These 3 movies – Here Comes Mr. Jordan, Heaven Can Wait, Down to Earth – serve as an example.

THEME [ Be true to yourself and everything will be all right.] + PLOTLINE [a man who is sent to heaven before his time (due to an error by an angel) wants his old life back]  =

* * * * * * *

Here Comes Mr. Jordan  1941  protagonist Joe Pendleton (a boxer) portrayed by Robert Montgomery

Writing Credits: Sidney Buchman & Seton I. Miller (screenplay); Harry Segall (from the play Heaven Can Wait)

* * * * * * *

Heaven Can Wait  1978 – protagonist Joe Pendleton (a quarterback) portrayed by Warren Beatty

Writing Credits:  Elaine May and Warren Beatty (screenplay); Harry Segall (from the play); Robert Towne

* * * * * * *

Down to Earth (2001) protagonist Lance Barton (a stand-up comedian) portrayed by Chris Rock.

Probably to honor the original script, the name (and body) that Lance Barton will use at the end of the movie is “Joe”

Writing Credits:   Chris Rock & Lance Crouther & Ali LeRoi & Louis C.K.

Above data regarding writers’ names are from http://www.imdb.com

I, Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan, recommend:

* Martha Engber’s book and workshops on how to write scenes

* Christopher Vogler’s book The Writer’s Journey (about Hero’s Journey and Archetypes)

* all books and workshops by Martha Alderson on plotting

* your rereading your favorite books and studying that authors’ techniques

Sincerely,

Teresa LeYung-Ryan aka Coach Teresa teaches writers how to transform their email signature-blocks, photos, videos, social media, website/blog descriptions into platform statements . . . to attract target audience/readers/fans . . . before and after publication.  http://WritingCoachTeresa.com and  https://www.youtube.com/user/teresaleyung

*

She is the creator of:

• classes, including:
• *For Theme’s Sake: Edit Your Own Manuscript Before Pitching to Agents or Self-Publishing
• *Heroes, Tricksters, and Villains – What Do These Archetypes Want in Your Story World?
• *

• Immigrant Experience Writing Contest
• *

• interactive presentations, including:
  • *Help Your Fans Find YOU
  • *Build & Retrofit Your Writer’s Platform

*

the author of:

• Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW (workbook);
• *
• Love Made of Heart: a Daughter, a Mother, a Journey Through Mental Illness (novel used in college classes and archived at the San Francisco History Center);
• *
• “Talking to My Dead Mom Monologues” (the first monologue received an award from Redwood 10-Minute Play Contest and was staged at the 6^th Street Playhouse in Santa Rosa, CA);
• *
• her blog (which attracts tens of thousands of writers) at http://WritingCoachTeresa.com helps writers build their platforms before and after publication

*

and a proud member of:

• California Writers Club (3 branches! And a past president of the San Francisco Peninsula Branch); and a recipient of the Jack London Award for outstanding service to California Writers Club;
• *
• Women’s National Book Association-San Francisco Chapter (a past board member).

Find booksellers in your area http://www.indiebound.org and visit them!

**                    

Author & Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan celebrates Independent Bookstore Day/California Bookstore Day

May 2, 2015, 4:30pm at Laurel Book Store

http://www.laurelbookstore.com/event/independent-bookstore-day

http://cabookstoreday.com says:  Just what does IBD celebrate?

Independent bookstores are not just stores, they’re community centers and local anchors run by passionate readers. They are entire universes of ideas that contain the possibility of real serendipity. They are lively performance spaces and quiet places where aimless perusal is a day well spent.

Cheers to booksellers and all book lovers!

Sincerely,

Teresa LeYung-Ryan

author of Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW (workbook)

author of the novel Love Made of Heart: a Daughter, a Mother, a Journey Through Mental Illness (used in college courses and archived at the San Francisco History Center)

http://WritingCoachTeresa.com   

https://www.youtube.com/user/teresaleyung

Thank you for getting my workbook and doing the exercises.

Here’s a question that is often asked by writers:

“Do I really have to blog?  I have a regular website, facebook page and Twitter.”

Here’s my response:

“You do not have to do anything that you do not want to do.  The ‘tags’ in blog posts function as index cards on cyberspace – those tags help new fans find you – enjoy the exercises in my workbook – you’ll see the power of consistent blogging for yourself.  Reach out, not stress out.”

