Month: June 2021

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Tick (Tock) not TikTok

June 30, 2021-That’s all, folks! I hope you’ve enjoyed our theme this month which was Author Mindset. We’ll be back on July 2nd with our next theme, which is Author Public Speaking! During July, we’ll cover everything from book signings, school visits, engaging with the public, and best practices. This theme is essential because people are more afraid of public speaking than death! We’re hoping to change all that with some easy-to-use tips and tricks so that you can speak confidently about yourself and your books in public.

But, for now, let’s finish up our topic for June! We’ve got one more thing to talk about when it comes to Author Mindset, and that is knowing yourself. The only person who knows what motivates you, makes you tick, what thoughts, feelings, and beliefs you have, and what makes you happy, excited, motivated, and energized. 

All of this is so important, and without clearly defining these things for yourself, you can’t possibly be your best author self! I’d like you to complete the following exercise:

  1. What are the things about writing that excite you? 
  2. What new possibilities in your writing life would you like to explore? 
  3. What would you like to learn this year as an author? 
  4. What is it about your writing life that makes you jump out of bed in the morning? 
  5. What motivates you about writing? 
  6. What do you need to improve as an author? 
  7. Where would you like to see yourself in 5 years in your writing career? 
  8. How do you feel about your writing life? What do you like best? 
  9. What energizes you as an author? 

Continue to focus on the positive and what you want more of! Combine all of the things that you’ve learned about author mindset this month on our blog and our podcast on Podbean while staying consistent, and you’ll be an author force to be reckoned with. Join us in July for our new theme, Public Speaking for Authors-you won’t want to miss it!

 

 

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Victim Vocabulary

June 29, 2021– Tomorrow is our final day of exploring Author Mindset! I hope you’ve gained some valuable tips that you’ll put into action to create the writing life that you’ve always imagined. Our topic today is Victim Vocabulary-let’s dig in!

Authors stay stuck in their careers for several reasons, but one of the reasons that come up all the time is Victim Vocabulary. If you’ve ever been to a writer’s conference or a workshop, you’ll know that there’s always that one author with the ‘woe is me’ story; the one that you can’t quite seem to get away from or at least out of earshot? The one that complains about everything? Here are some common Victim Vocabulary phrases:

  1. The market is too saturated.
  2. I can’t seem to find the time to write.
  3. I don’t know where or how to send in my work to get published.
  4. I’m not doing that writing prompt; it’s stupid.
  5. I won’t submit my work anymore. What’s the point? I always get rejected.
  6. I shouldn’t have spent the money on this course; it’s useless.
  7. I already know this.
  8. There’s no way that it will work. It’s impossible.
  9. Why does this always happen to me?
  10. Everyone else gets published but me.

And the list goes on. When we use words and phrases like I can’t, I don’t, I’m not, I won’t, I shouldn’t, there’s no way, it’s impossible,  and why does this always, we quite simply give away our power. How did you feel after reading those words? Depressed and defeated? Me too. Our words have a lot of conscious and subconscious meaning to them, and as authors, we should know that words carry power. They can be used for good or evil; they convey messages that are bold and brash or are barely a whisper. The point is, if we tell ourselves something long enough, we start to believe it.

It may come down to conditioning, limiting beliefs, past experiences, and other reasons why an author would speak that way, but it’s essential to remember that those things don’t serve anyone. They certainly won’t contribute to your current or future success.

Change your thoughts, change your words, and watch your life change. Stop using words that victimize you, and start using words that empower you!

 

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Specifically Think Bigger

June 28, 2021– Well, it’s almost that time again where we’ve wrapped up another theme for the month! I hope you’ve enjoyed our June theme, which was Author Mindset and that you learned a lot of valuable tips and practices that you can put into action. We’ve got a couple of days left, and today I want to talk about something invaluable to your success as an author-Thinking BIGGER and being more specific! Let’s dive in:

When you decided to become an author, what did you envision for yourself? Here are what most authors said when polled by Pandamonium Publishing House.

  1. I want to sell a ton of books.
  2. I want to make a lot of money.
  3. I want to do school visits.
  4. I want to quit my day job and write full time.

These are all wonderful things to want for yourself as a writing professional, but what if I told you, you’re not thinking big enough, and you’re not being specific enough, and that’s probably why you haven’t reached your goals yet. Not to worry, I’ll talk about what you need to do to think bigger and be more specific, but first, let me entertain you with a true story.

