnightly on Mondays.https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/lore/id978052928For Zane & Liz: It's all good homiesZane Recommends - Spooked WNYCThis podcast is produced by one of Zane's old favourites (that has yet to be recommended) Snap Judement. Presented by Glynn Washington, Spooked features true-life supernatural stories, told firsthand by people who can barely believe it happened themselves. Be afraid. Created in the dark of night, by Snap Judgment and WNYC Studios. New episodes on Mondays and Thursdays.For Pat & Liz: Pick and episode that appealshttps://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1279361017Subscribe to us on ITUNES, STITCHER, SPOTIFY, RADIOPUBLIC or your podcatcher of choice.Find us on FACEBOOK, TWITTER or INSTAGRAM.

This week's episode features highlights of a panel from the 2019 BIO Conference, “Promoting Your Biography,” with moderator Ruth Franklin and panelists Dan Blank, Melinda Ponder, and Declan Taintor.  

Dan Blank is the head women's soccer coach at Widener University. Prior to joining Widener, Blank was the Associate Head Coach at the University of Georgia, helping to mentor a squad that qualified for the NCAA Tournament twice, reaching the Second Round in 2011. UGA led the SEC in defense in 2010, surrendering 0.90 goals per game and had a four-game shutout streak against conference foes. The Bulldogs went 53-38-11 in his five years in Athens. Prior to joining Georgia, Blank was an assistant coach at Ole Miss where he guided the team to the NCAA Tournament in 2009. He is the only coach in SEC history to be a part of two teams that have led the conference in defense as the Rebels held their opponents to just 0.67 goals in '09, posting a 13-6-2 record. From 1998-2006, Blank was the head coach of the Embry-Riddle Eagles, overseeing the beginning of the women's soccer program. He led the Eagles to a 98-57-8 record, winning three Florida South Conference titles and finishing in the National Top-25 four times. While at Embry-Riddle, Blank coached five All-Americans, 26 All-Region picks, and 33 All-Conference honorees. His players excelled in the classroom as well, mentoring 12 NAIA Scholar Athletes. Individually, he was named FSC Coach of the Year three times and Region XIV Coach of the Year twice. Blank is also a successful author who has written eight soccer books including the best-sellers Soccer iQ Vols. 1 and 2. To order any of his books go to https://www.soccerpoet.com/ How you can support the show Subscribe to the "On the Touchline" newsletter Go to https://www.duktigbrand.com/ Place your order. At checkout enter the promo code BROADWATER19 to save 10%. Never miss an episode of this show every Wednesday and Saturday by subscribing on: Sponsor the show? Have a great product or service you want to tell the soccer community about? For $100 you can sponsor this show. https://www.patreon.com/onthetouchline Listen to the show on these platforms: Apple Podcasts Stitcher Spotify Google Podcasts TuneIn Radio Please be sure to share the podcast with those in the soccer community by tagging me on Instagram and Twitter @SoccerCoachJB. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/onthetouchline/message

ALLi Director Orna Ross and Author Dan Blank survey seven ways to be a productive writer so you can write and sell more books. Expect lots of research-based advice about how best to prepare body and mind, setting daily priorities, Block out time and shut out distractions. Plus: ways to map and log your progress and give yourself rewards. Here are some highlights: Orna on Surrounding Yourself with Support "Surround yourself with other people who get it, who understand what you're trying to do. It's hard to do this stuff in complete isolation. It really does help to have a supportive group around you who get it, who understand and who are there to pick you up when you fall down and give you a pat on the back if things go well." Dan Blank on Setting Your Own Expectations "Then there's that endorphin rush of, "Let me please them. Let me live up to that expectation. Let me be a good person." And the expense is almost always your writing, your editing or publishing and that's very depressing. So I think that with intention, one thing I'm a huge advocate of is, I live by my calendar and I time block. So it's really a matter of setting intention by the half hour, an hour period. And I really write that down the night before." Self-Publishing News Also, News Editor Dan Holloway and Howard Lovy bring you the latest self-publishing news. This week, they discuss the new US version of the Selfie Awards and the rise of the subscription publishing model. Howard talks about his new website, howardlovy.com and Dan updates us on the slow takeover of writing by artificial intelligence. Dan Holloway on Subscription Services "And that trend is going up and obviously in terms of the size of data, movies are a lot bigger and gaming is a lot bigger than books. But books do seem to be part of this trend. But my worry is that, in terms of finances, we'll go down that same sort of route of Spotify has gone down for musicians, where you're literally getting fractions of a cent per listen." Find more author advice, tips and tools at our Self-publishing Author Advice Center: https://selfpublishingadvice.org, with a huge archive of nearly 2,000 blog posts, and a handy search box to find key info on the topic you need. And, if you haven’t already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. You can do that at http://allianceindependentauthors.org. Now, go write and publish! About the Hosts Orna Ross launched the Alliance of Independent Authors at the London Book Fair in 2012. Her work for ALLi has seen her named as one of The Bookseller’s “100 top people in publishing”. She also publishes poetry, fiction and nonfiction, and is greatly excited by the democratising, empowering potential of author-publishing. For more information about Orna, visit her website: http://www.ornaross.com Dan Blank is the founder of WeGrowMedia, where he helps writers and artists share their stories and grow their audience. He is the author of the book "Be the Gateway: A Practical Guide to Sharing Your Creative Work and Engaging an Audience." Dan Holloway is a novelist, poet and spoken word artist. He is the MC of the performance arts show The New Libertines Earlier this year he competed at the National Poetry Slam final at the Royal Albert Hall. His latest collection, The Transparency of Sutures, is available on Kindle.  

