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Showing is Not Teaching

I am excited to announce the summer session of my 8-week online course: Build Your Author Platform. (click the link!)

This is my flagship course – something that I have spent months and months developing. This course gives you a complete strategy to build your brand and become a part of a community of people who appreciate your writing.

Recently, I’ve talked about why I love teaching. Today, I want to talk about the difference between truly teaching, and merely “showing.”

I bought something this week, and while opening it up, I couldn’t help but noticing the promises it made on the side of the box:

WOW! How much would you pay for something that does all of that? Maybe $10,000? Or more? I mean, this is comparable to a college education, right? At this point, you must be asking, what magical gadget can teach all of this. May I present to you:

Sure, it’s a new toy for my 9-month old son’s play area – essentially a big doorway with lots of buttons to press. But does pressing buttons equate to teaching?

I am considering this as a metaphor, how each of us approaches career development, and the many projects and services that we encounter that somehow promise us an easy path to our dreams.

Now, the object above SHOWS my son what letters look like. Maybe if he presses some button it will say “A” in a pre-recorded voice. But this is not teaching. And this is the failing of many training and education products and services aimed at adults in developing their careers. Showing is not teaching.

Teaching requires the instructor to “get their hands dirty” – not just wrestling with the material, but working WITH each unique student. Oftentimes, it’s not just about intellect, but about emotions. Learning doesn’t happen in a vacuum, it occurs within the context of our already busy lives. And let’s face it, each of us are coming from a different place, and have different goals.

The larger educational system solved this by creating standardized tests and assigning letter grades to determine who “passed” and who “failed.” I won’t go into any commentary on that, and I won’t pretend that is a straightforward issue. (massively complex, in fact)

With launching the summer session of my Build Your Author Platform course, I have been obsessing over issues such as this: how can I best TEACH; how can I actually move the needle in someone’s life, bringing them closer to their goals.

I have been developing this course for well over a year now, and this is only the second time I am making it available. Why? Because I keep wanting to analyze it to make it even stronger. I took 2 months off between the last offering in the Spring. That time has been spent analyzing feedback from students, adding features, and ensuring how my time can best be spent with the students who sign up.

If you feel that this course would benefit someone you know, please spread the word. Here’s that link again:

Build Your Author Platform.

Thanks!
-Dan

Want to Grow Your Writing Career? Stop Looking for Balance.

To build a successful business, we often look for balance.

We look for safety, we look for the expected, we look for certainty. We try to find a process that works, that can be replicated. And we try to find ways success can fit into the hours of 9am-6pm on weekdays.

But few things of great importance are done in a balanced way. Instead, they require vision, sacrifice, and boldness.

This is why I feel that many company mission statements are so vanilla- that they try to balance everything equally; that standing for everything means they stand for nothing.

Business doesn’t often work this way. It requires moving firmly in one direction, shunning all other options. And we know it, we just don’t say it out loud as often as we should. The behind the scenes success is often filled with people taking crazy risks, working incredible hours, and making moves that are unexpected.

I work with a lot of writers, helping them to build a viable career by connecting their passion and expertise to the communities they hope to be a part of. I’m often digging into topics such as content strategy, social media, and other aspects of building an author platform. The most common question I am asked is: “How is this supposed to fit into my schedule.”

I know my professional answer is supposed to be some magical framework whereby you can fit twice as much effort into the spare 15 minutes we each have in a day. That there is one magical button that you can add to your website that will bring you thousands of raving fans. And yes, I do have lots of tips and tricks to help organize your time, carefully choose which tasks have the highest ROI, and group tasks together to best leverage your time.

But one’s success is often driven by two things: goals and purpose. And when dealing with the question of “how can I fit this into my busy life,” the honest answer is: if you don’t make the time, no one will make it for you. No one will make it easy for you to succeed. In fact, there are lots of people who will try to stop you, in their well-meaning ways: encouraging you to find balance; to not spend another weekend in the basement writing; that you are already doing enough; that maybe you aren’t a writer after all. These discouragements come in tiny ways in regular conversations. Writers often know them well.

