the middle of nowhere

Hurray! - I'm in a book

Heather — Thu, 01 May 2008 08:34:00 +0000

I guess the next best thing to having my own book published, is to appear in someone elses.
Spare Room Start Up is the stylish new book by Emma Jones, founder of Enterprise Nation (a free website full of tips, advice and ideas for those of us who want to work from home).
Emma invited me to be a case study in her book a couple of months ago, she liked my website and philosophy and was interested in my work-life balance. I sent her about 1000 words and a couple of photos and hey presto! - I have a whole page all to myself (pg 114 to be precise).
Now this isn't any small time, sit in the corner, no-one's ever heard of it little book.
This is THE business book of the moment. Waterstone's are championing it as their 'book of the month' for May. Pre-orders of the book are already high and it's set to be a best seller. And I'm in every copy!!!!
Hurry along to your local bookstore to have a sneaky peak and if you want to grab yourself a bargain, buy it from our link for £8.44 instead of the cover price of £12.99.
So, what have we learnt?
Networking is the way to go. Building meaningful business relationships pays.
I've never even met Emma, we communicate through short emails and via the forum on her site. Yet we have developed a connection.
I have been invited to the book launch on 15th May (National Work from Home Day) and I'm going to join her on her book signing tour. I can't wait - she's going to get the biggest hug ever!

PR & Marketing

Heather — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 13:50:00 +0000

No budget but lots of imagination and an unstoppable determination. That's basically what I brought to the challenge of getting exposure for the website and ultimately a book deal.

My 'spread the word' plan looked a bit like this:

Email all my contacts from North West England
Write articles and tip sheets to send to magazines & newspapers
Write articles for other online sites
Contact journalists and introduce myself as an expert, happy to give them quotes in exchange for a name check
Start passing out business cards
Send samples of my relaxation CD to magazines to be reviewed
Post in online forums to heighten profile
Speak at conferences

This was going to be a full-time job!
I got my head down and put in some serious hours and it all started to pay off.
We sent out our first newsletter in November to 11 people and by April that list had grown to 300. We had 2 double page spread features in the local press in Liverpool (complete with full colour photos); Our tip sheets were picked up by local and national press; our relaxation Cd was promoted by Holland & Barratt's 'Healthy' magazine; I was invited down to London to take part in a photo shoot for 'Psychologies' magazine with promise of a review of the cd in a later issue; 'Prima' magazine have accepted a piece for inclusion in a later issue and we were mentioned in a magazine in South Africa that prompted a huge number of visitors to the site.
Two of the best outcomes have been through other websites. Firstly Imperfectly Natural, the site of Janey Lee Grace, Author and Co-Host of Steve Wright in the Afternoon. Janey really loved my cd and recommends it on her site and when she makes speaking and TV appearances.
The other site that has really welcomed me is Enterprise Nation. Emma Jones, the founder, has been very supportive and has even asked me to be a case study in her new book 'Spare Room Start Up'.
It's been hard work but it's now getting very exciting. If you haven't explored all these avenues with your own venture, I do recommend it. It really is amazing how much marketing can be done without any expenditure other than time.

What have we done?

Heather — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 19:40:00 +0000

So, we built the website and we launched on 28th October 2007 - we chose that day because it's the day, here in the Uk, when the clocks go back an hour, it's called 'Me-Time' day and we thought it was apt as our site is called 'A Little Bit of Me Time'. We all gain an extra hour to enjoy in any way we wish. We chose to stay in bed!

Then I had a huge realisation.

I was responsible for all the PR & Marketing.

Hubby Peter had made a beautiful site (taking all my crazy ideas and actually making them work). And then he handed it over to me. It’s no use having a site if no one knows about it. I had a huge challenge ahead of me and to make it even more interesting, I wanted to achieve maximum coverage without spending a penny. I had not budgeted for marketing and so was going to have to be very creative.

Since 1994 I had been self employed running my psychotherapy practise and stress management Company and I only ever advertised once and that brought me no business at all. All my customers came through word of mouth and all that came about because I learnt how to network.

I was now 200 miles away from those contacts and in the middle of nowhere, so breakfast meetings were out of the question and anyway the whole point of being in the middle of nowhere was fuelled by the possibility of running my business via the internet.

I knew I could do this; I was just going to have to network from here. First, I would tell all my old contacts, then I would go and make some new friends to play with – it should be fun!

Chicken or Egg?

Heather — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 10:33:00 +0000

Which comes first, the website or the book? The book or the website? It was such a puzzle. How was an agent going to take me seriously if there was nothing to show them other than my proposal? How could I prove that I could do what I said I could, if there was no proof? But how much time do I spend building my website before approaching an agent? And, more importantly, what do we put on the website if there's no book? Decisions, decisions, decisions, it was driving us crazy - what would you have done?

