April & May Review : Writer Get Noticed

I’ve been dragging my feet on the Write Tribe Writing Challenge book review, for a number of reasons including the fact that the Write Tribe website is undergoing changes. Today, I’m going ahead with sharing a review of Writer Get Noticed and also including the linky for your April and May reviews.

Writer Get Noticed:

Stop feeling invisible and start attracting the attention you deserve!

Have you been writing for years, but feel like no one notices? Have you published your stories, only to gain a handful of readers? Do your marketing efforts feel like shouting into a void?

Veteran writer and motivational coach Colleen M. Story helps you break the spell of invisibility to reveal the author platform that will finally draw readers your way.

There are more books out there than ever before, and readers have many other things vying for their attention. A writer can feel like a needle in a haystack, and throwing money at the problem rarely helps. What does work is creating a platform that stands out, but in a sea of a million platforms, how is one to do that?

Writer Get Noticed! takes a new approach, dispelling the notion that fixing your writing flaws and expanding your social media reach will get you the readers you deserve. Instead, discover a myriad of strengths you didn’t know you had, then use them to find your author theme, power up your platform, and create a new author business blueprint, all while gaining insight into what sets you apart as a writer and creative artist.

Writers need readers to achieve their highest potential. Find your way to stand out, and let it lead you to the writing career that fulfills all your expectations and more.

In this motivational and inspiring book, you’ll learn:

• Why simply improving your writing skills won’t take you where you want to go.
• How discovering your strengths makes you a more effective writer and entrepreneur.
• What you really want from writing and why that matters.
• How to use the three-brain decision-making system to build a more successful author platform.
• What truly motivates you and how to use that to propel yourself forward.
• How to use the “find your author theme formula” to write a theme that fits your creative style.
• How imposter syndrome can stall your progress, and how to overcome it.
• Why risk-taking is critical to writing success, and how to make better decisions about the risks you take.

When you find the treasure that’s been inside you all along, don’t be surprised if it opens new doors you never thought possible.

About Colleen Story

Colleen M. Story is on a mission to inspire people from all walks of life to overcome modern-day challenges and find creative fulfillment. Her latest release, “Writer Get Noticed!,” is a strengths-based guide to help writers break the spell of invisibility and discover unique author platforms that will draw readers their way. Her prior nonfiction release, “Overwhelmed Writer Rescue,” was named Solo Medalist in the New Apple Book Awards, Book by Book Publicity’s Best Writing/Publishing Book, and first place in the 2018 Reader Views Literary Awards.

With over 20 years as a professional in the creative industry, Colleen has authored thousands of articles for publications like “Healthline” and “Women’s Health;” worked with high-profile clients like Gerber Baby Products and Kellogg’s; and ghostwritten books on back pain, nutrition, and cancer recovery. Her literary novel, Loreena’s Gift, was a Foreword Reviews’ INDIES Book of the Year Awards winner, an Idaho Author Awards first place winner, and New Apple Solo Medalist winner, among others.

Colleen frequently serves as a workshop leader and motivational speaker, where she helps attendees remove mental and emotional blocks and tap into their unique creative powers.

Find more at her motivational sites, Writing and Wellness and Writer CEO, on her author website, or follow her on Twitter.

Author Interview

Q: Why did you decide to write about author platforms?

After I got my first traditional publishing contract, my publisher suggested I work on some platform-building activities. I set myself up on a couple social media sites and worked more consistently on my blog, but my efforts didn’t produce results when it came to finding readers.

When I landed my second publishing contract with a publisher I was super excited about, I knew I had to step it up. By that time, I realized how important it was for me, the author, to get involved in marketing, so I went back to the whole “platform” thing and tried again.

This time, I discovered the key to not only finding new readers, but creating a platform I really enjoyed working on. That was a revelation, as up until then, anything related to the word “platform” felt like drudgery—something I “had” to do.

Now that I realize all the many ways the right platform can enhance a writer’s livelihood, I’m excited to share what I’ve learned with other writers. Building a platform can be fun if you do it the right way!

Q: Why do you think it’s so important for writers to have strong platforms?

We think the reason we need a platform is to sell books, and of course that’s a big part of it, but there’s an even better reason. When you have a thriving platform that really fits your writing style and personality, it becomes a way to share your work and get the feedback that writers so desperately need to feel on purpose and motivated.

We all write because we enjoy writing, but we also desire to be read. Most of us write for years with little feedback, and it’s during that time we learn the craft and discover our writer’s voice. But then we need readers, and if we don’t find them, we can start to feel like it doesn’t matter what we’re doing, or that our writing isn’t good enough, when that may not be it at all.

Once you build a strong platform and you start getting feedback from people who enjoy your work, you gain energy, motivation, and purpose as a writer, and that’s just what you need to keep growing and producing.

Q: There are many books out there about building a platform. What makes yours different?

I take a unique approach when helping writers build their platforms. It’s all based on determining your strengths not only as a writer, but a creative individual as a whole.

Too often we writers focus on our flaws—on what we think we’re doing wrong in our writing. The problem is that if we remain stuck in fixing our weaknesses, we will never become the strong writers we need to be to stand out in today’s highly competitive publishing world.

Instead, we must identify and build on those things we do well. When we do that, we have a chance of reaching our full potential—and of gaining the readership we desire.

Q: In your book, you talk about overcoming imposter syndrome. Why do you think that is an important part of developing a strong author platform?

Many creative people struggle with imposter syndrome, which is the feeling that whenever you do something well, it wasn’t because of your strengths or skills, but because of luck or some other factor beyond your control.

As long as we remain stuck in this thinking pattern, we aren’t going to be able to acknowledge our strengths. We’ll continue to feel that our successes are due to outside forces instead of our own efforts. And we’ll fail to build the confidence we need to truly take control of our writing careers.

We have to leave imposter syndrome behind to be able to identify and acknowledge our strengths, and then use them to help ourselves stand out in the publishing world.

Q: If you could give writers one piece of advice, what would it be?

I’d suggest that as a writer, you start building a platform right now, no matter where you are in your career. I made the mistake of waiting until I got a publishing contract to start working on it. It takes time—often years—to build a readership, so it’s best if you start immediately.

If you already have a platform, ask yourself if it’s working well for you. Does it energize you? Is it bringing you readers? Does it make you look forward to your next project? If not, it’s time to rethink how you’re doing it.

My Review of Writer Get Noticed : 4.5/ 5

I’ve read Colleen’s Overwhelmed Writer and reviewed it. So I was eager to read Writer Get Noticed! and I was glad that I did. This book requires you to work through it.

The author shares from her own journey and that of other authors and also looks at relevant psychological studies that come through in the exercises.
To make it meaningful, you must do the exercises. Do them with paper and pencil in hand and watch your confidence and self-belief growing.

Colleen’s style is easy and personal and you are drawn to look within yourself and acknowledge not your weakness, but claim your strengths and work on them.

I recently completed reading and reviewing Craved about building your brand, and once again I come across this book encouraging me to build a platform. I think the Universe is sending me a loud message!

Your reviews for April and May

Now it’s time for you to add your reviews. Add links to your reviews from your blog, Instagram, or Goodreads. Use the hashtags – #WTReads #ReadBravely #WriteTribe on social media so we can re-share your posts. This linky will be open until 6 July 2019.