Welcome to AskALLi, the self-publishing advice podcast from the Alliance of Independent Authors. This week, it's our monthly Self-Publishing Life Salon with Alli Director Orna Ross and author Dan Blank. They discuss the importance of finding your rhythm and balance across the days and weeks.  Orna proposes a three-part planning system that takes account of processing, promotion as well as production. And Dan explains why he doesn't believe in balance, but obsession, and discusses firm schedules and accountability. Also, on Inspirational Indie Authors Howard Lovy interviews Maggie Lynch, who writes a series of science fiction books she shares with eight other indie authors, called Obsidian Rim. Their goal is to produce a new book in the series every couple of weeks. Howard and Maggie discuss how they are aiming for a growing demographic of sci-fi readers: women. Find more author advice, tips and tools at our Self-publishing Author Advice Center: https://selfpublishingadvice.org, with a huge archive of nearly 2,000 blog posts, and a handy search box to find key info on the topic you need. And, if you haven’t already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. You can do that at http://allianceindependentauthors.org. Now, go write and publish! About the Hosts Orna Ross launched the Alliance of Independent Authors at the London Book Fair in 2012. Her work for ALLi has seen her named as one of The Bookseller’s “100 top people in publishing”. She also publishes poetry, fiction and nonfiction, and is greatly excited by the democratising, empowering potential of author-publishing. For more information about Orna, visit her website: http://www.ornaross.com Dan Blank is the founder of WeGrowMedia, where he helps writers and artists share their stories and grow their audience. He is the author of the book "Be the Gateway: A Practical Guide to Sharing Your Creative Work and Engaging an Audience." Howard Lovy has been a journalist for more than 30 years, and has spent the last five years amplifying the voices of independent publishers and authors. He works with authors as a "book doctor" to prepare their work to be published. Howard is also a freelance business and technology writer. Find Howard on howardlovy.com LinkedIn, Twitter.  

Welcome to AskALLi, the self-publishing advice podcast from the Alliance of Independent Authors. This week, it's our monthly Writing Salon, where we discuss the craft of writing with author Dan Blank and ALLi Director Orna Ross. This week, Orna and Dan talk about managing all of a writer's assets. As writers, we think about the work we need to do to create our books but perhaps not enough about the writing we do to build other assets that are very important to our author business. In this salon Orna chats with Dan about the value of websites, branding, processes, teams, and other intellectual property. How to evaluate these assets, and our book projects, through the lens of profit and pleasure. And how, in a busy creative life, we need to look after our most important asset: ourselves. Also, on Inspirational Indie Authors On today's Inspirational Indie Authors interview, journalist Howard Lovy talks to Steff Green. She's a paranormal romance author, teaches self-publishing courses, and is also a children's author who just Kickstarted a Gothic Picture Book. It's a book about bullying called Only Freaks Turn Things Into Bones.  Steff talks about how she was bullied as a child due to her blindness, which gave her a deep understanding of how a bullying victim feels. And, like the main character in the book, she was a Goth kid. Howard and Steff also discuss how she successfully launched a Kickstarter drive to fund the book. Find more author advice, tips and tools at our Self-publishing Author Advice Center: https://selfpublishingadvice.org, with a huge archive of nearly 2,000 blog posts, and a handy search box to find key info on the topic you need. And, if you haven’t already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. You can do that at http://allianceindependentauthors.org. Now, go write and publish! About the Hosts Orna Ross launched the Alliance of Independent Authors at the London Book Fair in 2012. Her work for ALLi has seen her named as one of The Bookseller’s “100 top people in publishing”. She also publishes poetry, fiction and nonfiction, and is greatly excited by the democratising, empowering potential of author-publishing. For more information about Orna, visit her website: http://www.ornaross.com Dan Blank is the founder of WeGrowMedia, where he helps writers and artists share their stories and grow their audience. He is the author of the book "Be the Gateway: A Practical Guide to Sharing Your Creative Work and Engaging an Audience." Howard Lovy has been a journalist for more than 30 years, and has spent the last five years amplifying the voices of independent publishers and authors. He works with authors as a "book doctor" to prepare their work to be published. Howard is also a freelance business and technology writer. Find Howard on LinkedIn and Twitter.  

Dan Blank explains how to use relationship strategies to build your self-publishing business.

Welcome to AskALLi, the self-publishing advice podcast from the Alliance of Independent Authors. This week, it's our monthly Writing Salon, where we discuss the craft of writing with author Dan Blank and ALLi Director Orna Ross. This week, Orna and Dan talk about collaboration. For a writer, collaborations can come in many forms: co-writers, coaches, mentors, ghostwriters, editors and accountability partners. But is collaboration for you? And how do you choose the best writing partner?  Also, on Inspirational Indie Authors Today's interview is with Frankie Picasso, an author who just released a book called For Want of 40 Pounds: From Persecution to Perseverance, What Would You do For Freedom? It's the story about her father, the patriarch of her family, who escaped the Holocaust and then went on to become a successful immigrant and entrepreneur. Frankie says the book is about "resilience. independence, freedom, courage. It's about being an immigrant, an entrepreneur, his rise and fall and rise again. It’s about love and family." The AskALLi podcasts are sponsored by Damonza: Books Made Awesome.  Find more author advice, tips and tools at our Self-publishing Author Advice Center: https://selfpublishingadvice.org, with a huge archive of nearly 2,000 blog posts, and a handy search box to find key info on the topic you need. And, if you haven’t already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. You can do that at http://allianceindependentauthors.org. Now, go write and publish! About the Hosts Orna Ross launched the Alliance of Independent Authors at the London Book Fair in 2012. Her work for ALLi has seen her named as one of The Bookseller’s “100 top people in publishing”. She also publishes poetry, fiction and nonfiction, and is greatly excited by the democratising, empowering potential of author-publishing. For more information about Orna, visit her website: http://www.ornaross.com Dan Blank is the founder of WeGrowMedia, where he helps writers and artists share their stories and grow their audience. He is the author of the book "Be the Gateway: A Practical Guide to Sharing Your Creative Work and Engaging an Audience." Howard Lovy has been a journalist for more than 30 years, and has spent the last five years amplifying the voices of independent publishers and authors. He works with authors as a "book doctor" to prepare their work to be published. Howard is also a freelance business and technology writer. Find Howard on LinkedIn and Twitter.