We decided to put the book to one side for a while so that we could build our website and I'm so glad that we made that decision.
Now, when I approach agents and publishers they can see instantly what I am about. They can make a decision about my work. Yes, we like it - let's talk more! or No - it's not really our kind of thing!
It's also making the process a whole lot easier. I can direct people to the website and it does the talking, and the selling for me. When I've only got ten minutes to explain an idea, it's so much easier to just show them the site. Most people are visual, they like to see things, they create picutes to make sense of ideas. I know this - it's no different here!
So, if you're wondering which way to go, I suggest you get yourself a website and get out there and start telling everyone about it.
I have met some great people from around the world through my site. They send me the most wonderful messages, telling me how I've helped them. That's what it's really all about. I'm doing what I love doing - it's having a positive effect on others. What more could I ask for?

Building a support system

Heather — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 13:45:00 +0000

There are some things we just can’t do alone. Sometimes we need to ask for help.

On my journey into publication I have had to recognise and accept my limitations. I know I can write. I have written in the past. As a lecturer, I wrote: schemes of work; lesson plans; course manuals; handouts. As a psychotherapist I write therapeutic stories for children. I had to learn how to do it and have a template to follow. I’m sure the same can be said about writing books. I know that there is a system to follow and I can either do it the hard way by trial and error and much wasted time or I can surround myself with experts.

I have chosen the latter and, if you are joining me on my quest, I encourage you to do the same.

I would like to introduce you to my mentors on this adventure.

First of all, Simon Whaley, my tutor on The Writer’s Bureau course. When I first enrolled on the course I had that experience of being at the edge of my map, about to enter new territory. I was way out of my comfort zone and Simon, very skilfully, held my hand through this initial stage. He has always been supportive of my writing. He gives me positive feedback and encouragement, always believing that it is possible for me to achieve my dreams. How wonderful is that? Just imagine for a moment having a professional, best selling writer talk to you about your book ideas as if they are about to manifest. This, in itself, instils me with confidence.

Secondly, I would like you to meet Julia McCutchen –publishing consultant and creativity coach. The first thing I noticed about Julia is her passion, not only for her own work but for the dreams of her clients. She wants us all to become published authors and puts every ounce of herself into helping and supporting us in this work.

She has helped me to focus my ideas and create from my own unique perspective. The most important thing that Julia has taught me is to work on finding my own writer’s voice.

I would also like to mention my friend Renita Boyle, an author and poet. Renita has taught me, by example, that it is possible to become a published author. The things she writes about are things that she feels passionately about in her life and it shows through her writing. Just being around her has helped me to believe in myself more. What’s interesting is that I only met Renita when I came to live in the middle of nowhere!

So, what have I learned? That sometimes we need help and it’s OK to ask for it. That surrounding ourselves with experts can move us forward and keep us focused. That anything is possible – if we believe in ourselves.

Well formed outcomes

Heather — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 11:58:00 +0000

When we moved 200 miles to the middle of nowhere in South West Scotland, there was always one thing in the back of my mind. That, when we had settled in, I would throw myself into writing my book (hereafter referred to as 'the book' or book No 1, as many others are queuing up in my head) . 'Settling in' has taken some two years already. OK, we took a year off when we first arrived which merged into the second year when we set up our website in order to make a living (just a little detail). Everything is now in place and I am starting this blog in order to concentrate on taking action.

My therapist voice is telling me that I need a plan, a road map, a goal to strive toward:

What do I want to achieve?
How will I know when I get there?
What will it look/sound/feel like?
What will I have to start to do differently?
What will I have to stop doing?
How will I check along the way that I am going in the right direction?

And so I have created in my head - an image of me, in the future, living the life I want. It is very specific. It involves enjoying living in the middle of nowhere and being in touch with nature, taking time out to really appreciate it every day. Balancing my writing with trips around the country talking to people about my work. Feeling a real connection with people through my new book. It is a small gift book, with a cover of warm muted colours and creamy thick pages. Words beautifully written. Hearing positive feedback, knowing a difference is being made in the lives of it's readers, motivates me to carry on.

Getting a book published is uncharted territory so the right type of support is crucial. Not wanting to spend years locked away in a room with a sheet of blank paper, I have enrolled on a writer's course and enlisted the assistance of a writing coach.

Making a public commitment as loud as this has got to be a great motivator - there's no turning back!

So, it looks like I'm all set. Why not join me? Jump aboard and let's set sail for the land of publication, share our experiences and cross the finishing line together, hand in hand. Or, just sit back and observe from the comfort of your armchair. I do hope that in the process of achieving my dream, I may: inspire, educate, amuse and/or enlighten others. Wish me luck!