Every success story of a creative individual is one of a long journey; of countless thankless hours of work when no one believed in you; of doing the impossible, which is often the most unsexy thing of all: jugging laundry, a family, a job, dinner, AND building your writing career.

And I think that is true of all business, and most endeavors that we hope desperately to succeed in. You have to put in the hours. You have to prioritize and give up any sense of a balanced life.

And to be honest, I don’t think this is a bad thing. Here’s why:

I gave up balance a long time ago. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t prioritize in order to focus ONLY on the things that matter most to me. For example:

Something I cut out of my life: The 3 hour roundtrip commute to New York City each day.
Something I find MORE time to do: Hang out with my wife and 7 month old son.

Cutting out that commute gave me an extra 15 hours every week. That’s more than half a day! Why? Because commuting is unproductive to my career, and doesn’t add any joy to my family. So it’s gone.

I have a business that is about a year old, and a son who is less than a year old. Balance is not part of that equation!

So instead of looking for balance, I look for opportunities to maximize the joy I have with my family and the success I have in my career. And I am convinced that balance will only hurt both of those things. That to succeed, I need to be obsessive, to care about delivering outstanding service to the point that I can choose to work at 4am or 11pm if I want to. That I do everything I can to go above and beyond what I promise to clients. And I love doing this.

But that I also care so much about my family that I don’t hesitate to drop everything to take a walk with them, to read a book out loud with them, to just hang out on the floor with them making up funny voices for my son. To do something nice for my wife on some random Tuesday.

There is a small debate going on about the role of authors: should they focus only on writing or also on marketing themselves and their work. I think this is a personal decision for each individual. But regardless, the writers who only write will have to do so obsessively, without balance. The writers who also market themselves and their work will have to do so obsessively, without balance.

Most of my heroes are those who gave up hope for a balanced life. They simply dove headlong towards their dreams.

-Dan

Is My “Build Your Author Platform” Course Right For You?

Registration is now open for my 8 week online course: Build Your Author Platform. The class is nearly full, but I wanted to share some more info as to who this class might be for, in the event you are considering registering, or know of someone who might be right.

This course is for:

Passionate writers with vision
So much of what I teach is about focusing, researching, defining – and then connecting it to the world, to a real community of people. A bit of uncertainty is absolutely expected for any student – that you may need help honing your brand, understanding how to communicate the value of your work, or identifying the audience who it will best connect with. This course does help clarify a lot about an author’s brand, their work, and their community – and help make it all a reality. But that vision and passion, that is what I hope the writer to come with.
A writer who wants to connect their work and vision with the world
Someone who is not afraid of technology – you are comfortable with a mouse, and the idea of actually interacting with people online. You need not be an expert by any stretch, but if you want to spend as little time online as possible, it will be harder to engage your audience, which is something I am passionate about. Many writers I know are apprehensive about social media, and unsure of how to use it best. That is absolutely fine, I review the value, and specific steps to get on board. But the writer must have an innate desire to connect with readers.
A writer looking for a framework for success
The success of a writer is not always a plug-and-play solution – ONE secret button to press. It is about establishing a process to create great work, and connect it with others. That the writer is willing to invest TIME in building their career. This course presents a valuable framework by which to expand your writing career, and to do so with your existing resources.
A writer who is focused on building a long-term writing career
This course does cover specific tactics to get the word out about your work in the very near term. But overall, it addresses the needs of someone who is committed to their work and their audience for the long haul – that they are interested in building a viable career, not just marketing a single book.

Do you have questions about the course? Check out the course details and registration page.

I am incredibly excited for the course, it is something I have poured my heart into, and am constantly thinking of ways to make it even better. If you think it’s right for you, please don’t delay registering. Registration officially closes on Wednesday February 23, but I may need to close it early if it fills up. I want to keep the class size to a reasonable number, to ensure I can provide as much value as possible to the students.