You may have heard that creativity is important to our children's developing minds. But have you ever thought about how important creativity is for yourself? Today's guest, Dan Blank, not only helps us understand how important it is… He helps us figure out ways to incorporate creativity into our busy parenting lives. I hope you enjoy today's conversation, whether you heard it when it was originally broadcast about 18 months ago, or if this is your first listen. Cheers! Go to weturnedoutokay.com/270 for: Favorite ideas from our conversation Dan's answer to a question that didn't make it into the interview The video of the week: Off this week, returning Thursday, March 28 And thank you so much for listening! How to Get Quality Childcare: Free Online Class! Learn: – The keys to finding the best child care for your young child – To avoid one crucial factor that can derail your efforts to find good childcare – Which questions to ask – and which not too – to assure your child thrives in others' care We cover this and more in the FREE online class I'm teaching on Thursday, March 28! Sign up today – even if you can't be there live, the replay will be available for several days after. Get the best child care for your kiddos by taking this class, for free! Sign up here and I will see you on March 28: )

Welcome back to another encore episode of Mom Writes. While we are taking a break between Seasons 1 and 2, we are re-releasing some listener favorites. You can’t hang around us too long without hearing the name Dan Blank. And today, we bring Dan back to the show for this conversation on creative obsession.Next week we will re-release another interview, KJ Dell’Antonia from the #AmWriting podcast. KJ and Abby met through Dan. KJ and Abby and Jennie also have a BIG ANNOUNCEMENT! We are hosting a Mom Writes/#AmWriting writing retreat in Maine in September! It’s all official, so tune in next week for details and to find out how to register. You can also get on the interest list here.In this episode:This week, Abby sits down to have a conversation with writer dad Dan Blank about obsession. Dan dedicates his days to helping creatives, specifically writers, with all. the. things. And today he and Abby talk about what to do when obsession derails you from your creative work. They talk about how to harness that obsession, when to give yourself permission to take a break from your creative work, and how to get back on track if you do.We talk about Dan's specialty - helping creatives get the most out of their time. Dan's Mastermind class welcomes creatives of all stripes - writers, photographers, artists, etc. Dan's class tackles issues we deal with on a regular basis, co-operatively - you get feedback not only from Dan but all your Mastermind classmates.Obsession is a necessary component for writers. If you can't obsess about your book for the time it takes to get it done, it won't get done. Donald Miller of the Storybrand podcast states that the first quality you have to have to write a book is that you have to be able to obsess about it for at least a year in order to see it through. A year! We know - it's a long time, but that's usually about how long it takes (if not longer) when you've got a full plate, as most of us do.I don't believe in balance. I believe in obsessions." -Dan BlankIn life, we've got so much on our plates - unless you're radically clear about what's important to you- you're going to flake on everything, go a mile wide and an inch deep on everything. Radical clarity is knowing what you want to do, and why. Once you've got that lined up your motivations and plans can fall more easily into place.Obsession is a two-sided coin, though. What happens when you obsess about the wrong thing? How do you even know when you're obsessing about the wrong thing?Abby says that her real-life stuff was getting in the way of her book stuff - a cross country move has sort of taken over her life for the past six months. Writing and creativity was her solace, but she hit a rough spot for about two weeks where she couldn't think of anything else but getting the move arranged. Despite showing up for her writing every day, her brain was not on board with it. Why?A lot of us have a challenge between short term and long term goals - reacting to crises, emergencies, need-to-deal-with-this stuff is very much in the short term. And these things happen to all of us - there are points in life where sabbaticals, breaks, whatever - are absolutely necessary. Remember to put in a boundary, though - give yourself a time limit. A day, a week, a month, whatever you need, but make sure you check in with your work. Take a look at it even for five minutes once in a while and say, "I see you, you're there, you're waiting for me when I come back." Instead of feeling bad about it, you're going to feel positive knowing that you're taking care of the things you need to, but that the work is waiting in anticipation for you to return to it.Sometimes it doesn't matter what words - just that words are flowing. When you feel uninspired, it might be garbage, but it might not! We surprise ourselves. Melanie often uses negative emotions to connect it to her work in just the right place, and sometimes we can use what we're feeling to get the words out.Dan compares this to show up no matter what - this is your profession, your chosen passion. You'll lose the battle if you hem and haw on whether or not you have time for your work. Abby decided that even though everything else was up in the air with her move, she was going to show up every morning even if the words wouldn't come. Dan says that writing every day, even if you don't feel like it, averts the crisis of guilt that happens when you don't show up. Holding yourself accountable, and having others hold you accountable, is something you can use to give yourself the kick in the pants. Sometimes you have to create this for yourself via writers groups, critique partners, or certain individuals that you know can motivate you when you're stuck.Many thanks to Dan Blank for coming on the podcast again!

