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HOME: You, The Solution blog by Monica Carter Tagore

Celebrating creative, smart women who take charge of their lives, careers | March 2, 2009

Today, we start a month of occasional features profiling women as part of our celebration of Women’s History Month. We’re celebrating the originality, creativity and tenacity of women who take charge of their lives and walk boldly in careers using their gifts, talents and smarts. If you know of (or are) a woman who fits this description, e-mail the recommendation to me at monica@knowledgewealthseries.com. You could end up in a future feature.

Today, we feature Michelle Valentine, a writer using her gift to produce novels, a screenplay, freelance magazine articles and more. She was part of the 1990’s effort to revive the 1980’s dance group, The Covergirls, serving as lead vocalist and writer of the title track of their CD. Her novels include Insatiable and A Girl’s Gotta Eat. Her upcoming book, The Year It Snowed in April, will be released by St. Martin’s Press this fall.

She offers insight into the realities of book publishing and the challenges of the entertainment industry.

Q: Please tell us briefly about your journey to becoming a published author. Was it a difficult road or surprisingly easy? How did it happen for you?

A: I came into the industry pretty much in a “back door” kind of way. I had a friend, Yvette Hayward ― she’s actually a publicist ― and she used to put together what they call “sign & dines.” Well, she believed in me and was kind enough to put me on a panel as an unpublished author. I got a really good response. I met Eric Jerome Dickey at one of her events and he suggested that I send my manuscript to his agent. I did and she liked it a lot.

That’s how I got an agent. I didn’t send out a bunch of query letters like most writers do when they’re looking for an agent. However, I got my deal through another friend whom I also met at one of these events. I actually gave her the manuscript when it was still on computer paper. She liked it so
much that she gave it to a friend of hers. That friend happened to be Zane and she published my first book titled Nyagra’s Falls through her Strebor Books/Simon & Schuster imprint. The friend is actually another author by the name of Shonda Cheekes, and she has a new book titled Decoys, Inc.

Q: When did you know you wanted to be an author?

A: I’ve always had a knack for writing. Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve written poems, plays, short stories, songs, you name it. But when I was working at a law firm several years back, on my downtime at the office, I started scribbling a story that was to become my first real book. I was hooked on it after that.

Q: You also had a singing career. What was that like?

A: It was fun, exciting, somewhat stressful but an invaluable experience. I got to travel to places, do things and meet people that I otherwise never would have.

Q: What suggestions do you have for someone trying to launch a singing career?

A: Stay true to yourself, keep your priorities, learn the business and have a backup plan for when the spotlight fades ― because it always does.

Q: How did your upbringing prepare you for life as an entertainer ― as a singer and as an author?

A: I was extremely well prepared. My mother was a singer, and I was interested in the arts from a very young age. I’d won pageants and been on Sesame Street and all of this created traits in me that allowed me to stay grounded, determined and focused in an industry that thrives on people’s weaknesses.

Q: What is the biggest mistake you’ve made in your publishing career?

A: Thinking that being published by a major house automatically means success.

Q: What has been your biggest success as an author?

A: Getting accolades from my readers. It makes me feel great when somebody tells me that the words I’ve written have made them laugh, cry, happy, sad or even mad. I love being able to evoke emotion in others and touch them in some way.

Q: What is the biggest mistake new authors (or aspiring authors) make?

A: Thinking that the publisher is going to do all or even the majority of the work that it takes to get you on a bestsellers list.

Q: You’ve decided to form your own publishing company. Please tell us about that. Why did you make that decision?

A: My company is called The Epitome Group, LLC. The Web site is currently being constructed. I formed it because I know how difficult it is to get the major houses to publish you when you are a new writer. If I can help somebody get their foot in the door in a non-traditional way like I did, I’m more than willing.

Q: What will you offer through your company? Whom will you serve?

A: I’ll offer a great deal of insight and experience from a writer’s point of view. Since I’m a writer myself, I understand our special needs, shall I say ― that sometimes the non-creative powers that be can’t necessarily relate to. Plus my connections that I’ve made in the publishing world, of course.

