With Karen Mechanic at Harvard Medical School’s CME leadership and publishing course
Are you writing a book about health, well-being or related topics? Have you wondered whether Harvard Medical School’s CME healthcare leadership and publishing course is right for you? Or have you attended and wondered if it would be worthwhile to return a second time?
I met Karen Mechanic, MD, two years ago at the course and have served as a sounding board for her from time to time. I’ve been impressed with how the course helped her go from being shy about writing and addressing large groups of people to being comfortable and eloquent. In this interview, Karen shares her writing and leadership journey of the past two years.
The Creativity Cure was written by course participant Dr. Carrie Barron.
Lisa: How did you hear about Harvard Medical School’s healthcare leadership and publishing course?
Karen: Searching the internet for a conference to focus on specific professional skills, including communication, writing and healthcare leadership.
Tara Mardigan’s and Kate Weller’s book is a cookbook and nutition guide for athletes and fitness-philes.
Lisa: What was your primary reason for attending the course the first time?
Karen: I expected to sharpen communication skills such as writing clearer emails and giving more entertaining talks.
Lisa: What did you get out of the course?
Karen: A focus on reading critically and a new feeling of confidence that I have my own story to tell.
Lisa: When you left, what did you plan to do with the information?
Karen: I set an intention of daily journal writing and set a goal to submit one piece for publication.
Dr. Pfeiffer published two books with Yale after attending the course.
Lisa: And so much more actually took place! Can you share what you achieved over the course of the following year?
Karen: I accomplished much more than I’d imagined possible. In writing more to myself, I read more, began to explore more ideas, listened more acutely to how language is used, began to notice nuances of writing like voice and tone.
Lisa: So learning about writing, voice, tone and language at the course helped you pay more attention to that in your rea
Behind the Therapy Door was written after Dr. Randy Kamen attended the course.
ding, speaking and writing. That’s wonderful. You mentioned to me that you were a bit shy about writing and speaking at first. What happened after attending the writing course that first time?
Karen: I began to share ideas with writing professionals. I sought out opportunities to present my ideas to a wide variety of audiences, and noted reactions of others, which stimulated new ideas and new goals. I also sought feedback on my ideas.
Lisa: Such as?
Karen: Did I need comments from a small intimate group of people who weren’t familiar with me or did I need to introduce ideas to a large audience to see if they were interested, engaged, or fell asleep? I noted questions or comments they voiced in the group versus the ones they privately asked me after my presentation.
A lively lunch discussion at the Harvard course, with Karen in the foreground
Lisa: Sounds like the course gave you the confidence and tools to fully explore your ideas and expand them.
Karen: Yes. The steps I learned at the course flowed naturally as my goals shifted throughout the year.
Lisa: As you began to express your ideas in writing to a larger audience, can you share a bit about what happened and how your modest goals grew to bigger ones?
Author Vint Virga attended twice as a participant and recently returned as a speaker
Karen: Once I became more confident expressing myself in writing for the public, I became a Huffington Post blogger. I also wrote a short piece for The Philadelphia Inquirer. Instead of declining opportunities like interviews, I accepted them because I appreciated the importance of platform.
Lisa: Yes, platform–or reaching an audience before your book ever comes out–is a big theme in the course. Why did you attend the course a second time?
Karen: Once I went into action with ideas and strategies I learned the first time around, I was more ready for some of the more advanced topics including social media and platform building.
Lisa: What were your goals the second time around? What did you want to get out of the course?
Karen: I was interested in advanced workshops with opportunities to interact with my peers. I wanted to pitch my book idea because I was seeking feedback from as many agents, coaches and editors as I could present myself to.
Lisa: What observations do you have about your process? Any surprises?
Karen: I feel more confident, in general. I’ve now had conversations about writing with several very successful authors and learned there is no mystery or special secret about writing. I was more impressed by their discipline and determination.
Lisa: Did you get what you came for in year two?
Dr. Kathleen Trainor attended the course and her book comes out this spring.
Karen: Like last year, I got even more than I anticipated. I’m grateful to Dr. Julie Silver for the comfortably safe environment of her course. I understand why people attend more than once.