I also recently announced a bonus to the course: Guest Lectures!
As a bonus to the regular course material, I have arranged for a few guest speakers during the course, including Jane Friedman, Kevin Smokler and Justine Musk. These are super-smart and passionate people on the topic of building your author platform – an incredible resource to have them as a part of this. I hope to add more guest speakers (my ideal is one per week), but these three are confirmed.

Thanks!
-Dan

Are You Starving Your Writing Career? Here’s How to Nourish It.

I have been thinking a lot about how we each invest in our future. I just launched a course for writers called Build Your Author Platform, and when one of my students signed up, they included this note with their payment:

“I’m using every penny I earned last year on my writing to pay for this course–as an investment in my future.”

As I built this course, I spent a lot of time considering the value of what I was offering, and the appropriate price. I definitely feel the course is of very high value, but I’m not going to pretend that $795 is nothing short of an investment for most people. And this is something I take VERY seriously – respecting this investment, and the sacrifice and motivation that comes with it.

So today I want to talk about how we invest in our careers. And more often, how we don’t: how we starve our careers. How do we do that? Here’s a just a few ways:

“I’m Too Busy”
We live in a multitasking culture, where most people are juggling their job, family, home, hobbies, and other obligations. So we find solace in describing how busy we are, in how much we are sacrificing already; that there is no room to invest time in something like a writing career.

“Someone Else Took My Idea”
Your clever idea is not the only thing that will propel you to success. If you have an idea, and someone else has released something similar, don’t fret. A great idea is one part of the equation, but it takes hard work to make it a reality. It is those who persevere despite obstacles like this that create something that people love. Consider how you will create a work that is of unique value, even within a crowded marketplace. Do you think JK Rowling looked at the thousands of other wizard and fantasy books on the market and said… it’s already saturated, why bother? Honestly, the world would have lost something if she did.

Waiting for Someone Else to Make it Happen
I am a huge believer in working with others to make your dreams a reality. But that doesn’t mean that you are sitting idly waiting for the phone to ring, that you feel that unless that one right person gets your project in their hands, that you alone are powerless to push it forward. You have to do that, slowly, without fanfare, day after day.

Clearly, there are many other ways that we sabotage our own success. We hide behind empty quotes from movies – things that make us feel as though we are justifying our lack of progress, but that really represent a journey that has stalled.

So then, how does one nourish their career? How do you move beyond the challenges that we all face? Here are some ideas:

Invest in Being Open to New Ideas
Too many people feel they know everything. Sure, we have all ‘been around the block’ – we all have skills, experience and value. But sometimes, a little new information can reframe the opportunities before us. Don’t assume that something new isn’t for you. It can be easy to make pithy comments about new trends, disregarding them outright. But doing so can rob you of the possibilities of what that new thing can bring – perhaps something positive. The goal here is not even the knowledge itself, it is to approach the world with a sense of openness. Being jaded is so out of style.

Invest in Connection
It’s incredibly how much of success is filled with kind-hearted souls giving you that helping hand. This is why I am such an advocate of social media, such an advocate of taking people out to lunch. Your precious idea will not become a success if you covet it and don’t connect it to others. It will be built on the good will of others. Too many ‘brilliant ideas’ die a lonely death.

Invest in Structured Learning
Commit yourself to a process that will move you forward – something such as a class or workshop. Yes, I have a course to offer writers building their platform – but so do many others. If you learn best this way – with a group, with an instructor, with a structured curriculum, find one that works for you and make the investment.

Invest in Motivation
This is the scarcest resource on earth – the motivation to make things happen. It breaks all other barriers. Do you feel you don’t have any time to get to your writing? The motivated person finds time. Everyone else doesn’t. I know it’s hard to be positive all the time, hard to make time to do one more task. But often, it is these little things that separate those who do, and those who don’t.

