FOR YOUR REFERENCE SHELF

      

 

                                Enjoy!

FOR YOUR REFERENCE SHELF

Enjoy!

SUMMER SIGNED BOOK PROMOTION & PRIZES

                     

Do you have signed copies of both of my books? If not, please consider this “prize inside” signed book promotion offer.

I am selling ten signed copies of each book at the cover price plus shipping. 

My husband, Jason, has taken these copies and slipped prizes into six of the twenty  books.

When I receive an order, I will pull a book out of the pile (I don’t know which books have the prizes in them), custom inscribe it, and pop it in the mail.

Six random winners will get two of each of the following prizes at no extra cost:        
A one-hour writing career phone consultation
A half-hour writing career phone consultation
A free, signed copy of my other book
When your book arrives, check page 150 to see if you are a winner!

More details are here (for Writer Mama) and here (for Get Known).    

Offer expires July 31st or once all twenty books are sold, whichever comes first.

Thanks for spreading the word to your friends who might not yet have a signed copy of their very own!

Summer Blog Tour Thanks and Some Writer Mama Thanks Too

I’ve been blog touring for Get Known Before the Book Deal. Thanks to everyone who hosted me this past week!

I hope that bloggers or writing groups or just groups of friends who write will team up and use Get Known to work on platform development in the long haul because platform development is a process just like writing. 🙂

Christine Fonseca over at The Musings of Christine Fonseca

Wendy Burt over at Ask Wendy–The Query Queen

Debbie Simorte over at Writer Up — Writing the Life Chaotic

Shonna Slaton over at Routines for Writers

Kim Zook over at Zook Book Nook

Social Media Maven Meryl Evans hosted me over at Meryl.net and featured two of my e-zines in Web Worker Daily.

Also, I was rushing to prepare for my trip a couple weeks ago and didn’t provide links, so here’s more thanks to the folks who helped kick off the summer blog tour:

Diane from Contentedly Neurotic.

Lindsay Maines, the Rock n’ Roll Mama

Liz Sheffield’s blog, Motherlogue

Pamela Maynard at Pamela Maynard’s Pen

Lindsey over at The Write Words posted a review of Get Known.

I’ve done my best not to leave anybody out. Holler if I’ve missed anyone!

And thanks to Rebecca Laffar-Smith for hosting a Writer Mama book giveaway in May!

The great reviews of Writer Mama keep rolling in. Here’s one by Lara Dolphin over at E-zineArticles.com.

Butterfly Baby included Writer Mama in a great round up of books to read this summer in the blog Pregnancy and Motherhood. She wrote:

In an effort to remain focused on writing and building that business, I purchased a few books. I’ve only started to read the Writer Mama first, but so far, I’m loving it. There’s a great friendly tone to it, almost as if a girlfriend is guiding me on which way to go with this new venture. It’s extremely educational and is a great guide through the business as well as a mentor on how to get published.

I’ll end with some kind words from Meg over at mamaguilt in Queensland, Australia:

I’m reading Writer Mama, and it’s changing the way I view my life.

Freelance writer Christina Katz delivers nearly 300 pocket-sized pages of wisdom that will help any writer, not just the mamas among us. Most writers can benefit from advice about how to work from home, be your own boss, build on your strengths, and follow your interests. I read Katz’s Get Known before the Book Deal as research for an article I wrote for WQ, and read in conjunction, Katz’s two books have inspired me to create a framework to organise my writing activites. I devote time to research, generating ideas, networking, and creating opportunities, as well as the actual writing.

The Perfect Mother’s Day Gift for Moms Who Want to Write

It’s a simple, inexpensive equasion:

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Writing Nonfiction Books is my topic at the Mamapreneurs Inc. Meeting Tonight

Hiya mamas,

I’m part of a panel for Mamapreneurs tonight in Portland, Oregon. I thought I’d share a few links here in advance in order to be more “green.” This way I won’t have to type suggested resources up in Word and print it out, and waste a lot of paper. I can just invite attendees to check my blog.