Lisa: You mentioned the opportunity to pitch being a big draw the second time around. When and how did you fine tune your pitch?
Karen: I had lots of help from many people at the course both from lecture content and actual stop watch and editing sessions with the professionals in attendance. I also wrote out at least ten revisions on my own.
Lisa: What plans did you leave with last April?
Karen: Continue journaling, self editing, platform building. I also planned to submit short pieces for publication and line up more talks. Plus more blogging and some tweeting.
Victoria Dunckley is another course particpant who recently published.
Lisa: And what took place since the second course?
Karen: Since the second course I have been writing more and speaking more as an expert in major media outlets (on television, radio, online and in print). With improving confidence and communication skills, I have been invited to speak and write more on a level that I didn’t anticipate. During this year I have interacted with many people who have given me invaluable assistance and guidance. In addition, my first book proposal is under serious consideration by a publisher.
Wow, congratulations and good luck! Let us know when your book comes out and we’ll add that to this interview!
Karen Mechanic is a psychiatrist who specializes in addictions and consultation liaison psychiatry. She also is interested in integrative care. She blogs on the Huffington Post and writes for the Philadelphia Inquirer. You can tweet her at @mechanickaren.
Readers, have a question about the course? Feel free to ask as a comment? Have an experience of the course you’d like to share? Please do.
How Carol Lambert Got Unstuck, Finished Her Book Proposal and Signed a Book Deal
“Last summer I imagined being 80 years old and asked myself, ‘What regrets would I have?’ Not finishing and publishing my book. That would be a big regret.” Carol A. Lambert’s work on her book and book proposal had slowed down due to a couple of personal transitions.
“Life got in the way. My progress was slow, on and off.”
When she anticipated the potential regret of not finishing, Carol decided to make the book a priority again.
“I felt stuck, though, not as energized. Then I got an email to sign up for the free call Writing in the Zone.” That call inspired Carol to sign up for the series of the same name.
The 6 Elements That Got Carol Unstuck
Carol’s book
Several elements of Writing in the Zone helped Carol overcome her writing challenges:
1. Passion: “Writing in the Zone helped me find my way back to my passion.”
2. Commitment: “I needed a committed way to make it happen. In the class, I made a commitment to the process, to Lisa and to my accountability partner. That worked. It helped me follow through.”
3. Structure: “The structure kept me on task. Weekly calls with my accountability partner also made it easy to stay on track.”
4. Community: “When my partner felt a lack of confidence and asked, ‘Who am I to write a book?’ I sent her the Marianne Williamson quote, ‘Who are you not to…?'” The mutual support, just 15 minutes a week, energized Carol.
5. Vision: “I loved the exercise of creating a vision statement. And hearing other people’s vision statements also helped me clarify mine.”
6. Momentum: “The focus on gratitude at the end of each writing session left me feeling inspired and grateful instead of disappointed. That was very powerful for me. Writing in the Zone got me unstuck and carried me through the rest of the process.”
In Carol’s case, after she got unstuck, “the rest of the process” meant completing a book proposal with brainstorming, guidance and feedback from me. We queried two acquisitions editors I knew and Carol received offers from both publishers. Both publishers were very excited about Carol’s book, Women with Controlling Partners and Carol and I are thrilled with the level of passion and resources that New Harbinger brought to publishing and promoting her book.
November 2017 Update:
Carol’s book is now published and you can buy it here.
While I am not currently teaching Writing in the Zone, I will be teaching Bring Your Book to Life® in February and it’s not too early to sign up and begin the private work with me to get started!
How to Get Published: Changing Rejection into a Great, Big Book Deal
When I first met Dr. Craig Malkin at the Harvard Medical School CME publishing course, I knew I wanted to work with him to help him get published. When he pitched his book to the panel of agents, editors and book coaches, I wrote on my comments, “I’d like to talk with you,” knowing he had something special to offer–a book very worthy of being published, a book people needed.
His relationship book took research from other fields and applied them to dating. I knew this book was good from the moment I heard his pitch—and it was.
However, Dr. Malkin didn’t have any kind of online following and, in such a competitive publishing category, that was going to be important; so, at my suggestion and while working on his book proposal, Craig pitched a column to PsychologyToday.com and also, somewhat religiously, read and responded to reporter queries through the free pr service helpareporter.com.
