Today I want to share an important message with you. It’s a short excerpt from The Empowered Artist book:

One of the main reasons creative people (and writers and authors in particular) are not more empowered is because they often cultivate a general sense of unworthiness.

As a result, the doubts and questions flow:

• What will people think?
• Why am I pursuing this risky, crazy pipe dream to begin with?
• Who am I to follow in the footsteps of the truly great artists who have come before me?
• Won’t I starve to death or end up begging for money on street corners?

Stop it already. Please!

You sound pathetic when you say these things (even when the voice is only in your head).

Just think if you thought that way every time you brushed your teeth or tied your shoes:

• What if I accidentally choke on the toothbrush?
• What if the toothpaste has been poisoned?
• What if I inadvertently kick myself while putting on my shoes?
• What if I break my finger (or worse, my neck) in a horrific lacing accident?

Doesn’t this sound ridiculous? Of course, it does.

One way writers and artists try to subdue these negative feelings is to gain credibility. They often seek out some form of officially sanctioned approval. Doing so, they think, will appease their family and friends, the nasty voices in their heads, and even the Gods.

So they take classes, pursue degrees, get certified, study with established mentors, or jump through countless academic hoops in order to earn a couple of letters to follow their names.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with these things – as long as they’re done with an intention to hone your skills. But when the underlying motivation is to prop up your self-worth as an artist, the results fall short.

Here’s the bottom line …

You don’t need anyone’s approval to be fully worthy of pursuing your creative desires (on whatever level you choose). The fact that you feel a calling to do it is all the reason you need.

That doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed fame or fortune simply because you have an interest in something, but you most definitely are as worthy as anyone to give it a shot.

If you are drawn to a creative endeavor, if you have any inkling to pursue something artistic … respect and nurture that impulse. You owe it to yourself to act on it.

Don’t wait for approval. Don’t wait to be accepted. Don’t wait to be chosen or picked.

Give yourself permission. It’s the only green light you need to get started on your path to being an Empowered Artist.

Write down this affirmation and read it out loud:

“I give myself permission to pursue my creative callings. I am worthy to follow these artistic urges as much as I am worthy to breathe the air around me. This is who I am and what I am being called to do. And I owe it to myself and the world to fully explore it.”

Really read this and do your best to internalize the message, even if it feels awkward at first. Especially if it feels awkward. You may be trying on a new attitude that you’ve never worn before. But keep trying it on. Over time you will relax into it and feel right at home.

If this message spoke to you, take a look at this Empowered Artist book page for even more inspiration.

-Bob

The post WRITERS: Don’t Do This to Yourself! appeared first on Full Time Author.

It’s like National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) for creative people of all kinds!

Watch the video, then read more below …

Do you have a creative project (a book, music album, a play, an art exhibit) that has been sitting on the back burner for … EVER?

If so, that means you’ve fallen under the spell of one of these three curses: Distraction, Procrastination, or Resistance.

But, as I’m sure you know, if you really want to make a difference in the world and leave a legacy with your ideas, you must overcome these obstacles, do the work, finish the project, and get it out the door!

Help is on the way – starting May 31, 2016

I invite you to join me and other proactive, creative people (including authors, musicians, artists and more) as we immerse ourselves in a Get-Important-Stuff-Done (GISD) program designed to help you focus on your #1 passion project for 30 days.

Isn’t It Time You Finally Got That Book, Music, or Art Project Finished?

Learn more about it on this page …

http://bob-baker.com/buzz/passion-project/

But hurry. It starts May 31, 2016!

-Bob

The post National Novel Writing Month in June? Get Ready for This appeared first on Full Time Author.

Would you like to be more prolific as a writer and author? Would you like to get more published titles out into the world in a more efficient manner? This article should help you do just that …

Since 1993, I’ve written and published 20 books (12 paperbacks and eight separate stand-alone ebooks). Even though I’ve also produced at least a dozen additional audio programs and online courses during that same period, I’ll limit the scope of this discussion to ebooks and physical books.

Twenty titles in 23 years equates to about one book every 1.15 years. That’s a respectable level of output. But during one 12-month period alone – January 2015 to January 2016 – I managed to publish four of those titles (three paperbacks and one ebook). Without a doubt, it was my most prolific year so far.

When I recently realized this, it surprised even me, because it wasn’t exactly a premeditated goal. In attempting to determine for myself how I accomplished this, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to share my discoveries.

In case you don’t know, my primary subjects over the years have been music marketing, book promotion, and self-empowerment for creative people. Some of my titles include Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook, 55 Ways to Promote & Sell Your Book on the Internet, and Unleash the Artist Within. Only two of the 20 books I’ve written were published traditionally; all the others I published myself.