Here’s a list of resources for publishing a nonfiction book today:

Listen to the short, free Webinar by Jane Friedman over at Writer’s Digest, Secrets to Getting Published in Tough Times. It’s about thirty minutes of key information for anyone hoping to get a book published in these times.

1. To publish nonfiction books, here’s the typical order of how it happens:

1. Platform Development & Building for 1-3 years prior to and during the book development process. I’ve been developing my platform for eight years consistently.

2. Book proposal development & book pitching can take anywhere from one month to one year. Even longer in some cases, if a lot of back and forth is involved. My proposal for Writer Mama took about a month but I’d been working up to it for a month prior to that. My proposal for Get Known was also pretty quick because I was already writing and speaking on the topic.

3. Book writing takes anywhere from six months to six years. Typically one to two years. I spent one and a half years writing Writer Mama and one year on Get Known.

4. Book marketing lasts as long as the book is in print. I try to pace myself rather than a big burst of events all at once, which works out to roughly one-three events per month.

2. What’s the leading misconception about writing nonfiction books for publication?

Possibly that everyone would enjoy writing for traditional publication. Writing any genre book is an enormous amount of work, time, and energy. And honestly, I don’t think it’s for everyone. However, I do believe that most people have a book (or ten) in them. I’m just not sure that all of those books in all those people are right for traditional publication, especially because of the rapid decrease in the number of traditionally published books that are going to get published in the future.

I think if someone reads my book Get Known Before the Book Deal and likes the sound of most of the challenges that those people should pitch their book ideas because they will be the most likely to succeed in the current book publishing marketplace.

3. What are the potential costs involved with getting published?

This amount would vary so widely that I’m trying to come up with more of a rule of thumb. Advice I often give to writers is that you will get back what you invest amplified. So if you don’t invest, work, time, energy and money, then don’t expect to make money.

So, let’s say out of your advance (say 5-10 thousand dollars for a first book), you can expect to spend up to all of it, or at least half of it. But you will make money from other types of income streams like writing articles, teaching, consulting and speaking if you follow my advice. Just like any business, expect to reinvest 30-50% back into your business so it will grow.

4. What are the top 3 things a writer can do to help increase his/her chances of getting published?

I’ve written a top ten list of tips on platform building based on my book, Get Known Before the Book Deal. E-mail me at writermama@earthlink.net and I’ll send it to you.

5. What are some top trends in the writing & publishing industry that writers should be aware of?

Competition is stiffer than ever. Less physical books will be published going forward. Writers need to invest heavily in their platforms in addition to writing, selling and professional development.

But the good news is: publishing is not over by any means. The industry is evolving and so are writers. The most grounded, not the swiftest, will survive. (That’s my prediction anyway.)

If I met you at the Mamapreneurs, Inc. meeting, please leave a comment and say hello!

I’m over at Hallie Ephron’s Red Jungle Writers Blog Today

Come on over and join in the discussion of platform development!

And if you are a mystery lover, fuggetaboutit!

Red Jungle Writers is like mystery-writer heaven!

Come on over!

http://www.jungleredwriters.com/

A Few Writer Mama Announcements…

I sure am enjoying all of the submissions for the Writer Mama December Sell-a-bration. There’s still room for more! Former students, if you’ve not caught the bug yet, why not read this blog from December 1st on for inspiration and then send in your story. Sounds like those who are, are inspiring themselves as well as us! Please send your submissions to me via e-mail. (I know you have it.)

Sunday is the last day to apply for the Writer Mama Scholarship for Writing & Publishing the Short Stuff. What have you got to lose?

And…duh-duh-duh-duh! I am now on YouTube. Or at least my voice is. Preview out the book trailer for Get Known. (The official unveiling is Monday but I can’t seem to keep it to myself.)

Happy pre-holiday weekend, mamas!

Excellent Review of Get Known

It’s always a pleasant surprise to wake up and find a thoughtful, positive, well-written book review of one of your books after you’ve put so much thought and effort into it. So I was thrilled this morning to find this review of Get Known by Thursday Bram in her blog Thursdaybram.com.

