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Title: THE WRITER’S WORKOUT
Author: Christina Katz
Pub date: Jan. 10, 2012
As many of you know, one of the books I consistently recommend is GET KNOWN BEFORE THE BOOK DEAL by Christina Katz. I personally believe it’s one of the best reference books for building a platform, let alone experiencing a good writerly experience. From the first page of that book, it’s evident that Christina practices what she preaches; that she wants to make sure other writers have the best experience possible with their own personal writing paths.
So imagine my excitement upon receiving her newest book, THE WRITER’S WORKOUT. Over the last week I’ve taken the time to read Christina’s book, and am extremely impressed with the thoroughness of its content. So much information is covered, with every single idea and suggestion very accessible.
You can read the book from front to back, open at random pages, or read the specific sections (Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter). It’s your choice. One entry a day = the perfect addition to one’s daily writing routine. Yet another reason to add Christina’s book to one’s writing reference library.
There is much to be appreciated about THE WRITER’S WORKOUT. The “sticky brain” approach, the 500-word dash, the suggestion of saving documents and blog posts that inspire you (to be read again later), honoring introspection (during the writing process), the benefits of “social artistry,” and more. Christina even includes various exercises for developing one’s book ideas, one’s network, and more. I especially like her “Take 25 Actions” exercise. (A great idea!)
THE WRITER’S WORKOUT is an interactive book that only requires you the writer, and a willingness to learn and execute new practices to one’s writing routine. In the long run, one’s writerly life will benefit from these exercises.
So, do know it should be no surprise that THE WRITER’S WORKOUT will be required reading for my future clients – and highly recommended to my current ones too.
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Last but not least, here are some pages I highly recommend from THE WRITER’S WORKOUT:
#14 – Solvency Plan
#19 – Culture a Body of Work
#21 – Writing Markets
#33 – Target Specific Markets
#38 – Dismantle Dismal Thinking
#49 – Awaken Your Senses
#62 – Lead Later
#81 – Serve Up
#83 – Unblock Yourself
#85 – Settle In
#107 – Prospect From Yourself
#110 – Dig Deeper Say More
#117 – Transform Impatience
#141 – Stockpile Resources
#144 – Stay Strong, Carry On
#177 – Don’t Rush Ripe (seriously folks, a must read)
#186 – Evaluate Your Visibility
#237 – Personal Not Egomanical
#266 – Keep it Professional
#280 – Benefits of Traditional Publishing
#285 – Benefits of Self-Publishing
#295 and #297 – Strut Your Social Side (pts. 1 & 2)
#308 – Go Global
#321 and #323 – Update Your Platform (pts. 1 & 2)
#364 – Flex Your Ideas
So enjoy! And go find Christina’s book, as it hits bookshelves this week! :)
In September, Craig Thompson came to the Twin-Cities to speak at MCAD (The Minneapolis College of Art and Design). His newest work, HABIBI, had just been published, and many of us had long been anticipating his follow-up book to BLANKETS. To say this was a magical lecture would be an understatement. I’m still reeling from this book event – even two months after the fact. I know I’m not alone here.
This experience was so awesome, that I felt it would behest me share some of my notes regarding Craig’s thoughts on being a writer (& the overall experience), magic squares and easter eggs. Yes, easter eggs.
His thoughts on the Writing Experience:
Craig Thompson emphasized how Comic Art can be the best of both worlds – writing stories and creating illustrations. He reminded us that either would be a singular challenge; and that doing both would be doubly difficult.
Observing Craig’s process on how HABIBI came together was amazing. He implemented calligraphy throughout the book, going as far to state it was “music for the eyes.” So much that comics can be the figurative sheet music when one adds this special touch.
I especially appreciated his commentary of pen vs. pencil during the illustration process. He seems to prefer pen & ink, as it will “confirm” the words and images in one’s book, i.e. keeping the “mark” that’s been made. Irrevocably this process will take a writer one step closer to finishing a work in progress. Thereby, allowing the book (and art) to take a life of its own.