One Saturday morning, a young boy paid a visit to his grandfather. A fence needed mending on the property, so the grandfather took the boy to the hardware store. Nails sold by the pound, yard supplies, a limited selection of penny candy and chocolate bars, and the usual items you’d find in a small town establishment lined the counters, aisles, and walls. The one thing that stood out was a brand new bike hanging on the wall behind the checkout counter. The boy noticed the bike as soon as he walked in and couldn’t keep his eyes off it; the tires were gleaming black with silver spokes, the cherry red paint was perfection, and the silver bell on the handlebars reflected the sun from the large front window. The boy followed his grandpa around the store in a daze. He thought about riding the bike with his pals and how he could ride the bike to the fishing hole instead of walking, and how that bike would make him so happy.

The boy’s grandpa went to the front counter with a paper bag full of nails to be weighed and paid for. He turned to his grandson and said, “Pick out what you want and then we’ll go home and fix the fence.” The boy looked at the candy, picked out some sweets, and placed them on the counter. The grandpa smiled and said, “I didn’t think you’d pick that.” The boy looked at him and said, “What do you mean?”

The old man chuckled, “I thought the bike was what you wanted.” The boy shrugged, “I didn’t think you would buy it for me.” The grandfather turned to his grandson, “You need to think bigger.” To this, the grandson replied, “And you need to be more specific!”

The boy eventually got the bike, and it was even better than he could have imagined. He learned an important lesson that day, THINK BIGGER and BE SPECIFIC.

Returning to the list at the beginning of this post, let’s revisit each one with a bigger vision and more specificity.

  1. I want to sell a ton of books. I want to reach one million aged 5-7-year-old readers with my book because I know it will make a difference in their lives. How many books exactly do you want to sell? Who do you want to sell them to? How are you going to sell them? When do you want to sell them by? Where do you want to sell them? 
  2. I want to make a lot of money.  I want to make one million dollars selling my book to elementary schools across Canada in the next year. How many books will this take? Which schools? How will you accept payment? What other fees are incurred? How will you reach out to the faculty, and how will they order? Etc. 
  3. I want to do school visits. I want to read my book to grade 1-3 classrooms and have an interactive discussion about the book at the end of my presentation. How many visits will you do per year? How will you set up the visits? Will they be digital or in-person? How will your presentation be interactive? How long will the reading and discussion take? Etc. 
  4. I want to quit my day job and write full time. I want to earn $150,000 per year to supplement my current income by writing and selling my series of cozy romance novels to an established female audience. Will you self-publish or go the traditional route? How much will the book sell for? What is the royalty rate? How long will it take to earn this income? Will you go all in right away or build up your savings first? How many books will you write? Etc. 

Oftentimes writers never reach their goals because they aren’t specific enough, and sometimes what’s worse is that they reach their goals and realize that they should have dreamt bigger. It’s never too late to actively start building the writing life of your dreams. Be specific in exactly what you want and how you plan on getting it. Don’t play small; this is your life, and you are the captain of the ship. Don’t be like the boy with the bike; ask for what you specifically want without a snap judgement that you won’t get it because it’s too much or too big of an ask.

 

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Things are EXACTLY as they appear to be

June 24, 2021-In about a week we’ll be all wrapped up with our theme this month which is Author Mindset! I hope you’ve enjoyed the content this far and that you’ll continue to join us for more tips, resources, and information.

Today we’re talking about something that is very important for author mindset and that is…our outward appearance. Now, I know you may be thinking that perhaps I’m being shallow or that it’s what’s on the inside that counts (that’s 90% of it!) but what you project and portray on the outside is just as important to your success!

The truth is, as humans we make snap, subconscious judgements whether we mean to or not. Let’s say that you walked into a Publishing company for an interview and the interviewer looked like they just rolled out of bed; wrinkled clothing, chipped nails, unbrushed hair, and they looked as if they haven’t slept in five nights-what would you think? Be honest with yourself. You’d probably think, this person doesn’t look like they have it together, so what does this say about the company as a whole? It looks like they can’t be bothered and that they don’t respect themselves.

Contrast that with someone who makes an effort toward looking their best! No one is perfect and we all have our flaws, but first impressions matter. How you present yourself to the world is a direct indication of how you feel about your self on the inside. I know that for me personally I always feel better, think better, act better, and I’m more confident when I look my best.

As an author you will be thrust into the public eye, whether you like it or not; book signings, school visits, public speaking, and events put you in front of people, there are no two ways about it. Your appearance is part of the whole package.

Here are three ways that you can look and feel your best that will get you into the right author mindset to take on the world!

1. Put on your best outfit. This is the clothing choice that makes you feel confident, able, and unstoppable.

2. Accessorize. Whether it’s a favourite watch, stunning scarf, or a fabulous piece of statement jewelry, accessories can elevate any outfit. Plus, if it’s an heirloom piece, you’ll employ the energy of the person who gave it to you!

3. Details. Wrinkled clothes, chipped or dirty nails, and clothing covered in animal hair or lint do nothing to help your confidence. People notice small details like fallen hems and missing buttons, so be sure to give a once or twice over to your reflection in the mirror.

