My next book is a mess

This is the feedback I just received on the draft of the book I’m writing:

  • It wanders.
  • It’s circular.
  • It’s repetitive.
  • It’s confusing.
  • It’s a mess.
  • It’s bloated.

This is the book that I started writing in 2015. That I wrote 72,000 words on. Then I threw those words in the trash and started again from scratch. Writing an additional 45,000 that comprise the current draft.

This is the work of being a writer. Of approaching the book with fresh eyes for the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th time. Of getting greater clarity on what it’s about and whose world it will change.

If the feedback above seems harsh, it isn’t. I would say it is accurate. But the critiques above did not arrive as starkly as I wrote them above. They were part of a long email, that included four other documents that had markups on them — detailed notes. They were followed up by a long phone call talking about the book’s strengths and what I need to work on. The feedback above was not meant to tear down the work, but to build it up. To ensure that my creative vision didn’t get muddled by back structure. Oh, and the feedback above came from book coach Jennie Nash. She worked on my last book, and is basically a genius when it comes to making books the best they can be.

This is why I often talk about the value of collaborators. Simply put: they make my creative work better.

The book I’m writing is currently called “From Dabbler to Doer.” Since 2015, the content has gotten better and better because I have spent those years in deep collaboration with writers and artists in my mastermind group. Every day of those three years was spent in the trenches with them, learning how one moves from dreaming of ideas to actually making them a reality. All of what I have learned is infused in the book.

As a writer or artist, it is your job to keep trying when others would give up. To take the creative risk that others back away from. To experiment with ideas when you don’t have a roadmap. To double-down on craft when others say, “Gee, maybe you should just give it up.”

As I sit here in my studio writing this, I’m staring at photos I’ve hung on my wall of successful artists and writers:

  • Kate Bush
  • Ray Eames
  • Tove Jansson
  • Jack Kirby
  • JK Rowling
  • Alexander Girard
  • and many others.

I have thick books on the shelves behind me that dig deep into the careers of creators:

  • Walt Disney
  • Joni Mitchell
  • Ed Catmull
  • Amanda Palmer
  • Alexander Calder
  • and many others

In studying their lives, you find that they were filled with collaborators. That they spent years working on projects, and involved others in the process wherever possible. Those collaborators made the work better. They turned good ideas into great ideas.

Many people have this romantic vision of the lone creator creating a perfect work of art. Does that happen? Sure. But it is more the exception than the rule.

Because of this, I am trying to infuse my own creative process with collaborators. Here are several ways I worked on that this week, and I’m going to encourage you to consider doing each of these for your own creative work:

Create a Team

I spent this week interviewing people to join my team. That process has been wonderful — it has helped me clarity where I want to grow, and to consider how the talents and skills of those who applied could add so much to that growth.

Perhaps your creative work is a side project and you have zero budget — that doesn’t mean you can’t create an informal team. A writing partner that you speak to once a week. A mentor you have lunch with once per month.

Consider where you want to grow, where your strengths lie, and where you can use help. Then, fill in that gap.

Find Creative Collaborators

In the past few weeks, I have mentioned my Creative Business Boost workshop, a collaboration with author/illustrator Lori Richmond.

The idea for this workshop is an experiment. Working with Lori on it has pushed me to consider new ways to make it better, and she has brought an amazing energy to the project. Something that may otherwise seem big and scary has instead been a total joy to put together.

I would encourage you to find side projects that you can collaborate with someone on. I approached Lori to work on this with as simple email. We took it step by step. Along the way, we kept checking in to ensure we understood each others needs and goals. These are incredible skills to hone in your creative career.

Oh, and she and I recorded two videos this week! The first is titled: “What I wish I knew when I first became an author/illustrator”

The second was hosted by Mom Writes Inc where we discussed how to find creative energy, fix your marketing, and make insider connections:

Join a Community of Like-Minded Creators

My most recent Creative Shift Mastermind started earlier this month, and I have been getting to know the new members, and working hard to ensure this group feels aligned and connected to each other.