As one’s work-in-progress evolves, the next challenge is maintaining one’s personal life, of which Craig deftly handled that topic. Being a person who gets to work with writers, it astounds me that ANY writer is able to accomplish such a fine balance. From my point of view, creating a book (which is very private process) and maintaining life’s daily challenges amid the interruptions is an incredible feat.
Magic Squares
During his presentation, we learned that HABIBI was inspired by 1001 Arabian Nights. Craig wanted to write a book that was more political, more realistic. A book with a slight edge of fantasy. A book bigger than himself. He accomplished all of these goals; taking it a step further within HABIBI by reflecting “human ugliness and sacred beauty simultaneously.”
One of the tools in ensuring this success was the use of magic squares, otherwise known as mathematical narratives. Showing the audience a 3×3 square, Craig stated this was how he laid out the laid out HABIBI’s storyline. At that point, the crowd even seemed to do a breath intake.
Beyond. Amazing.
I won’t go into how this method influenced Craig’s overall writing process – just know we all agreed it was sheer genius. (I’m still in awe of this portion of Craig’s lecture btw)
Finding that “Easter Egg”
Have you ever attended a book lecture where the world seems to open up – and an entirely new perspective is imprinted on the brain? If not, I hope that day arrives for anyone who is reading this post.
My moment happened of clarification happened at Craig’s lecture; for many others in attendance, they stated the same thing. Yet again confirmation of the how incredible a writer Craig Thompson is; plus a piece of wisdom every writer should aspire to.
What is the “Easter Egg” in a book? It is a special hidden element that some readers will recognize and connect with on a hidden level. Maybe it’s a particular plot, character, theme, etc. The end result is the narrative reaching the reader at an entirely unexpected new level; becoming a catalyst in regard to one’s life decisions, reading habits, creativity and more.
Since I’m going to put everyone on the spot about this concept, it’s important that I mention my Easter Egg experience, which happened at the age of 14. The book was THE AWAKENING. It forever changed my outlook on adulthood, on major life decisions, on what one wants (or doesn’t want), and on the effects of societal influences. THE AWAKENING represented another important thing too; that the talented author, Kate Chopin, probably never imagined she’d polarize readers with her only published book– let alone never write another novel again. I could ramble incessantly about this book, and how it forever changed her life – and my own. Instead, I now realize it was my “Easter Egg” moment as a reader.
My question for you. . .
For readers: What are your Easter Egg moments with books? Did it happen in early childhood, or did it happen with maturity (as a reader, as a person). What was that book? What insights did you gain from it? Did others feel the same way?
For writers: Have you been able to connect to readers at such a level? Is your creative work reflective of only YOUR experience(s), or is there a universal appeal to readers?
I’m going to close out for now, as once again I have magic squares and easter eggs on the brain. What are your Easter Egg moments? And for anyone who has seen Craig Thompson speak, what was your experience like?
Tonight I had the fortune of attending the Talk of the Stacks event with Roy Blount, Jr. – and what a treat! I’ve long admired Roy Blount, Jr., as he is a well-established linguist & author, former president of The Authors Guild, a lover of words and thinking-outside-the-box, and of course one of my favorite regular guests on Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!
I’ve often stated that to be writer, one needs to be an overly zealous reader. That some folks are meant to write books, because it’s a part of their “being;” while others (like me) are solely meant to be lifelong readers as it defines our existences. This is my own personal observation, others may disagree. Nevertheless, I’m fairly confident I’m not alone in this belief.
Roy struck a few chords with me this evening – two of which I wanted to share:
- That words should be (and are) kinesthetic, i.e. sensory. Writing words on paper,forming sentences, telling a story: it should be a sensory experience. Yes! Writing should be this way, and a reader unconsciously will notice it when enjoying a good book.