When I was a kid someone very close to me gave me the advice, “Don’t walk into a bank looking like you need a loan, walk into it looking like you own the place.” This advice has stuck with me for life! This means that you should have the mentality, mindset, and energy that elevates you not only in your eyes, but in other people’s as well.

Everything starts internally and as authors need to put our best foot forward. When we respect ourselves, look respectful, and are confident in our appearance and abilities, other people have no choice but to believe it too.

YOU are your author brand, what message do you want to convey?

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No One is Coming to Save You

June 23, 2021-Author mindset is our the this month and today we’ll be focusing on accountability. Gulp, I know this can be a touchy subject, but I wouldn’t be doing anyone any favours if I skipped this topic.

There is ONE thing that separates successful people from unsuccessful people and that is ACCOUNTABILITY. Accountability means that you take 100% responsibility for your writing life and the results you’re getting.

How many times have you heard, “It’s not my fault that I couldn’t find the submission guidelines,” or “I didn’t know that there were author shows going on,” or “I can’t be responsible for low sales, the market is saturated.” I’m here to tell you-YES IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY. If it’s not yours than whose is it? The neighbour’s? The publisher’s? The milkman’s? Stop trying to blame other people for the crappy results you’ve been getting!

Something magical happens when we take 100% accountability as authors; we grow and our results change for the better! If we’re brave enough to say, “The buck stops with me,” or “I’m the one in the driver’s seat,” we can transform our mind, life, and career.

It’s easy to blame others for our lack of success and failures, but the truth is that deep down we know it’s no ones fault but our own. As soon as we take responsibility for our writing lives, things begin to change! There’s a freedom in being honest with ourselves and knowing that we are in charge of our results.

A strong author mindset focuses on how to grow, improve, and get results while acknowledging where we went wrong and planning to do better. Nothing will change in your life if you’re not accountable for your actions, decisions, and outcomes.

Ask yourself if you’ve been 100% accountable for your success and failures thus far, or if you’ve been hiding behind the excuse that someone else is in charge of your life, dreams, and writing goals. It’s time to step up your game and take responsibility for the good and the bad. That’s the only way to change.

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Business not Busyness

June 22, 2021-Author mindset is our theme this month and today we’re talking about “busyness”. We all know that being busy does not always translate to being productive; in fact, being busy is often just a front for procrastinating on the big tasks.

When I ask fellow authors about how things are going, more often than not they’ll say something along the lines of, “I’m so busy it’s not even funny,” or “It’s insanity as usual!” I know what those statements are code for because at one time, I was saying the exact same thing.

The truth is the only reason why we feel like we’re barely keeping our heads above water or that we’re drowning in our work is because we’re focusing on too many small tasks that do not bring us the type of results that we’re looking for! Authors are creative people who are prone to experiencing overwhelm and I find that when this happens, we turn away from the big projects and hard work to focus on meaningless day to day things that can quite simply and effectively be delegated.

LEVERAGE is your best friend as an author. But what does leverage mean? It means that you’re using your resources in such a manner to free up your time so that you can focus on what’s most important!

With a positive author mindset, you know that time and results are important to your ongoing success, so why not help yourself turn down the burner on stress? Here are three ways that you can use leverage to get excellent results in your writing life:

1. Delegate. The best bosses know how to delegate. This means that we match the right person to the job that is most likely to benefit from their skill set. For example, if you’re a self-published author you could delegate your sales numbers, taxes, accounts receivable and payable to an accountant. This is one high stress item off your plate that frees up mental and physical space so that you can do things that are more pressing.

2. Outsource. As an author are you wasting your time editing your own work? Maybe you have a great idea for a book but you don’t have time to write it? Do you need help with your schedule? Hire an editor or ghostwriter or virtual assistant to help out! Outsource anything you can so that you can focus on creating more opportunities for your writing life and expanding your network.

3. Use resources available. A lot of authors work from home and this carries a whole other host of responsibilities. We see the laundry piling up, the dishes in the sink, and the empty fridge. These unfinished, need-to-do tasks play havoc with our heads and we find ourselves washing dishes instead of writing. There are plenty of resources available to take some pressure off your plate (and clean them!). Use things like grocery delivery service, or a housekeeper to come in and clean once a week, or a student that’s looking for volunteer hours or back to school cash to mow the lawn. There are plenty of resources out there that can help you free up time to focus on your writing life.

You may think that all of this sounds expensive; there are initial costs involved, but leverage is used to free up your time so that you can do things that bring you more money and time. YOU ARE WORTH IT! Authors struggle with this undeserving mindset because they feel like they don’t deserve to hire any help or that they can’t afford it. Look at your budget as an author and find out where your money can be best spent! Make an investment in yourself and your future by focusing on the big picture, big moves, and big results.