Publication/Think it Real

In his book, Infinite Possibilities, Mike Dooley says, "Manifesting our dreams isn't about hard work--it's about belief, expectation, and above all, knowing the truth about our place in the universe."

Dooley's words are the perfect introduction to an exercise we were asked to perform in my seventh Plug In class with Janet Conner:  

Visit and fall in love with your book's neighborhood.

 by bookchen

Yes, even for those of us who aren't published yet.  Especially for those of us who aren't published yet.  This exercise is one of intention and creative visualization to help get us there. 

The first part of the exercise goes like this:

• Walk into the store where you'd like your book to appear and up to the exact spot where it will be displayed.  This is your spot.  Study it, name it, fall in love with it. 
• Check out what other authors are there.  These are your neighbors. 
• Study the authors' names, the names of their agents and publishers; study the books' titles and subtitles, their key messages, appearance, layout, font, and design.
• Now, visualize your book in this neighborhood--your neighborhood.  Believing leads to feeling and feeling makes it happen. 

Your book's publication is only a thought away.

I write Visionary Fiction, and because this genre does not yet merit its own shelf space, it's housed in the Metaphysical section.  Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), this section of the bookstore is almost exclusively made up of nonfiction.  The only only Visionary writers I've seen there are Paul Coelho (The Alchemist) and James Redfield (The Celestine Prophecy) . Ever heard of them?

Anyway, when I walked into Borders, the authors I found in my immediate

neighborhood (other than Paul Coelho) were of the mind-body-spirit variety. To my left, Mike Dooley (Infinite Possibilities) and Larry Dossey (Recovering the Soul, A Scientific and Spiritual Search), to my right, Allison DuBois (The Medium), John Edward (Infinite Quest), and Jonathan H. Ellerby (Return to the Sacred, Ancient Pathways to Spiritual Awakening).

I liked this neighborhood.  I felt comfortable there.  The book shelf became my vision board, showing me the end result of what I wished to experience.

I imagined readers (spiritual seekers, women, men in touch with their divine feminine) coming up to my spot on the shelf, selecting my books, opening them, smiling, and then taking them to check out. 

From bookshelf to nightstand.  Yes!


The next part of the assignment goes as follows:

• Start visualizing your work in your neighborhood. 
• Draw your work inside your neighborhood on a piece of paper and stick it on your wall at home and label it by a name that speaks to you.
• Design an ad for your work.
• Say thank you in advance to your neighbors for welcoming you there.
• Act as if you belong.
• Read your neighbhors' books, let them know you appreciate their work, friend them on Facebook, become their fan, follow them on Twitter, visit their websites, read their blogs.

Define your dream in every imaginable detail, using your imagination as a tool to reach your goal.  Pretending is powerful.  Think it real. 

I bought Mike Dooley's Infinite Possibilities and Jonathan Ellerby's Return to the Sacred.  A quick scan of their work told me we were on the same page.  I couldn't wait to dig deeper.

Now, for the last part of the exercise: 

• Put your belief in motion.
• If you haven't already, start producing work for your neighborhood. 
• Rededicate yourself to your craft. 
• Set goals and start moving toward them.
• Focus on the end result.

In other words, get to work! 

You have the power to achieve your publication dreams.  Once you think it and believe it, look out world..

For more on Janet Connor and her Plug In class, visit: Writing Down Your Soul.

As always, thanks for stopping by.

6 Ways to Add Vibrant Partnerships to your Author Platform

The big lesson that I learned from Janet Conner's sixth Plug In class, How to Build Your Author Platform, is:

Writers need vibrant, creative partnerships.

I'm sure you've heard before that an author platform is mandatory to your publishing career.  You've also heard that in building a platform you need to blog, social network, and use video sites.  In other words, you have to do your own marketing and promotion.   

by frankdasilva



"Publishers want to know how many people you know," said Plug In guest Jennifer Hill Robenalt, a 20-year communications pro and the principal of Robin Hill Media.  "Whether that's fair or not, or effective or not, it's all we have to measure how big our audience truly is."

But what you may not know is that all of your platform-building could be for naught if you don't bring people into your fold who can collaborate in helping you access your full creative and marketing potential. 

Even if you're the type who likes to go solo, there are times you'll need powerful partnerships and alliances.

Do yo need a website designer?  Do you need a publicist? 

"Own up to what you need," said Gail McMeekin, Plug in guest and author of The 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women.  "Then carefully bring in someone who aliens to your purpose."

Jennifer Hill Robenalt went on to say, "Every time I have a new partnership, I have a new cheerleader for my work." 

Writers need partnerships to cross reference and promote each other, share contacts, network, act as speakers and teachers, motivate, and provide gifts to each other's audience. 

And how does a writer forge such partnerships?