Cheers!
22-Day Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan
http://writingcoachTeresa.com
the author of Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW

Subscribe to  “Coach Teresa’s blog”  Click here to start.

Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan answers question: "Do I really have to blog?"

Happy Women’s History Month – March!

http://womenshistorymonth.gov/ is a website hosted by the Library of Congress

Happy International Women’s Day – March 8, 2014!

Click on names of organizations that empower women, girls, boys, men – I’ve hyperlinked so that one click sends you to that website while this blog post remains open.

Bay Area Impact making the world safer – one woman at a time

Women Rising (San Jose area) and their page “Global Movement”

Girl Rising  “One Girl with Courage is a Revolution”

Community Violence Solutions provides support services to child and adult victims of sexual assault and their families through seven main programs.

One Billion Rising (one billion women)

Afghan Women’s Writing Project – To Tell One’s Story Is a Human Right

Women’s National Book Association was established in 1917, before women in America even had the right to vote.

Stamp Out Stigma, a community advocacy and educational outreach program dedicated to eradicating the stigma associated with mental illness

Bring Change 2 Mind is a national anti-stigma campaign founded by Glenn Close, The Balanced Mind Foundation, Fountain House, and Garen & Shari Staglin of the International Mental Health Research Organization (IMHRO), aimed at removing misconceptions about mental illness.

NAMI is the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness.

The Anti-Trafficking in Persons Program (ATIP) identifies and serves victims of human trafficking, assisting foreign trafficking victims in the United States to become eligible for public benefits and services to the same extent as refugees.  The program also raises awareness of human trafficking through the HHS Rescue & Restore Victims of Human Trafficking campaign.

The Mission of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) is to organize for collective power by advancing transformative work, thinking and leadership of communities and individuals working to end the violence in our lives. NCADV strives to make issues relating to battered women and children one of the top ten political and legislative issues in the U.S.

The documentary FEMME: Women Healing the World – a celebration of women around the world actively transforming and healing our global society. Sharon Stone and leading experts in religion, science, history, politics and entertainment, discuss solutions to the multiple crises we are faced with. FEMME focuses on utilizing a feminine approach with nurturing energy to inspire a new hope for the future.

My dear colleague Margie Yee Webb is one of the producers of this extraordinary project.

There are thousands of organizations celebrating women and girls – may they all grow and grow and grow!

Into the Fire: The Sun Celebrates Personal Writing
Esalen Institute, Big Sur, California
October 25 – October 27, 2013 

The Sun is offering two full scholarships to writers who can make a strong case that they would benefit from this retreat but are unable to afford it. Scholarships cover lodging, meals, and tuition for the weekend.

Click here to apply for a scholarship online. You can also download and print a mail-in application form to complete by hand and return to us. Mail your application materials to:

The Sun magazine
Attn: Esalen Scholarships
107 North Roberson Street
Chapel Hill, NC 27516

Application materials must be received by August 1, 2013.

We will notify applicants of our decision by September 2.

http://thesunmagazine.org/get_involved/events/25#scholarships

 Good luck to YOU!

Sincerely,

Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan

author of:

Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW (the workbook)

Love Made of Heart (the mother-daughter novel used in college composition classes; book is archived at the San Francisco History Center)

Answer Me Now  (the award-winning short play)

and speeches advocating mental health and end violence against women and children

Click here for a list of Coach Teresa’s event.

http://writingcoachTeresa.com  for more resources.

Coach Teresa says: “Wear the dual hats of writer and promoter. Reach out, not stress out.”

Hedgebrook retreat for women writers is on Whidbey Island, about thirty-five miles northwest of Seattle, WA. Situated on 48-acres of forest and meadow facing Puget Sound, with a view of Mount Rainier, the retreat hosts women writers from all over the world for residencies of two to six weeks, at no cost to the writer. Residents are housed in six handcrafted cottages, where they spend their days in solitude – writing, reading, taking walks in the woods on the property or on nearby Double Bluff beach. In the evenings, they gather in the farmhouse kitchen to share a home-cooked gourmet meal, their work, their process and their stories. The Writers in Residence Program is Hedgebrook’s core program, supporting the fully-funded residencies of approximately 40 women writers at the retreat each year.

