Mark Victor Hansen - Book Marketing (learnings from the day)

Well, I definitely saw a LOT today. I arrived at the LAX Westin Hotel to check in for a 3-day seminar on book writing, editing, publishing and marketing - devised and led by Mark Victor Hansen.

It's late here in the west coast, and after a FULL day (7:30am-10:15pm) of presentations, activities and discussions, I'm walking away with a few learnings. In no particular order:

Write "to" someone.
    This was an idea that stood out to me from Bill Phillips' speech earlier in the day. The author of Body For Life, Bill said whenever he is ready to work, he starts by writing, "Dear _______" on the top of the page. I tried it tonight, and lo-and-behold, it works! What did I notice about this activity?

1. I wrote "faster." As a wrote this post, I continued to see that person in my mind's-eye, and I felt I was writing in a more clear and directed way.
2. I changed a few things, and wrote a bit differently than previously.
3. I searched to find an example that I think that person would resonate with/respond to.

Write every day.
    I had had an experience presenting at a seminar with Jeffrey Gitomer (he presented one day, I presented the next) back in October, 2007. I didn't hear him say it then, but it was LOUD and CLEAR this afternoon... Write Every Day. WED...It's an acronym that I'm going to use more regularly. I realized today that writers are as focused on writing as I am (already!) on training for triathlon. Something - even if it's a little something - needs to be done every day.

"Clarify, Clarify, Clarify" the question my writing answers.
    Well, I admit this (up until today) has been a challenge for me. I'm looking for the question my writing answers...the one that I can write and speak about that encompasses all the other ones. For those of you who have read this blog for a while, do you have any suggestions? So far, here is what I have come up with:

How do I engage in all parts of my life, when my life is out of balance?
What is the common problem people face related to professional performance?
What are the "productivity secrets" you need to know?

I'm SO glad I still have two more days of seminar, as I know it's late and I still have some thinking (and writing!) to do before I call it a day. Look for more reflections on this conference soon!

Comments

[Leonard Szymczak]

Jason,
I was honored to sit next to you during the Mega conference and watch you in action. I kept peeking over as you worked on your Blackberry. What an inspiration. I thought I was ahead of the game by listing my action plan for the following day. You were not only planning to act but leaping off the cliff and spreading your wings. Like a hummingbird you're pollinating the world with your inspirational words. Keep flying!
Leonard

[Suzanne McQueen]

Jason:

Well, my friend, you are a HUGE help! Actually, looking at your sites, I feel more inadequate than ever (but am determined to get in the swing of all of this)! Good grief, I've been doing this sort of thing for years, only via group emails to friends. I also finally just started a myspace site a couple of months ago, just for fun: www.myspace.com/smathismcq I guess I could blog there too, but it doesn't seem like the right place for my book stuff.

I tried to go to JasonRecommends.com but was not successful.

Thank you for making the HowToStartABlog for me. I feel so special and even get mentioned in your video! I hope this proves to be lucrative for you as well, in some way, by getting more clients, or whatever.

Ciao for now, Baby,
Suzanne