Jennifer shared 6 ways:

1. Use Technorati, Google blog, and other author's blog rolls to seek out people who are doing similar work and are like-minded.  Forge relationships with them online, comment on their blogs, and on Facebook.  Collaborate content.  Guest blog and vice versa.
2. Create a dream list of people you want to form partnerships with.  On every website there's a contact or media tab.  Find the publicist or contact the author directly.  Tell them you are a blogger and would like to be on their "media list."  You may be invited on blogging calls or virtual book tours. 
3. Create your own mini media empire. You tube, Facebook, Twitter, Wordpress and Blogger are all free.  Add a video to your blog. All you need is a flip camera to make videos of yourself when you speak in public, etc. Create a buzz.
4. Start an Internet radio show.  Blog Talk Radio is free.  All you need is a computer and a phone.
5. Check out sites such as Help a Reporter Out, where journalists and national reporters are looking for sources.
6. List the top ten places you want to see yourself featured, then follow them and invest time in them.

The opportunities for creating vibrant partnerships are endless.

Share contacts. Share ideas. What goes around, comes around. A good deed is never wasted.

Thanks for stopping by,

Plug In, Janet Conner, and Synchronicity

I entered Janet Conner's Plug In telecourse with an open mind, because I so want to believe that it's possible to give my soul full expression by stepping into the Intersection.

Janet defines the Intersection as"a spiritual space in your consciousness where you are able to connect your craft (skills) with your spiritual practice (knowledge and wisdom)" and where "you will receive direct inspiration, communication, and dialogue with divine source energy."





It isn't that I'm suffering from writer's block or that I don't feel motivated (though these issues do crop up in my life often enough), but after ten years of writing and revising my four novels, it's time for me to take the next step--querying agents and finding a publisher. 

But something is holding me back.

During our first Plug In session, Janet talked about the power of "Intention" and "Checking the Box," so  immediately after our time together, I asked the Universe and my Spirit Guides to help show me the way.  "Let me know you're backing me up.  Please.  Anything.  Just give me a little support here."

The response? 

Silence. 

No messages.  No breakthroughs.  Life as usual.

Or so I thought until last Tuesday night.

During our second Plug In session, odd occurrences started to grab my attention, and by night's end, six instances of synchronicity stood out in my mind. 

I'll share them and let you decide:  Am I seeing coincidences where there are not?  Should I dismiss them as mere chance?  Should I go back to reducing life to the ordinary, commonplace and non mysterious?

1. A fellow Plug In participant mentioned that she was painting icons under the tutelage of an art instructor.  Icons?  How odd.  Until three months ago, the only icons I was familiar with (besides small statues of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph) were in churches, in books, and on TV.  Yet in November, a cousin visiting from Holland presented me with a breathtaking icon of the Angel Gabriel that she had painted in her icon class.  It took her 24 hours to create, and it was trimmed in red-orange, the exact color I'd painted three walls in my writing room.  I was surprised that my cousin (whom I'd only met three times) had chosen this particular image, since in my first novel, the protagonist's side-kick is a stray cat named Gabriel.  CHANCE? 

2. When Janet talked about "Sacred Space," being the fourth element that expands The Intersection, she showed us a picture that hangs in her own Sacred Space.  It features the Angel Gabriel, patron saint of writers.  She'd painted the walls of her space ORANGE--Angel Gabriel's color.  Check out the wall color of my writing room in this photo.  CHANCE?
3. The fourth element that expands the Intersection, according to Janet, is "Guides."  As an example of a guide, she lists animal totems in the Native American tradition.  She talked about the Osprey Hawk, a bird that holds special significance for her.  Odd.  In two of my novels I write about animal totems, and the hawk, in particular, holds special significance for my protagonist.  CHANCE? 
4. Under "Guides," Jane also listed "creative partners/daemons."  As an example, she highlighted Elizabeth Gilbert at TED.  Just a few days before, my son had called to tell me about TED.  He said it shared great talks and performances for free. I googled TED immediately and ended up listened to Elizabeth Gilbert's 18 minute talk about nurturing creativity.  CHANCE?'
5. Janet then talked about the jacket of the 3rd printing of Writing Down Your Soul and how it has an owl on its cover.  Odd.  One of the characters in my fourth novel is fascinated with an owl (his animal totem and a major symbol in the story).  CHANCE?
6. Janet calls the eleventh element that expands the Intersection, "Soul-cation."  She talked about regularly scheduling periods of time for rest and renewal, a "Soul Day."  The Sunday previous, I'd decided to stop blogging and revising my work on Sundays, to keep at least that day sacred.  I attended the Center For Spiritual Awareness for the first time, where Rev. Georgia Prescott talked about "The Leap" and the four hidden barriers and beliefs that hold you back.  CHANCE?

Though you may have answered CHANCE after each of these synchronicities, I've decided to consider these subtle, fleeting, and easily dismissed occurrences as timely arrivals of special information.  I'm not sure what this information means just yet, but I'm willing to relinquish cynicism and doubt in favor of faith and hope.  What could it hurt to have a positive attitude and believe there are opportunities coming my way?

Now that I think about it, it's interesting that Janet Conner's Plug In class came at such an opportune time in my life.  CHANCE?