Recently in his blog, The Newbie’s Guide to Publishing, Joe Konrath wrote about how easy it is to criticize a book and how everyone seems to have jumped on the bandwagon without bringing a respectful or professional take to the effort.

I’ve been pretty lucky when it comes to scathing critiques of my writing by critics (you have to actually get reviewed to get scathing critiques and writing instruction books don’t tend to garner the interest of paid book reviewers), however, I have been personally attacked (I was told to get a plant instead of a child when WM came out) and recently I was received a dubious review of one of my workshops, which I won’t dignify with a link, because apparently the reviewer (a self-described “lothario”) missed the entire point and was only interested in cutting it and me down.

Suffice it to say, when I read a review of one of my books by a complete stranger, and they seem to be posting the review not because they are getting paid but to share information, and it’s a rave review, I feel pretty darn good.

Because the fact of the matter is: I don’t write my books to please critics. I write them to help writers.

So, thanks Thursday Bram. For restoring my faith in reviewers. I may never get that coveted New York Times review (or even The Oregonian for that matter) but on mornings like this, I feel like all of my hard work has been acknowledged and appreciated…and I couldn’t ask for anything more.

Signed Copies of Get Known in Portland-area Bookstores

Hiya mamas,

So, I took a little road-trip today with fellow author and mama, Kati Neville, who wrote Fix, Freeze, Feast with Lindsay Tkacsik. You can learn all about Kati and Lindsay over at their website and blog. And check out Kati’s podcasts on how to save money on food: The Saver’s Kitchen. I know we’re all trying to save money on groceries right now and Kati’s got her finger on the pulse.

We started down here, South of Portland, Oregon, where we both live with Kati at the wheel and me in the co-pilot’s seat, and drove all the way up to Vancouver, Washington, where we signed books at:

Barnes & Noble, Vancouver, WA

Borders, Vancouver, WA

Then we stopped in at Jantzen Beach, OR Barnes & Noble.

Next stop, Powell’s Books in Portland, OR

Border’s in downtown Portland, OR

We grabbed a quick lunch at Chipolte and then on to:

Powell’s on Hawthorne

And didn’t have time left to hit Clackamas Barnes & Noble before we had to pick up our kids at school.

Looks like we’ll have to schedule another trip and go from west to east instead of north to south!

But in the meantime, if you are looking for a signed copy of Get Known Before the Book Deal, now you know where they are! I’ll keep you posted on any additions to the list after our next trip.

But more than anything else, we had fun!

Because that’s what happens when writers team up and do things together.

Who can you team up with in your area? What can you do together?

Or if you already have, share your stories here.

What I’ve been up to…and requests for assistance

I have been so busy with Get Known’s release and launch, that I feel like a passer-by in my own blog!

Bah. I don’t like it. 😦

So, here’s a little update. I hope to do better during ye old holiday season, which starts next week.

Yikes! Can you believe it?

I swore I was going to get a jump on the holidays and ask me what I’ve accomplished so far.

A list. I’ve made a list. And by the looks of it, I’ll be revising much of it.

So much for good intentions. 🙂

So, I’ve been pounding away at my keyboard on Get Known interviews:

One appeared this week in Maria Scheider’s blog, Editor Unleashed.

Another will appear next week in Allison Winn Scotch’s blog: Ask Allison.

Another is scheduled to appear on Writer Uboxed soon.

Go, me!

Last night, I was interviewed by Jeff Ayers for Author Magazine. Jeff has already given Get Known a rave review (with a nice plug for Writer Mama too) and soon, he’ll be posting a podcast with me in which he asks me all kinds of questions no one ever asks me. (In my pre-defense, it was late and I’m not a night person, but we’ll see how it turned out. Everything crossed.)

I’m also working on a video trailer for Get Known. If all goes well, I’ll do another for Writer Mama. Still searching for just the right mic to make it happen. More soon! I think you guys are going to be really impressed.

And tomorrow, I’ll be toodling around the greater Portland area with Kati Neville, author of Fix, Freeze, Feast. We’ll be signing stock (and having a nice lunch out, I hope!). But, since we’re both moms, we have to get back in time for school to get out!