The first month is about finding radical clarity in one’s creative work. That invariably leads us to deep places about what we create and why. I think that takes a risk: to explore that not just within your own mind, but with a trusting group of other people.

I would encourage you to seek out a community that you can be a part of. Maybe it is a mastermind group, or a writing group, or a co-working space. Maybe it is a formal organization you become a part of, or a loose-knit group of you have to create yourself.

I have seen magic happen when a small group sits down and talks about their creative goals, their challenges, and their process. If you are like many writers I speak to, you are overwhelmed by advice you see online: blog posts, podcasts, webinars, courses, and the like.

Take the next step from simply consuming content, to actively discussing your goals and challenges with a group of people you trust.

Learn From Those You Admire

This week I also reached out to several people to become guests on my podcast. These are longform interviews where I dig deep into their career. In the next few weeks I get to speak to Jonathan Maberry, Allison Leotta, Travis Jonker and others. I could not be more excited about this.

Reach out to those who inspire you. You have nothing to lose. There were people I reached out to that turned me down for the interview. And that is fine! I sent an Instagram message to Aline Tamir, and within hours she said she just didn’t have the time for it. I emailed Anna Burch’s publicist who within an hour, sent me a kind note talking about her schedule and how she is saying “no” to many things so that she can instead write new music.

In each case, even the rejections often lead to nice conversations.

We are all trying to find ways to turn our art into reality. Simply put, I find that it is more effective, and more fun, when you do it with others, instead of struggling alone. Does this require you to sometimes be vulnerable? Yep. In each of the things listed above, I had to put myself out there. I had to face the criticism, the rejections, navigate the social nuances, the negotiations, and the risk of failure.

And I’m so glad that I did!

The truth is, I don’t know which of my creative ideas will succeed and which will flop. But regardless, my life feels full of wonderful people, inspiring experiences with them, and a dedication to the creative process because of them.

How can you bring one person into your creative process this week?
Thanks.
-Dan

5 Things Successful Writers Do that Others Miss

Last week I mentioned that I have spent the last 8 years working with thousands of authors and artists. Today I want to share some of the trends that I see that successful writers do that others miss.

What I share here today is the heart of what my Creative Business Boost event will be about on July 27th in New York City. If you are considering registering for the workshop, please do so soon — we have very limited space. It’s a day spent with me and author/illustrator Lori Richmond. We are going to work directly with a handful of writers and artists to help them move their career forward.

I understand that most of you can’t make it to that event, so I wanted to share some reasons it was created, and advice that I think writers need to consider.

#1 Don’t Treat Your Craft Like a Hobby

The first step is always to write a good book. To put your craft first.

I often send writers to book coach Jennie Nash when they need helping whipping their books into shape. What do she and her book coaches  sometimes do? Rips the author’s rough draft to shreds. Right back down to the barest of bones, then rebuilds it. At times, this can be an arduous process.

Successful authors embrace this. No, it is not always enjoyable, but they know that this is the foundation of what stands between failure and success.

This is what novelist Tammy Greenwood told me about when I interviewed her:

  • She wrote a new book that she loved, but which was very different from her previous work.
  • But her publisher was not too enthused about it.
  • Nor was her agent was not too enthused about it.
  • So she ventured out to find a new agent.
  • Then to find a new publisher.
  • Then she did a major revision of the book. She says: “Ultimately, I did 7 major revisions of this book overall. It was bonkers, I couldn’t believe it was finally done.”

This kind of focus isn’t easy. It’s why when putting together Creative Business Boost, Lori and begin the day focused on ensuring you have clarity around what you create and why. To empower yourself to say “YES” with vigor to your craft, and “no” to all of the smaller things that simply get in the way.

This is also the heart of developing an audience and a business around your creative work. Your audience appreciates craft as much as you do. Don’t treat it like a hobby — take it to the next level.

