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Elite Veteran
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Location: Inside the Writer's Digest office | WD is happy to welcome "Writer Mama" and marketing guru Christina Katz to our forum for a live chat on Thursday, February 26. She'll be on all day starting around 10. a.m. (EST) to answer your questions on writing, marketing and more.
If you can't make the chat that day, feel free to leave a question ahead of time on this thread and Christina will do her best to answer them.
Christina's Bio:
Christina Katz is the author of Writer Mama, How to Raise a Writing Career Alongside Your Kids (2007) and Get Known Before the Book Deal, Use Your Personal Strengths to Grow an Author Platform (2008) for Writer's Digest Books. She is a graduate of Dartmouth College and holds an MFA in Fiction from Columbia College, Chicago. Christina is publisher and editor of three free e-zines: Writers On The Rise, The Writer Mama, and the Get Known Groove. A passionate writing instructor, she has mentored hundreds of writers through her classes over the past eight years.
As a freelance journalist, Christina has written hundreds of articles for national, regional and online publications. The popularity of her article, "The Art of Making Time for Yourself," landed her an interview with Diane Sawyer on Good Morning America. A popular speaker at writing conferences, writing programs, libraries, and bookstores, she hosts the Northwest Author Series in Wilsonville, Oregon, where she lives with her husband, daughter, and too many pets.
Learn more at www.christinakatz.com. | |
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New User
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| Hello,
I've been reading the "Get Known Before the Book Deal" and I've still very unclear about some things. For a sci-fi/fantasy writer what kind of platform ideas can I use? I have no other expertise besides being able to write entertaining (I hope) stories. I don't even see myself as an expert at the art of writing itself (I have a long ways to go), so what else could I use? | |
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Member
Posts: 28
| Hello Cristina
I have a question. I have seen boths sides of the coin. I've been in heaven where I just shot page after page into the typewriter
and my mind was alight with fire.
I have also been in hell. Where I stared at a blank page, or now computer screen, and then wrote a page read it and threw it out.
Or deleted it. Wrote it read it and threw it out five times.
I end up saying a choice expletive, and then go upstairs. But being unable to sleep I'd come downstairs and go through the process
again. Write it, read it throw it out. Five times.
How do you conquer Writer's Block?
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Expert
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| Brian -
That's terrific news. Thanks for setting it up. I'm a big fan of Christina and her right-on approach to getting published and selling books.
Unfortunately I'm going to be traveling on the west coast on the 26th, but hope to be able to tune into her chat late in the day. Thanks again. | |
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New User
Posts: 3
| Hi Christina
Not sure I can be around on Feb 26th but I will try. Just in case I would love some guidance. I recently received noticed that my first magazine article will be published with a consumer magazine. I was thrilled. Two hours after clicking Send I had a reply and an offer to submit any further article ideas for any one of their 3 magazines. Doesn't sound like a problem so far.
Here it is. I submitted to them a full article being that I am new freelance writer. Now the editor would like ideas and as a newcomer I'm not sure about submitting an idea before I have at least partially written the article. Being new at this I find when I'm writing I might start with an idea but after a few edits and rewrites it can be totally different then where my initial train of thought started. Usually for the better. How would you propose I proceed from here. I don't want to wait to long before submitting something further as I wish to at least appear professional and serious about what I am doing.
Second question, after replying to the editors offer to publish my article I have not heard anything further. I know editors are busy and I do not want to appear needy but I have had no further correspondence in terms of a contract. I have been told of what to expect in terms of payment and when. How would you suggest I proceed so as to make the most of this opportunity. I really want to use this magazine to get some clips under my belt so I can move forward as it is not the best paying gig. However, I am not complaining for I know a great opportunity has been handed to me and I want to make the most of it.
Love Writer Mama and look forward to hearing your thoughts. Thanks again.
Edited by LynnP 2009-02-11 6:31 PM
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Expert
Posts: 6967
| Christina, I'm thrilled that you're taking time out of your busy schedule to spend an entire day with us. My question is about blogging. It seems that just about everyone has a blog these days. As an author, how important is it to host a blog? Does a blog help you gain exposure, or just sap more of your precious writing time? If a blog is recommended, what topics are essential? Should you post unpublished works to give readers a taste of your style? What is the best way to form a loyal following of your blog? Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to reading your comments to those who participate tomorrow. | |
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Member
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| Thanks for being willing to let us pick your brain!
As I try to establish a platform as your book suggests, I decided to go the blog route. Obviously you don't want to brag about a blog in a query letter unless you have enough traffic on your blog to show you've made yourself visible. However I personally have no concept of how much traffic it would take to impress an agent/publisher. Any pointers?
Thanks! | |
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Expert
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Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico | HI Christina - I won't be around most of today, so I'm going to ask my question now and check back later.
