{"id":16248,"date":"2018-10-03T20:19:10","date_gmt":"2018-10-04T01:19:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lisatener.local\/?p=16248"},"modified":"2024-09-30T08:56:43","modified_gmt":"2024-09-30T12:56:43","slug":"the-power-of-community-in-writing-publishing-and-promoting-a-book","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/2018\/10\/the-power-of-community-in-writing-publishing-and-promoting-a-book\/","title":{"rendered":"The Power of Community in Writing, Publishing and Promoting a Book"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-16257\" src=\"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/happy-activist-188x300.jpg\" alt=\"happy activist book\" width=\"188\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/happy-activist-188x300.jpg 188w, https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/happy-activist-94x150.jpg 94w, https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/happy-activist-100x160.jpg 100w, https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/happy-activist.jpg 313w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 188px) 100vw, 188px\" \/>This week, I&#8217;ve seen the power of community in action as Leena St. Michael reached out to her community and over 200 Activists and people-who-love-Leena signed up to be part of her launch team. The result is that Leena&#8217;s book, <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Happy-Activist-Sustain-Stamina-Marvelous-ebook\/dp\/B07HJ1K17W\" target=\"_blank\"><em>The Happy Activist<\/em><\/a>, has hit several bestseller lists on Amazon.<\/p>\n<p>It reminded me how powerful it is to do things in community. While writing itself can be a solitary sport (and maybe even not that when we consider the divine guidance that often comes through to help us), so much of the act of creating and sharing a book comes from community.<\/p>\n<p>I see time and again in my book writing programs how people who&#8217;ve struggled to write a book for years finally get it done when they commit to it and get the support of a community and a loving, firm guide (yes, that would be me in this instance).<\/p>\n<h2>3 Ways to Get Community Support in Writing, Publishing and Promoting a Book<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>Ask for support from a current community\u2014your women&#8217;s or men&#8217;s group, a mastermind group or a group of friends.<\/li>\n<li>Join a new group that&#8217;s specifically for whatever aspect of book-writing you are entering\u2014writing, publishing or launching.<\/li>\n<li>Create a new group\u2014perhaps at your local library\u2014to support your book writing and publishing journey.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2>7 Questions to Ask Yourself:<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>How often do I want to meet? Weekly, bi-weekly, monthly?<\/li>\n<li>How far am I willing to travel (or do I prefer a virtual group\u2014no travel necessary)?<\/li>\n<li>Do I want an expert to guide the process or do I prefer to set up my own process and organize a group? (and do I have time for that?)<\/li>\n<li>What kind of focus am I looking for in the group meetings? Do I want the group to focus on feedback on writing? Do I want to use group time to learn more? Do I want to use group time to brainstorm big picture questions?<\/li>\n<li>Do I have time to read other people&#8217;s work between meetings and have them read my work, or would I prefer a class or group where we do not read each other&#8217;s work between meetings?<\/li>\n<li>What type of writers do I want to connect with? Similar genres? A variety?<\/li>\n<li>What am I looking to find and create in this community? (encouragement, networking, creative brainstorming, sharing of contacts and connections, a launch team?)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2>5 Things to Look for (or Set Up) in Your Group<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4995\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4995\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-4995\" src=\"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/lighter-class-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"book writing program\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/lighter-class-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/lighter-class-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/lighter-class-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/lighter-class-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/lighter-class-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/lighter-class-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/lighter-class-100x75.jpg 100w, https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/lighter-class-640x480.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4995\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Participants in My Bring Your Book to Life Program in Narragansett<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Whether you search for a writing group to join or set up your own. Here are important things to look for:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Look for alignment of commitment: Make sure you all agree on what you&#8217;re willing to put in (reading\/not reading, etc.). Don&#8217;t agree to a group where you know you can&#8217;t meet the commitment.<\/li>\n<li>Look for\u2014or create\u2014a group with clear rules and structure. Without that, you may find that one person can hijack a whole meeting, or you just won&#8217;t accomplish what you set out to do.<\/li>\n<li>If you are joining a class or mastermind, make sure the group is structured to focus on the challenges you are facing and wish to address.<\/li>\n<li>If you are starting your own group, consider a guest meeting where you can get a sense of the group members and make sure you are all a good fit for each other. I once was part of a writing group where one member spent a good 15 minutes discussing her health issues each time. A one-time guest visit can help you determine whether someone is\u00a0 a match before they join. Be kind and compassionate if they are not, and say it gently.<\/li>\n<li>Consider a group that is writing in the same genre. As you all grow in your writing, you&#8217;ll have the most to offer each other. Plus, are more likely able to support each other through platform building, launching and other phases!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Looking for a group? Check out my Fall\/Winter\u00a0<a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/book-writing-mastermind\/\" target=\"_blank\">Book Writing Mastermind<\/a>!<\/p>\n<p>Do you have any tips or insights to share about creating community to support your writing? Share your comments below.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This week, I&#8217;ve seen the power of community in action as Leena St. Michael reached out to her community and over 200 Activists and people-who-love-Leena signed up to be part of her launch team. The result is that Leena&#8217;s book, The Happy Activist, has hit several bestseller lists on Amazon. It reminded me how powerful&#8230;<a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/2018\/10\/the-power-of-community-in-writing-publishing-and-promoting-a-book\/\"><em>&nbsp; Read more<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5331,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[50,1],"tags":[90,91,2054,2055],"class_list":{"0":"post-16248","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-book-writing-class","8":"category-more","9":"tag-book-writing-class-2","10":"tag-book-writing-course","11":"tag-book-writing-group","12":"tag-mastermind","13":"entry"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16248","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16248"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16248\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":278902,"href":"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16248\/revisions\/278902"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5331"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16248"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16248"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16248"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}