#2 Without Colleagues, You Will Fail

This is a topic that turns a lot of people off. Why? Because there is a romantic vision that many writers have that working in isolation on your craft is somehow more “pure” than collaborating with others. Yet, more often than not, what I find is that creative work needs a network of supporters.

Art dies alone. If you are trying to develop a viable career with your writing, doing it in isolation is the surest way to failure.

Colleagues can mean many things:

  • Collaborating with others who create work similar to yours.
  • Being a part of a mastermind group.
  • Joining a writing group.
  • Having a mentor.
  • Joining a co-working space. (Not for the “space” but for the “co”)
  • Signing with an agent, publisher, or other formal business partner.

These types of connections shouldn’t be willy nilly. Seek them out. Organize regular meetups. Dig into the difficult stuff with them.

Whenever I talk to a successful author, you find they have a network of colleagues. “Behind the scenes” conversations with these people are often nothing like public chatter you see on social media or in blogs. When you have a colleague and talk one-on-one, you often get a clearer lens into the creative process and the business surrounding your work. You hear insider stories of what worked, what doesn’t, and what it takes to navigate the system.

That is why everything I do is about connecting closely with writers and artists, and connecting them to each other. Creative Business Boost is a day spent with Lori, me and approximately 10 others. We become your team. Suddenly, your journey is not one of isolation, but one where we have your back.

#3 Your Assumptions About Publishing May Be Wrong. Challenge Them.

If you are like most writers, you are drowning in information on the many aspects of the publishing process and what it takes to ensure your book finds an audience. You have read hundreds of articles, listened to podcasts, joined webinars, and perhaps even taken courses.

In the process, you may make assumptions about what is the correct publishing path, of whether you need a platform, of how to best query agents or promote your book.

Many of these assumptions are well reasoned and smart. Also: they are wrong.

Successful author write their own rules. Or rather, they have radical clarity about their goals, which allows them say no to hundreds of possibilities in order to optimize for the few things that truly matter to them.

Don’t convince yourself that there is one safe publishing path and if you just identify it and stay within the lines that you will find success.

Test your assumptions. Speak to others — many others — who have been down the road you have. Email them. Call them. Meet with them.

Do so long before you need to make a decision. Be intentional about setting your own path, and consider what lives up to these two goals:

  1. Doing what is right for your personal creative vision.
  2. Understanding the experience you want to give readers.

In my studio, I am surrounded by photos of, and books by, successful creators — writers, artists, musicians, photographers and more. I have studied their stories. That is also the heart of my podcast. Each of these people forged their own paths. They found their own unique ways to elevate their craft, reach their audience, and collaborate with partners along the way.

You can study trends. Obsess about the marketplace. Read the rules. Create a strategy. But in the end, you need to have radical clarity on your creative vision. In doing so, you will create opportunities that others will miss.

Creative Business Boost is a great way to jumpstart this process. Beyond the thousands I have worked with, Lori Richmond’s experience is amazing. A great primer to her work is this interview we did not too long ago.

#4 If You Haven’t Met 100 Ideal Readers For Your Book, You Shouldn’t Publish It Yet

Authors often tell me that agents and publishers are interested in their books, but say to them, “Come back to us when you have a platform established.”

Theses writers usually misconstrue that to mean “I guess I need 10,000 Twitter followers.” But that isn’t the case.

Instead, get to know one ideal reader. One person who likes books similar to yours. Just ask questions. Be interested in what they read and why.

Then, talk to another person. Then another. Learn why people love books like yours. How they find books like yours.

What agents and publishers want is for you to have clarity on who this audience is — to have a dialogue with them. Can that be on Twitter? Sure. But it doesn’t need to be. It can be through old fashioned communications as well. In fact, you can often go to deeper places when you communicate via email, phone, Skype, in-person, through interviews (like a podcast or blog) or other channels.

This is the key: listen before you can be heard.

I explored this process in detail in my book Be the Gateway. The foundation of your marketing should come from meaningful connections with your ideal audience — not social media ads.