First, I’ll give you a quick overview of the four titles and when they were written and published. Then I’ll give you my top insights into how I managed to pull off this level of output – and how you can too.

The Five-Minute Music Marketer

I wrote the majority of The Five-Minute Music Marketer in the last three or four months of 2014. It was published in ebook format in January 2015 and as a paperback a few months later in May. This was my bestselling title in the Amazon Kindle store in 2015.

It was written for the time-starved, self-promoting musician. I think the strong title and my track record on the topic helped keep it consistently in the Top 10 of the Music Business category throughout most of the year.

The Empowered Artist

In mid 2014 I did a successful fan-funding campaign for a new book called The Empowered Artist. The subtitle explains what it’s about: “A Call to Action for Musicians, Writers, Visual Artists, and Anyone Who Wants to Make a Difference With Their Creativity.”

This title is obviously geared toward creative people of all types. And more so than my other books, it dives deep into the mindset, work ethic, and timeless best practices of successful artists. I honestly feel it is one of the most inspired books I’ve ever written.

I wanted to finish The Five-Minute Music Marketer first, so I didn’t start writing The Empowered Artist until late January 2015. I worked pretty consistently on it for the next three months. The ebook was published in April and the paperback in June.

Unraveling the Book of Secrets

In the fall of 2015 I published my first-ever book of fiction, called Unraveling the Book of Secrets. It’s a story about a journalist who interviews a gorgeous rock singer and gets thrown into a thrilling adventure of murder, mystery and romance.

I’ve been dabbling with fiction off the radar for about a dozen years. In 2015 I decided to choose one of the stories I had started, then finish it and publish it. After writing nonfiction exclusively for two decades, it was a nice challenge to explore a different style of writing – one I found I really enjoy.

About half of this 40,000-word story was written in prior years, so I had to commit to writing the other half at various times last year. Both the ebook and the paperback were published in November 2015.

The 9 Irrefutable Laws of Music Marketing

It took me a little more than two months to write my latest music marketing book, The 9 Irrefutable Laws of Music Marketing, and publish the ebook version in January 2016. My goal with this title was to identify nine timeless principles that propel marketing no matter what technology is in use. With each law, I give well-known examples of successful artists and personal stories from my own life in music and marketing, as well as action steps to implement each law.

So that gives you an overview of the four books I published in the span of one year. What follows are the best practices that allowed me to accomplish this level of output. I encourage you to embrace the ones that resonate with you.

DISCLAIMER: With articles such as this, someone almost always leaves a comment along the lines of “You didn’t say anything about the writing quality. What about hiring a good editor?”

I get it. Yes, your writing needs to be the best you can make it. You shouldn’t sacrifice quality for speed. The point is well taken.

Just know that this is not an article on the craft of writing or the role of an editor. There are many fine resources available on those topics. The scope of this article is strictly on how to be more prolific as an author. Cool?

Six Ways to Publish More Books in Less Time

1) Start with a solid outline

Like you, I’m a creative person. In addition to writing, I also play music, teach and perform improv comedy, and do acrylic painting. Like a lot of artists, I don’t like restraints. I enjoy the freedom to create.

However, when it comes to writing a good book, having a roadmap to guide you is crucial. So before you dive into the meat of writing your book, create an outline. For nonfiction, that means determining the scope and tone of your topic. What aspects will you cover? How will you divide the information into chapters, and in what order will you present them?

For fiction you’ll want a firm handle on your main characters, as well as the basic story arc and plot structure. The good news is, this outline (no matter what the genre) is not set in stone. My outlines always get amended as I write the book. But having a scope and an outline to begin with allows me to focus and avoid going down unproductive rabbit holes.

You’d be wise to create solid outlines if you want to publish more books!

2) Commit to a writing schedule

Believe me, if you want to publish four books in a year (heck, if you want to publish just one book in a lifetime), you must make a commitment to the process. That means the actual work of writing isn’t something you get around to whenever you find free time. Nope. Books don’t get written because you set a goal to publish a book on such and such date. Books get written when an author commits to a writing habit … and then makes the behavior a consistent routine.

I haven’t got this down to a science. Not by a long shot. Some weeks I’m more productive and focused than others. But over the years (and particularly in 2015) I made regular writing sessions a priority.

Let’s get a little geeky and analytical and take a quick look at my word-count productivity …

The Empowered Artist clocked in at just over 37,000 words, which I wrote from start to finish over a three-month period. That equates to nearly 3,000 words written per week. For the 22,000-word 9 Irrefutable Laws of Music Marketing book, my average was closer to 2,600 words per week.

