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Designated Editor Writes a Book | The Beginning

Now an oft-booked speaker and adjunct college professor, my brand is currently undergoing an overhaul. Nowhere is that more apparent than the Designated Editor blog. If you’ve been following along through the past 230 posts, you may appreciate that I usually report on highlights from conferences, presentations, and webinars, such as

While the blog will still offer highlights and digests from events you may have missed, this part of the Designated Editor brand transformation is well overdue. At least monthly, you can expect more thought leadership, sharing my insights on new media.

After 4 years of attending conferences, reading and reviewing social media books for the Designated Editor YouTube channel, plus curating content for two semester-long university courses, there’s much to contribute to the conversation.

But first, and clients who work with Designated Editor know this already, I’m committed to sharing my insights. I realized my proverbial roof was leaking, and sought support to enhance the Designated Editor brand. For the past few months, the team has been working on a new look for the website.

Book Coach Lisa Tener

Book Coach Lisa Tener

And, while I’ve known book coach Lisa Tener for years now, I finally committed to writing a book. As I write this, we’re midway through the 8-week award winning Bring Your Book to Life Program, so I’d like to share some insights.

First, the goal is to have a first draft in 8 weeks, which is aggressive, especially while teaching at Framingham State University. But, Lisa offers a great deal of support. The accountability and check-in systems she integrates into the class are designed to ensure you don’t just let things slide.

More importantly, however, are Lisa’s insights into the industry. As most readers know, I’m steeped in daily newspapers, far different from publishing.

Here are a few highlights from Lisa’s Bring Your Book to Life Program that you can apply to your writing projects and more

It’s OK to have holes

Research, as I often tell my clients, is time-consuming. Best is to get the bulk of writing done and fill in the gaps. It’s so much easier to write while in flow and skip a section or statistic to look up. How many times have you stopped to look something up, then checked email, then Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and where was I 45 minutes ago?

Being disciplined about writing times

Especially if you’re your own boss, it’s easy to get interrupted. Lisa reminds us that completing the first draft is our #1 priority. For me, this means structuring Newport Interactive Marketers events and promotion around the book; meeting with and completing client work outside of book-writing hours; going away on a retreat weekend to ensure I’m where I need to be.

Putting off what doesn’t need to be done

Lisa cites housecleaning as an example. That doesn’t work for me; messy environment means distractions. It does mean letting the Designated Editor site launch sit a bit longer until I have my first draft done and can more fully attend to the launch. It also has social implications; Lisa cites an example of a workshop attendee who found that when she set boundaries with negative people because of her book, it benefited the rest of her life as well.

For now, I’m not as active on my social media platforms as I once was. I was sharing more tips and great reads on LinkedIn and Twitter, but I’ve downshifted to simply interacting with people who are engaging with me. It’s not forever, but a book is. That’s a trade-off I’m willing to accept. And now, at least, Designated Editor blog readers will understand. Maybe I should I tweet it, too, now?

Considering Writing a Book? Dial into Lisa Tener’s Free Teleseminar on March 19.

Curious which crossroads your brand is at and what strategies and tactics are working for you (or not)?

Looking forward to sharing more,
Suzanne

Publishing, branding and the transformation of hard-copies to eBooks

As the impact of eBooks hits hard on the publishing industries, thought leader Brian Altounian shared his insights on the changing sales environment at 2012 South by Southwest Interactive in Austin, TX.

Using his creative capabilities and experience as CEO of eBook branding firm WOWIO, Brian Altounian outlined the future of the industry and explained business models that package content in ways that boosts sales. Tips from his talk, “Publishing Models Transforming the Book

Publishing and branding go hand-in-hand

  • Authors and titles are brands. It’s OK to give for free if publishers are making some money
  • Publishers have to do something different, but no one knows what exactly, true for movies, music
  • Aim to create content as a brand & learn so when you get deals you don’t negotiate your rights a la movie rights

Traditional publishers mining nontraditional

  • Traditional publishers are increasingly going to transmedia … Books are made into TV and movies
  • Need more ethnic diversity in authors and audiences to be served
  • Creative people are in constant pursuit for an outlet
  •  Traditional publishers now investing in eBook, print & audio search sites. Bookish focuses on findability

Multimedia  fully under way

  • Why change? People under 40 want content on any device, how and when they want it, and for free
  • Traditional publications ARE changing the way they do things! Free seeds interest for future work but is not sustainable long-term
  • Content creators thinking multiplatform, cross-strategy, toys & merchandise, how to get everyone onboard & protect assets
  • Merchandise deals can take pressure off publishers

What about authors?

  • Marketing, discoverability need to be considered
  • Content creator needs to self-finance to build interest
  • Largest cost to publishers is for talent: paying author and promoting that author
  • How are you using analytics and consumer profiling to create content that fits a ready audience?
  • Retailers getting into book promotion … All about lifestyle, no?

Thanks for sharing highlights @brianjdixon, @Mollybbarton, @swannamac, @DeahlsDeals, @KeithArsenault, @BrianAltounian

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