In Creative Business Boost, Lori and I will be sharing the process to do that that we have found works best. None of this is theory — it all comes practical experience. Our days are spent in the trenches creating, sharing and connecting. To be honest, I think that is why we are both so excited about this workshop — it is another way to connect with other writers and artists in a deep and meaningful way.

#5 Chances Are, Your Marketing is Boring, Vanilla, and a Copy of What Everyone Else is Already Doing

Often, I see writers do the following:

  1. Bemoan how crowded the media landscape has become, and how fickle people are with their attention.
  2. Then, the author sets their own marketing plan for their books on doing the same exact things as everyone else, in the same media channels.

They bet their marketing effort on vanilla, boring things that everyone else is doing. What does this lead to? Disappointment. It makes me sad when writers or artists finally release their work to the world, only to end up disappointed with the results.

I do have empathy as to why people do this. A writer who wants to do just enough marketing that feels “safe and reasonable.” They want people to find their books, but without risking standing out. I get it.

But when I profiled author Eric Ries, I found (again) that testing your assumptions is critical. Eric is a highly paid consultant, and he took an entire year off to market his book, The Lean Startup. My blog post outlined again and again, how he was convinced that a specific marketing idea would work, but in reality, it flopped.

Test your ideas early. Begin reaching out to readers early. Study what other authors do that truly stand out to you. This is why I follow so many authors on social media. Why I love seeing how Emily Giffin connects with her audience and markets her books on Instagram. Or how Gretchen Rubin does these things in her own way on her podcast or through videos.

This has been perhaps the most fun part of Creative Business Boost planning so far. Discussing the case studies we will share that illustrate that marketing can be fun and effective.

If you want to dig into these things for your own work, please consider joining Lori and I in NYC on July 27th at Creative Business Boost! If you can’t make it though, I hope that some of the advice and links above help you find clarity and connection with your creative vision and those who will love it!

-Dan

8 years ago, I took a big risk

Eight years ago this week, I took the biggest risk of my life. Just before my first son was born, at the bottom of the recession, I started a company.

Now, “starting a company” sounds kind of glamorous. But in my case, it amounted to me saying, “Hello world. Um, does anyone want to hire me for anything? I’ll just be waiting right here in this corner of my apartment. Anyone? Bueller?”

It was a big leap.

The result of those years of work? It’s tempting to try to “add up” ways to calculate this. For example:

  • 400 newsletters sent
  • 600 blog posts published
  • 1 book published
  • 40 podcasts released
  • 15 courses created
  • 14 mastermind sessions
  • 6 meetup groups
  • 200 clients
  • 3,000 students in my courses
  • 20,000 social media updates
  • 3,000 photos shared
  • 100 webinars run

But my body of work is not a “thing,” not something easy to quantify. Rather, it is an experience — the effect I’ve had on other people’s lives. And truth be told, it is also the effect that their lives have had on me.

When I think of the past eight years, this is what I think of:

These are some of the writers and artists who have been a part of my Creative Shift Mastermind group. I spent months and months with each of them, digging into the difficult stuff of what it means to create and share.

I also think of these people:

These are creators that I have interviewed for my Dabblers Vs. Doers podcast. We spent time exploring what it means to take a big creative leap, and double down on one’s art.

I think of these people:

Who I’ve worked with for months — even years — at a time as clients.

My work for past 8 years has been entirely about moments with them — going to the deep places, doing the work that isn’t easy, and moving past challenges in order share one’s work with the world.

There is another side of all of this that I rarely talk about. During this time, I have worked from home or from my private studio just a few blocks away from home. What this means is profound: I see my family constantly. This work has allowed me to truly be present with my family.

It still blows my mind.

The reason I don’t talk about this much is because I know that most other people don’t have this experience. Somehow I worry that talking about it — something that gives me so much joy and fulfillment — can feel like gloating. But that is not my intention. I simply want to recognize these small moments with the people I care about most.

Today, I am feeling thankful.