Such is the busy life of a mom with a recently released book.

Luci asked if we’d be stopping, but this is pretty much a drive-by signing so that the books on the shelves will be signed (and therefore more likely to be picked up as gifts).

See the sacrifices we are willing to make for our readers? 🙂

I would love and truly appreciate any kinds of online reviews that anyone, who appreciates Get Known can post. With holiday shopping kicking off next week, every little plug counts

Also, if you don’t think your local library has my books (especially if you live OUTSIDE the Pacific Northwest), please ask them to order them next time you check out books. Library selectors DON’T listen to authors. But they will listen to their patrons. (I did research on this and this is what I was told at any rate.)

Did you do your Thanksgiving shopping yet?

Gulp. I’d better get on it.

Thanks for your support! I hope you are all enjoying the book!

Ready to Get Known, Mamas? Come to Salem, Oregon Tonight!

I’ll be speaking at the Salem branch of Willamette Writers tonight at 7 p.m.

Hope to see all the writers from our state’s capital who want to get known there!

Have you heard? I’m on a mission…to help writers get known. 🙂

Get Known Before the Book Deal: A Platform Development Checklist

Even if you are not yet known and you don’t have a writing specialty, you will enjoy this lively presentation about how to name, claim, cultivate and explain your all-important writer’s platform from scratch. Becoming visible is more crucial to landing a book deal than ever, according to agents and editors in every facet of the publishing industry. Simply churning out a book isn’t enough. Aspiring authors need to develop a platform in order to get noticed. Based on her book, Get Known Before the Book Deal, Christina Katz, will help you see the bigger platform picture and then take the small steps every writer must in order to get known and land a book deal.

Info is here.

Want to get known for all the “right” reasons? Here’s my top twelve tips:

You will become influential for all the right reasons and stand out in a crowded marketplace when you…

1. Clarify the expertise you have to offer.
2. Carve out your distinct niche among the throngs doing similar work.
3. Align your offerings with what your audience needs and wants.
4. Accept the current industry realities and communicate with professionalism and poise.
5. Learn to see yourself from the point-of-view of seasoned gatekeepers in the industry.
6. Take 100% responsibility for your writing career, while partnering with impeccable others.
7. Invite and incorporate input from the most qualified sources, including your readers.
8. Stay competitive by evolving with the times and respond in a timely manner to areas that can benefit from improvement.
9. Keep an eye on future trends while staying firmly grounded in the moment.
10. Allow your platform development to be an integrated, authentic and organic process that increases your visibility as your good intentions take root, grow and bear fruit.
11. Make good things happen in your own career and in the careers of others.
12. Trust your gut. It always tells the truth.

View my list of “Platform Superheroes” over at the Get Known website:

http://getknownbeforethebookdeal.com/

Monday, September 22nd is the Amazon Spike Day for Get Known Before the Book Deal, Use Your Personal Strengths to Grow an Author Platform

3:27 p.m. You have driven Get Known to the 320 mark! Amazing! Thank you so much for your support!

1:57 p.m. Get Known hits 338!!! (I could get used to this. It’s selling more copies than The Artist’s Way and Bird by Bird!)

1:48 p.m. Get Known is number ONE in the Authorship category!!!

Oh my goodness, you guys! Get Known has reached number 596 on Amazon. That is AMAZING! Hugs to you all for your support! It is so heart warming. Truly.

[THIS POST REFERS TO MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22ND…PARTICIPATE ONLY IF YOU FEEL SO MOVED]

Dear friends,

The first day of Fall is here! And as I’ve been promising (threatening?) for weeks now, it’s also the official help me drive my second book to the number one spot on Amazon.com day. (Heck, I’d settle for number one within its category.) The impact of a good Amazon spike is the same, no matter how “low” you rank (the lower, the better).

But before I invite you to help me drive my book to the number one spot on Amazon.com on Monday, let me share why authors do this kind of thing.

The closer my book gets to the number one spot on Amazon.com the more often Amazon will recommend it to readers who have read books on similar topics. That’s them doing a lot of heavy lifting marketing for me.

