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Designated Editor Writes a Book | Where to Begin

In my quest to share my insights and expertise in a more structured format, I’m working on a book. But not without help! Lisa Tener’s class is helping to keep me on-target for a first draft in 8 weeks.

See my earlier post on overhauling the Designated Editor brand.

I like to say “Websites age in dog years.” Due to styles, usability preferences, and technology they start to look stale after about 3 years. Or, after 3 years you should be planning a makeover, one of the services Designated Editor provides to clients (shameless plug).

But perhaps the same is true for brands? From when I first launched Designated Editor, 4 years and 2 website designs ago, much has changed. First, when I left The Globe, only newspapers seemed to be headed toward a sinkhole. Now we’ve experienced the Great Recession. While the economy was down, I was filling up on knowledge, starting with SEO and then Social Media, always evolving, but I’m evolving with it.

Part of that evolution is taking my insights and creating a guide to jump-start brands’ new media efforts. The book takes a holistic view of new media, not simply social media. If you’ve been a regular Designated Editor blog reader you’ll find several themes, among them:

  • Search and Social are morphing
  • In-person interactions and social media complement each other
  • Search should be – and is increasing so – about fulfilling user needs

All is not without controversy: Years ago an SEO expert left a comment that challenges my downplay of link-building. Since then search experts know: It’s not about building links but building reputation.

In the Designated Editor brand overhaul, I’m relying on key folks for support, Lisa Tener being first and foremost as I eagerly put my thoughts to paper. If you’re considering writing a book, or completing any major project, here are a few recent tips from Lisa’s workshop that you may find helpful:

Book-writing tips from Lisa Tener

  • Put the book first
  • Beware of new must-dos that may crop up
  • Delegate more
  • Let go of your ego: focus on what you can give, not how others will see it.

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

Another tip from a classmate: Don’t get hemmed in by technology. It’s OK to write on your iPhone or iPad and email yourself the document. I write on the sunporch with my iPad, far from my desk, which prohibits interruptions like checking email and answering calls.

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