The Change Up #1 Revisited

Thank you for all the comments and e-mails that followed last week’s What It Takes post. I’ve spent the past week thinking about what I wrote, why I wrote it, and how I feel about the responses.

Seth Godin mentioned that Steve’s books are gifts. I agree. Change up the old Hair Club for Men line, to: I don’t just work with Steve, but I’m a fan, too.

Since his books are gifts, why did I think we were “hitting people up” when we approached them about sharing the books?

Mike B. e-mailed me soon after the post went up. I met Mike via Twitter and have enjoyed getting to know more about him. We’ve gone back and forth quite a bit and he’s one of the individuals we sent copies of all of the books. In his e-mail, Mike mentioned that he never felt he was being hit up. He was happy to receive them.

Then there are all of the other comments responding to the post. They agree with Seth and Mike.

In the past two-plus years, I’ve had the privilege of getting to know more of Steve’s readers as we’ve experimented online with different projects and types of outreach.  They’re honest and supportive. They want more. Mike and Steve (a reader, not Steve P) are two individuals we met in Pinehurst, N.C., a few weeks back. Enthusiastic? Yes. Supportive? Yes. Want more from Steve P.? Yes.

I’ve seen the proof, so what’s my deal? Why the holdback on wanting to contact readers a few times in a short period of time?

A year or so ago, an Intel reporter I disagreed with made a point of telling me that as a journalist, she held the keys and I was doing a disservice to clients by getting on her bad side. Basically, she could lock the door and block the coverage I was seeking for my clients. At the time, I ignored the journalist, knowing that I can spread more via word-of-mouth supportive readers (tribes as Seth likes to say) than she could via one of her news stories.  But I kept thinking about her this past week and realized how much her comments bothered me and how I hadn’t let go of what she had said or what many others have repeated in the past.

The comments “We just did something with him” and “He was on X show and we don’t follow X” are about as common  in traditional media as ants at a Fourth of July picnic. They are always out there, but you hope they don’t pop up. Unfortunately, they do. There’s this thing with traditional outlets about only doing so much with one person at a time. And for certain subjects, such as the military (which is a big focus for me), it’s a little trickier. (I’ll explain ins and outs of military in another post).

There was always this treading lightly feeling with producers and editors. I became friends with many, but because of the high turnover in the last few years in particular, the getting-to-know-you stage has been stalled on repeat.

What’s the difference between establishing relationships with producers and editors and then with readers?

The first two care about their programs and publications. Some are fans, but most don’t read the books sent to them. Their priority is advancing their own program and good guests/interviews help.

Readers care about the author and the books. They want to like the author and his or her projects. And they want to help spread the word. I know I’m the first to share a book or movie that excites me (side: Am reading my first Agatha Christie book–The Clocks–check it out. Loving it.)

So if I know all of this about producers and editors and readers, why the comments in last week’s post?

I’m still nervous.

I respect Steve’s readers. When I e-mail or speak with them on the phone, I think of them as friends. I treat them how I’d want to be treated. They are real people, who care and want to help and I want to respect that. Yet I’m so nervous about asking them for help over and over again. I’m afraid I’ll end up being that relative you love to help, but burn out on after a while.

In some cases, I know the readers I can contact over and over. In some cases, I don’t, and feel awkward about contacting them.

If you don’t mind, I hope you’ll share your thoughts on a few more things about outreach:

Many of us ask our colleagues and friends to write blog posts to support our new projects.

What kind of lead-time would you prefer?

What’s the best way to approach you?

We’ve sent out e-mail blasts around launches.

For those of you who have signed up for the e-mails, are they helpful? Immediately deleted?

For those of you who haven’t signed up for e-mails (see subscribe button in upper right-hand corner of site), why haven’t you signed up?

What kind of information would you like to receive in the future?

Steve’s site features three columns a week and Steve’s busy at work on his next book.

If he sent out short e-mails here and there, what would you want to know?

And if there’s anything else you think we should know, please share that as well.

I’ll pull all of your responses into one post – something that I hope will be helpful to others, too.

Thanks, again!

Posted in

DO THE WORK

Steve shows you the predictable Resistance points that every writer hits in a work-in-progress and then shows you how to deal with each one of these sticking points. This book shows you how to keep going with your work.

do the work book banner 1

THE AUTHENTIC SWING

A short book about the writing of a first novel: for Steve, The Legend of Bagger Vance. Having failed with three earlier attempts at novels, here's how Steve finally succeeded.