Welcome to AskALLi, the self-publishing advice podcast from the Alliance of Independent Authors. This week, it's our monthly Writing Salon, where we discuss the craft of writing with author Dan Blank and ALLi Director Orna Ross. This week, Orna and Dan talk about how to effectively share your work in a way that inspires others to connect and, ultimately, buy. The AskALLi podcasts are sponsored by Damonza: Books Made Awesome. Topics discussed include Writing vs. marketing: It's a false dichotomy How to lead people "through the gate" and develop an interest in your writing. How to think about the "creative writing" around your book, including cover copy and social media. "Show your work" to your fans as you write the book. How to use different social media formats for different purposes. Quick tips on how to get started on your book; And more! Also, on Inspirational Indie Authors Today the theme is crime, and the human mind. What if you were falsely accused of a murder? Howard Lovy's guest is one of the most-popular authors of British crime fiction today, Adam Croft, who is also a leading self-published author.  Find more author advice, tips and tools at our Self-publishing Author Advice Center: https://selfpublishingadvice.org, with a huge archive of nearly 2,000 blog posts, and a handy search box to find key info on the topic you need. And, if you haven’t already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. You can do that at http://allianceindependentauthors.org. Now, go write and publish! About the Hosts Orna Ross launched the Alliance of Independent Authors at the London Book Fair in 2012. Her work for ALLi has seen her named as one of The Bookseller’s “100 top people in publishing”. She also publishes poetry, fiction and nonfiction, and is greatly excited by the democratising, empowering potential of author-publishing. For more information about Orna, visit her website: http://www.ornaross.com Dan Blank is the founder of WeGrowMedia, where he helps writers and artists share their stories and grow their audience. He is the author of the book "Be the Gateway: A Practical Guide to Sharing Your Creative Work and Engaging an Audience." Howard Lovy has been a journalist for more than 30 years, and has spent the last five years amplifying the voices of independent publishers and authors. He works with authors as a "book doctor" to prepare their work to be published. Howard is also a freelance business and technology writer. Find Howard on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Welcome to AskALLi, the Self-Publishing Advice Podcast from the Alliance of Independent Authors. This week it’s our monthly Member Q&A where ALLi Members’ have their most pressing self-publishing questions analyzed and answered. Join your regular hosts for the Member Q&A: Michael La Ronn and Dan Blank. The AskALLi podcasts are sponsored by Damonza: Books Made Awesome. Questions this month include: How do I transfer the copyright of my books from me to my brand new LLC/Corporation/Company? What's the recommended word length for a book description? How does Google Play price discounting work and how should I price my book? For 2nd editions of nonfiction books, do you unpublish the first edition? Do you request that reviews be transferred over to new edition? And more! Find more author advice, tips and tools at our Self-publishing Author Advice Center: https://selfpublishingadvice.org, with a huge archive of nearly 2,000 blog posts, and a handy search box to find key info on the topic you need. And, if you haven’t already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. You can do that at http://allianceindependentauthors.org. Now, go write and publish! About the Hosts Michael La Ronn is the author of over 30 books of science fiction & fantasy and authors self-help books. His books include the Galaxy Mavericks series and Modern Necromancy series. You can now find his new writing course on Teachable. Dan Blank is the founder of WeGrowMedia, where he helps writers and artists share their stories and grow their audience. He is the author of the book "Be the Gateway: A Practical Guide to Sharing Your Creative Work and Engaging an Audience."

It’s the final stretch in the race towards the holidays and the New Year, and we at Mom Writes are right there with you. It’s a challenge to find a way to get everything done: school projects, school parties, last-minute gifts because you realize you forgot Great Aunt Muriel, finding enough stamps to send the cards (heck, finding all the addresses to put on the cards)… PLUS all the regular stuff. Like laundry. And dinner.And writing.Do yourself a favor and breathe. Then give yourself the gift of grace. The good thing is, grace is free. And unlike Prime shipping, it’s instant. You can’t do it all, and kidding yourself that you can just leads to extra holiday stress.Of course, I’m going to practice what I’m preaching. And this week the name of the game is prioritizing. Episode 74 of Mom Writes made the cut. But the show notes didn’t. Maybe 2019 will be a better year for show notes. (And maybe it won’t.) But just so you kinda know what you’re getting in to, here’s a small recap:The first 10 minutes we spend chatting about my upcoming move and my disappointment that the sellers of our new house wouldn’t leave me their pig. All of this gets loosely connected to writing and two of our favorite writers: Lori Richmond and KJ Dell’Antonia. If you aren’t into the chit-chat, I suggest skipping ahead roughly 10 minutes!Next, we dig into my assignment for the week. I was tasked with re-outlining my book(s) and revisiting the backstory to work on some logic holes. I did so by writing a single scene that’s crucial to my whole story and my whole world and then making a timeline to cover all the time in-between my crucial scene and the start of my novel. Note, my approach didn’t require character sketches or long, drawn-out explanations of anything. I made sure only to hit on details that were essential to my story.Lastly, we mention another of our favorite people ever: Dan Blank! I had the idea to get Dan to come back on the show and talk about creative obsession. (We’ve already released that episode, by the way! It’s Episode 49: Creative Obsession with Dan Blank. So if you missed it, might I suggest giving it a listen sometime.)

Publishing Talks began as a series of conversations with book industry professionals and folks active in media and technology, at that time, mostly talking about the future of publishing, books and culture. At the outset of this series, I was mostly interested in exploring what people were thinking about the changing economics and culture of […]

Welcome to AskALLi, the Self-Publishing Advice Podcast from the Alliance of Independent Authors. This week it’s our monthly Member Q&A where ALLi Members’ have their most pressing self-publishing questions analyzed and answered. Join your regular hosts for the Member Q&A: Michael La Ronn and Dan Blank. The AskALLi podcasts are sponsored by Damonza: Books Made Awesome. Questions this month include If I switch from an author to a publisher, do I need to re-upload my books to Amazon? If I publish a book on KDP Print AND IngramSpark, do I need separate ISBNs? What practical steps do published British authors take do to adapt their book covers for the United States? What free software do you recommend for formatting IngramSpark-ready PDFs? How can I clear a pen name for use? How can I clear a publishing company name for use? And more! Find more author advice, tips and tools at our Self-publishing Author Advice Center: https://selfpublishingadvice.org, with a huge archive of nearly 2,000 blog posts, and a handy search box to find key info on the topic you need. And, if you haven’t already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. You can do that at http://allianceindependentauthors.org. Now, go write and publish! About the Hosts Michael La Ronn is the author of over 30 books of science fiction & fantasy and authors self-help books. His books include the Galaxy Mavericks series and Modern Necromancy series. Dan Blank is the founder of WeGrowMedia, where he helps writers and artists share their stories and grow their audience. He is the author of the book "Be the Gateway: A Practical Guide to Sharing Your Creative Work and Engaging an Audience."

Welcome to AskALLi, the Self-Publishing Advice Podcast from the Alliance of Independent Authors. This week it’s our monthly Member Q&A where ALLi Members’ have their most pressing self-publishing questions analyzed and answered. Join your regular hosts for the Member Q&A: Michael La Ronn and Dan Blank. Questions this month include Should I republish a longer book into smaller books? Where can I learn to setup a Facebook page, YouTube channel, blog, etc? What do I do if the KDP dashboard isn't working as it should? Where can I find native speakers of another language to review translations of my book? Should I write my novel in the present tense or past tense? Should I be using social media, a blog, or both? And what/when should I be posting? Find more author advice, tips and tools at our Self-publishing Author Advice Center: https://selfpublishingadvice.org, with a huge archive of nearly 2,000 blog posts, and a handy search box to find key info on the topic you need. And, if you haven’t already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. You can do that at http://allianceindependentauthors.org. Now, go write and publish! About the Hosts Michael La Ronn is the author of over 30 books of science fiction & fantasy and authors self-help books. His books include the Galaxy Mavericks series and Modern Necromancy series. Dan Blank is the founder of WeGrowMedia, where he helps writers and artists share their stories and grow their audience. He is the author of the book "Be the Gateway: A Practical Guide to Sharing Your Creative Work and Engaging an Audience."