I'm curious when in your own writing career that you decided that this could be more than a few articles here and there. How did you map out a strategy for growth, and did you turn down work to keep on a specific career path? How did you decide where your niche in the market should be, and what advice would you give to other writers about the advantages/disadvantages of "multi-tasking" in the writing world? | |
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Member
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Location: Wilsonville, Oregon |  Thanks, Brian, I'm happy to be here, sipping my first cup of coffee and connecting with all of you.
I'll start responding momentarily... | |
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Elite Veteran
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Location: Inside the Writer's Digest office | Welcome Christina. Very thrilled to to have you. I'm not much of a coffee drinker so I'm sipping Mt. Dew--hope I'm still allowed to connect. :-) | |
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Veteran
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Location: Inside the Writer's Digest office | Thanks for stopping by, Christina. Chug the coffee!
Zac | |
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Location: WD Headquarters | Good morning, Christina! Just wanted to wish you a happy Thursday, and thank you so much for being here. | |
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Member
Posts: 28
Location: Wilsonville, Oregon | I'll start by answering Georganna's question. Thanks for kicking us off, Georganna.
There's two ways to think about platform as it relates to writers: first in terms of visibility and second in terms of influence.
Working on visibility means taking steps to become more known, learning how to promote yourself and your work, and incorporating self-promotion steps into your routine so you can work at it alongside your writing.
With time and repetition, visibility establishes trust and can become influence.
Influence means not only being visible, but also being able to impact the choices of others.
For example, a guy on the Internet who is running a scam on how to obtain government funds, is visible, but for not particularly honest reasons. The reality today is that anyone can become visible. (Hopefully this also makes it easier for the authorities to find him.)
But what writers need to work on goes beyond mere visibility (self-promotion). We must work towards becoming influential in our own spheres. Providing service to your audience is one good way to do this. Creating community is another. However, no matter what you do, it's important to always be authentic and operate from integrity.
I'll use my friend Sage Cohen as a positive example, especially since nobody thinks you can build a writing career with poetry. Sage's first traditionally published book will be released from WDB in March. In working up to that book deal, she devoted over a decade to learning, teaching, building community around and writing poetry. She did not just wake up one day and say, "I think I'll help others write poetry."
The book, "Writing the Life Poetic," was born from her experience. Along the way, she promoted herself and her offerings, and that was made easier by her desire to share what she had to offer. Even when she encountered tasks that were a stretch for her, she was willing to grow for the sake of reaching and serving other poets. Now she has all the skills an author needs to succeed. She reads, teaches, speaks, writes, and blogs about how anyone can express themselves through poetry.
Everything Sage does around her book, and formerly around her writing, is part of her platform. If you want to be impressed, visit her website: http://sagesaidso.com/
None of it happened overnight. All of it happened over time.
I hope these examples are helpful. I need to get my daughter ready for school. Be back in a few...
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Member
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Location: Wilsonville, Oregon | I'm back after the trials and tribulations of getting a six-year-old out the door. All of the moms out there know the torture of which I speak. Sheesh. Why does something so simple have to be so hard? And why did my husband decide he needed an extra cup of coffee this morning (mine!).
Anyway, I've got one left. (Chink) Cheers, Brian. I'm pretty sure my friend Kelly James-Enger is a Mt. Dew fan too.
And hiya, Zac and Jessica (waving)!
Back to questions!
Edited by ChristinaKatz 2009-02-26 11:12 AM
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Member
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Location: Wilsonville, Oregon | Let's tackle blogging next since a couple of folks have brought it up.
First question: How big does my blog have to be to impress agents and editors?
Answer: Ginormous. So it's wise to do more than just blog.
In Get Known, I cover the basics of a well-rounded platform and I even advise against blogging if the timing doesn't make complete sense. For example, I didn't start my Writer Mama Riffs blog until I was done with the mss. for Writer Mama. The reason was because blogs, when they are done well, are a fairly big, ongoing responsibility. I often watch my students, get gigged up about blogging, dive in headfirst without much forethought, blog like crazy for about six weeks to six months...and then abandon both the blog and blogging. So, even though I know I'm biased, I recommend clarifying your topic, niche and audience before you start blogging. If you start blogging without these three considerations, it's easy to get all tangled up.
If you are already blogging, I suggest finding a manageable blogging rhythm that works for you and grows your readership, while rounding out your platform in a thoughtful way. Having a long-term attitude about your blog while flexing your other platform muscles is a good way to disappearing down the blogging rabbit hole that may or may not support your writing career in the long run. We're going to get to how to prioritize time...and this ties into that, as well.