Invest in Yourself, Not Objects
It’s easy to feel that some shiny new object will make us whole – that it is the missing puzzle piece to get us on track. But instead of buying stuff, invest in creating a path connecting you from where you are to where you need to be. This means investing in the things inside of you.

-Dan

Why Publishers & Writers Need to Embrace Digital Media

I read the most incredible article this week, and I want to take the time to really explore what it means. Specifically… what it means for you and your career as a publisher or writer.

The article is a Fortune piece on Conan O’Brien, and his transition from old media personality to becoming a multimedia brand. Even if you hate Conan, read the article. It’s an important reflection on the power EACH OF US has to reshape our lives and careers.

What amazes me is that this happened last year. By then, Twitter was already seen as normal, when we all felt like we missed any “opportunity” with Twitter that would have profound effect. And yet, here we have Conan’s story, which perfectly embodies not just the power of digital media, but the power of an individual who focuses on purpose and connection.

Below are highlights from the article. But this is the main theme:

“Like millions of other Americans, Conan O’Brien’s life has been disrupted by the digital world, and he’s been forced to reinvent himself.”

If you are in publishing – if you are a writer or creator – consider how this article reflects on your career. On how we have ALL been challenged by new media, but that there is opportunity hidden within it if we care to look. I want to be clear: Conan’s story is not about technology. It is about removing the pretense, about getting back to basics – connecting with people, and doing so via a shared purpose.

If you don’t know the basic’s of Conan’s recent experience: after 17 years as a late night talk show host, NBC made an unreasonable demand: to move his show, until after midnight, and put his biggest competition (Jay Leno) in the time slot ahead of him, at 11:35. Conan would not make the move, so he left the show of his dreams. Via social media and the web, fans helped support him, and it lead the way to a very different type of career for Conan.

Okay, here is what I took away from the article:

Conan Focused on Greater Purpose and Beliefs, not Selfish Motivation
His response to NBC’s demand that he move his show from 11:35 to 12:05:
“For 60 years the Tonight Show has aired immediately following the late local news. I sincerely believe that delaying the Tonight Show into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting… I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction.”

This wasn’t a discussion of contracts or formats. It was about the greater affect of his decision on the people it affected most: the fans and the work he would be building – a work that has a rich history. Messing with those things in the name of profit alone is not something he wanted to be a part of.
Context Matters
Conan’s use of Twitter started when a fan created an image, Facebook Page and Twitter account to support him. In coming to his support, Conan saw the power of social media – something he knew nothing about. When he saw its use within the context of his situation, a light bulb went off.

For those in publishing – some of this talk about digital media, social media, apps, etc must seem very foreign. Look for ways to put the proper context around it – to see how it can connect you with your core mission of sharing information and stories – of connecting with people.
The Role of “The Audience” has Changed
On the generational shift, thanks to the web and social media: “It’s an audience that doesn’t want to be just an audience — they want to be participants. They love being connected to one another and to the celebrity objects of their affection; they love posting and creating and remixing.”

In the publishing world, I hear the phrase “People still love holding books” a lot. You know what, I love holding books too. We all love books. But that’s not the question. The question is… do some people enjoy connecting with information and stories in a different manner too. Is there another opportunity IN ADDITION to holding books. One that does not belittle the book, but is simply different from it. When we stop focusing on the book, and start focusing on readers, a world of possibilities opens up.
We Sometimes Represent Things Greater than Ourselves
“Generation X is finally at the stage where they can have the jobs the boomers had, and the economy crashes. There’s nothing left for them: There’s no Social Security; there’s nowhere to invest. Conan was a great stand-in for the frustration with this never-ending boomer legacy.”