He also incorporated all the advice my colleague, Rusty Shelton, provides about connecting with other experts and key influencers on Twitter and sharing the work of these colleagues. In turn, these folks shared his well written and timely posts–often tied to breaking relationship news (think Kim Kardashian’s divorce). His posts were thoughtful and useful–providing actionable steps to improve relationships and doing so with humor and even a sense of playfulness.
These well written posts often became featured on the Psychology Today home page and picked up by the Huffington Post–sometimes for their home page. He began to do more featured posts for the Huffington Post.
In short, he did everything that an author with a solid book and book proposal needs to do. And he signed with a top agent–Miriam Altshuler. But then, something went wrong. As Dr. Malkin describes it, “My first book idea received a ton of attention but the markets changed so dramatically that when we went to sell, the big houses already had authors in the area I’d proposed.”
I remember one phone call where Craig wondered aloud whether it was all worth it. What did he do? “I dusted myself of and kept writing. Just a few months later, my blogs on the Huffington Post and Psychology Today attracted the attention of publishers, including HarperCollins, who then asked me if I’d like to write a book based on my work there. They’d already seen my first book proposal, so even though they didn’t pick [the first book] up, they had more confidence I could deliver.”
The result was a book deal for Rethinking Narcissism: The Bad—and Surprising Good—About Feeling Specialwith HarperWave and Harper UK. Rethinking Narcissism comes out in Spring 2015.
Rethinking Narcissism addresses the “narcissism epidemic” by illuminating the spectrum of narcissism, ways to control the trait, and why too little of it may be a bad thing. It is the first—and only—book that not only makes the distinction between healthy and unhealthy narcissism, but offers clear, step-by-step guidance on how to promote healthy narcissism in our partners, our children, and ourselves. Readers will learn more than just how to manage and avoid narcissism. They’ll learn how they unwittingly foster unhealthy narcissism—and how to nudge their partners—and their children—towards a kinder, gentler version of “special.”
When a publisher contacts an author and asks them to write a book, it may seem like luck, but clearly that’s not the case. Authors like Dr. Malkin work hard to put all the pieces in place for a successful publishing deal–and a successful book:
* They make sure they reach their audience in big ways before they even send out that book proposal.
* They connect with community on social media, especially Twitter, and they focus more on helping others than promoting themselves.
* They write engaging and entertaining posts–honing their skills and writing work that truly stands out.
And then they persist through challenges:
* They don’t give up in the face of rejection.
* They do figure out what’s not working (like, this book won’t sell to a big publisher at this time).
* They keep connecting with their audience knowing that inspired action will move things forward.
* They also often get professional guidance (Craig worked with me on his platform building and book proposal) and they attend conferences or courses where they can learn more about the industry and meet key professionals.
Dr. Malkin credits Harvard Medical School’s former publishing course with providing information and relationships that guided him through the process which ultimately led to a book deal. “I met a ton of terrific people, like Lisa Tener [aw, shucks!], who set me on the right track and Course Director Julie Silver, MD, who was always available and eager to answer questions. I left with a wealth of information about how to build a platform and what publishers look for in a book. But the highlight for me had to be the chance to pitch a book to a panel of agents and editors who offered detailed, written feedback on my idea and it’s delivery. What a valuable experience. ”
The course, officially titled Achieving Healthcare Leadership
and Outcomes through Writing and Publishing, takes place March 31 – April 2 at the Copley Fairmont Hotel in Boston, MA. I’ll be there leading writing workshops, serving on the pitch panel and meeting with aspiring authors throughout the conference to provide feedback on your ideas. I’ll also be co-leading the workshop on How to Write a Book Proposal on April 2.
Dr. Malkin’s advice: “When in doubt, write. It’s all about the work—don’t get too hung up on whether or not your current project pans out. See yourself as a writer first—and worry about the product later.” Worked for him–could it work for you?
Have you met any challenges along the publishing path? What did you do in the face of them? Or are you looking for guidance? Feel free to share your experiences or ask your questions here.
Sometimes people stop themselves from writing their book because they question their own expertise. This theme came up for several people in my book writing classes this week.