The last time I tracked it, my average output was about 700 words per hour. Based on this and the previous word counts, I spent only four hours a week working on book content. Of course, that’s an average. Some weeks I dedicated 10 hours to writing, while other weeks I did next to nothing.

Note: 700 words per hour and 3,000 words a week is not a monument amount, depending on what measuring stick you use. I’m amazed by authors who claim to write anywhere from 1,500 to 4,000 words an hour. That’s impressive, and good for them. I tend to massage my words a bit as I go, so my numbers are a bit lower than the speed demons.

What I hope these numbers reveal to you is that you can be productive when you simply chip away at it and carve out little chunks of time devoted to writing. And that your overall, ongoing commitment to making progress on a title does pay off. If you’re distracted for a week, just get back on the writing horse the following week. The key is having a strong desire that keeps pulling you back to the behavior that allows your book to come to life!

3) Choose your writing tools and environment(s)

When it comes to developing a writing habit, there are three important ingredients:

• Making the time to do it
• Choosing or creating the space to do it in
• Having the tools to capture your words

We just covered the time aspect, so let’s focus on the other two ingredients.

Your writing space

Where will you write? What environment will allow you to focus and be the most productive? For some people, that means creating a writing space at home – the kitchen table, the dining room, or a spare bedroom turned into an office.

Ideally, a space at home should be an area that is already set up where you can quickly get down to the business of writing. If you always have to move things and take time to prepare the space, you increase the chances that you’ll put it off for a more “convenient time” – a faery tale circumstance that rarely materializes.

You should also choose a space and time where you have few if any distractions. As I’m sure you know, pulling your attention in and out of a writing project can be aggravating and unproductive.

Even though I am self-employed and have the freedom to work from home, I find I am most productive when I get out of the house and go someplace for the single purpose of writing. Some of my favorite spots are Panera Bread, coffee shops, and the public library.

You may find that your ideal writing space changes over time. You might start out at home and shift to writing someplace else. Experiment and see what works best for you.

Your writing tools

Obviously, when you write you need to capture your words in the most effective way possible. For some authors that may be a desktop or laptop computer. For others it could be a yellow legal pad or an old-school Smith Corona typewriter. Some writers choose to speak their words into dictation software.

There is no wrong answer here. Choose the tool that works best for you. However, some tools lend themselves to certain environments more than others. For instance, if all you have is a bulky desktop computer, going to Starbucks to write is not the most convenient option. The same thing applies to using dictation software. You’ll probably want to use that at home.

My writing tools of choice are highly mobile. I use an iPad Air 2 with a small Logitech wireless Bluetooth keyboard. They’re quick and easy to transport, set up, use, break down, and go. I write using the Pages app on the iPad, then save as a Word file to Dropbox at the end of every writing session. That’s what works for me. Your job is to find the best tools that work for you.

4) Write a series of shorter books

Another thing that allows me to get more of my books written and published is a decision I made a couple of years ago. That was to create shorter books. The longest book I’ve ever written was Branding Yourself Online, which clocked in at more 100,000 words. The latest edition of my most popular title, Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook, runs about 66,000 words.

The four titles I published in 2015 ran from 22,000 to just over 40,000 words each. For me, I’d rather have a larger catalog of shorter books on specific topics and themes. Not only does this make the writing process less daunting, but one of the keys to sales success these days is having at least three books in a related series. When someone discovers the first book in a series and loves it, they will often purchase some or all of the others.

So, if you write nonfiction, do you really need to write “The Complete and Total, Comprehensive Guide” to your topic? Or can you take the broader idea of your topic and break it down into separate, shorter books that each cover specific aspects?

My friend Maria BonDurant wanted to publish a book of family recipes. Instead of including everything plus the kitchen sink (pun intended), she chose to cover only appetizers in her first book, with other types of recipes to be included in future books.

With fiction, you can take a similar approach and write a series of books using the same characters, setting, or theme. The bottom line is, shorter books (within reason) allow you to be more prolific with your output.

5) Create a publishing system through repetition

The first time you self-publish a book, there’s a definite learning curve you must navigate through. If you choose to publish a second book (and once the first one is out, most authors do), you’re much more familiar with the terrain. It becomes less intimidating.

In other words, the more you publish, the more familiar you become with the steps, and the easier it gets. Ideally, you’ll develop a system that allows you to move more titles through the pipeline.

I’ve been at this self-publishing game for many years. Even though I’ve cranked out a lot of books over the past 20-plus years, the steps I took with each book have evolved immensely – and they continue to. Every year or two I experiment, discover and try new technologies, and find the best ways to write and edit my words, format ebooks, design covers and interior pages for print books, etc.

