Is finding clients for your ghostwriting business your greatest challenge? Does the very thought of marketing your services make you uneasy? Then you won’t want to miss our next teleclass, “How To Market From Your Comfort Zone,” with author and marketing coach Beth Woodward. During this interview, you’ll learn:
1) How the author of the book, How To Market From Your Comfort Zone, Beth
Woodward, almost quit her business because she was so uncomfortable with
marketing, then turned her discomfort around to create her own marketing
company.
2) The SECRET to marketing yourself.
3) How to redefine marketing to fit who you are.
4) How to approach marketing from your style, your strengths and your passions.
Call details:
Date: Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Time: 5 PM Eastern (4 PM Central, 3 PM Mountain, 2 PM Pacific)
Message from Mary Anne
Hello, fellow ghost writers:
It’s a very exciting time here at the IAPGW! Not only have we resumed the free, informative teleclasses for members and nonmembers alike, but we’ve got some awesome new member benefits in the works, namely—
1. A “breaking into ghost writing” course for new and aspiring ghost writers. This program will span several weeks and include telephone lessons, Q&As and some private coaching sessions—plus one year Associate level membership in the IAPGW! (The course will be free for Associate members who join before the course is launched).
2. A “marketing for ghost writers” course for working ghost writers. In this program, we’ll cover both on- and off-line methods for attracting clients to your ghost writing business. The program will include teleclasses, Q&As and a one year Professional level membership in the IAPGW (The course will be free for Professional members who join before 12/31.2010).
Sounds like this will be an ideal time to join the International Association of Professional Ghost Writers, right? So get on over to http://iapgw.org/member-benefits and join today!
To your success,
Mary Anne Hahn
IAPGW Executive Director
P.S. If you haven’t already done so, please take a few minutes to complete the reader survey I’m conducting at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/JLQGLJM
I truly appreciate your feedback!
Feature Article:
Suffer From “Bright Shiny Object Syndrome”?
© 2010 by Mary Anne Hahn
You may have heard the term “Bright Shiny Object Syndrome”— it’s the tendency to become easily distracted or pulled in different directions by whatever new idea or activity crosses your path. Whether it’s caused by phone calls, e-mails or instant messages you receive, by what you read in books, magazines or online, by what you see on television or hear on the radio, or via a thousand other sources for incoming messages you get bombarded with each day, the BSO syndrome causes you to repeatedly abandon one task or project after another as you turn your attention to the newest, brightest, shiniest distraction. Over time, you find yourself merely spinning your wheels with nothing much to show for your efforts.
If this sounds like you, you’re not alone. Every day we encounter an onslaught of new information to absorb, new technologies to learn, new marketing techniques to consider, new ways to meet and connect with others, and on and on. As writers in general and ghost writers in particular, we tend to be creative by nature, and delight in pursuing and trying to catch all these alluring ideas, tools and bits of knowledge like so many butterflies in a single net. There’s just so much to read, to learn and to do, so many people to meet and learn about, and only so much time to fit it all in. Small wonder that we sometimes come up empty, overwhelmed and exhausted.
You probably also agree you need to find ways to keep “bright shiny object syndrome” in check if you ever hope to grow the thriving and prosperous ghost writing business of your dreams. Clients need to be found and deadlines must be kept. This means planning your work and working your plan. But to help you fend off the daily onslaught of new and enticing distractions, here are some steps you can take in order to put yourself back in the driver’s seat and in better control of your schedule and accomplishments:
1. Get back to basics. What is it that you really want from your writing business? Why did you decide to pursue ghost writing in the first place? Taking a fresh look at your goals and values can enable you to get back on track.
2. Reprioritize. Write down or mind map all of the ideas you’ve been toying with but not pursuing. Which ones bring you closest to the goals and values you listed above?
3. Set goals with dates attached. Take your top few ideas and put timelines around them.
4. Create a “Future Ideas” Folder. Any items from your mind map or ideas list that did not make the priority list get filed here. That also applies to any new ideas that crop up. You may even want to create multiple folders (Future Ideas for Marketing, Future Ideas for Projects, etc.) so you can easily reference them when you’ve completed your top priorities and are ready to move on.
5. Carve out specific project development time. To get the most out of your time, set aside a block of one to two hours minimum each day that you can devote to the priority projects you identified. During this time, minimize all distractions—turn off phone ringers, make yourself unavailable for instant messaging, and stay out of your e-mail. Using this time regularly and well is critical to your success!
6. Map out your steps. Sometimes overwhelm and distraction occur because a project simply looks too big to handle. So what’s the very first step you need to take? Then the next? Break your ideas down into small, achievable action steps.
Overcoming “bright shiny object syndrome” really boils down to deciding what’s really most important to you in your life and business, then deciding to do what it takes to achieve those things. Other tempting avenues that you discover along the way will still be there for you, if and when you’re ready to take them, but don’t let them lead you away from accomplishing your heart’s desire.
Upcoming Event
September 15: How Ghosts Can Get Face-to-Face with Clients on Facebook and LinkedIn
As a ghostwriter, you may be accustomed to being invisible or behind the scenes, but you must be highly visible to get new business! Fortunately, social networking provides a great opportunity to get face-to-face with prospective clients.
In this teleclass, Shelley Lieber, the Wordy Woman, will share proven strategies and a secret, little-used approach that you can use right away on Facebook and LinkedIn to get in front of your target audience and showcase your talents. Shelley is the author of 4Ps to Publishing Success, founder of VIP Authors (http://vipauthors.com), host of VIP Author Talks, and publisher at VIP Book Publishing.
Sign up now for this fun and informative class! For call details and F.R.E.E. registration, go to http://iapgw.org/upcoming-events right now.
– - Click Here To View The Newsletter Archives
September 15 Free Teleclass
As a ghostwriter, you may be accustomed to being invisible or behind the scenes, but you must be highly visible to get new business! Fortunately, social networking provides a great opportunity to get face-to-face with prospective clients. This presentation will provide you with proven strategies and a secret, little-used approach that you can use right away on Facebook and LinkedIn to get in front of your target audience and showcase your talents.
Shelley Lieber, The Wordy Woman,is a publishing visionary and strategist. A leading authority on how to succeed in the new publishing environment, she teaches writers how to attract readers by combining traditional strategies, social media and the power of community. She is the author of 4Ps to Publishing Success, founder of VIP Authors, host of VIP Author Talks, and publisher at VIP Book Publishing. She founded and led the South Florida Association of Women Writers, Women’s Writing Room Collective and 4Ps to Publishing Success Workshops.
Sign up now for this informative call!
The details for this event are as follows:
Date: Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Time: 4 PM Eastern (3 PM Central, 2 PM Mountain, 1PM Pacific)
Cost: Free!
To register for this class and receive an e-mail with call in information, simply complete the form below:
(REGISTRATION CLOSED)