Janet's Publishing & Strategy Post

Publishing Reset CD/Workshop Program On Sale Now!

I'm excited and proud to tell you about an amazing kit that I've developed with my colleague Suzanne Falter-Barns, the Internet platform-building expert who's helped launch many successful online business and book careers. The publishing business is changing rapidly and the current challenges are great. These changes may be disturbing to some of you and exciting to others. They inspired Suzanne and I to put our passion and areas of expertise together to create this timely and clarifying program, essential to anyone planning to publish.

                                   Buy Here!

Publishing Reset is our brand new interactive program that teaches you how to tap into what's really going on in publishing right now and how to make it work for you. (Hint: it includes the four different publishing pathways EVERY author needs to know NOW. That means getting over "how things used to be" and learning how to take advantage of what each pathway has to offer.)

Here's what's included in the kit:

•    6-CD Publishing Reset Program (professional recorded, edited, and broken into step-by-step tracks)
•    50+-page Workbook with worksheets, guidelines, and resources
•    The Matrix - a laminated tool to use over and over
•    2 China markers - to plan your current pathway and an alternate or aspirational pathway
•    The Publishing Reset Booklet - 32 pages of insight and inspiration

    PLUS

•    3 Free Bonus Calls for Accountability, Hot Seats, and some content we can't resist adding

We believe we’ve created some breakthrough work here – and we know you will get real value from it.

Join us, won’t you? We can’t wait to see what you come up with!

Buy here        

By buying now, you can take advantage of our convenient 3-pay option. (the option ends on June 24)

3-pay option

If you would like to get more information and/or view testimonials from some of the people who attended the Publishing Reset Workshop in NYC in April visit www.publishingreset.com

Timely Call: "What's the right time – and the wrong time – to publish your book?"

Lately, so many people have asked: If it's so hard to publish and publish well, are books still viable? Well, the short answer is yes--very much so....IF you plan the right strategy for you and take advantage of the new approaches and realities.

To address this question head-on, I'm so excited to tell you about a free telecall I'm offering with my colleague Suzanne Falter-Barns, the Internet platform-building expert who's helped launch many successful online business and book careers. Here's what it's about:

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Topic: "When's the Right Time (and the Wrong Time) to Publish a Book and Why Books Matter More Than Ever"
Date: Thursday, June 18, 2009
Time: 1 PM ET/10AM PT
Register for call: here!
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The publishing business is literally changing right before our eyes. Whether you've recently published, are researching publishing options, are working hard to market your current (or next) book, or are simply hearing the news about the topsy-turvy publishing world and the new requirements for writers, you know that there are big challenges--as well as new opportunities.

What Suzanne and I have discovered is that the whole conversation--and the pathway that's right for you--actually begins with timing.  For example: When should YOU  be developing your own book idea (it's not when you think it is!)? And, IF and WHEN should you be pitching your idea to the media and publishers?

Specifically, we'll be talking about:

• Mistakes many would-be authors make when approaching literary agents and major publishers
• How major publishers decide which book projects are hot ... and which are not
• Why the "indie route" might be good for you ... from ebooks to print-on-demand to self-publishing (books in the garage!)
• What every single author MUST HAVE no matter which type of book they develop

AND (pssst) ...we'll also be launching our 'baby' - our new interactive program that teaches you how to tap into what's REALLY going on in publishing and how to make it work for you. (Hint: it includes the four different publishing pathways EVERY author needs to know NOW. That means getting over "how things used to be" and learning how to take advantage of what each pathway has to offer.)

I'm really excited about this call -- my first free call since last summer's intro to "Developing Killer Ideas."  The information is all based on real experiences in the trenches with clients, authors, editors, and publishers. Hope you'll join us! 

Date: Thursday, June 18, 2009
Time: 1 PM EDT (New York) / 10 AM PDT (West Coast)
Register for call: http://getknownnow.com/teleclass_publishyourbook.html

Pictures from PUBLISHING RESET NYC 2009

Satisfaction: A group of smart, inspired people gather in NYC to take a leap forward with their ideas, visions, and next actions.


A back-of-the-room view of PUBLISHING RESET

Suzanne Falter-Barns and Janet Goldstein

Publishing Reset - NYC with Janet & Suzanne Falter Barnes - April 24-25

I'm excited about this workshop I've created with author and online branding expert, Suzanne Falter-Barns. A great group has signed on already and we anticipate a lot of creative energy.  There are a few seats left so if...

* you keep hearing people say to you, "You know, you really should write a book"--

* you've tried more than once to figure out what book to write, or how to make sense of the morass of drafts you have, or whether you have the start of a new big thing--

* you're lost sorting out the dizzying advice on ebooks...POD...self-publishing...or your shot at a mainstream press--

* you ever wished someone would just pull all these options together and help you find your way to the best publishing next steps for you--

This workshop may be exactly what you're looking for! Together with my wonderful colleague and friend Suzanne Falter-Barns (of GetKnownNow.com fame and the coach who has helped people like Pam Slim of Escape from Cubicle Nation get started with her national platform), we want to help you move forward, with smarts and savvy, to achieve your publishing success.