This week's episode is with Dan Blank, owner of WeGrowMedia and author, coach, and motivator for aspiring authors and creatives. Are you stuck or looking for what's next in your creative endeavors? With a bit of planning, what can your daily schedule look like?   Dan shares his daily routines, processes, and experience to give you the structure and first steps needed to accomplish your goals. This week, we offer healthy and calculated ways to try entrepreneurship.   Leave us a Rating & Review   But also…. Be the Gatewaybook Inspiration from antiques Do what you love, don't force it Making it as a master creator Finding radical clarity Roadblocks Creative Community Obsession Flipside of success Talking about anxiety without shame Taking risks Platforms to make money Mastermind magic Financial runway and testing boundaries Riding a roller coaster Gold-star creative process Minimum viable success and manifestation Crafting a culinary experiment   Links & Resources: Jennie Nash - Book Coach Meera Lee Patel Dani Shapiro Lori Richmond Eric Ries and Minimum Viable Product   Connect with Dan Blank: WeGrowMedia Instagram Dabblers vs. Doers Podcast WeGrowMedia Blog Be the Gateway Book The Creative Shift Mastermind (Wait List) Connect with The Shifting Perceptions Podcast: Shifting Perceptions Website Join Our Mailing List Facebook Instagram Twitter Connect with Jay Alders Jay Alders Website Facebook Instagram Twitter YouTube Pinterest Connect with Chelsea Alders & Companies Om Mamas Doulas Website Sun Dreams Productions Website Instagram Chelsea Om Mamas Doulas Sun Dreams Productions  

Welcome to AskALLi, the Self-Publishing Advice Podcast from the Alliance of Independent Authors. This week it’s our monthly Member Q&A where ALLi Members’ have their most pressing self-publishing questions analyzed and answered. Join your regular hosts for the Member Q&A: Michael La Ronn and Dan Blank. Questions this month include Are book teasers a good marketing tool? Could ALLI recommend a reputable producer of book trailers?  How can I better publicise my self-published book The Trivial Tragedy of Hilda the Vegetarian Vampire Bat?  How do I find podcasters / bloggers / reviewers to whom to pitch a book for interviews / coverages / reviews? Is Santa Claus copyrighted? How do I copyright a book? Should I create an LLC or PLC to protect myself and my family? Where can I find a good cover designer?  Find more author advice, tips and tools at our Self-publishing Author Advice Center: https://selfpublishingadvice.org, with a huge archive of nearly 2,000 blog posts, and a handy search box to find key info on the topic you need. And, if you haven’t already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. You can do that at http://allianceindependentauthors.org. Now, go write and publish! About the Hosts Michael La Ronn is the author of over 30 books of science fiction & fantasy and authors self-help books. His books include the Galaxy Mavericks series and Modern Necromancy series. Dan Blank is the founder of WeGrowMedia, where he helps writers and artists share their stories and grow their audience. He is the author of the book "Be the Gateway: A Practical Guide to Sharing Your Creative Work and Engaging an Audience."

Welcome to AskALLi, the Self-Publishing Advice Podcast from the Alliance of Independent Authors. This week it’s our monthly Member Q&A where ALLi Members’ have their most pressing self-publishing questions analyzed and answered. Join your regular hosts for the Member Q&A: Michael La Ronn and Dan Blank. Questions this month include Amazon has made an error in my royalty reports. What do I do? Two part question: 1. In my book, I have included links to YouTube Jazz recordings by jazz greats like Dizzie Gillepsie. Do I have permission to do that? and 2. If I want to copy a website address into a link, does that infringe on copyright? How do I make it easy for a bookstore to carry my book without bearing the financial burden of returns? How do I convert a PDF to a fixed layout ebook? When I launch my book, should I change my spelling to American English? How long should my novel be? Find more author advice, tips and tools at our Self-publishing Author Advice Center: https://selfpublishingadvice.org, with a huge archive of nearly 2,000 blog posts, and a handy search box to find key info on the topic you need. And, if you haven’t already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. You can do that at http://allianceindependentauthors.org. Now, go write and publish! About the Hosts Michael La Ronn is the author of over 30 books of science fiction & fantasy and authors self-help books. His books include the Galaxy Mavericks series and Modern Necromancy series. Dan Blank is the founder of WeGrowMedia, where he helps writers and artists share their stories and grow their audience. He is the author of the book "Be the Gateway: A Practical Guide to Sharing Your Creative Work and Engaging an Audience."

Welcome to AskALLi, the Self-Publishing Advice Podcast from the Alliance of Independent Authors. This week it’s our monthly Member Q&A where ALLi Members’ have their most pressing self-publishing questions analyzed and answered. Join your regular hosts for the Member Q&A: Michael La Ronn and Dan Blank. Questions this month include How do I get other well-known authors to endorse my books? How do I build relationships with other authors? Is there a standard form and/or process for setting an embargo date when sending out ARCs for reviews? I'd like to translate my book. How would I go about that Crowdfunding my book: should I do it? What tools can I use to format my book for ebook and paperback formats? If I copy-edit my book, do I need a proofreader as well? What about apps like Grammarly for proofreading? Do middle-grade readers prefer to read ebooks or paperbacks? Find more author advice, tips and tools at our Self-publishing Author Advice Center: https://selfpublishingadvice.org, with a huge archive of nearly 2,000 blog posts, and a handy search box to find key info on the topic you need. And, if you haven’t already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. You can do that at http://allianceindependentauthors.org. Now, go write and publish! About the Hosts Michael La Ronn is the author of over 30 books of science fiction & fantasy and authors self-help books. His books include the Galaxy Mavericks series and Modern Necromancy series. Dan Blank is the founder of WeGrowMedia, where he helps writers and artists share their stories and grow their audience. He is the author of the book "Be the Gateway: A Practical Guide to Sharing Your Creative Work and Engaging an Audience."