- That one’s words need to have a “Garden Path.” Be fully aware that the order in which words are placed can have multiple interpretations. I’ll use a basic example: a boyfriend can indicate one having a friend that is a boy, or the more obvious definition of whom one’s dating.
That’s just TWO of the many interesting points Roy made during tonight’s event. Both pointing to how one’s use of words, voice, and passion to write will influence the overall book.
This goes back to my personal observation of those meant to write, and those meant to read.
As a ch
ild, I had no desire to keep a diary or draw a picture book. I preferred to read, let alone read as many books as possible. So the habit of carrying books to and from home started early in life, specifically in kindergarten. Three of those titles were a used copy of the 1958 Snoopy Weekly Reader (which was further destroyed due to the many times I read it & carried it to school), a used 1972 edition of Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great by Judy Blume (which I wrote my name in purple marker across the cover & placed a 1984 Sticker of Michael Jackson on the inside cover 
), and a 1958 used copy of Crictor by Tomi Ungerer (which is now falling apart, so much I had to buy a new copy).
The reason I carried those books around – marking my name in them, ruining them beyond their used state, and hence why they are still on my shelves today – is because I liked the words, how the words were put together, the images, and the sensory experiences of reading them.
Not just anyone can accomplish such a feat – convincing a young child (or adult) to become a lifelong reader, to carry books everywhere s/he goes, and of course taking the time to invest money in building a personal library. In the larger picture, once ONE writer gains a reader, the rest of the publishing world benefits. Reading books is similar to any other addiction – reading a good book will lead to wanting to read ANOTHER good book, and so forth. Simply the best kind of “addiction” one can have, at least as far as I’m concerned.
For writers, contributing to this process (thereby producing new books for readers) takes the same passion for words that Roy Blount, Jr brings to the table – enjoying the sounds words make, taking into consideration the general impression one gets from the sound of a word(s), and putting phrases together that connote a new idea or tells an engaging story.
I’ve nothing but respect for those who write. For the time being I’ll continue being an avid reader – and of course a literary agent. 
While attempting to not sound like an “oldie” in publishing, it’s amazing what today’s technology and social media has accomplished. Especially when book blog tours are becoming a normal part of new book promotion.
There are many benefits to going this route. Such as the chance to reach out to even more readers, and the people who are possibly buying books for larger entities (i.e. bookstores, book clubs, etc) This is also an opportunity for the writer to work with directly a blogger(s), without necessarily needing to travel to multiple cities. Book bloggers know what they’re doing, especially when reading multiple books (and reviewing them) in a short time period. Most importantly, a book blog tour can be accomplished from the comfort of home. Isn’t that appealing?
How does one start the process? There are multiple resources available online that discuss the ways to do a Book Blog Tour, so take the time do the research! Just like any other type of book marketing, it’s all about networking and doing this type of promotion as a team.
Enjoy the links below, as you’ll see various perspectives on the best way to start your blog book tour. And as usual, please let me know what you think. Have I missed any other resources? What was your experience like? Let’s start a discussion, I’d love to hear what you have to say.
Virtual Book Tours: How To Set Up And Run A Successful Book Tour by Gary Smailes (via @BubbleCow)
How to Organize a Virtual Book Tour (Vol. 1) by Carol Denbow
How to Host a Blog Book Tour (Part 1) by Michelle Thompson
Yahoo! Book Blog Tours group
2011 Book Blogger Convention (in conjunction with the BEA)
Here’s my kind reminder, if there was ever a time to purchase books, it’s now. Do you like the convenience of being able to swing into any local bookstore, and finding the book(s) you’ve want to read? Sadly, the less foot traffic we make into brick and mortar bookstores, the harder it will be in the future. Here’s a blog posting that really struck a chord with me today, by Liz Colville – Documenting the Fall of Borders Through Its E-mail Newsletters
I admit, I’ve used Amazon.com like everyone else. Yet, I also make an effort to go into any bookstore locally when needing books too. In fact I combine these visits with my regular agency meetings (locally) and occasional research.