California Writers’ Club – San Francisco Peninsula Branch

May 18, 2013, 10:00 am

Belmont Public Library (just south of Ralston on Alameda de las Pulgas), Belmont, CA

This month’s speaker, author David Corbett, will speak on “The Art of Character: Creating Memorable Characters for Fiction, Film and TV.” The meeting begins at 10 a.m. at the Belmont Public Library.  $15 for CWC members and $18 for non-members. Students get in for $10 with a valid ID.  First Meeting Free!

For more information about David Corbett, visit

For directions and more information about the meeting and CWC, visit http://cwc-peninsula.org

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

California Writers’ Club – Redwood Branch

 Sunday afternoon, May 19, 2013, for the Redwood Writers 

Flamingo Hotel, 2777 Fourth St., Santa Rosa, CA

Author Support Group, 1:00-2:15 p.m. led by Deborah Taylor-French

Registration, Meet and Greet 2:30 p.m.

General Membership Meeting 3-5 p.m. – Meeting starts at 3 p.m. sharp!

Flamingo Hotel, Empire Rooms

2777 Fourth Street, Santa Rosa, CA 95405-4795, (707) 545-8530

See our website for a map:  www.redwoodwriters.org

 Members $5;  nonmembers $8

“Five Things That Are Killing Your Story” with Jana McBurney-Lin

     In her decades of writing and editing fiction, Jana McBurney-Lin discovered there are five basic elements necessary to bring life into any story. Let her help you breathe life into yours. McBurney-Lin appears on Sunday, May 19 from 3-5 p.m.  Admission is $5 for members, $8 for nonmembers. Sponsored by Redwood Writers. For more information www.redwoodwriters.org

McBurney-Lin is the author of two acclaimed novels. My Half of the Sky (KOMENAR Publishing, 2006) received numerous awards, including Booksense Pick of the Month, Forbes Book Club Pick and Foreword Magazine’s Book of the Year (Honorable Mention). Her recently released novel, Blossoms and Bayonets (Redwood Publishing, 2012), is “suspenseful and deeply affecting,” according to best-selling novelist Caroline Leavitt.

##############

Sincerely,

Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan

22-Day Writers’ Platform & Fanbase-Building Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan says:

“Build your writer’s platform and work on the craft, simultaneously with ease.  I’m cheering for you!”

http://writingcoachteresa.com  for Coach Teresa’s list of events; see how she helps her clients.

Sunday, January 27, 2013,  1:00 pm to 5:00 pm

Location: The Sunflower Center, 1435 No. McDowell Blvd. (in the Redwood Business Park, behind Applebee’s), Petaluma, CA

Cost:  $25 pre-registration; $30 at the door

Registration:  Marlene Cullen’s email address at comcast.net is: mcullen   or call her at 707-762-6279

The first part of this workshop will be an exploration of significant events through writing. The second part features art collage as a fun way to discover personal paths.

No special writing experience needed. Bring a notebook and pen.  Material for art collage will be provided. You are welcome to bring a poem, magazines or any other material you would like to use for collage. 

Marlene Cullen is a cheerleader for writers and founder of Writers Forum of Petaluma. Her workshops provide essential elements for successful writing, where participants often experience transformational changes. 

Please visit Marlene’s website for more information: www.thewritespot.us

“By writing our stories, we begin to understand what was formerly unclear.”  

                     — Louise DeSalvo, Writing As A Way of Healing

Sincerely,

Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan

“Reach out, not stress out, to materialize your dearest dreams.”   http://writingcoachteresa.com

As coach and author of Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW , Teresa says: “Whether you are writing fiction or nonfiction, make your name synonymous with the issues you write about.”

As author of Love Made of Heart, creator of Love Made of Heart gift items and the Talking to My Dead Mom Monologues, Teresa encourages writers to speak out (in print) for those who cannot speak for themselves.

authors Margie Yee Webb, Teresa LeYung-Ryan, Amy Gorman

Click here for updated list of authors.

Click here for directions to the winery.

 Carvalho Family Winery

at Old Sugar Mill
35265 Willow Avenue
Clarksburg, CA 95612

December 15 & 16, 2012, 1:00pm to 5:00pm both days
“Gifts of Wine & Words!”

Come out and enjoy a glass of wine (or two) while buying a new book signed by the author! Over 40 authors–representing a multitude of genres. Pair the perfect wine with your new favorite book.  No charge to attend this event.