Even though these steps change over the years, at any given time I have a current go-to process. And I’ve found that the more often I publish, the more familiar I am with the system I’ve created. On the other hand, if I published a new book only every two or three years, I’d need to remind myself of what I did with the previous book, then do research to see what the latest developments are. The process would be much slower.

When you increase your publishing frequency, you hone your publishing system, which allows you to be far more prolific.

In case you’re wondering what my system is, I’m a little hesitant to share it. Not because I want to hide my secrets; but because it’s not a system I really recommend for other authors. Plus, if I detail it here, it may be outdated by the time you read this.

But since you asked (you did, didn’t you?), I’ll give a quick summary. Just know this is a system that evolved based on my unique circumstances, and it probably won’t work for many.

My current publishing tools

I format my ebooks on a PC using Microsoft Word (saving the file as an older 2003 .doc version instead of the newer .docx). Formatting for an ebook – which I always do first – is much different than formatting for print, and I’ve spent a lot of time over the years figuring out the differences.

Once the ebook is published, I take the text and put it into a separate Word file template that is set up for the print version, with the proper margins already in place. I spend a lot of time formatting the content so it looks good in print.

(Professional designers will tell you to never use Word to format your print book interior. That is good advice. However, through years of hands-on experience, I’ve learned to wrestle with and tame the Word beast. So it works for me.)

Over the years I’ve experimented with many ways to create book covers (for both ebook and print versions). I’ve hired designers, used an old version of QuarkXPress, bought specialized cover design software, used online services like Canva, and more. In recent years I’ve successfully used a common tool that few people ever think of using for book covers: PowerPoint. Seriously!

Even though it’s known as a presentation program, you can adjust the dimensions and size of the slide to whatever you want. You can pull in images and manipulate text. And, you can export the file as an image, PDF, and many more formats. I find it to be a great design tool.

However, please note: These are my current tools, and they probably won’t work for most authors. If you ask me a year from now, I might have a completely different process. Your best bet is to hire an experienced editor and a separate seasoned book designer. Got it? Good.

6) Develop a habit (and make it fun and creative)

As I emphasized before, if you’re going to be a more prolific author, you’ll have to commit regular blocks of time to the act of writing, editing, designing, and publishing. I suggest a minimum of four to six hours a week (which was about my average with some of the books I published in 2015). But if you can find 10, 15 or even 20 hours a week, all the better.

Your goal is to stay at this schedule consistently throughout the year. Of course, life happens and your circumstances will change week to week. The key factor in being more prolific is to continuously return to your writing schedule and not let distractions permanently derail you.

Your odds of maintaining this work ethic will be greatly enhanced if you actually look forward to your writing sessions. (What a concept!) So do whatever you can to make the process fun and creative. However, at the same time, don’t wait for inspiration or a visit from “the muse” before you write. Professional writers work and play with words regardless of how much they feel like writing.

I love this quote from photographer and artist Chuck Close: “Inspiration is for amateurs. The rest of us just show up and get to work.”

That idea might not appeal to some writers. Perhaps you have negative connotations related to the word “work.” I can understand that. But I’ve learned to embrace the writing/publishing habit and the commitment required to get more books out into the world.

I may not always “feel” like writing at the beginning of every session. But I know once I start, loosen up and get into the groove, the joy and the creativity come – almost without fail. I know from years of doing this that priming the pump always leads to a flow of words and ideas.

In fact, when I sat down to write this sixth step to being a prolific author, I didn’t know exactly how I would express it. My pace was sluggish at first. But as words got committed to the screen through my open mind and typing fingers, a structure formed. More ideas and details came. I tuned out everything around me and got lost in the creative experience.

The result was a nearly completed article, which I have since polished and published. And now you’re reading it! That’s the beauty of the writing and publishing process and how authors get their ideas and stories unleashed into the world.

I hope you enjoyed this peek into how I published four books in 12 months and had my most prolific year as an author. When I started writing this article, I had no idea it would turn into a 3,400-word epic post. I must have been inspired to share my journey with you.

In fact, now I’m thinking of fleshing this out even more, adding more details, and turning it into into a short ebook. Stay tuned.

I’d love to stay in touch and share more of my author adventure with you. Click this link and download a free copy of my Book Marketing Confidential report. You’ll get a free subscription to my Full-Time Author ezine when you do.

In the meantime, be prolific. You have information, ideas, and stories that can benefit a lot of people. Don’t keep them all to yourself!

-Bob

The post The Prolific Author: How I Published 4 Books in 12 Months (and You Can Too) appeared first on Full Time Author.

Amazon’s royalty rate can be very confusing.

