Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing--Ramona Heikel

My approach to the business end of writing is to try to keep the main thing the main thing. And the main thing is writing: creating, encouraging, educating, inspiring.

I also have a priority on keeping as serene and orderly a life as possible, so I can keep my spiritual goals in focus. If I can't hear God, then what I write probably isn't going to accomplish what he wants.

I have been tempted for years to self-publish a book. But from all I've heard and researched about the time involved, I've decided I still don't have enough of it. So I am restricting myself to considering traditional publishers only, which to me is more manageable.  Harder to break into? Absolutely.  But this is where my faith has to come into play. (A littlle more on this at the end.)

This actually simplifies things quite a bit, and leaves very manageable business activities to take care of, mainly marketing and taxes.

Although I don't mind finding markets for my writing , because I love to research, I do get frustrated at having to keep an eye on this constantly moving target of changing publishers and guidelines.  And I don't like all the time that it takes to prepare a submission, especially if I have to send it snail mail.

I actually enjoy the other business activities, like the writing part of my tax return. I love any excuse to play with numbers and spreadsheets!  I share some tips in my previous post 7 Tips for Organizing your Writing Business.

As I am always hoping to make writing a bigger part of my life, I do look for practical advice for writers hoping to have a steady income, so I can balance my dreams with reality. Here are a couple of articles that I read recently that I found very helpful on the topic of being a full-time writer, and all that that entails from a business perspective: "The Business of Writing: Turn Your Income Stream Into A River", and "The Business End of Writing".

I look forward to getting all of your insights on the writing business!  And I will close with a few lines from Violet Nesdoly's inspiring article, "Of Trumpets, Platforms and Networks", which appeared in the August 2014 issue of Fellowscript. (Thank you, Violet!)

"Have you ever wondered where Jesus and his teaching...fit into the publicity work you need to do? ...Our writing either fills a need...or it doesn't.  I believe that writing that fills a need will eventually gather a platform unto itself...If ours is a message the world needs to hear, He has supernatural ways to grow our network, and get that message out at the right time. "

Posted by Ramona

www.happilywriting.com

How to Have a (Good) Marketing Attitude by Glynis Belec

     Writing is my heart passion. Business is my reality. 

I thought about comparing my career as a writer to a love/hate relationship. But then I got thinking how easily I can psyche myself into something. I definitely don't love marketing but I don’t actually hate it, either. I prefer not to do it but I don’t hate it even though I think I hate it.

All my life I have loved writing. Then once I learned writing for the serious scribe is actually 50 percent the written page and 50 percent business, I knew I had to expand my horizons and do it with a willing heart. Otherwise (I know me) I would be prone to whining and then I would convince myself how despicable marketing is and I wouldn't do it. 

I have learned that I choose my attitude - good or bad. I have discovered that if I pick good, only good will come out of it - even if things go bad. If I pick bad it ends up bad every time. I sought to have the 'somewhere in between' attitude. It never works. It always ends up bad, too. 

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that 'hate' isn't my issue, 'not knowing how' is more like it.

Resources are good when you want to learn how to do something. I've found a great Resource that never seems to fail. It sure has changed my marketing attitude. How about I share? 

1. Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.    Colossians 3:23

• remember that we are not out to please man with our brilliant marketing schemes. We are intent on glorifying God with how we go about sharing our words. I won't pay for reviews, I will earn them
• I will glean some information from all these people who tell me they know how I can sell a thousand books in one day (as long as I buy their product) but I won't fall prey to their 'get rich schemes' at all costs. 
• I will try my best to make a good, doable plan for promoting my work.

2.  Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant          than yourselves. Philippians 2:3

• I won't mock others or think I have the upper hand when it comes to making contacts 
• I am grateful that God has blessed me with a passion to write, but I will also encourage others to grow in their craft

• I will help others market their books because I know that when we help others we benefit the most. And when I help others market their books, I won't do it for selfish motives but purely because God doesn't want us to be rivals, but sisters and brothers on the same path

3.  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,         

    faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                Galatians 5:22-23

• It is much more fun to be nice. 
• I started a Facebook group a while ago and we now have close to 500 members. I LOVE talking to my Angels (I call them) about writing related topics. God has stirred a passion in my heart to help promote Canadian authors who write and engage readers who love to read quality work. I will admit, I started out with a little motive of building my 'tribe' and then using it as a marketing platform. It has become much more than that. God has used my wimpy idea to build some great relationships and allowed us to have some super conversations. I rarely plug my own books, but it feel so right what I am doing. 

4. Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for       you. 1 Peter 5:7

• One of the best ways - or maybe THE best way for me to sell my books is to speak
• When I first felt the nudge from God to speak I was dragged kicking and screaming, thinking what a lousy job I would do. Oh, I am a drama queen from way back and have graced the stage numerous times. The difference, though, was I always had a script - and the story was not mine to be told. I heed God's direction now and I love telling my story and sharing about so many things. God has blessed me with the gift of hope and laughter and I love to share that gift with whomever will give me the time of day. And often, blessings follow with the back of the room sales. 

5.  The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count      slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that          any should perish, but that all should reach     

     repentance.                                                                                          2 Peter 3:9                                                                                                                                                           

• My brain wants to rush the process and I sometimes feel that I am not doing it right because I don't have at least 100 reviews on each book or people battering down my door begging to buy my books. 
• Then I remember my timing usually always differs from God's. He's been pretty patient with me over the years so I try to do the same. 

I could go on and on. Each day I get inspired. No, I have not turned in to Suzie Q Brilliant Marketer. I never will. But I found that once I changed my attitude and looked at marketing and promotion and everything business related from an "I can do this with God at the helm" attitude, I found it a much more pleasant task. 

Marketing isn't easy. Nor is brain surgery or waiting on unruly customers or building houses. But changing my attitude is. 

For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe. 1 Timothy 4:10

~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~~

                                                  

Glynis

Are You Taking On Too Much? by Steph Beth Nickel

This post first appeared on Janet Sketchley’s blog on Friday, February 26, 2016. I then tweaked it slightly for "This & That for Writers." I have reworked it yet a third time to fit with this month's InScribe theme: dealing with the business side of writing.

I usually have my post to Janet well ahead of the deadline, but not this month. In fact, I needed a nudge—even though I had a reminder in my day planner. Sometimes that just isn’t enough.

I have recently started covering for our church administrator while she’s on maternity leave. I enjoy the job, but it does leave me scrambling because of the other responsibilities I am also juggling.

Just how can we determine if we should take on any given task? Here are six things you may want to consider the next time someone asks, “Oh, could you …” or the next time you come across a "writers simply must do this" promotion.

Pray About It

As a Christian this may seem self-evident, but how many times do we take on something without asking the Lord for wisdom? We can’t do all the things that are asked of us or apply all the writerly wisdom we hear about. 

Evaluate the Task

How long will it take? Does it fit naturally into our schedule? Will we have to set aside something that should remain a priority? Will it hinder our ability to fulfill our current tasks effectively? Will it steal the downtime that is crucial to our mental and emotional well-being?

Give Something Up

I once heard a speaker say she never took on a new task without setting aside one she was already doing. Talk about self-control! I can’t see myself doing this—at least not yet. And as writers, we are told to keep writing ... while building our platform ... and finding an agent or publisher. If we go the indie route, there are the issues of cover design, ebook formatting, and the tax implications of publishing with a "foreign" company such as amazon.com. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Something definitely has to give.

Remember … No is Not a Bad Word

Some of us have difficulty saying no when we’re asked to do something. We don’t want to let the other person down. We don’t want to miss an opportunity God has for us. This is another key reason we need to pray before we take on a task. God promises to give wisdom to those who ask. 

Plus, He will give us the ability to graciously decline if that’s what’s necessary. We must remember, too, that it is His responsibility to deal with how the other person responds. We shouldn’t buckle under pressure if we are confident God has not called us to a specific task—at least not at this time. 

And I find the same is true about the aforementioned "writerly wisdom." I can easily get weighed down if I listen to the voices that insist I must do such and such if I'm ever to be considered a serious writer.

Consult Your Spouse or a Trusted Friend

If it’s going to put a strain on the relationship with our spouse, it’s likely best to beg off. I have such an easygoing hubby sometimes I don’t think to ask him what he thinks of a particular decision. He is always gracious and never makes me feel bad about making up my own mind, but I really should keep him in the loop … and not always after the fact. And whether we’re married or not, a trusted friend can often give us a perspective we can’t see because we’re just too close to the situation.