Anne Burnett‘s self-help book for parents of autistic children had a strong memoir element. This both established her expertise and focused on the area where she truly was an expert–her own experiences!
Sure, there may be reasons to wait to write your book, but maybe there are other ways to establish your expertise:
If you’re serving clients, or even friends, with the model or wisdom you want to share, you possess expertise and even results! Lean on the stories and results people have obtained with your help to frame your expertise and remind yourself that you do have something worth sharing.
If you don’t have years of experience or training, interview people who do and include those interviews as sidebars—or even chapters–in your book
If you have an amazing story, you can write your memoir–you’re an expert on your life.
See if your past experiences can be framed to be relevant to your current subject.
Ask experts to contribute to your book.
bestselling book this time I dance
One participant in class said, “I’m writing the book that I need myself to step into my power.” That’s a valid path–and the starting place of many authors. In fact, after my presentation at the International Coach Federation of New England last week, I stayed to hear bestselling author Tama Kieves speak. And guess what she shared? That when she wrote This Time I Dance! Creating the Work You Love, she wrote the book she needed to work through her own barriers, step into her passion and develop the livelihood that stirred her soul. If this is you, you’re in good company!
Research the subject and find a fresh way to present it–maybe you can use an interesting metaphor. Just be sure to cite any research, articles or authors you reference.
Ask an expert to read or edit your work to be sure you’re on track. Of course, you will probably need to pay them (and be sure to acknowledge them in your book) but it will be well worth the investment.
Ask an expert to co-author your book.
When Peaco Todd and I began writing The Ultimate Guide to Transforming Anger, we realized we needed an expert on board. My only expertise in anger was personal! We were creative about researching and identifying experts who seemed to have a similar orientation to ours. We lucked out when Jane Middelton-Moz got excited about our book idea.
No question her expertise made the book marketable, practical and much more valuable as a tool for readers. But we had to start somewhere. We didn’t wait until we had an expert on board. We started our book proposal and then had a solid foundation to show her and interest her. I’m not sure she would have been as interested in our book if we had not given her a solid proposal and sample chapters to see we had done our work.
Unlike me when I wrote my first book, most of the people in class actually are experts in their field, but sometimes we tell ourselves we’re not good enough. You don’t have to wait until you’re the top expert in the field to write your book. Write from what you know, research the rest and quote the other experts. Pretty soon, you’ll publish your book and people will be asking to interview you!
I was struggling to write the story of my year in yoga and how it transformed me, when Lisa crossed my path. Her Bring Your Book to Life program offered me the structure and guidance to finally pull my manuscript together. Thinking I had a good handle on yoga and my daily practice, I had no idea how much Lisa’s program would challenge me to employ all that I’d learned.
Completing the 1st draft of my manuscript was like completing a challenge pose in yoga, a particularly daunting, advanced, intimidating, uncomfortable pose. Like a challenge pose, it’s completion gave me a new perspective, a honed practice, a great sense of accomplishment and the courage, confidence and poise to expand my practice further.
I challenge you to tackle your challenge pose, and offer 5 common insights I found from yoga and Bring Your Book to Life:
1. Set an intention. What do you wish to accomplish? Your intention sets the tone for your practice. Just like stepping on my mat, if my intention is unclear, my practice may follow suit. Lisa helped me get crystal clear on my intention for my book, it’s message, audience and form and encouraged me to commit it to paper and revisit it daily. Once you set a clear intention, hold it, for the duration of the practice.
2. Commit. Back yourself and the Universe backs you as well. Waffle on a commitment and finding support and success can prove challenging. I don’t sort of, kind of go into a head stand, thinking maybe it’ll happen on it’s own. I commit to headstand, to learn the foundation of the pose, the structure and progress, facilitated by a knowledgable teacher. Of course spontaneous successes arise, most stem from a committed practice. I committed to Lisa’s program, financially, physically – through my time commitment, emotionally by letting those close to me know what I planned to accomplish, and whole-heartedly as a gift to myself.