And nobody ever talks about why.

In this short Kindle Ebook Royalty Rate video I explain it all … and the answer may surprise you!

Watch it now:

Does that help explain the history behind the Kindle Ebook Royalty Rate? I welcome your comments below.

-Bob

Here are some other helpful resources:

55 Ways to Promote & Sell Your Book on the Internet

The Guerrilla Guide to Book Marketing

Branding Yourself Online: 10 Steps to Creating a Potent Personal Brand Identity on the Internet

The Empowered Artist: A Call to Action for Musicians, Writers, Visual Artists, and Anyone Who Wants to Make a Difference With Their Creativity

The post Amazon’s Confusing Kindle Ebook Royalty Rate Explained appeared first on Full Time Author.

There are many factors that go into the development of truly compelling writers and authors. Here I cover three elements that will make the difference between you being a mediocre writer who struggles with obscurity and a gifted wordsmith who attracts a raving fan base.

This idea struck me while reading a blog post by Danielle LaPorte. In the piece she mentioned three factors that make up a person’s brand identity:

• Your topic
• Your message
• Your voice

Even though I was familiar with all three of these aspects, I had never quite viewed them as separate but interconnected pieces before. But it’s a brilliant way to break down an approach to writing and communicating with an audience.

Let’s quickly examine each one and consider the important role each plays:

1) Your topic

This is the broad category that you cover or the genre in which you write. If you’re a nonfiction writer, your topic could be gardening, personal finance, self-help, or fitness. If you write fiction, you might consider labels such as mystery, science fiction, romance, or young adult. Other topics or categories you might place yourself in would be personal memoir, poetry or graphic novels.

The important thing to note is that this is just the starting point for defining yourself as writer — and for how your readers define you. Think of your topic as the big picture, broad stroke view of what you do with words.

2) Your message

The second element is your personal slant on the topic, category or genre that you specialize in. What perspective are you coming from? Let’s say you are establishing yourself as an expert on gardening. Is your message a scientific one (azaleas grow best in soil with these ingredients)? Or an aesthetic one (place these azaleas in this area of your patio for a pleasing design appeal)? Or a spiritual one (tuning into the vibration of your azaleas will help you connect with a higher power)?

If you cover fitness, your message might be “Working out is hard, so toughen up and get over it!” Or it could be “Staying in shape should be fun and I’ll make it easy for you.” Wayne Dyer has a much different message with his self-help advice (“Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life”) than does Larry Winget (“Shut Up, Stop Whining, and Get a Life!”).

So what’s your message? How do you approach your topic or genre?

3) Your voice

Great. You know your topic and your message. Now comes the crucial third element: Your voice. This includes your unique writing style, your tone, and the personality and attitude that shine through your words.

Let’s return to the azalea expert with the spiritual message. Her writing voice could be solemn and reverential. Or it could be playful and fun. Or any number of other spins on the subject at hand.

Wayne Dyer’s gentle demeanor is in sharp contrast to Larry Winget’s in-your-face style. Neither one is right or wrong. But I assume each author is being true to who they are, and each one attracts a different audience as a result.

Voice may be the toughest of the three elements to hone because it usually takes years (and even decades) to develop. But it’s also the most important of the three when it comes to attracting and retaining a following.

Sure, people are interested in your topic, and they enjoy your message. But it’s your voice that keeps them intrigued and coming back for more.

What are your thoughts on these three elements of irresistible writing? I welcome your comments below.

Bob

P.S. Read Danielle LaPorte’s original blog post that inspired these ideas.

The post The Three Elements of Irresistible Writing appeared first on Full Time Author.

Overcoming the ‘Lack of Money’ Excuse

Here’s another classic excuse that writers (and creative people of all kinds) use all the time. Do any of these sound familiar?

• “I’d do a lot more with my book if I had more money to invest in it.”
• “It takes money to make money.”
• “Sure, she’s doing great with her art. She must be a trust-fund baby or have a sugar daddy on the side.”

I could list a lot more worn-out phrases like this, but I’ll spare you the agony. Which begs the question:

Do you spare yourself the agony that comes with carrying this “lack of money” baggage around with you?

Okay, let’s first deal with the realities:

I admit that some full-time creative people have built-in advantages. Maybe their spouse has a cushy job that allows them to focus on art without worrying about paying the bills. Maybe they inherited money or made some smart investments when they were young.

Sure, people in those situations exist, so let’s acknowledge that and wish them well.

But if you think that’s the story behind all of the successful independent artists out there (and there are many of them operating over and under the media radar), you are sadly mistaken.

Most people who succeed as musicians, writers, and artists start with very little. They work day jobs and do sideline gigs to pay the bills while they hone their craft and grow a fan base.