While our friend or spouse may not be a writer, they are often a good judge of how something is affecting us. They can help us decide whether a given activity is moving us toward our goals and if the price is worth the effort. (If your spouse and your BFF don't support your writing, it may be time to develop relationships with fellow writers who understand the process and can give you encouragement and advice.)

Finally … Pray Some More

Sometimes we take on something and it’s good for a season, but we just keep doing it even after that season is over. Praying over our schedule regularly is a good habit to get into. As I’ve often said, no matter how much I love my lists, the only To Do list that really matters is the one God has prepared for me. And the only way to discover what’s on that list is to dig into His Word and pray—lots!

So … are you taking on too much? Why not review these pointers and make changes to your To Do list as needed. I just may have to do the same.

Are You a Writer? Then…You Are also a BUSINESS PERSON! By Sandi Somers

“I’m a writer, not a marketer or speaker!” Can you identify with these words? And yet the truth of the matter is that, “Writing is a business, whether we want it to be so or not,” wrote Tracy Krauss, our blog moderator. “Writers—even those working with traditional publishers—are now responsible for many ‘para’ writing activities.”

Prompt: Tell us about the joys and challenges of your “para” activities. How have you managed both writing and marketing? How is God opening doors for you? What advice would you give to those struggling with the business end of writing?

A Time to Prepare

At the current time, I don’t have much in the way of “para” activities in my writing business. But while thinking about this month’s topic, I can see how God has been graciously preparing me for these tasks.

Last year I accepted the role of co-editor for our InScribe anthology, 7 Essential Habits of Christian Writers. In the next the months as I worked with our anthology committee, I learned what is involved in the business of publishing a book. Our committee and volunteers, headed by Ruth Snyder and Kimberley Payne, decided on the seven categories and invited InScribe members to choose a front cover and enter a contest to write the back page. We decided on the size of book, font, and other details. the After the submissions were selected, our editing team worked with the authors to hone the articles, and then team members proofread to check for little errors we might have missed. From there our book was formatted for both print and e-book.

Our work was not finished, however. Again proofreaders reviewed the galley proofs. Ruth sent several articles and poems to prominent authors to get their endorsements. We obtained a Canadian ISBN (learning how to do it in the process) and selected a local printer. When the technical side was finished, we began marketing—advertising on InScribe and social media.

Along the way He taught me other principles, some of which I share with you.

God gives us encouragement to begin the tasks. When I was considering whether to become involved with the 7 Essential Habits anthology—I knew it would be a big job—I felt like Gideon; I needed proof. While visiting a church, I opened one of their guest Bibles. Out dropped a business-sized card. “For Mark, our Mark,” it read. A Bible verse followed, written, I presumed, in the trembling handwriting of Mark’s Grandma:  “Be strong and very courageous. Don’t be afraid or discouraged by the size of the task, for the Lord God, my God is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you” (adapted, 1 Chronicles 28:20 NLT). It was as if God was saying—no, shouting—“Yes! Do it.”

God prepares us as we intentionally investigate the business side of writing. “Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premises of progress,” wrote Kofi Annan, former Secretary General of the UN. I’ve taken online courses and webinars; I follow writing coaches online and learn so much from InScribers and other writers. All this information is giving me a clearer picture of what I will need up ahead.

At the right time, God will open doors for us if we’ve been walking steadily along the path He has designed for us. I’m reminded of His promise: “I will go before you, and make the crooked places straight (Isaiah 45:2 AKJV).When we pray His promise, we know that we have the requests we have asked of Him.

God will also give us wisdom in balancing time; sometimes marketing and public speaking can overtake the writing process, and so we need God’s discernment as to what speaking engagements to accept and how to manage marketing (and this can include delegating some tasks to those with expertise).

Today, God has gifted us with living in a time when publication and marketing are moving targets, often going “madly off in all directions,” to quote Stephen Leacock. Each of us has our own experiences in some of these directions. Now it’s your turn to tell us your story.

PS I appreciate so much all the various perspectives that you, our InScribe authors, bring to the topics each month. Sharing your stories adds to our wealth of experience and enriches us as writers. God bless you.