Hello from Crippled Beagle Publishing!
Not long ago, I stumbled across a podcast episode that featured Silicon Valley start-up founders. Representatives from VRBO, social media companies, Edible Arrangements, and others described their business philosophies. The good news is that I learned priceless lessons I could act on immediately. The bad news is that I didn't pay attention to the podcast name. Since that frustrating moment of forgetfulness, I have been searching for thought leaders who can help my business and, in turn, help me better serve my clients.
The most successful entrepreneurs have certain characteristics in common. Among those are: consistent curiosity and desire to learn, acceptance of and appreciation for failures, life balance (they are NOT workaholics), and eagerness to collaborate. That last trait got me thinking. Even though I work solo most of the time, I love to collaborate with fellow creatives, whether those are subcontractors or, believe it or not, the competition. My buddy Debbie Patrick (Vision Run Publishing) is my most prized colleague (and most local competition). We live and work only a few miles from each other. Folks are shocked when I explain how Debbie and I do business planning, brainstorming, and product creation TOGETHER. I learn from her many years of advertising and copywriting experience. She is superb at book layout and, to be honest, more professional expressions of thoughts and ideas. From what she says, I energize her with my many ideas and fearless approach to business growth. Plus, I am an Excel spreadsheet phenom, if I do say so myself. Anyhoo, how does my relationship with Debbie benefit you?
Debbie and I are teaming up soon to host a series of writing workshops. I have been teaching for the University of Tennessee Center for Professional Education & Lifelong Learning for several years. Soon, Debbie will join me as a co-teacher. We will be planning our workshops in July and submitting the course titles and lesson plans in August (to UT). The first workshop will likely occur in late January. We want your help as we plan the series. Let's take turns. I'll answer questions you may be asking. Then, when you have time, you can answer my questions.
You may be asking:
Q: What is the workshop series?
A: Debbie and I will teach 6 individual workshops. Each workshop will build off the previous workshops, but they do not have to be taken in any order. There are no prerequisites. Students may take one, all, or any combination of the classes. Workshops will be about two hours each and will cover one topic each.
Q: Who is the series designed for?
A: The IN-PERSON course (Knoxville, Tennessee) will be designed for adults 18+ who want to improve their creative writing skills. Some may want to publish. Some may already be published. Writer-students may be at any stage of the writing process.
Q: Why are Debbie and Jody creating this series?
A: After many years in the writing, editing, publishing, and book marketing world, we find that we have answered the same questions multiple times per week. We want to share the answers with a wider audience. Our clients are typically busy people on budgets, so we also want to provide a slower-paced approach by which students can learn how to produce a well-written, impactful, marketable book. We will spread six or so workshops over six to twelve months. This gives students plenty of time to absorb what we teach and put lessons into real practice.
Q: How will the series help me?
A: Debbie and I can help you GROW as a writer. We will teach you fundamentals and finesse and outline the steps from wherever you are all the way to your goals, whatever those may be.
MY TURN! HERE ARE MY QUESTIONS FOR YOU!
- What topics would you like for us to address? (Examples: how to start my book, how to plan my book, how to find the right editor, how to finance the entire project, how to improve characterization, how to use a story arc to write a great book, etc.)
- Would you prefer an on-line option?
- What specific activities would you like for us to include in the workshops? (Examples: discussion, manuscript feedback, exercises, lectures, other ideas?)
- What time of day is best for you?
- How long would you like each workshop to last?
- What have you loved about other workshops/series that you've attended?
- What have you NOT enjoyed?
- Crazy idea --- throw a wild card at me! What X-factor would make the class rewarding and fun for you?
Answer any/all of these questions by emailing me at dyer.cbpublishing@gmail.com. If you have a specific question about writing, editing, publishing, or marketing, send it, too!
To stay informed about the courses, join my email list HERE. I'll be sure to update you when we map out the workshops and when registration opens.
XOXOXO and thank you in advance!
Jody
P.S. If you'd like to glance through the current UT Center for Professional Education & Lifelong Learning catalog, here's the link. I'm a student, too! I recently learned to make sushi with two of my UT teaching buddies (Alexia and Tammie).
