I had an unbelievable time attending Re:Write 2015 in Austin, Texas. Here are my notes and highlights from Friday, February 27, 2015.
*Disclaimer: I wear hearing aids, which means sometimes my translation of what was said is slightly off. Maybe I’m not the most qualified person to dictate, nonetheless… Lol.
Day 1 – Re:Write Notes, Tweets, and Highlights
Mary DeMuth // Your Irresistible Future In Publishing
Publishing will not validate your life. It will not make you a better person.
1. Past <Isaiah 43:16-17>
- Do not despise your days of small beginnings. Stay out of that dark place.
- We all need mentors in our life.
- You have to uncover your past.
- Recount the greatness of God in you.
- Remember the faithfulness of God.
2. Present <Isaiah 43:18-19>
- He’s the Great I AM!
- Be aware that our God can do different things in the present.
- Comparing yourself to other people will only make you upset.
- Let God do something cool and unexpected.
- 3 John 1:2 says, “Just as your soul prospers…”
3. Future <Isaiah 43:20-21>
- God wants to do something really awesome, not just in you, but in the world.
- Change the world with words!
- Changing the world helps you forget all the stuff in the past.
- Writing one card to one person will change the world.
- Nothing significant in the Kingdom of God happens unless death occurs. <Tweet this!>
- After death comes the resurrection.
James Rubart // Stepping Out of the Shadows
We were made to live for so much more.
When are you going to step out of the shadows and into the destiny God’s created for you?
- Where do you need to step out?
- Where do you need to flip?
- Step into your glory!
Risk. Flip. Go for it. Step into your glory.
What’s your story? Flip. Go for it. Step into your glory.
Our Father is saying, “Come on, let’s have fun.”
Don’t bury your talents. (See Matthew 25:14-30)
If you step out there will be opposition.
It’s not about the writing. It’s about the transformation God wants to do through the process. <Tweet this!>
Why did Jesus come? See Isaiah 61:1 & 1 John 3:8.
“It’s extremely difficult to read the label when you’re standing inside the bottle.” <Tweet this!>
Sandi Krakowski // CULTURE: Your Ultimate ROI
4.2 billion time/day (48,811/second) somebody clicks “LIKE” on Facebook
- No one is talking back.
- You have to talk back.
- Share yourself. Get feed back. Talk back.
Culture is the gathering of people around a common idea or goal.
What is the culture of the people you represent?
1. Create Culture.
- Share what’s going on in your life.
- Engage.
- Talk to your followers, not at them.
- Don’t spend the majority of your time “selling your product.”
- People want to be motivated, inspired, and encouraged.
- If you do life with your followers they will be your biggest evangelists.
2. Talk Back
- If you will take 10-20 minutes/day to talk to people you will be amazed at what happens.
- You should be doing webinars, podcasts, etc. (about your book, project)
3. You Lead, They Follow
- If you lead they will follow.
- Lead when you write.
- Making people more important than your message is the best marketing plan you can have! <Tweet this!>
- Live life with your followers.
Esther Fedorkevich // Backstage Pass to Agenting
Picture an egg.
- An egg by itself is insignificant (no one takes pictures or Tweet’s it).
- After a chicken hatches form it = remarkable.
- What happens while the chicken is inside makes all the difference.
The Flywheel Effect for Authors
- Momentum creates breakthrough.
- All the moments (pushing and transformation) before the breakthrough is what mattered.
Reasons not to quit:
- C.S. Lewis received 800 rejection letters before he sold a single piece of writing.
- Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead was said to be “Unsaleable and unpublishable.”
- “There is no market for animal stories in the USA” was said regarding George Orwell’s Animal Farm.
- Jack London received over 600 rejections in his lifetime. <Tweet this!>
- Lord of the Flies was rejected 20 times before it got published.
- Louis L’Amor received 200 rejections before a publisher took a chance on him. He is now their best ever selling author with 330 million sales. <Tweet this!>
- 24 literary agencies turned down The Notebook. The 25th did not & sold it one week later for $1 million dollars.
Writers who make the biggest impact are:
- consistent
- passionate
- focused
- disciplined
- determined
- they don’t quit
Keep pushing the flywheel!
Don’t lose momentum!
Rusty Shelton // Discoverability & the Future of PR
The media has changed.^
The way we buy is changing.
The new bookstore:
- Is open 24/7
- Has unlimited shelf space
- Bloggers/Micromedia are the new hand-sellers
- Is interactive
The current state of book PR
- Very few “traditional” media targets left – and everyone is pushing them – it is a broken process
- Even fewer book-focused reporters left – the best book specific coverage is happening online
- Authors now write the book…and the coverage about your book
- Give media a reason to find you online.
Responding to your Google audit
- Revise any and all channels that need updating
- Build consistency across your brand
- Integrate with PR
Your website is your hub
- What conversions are you trying to drive
- Is the URL easy?
- Are you pulling me in?
- 3 levels to a reader’s website experience (information, intriguing, inspiring)
You must have a dynamic blog
3 part content strategy
- Newsjacking (take advantage of current events, etc.)
- Evergreen (continues to be relevant past its publication)
- Interviews/relationship-building
Use social media as a relationship-builder.
Miscellaneous Notes & Highlights
- Julie Carr was this year’s emcee and was funny, inspirational, and flat-out awesome. Follow her!
- Ted Dekker was co-sponsor for Re:Write and the keynote speaker for Day 1. He is one of the most unique dudes I’ve ever met. This New York Times Bestseller is so genuine. Real. Raw. Inspiring. Follow him! (I didn’t take notes because I had just won the Re:Write Writing Contest and wanted to soak up the evening and give him my undivided attention.)
- My apologies for not posting notes for ghostwriter Kevin Kaiser. I wear hearing aids (for those who didn’t read my disclaimer at the top of this page) and struggled to hear him. Follow him, though!
- I was privileged to gather some insight from Re:Write’s previous winner, Cherie Lowe. Follow her and grab her incredible book,