3. Show up. Practice is called practice for a reason and a daily practice yields deeper results than an occasional one. Every day I step on my mat my body is different. Some days I am sore and stiff in places, my thoughts may be busy, scattered or day-dreamy, my mood may be frustrated, happy or impatient. One thing is certain; if I step on my mat and show up for myself and my practice, I will feel better when I step off my mat. Lisa’s program encouraged me to show up every day, moving one step closer to my goal no matter how much resistance or how many excuses surfaced.
4. Breathe. Intention set, commitment made, showing up daily; everything is in place to support you, all you can do is breathe. This is key. If I hold my breath as I try to force myself into the posture, I’m met with substantially more resistance than if I place my attention on my breath and relax into the practice. I step on my mat, not looking at the end game, not intimidated by how far I need to progress in a relatively short period of time, but by taking a long, slow, deep breath and seeing where the day’s practice takes me. Each time resistance came during Lisa’s program, it met with another deep breath and another. I’d like to say resistance disappeared but it did not. What disappeared were my excuses to not step onto my mat and continue my practice each day.
5. Trust. It’s a biggie. If trusting the Universe is too woo-woo for you than trust yourself, trust your determination and tenacity, trust you have value to add to the world and trust in your ability to choose the right coach for the job. The Universe may have handed me Lisa but I researched her well and ensured I was choosing the best teacher for this particular practice. I trusted myself to show up every day and I trusted Lisa’s program to help me learn the proper form as she nudged me into position. I paid less and less attention to the inner critic who often rants as I write and chose instead to trust my practice.
Stephanie performing yoga in hawaii
Like stepping onto my mat, every day I write I learn something about myself. I may fall out of some poses and soar into others. Some days may feel like I’ve never set foot on a mat while others feel as if I was born to be there. Tears may fall, laughter may explode, poetry may happen but one thing is certain, I am always grateful I showed up for myself. With Lisa’s help I completed a particularly intimidating challenge pose and built a strong foundation in the process. May you rise to your own challenge pose, meet and complete it with guts and grace.
Namasté,
Stephanie
Stephanie Hrehirchuk is a life-long wellness enthusiast with 15 years of experience in personal training, nutrition and wellness. She currently owns atONE Holistic Living, in Alberta, Canada, and provides group and private yoga, meditation, alternative healing and holistic coaching. Her background includes fitness, nutrition, yoga, meditation, herbology, ayurveda and flower essences. Stephanie is a writer, master level reiki practitioner, wife and mother of two young children.
I received a wonderful e-mail this morning from Bring Your Book to Life Program graduate, Stephanie Hrehirchuk and thought you might find a few good lessons in it.
Stephanie wrote: “Funny story: I was surfing around at links connected to my name. I saw a strange picture that linked me to a health magazine I know. I submitted 2 articles to the magazine early last fall…to put myself out there and exercise some courage in exposing myself and my writing.
“So…they published one of the pieces in January. As I read it, I wanted to delete it from their site! The passive voice screamed at me and I found myself editing it as I read.
“I am obviously becoming a far better writer because I know at the time I wrote that article I thought it was really good 🙂 Nice to know how I’ve improved since the start of your course.”
I see at least 5 lessons in this one:
1. Edit out passive verbs when you can. Well chosen verbs bring energy to your writing and hold far more power than adjectives and adverbs.
2. It can’t hurt to have an editor look at a piece you plan to post online. It often stays there forever.
3. Do a Google Alerts for your nameso you know when something gets published by or about you.
4. A good writing class can help you become a better editorof your own work. Good writing is a skill that can be learned by almost anyone (it can be harder if you’re super-ADD and can’t stay focused within a sentence or paragraph, but otherwise most people can learn the skills relatively easily).
5. Forgive yourself any mistakes and focus on the positive: If you read Stephanie’s full blog post on the experience, you’ll find that she ends her post with “I’m pretty proud to have put myself out there. I think half the battle, if not more, is finding the courage to risk exposure and share your story with the world. My intent is always that somehow what I have to offer helps someone else. ” When you come back to why you’re writing, you keep the triumph of being published and any lesser issues are just lessons learned for next time.
Any lessons I missed? Any recent writing lessons you’d like to share?
Lisa: What were your goals the second time around? What did you want to get out of the course?
Carol Got Unstuck
When I first met 
* They make sure they reach their audience in big ways before they even send out that book proposal.