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Expert
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Location: Bewildered, lost, and full of entropy... | Christina,
I sort of have two questions. The first is: How do you feel about social networking sites (ie: Facebook) and forums (like this one) to help build an audience for your work as you begin to get published?
Second: How do you feel about self-publishing? I'm not talking in the large scale of things (though I'm sure many want to know that as well) but for instance Amazon has opened up the ability for people to have anything published for the kindle. Would it be a waste of time for a newer author to try to self publish smaller stories or chapbooks of poetry, and try to build an audience through something like this? Obviously you'd have to self-promote the heck out of it to even get a handfull of sales, but would the industry see that you are able to do self-promotion and take that as a good sign? Or would they look at the fact that you've gone the self-publishing route as a bad thing?
Thanks!
John | |
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Member
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Location: Wilsonville, Oregon | Lexi - 2009-02-25 8:00 PM Christina, I'm thrilled that you're taking time out of your busy schedule to spend an entire day with us. My question is about blogging. It seems that just about everyone has a blog these days. As an author, how important is it to host a blog? Does a blog help you gain exposure, or just sap more of your precious writing time? If a blog is recommended, what topics are essential? Should you post unpublished works to give readers a taste of your style? What is the best way to form a loyal following of your blog? Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to reading your comments to those who participate tomorrow.
Now, I'll take a more constructive tack on blogging by pointing out some blogs that are not only well-done but totally integrated into the writer's platform so as to serve their topic, niche and audience:
Fiction: Marc Acito
Marc writes humor. Whether he is penning fiction or nonfiction, his thing is that he is always funny. So he uses his blog to entertain his readers on an ongoing basis. His work may not be your taste but what's important is that it's consistent with his readers' taste.
http://marcacito.blogspot.com/Non-fiction: Cindy Hudson
My former student, Cindy Hudson spent a couple years developing an article idea into a nonfiction book concept and sold it to Seal Press. Book After Book, The Complete Guide to Creating Mother-Daughter Book Clubs will be out this October. Does she pay attention to her readers' needs. Definitely.
http://motherdaughterbookclub.wordpress.com/
Memoir: John Elder Robinson
Now this guy has an advantage because he is Augusten Burrough's brother. But I like to use him as an example b/c of his high level of commitment to his readers. What do we see in his blog? Pictures of him with his readers.
http://jerobison.blogspot.com/ Okay, I can hear the objection forming on your keyboard: But, Christina, these writers are ALREADY known. But they weren't always known. They had to start somewhere. I suggest that you start by following their great example of serving your readers. The only way to know what that means to you and your readers is to spend some time thinking about it. So to finally answers Lexi's questions that I haven't answered already: How do you build a loyal following? By serving your readers. Should you publish unpublished work on your blog? Please don't, unless portions of that work (which can likely be excertped), serve your readers. What topics are essential? Topics that serve your readers. ...you get the idea. Don't bother blogging without thinking first of how you are going to serve your readers, present and future. Every day, try to serve your readers just a bit more and you'll have not only growing visibility but also growing influence. And one final thought, don't just blog about what everyone else is blogging about. Think and plan and integtrate your blog into all that you do. I know a great book that can help you do this... 
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Expert
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| Thank you, Christina. Your last two posts are precisely what I was looking for. As for that book...yes, you've convinced me. Well done. | |
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New User
Posts: 3
| Hi Christina,
Glad to see you. Hey, I started a blog to promote my new book, "Pets and the Planet: A Practical Guide to Sustainable Pet Care" (birthday is March 2). What I found was that most people don't have google accounts. Where would you advise me to "replant" my blog to make it easier for people to follow the hints I have about how to love your pets and love the planet?
Thanks for your help.
Carol
Edited by Carol Frischmann 2009-02-26 12:27 PM
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Expert
Posts: 2179
| So if you're not a humorist, how does blogging or platform-building serve a fiction writer? God help me if my writing is funny. I sincerely hope not because in that case I'm really doing it wrong.
I believe another poster touched on this, but I'd like to go into it in some depth since many of the people here are fiction writers. I'm a novelist and I have to question whether platform-building has anything to do with my type of writing--or if it does, how one would go about it. I have a blog where I discuss writing fantasy and world-building, but frankly I can't imagine it being of any interest whatsoever to anyone except other writers so I don't see it as platform-building. The same with posting on a forum like this one, I've gotten to know a few writers and some few may buy my novel when it is out in a couple of months -- but hardly anything even approaching a platform.
I just don't see where a "platform" fits into most fiction. But I am very willing to be informed.
Edited by jrtomlin 2009-02-26 12:10 PM
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Extreme Veteran
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Location: Michiana | Hi Christina!
