Get Known Before the Book Deal

For a Limited Time: Order Signed Copies of "Get Known" or "Writer Mama"

I will be visiting all the bookstores in the greater Portland area and signing their stock of Get Known in time for the holidays. I'll be sure to let you know when that happens, so that you can support your favorite bookstore.

But what if you live further away and you really, really want signed copies of my books?

Well, now for a limited time, you can order them directly from me!

Until December 30th, I will Priority Mail single copies of Get Known or Writer Mama right to your home.

E-mail me at christina katz at earthlink dot net or sign up for one of my e-zines for details. :)

And on that note, I know what I'm giving for holiday gifts this year...bookstore gift cards!

Why? Because I support bookstores, publishers and authors, that's why.

Now that the election is over, it's important for all of us to remember that every dollar we spend is a vote.

Won't you join me in voting for books and magazines this holiday season?

Wordstock Festival of Books is Happening Now at the Portland Convention Center!

I'll be there on Saturday teaching a workshop from 12:45 - 1:45 on Nonfiction Writing Rhythms.

And I'll be signing books at the Willamette Writers booth from 3-5 p.m.

Hope to see you there!

Write on, platform-builders!

And good luck with those NaNoWriMo wordcounts!

I've decided that my next book is going to be...a novel. (!!!)

Christina Katz' Get Known Guidelines for Writers

You will become influential for all the right reasons and stand out in a crowded marketplace when you…

1. Clarify the expertise you have to offer.
2. Carve out your distinct niche among the throngs doing similar work.
3. Align your offerings with what your audience needs and wants.
4. Accept the current industry realities and communicate with professionalism and poise.
5. Learn to see yourself from the point-of-view of seasoned gatekeepers in the industry.
6. Take 100% responsibility for your writing career, while partnering with impeccable others.
7. Invite and incorporate input from the most qualified sources, including your readers.
8. Stay competitive by evolving with the times and respond in a timely manner to areas that can benefit from improvement.
9. Keep an eye on future trends while staying firmly grounded in the moment.
10. Allow your platform development to be an integrated, authentic and organic process that increases your visibility as your good intentions take root, grow and bear fruit.
11. Make good things happen in your own career and in the careers of others.
12. Trust your gut. It always tells the truth.

Do you initiate, respond or react?

I could react all day if I didn' pay attention. But I learned when my first book came out that the folks who succeed most, best and first, are the ones who initiate.

Easy to say. Harder to do.

See what Seth Godin has to say on the subject in his blog.

Vote for the best candidate...you!

We've watched the presidential candidates campaign hard for the past ten months. Now it's YOUR turn.

Take charge of your writing career right now by ordering Get Known Before the Book Deal, Use Your Personal Strengths to Grow an Author Platform from Christina Katz and Writer's Digest Books.

Step up and become visible. Doesn't your writing career deserve all the professional attention you can give it?

Read Get Known now and make 2009 your year for writing success!

In the voting spirit,

Christina

Read Excerpts from Get Known at Writersdigest.com!

Read the book summary, the table of contents, and the introduction from Get Known
Click here

Keep reading! Read chapter one from Get Known
Click here

For more, visit the Get Known website!

Two Upcoming Live Workshops with Christina Katz (that's me!)

Hope you can come!

Christina Katz is teaching Nonfiction Writing Rhythms at Wordstock
Write short and get published sooner, rather than later. Find out why writers who set small goals typically breeze past writers who aim for the big gigs immediately. You’ll leave this workshop with a practical plan for nonfiction writing success.
Location: The Portland Convention Center, 777 NE MLK Jr. Blvd., Portland
Saturday, November 8th, 12:45-1:45 p.m.
Cost: $50.00 + festival pass, Register at http://www.wordstockfestival.com
Christina will be signing copies of “Get Known Before the Book Deal” and “Writer Mama” at the Willamette Writers Booth from 3:00 - 5:00 p.m.

Self-Promotion Round Table
If you have a book coming out or a service or class to offer, you’re going to need to kick up some interest in what you do first. People are always asking to “borrow” my brain to help them brainstorm ideas for promoting themselves and their books. But when it comes to brainstorming, we all know that several brains are better than one. So I will facilitate this round table discussion to help participants increase their visibility for all the right reasons.

In this three-hour brainstorming session, you’ll drum up ideas that will lead you to a clear-cut plan for promoting yourself and all that you offer. Bring with you a one-paragraph description of your mission, a short bio summarizing your expertise, and a list of any self-promotion you’ve already accomplished (better yet, read my new book, “Get Known” prior to the workshop). You will leave with more ideas than you can possibly carry out, including a few you might not have come up with on your own. Plan to have fun and connect with like-minded writers.
Location: The Wilsonville Library
Dates: Saturday, December 6, 2008
Cost: $99.00 for three hours (intro price for December 6th session only), Register at http://www.christinakatz.com

Christina Katz has been empowering writers since 1998. She is the author of “Get Known Before the Book Deal, Use Your Personal Strengths to Grow an Author Platform” and “Writer Mama, How to Raise a Writing Career Alongside Your Kids.” For more information on her upcoming classes, appearances, and giveaways, please visit http://www.christinakatz.com.

Get Known Before the Book Deal, Use Your Personal Strengths to Grow an Author Platform from Christina Katz and Writer's Digest Books on sale now!

Sell Your First Book & Develop a Successful and Sustainable Writing Career

Before you can land a book deal—before you can even attract the interest of agents and editors—you need to be visible. How do you become visible? You develop a platform, or a way of reaching your readers. Everybody can develop a platform, and this book shows you how to do it while you’re still writing.

This book offers:

• A step-by-step approach to creating, growing, and nurturing a platform
• An economical approach to self-promotion (you don’t have to spend thousands)
• A clear way to uncover your strengths and weaknesses as an author
• The strategies that are essential (or not) to online promotion
• A philosophy of authorship that leaves you confident, empowered, and equally partnered with agents, editors, and publishers (instead of waiting to be discovered)
• A diverse set of tools and methods for getting known (not just Web-based tools or ideas for extroverts)
• After you read this book, you’ll be able to answer the inevitable question: “What’s your platform?” with ease and professionalism.

You’ll learn the hows and whys of becoming visible and how to cultivate visibility from scratch. Best of all, you won’t need any previous knowledge or experience to get started. Everything you need to know is here, in one source.

You’ll discover that growing a writing career isn’t just about landing one book deal and then scrambling like crazy. There is a more strategic and steady way to lay the groundwork so you can avoid scrambling altogether—and Get Known Before the Book Deal is the only comprehensive book that shows you how.

Get Known Website Launched!

Here's what you'll find at the Get Known... Website:

• a list of guidelines for getting known
• a media page in case you want to write a review or invite me over
• a list of platform superheroes and some sample one-pagers (coming soon)
• a list of places where you can purchase Get Known Before the Book Deal
• a place to sign up for the Get Known Groove newsletter

More coming soon!

Visit now at http://www.getknownbeforethebookdeal.com.

A Sobering Must-Read from the NYT

The moral for writers: Pay your taxes.

Better yet, get a CPA and pay your IRA first. Then, pay your taxes.

"Putting a modest price on a storied literary life"