As an author my job is to make my book visible as much as I can before and after it is released. So that, in a nutshell, is what I’m up to.

I want to emphasize that I did my own Amazon.com spike for Writer Mama and I was pleased with the results. I would never pay someone to conduct this effort for me. I do not endorse any of those “you-pay-me-a-few-grand-and-I’ll-take-good-care-of-you” online offers. In all of my work I emphasize working slowly and consistently over time in order to cultivate legitimate success with integrity.

Well, it’s time to kick things off. And naturally, I’d love all the help I can get spreading the word about Get Known Before the Book Deal.

My goal is to help my title reach its intended readers. You can help me do just that by participating in my Amazon Sales Spike on Monday, September 22nd. (Obviously, if you have no interest whatsoever in my book, then absolutely do not feel pressured to buy it Monday or ever!) However, if you feel like Get Known is a book you want and need, I would truly appreciate your participation Monday.

Everyone who orders Get Known from Amazon.com during the twenty-four hour period from midnight on Sunday until midnight on Monday and e-mails me their receipt within 24 hours will receive a platform development checklist on Tuesday, which serves as the perfect companion to the book. Readers will also be entered in a drawing to receive a one-hour phone consultation with me. Three phone conference winners will be chosen on Frinday, September 26th, from those who submit receipts for phone conferences to take place in October (video-conference is a possibility for me, also, if the winners would like to do that).

Anyone is welcome to participate in the Amazon spike, so feel free to spread the word. Send purchase receipts to writermama2@earthlink.net to enter the drawing. If you have another way you prefer to purchase my book or another date on which you would prefer to purchase my book, that’s great with me. Remember, if you purchase more than one book to have them shipped separately or you will have to wait for all your books until Get Known is ready to ship.

I imagine that the books will arrive from Amazon in early November. I am not able to know or predict the exact date. Everyone does a pretty good job at keeping me in the dark about that. 🙂

Thank you so much for your support no matter how you wish to offer it. If you are looking for a link, please order through my Get Known blog.

In the writing spirit,

Christina

***Now, I’m pretty sure to avoid getting thrown into jail that I need to say here that there is no purchase required to enter the drawing. So, there. I just said it. You know what to do.

What People Are Saying About “Get Known Before the Book Deal”

“The difference between a struggling writer searching for a book deal and the happily published author is a well-developed platform. (If you don’t know what a platform is, you really need this book.) It’s refreshing to read a book devoted to this very important part of the publishing process. Get Known Before the Book Deal is a must-read for any writer who wants to become a published author.”

—Lee Silber, award-winning author of thirteen books, including Self-Promotion for the Creative Person

“Katz challenges the comfortable myths writers often hide behind: I’m the exception, and I’m too modest for self-promotion. Marketing is the author’s responsibility, and new authors seeking ways to meaningfully increase their audience and reach—before, during, and after publication—will find hundreds of practical strategies here. Katz says: get over yourself. She shows you exactly how to do just that.”

—Heather Sellers, author of Georgia Under Water and Page After Page

“This should be the go-to book for every writer wanting to succeed in the highly competitive world of book publishing. As an agent, I know platform is as important (in a successful deal) as the quality of the written words on the page. Christina brings that home in her warm and accessible writing style of this book that’s filled with juicy tips!”

—Sharlene Martin, Martin Literary Management

“Every day I tell writers, ‘Build your platform!’ They ask, ‘How?’ Now I can point them in the right direction, to Christina Katz’s excellent guide to platform-building.”

—Eric Maisel, author of Creativity for Life and A Writer’s Space

“Christina Katz’s no-nonsense guide to building an author platform is a shot in the arm, a kick in the pants, and a bracing dose of reality, not to mention chock full of sage advice, invaluable resources, and buckets of encouragement.”

—Hallie Ephron, author of Never Tell a Lie and 1,001 Books for Every Mood

“This book is an essential field manual for every new writer. In the increasingly competitive publishing world, those who follow Christina Katz’s advice will have a definite advantage.”

—James Scott Bell, author of Plot & Structure and Revision and Self-Editing