I can also tell you with certainty that having money available to spend on your creative pursuits does not automatically lead to success. Not by a long shot. I’ve watched many people invest tens of thousands of dollars into their careers only to fall flat in the end.

There are many factors and variables that go into building a thriving arts career, and having a surplus of money is pretty low on the list.

What’s most important is dedicating the time to your craft, breaking through the mental barriers that hold you back, and learning to promote and sell your work to the public. Doing those things consistently over time will produce much bigger results than simply throwing money at your perceived shortcomings.

Call to action

When it comes to money (especially when there’s a lack of it to invest), the ideal course of action is to do what you do best: Get creative!

I lived the early decades of my life with slim amounts of disposable income. Because of that, I learned to reframe my financial situation. If you are currently low on extra funds, you can view it as a curse or as a gift. I chose to see it as a gift.

Honestly, if you had a lot of money to invest in your book or your art, you’d probably get lazy. You’d end up wasting most of your cash on schemes that would produce no real and lasting results.

I know, because I’ve seen it first hand with friends and clients who I warned ahead of time. But they had to learn for themselves.

Fancy press kits and high-priced publicists will only do so much. Most people have unrealistic expectations about their potential return on these investments.

However, when cash is scarce, you get to play. You get to challenge yourself to come up with ideas that will get the job done, regardless of available funds. You get to experiment.

That’s right, you get to be creative!

And that’s your assignment:

Make a list of the art you want to produce and the things you want to accomplish with it. Next, brainstorm ideas you can implement that require little or no money at all. How could you use your brains instead of your bank account?

How could you get the materials and equipment you need? How could you promote your next event guerrilla style? How could you attract an audience in a creative, unexpected way?

In other words, when it comes to money, think less like a banker and more like an artist!

Because, after all, that’s who you are!

-Bob

This post was inspired by the Empowered Artist Movement, book, and Mastermind group. I encourage you to take a closer look at them and step into your greatness!

The post The Truth About Money and Art appeared first on Full Time Author.

This week Elizabeth Gilbert (author of Eat, Pray, Love; The Signature of All Things; and the forthcoming book Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear) posted a brilliant update on her Facebook page. It was so good, I want to share it with you here.

The other day, a brilliant friend of mine let me read the first draft of a book she’s been working on for years. It was wonderful. But that’s not what I want to talk about.

What I want to talk about is what happened AFTER I told her how wonderful her book was. She sent me a long email detailing all her fears about how bad her book actually is, and about how nobody will like it, and that it’s overly simplistic, and critics will call it self-indulgent, and that I’m just being polite when I say that it’s good.

(To reiterate, her book is GREAT.)

Normally, I would have responded with a long, tender, compassionate letter — trying to convince her once again of her talents, and of my support and faith in her.

But I was tired and in a hurry. So instead, I just wrote the truth.

I wrote this:

“Listen, honey — I read through all your anxieties and your fears here. And I just have to say something very bluntly: Your fears about your book aren’t very interesting or very original! I can say this with complete authority, because they are exactly the same fears that I have, whenever I am about to release a book into the world. And I know for a fact that my fears are not interesting at all. (Like yours, my fears alway sing this familiar, droning old song: ‘Your work is garbage, it will be criticized as self-indulgent, it’s too simplistic, it has no value, nobody will buy it, your friends are only being nice to you when they say it’s good, you just wasted a whole bunch of time for no good reason, you are done for and washed-up’).

“Moreover, I have it on good authority that these are exactly the same fears that EVERYONE who has ever finished a book (or created anything) feels. In other words, your fears are just regular old mass-produced, made-in-China, sold-at-Walmart fears. Nothing fine or precious or artisanal about them. So don’t treat them like they’re precious.

“I realized this about my own fears a few years ago — that they are always exactly the same, and that they are always exactly the same as everyone else’s, and therefore they are nothing special and actually just kind of boring. (I want to say to my fears sometimes, “Really? That’s the best you can come up with? This old song again? REALLY — you’re telling me once again that I’m not good enough? That my work isn’t good enough? That’s it? That’s seriously the best you got, AFTER ALL THESE YEARS? Jeez, get some new material, dude.”)

“So now I just come to expect those completely boring and unoriginal fears to show up every time I write anything, and I don’t even pay attention to them anymore, because they never have anything new to say. They’re just the neighbor’s dogs, barking incessantly in the yard next door, blah blah blah. But they never bite. They can never escape the yard. They have no real power. So I just move ahead and do my work. There’s that old Bedouin line: ‘The dogs bark; the caravan passes anyhow.’ Your caravan needs to pass along now on its journey, whether fear barks at you loudly or not. It’s time.