1. Laurie Hoirup - I Can Dance: My Life with a Disability
2.  A. K. Buckroth - My Diabetic Soul
3. Cindy Sample – Dying for a Date
4.  Theodora Graves – Through Phantom Eyes
5. Amy Rogers – Petroplague
6. Jeannie Nishikawa – Dreaming in English: A Memoir
7. Margie Yee Webb – Cat Mulan’s Mindful Musings: Insight and Inspiration for a Wonderful Life
   
8. Penny Callmeyer, co-author Villa of  Youth
9. TE Watson – The Man Who Spoke With Cats
10. Shelley Buck – Floating Point
11. Teresa LeYung-Ryan – Love Made of Heart; Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days
12. Amy Gorman – Aging Artfully: 12 Profiles of Visual and Performing Women Artists 85-105
13. Liz Allenby – Appearances Deceive
14. Cheryl Stapp – Disaster & Triumph: Sacramento Women-Gold Rush through Civil War
15. Murray Stapp – Those Radio Days
16. Loraine Holden – Don’t Get Thin, Get Healthy
17. Norma Thorton - Nonie’s  1st Big Bottom Girls’ Rio Linda Cookbook
18. Marsha Robinson – Rescuing Humphrey
19. Sheri Cockrell - contributor to Mom Entrepreneur Extraordinaire
20. Judith Horstman – Scientific American brain books
21. Phil Silver – Andi the Bee
22. Naida West - California Gold Trilogy
23. Peggy  Dulle – Saddle Up
24. Owen Sullivan - The House’s Money
25. Nan  Mahon – Blind Buddies
26. Linda  Lohman – contributor to Chicken Soup for the Soul
27. Robert M Pacholik – Crab Louie
28. Mort  Rumberg – Codename: Snake
29. Denise Lee Branco - Horse at the Corner Post
30. Jen Barton - Fiona Thorn and the Carapacem Spell
31. Marilyn Reynolds – Over 70 and I Don’t Mean MPH
32. Anara Guard - Late Peaches
33. Frank Luna – Red Storm
34. Mary Weins - Bootstrap Your Way to a Successful Business
35. Lonon Smith - Wise Men
36. Frank Leek – Shared Parenting; Beyond the Great Divide
37. Shirley Parenteau - Bears in Beds
38. Margaret Murray - Dreamers, A Coming of Age Love Story of the 60s
39. Elaine Macko – Armed
40. Joyce Mikal-Flynn – Turning Tragedy Into Triumph, Metahabilitation; A Contemporary Model of Rehabilitation

Meet authors at “Gifts of Wine & Words” Dec. 15 & 16, 2012 near Sacramento, CA

Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan

Teresa LeYung-Ryan at LinkedIn

http://WritingCoachTeresa.com

http://www.facebook.com/Teresa.LeYung.Ryan

http://www.youtube.com/teresaleyung

(Clicking on underscored text in this post will open a new window to get to referenced site.)

Meet Teresa LeYung-Ryan, Book Marketing Coach!

1. Why don’t you tell us a little bit about your background in the industry?
My name is Teresa LeYung-Ryan and my clients call me Writing-and-Platform-Building Coach Teresa. I wish to thank Christy Pinheiro-Silva of www.StepByStepSelfPublishing.net for this interview, and, I encourage everyone to look for the core messages in my responses—which are:  Reach out, not stress out, to material your dreams;  and, wear your two hats as a writer and be happy (whether you’re writing fiction, narrative nonfiction, or prescription nonfiction also known as “how to” books/articles).

This is what happened to me, over ten years ago, and the choices I’ve made.

I had a dream—a dream of connecting with readers the way Maxine Hong Kingston touched me with her memoir The Woman Warrior.  My writer’s journey started with learning the components of a story in a ten-week course Writing Children’s Literature at the community center and forming a critique group with three classmates after the course ended.

Fast forward.  After seven years of writing and rewriting, showing up at critique meetings twice a month,  I received a gift from a friend—a brochure for the Jack London Writers’ Conference with an entry form for their writing contest.   Two months later, at the conference, I met members from California Writers’ Club and I received “Second Prize” in the Novel Category in the writing contest. I thought that by being a winner in a contest, surely I would attract mentors and be “discovered” by an agent the following week.  (Are you laughing?)

