Preparing for Harvard Medical School’s CME Publishing Course

As I go over my notes for “Writing for Your Reader: How to Write a Smart, Compelling, Enlightening Page Turner,” a workshop I’ll be delivering Saturday, along with Martha Murphy, as part of Harvard Medical School’s CME Publishing Course, I’m getting excited.

The 3-day course is always filled with exciting book ideas, brilliant physicians and medical professionals, talented agents, publishers and others in the publishing industry. The course Director, Julie Silver, MD, varies the presentations each year–there will certainly be some new perspectives and interesting discourse. I’m looking forward to connecting with colleagues, including Rusty Shelton, whose talented team at Shelton Interactive designed my book coaching website.

I equally look forward to the book pitches. Serving on the panel that provides feedback to the brave and aspiring authors who pitch their books, I enjoy the challenge of jotting down as much feedback as I can in the 30 or so seconds we have, while also noting the projects that most excite me as a book writing coach and editor.

I often meet with my clients as a group ahead of time to help them hone their pitches–a great opportunity for them to meet each other–and the group as a whole often comes up with some fabulous ideas for each other.  Sometimes, it’s the first time I’ll be meeting a client in person, even if I’ve been working with them by e-mail and phone for many months.

In the evening, participants get detailed feedback on their writing and book ideas in intimate writing workshops. I received several manuscripts already for four very intriguing books.

Most often, the biggest shock for course participants occurs when they find out how important it is to develop their author platform or following. These folks have the best credentials one could ask for. Many of their books apply the latest research to topics of great interest to readers. Why do they have to market themselves?

The interesting thing is that once they do start to develop their platform, they often enjoy it–blogging, connecting with colleagues on twitter, being interviewed on TV–they realize how satisfying it can be to come out of their smaller world and reach a huge number of people nationally. One book proposal client I first met at the conference a few years ago, has been working on his platform religiously. And it’s paid off. A major publisher approached him before his agent even sent out his book proposal–they just liked what they saw in his blog (and they probably also noticed he’d gained quite a following).

When I think about what people take home from the publishing course at Harvard, it’s this: an understanding of the publishing industry, knowledge about what it takes to write a compelling (and successful) book, feedback on their ideas–so they’re not starting from scratch and they write the “right” book, a sense of community, support, mentors, colleagues.

It’s quite amazing to me really, in these three short days, the kind of powerful connections that take place. Authors find their editors, agents, mentors or even publishers. They meet fellow pilgrims on the path to publishing–and these friendships provide a great deal of support throughout the year as they write books, book proposals and grow their platforms.

And so it is with anticipation that I print out my revised notes, pack my bags and prepare to head to Boston. Perhaps I’ll see you there!