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Michelle DeRusha

Every Day Faith. Faith Every Day.

Teleconferences

How to Get Published – You’re Invited to a Conversation with Baker Books Editor Chad R. Allen and Me

November 6, 2014 By Michelle

How to Get Published2

When I first embarked upon this writing/publishing journey I did just about everything backwards, wrong, and upside-down.

For starters, I thought “platform” was the concrete slab a Speedo-clad diver perched upon forty feet in the air.

I didn’t give a hoot about audience or marketing or “meeting a felt need.” The Plan was simply to write a book and get it published. The end.

It probably goes without saying, The Plan was A Dud.

I’ve learned a lot – most of it the hard way – during these last seven years, but what I remember the most from those early days was just how lost, overwhelmed, and underqualified I felt much of time. I yearned for someone to show me the ropes, teach me the business, and encourage me along the way. So now that I have a little more experience under my belt, that’s exactly what I’d like to do for you.

Introducing…

How to Get Published: A Conversation with Chad R. Allen and Michelle DeRusha

Join Chad Allen, Editorial Director of Baker Books (and my editor for 50 Women Every Christian Should Know) and me for How to Get Published, a series of three one-hour teleconferences aimed at helping you navigate the early stages of the publishing process.

We’ll offer you concrete, useful advice and tips on three critical stages of the publishing process: creating a marketable book concept, building a strong platform, and writing a top-notch book proposal. Plus we’ll answer your specific questions during a Q&A time during each session, and offer you encouragement and camaraderie to sustain you along the way.

Session One
How to Create a Strong Book Concept
Monday, November 17
9 p.m. EST (8 CT)
  • What does it mean to find the need and isolate the buying impulse? How do you figure out what will prompt someone to purchase a book?
  • How do you ask the right questions and poll your tribe to figure out a marketable concept? How do you educate yourself on the needs of the market?
  • Why is it important to brainstorm a lot of titles and subtitles?
  • And more!
Session Two
How to Grow Your Platform
Monday, November 24
9 p.m. EST (8 CT)
  • What is a platform anyway, and why is it so important?
  • Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, Instagram, YouTube, blogging — how do you choose between so many social media avenues, and do I have to use them all?
  • How big is big enough…and what can I do if I have a small platform (or am I simply out of luck?)?
  • And more!
Session Three
How to Write a Winning Book Proposal
Monday, December 8
9 p.m. EST (8 CT)
  • What is a book proposal, who reads it, and why is it important?
  • The core elements of a book proposal.
  •  How to avoid rookie mistakes.
  • And more!

Chad R. Allen brings more than 16 years of experience as a writer, editor, speaker and creativity coach. He created www.BookProposalAcademy.com and serves as editorial director for Baker Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group, where he has worked for the last 13 years. He wrote the manifesto Do Your Art and blogs at www.chadrallen.com. You can also find him on Twitter and Facebook.

Michelle DeRusha has more than 20 years of experience in communications, writing, editing, public relations and marketing. She is the author of two books, Spiritual Misfit: A Memoir of Uneasy Faith (Convergent) and 50 Women Every Christian Should Know: Learning from Heroines of the Faith(Baker Books).

Register for How to Get Published

You have two options: You can register for each session individually ($10/session), or you can go for the package deal and register for all three at once ($25 for three sessions).

BONUS!

All registered participants for any or all of the sessions will receive TWO bonus giveaways [I will email you these documents within 24 hours of your registration]:
1. An actual sample book proposal (the official proposal my agent and I used to pitch Spiritual Misfit to publishers)
2. Chad’s personal Book Proposal Guidelines from his Book Proposal Academy.
PLUS, you’ll receive (via email) a recording of each session you register for, regardless of whether you are able to listen in to the live teleconference in person or not.

Register for One or More Sessions:

 

Session One: How to Create a Strong Book Concept ($10)
Monday, November 17
9 p.m. EST (8 CT)

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Session Two: How to Grow Your Platform ($10)
Monday, November 24
9 p.m. EST (8 CT)

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Session Three: How to Write a Winning Book Proposal ($10)
Monday, December 8
9 p.m. EST (8 CT)

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Package Deal: All 3 Sessions for $25

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 Questions? Confusion? Send me an email {just click on the little envelope under my picture over there in the right sidebar}.

Thanks, friends – I look forward to chatting with you!

 

 

Filed Under: publishing, writing Tagged With: Chad R. Allen, How to Get Published, Teleconferences

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For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a Triple Type A, “make it happen” (my dad’s favorite mantra) striver and achiever (I’m a 3 on the Enneagram, which tells you everything you need to know), but these days my striving looks more like sitting in silence on a park bench, my dog at my feet, as I slowly learn to let go of the false selves that have formed my identity for decades and lean toward uncovering who God created me to be.

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