In this week's episode, I talk about patience and how I'm in this for the long haul. I don't just say it. I live it.   My Interview with Dan Blank on the Dabblers vs Doers Podcast: http://wegrowmedia.com/the-man-who-writes-10-books-per-year-my-interview-with-michael-la-ronn/ Show Notes (including a transcript): www.michaellaronn.com/episode22 Check out all the past episodes on my website: www.michaellaronn.com/podcast Also, join my Fan Club to get 3 free novels, early launch pricing, and notifications whenever I release a new book: www.michaellaronn.com/fanclub If you like the show, don't forget to rate and leave a review!

Welcome to AskALLi, the Self-Publishing Advice Podcast from the Alliance of Independent Authors. This week it’s our monthly Member Q&A where ALLi Members’ have their most pressing self-publishing questions analyzed and answered. Join your regular hosts for the Member Q&A: Michael La Ronn and Dan Blank. Questions this month include When it comes to CreateSpace, can I use my personal name or the name of my business instead? When it comes to including blurbs from other authors on book covers, should I use “Bestselling author of” or “author of?” How do I start landing speaking engagements? What are some tools I can use to give away my book? Find more author advice, tips and tools at our Self-publishing Author Advice Center: https://selfpublishingadvice.org, with a huge archive of nearly 2,000 blog posts, and a handy search box to find key info on the topic you need. And, if you haven’t already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. You can do that at http://allianceindependentauthors.org. Now, go write and publish! About the Hosts Michael La Ronn is the author of over 30 books of science fiction & fantasy and authors self-help books. His books include the Galaxy Mavericks series and Modern Necromancy series. Dan Blank is the founder of WeGrowMedia, where he helps writers and artists share their stories and grow their audience. He is the author of the book "Be the Gateway: A Practical Guide to Sharing Your Creative Work and Engaging an Audience."

In this week's episode, I give an update on my YouTube channel (it's live), two great podcast interviews I did, and yet another sponsor of the show. Links My YouTube Channel: http://www.authorlevelup.com  My Interview with Dan Blank on the Dabblers vs. Doers Podcast: http://wegrowmedia.com/the-man-who-writes-10-books-per-year-my-interview-with-michael-la-ronn/  Literary Roadhouse Podcast: http://www.literaryroadhouse.com  Show Notes (including a transcript): www.michaellaronn.com/episode17  Check out all the past episodes on my website: www.michaellaronn.com/podcast  Also, join my Fan Club to get 3 free novels, early launch pricing, and notifications whenever I release a new book: www.michaellaronn.com/fanclub  If you like the show, don't forget to rate and leave a review!

Welcome to AskALLi, the Self-Publishing Advice Podcast from the Alliance of Independent Authors. This week it’s our monthly Member Q&A where ALLi Members’ have their most pressing self-publishing questions analyzed and answered. Join your regular hosts for the Member Q&A: Michael La Ronn and Dan Blank. Questions this month include What is the best way to format bibliography/works cited at the end of my book so that it looks good in ebook and paperback? What is the best way to build a team of publishing professionals around me? Does Alli recommend PublishDrive? (Yes!) Is it possible to distribute a 4x6 book on CreateSpace? How do I go about getting permission to use a song lyric from a famous artist? If you publish books wide, what is the best way to build a readership on smaller platforms that don't offer advertising services? What is the easiest way to build an author website? Find more author advice, tips and tools at our Self-publishing Author Advice Center: https://selfpublishingadvice.org, with a huge archive of nearly 2,000 blog posts, and a handy search box to find key info on the topic you need. And, if you haven’t already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. You can do that at http://allianceindependentauthors.org. Now, go write and publish! About the Hosts Michael La Ronn is the author of over 30 books of science fiction & fantasy and authors self-help books. His books include the Galaxy Mavericks series and Modern Necromancy series. Dan Blank is the founder of WeGrowMedia, where he helps writers and artists share their stories and grow their audience. He is the author of the book "Be the Gateway: A Practical Guide to Sharing Your Creative Work and Engaging an Audience."

Dan Blank, best-selling soccer author and former collegiate coach, discusses the biggest changes in women's college goalkeeping over the past 25 years and some remaining opportunities for improvement.

Welcome to AskALLi, the Self-Publishing Advice Podcast from the Alliance of Independent Authors. This week it’s our monthly Member Q&A where ALLi Members’ have their most pressing self-publishing questions analyzed and answered. Join your regular hosts for the Member Q&A: Michael La Ronn and Dan Blank. Questions this month include If I publish a 2nd edition of my book, do I need to register the copyright again? How should I set up my publishing company (sole trader/proprietor, LLC/Limited, etc) Will my ISBNs transfer to my new company if I previously published as a sole proprietor/trader? What do I do if I get a "quality notice" from Amazon alleging that my book has too many errors? Help! If I contract a cover designer to do my cover, am I limited to how many books I can sell before having to pay them again? What is the best way to distribute ARCs to readers? What universal book linking site do you recommend to send readers to their local Amazon site instead of using Amazon.com or .co.uk links every time? How do I price my book? About the Hosts Michael La Ronn is the author of over 30 books of science fiction & fantasy and authors self-help books. His books include the Galaxy Mavericks series and Modern Necromancy series. Dan Blank is the founder of WeGrowMedia, where he helps writers and artists share their stories and grow their audience. He is the author of the book "Be the Gateway: A Practical Guide to Sharing Your Creative Work and Engaging an Audience."