Fast forward.  After sending query letters and the first two chapters of my novel to dozens of agents over a year, and, receiving “rejection letters” and getting very depressed, I took a friend’s advice and registered for a workshop “How to Get Published.” Also, I got together with two other contest-winners (Luisa Adams and Martha Alderson) and we pledged to help each other on our writers’ journeys.

I took a six-week leave of absence from my job to perform the last big rewrite of my manuscript.  (Note: Surround yourself with people who really support your dreams. My husband and my friends were cheering for me.)

Fast forward.  My first novel Love Made of Heart (a mother-daughter love story) is used in college composition classes; available at public libraries; recommended by the CA School Library Association and the CA Reading Association; and archived at the San Francisco History Center.   October 2012 marks the tenth anniversary of Love Made of Heart.  The book is still in print, and, I continue to meet new fans.

For the past nine years, through my coaching  and my workbook Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days, I have been helping writers reach out, not stress out, to attract agents, editors, publishers, readers, and media attention.

2. What is your opinion on self-publishing vs. traditional publishing and represented by an agent?

The advantage of identifying the right agent who will pitch your intellectual property to the right publishers— agents have their specialties and their relationships with acquisition editors at publishing houses; established publishers have relationships with book distributors.

Note: An agent gets 15% of what the author receives from the publisher (similar to a finder’s fee). Agents are not publicists, marketing managers or promoters.  The publisher, not the agent, offers you the contract (to buy the rights to publish your book).

Note: Hire a literary attorney to interpret and negotiate the contract for you if your agent doesn’t have access to legal counsel. Know what rights you are selling to the publisher.

*
The advantage of being your own publisher—you have full control regarding:

• rights to publish and re-print
• how to promote your book, when, and to whom
• publication date and publication format
• book layout, cover design, jacket copy
• cover price; discounts to booksellers
• budget and profits

Consider Your and Other People’s Timetables:
It might take years to find your agent; it might take years before your agent finds the publisher.  By the way, my super-agent Stacey Glick tells me that only 2% of her clients would receive contracts from publishers.  When Stacey negotiated the deal with acquisition editor John Scognamiglio at Kensington Publishing Corp. New York (a publisher who releases 500+ new titles each year) for my  mother-daughter novel Love Made of Heart, my book title got onto the “conveyor belt” (it would take 18 months from when I sign the contract to when the book would show up in bookstores).

Note: A publisher could “fast track” a new title,  releasing the book within months or even weeks.  An example of releasing a book within weeks would be when a super-famous person dies and big publishers would forego some of the stops in the conveyor belt process.

How much attention are you going to get and give?
The bigger the publisher, the more new titles they release each year, the less attention each author gets.  Their best-selling authors, celebrity-authors, and new authors to whom they have given huge advances would get the most attention of course.

A decade ago when John Scognamiglio told me “You have six weeks to get on the radar”  I thought I knew what that meant.  You see, I was one of the lucky authors.  Kensington had bought “front of the store” shelf space at chain-stores for Love Made of Heart.  Chain-stores would rotate inventory every six weeks.  If a book sells during those six weeks, then the store would order more copies through their distributor.  Independent sales representatives (especially Nancy Suib and Anne Shulenberger) introduced Love Made of Heart to their accounts (independent booksellers).  “Indies” also had to rotate their inventory every few weeks.  What does this mean?  Unsold books are returned to the distributors (warehouses).  Publishers have to pay taxes on inventory—it is a costly business—selling printed books.

To stay on that “radar” meant making one’s name and the subject matter/issues/themes in one’s book visible in media attention over those precious six weeks. Which also meant having lined up interviews—in print, radio, television.  You’re probably saying . . . Wouldn’t the publisher handle all that?  Yes, if you are one of their best-selling authors, a celebrity, or a new author who has been given a huge advance.

Note:  Cyberspace magic provides opportunities galore for authors to broadcast ourselves (build our platforms and fanbases). What is a platform?  The definition is on page 1 from my workbook  Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: “Making your name stand for something—to attract targeted consumers—who are likely to buy what you have to sell.”

3. What do you feel is the most important thing that authors can do to promote their books?
The simple yet powerful tool is:  Making your name synonymous with the  themes/subject matter/issues in your literary works.

In my interview on CBS Channel 5, I talked about:  “What I care about … leads to my writing about those themes/subject matters/issues.  What I write about …   attracts my fans because they also care about what I care about.  Help your fans find you.”