For a writer or publisher, this is about understanding that people’s relationships with your work is something deeper than purchasing and reading a magazine article or a book. That the work LIVES within them, they think about it and act on it long after the process of reading it has ended. Consider what those deeper connections are all about.
Value Can Be Created Where There Was None Before
“What was interesting about it,” points out O’Brien, “is that all the legal prohibitions were coming from people in the old media. They were saying you can’t do all these things, and pretty quickly we realized, ‘Wait a minute!’ Someone said, ‘Does that include Twitter? No. It doesn’t include Twitter.’ And so I started tweeting.”

If the publishing world tries to create the digital media (eg: ebook) world in the same image as the print world, they will find challenge after challenge. The rules that we think apply don’t really exist. But for most of us, it is scary to consider this – that these rules that secure our world-view don’t exist. For others, it leaves an opportunity. To help shape the world, and improve it.
Power is in Aligning Purpose to Connection
“On January 23, 2010 after taping his last broadcast, Conan O’Brien, a guy who had been a staple of late-night television for 17 years, no longer had a show. Nor did he have a Facebook or Twitter account yet.” A month later, he amassed 250,000 Twitter followers in his first day on Twitter.

Was Twitter the key in Conan’s success? No. It was merely a channel, be it a relevant one for his audience. It was his purpose – in combination with the channel – that had such a profound effect. When you approach a channel like Twitter, you can’t think about what it can do for you, you have to think about what you are putting into it. That is what matters.
Learn by Doing
He sold 120,000 tickets to his live concert tour with a single Tweet, and sold out 30 shows within a few days. During the live shows, they would create a unique twitter hash tag, so Conan could keep track of what was happening in the audience, and use it in his performance. “Suddenly O’Brien wasn’t just performing for fans; he was also engaging in a conversation with them.”

Conan kept exploring what could be done – how to further connect with his audience – even during a theater tour, something very traditional. Again and again, he broke down barriers that separated him from his audience.
Freedom Matters
With his new show on TBS: “O’Brien is in control of all the on-air creative and, just as important, all the digital use of his content. He and his production company Conaco own the show. Among the other late-night talent — Leno, David Letterman, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, Craig Ferguson, and Jimmy Fallon — Letterman is the only host who owns his show. It’s the opposite of O’Brien’s setup at NBC, says Ross, a partner in the company. “Conaco owns the show, and TBS is a participant. At Tonight, NBC owned the show, and we were participants.” And ownership makes all the difference for O’Brien and his team.”

It is hard to state how big of a shift this is for the media world. Conan will not be the last to experience a shift like this in their career.
Rewrite the Rules of Success
“Team Coco touches more than 5 million people each month, many of them primarily consumers of O’Brien’s brand of humor online. “A lot of television executives still have the idea that a show is something everybody watches.” His team also shares clips from the show very quickly – so instead of people needing to rip them and post them, Conan’s team encourages them to simply share.

Conan’s new role is something very new and very traditional at the same time. Regardless, he has rewritten the rules of success, paving the way for others.

So why am I so excited about this story? Because it’s not just about creating great content and broadcasting it, but about strengthening the CONNECTION and ENGAGEMENT between the creator and the audience. Digital media is not about marketing to people – tricking them to engage with you. Rather, it is about aligning for a common purpose.

For each of us, this is about not just embracing a thing (digital media), but embracing a change in our own identity. That even though we may have EXPECTED our careers to be one thing, we have to be open to shift and expand. Not for the sake of ‘media’ – but for the opportunity for our work to have a deeper affect on the world.

In the end for Conan, it wasn’t about him keeping “The Tonight Show” at all costs – about sitting in Johnny’s chair. It was about connecting with people – entertaining them – making their lives better.

For those of you in publishing and who are creating great work that flows through the publishing world – this comes down to the idea of whether you are focusing ONLY on the book or magazine or newspaper – or if you are focusing on the effect your work has on people’s lives, regardless of media type. And that the opportunity in front of you is to strengthen your connection to the world, and give your work the chance to have a greater purpose and effect.

-Dan