Welcome to AskALLi, the Self-Publishing Advice Podcast from the Alliance of Independent Authors. This week it’s our monthly Member Q&A where ALLi Members’ have their most pressing self-publishing questions analyzed and answered. Join your regular hosts for the Member Q&A: Michael La Ronn and Dan Blank. Questions this month include: Should I attempt to query a book reviewer even if I know they won't accept me? How do I find an audience for a how-to parenting book? Is Babelcube a good service for authors looking to translate their works into foreign languages? Quick update on Kindle Scout (it is no longer accepting new submissions) Is it advisable to use an agent for foreign rights sales? What are the benefits of Smashwords Interviews? If you have a title up for pre-order do you see pre-orders in your dashboard, or do you only get to see them as sales when the book goes live? Is it possible to have a separate author page for each pen name you have? Should I use a female pen name for romance? How much plot/detail should I include in my author bio and book description? About the Hosts Michael La Ronn is the author of over 30 books of science fiction & fantasy and authors self-help books. His books include the Galaxy Mavericks series and Modern Necromancy series. Dan Blank is the founder of WeGrowMedia, where he helps writers and artists share their stories and grow their audience. He is the author of the book "Be the Gateway: A Practical Guide to Sharing Your Creative Work and Engaging an Audience."

Welcome to Ask ALLi, the Self-Publishing Advice Podcast from the Alliance of Independent Authors. This week it’s our monthly Member Q&A where ALLi Members’ have their most pressing self-publishing questions analyzed and answered. Join your regular hosts for the Member Q&A: Michael La Ronn and Dan Blank. Michael La Ronn is the author of over 30 books of science fiction and fantasy and authors self-help books. His books include the Galaxy Mavericks series and Modern Necromancy series. After a near-death experience in 2012, Michael decided to dedicate himself to writing, and he hasn’t looked back. Dan Blank is the founder of WeGrowMedia, where he helps writers and artists share their stories and grow their audience. He is the author of the book Be the Gateway: A Practical Guide to Sharing Your Creative Work and Engaging an Audience. He has worked with hundreds of individuals, and amazing organizations who support creative people such as Penguin Random House, Sesame Workshop, Hachette Book Group, , Workman Publishing, J. Walter Thompson, Abrams Books, Writers House, The Kenyon Review, Writer’s Digest, Library Journal, and many others. Dan’s work has been featured by Poet’s & Writers magazine, the National Endowment for the Arts, Professional Artist magazine, and 99u. You can find Dan on his blog at or on Twitter and Instagram at @DanBlank Questions answered this week include: What services does Alli recommend for outsourcing podcast editing/show notes?  What tips do you have for using a service like Fiverr? Are box sets an effective marketing tool? Is Kindle Scout worth it? What is the best way to determine if a self-publishing service provider is reputable? What's the step-by-step process of obtaining book reviews? Do you miss out on sales if you don't go all-out during your book launch? Should I copyright my work? Is it truly possible to keep a pen name secret?

Welcome to Ask ALLi, the Self-Publishing Advice Podcast from the Alliance of Independent Authors. This week it’s our monthly Member Q&A where ALLi Members’ have their most pressing self-publishing questions analyzed and answered. Join your regular hosts for the Member Q&A: Michael La Ronn and Dan Blank. Michael La Ronn is the author of over 30 books of science fiction and fantasy and authors self-help books. His books include the Galaxy Mavericks series and Modern Necromancy series. After a near-death experience in 2012, Michael decided to dedicate himself to writing, and he hasn’t looked back. Dan Blank is the founder of WeGrowMedia, where he helps writers and artists share their stories and grow their audience. He is the author of the book Be the Gateway: A Practical Guide to Sharing Your Creative Work and Engaging an Audience. He has worked with hundreds of individuals, and amazing organizations who support creative people such as Penguin Random House, Sesame Workshop, Hachette Book Group, , Workman Publishing, J. Walter Thompson, Abrams Books, Writers House, The Kenyon Review, Writer’s Digest, Library Journal, and many others. Dan’s work has been featured by Poet’s & Writers magazine, the National Endowment for the Arts, Professional Artist magazine, and 99u. You can find Dan on his blog at or on Twitter and Instagram at @DanBlank Questions answered this week include: If I use an editor who does a bad job, should I hire another one? What are the copyright issues around quoting a work from 1885? Should I hire someone to begin illustrations when my book is only 2/3 complete? A publisher has republished my self-published book because I signed a deal. Should I remove original book from the market? When do I need to use different ISBNs for my book? How can I connect with other authors in my genre? Do Amazon Marketing Services (AMS) ads allow you to target different countries other than the US (as of Feb 2018) How and where can I connect with other Alli members?

EP#80: Welcome to AskALLi, the self-Publishing advice weekly broadcast from the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi). In this, our monthly advanced salon, Orna Ross, ALLi Director, and Advisor Joanna Penn, of TheCreativePenn.com, analyse the latest tools and trends of interest to experienced indie authors. Topics discussed this week include: An update on Orna and Joanna's personal projects ALLi's plans for the London Book Fair Changing the name of ALLi's online publishing conference for authors: from "Indie Author Fringe" to "Self-Publishing Advice Conference" ... and why An update on Amazon, KDP, and Apple Books, Kobo, Nook, and Walmart Complete reliance on Amazon is not a good business model Author Earnings Report... is it wrongly named? Need for personal branding for authors as Facebook and other organic reach declines Joanna focusing more on YouTube in 2018 Selecting your social media outlet Orna finishing ALLi's white paper on Blockchain Joanna writing a nonfiction book on how to write a nonfiction book Don't put more time into any other website -- including Mark Zuckerberg's -- than you put into your own. Our weekly Self-Publishing Advice broadcast is brought to you by ALLi, the Alliance of Independent Authors. This Advanced Self-Publishing Salon is one of four regular shows, which include: ALLi Member Q&A with Dan Blank and Michael La Ronn Beginners' Salon with Jyotsna Ramachadaran and Iain Robb Wright Indie Voices - Interviews with Significant Players in Self-Publishing Find more author advice, tips and tools at our self-publishing advice center, www.selfpublishingadvice.org. And, if you haven’t already, is it time you joined us. You can do that at www.allianceindependentauthors.org. Now... go write and publish. About the Hosts Joanna Penn is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling thriller author, as well as writing non-fiction for authors. She is also a professional speaker and entrepreneur, voted as one of The Guardian UK Top 100 creative professionals 2013. She spent 13 years as a business IT consultant in large corporations across the globe before becoming a full-time author-entrepreneur in September 2011. Connect with Joanna on Twitter: @thecreativepenn Orna Ross is an award-winning, bestselling novelist. She also writes poetry and nonfiction and is Director of the Alliance of Independent Authors and the Creativist Club. Her work for ALLi has seen her named "one of the 100 most influential people in publishing" (The Bookseller).  Connect with Orna on Twitter: @OrnaRoss