“Because here is what IS interesting and original: This book that you just wrote. And here is what else is interesting and original: Whatever is about to happen in your life next, when you send that book out to publishers. Because god only knows what will happen. Could be good, could be bad. We have no idea. Because the future is a mystery And mysteries — unlike fears — are always interesting. So let’s focus on the interesting parts (the creativity and the mystery) and forget about the fear. Time to be stubbornly brave, and dignified in the face of any fate.”

So that was my letter, and my friend said it made her laugh (which is good, because I was a little afraid it might make her cry)…and since laughter is good, now I’m sharing the letter with you all.

In summation: Your creativity is fascinating, but your fears are not.

(Spoken from somebody who REALLY knows what she’s talking about — because she has the most boring fears in the world, and she does her work, anyhow.)

Now go make your thing.

ONWARD,
LG

What do you think of Elizabeth Gilbert’s advice to her writer friend? Does it change your view of facing your fears? I welcome your comments below.

Elizabeth has also delivered a couple of inspiring TED talks. If you missed either one of these, do yourself a favor and watch them now:

Your elusive creative genius

<iframe class='youtube-player' type='text/html' width='640' height='390' src='http://www More Info.youtube.com/embed/86x-u-tz0MA?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide=2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent’ allowfullscreen=’true’ style=’border:0;’>

Success, failure and the drive to keep creating

The post Elizabeth Gilbert on Facing Your Fear appeared first on Full Time Author.

Writers (and creative people of all kinds) face a lot of obstacles along the road to pursuing their dreams. These hurdles come in all shapes and sizes – from big and ugly to little and annoying.

But there’s one thing I can say with certainty about these creative roadblocks:

Almost all of them are self-imposed!

Yep. No matter how much you want to blame something “out there” for your troubles, with rare exception, the obstacles you face are self-made. They are sad stories you tell yourself about the world that you fervently treat as the Gospel truth. And these epic tales are blurring your vision and keeping you from making progress with your writing and art.

Here’s a perennial classic:

“I don’t have time to devote to my writing!”

Really? You don’t have time? Did you get shortchanged when the Laws of Physics Gods were doling out 24-hour days?

“Hey, I only got a 17-hour day! What gives?”

Here’s the thing about time …

It’s the true equalizer. It’s one of the only things that is evenly distributed among all human beings. You can make a rational argument that some people have more money, better looks, a fatter Rolodex, nicer cars, and so on.

But everyone gets the exact same amount of time to work with.

I know, you have to work or you have kids or you take care of aging parents. Yes, there are life obligations that appear to suck up most of our time and keep us from doing the things we truly love.

But is that really an accurate assessment of your situation?

A personal story

In the early years of building my reputation and body of work as an author, I had a lot of constraints. I worked a full-time job, my daughter was a toddler, and I was recovering from a divorce. I also played in a band and acted in a couple of plays every year.

I could have easily told myself I didn’t have the time to devote to writing books and marketing my work on this new thing called the Internet. But I resisted that seductive story and, instead, carved out time here and there when I could.

Even if I had only a few minutes to spare, I would make time to tweak a book outline, flesh out an article, or interact in an online forum. I chipped away at the things that needed to be done, while also handling all of my other responsibilities the best I could.

Was it easy? No. Did I whine and complain? Sometimes. Was it worth it? Absolutely!

One thing I have never uttered to myself is, “I wish I had started doing this creative stuff later.” No one who puts in the effort to do something worthy regrets it. And you won’t either.

The truth is, you’ll never have “more time”!

Something will always come along to fill the void. So stop deluding yourself that now is not a good time to devote to your art. You can decide right now that your creativity is important, and that you’ll find the time to invest in it.

You may be thinking, “This guy just doesn’t know my schedule and list of obligations.” The truth is, I do. I juggle a ton of stuff in my own life. And at times it can seem overwhelming. I’m not denying that.

I’m also not suggesting that you should pack every waking minute with activity. You also need to carve out time for rest and self care. As always, your goal should be equilibrium and balance.

But, if you accept your role as an Empowered Artist, you’ll also make time for your art. And doing it can be a lot easier than you think.

Call to action

When Jerry Seinfeld was an up-and-coming comedian, he made a commitment to write one joke a day. Not an entire routine or monologue. Just one funny line.

He had a big calendar of the whole year on a wall in his apartment. Every time he wrote a joke, he put a red X on that date. Before long he had a growing chain of red X’s on the calendar – a visual reminder of the consistent work he put in.

