Transforming Your Blog or Business – Achieve Your Publishing Dreams has Launched

Oh you guys – This has been such a journey. I can’t tell you how hard, how amazing, and what a blessing this journey has been. It was a struggle for me to tackle the technical aspects needed to make this happen and it required me keeping the creative…the service…before my mind through the whole process. Achieve Your Publishing Dreams is a comprehensive course that blends the do-ability of the 30 Day Ebook I wrote three years ago, with the personal, hand’s-on system I work through with consulting clients. But without the four-five figure price tag! 🙂

I learned a lot in the process.

1. Remember who you are serving

I felt ready to give up when I couldn’t tackle a technical issue and I was ready to just say, literally, screw it. My friend Spencer asked me, “Why is this important for people? Why do you care?” Oh man! In answering his question I felt myself getting excited again. I told him stories about clients I had helped – a mother who was able to quit her job and be home with her family. A dad who wrote books in his spare time and took his family on a dream vacation with the extra revenue. A blogging friend who wrote two books of her own, and created a thriving speaking career as a result. Anyone who needs help transforming their blog or business through writing a book will benefit. How could I give up!?

2. You might have to give something up

You’ve heard me rant about pruning in the past. But in this case I had to drop a lot. I let go paying clients and hourly work into order to free up time to put this thing together. Not only was it thirty written lessons, but also videos, audio files, handouts, checklists, an ebook on publishing magazine articles, expert training on advanced topics….everything. A lot. More than I could do well while also dividing my focus on other people’s projects at the same time. I turned down a huge paid opportunity and quit a paying gig to make the time to make this happen and I’m so glad I did. The course is better as a result.

3. Improve on the original

“Act first, think later, and then iterate.” is something that Amber Rae said on a recent Unmistakable Creative podcast episode. I wrote 30 Days to Make and Sell a Fabulous eBook in two weeks. TWO WEEKS. And it’s a great product, sure. But it needed updating with all the Kindle and Createspace and other self-publishing and book writing trends and resources that have become available in the last three years. The new version of the book is the course. I couldn’t redo the original or just throw in a new chapter and then call it good – I needed to make something that would be a huge improvement on the original. It’s about adding value! It’s about eliminating overwhelm and adding something new to make it better and easier for people than ever before and you can even edit, which is easier now a days with PDF software from sodapdf.com which is perfect for everyone creating digital content.

4. Ask. Connect. Don’t go it alone. 

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. There are plenty of things I’m good at – I’m good at breaking down crazy hard things for people and walking them through to the next step….a “change agent” if you will. But I didn’t know anything about membership sites. Or installing an affiliate dashboard in my cpanel. Or creating a brilliant landing page. I like the pretty pretty words and the fun and brilliant and thinking about ways to connect with readers more deeply. All those details? GAH! You guys got me through. Time after time one of you helped me – Alli, John, Srini, Brannan, Becky, Spencer, Deborah, Marj, Mary, Mom, I can’t even name everyone who encouraged me, helped me, took a look, bought a sample as a test, or listened to me rant. Thank you.

5. Don’t lose the Creative Impulse

I feasted on Madeleine L’Engle, Jeff Goins, and Steven Pressfield during this whole process. So much of it was cerebral I could feel my creative self dying. So I feasted on creative brilliance and fed my inner muse…we sang together, we praised God, we danced, we wrote songs, we painted….for the fun of it. The creative impulse is squelched by MUSTS and SHOULDS. It thrives in fun and delight and joy and freedom. In the midst of a long-term and massive project you cannot lose the Creative Impulse.

Want to learn more? Subscribe at 30 Day Ebook website and check out the learning series or the Achieve Your Publishing Dreams course. And then share with someone you know wants to write a book.

Meanwhile, what have you been busy creating lately?