Today's guest, author, artist, and speaker Dan Blank, knows an awful lot about fostering creativity. As dad to a six-year-old and a new baby, he also knows the struggles that creative people go through to retain their creativity – their sanity, even – while raising children. For Dan it's a foregone conclusion: the way we humans are, right down to our very core, demands creativity. It's not something we can escape because it's part of us – everything feels off when we don't have a creative outlet. But how do we accomplish that, while we're caught up in the daily demands of work, and raising children, and everything else? That's what our conversation is all about today. I know you're going to love it! For the full show notes and key links – and to sign up for the FREE Streamline Your Mornings challenge (Click here to sign up for the challenge), which will help you get a handle on the school day morning chaos and starts this coming Monday, September 4 – go to weturnedoutokay.com/179.

Hey there word nerds! Today I am excited to interview Dan Blank, founder of WeGrowMedia and author of the new book Be The Gateway that just came out a few weeks ago. Dan helps writers and creative professionals share their stories and grow their audience. He has worked with hundreds of individuals and some amazing organizations who support creative people, such as Random House, Hachette Book Group, Sesame Workshop, Workman Publishing, J. Walter Thompson, Abrams Books, Writers House, The Kenyon Review, Writer’s Digest, Library Journal, And more. His work has been featured by Poets & Writers magazine, The National Endowment for the Arts, Professional Artist magazine, Compose Journal, and 99u. To read the post titled “Be the Gateway” where Dan first talked about the gateway idea, click here. Embed Episode Here In this episode Dan and I discuss: Sometimes setting limits helps you make something big out of something small. We talk about the ups and downs of writing this book and how Dan landed on this particular project The idea of being the gateway (instead of focusing on specific metrics) is a radical shift from how many people think about platform. We discuss why creative people get so hung up on the numbers and how can they get past that and focus on what really matters. Be the Gateway touches on these three themes: Story, Creator, and Topics. We talk about these three components and how they contribute to creating that gateway for an audience Why the “visualization” myth so dangerous and why people buy into it. We also talk about what people can do instead. Plus, Dan's #1 tip for writers. About the Author Dan Blank is the founder of WeGrowMedia, where he helps writers and creative professionals share their stories and grow their audience. He has worked with hundreds of individuals and amazing organizations who support creative people, such as Random House, Hachette Book Group, Sesame Workshop, Workman Publishing, J. Walter Thompson, Abrams Books, Writers House, The Kenyon Review, Writer's Digest, Library Journal, and many others. Dan's work has been featured by Poets & Writers magazine, the National Endowment for the Arts, Professional Artist magazine, Compose Journal, and 99u. Be the Gateway Many people feel the drive to do creative work, but get overwhelmed by the process of connecting with an audience. They follow “best practices” in marketing that never seem to pan out, don’t produce results, and make them feel lost and oftentimes, frustrated. Be the Gateway offers a powerful way to have an impact. If you want to share your voice and inspire people with your writing, art, craft, or creative idea, you have to be the gateway for them. Instead of throwing “products” out into the marketplace, you open them up to a new way of looking at the world, of knowing themselves, and connecting with others. You unlock new experiences for them — not just through what you create, but through the unique way in which you share it with the world. Too often we think about the creative process as being separate from the marketing process. Instead, view them as the same. Replace the inclination to “promote” with the desire to share and engage. How and why you create is a story — and is the best asset you can use to truly engage people. Be the Gateway shows you how to use that gift with joy and confidence. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/139.

Ep#48: Self-Publishing Advice Podcast: Indie Author Fringe Highlight with Dan Blank In this interview with David Penny of ALLi, Dan Blank discusses the psychology of writing, how to find alternative outlets for your books, and how writers can use available resources to research their reader audience. Selling a book is a business. It doesn’t mean that the process of writing your book has to be approach as a business, but when it comes to reaching readers you need your business head on. In this podcast we share how to: Make the most of Amazon and Goodreads. Create valuable Connections. Leave yourself a planning window. Consolidate Newsletter Research. Plan using Baby Steps. Our weekly Self-Publishing Advicebroadcast is brought to you by ALLi, the Alliance of Independent Authors. This Indie Author Fringe Highlight  is one of four regular shows, which include an ALLi Member Q&A, a beginners' salon and an advanced self-publishing salon. Find more author advice, tips and tools at our self-publishing advice center, www.selfpublishingadvice.org. And, if you haven’t already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. You can do that at www.allianceindependentauthors.org.   If you're not familiar with our Fringe event, it's three-times a year, online conference for self-publishing authors, brought to you by the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi), and fringe to the major global publishing fairs; London Book Fair, BookExp, and Frankfurt Book Fair. ALLi brings together the most up-to-date self-publishing education and information available and broadcasts it to authors everywhere. Running 24 sessions over 24 continuous hours allows our members, and other authors round the globe, to attend sessions, no matter where they’re located. For more information, visit our Conference Home Page.   Now, go write and publish.

William welcomes publicst and founder of We Grow Media Dan Blank to the show. Dan has worked with hundreds of people via online courses, consulting, and workshops, including such organizations as Random House, Hachette Book Group, Sesame Workshop, Workman Publishing, J. Walter Thompson, Abrams Books, Writers House, The Kenyon Review, Writer’s Digest, and Library Journal. His writing has been published in Poets & Writers magazine, Compose Journal, the National Endowment for the Arts’ Art Works blog, Writer Unboxed, and Folio: magazine. Don't miss it.

Episode 6 of Give n' Go. features an interview with the Soccer Poet Dan Blank about his experiences as both a coach and author. Rohtas breaks down the first round of results in the NCAA Tournament along with a W-League recap and USWNT analysis. All that plus a review of the NWSL Draft Order.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/give-n-go/donations