The-Authentic-Swing

NOBODY WANTS TO READ YOUR SH*T

Steve shares his "lessons learned" from the trenches of the five different writing careers—advertising, screenwriting, fiction, nonfiction, and self-help. This is tradecraft. An MFA in Writing in 197 pages.

noboybookcover

TURNING PRO

Amateurs have amateur habits. Pros have pro habits. When we turn pro, we give up the comfortable life but we find our power. Steve answers the question, "How do we overcome Resistance?"

Turning-Pro

6 Comments

  1. Paul C on July 29, 2011 at 6:24 am

    Callie,

    Steve’s interview and photos with the Marine Corps Association is excellent. Thanks for posting it on Facebook. Right now the traditional media is still winning on quantity of eyeballs. But in quality, the MCA interview is up there with Charlie Rose, and better than most everyone else rushing between commercial breaks. Just keep doing what you’re doing. No reason to be nervous.

  2. Rita Vail on July 29, 2011 at 12:44 pm

    I signed up for e-mails because I am a writer and there is consistently good information and inspiration on this site. I always read them, and that is not true of other sites, which I tend to unsubscribe from if they get irrelevant. Three times a week is not really necessary. Once a week would be fine. What is necessary is to be interesting and informative.

    Steve can write whatever is on his mind and it would probably be worth reading. I am keenly interested in how he does his work.

    I have never been interested in war, and yet I can now see that I am avoiding a major slice of life. This will soon be remedied when I begin buying and reading Steve’s fiction. I wonder how many cross-over readers you have gained as a result of this blog.

    I see why you are nervous, but I would be surprised if Steve’s career did not continue to grow regardless of what you do or don’t do, so let’s pray he lives a long, happy, productive life.

  3. Tricia on July 30, 2011 at 8:50 am

    Two thoughts came to mind:

    1)Perhaps you are already attracting the audience you want/need via the movement of the ripple effect, which (as you are already quite aware) does not necessarily work through mainstream channels. And related to this, I was thinking, the themes that SP addresses are not candy floss themes, and mainstream, it seems to me, is quite often about immediate (candy floss) gratification.

    2)I am constantly reminded in my own life of the balance of the effort/effortlessness (often) polarity. You do the work and then let go and trust that whatever is meant to be will be — not always fun, and quite often a struggle, to allow the flow between the two to
    arise.

  4. wayne martin on August 1, 2011 at 3:02 pm

    Change up you friends and give them a starring role in The Change-Up trailer! http://bit.ly/changeuptralier

  5. Michael on August 2, 2011 at 9:55 am

    Steve,
    FYI if you’re interested in how I treat your Newsletter in comparison to the many I peruse I save yours until I have the time to sit and enjoy your words of wit and wisdom not to sound…what ever THEY call it. I know I will eventually ready everything you have written though life is slowing my efforts with the Profession which was read to chapter 4 until my life hit me with life which is better than having to join a meeting somewhere. Your the best because you been there. You are the warrior of life and its battles that sometimes are our own little wars. Thanks!!!

  6. helendam on January 23, 2024 at 7:54 pm

    The intricacy with which you unravel the threads of this subject matter is nothing short of intellectual alchemy, blending concepts in a concoction of understanding that defies conventional boundaries.
    1v1 lol

Leave a Comment





Patronu aradığında sürekli hasta olduğunu söyleyerek iş yerine yalan söylüyor porno hikaye Patronu artık bu kadarının gerçek olamayacağını ve rapor görmek istediğini dile getirip telefonu kapatıyor türbanlı Olgun kadın hemen bilgisayarının başına geçip özel bir doktor buluyor ve onu arayarak evine davet ediyor porno Muayene için eve gelen doktor olgun kadını muayene ediyor ve hiç bir sıkıntı olmadığını söylüyor brazzers porno Sarışın ablamız ise iş yerine rapor götürmesi gerektiğini bu yüzden rapor yazmasını istiyor brazzers porno fakat doktor bunun pek mümkün olmadığını dile getiriyor sex hikayeleri Daha sonra evli olan bu kahpe doktora iş atarak ona yavşıyor ve istediğini alana kadar durmuyor Porno İzle Karılarını takas etmek isteyen elemanlar hep birlikte evde buluşuyor türkçe porno Güzel vakit geçirdikten sonra kızlara isteklerini iletiyorlar ve hatunlarda kocalarının bu isteklerini kabul ediyorlar seks hikayeleri Hemen ellerine telefonları alan elemanlar karılarına video eşliğinde sakso çektiriyorlar porno izle Hiç beklemeden sikişe geçen elemanlar hatunları değiştire değiştire sikmeye başlıyorlar.