Everyone has been talking about the downfall of Borders. I had my own life (career-wise) with Borders too, during the early days (pre-internet taking over our lives). There are vivid memories of people browsing and purchasing books because they liked them, because the stories seemed interesting. The only mention of cost would come down to one’s preference or ability to afford the full cost of a hardcover or paperback book. It was that simple. Choose the book(s). Go to the counter. Pay for them.
There were no deep discounts. No coupons. No paid memberships with additional discounts.
It was a good time for publishing. It was a much better time for authors.
Several years ago, one of the big mistakes Borders made was implementing coupons, sometimes to the point where they would lose $$ on a book being sold vs. coming even on a transaction. It seemed that Borders hoped other books would be purchased, that people would linger longer in the bookstore. This did not happen.
Instead the coupon would be used, with a store losing money on the books purchased, and the same person more than likely returning home to purchase even more books online (that were also discounted).
Let’s be honest – how is this fair to writers? Most writers have to fit a 40-hr per week job into their writerly lives. Let’s say you discover a new writer whose writing really rocks your world. How is it fair to this talented author that his/her book is being sold at 50% cost at a bookstore? Ultimately if everyone purchases a creative work by an author at a discount, the likelihood of the royalties being enough to sustain a full-time writing career are next to nil.
I’m not against discounts on books, but when readers become dependent on deep-discount coupons to purchase their books (online or via a bookstore coupon) - the lives of bookstores will be 110% affected. So much that it will be harder to get readers to purchase books at the full price again, due to this dependence on heavy discounts/coupons. Sadly this can be the figurative straw that could break a bookstore’s back. I’d like to not see that happen.
A seed worth planting: ONE company who has yet to go the route of deep discounts and the “coupon trail” is Apple. Look around you, there’s a large majority of readers who seem to own a Mac, iPhone, iTouch, iPad, and/or iPod. We all paid for these items at full price without blinking.
Here’s my challenge: Try to at least purchase 1 book/month at your local bookstore, and pay full price for it. Just one, that’s all I’m asking here. If everyone at least makes an effort to give additional business to our local bookstores, they’ll still be around 100 years from now. Yes, I’m that optimistic.
Personally, I would’ve never gotten where I am today without the benefit of working the frontlines of the bookstores. ( Heck I remember using a Microfiche to look up book titles during my early days.) Not only have local bookstores helped develop strong readers, they’ve also produced many writers, librarians, and people who work in today’s publishing industry.
I’ll see you at the bookstore…and soon I hope!
One of my favorite things to do every December and early January is restocking my resource guides for the agency. Not only is it a good idea to have the print versions of these books on-hand, it’s essential that such guides continue to be available for any aspiring authors.
I’ve mentioned many times of the need to do the necessary “homework” before querying agents and editors. By consulting the newest print guides AND the online guides (i.e. Publishers Marketplace), you’ll save time, money and hopefully frustration by reading and following the agent/publisher submission standards in these directories.
So enjoy! Trust me, you’ll be happy of the investment.
1. Jeff Herman’s Guide to Book Publishers, Editors and Literary Agents – 2011 - This is one of my favorite resources, and one that I believe everyone should at least purchase before querying agents and editors.
2. Get Known Before the Book Deal by Christina Katz – This is required reading as far as I’m concerned.
3. 2011 Writer’s Market - Another good directory to consult before querying agents.
4. Children’s Writers and Illustrator’s Market 2011 – A great companion to the other directories, especially due to the children’s publishing-related information that’s provided.
Recently I attended a book launch by a local author. For once, it wasn’t my own doing, it was an invite from a friend, which I always appreciate.
Looking back upon many years on the frontlines (in the bookstores), and attending my own fair share of book events over the years, I’ve come to appreciate the “good” book launches. Most of us can agree, not every book event is perfect – this makes me sad, especially already knowing the time and energy it takes for a new book to get published.