As a older new un-published author ("older" as in age -- I'm nearing the half-century mark; "new" as in begining the journey of ultimately becoming a published fiction writer), I may be ignorant in a lot of things about writing. But I seem to see a theme in what you and others have said. I can become successful if I:
A) Create a compelling, well-written book that people will like to read, and then:
B) Create a compelling, well-written query letter about the book that will convice an agent to read the book,
C) Create a compelling, well-written platform that will help convince people to read the book,
D) Create a compelling, well-written blog about the book that will help convince people to read the book, and
E) Create c compelling, well-writen marketing plan that will help convince people to read the book.
Hmmm... There seems to be a common component in all of this, isn't there?
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Member
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Location: Wilsonville, Oregon | [Sound of more coffee brewing in the background...]
Okay, so now let's tackle the issue of: But Christina, I don't write nonfiction, I write something else...which has been brought up already.
This is a two-part issue and I want to say this part even though nobody asked about it:
No matter what you write, everyone interested in writing books needs to develop basic platform skills because agents and editors are more likely to greenlight projects by folks with platform skills. And most platform development writing is akin to nonfiction writing, even copywriting. So it's crucial to work on your ability to write short and tight. I've noticed that some bloggers who got big blog-to-book deals have one thing in common: copywriting experience. They know how to market and they know how to write short, tight, compelling prose. And all writers have to learn how to do this no matter what else we write. So, therefore, platform development is crucial for all writers, including non-fiction writers, fiction writers, poets, children's writers, playwrights, etc. etc. etc.
Now what about fiction writers? I wrote an entire chapter for you guys (chapter six). In fact, it will be excerpted in the next issue of Writer's Digest (so I know Jessica thinks readers will appreciate it). Ambthecreative, you said, "I have no other expertise besides being able to write entertaining (I hope) stories..." This sounds like legitimate expertise to me. As I've already mentioned, Marc Acito took his ability to write humor and has leveraged it, so far, into two novels, a play, and a movie deal. Now he's working on a third book. At some point, he was completely unknown. It wasn't that long ago, in fact.
We can all take our potential and leverage it into a series of successes but the starting point is recognizing your strengths and naming and claiming them. That's a great place to start. My book can help with this and building confidence. A lot of writers simply lack the confidence to name and claim their platform. Or they think it's arrogant. Or that it's not cool to self-promote. Or, my favorite, that REAL artists don't have to self-promote. None of this baloney is true. Here's what is true: Developing your platform builds confidence. Just as much confidence as developing writing skills. I suggest that writers build four sets of skills: 1. Writing craft 2. Selling/pitching your words 3. Professional development 4. Platform building In case anybody didn't have enough on their to-do list.
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Member
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Location: Wilsonville, Oregon | I have a couple suggestions for writers block...
My friend and writing mentor for the past nine years, Wendy Burt Thomas, has a saying that has stuck with me. "If you want to get something done, give the task to the busiest person you know."
Meaning: Too much time, no deadline, no structure, and no interaction with others can actually create more blocks for writers.
Add those things I was just talking about to the time you now designate for writing: learning pitching skills, joining professional organizations, and ticking off baby steps in platform development.
Now you have less time to write and that's a good thing. Too much time isn't necessarily helpful. Less time adds in some pressure, which is good.
Next, have a concrete deadline, another human being to be accountable to, and apply some pressure to the process by setting a timer or only giving yourself a half an hour. Then write and walk away without judging your work. Better yet, write and send the work to someone else. Then move on to the next chapter or whatever.
By creating a more structured, productive atmosphere, you'll nip some of the pitfalls of writing away the hours...with little to show for it.
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Elite Veteran
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Location: Land of the Jack Rabbit's | Hi Christina,
I'm wondering how you feel about Twitter, Face book, Myspace, etc.... Are these virtual wonderlands a waste of an authors time? From what you said in previous posts, an author would be smarter to spend time on a well presented blogging platform. Is this correct? Thank you for being here, and I'll look forward to reading your book!
Cheers,
Dorraine
www.dorrainedarden.com | |
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Expert
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| No matter what you write, everyone interested in writing books needs to develop basic platform skills. . .
But what ARE basic platform building skills? And for that matter, what EXACTLY do you mean by a platform?
All of this still only seems to me to apply to non-fiction or a very narrow range, possibly, of fiction such as humor. I don't see how it applies to most novelists. There is nothing I can put in a blog that really relates to people who would be likely to enjoy my epic fantasy novels. It doesn't matter how many people who don't read fantasy read my blog, they're not going to buy my novels.
Edit: Sorry to seem argumentative. But I suspect more than one fiction writer is thinking that. I want to thank you for dropping by.
Edited by jrtomlin 2009-02-26 12:56 PM
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RECAP: Ask the Pro with Christina Katz, Author of Get Known Before the Book Deal