We're putting together a live event in NYC on April 24th & 25th called:

PUBLISHING RESET!
The New Publishing Paradigm and the 4 Pathways to Success
...with an Idea Lab, Hot Seats, and Publishing Matrix

The publishing world is going through major changes.The traditional and online publishing worlds are abuzz with questions, advice, rules, and "ways of doing things." But no one has mapped out all the options--and what they mean for specific authors, book concepts, projects, time frames, and goals. There is a new landscape for authors (fiction and nonfiction), entrepreneurs, experts, and nonprofits who want to be successful in developing their work, sharing their stories, and making a mark in the world with their knowledge, insight, leadership, and inspiration.

Suzanne and I spent a marathon week in February putting together the major elements of this critical workshop, and we'll continue researching and building up the information right up until the workshop starts. Why? Because no one has done this before--and it's so needed.

To keep the workshop small, intimate, and highly interactive, only 25 people will be able to attend. There will be LOTS of hands-on work, and the chance to get live, focused feedback from two old pros--me and Suzanne! The "Idea Lab" and pitching of projects will be worth the price of admission. (The workshop will be audiotaped so we can bring the work to a wider audience in the future.)

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Join us for a classy little workshop that is going to put you on the path to publishing a whole lot faster, smarter and more efficiently than trying to figure out the maze yourself--and perhaps never getting your work out to the public.
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www.getknownnow.com/publishingreset/  <== for full details at the sales page and the official sign up

Dates: April 24th & 25th
Location: Midtown Manhattan

Food for Thought: Falling in Love...Again

In the spirit of Valentine's Day...

A few years ago, I got a jump start on the euphemistic "career transition" (which I am now thrilled to embrace) when I left my high-profile publishing job and started my own consulting business. (I tell people that I outsourced the favorite parts of my job to myself: strategy and developing people and ideas.)

It was a scary and hard time. I was an emotional wreck. We had lost one income. Our family's routines were turned upside down. And I faced the obvious reality that my husband wasn't, and never could be, an actual knight in shining armor who would whisk me away from my confusion and fear.

But the thing is, during this time of upheaval and sorting out, my husband was all the things a knight should be: strong, steadfast, loving, and confident--in me. I fell in love all over again.

Things changed, and it was good. It made me understand the real meaning of renewing one's vows. Next month we celebrate our 20th anniversary.

Well, our work isn't the same as our romantic life, but we do fall in and out of love with it! So, here are some thoughts about love as a metaphor for our creative projects, and for falling in love with our work...all over again.

Valentine's Day Gift Booklet

Happy Valentine's Day

In spite of the current mood of economic anxiety--or perhaps because of it--I see myself and my clients, authors, and partners more focused than ever on our creative projects and goals. This determination seems to quell our fear and harnesses our energy. We're freed to change our direction--and take ownership--when everything around us says, "RESET." (per GE CEO Jeff Immelt).

A great example of resetting and focusing goals was set by my client Mary Jo Rose and I am proud to offer her free Valentine's Day Gift Booklet download here.

Mary Jo (a marketing executive, coach, and person on her own remarkable healing journey) took up the challenge of creating a book(let) to launch her coaching and inspirational work: Love, the True Religion. I met Mary Jo through the renowned poet, writing teacher, and friend Ellen Bass. Mary Jo has a simple yet powerful message about opening ourselves up to love. The booklet is lovely, and not at all wishy-washy. Hope you enjoy it. Here's the message she sent to me:

Hi--
For Valentine's Day I have a gift for you, one that you can share with others too! I am sending this to you to thank you for  your friendship and to remind you that  I care for you!

Please visit: www.lovethetruereligion.com and sign in to my new website to  receive your present.

Love, MJ

Enjoy! Hope your personal "Reset" is moving you in exciting, hopeful directions.

Recent Happenings - Winter 2009

• The new Introduction for the paperback edition of It's Not About the Coffee (Howard Behar with me) is done. It's a timely and inspiring essay plus "10 steps" on "Leading in Hard Times." Let me know if you'd like a copy. The paperback launch is in May.

• The January 12 Ann Arbor workshop I sponsored was a gratifying success. I was blown away by the caliber of the participants--a mix of fiction and nonfiction writers and self-published authors. Nearly all of them had participated in the vibrant writer's community surrounding the University of Michigan and beyond--the Bear River Writers' Conference, the annual Book Festival, the Pitch Conference in NYC, writers groups, and one-on-one work with editors. At the workshop we exchanged stories about becoming part of different communities and the sometimes remarkable opportunities that come from that.

• I'm using Twitter with some regularity. For those of you putting your toes into this new microblogging world, find me at www.twitter.com/janetgoldstein.

Special Announcement - An Offer Good Through Monday December 8

I am very excited to share with you a special offer from my friend and colleague Andrea J. Lee. Think of it as a free idea rush.

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Free pdf download her amazing 300-page resource book,  "Multiple Streams of Coaching Income"

=> http://www.andreajlee.com/blog/freebook/

(Only available today-- December 8th!)