Seinfeld once shared the story of his calendar and the chain of red X’s with a young comic. His main advice: Don’t break the chain! Do something related to your craft every day, no matter how small the action is.

This idea dovetails perfectly with “tiny habits,” a popular concept that’s been making the rounds in recent years. Using this approach, you commit to taking one small action every day toward a bigger habit you want to develop.

For instance, if you want to run a marathon, you would simply commit to running ten yards today. That’s all. Then run ten yards again tomorrow, and the next day, etc. Even in the freezing cold of winter, someone could run ten yards every day. Easy.

And that’s your homework for this principle …

Commit to doing your art or music or writing every single day. No exceptions. Even if it’s for just five minutes. Seriously.

If you’re really tired tomorrow and don’t feel like doing it, take five minutes and do it anyway. Get out the sketchpad, pick up the guitar, open the file of the book you’re working on. Spend a few minutes engaged in your craft.

If you end up spending more time on it, great. But at the very least, follow through on your five-minute commitment. And do it every day. I mean it. EVERY DAY!

I guarantee, this tiny habit will gain momentum and expand. You’ll soon discover there is time to devote to your writing on a daily basis.

If you really want to cement this practice, buy an annual wall calendar like Jerry Seinfeld did. Mark off each day that you lived up to your time commitment. Watch your chain of red X’s grow.

And then don’t break the chain!

-Bob

P.S. To learn more about the new Empowered Artist book, visit this page.

The post Writers: Break Through the ‘Lack of Time’ Excuse! appeared first on Full Time Author.

First off, Happy New Year!

I hope you had a safe and joy-filled holiday season.

It’s the beginning of a new year, which makes it a great time for a fresh start — a new beginning. A time to move closer to your vision of an ideal life.

I believe the keys to stellar success and growth (based on my personal experience and the hundreds of interviews I’ve conducted) involve a simple three-step process:

1) Have a clear vision of where you are headed with your life and livelihood

2) Get educated and arm yourself with knowledge and success stories (but don’t over plan)

3) Take action and get busy taking small steps every day that move you toward your vision

It really is that simple … and that hard!

If any of the three pieces are missing, you will continue to struggle. But with a little conscious effort, these things are quite doable.

Here’s one way I can help you today with Step 2 …

Udemy is one of the premier destinations for online courses. Millions of students around the world enjoy thousands of courses on a wide variety of topics.

The site is having a 2015 Kickstart Sale where more than 9,000 courses are only $10 each. Many of these classes are normally up to $499.00 each. So this is a great time to jump in.

Here’s the link:

http://bob-baker.com/buzz/udemy/

Click “Browse Courses” in the top left corner to zero in on the topics that matter to you.

You’ll find expert training on music, book publishing, software, business, entrepreneurship, productivity, health, graphic design, personal development, photography, and more.

Also check out my new course:

30 Ways to Become an Empowered Artist: How to Thrive as a Musician, Writer, Visual Artist, or Other Creative Entrepreneur

Disclosure: When you use the Udemy links above I will make a small commission on any classes you register for.

Thanks for your time and attention. I appreciate you and wish you the best in 2015.

Happy New Year!

-Bob

P.S. If you are involved with music (or know someone who is) be sure to check out my new Music Marketing Crash Course package here.

It’s the first time I’ve ever offered anything like it:

http://bob-baker.com/buzz/music-marketing-crash-course/

The post Three Steps to Stellar Success in 2015 appeared first on Full Time Author.

Take a look for yourself here: Branding Yourself Online on Amazon, Audible and the iTunes Store.

If you’re interested in creating a potent brand identity online, you can also get the Kindle version on Amazon in 12 countries:

United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, India, Australia, Brazil, Mexico.

In case you didn’t know, there’s a great way to get your book on Audible, Amazon and iTunes too. It’s a site called www.ACX.com.

ACX is owned by Amazon (so is Audible.com) and is set up as a gateway for publishers of all sizes (including indie authors like me) to make their audio work widely available.

(Note: You must have an existing ebook or print version of your book available on Amazon to use ACX.)

After you sign up for an ACX account, you’ll have the option to <a href="http://www.acx buy zithromax.com/help/authors-as-narrators/200626860″ target=”_blank”>record and upload the audio files yourself, or you can find voice talent and producers on ACX to do that for you.

I have to warn you: ACX has a lot technical requirements that must be met to get approved. There’s a learning curve to recording an audiobook if you’ve never done it before. But ACX gives you a lot of helpful advice.

For many authors, hiring voice talent who can also record to specifications is the better way to go. Only you can decide. So go to www.ACX.com and have a look around.

-Bob

The post How to Get Your Book on Audible, Amazon and iTunes appeared first on Full Time Author.