It's become a buzz word in branding over the last few years. Tribes are about melding into or collecting groups of people with similar interests to bounce ideas off of and to become part of your author world. So successful was the evolution of tribes that creating them in publishing circles created a powerful ripple. Tim Grahl, author of Your First 1000 Copies and the founder of BookLaunch.com wrote that, “The concept of author tribes has been the most freeing idea for me as a writer trying to build a platform and figure out marketing. A tribe is a group of people connected to one another, connected to a leader, and connected to an idea.”
If you are a devotional buyer, or a journal junkie, always on the improvement journey with self-help books or always on the hunt for the next best suspense novel – chances are you are – you got it, part of a tribe. This is true because you’ve likely joined a social media group, follow a specific Pinterest group and even seek out literary reviews from selected sources before making buying decisions. The critical thing for a successful author tribe is to have an idea that those in your tribe connect to and want to connect to because of your involvement. So, the idea of a tribe focused on cookware would be a driving force for a cookbook author, who engages about the quality, how the cookware handled one recipe versus another, etc. It is the idea and the interaction that ignites your tribe around you, not self-promotion and not consistent posts or emails to buy, subscribe, or join a masterclass. It’s all about building a circle of BFFs around what you do. Here are 6 things Grahl suggests in building your author tribe: Find where people are already showing up and join them. Start a blog and write regularly. Setup your email marketing. Train your community to get involved. Cultivate your top 1%. Connect your fans to each other. (For more visit Grahl at booklaunch.com) Are you still telling your friends that you are going to write that book?? You told them over tea. You told them during your couples’ dinner. You told them on the tennis court AND at the gym. On behalf of all your friends - WRITE THE DANG BOOK ALREADY!
You can jump in every write your book in 30 days, 60 days or over the weekend program, but if you are not committed to the work, the work will not grace the page. Once you make that determination, solidify it with a COMPLETION DATE. The completion date is when the FIRST draft will be complete. Set reminders and even small celebrations as the date draws near to encourage you to stay focused and stay your writing course. Each week, schedule a time with your writing. Nothing should breaks that date unless it requires first responders, a move out of nature's way or something more critical. If your writing days and times are Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 2 - 3:30pm, shut everything down half an hour before you start writing. Ten to 15 minutes before start time review your last work, jot down any questions or thoughts, five minutes before time - take some time to do a quick meditation or psyche yourself up for the writing ahead. Use your last 15 minutes to again review your work, jot down questions and thoughts, or make notes for your next writing session. Even if you didn't meet your goal for the day - still celebrate the fact that you got something done! The energy of praise will continue to encourage you to be excited about your writing time. He squeezed out the words - I CAN'T BREATHE. Each time George Floyd did, we felt his pain, his fear. When it seemed he realized his life was ending, perhaps there in the clouds, he caught a glimpse of deceased mother and he called for her. As an African American mother of one child - a son - my heart was crushed. In the moment, I not only saw Mr. Floyd, I saw my son. In subsequent days the country would erupt in protests, riots and mayhem in different cities. Communities normally silent, like the Amish, stood in protest. London, parts of Africa, Paris and others joined the international protests. Yet, heartbreak, grief and anger held us tight. There was a resurgence of pent up emotion and it needed (it needs) a target. Grief and anger unreleased leads to anxiety, depression, rage, and yes, violence; as well as critical medical issues. So what can you do? Write. Write uncontrolled and unbridled. Whatever needs to erupt allow it to erupt through your fingers and on a page or a screen. Then breathe. Inhale. Exhale. Cry. Write some more. Then breathe. Inhale. Exhale. Cry. Let your words pull all of that emotion from your soul. Then sit with your words and know that this reality can change and in its appointed time - God let it soon come - it will! E. Claudette Freeman, Publisher/Lead Editor |
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