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I highly recommend you grab a copy--whether you're a fiction or memoir writer, entrepreneur, coach, or expert. Andrea is one of the most innovative and trusted experts in online business development and coaching. If you've worked with me, you've heard me refer to her work. I have used it myself to start my website sign-up and free offer (what Andrea calls a "Pink Spoon," as in those little taster spoons at the ice cream store) and projects on the horizon.  

If you are just starting to "build your platform," develop a mailing list, and create products to sell, such as ebooks and audios, this is a complete beginner's guide that is full of specific and easy-to-implement ideas.

Fyi, there are absolutely no strings attached and nothing else to buy. It's just good karma.

Food for Thought: Creativity + Community

It's been a busy couple of months. I've been immersed with big projects--the kind that stretch you and leave you a bit breathless. And I was equally busy out in world registering voters in Pennsylvania and at home exchanging emails on all the crucial issues of the day. Hope you've been doing meaningful things this fall and connecting with others in  satisfying ways.
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The theme of community is on all our minds--and I'm not talking about the current obsession with social media. The hurtling economy has forced (nudged) us to have conversations we may have avoided—or just skipped over--with ourselves, older parents, children away at college, life partners, and even friends. But while the conversation has been sparked by fear and uncertainty, it has also been a great leveler. We're connecting in truer ways. We're all in it together.
So what does this have to do with the working, writing, launching, wanting-to-express-ourselves, wanting-to-succeed endeavors that are most important to us?
What I'm getting at is that we often separate our creativity from our community. When we put the two together, each is more powerful.
Communities need the creative spirit of the people in them. We need to breathe life into our relationships, projects, and goals. If we don't bring our whole selves to what we're doing, our communities lack inspiration ("breath"/"life"). Likewise, we need the spirit of community to bring our creative ideas to fruition.
At its most basic level, community is about connecting with others. For a writer, it's about connecting with an audience, and the creative exchange that happens in that moment. The audience starts with our internal self and moves out from there. But without an audience in mind--without keeping that sense of community and connection in our minds--our ideas are likely to fall flat. The burning desire to communicate crystallize our words, images, stories, and meaning like nothing else.
You can think about creativity + community as:
 "Curb Appeal"
At a writers conference, I heard Sena Jeter Naslund, author of the bestselling novel Ahab's Wife, talk about her struggles with the plot of a recent novel. She said she talked to any and everyone she met about the novel-in-progress to see if it had "curb appeal," She kept looking for the right frame. When she finally figured out the puzzle, everything "clicked"--everyone she spoke to wanted hear more about what happened! Creativity plus creativity unlocked the door, figuratively, and the writing then flowed.
 "Asking, Why?" - Novelist Barbara Kingsolver hears her characters in her head. She knows who they are and what drives them. In writing Pigs in Heaven, an unplanned sequel to her beloved first novel The Bean Trees, she wrote almost a whole draft with the nagging feeling that something didn't make sense. The adopted child, Taylor, who is central to both novels, was abandoned as a baby. Until Kingsolver resolved the "Why?" of Taylor's adoption and the community the child was separated from, the book lacked a necessary truth. Getting to the deeper issues, Kingsolver transformed the book and led to a rich and deeply rewarding experience for the reader.

 "Word of Mouth (WOM)"
On a less artistic plane, book editors (and bloggers, too) ask themselves, "Who do Iknow who would care about this  book/subject/author and can I imagine them recommending it to others?"
We can use the WOM question to test our passion for our ideas. 
• Do we want to share our work and ideas?
• If not, what would make us  feel more passionate or confident?
• If we're thinking about the ideas  of others, do we want to become a loudspeaker for the work?
• Is there  that spark that catches our imagination and compels us to share it  with others?
Thought exercise: Have a conversation with yourself about your idea or current project. Does it capture your passion, intent, and purpose? Then imagine what insights, information, inspiration, or direct feedback you might seek in your current community, or in a community that's right for your ideas? Think about Curb Appeal, Why?, and WOM and what Creativity + Community lead to.

Recent Happenings - Fall 2008

• I've gotten a great response to the audio for "Reality Check: What Publishers and the Media Are Really Looking For." I'm pretty sure it's helpful  because a recent laser coaching client told me he listened to it  twice and felt he knew what he needed to focus on. I partnered with Suzanne Falter-Barns for this conversation.

• Client Susan Scott, author of the bestselling book Fierce Conversations and the forthcoming Fierce Leadership (Currency Doubleday 2009) has just started a blog at Fierce Inc. I love it already. You see, I've asked Susan to do a "fierce conversation" conversation with me to discuss how her principles can be applied to writing and other projects. Her blog post today is a great teaser. It will strike a nerve for many of you. I recommend that you check out her blog and sign up.

• I've created a 2-hour version of the "7 Steps to Success Workshop" for launching books and ideas. I'm testing it out in Ann Arbor on January 12, 2009 when I'm out there for a talk at U-Mich. Let me know or visit my website if you want details.