What I care about are deep, meaningful experiences with people. It is something that I have made a core part my creative work. My days are spent with those who inspire me: writers and artists.

In the past few years, recognizing this has allowed me to make some big changes. I stopped teaching courses because I found they didn’t always provide the deep connection with other people. Instead, I doubled down on my Mastermind group. For new projects, I have found that it is simply more interesting to have a collaborator. That is why I reached out to Lori Richmond to be a part of the upcoming Creative Business Boost workshop on New York. Her energy and experience has already made this an amazing project.

I’ve developed so many amazing friendships over this time. When I consider the past eight years, I don’t think of accomplishments, I think of faces. I think of moments. I think of what we have shared with each other.

When I launched WeGrowMedia I did consider the coincidence that it began around Independence Day. I thought of how starting a company represents “independence” in some form. But as I consider what I have learned in the past 8 years, I now realize that is not the goal. I don’t want to be independent. I want to be deeply connected with those who inspire me.

Thank you. To my readers. Collaborators. Colleagues. Friends. And of course, family.

This is me, this morning, living the dream. Coffee in hand. Blog post on the computer screen. Book manuscript on the window sill. And so much thanks in my heart.
Dan Blank

-Dan

I’m Hiring

I’m hiring a social media assistant to join me at WeGrowMedia! This is a “virtual” position, meaning you can do 100% of the work from home, or wherever you are. Do you work best from the beach? That’s fine by me.

I work with writers and artists and think these people are AMAZING. If you do too, then please keep reading…

What Will You Be Doing?

I’m looking for someone with design skills to create content for social media and other channels that truly helps writers and artists. The ideal candidate would have these primary skills:

  • Knows Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter inside out. You can help craft social media updates that truly help people in compelling ways. 
  • Has design skills. You can use Canva or Photoshop or something similar, with ease.

The following would be ideal secondary skills. They are “nice to haves” for the position:

  • Enjoys copywriting — mostly for social media, worksheets, etc. 
  • Can create an editorial calendar for social media and related channels (blog, podcast, etc.)
  • Can manage a project without needing constant prodding from me. Actually, it would be great if you managed it so well that you were prodding me — keeping me on task. 
  • May have some kind of background in branding/marketing.

Experience with the following software is a plus, but not 100% required:

  • Instagram, Facebook, Twitter
  • Mac software
  • Canva
  • Photoshop
  • WordPress
  • Photography skills
  • Video skills
  • Any kind of artistic background — a plus!

But, by far, the most important qualification is that you truly care about writers and artists. Thoughtful communication skills are critical here. To me, success is entirely about relationships — with me, with and with the writers and artists I serve. All relationships require positive helpful communication.

Compensation & Details

This is a paid part-time position, 10-20 hours per week to start. I pay $15 per hour. You would be working as an independent contractor.

As I mentioned, this position is 100% virtual, you can work from wherever you are. You can largely work your own hours, though being available AM east coast time would be preferred (I’m an early riser!)  We will meet once per week via Skype, and then use other systems (email and Slack) to communicate and track projects.

Please DON’T Apply If…

If this is “just work” for you, please don’t apply. Take a look around this website if you want to get a sense of what I do, and why I do it. Basically, I spend my days working with writers and artists, which means I work with people who do magic: they create worlds, they solve problems, they are the music-makers. They are infinitely inspiring to me. If these folks don’t inspire you, please don’t apply.

How to Apply

To apply, please email me at dan@wegrowmedia.com with the subject line: “Dan! Hire Me!”

Please include the following:

  • A couple lines on who you are, why this position interests you, and where in the world you are. I’ll be clear here: I care more about WHO you are (your personality, your voice) than a long list of boring keywords that you often find on the cover letter for a job application. Bonus points if you submit a video of yourself explaining this!
  • Any links that you WANT to share to your social media profiles, such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, website, etc.
  • Something that communicated your background and experience. It can be a resume or link to your LinkedIn profile, but it can also just be your website.

