Roller Coasters and Marketing

Okay, I really am almost finished with this novel. Don't the last fifty pages feel like a runaway car on a wooden coaster? Little time to do anything but look ahead, breath, and life, held prisoner. Thus, the late entry and meaty excuse for unreliable entries for the next two weeks. Here's a nice bit to chew on if you're a writer and you face marketing uncertainties:

Recently, MBA and AuthorMBA founder Kay Lockner answered my burning marketing questions. RWA Pros, look for the complete interview, packed with great advice, in the quarterly PRO newsletter out next month. For everyone else, I'll post the Q&A in its entirety on my website next week. Kay has taught hundreds of writers how to be more business savvy about their careers and offers downloadable career guides for her most popular workshops at www.authormba.com. Download free lessons and worksheets at www.authormba.com/guides.htm. Here's a sneak peek:

Q: AuthorMBA has earned a coveted spot on Writer's Digest's "101 Best Websites for Writers" list for 2008. In addition to timely advice from industry insiders and exclusive interviews with agents and editors, what other guidance do you offer writers looking to take their career to the next level?

A: The Writer's Digest honor was a huge thrill for AuthorMBA this year. I'm delighted that our students nominated us for the award and that Writer's Digest selected us out of the 2,100 nominations it considered. I'm passionate about helping other writers achieve their writing dreams, so it was truly an honor to be recognized for our work in that regard.

I've taught many courses on topics ranging from career planning to book marketing to how to spot a trend in a genre before it hits big. I'm no longer able to teach as much as I'd like, so I redesigned the courses into step-by-step career guides to be available whenever a writer needs them. (No more waiting two months for information you need NOW.) It's a win-win situation, and the response from writers has been wonderful. Each lesson builds on the last--incorporating our proprietary worksheets, checklists and planning templates--to make growing your career a breeze. By the end of each career guide, you'll have a complete, totally customized plan that you can immediately put to use in your career.

One thing I'm really excited about… we've recently added a free preview of all four career guides at www.authormba.com/guides.htm so writers can see what our career guides are all about. Now anyone can download the first few lessons and worksheets of any (or all!) guides for FREE. No strings attached. It's all part of our commitment to help writers make wise, budget-conscious decisions about their careers.