Introduce yourself with your full name.  Then use these three words:  “I care about . . . ”

Example: (as a writer of fiction, narrative nonfiction, including memoirs )
I am Teresa LeYung-Ryan, author of Love Made of Heart (a mother-daughter love story).   I care about helping adult-children (of mentally-ill parents) speak openly about the stigmas and find resources for their loved ones.
Example: (as a writer of prescriptive nonfiction  a.k.a. “how to” )
I am Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan, author of Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW.   I care about helping writers thrive in today’s publishing arena.

I call these self-introductions my platform-statement.
Where to “show” your platform-statement? 

• Your email signature-block! 
• Your letterhead! 
• Your website and blog slogan/tagline/description! 
• Your bio! 
• Your business cards! 
• The caption for your photographs! 
• Headline for press releases!
• Social media pages! 
• And, let’s hear it on your voicemail!

Even when I’m emailing my loved ones (my biggest fans), I show them my platform-statement in my signature block.  Help your fans brag about you with ease.

4. What are your feelings on Social Media? (Facebook, Google+, Twitter, etc)
I thank creators and users of social media.  How else could our fans from faraway places find us?  Be consistent.  Update your bio in all these forums to reflect your current platform-statement. A picture speaks a thousand words; be sure to rename photo-files (show your full name and book title, and even keywords from your platform-statement)

5. Do you feel that book marketing for fiction is different than book marketing for non-fiction?
No difference in today’s markets.
How do I choose books as a consumer?
As Teresa-the-consumer, I pay attention when:

• friends recommend a book
• I read about or hear or meet the author and I appreciate what the author has to say
• I need information on a particular subject, so  I use a search engine (like Google.com) to find those books or I ask my favorite booksellers and librarians.

How would I help these consumers find me if I am an author?
Please see the answers to Question # 3—“What do you feel is the most important thing that authors can do to promote their books?”

6. What are some of the biggest mistakes that authors make when trying to promote their books?

• One big mistake is misdirecting your energy pitching to book reviewers or radio or television producers who are not interested in the subject matter /issues/ themes that you are promoting.  Do your homework; seek advice from mentors, colleagues, and yours truly Coach Teresa; use The Book Reviewer Yellow Pages; listen and watch shows you’d like to be invited to, and, please study their format
• Another common mistake is what my colleague Elisa Sasa Southard calls “killing a marketing moment.”   Her book Break Through the Noise shows you the 9 tools to propel your marketing message.
• The third common mistake is tiring yourself out when promoting at events where there is traveling, schlepping, and setting up involved. I have lots of fun with colleagues/co-presenters at writers’ conferences, book festivals, and community events. Recently I shared a booth with Margie Yee Webb and Rita Lakin at the Sonoma County Book Festival.  Every year I join forces with co-presenters Sasa Southard and Mary E. Knippel at the San Francisco Writers Conference.  On December 15, 2012 I’ll be sharing a table with Margie Yee Webb (she’s the author of the gift-book Cat Mulan’s Mindful Musings) at a Local Authors event.  Please check my events page.

7. Do you have any other useful advice for beginning authors?

• Get yourself a calendar (month at a glance) with big squares to write in, and, schedule time to work on your craft and your platform.
• Get to know members in writers’ organizations (my favorite ones are California Writers Club and Women’s National Book Association)
• Please read my blog post:  Wear Two Hats as a Writer and Be Happy

8. How can authors contact you if they have any questions?
I encourage you to ask me question by posting a comment on any of my blog posts. That way, my fans will see your name and questions (so, promote yourself).  To submit a comment: click on the headline/blue title bar of the post, scroll down to the end of the post, fill in the boxes, and press the [submit comment] button.

Here’s a blog post you might like to submit a comment/question:  Who Really Is the Most Qualified Person to Build the Author’s Platform and Fanbase?

My email address:   WritingCoachTeresag   at    gmail.com

You will find links to the organizations referenced in this interview on my “Writers’ Resources” page at  http://writingcoachteresa.com

In closing, I wish to reiterate my thanks to Christy Pinheiro and to say “I cheer for all writers!”

Reach out, not stress out!
Sincerely,

Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan

http://writingcoachTeresa.com

Christy Pinheiro-Silva of www.StepByStepSelfPublishing.net  says:

“Thanks, Teresa, for a great interview!!!”