What the Last Person Who Held This Position Says About Working With Me…

Here are five reasons why the person who previously held this position thinks you should apply right now:

  1. Experience with a capital E: You know how job postings often promote experience when they really mean, “you’re going to make fabulous coffee and sit quietly in some meetings”. This is NOT going to be you during this job. Over the course of my work with WeGrowMedia I helped launch several courses, designed worksheets, built sales pages, and created a platform for an online summit. There was never a moment that I didn’t feel like I was expanding my knowledge, and the only coffee I made was for my sweet, sweet self.
  2. Collaboration is key: From the first moment I jumped into WeGrowMedia work, I felt like part of the team. My ideas were listened to. I was a part of conversations dissecting what worked, what didn’t work, and what we should do next. Even though we weren’t meeting face-to-face, we communicated better than most in-person offices.
  3. Choose your own adventure: There was never a conversation with Dan where he didn’t at some point include the words, “if you have any ideas, let me know”. If I had an idea that was different than what Dan had requested, he welcomed my different point of view. I was able to bring my own special skills to the table and they were welcomed openly.
  4. Virtual reality: Let me paint you a picture of one of my work sessions: I was sitting on the front steps as the sun was setting over the beautiful Rocky Mountains. I had glass of rich red wine beside me, creating a sales page for a new course launch that I was so excited to be a part of. Swoon. Okay – so I can’t promise you the Rockies, but a virtual work environment means that you design your own office however you like.
  5. You can say “lol” and mean it: Behind the scenes at WeGrowMedia is a hoot. This job is fun and the witty banter is top notch.

About Dan Blank and WeGrowMedia

This is me:

Dan Blank

I work in a (beautiful) private studio in New Jersey. I have been running WeGrowMedia for the past 8 years. My days are spent working with writers and artists, helping them to get clarity on their creative work, and to ensure their work truly reaches an audience.

You can read my official bio and background here. You can see 2,000 photos of things I care about on my Instagram.

I’ve never done this before

I’m doing something I’ve never done before, and I’m kind of excited, kind of terrified!

Last Fall, some writers in my Mastermind group encouraged me to create an in-person event. I told them there was no way I would organize that, and then listed out all of the reasons. I told them how I hated those hotel conference rooms, how it’s no fun being stuck inside all day. I just listed out all of the reasons I felt that that many in-person events just didn’t work.

But then I took another step. I considered what would an event be like that I would want to attend. I started riffing on ideas: “If I were going to do it, it would have to be really fun. It would take place half in the streets of New York City, and half in beautiful studio spaces. There would be a lot of food. It would have to be a really small group. I’d want to have a guest artist/author join me…”

When I removed all of the assumptions I had about what an in-person event needed to be, I began to see what it could be.

Then I took another step to actually create it.

I’m suuuuuuuper excited to announce the Creative Business Boost live event! It takes place in New York City on July 27th. Half the day is spent in gorgeous locations like the Morgan Library and the Museum of Modern Art. The other half takes place in sunny studios were we get work done!

Oh, and the best part! Author/illustrator Lori Richmond is joining us! This is me and Lori:

Creative Business Boost is for the writer, artist, or creative professional who has a part or full time business with their art, but feels they need a boost to grow. This is what we dig into during the event:

  1. Radical Clarity: What you create and why. You will be reinvigorated and laser focused on your creative vision.
  2. True Fans: Who will love your work, why, and how to reach them.
  3. Marketing & Sales Planning: How to market your work, package it, and promote it in a way that feels meaningful and effective.

Here is the full agenda for Creative Business Boost:

Agenda

It has been months of planning to pull this together. You can find full details on Creative Business Boost here. There are only 10 spots available, so please apply early if you want to join us!

Also: if this in-person event isn’t right for you, there is still time for you to join my Creative Shift Mastermind, which begins July 1st. There are an amazing group of writers and artists already signed up… I can’t wait for this session to begin!

Thanks!

-Dan