Building a Platform for Change, One Tweet at a Time Everyone knows that if you want to change the world, you need a platform. That need dissuades many people from taking action. How do you build a platform? You want to make a difference, but who is going to listen? Maybe you can think about […]
Using Your Voice: A Conversation with Catherine Johns
Want to share your ideas with the world? Learn to use your voice. If you want to be an author, thought leader, or a little of both, you’re going to need to speak in public—whether on a stage or on a podcast. The way that you use your voice matters. Catherine Johns is an expert […]
The Truth Needs a Boost
Why Write? Why Now? Perhaps you think “everybody knows” the things you want to write about. You may feel like what you have to say is common sense—obvious, even. Still, I suggest that you write. Share your ideas. Make your viewpoint known. Here’s why. Someone else probably has written or spoken about your idea. (There […]
Katie Martell and Cause-Based Marketing
Black History month has just wrapped up, and Women’s History Month (aka March) is upon us. Cue the well-intentioned marketing campaigns that align brands with social causes. Brands do have the ability to influence cultural change. But cause-based marketing is challenging to do well. In a recent example from the world of publishing, Barnes and […]
More Marketing Advice for New Authors
Today’s guest post is by Karen Ferreira, an illustrator, owner of Get Your Book Illustrations, and the organizer of the recent Children’s Book Mastery summit. This is based on the second part of a conversation she and I had about book marketing. As a keynote speaker at our conference, Children’s Book Mastery, I interviewed Anne Janzer about the best […]
Hero Worship and the Writing Process
We love our heroes. They inspire and entertain us. But we often ignore the broader lessons of how those heroes achieve their goals. We read stories of visionary company founders, but don’t notice the founding team members who pull long hours and take career risks. Nor do we profile the angel investors, the early hires, […]