I won’t go into all of the details about this recent book event — all I will say is that it was one of the more painful ones I’ve attended. Between the author’s long-winded presentation, the lack of audience engagement, and the four people I saw falling asleep in the crowd, I found myself looking back on the elements of successful book launches. These included:
1. Less is more, a concept worth implementing. The goal of a book event is for people to BUY the book. Reciting every little detail within the book (from front to end) can result in glossy-eyed, sleepy attendees. Attendees who are either so overwhelmed with “TMI” (too much information), or attendees who don’t buy the book due to the book event putting them to sleep.
Instead, use the “carrot” concept. Get potential readers excited about the book by explaining why it was written, what it’s about, and reading writing samples aloud. As experienced at this recent book event, EVERY single detail of the book was overly explained over a period of 1.5 hours, to the point it seemed like an academic lecture . If #s are proof in the pudding, I observed only 2 books getting purchased afterwards.
2. Interact with your reading audience. Do you have visuals for your book? Then bring them! Is there going to be a Q &A session? If not, consider it. How good is the lighting? Will there be coffee and/or snacks available? Will there be a chance for books to be signed afterwards? Do you have your speaking portion perfectly timed (within a reasonable window), so that the rest of your time is spent interacting with the attendees?
Referring back to the bad book event: there was dark lighting (due to an overhead projector that was used AFTER the 1.5 hours the author spoke), no coffee (which may have helped some folks to stay awake), no Q&A session (due to the long-winded lecture), and hardly any time for the author to talk one-on-one with the people who did stay at his book launch. Having witnessed similar situations over the years, the best thing I can say is “don’t do it.” In order to sell a book, readers need to be engaged. Engaging them at the book event can be a successful tool for increasing sales #s.
There’s more I can say, but in the interest of keeping this process simple, we’ll stop here. As usual, definitely comment if you have anything to add!
It was one of those weeks. Way too much to do, a bout with a nasty head cold (that is still around sadly), and lots of fantastic things happening for Red Sofa Literary!
Several of the brights spots this week involved several of my authors and their current projects. From one signing his book contract (for a future roller derby book), to working with a new author signed onto the agency (who queried me through WEBook-her book is incredible!), a current author with a very interested publisher, and the addition of new author yesterday (can you say Zombies?) – it was a very productive, memorable week! It made the nasty head cold seem like nothing. That’s always a good sign
Next week will be even better. There are meetings with two more of my authors, discussing their upcoming projects. It’s nice they happen to live in the Twin-Cities, as it’s rare to be able to see my clients (in person) on a regular basis. And I of course have to mention the Literary Death Match FINALLY coming to Minneapolis/St. Paul! I hope anyone who claims to like books, and our local literary community, will take the time to go to this awesome event. If you go, find me, I’ll be sitting on the edge of my seat, cheering on both Brian Beatty and John Jodzio.
I loved these books when they first came out, giving the library card good usage in checking out these books on a regular basis. Hence, CYOA will always be etched into my memory in a positive light. From attempting to “mark” the pages, in hopes of hitting all of them at some point; to sometimes getting a hand cramp from attempting to save several different pathes with one hand, while still moving forward with the newest adventure chosen-it was a wonderful childhood reading experience. My personal copies of CYOA were read over and over, as it was hard to tire of their many story lines. Finally, some CYOAs were traded with friends who had different versions (just to shake it up a little bit); all of our copies possessing curled up corners, pages with folded corners, and our names written in big letters on the inside covers.
So imagine my excitement upon learning CYOA is now on Kindle! It’s about time! And a great idea!
This is perfect timing after Pretty Little Mistakes by Heather McElhatton came out in 2007. After the fantastic adventures provided within this grown-up novel similar to CYOA, many folks (including myself) hoped that the original concept would have its own revival.
It looks like this happened; my non-Kindle owning self is thinking it’s maybe time to change this situation.