Q: What is the biggest challenge facing you right now in terms of your career, life and work?

A: I’m really good at time management but lately it just seems that there aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done.

Q: What advice do you have for aspiring writers?

A: Stay focused and complete the very best manuscript you can. Many people have a story to tell but not everyone can get it down on paper from beginning to end.

Q: Do you have any film projects on tap? If so, please tell us about them. If not, is film something you are interested in, why or why not?

A: Not right now. I had some interest in a screenplay I’ve written as well as in my sitcom. Everybody who reads my work seems to love it. It just hasn’t gotten into the right hands yet. I’m interested in it because movies and television are a natural progression for writers. Aside from seeing your name on a bestseller’s list, I’m sure there’s no better feeling than seeing your words acted out by a group of talented actors.

Q: Is there anything else you’d like to add about your life or work that will help readers understand your journey and learn to navigate the literary and music worlds?

A: With hard work, determination and a good support team, you really can do it all as long as you believe you can.

Check out:
Michelle Valentine on MySpace

How to find people to pay you for doing what you love | February 27, 2009

I know it can be tough to turn talent, skills and experiences into income. But it’s possible. I know because I’ve been able to do it. I’ve run my own business for the past seven years, and the business started out of my writing. It has since expanded and has allowed me to share my writing ability in the form of ghostwriting books for others, creating content for Web sites, writing books under my own name and a host of other projects we handle at RootSky Creative.

And I’ve also been able to turn my experiences into income by becoming a professional speaker. I get paid to share inspiration, information and ideas with college students and administrators, organizations and companies, to help individuals see beyond their self-imposed limitations, create solutions and produce better results. The tips I’m sharing here actually work.

So here are ways to find people to pay you to use your talents, skills and abilities, or to share your experiences:

1. Go back to the list of uses for your talents you created yesterday. Now, identify the top three uses you’d most enjoy. Do a Google search on those uses. You’ll likely get a huge list, so narrow it down from there. You can narrow it down by geographic region, industry (if applicable) or other category.

Study your findings to see how people already are earning money using their talents in the way you’ve identified. For instance, if you did a search on joke writing, you would come up with more than 30 million hits. You would see that people earn money writing jokes for radio, greeting card companies, professional speakers, awards shows and events, and a host of other engagements. See, bet you hadn’t thought about all that, huh?

2. Make a list of the types of people, places or companies you’ve just discovered hire people for the use you just searched. Going with our joke writing example, your list might include radio stations, professional speakers, greeting card companies, etc.

3. Now, do a search on the word hiring and the particular job. For instance, a search on hiring and joke writer yields more than 3 million hits. This gives additional information on types of companies that hire, plus this will yield names.

4. Ask around. Find people who do the thing you are interested in doing and ask them for pointers. Be mindful of their time, because if they are doing the thing you aspire to do, they’re probably busy. But chances are, they won’t mind a sincere question or two. You can find these people by looking around your community, reading the newspaper, reading relevant magazines, and asking friends. If you have a question about launching a writing career or speaking, ask me. I’ll be happy to answer it.

5. Go where the people who need you are. For instance, if you have decided to draw on your experience as the formerly fat person who has kept off 300 pounds for more than five years and you want to educate others about wellness and weight loss, then you might consider passing out your fliers outside the food court at the mall, e-mailing them to friends who used to go out to eat with you in the old days or putting them on the cars in the parking lot of the buffet restaurant — trespassing laws, aside, of course. The point here is to get your message to the people who need what you are trying to sell.

6. Put yourself out there. Start letting others know you have taken up this new career. Tell them you’re taking on new clients, projects, business or whatever fits.

7. Get your feet wet. When you’re starting out, it’s OK to work for a reduced rate, or in very specific situations, to even volunteer, just so you get the experience and work out the kinks. As you get better and gain more experience, set your rates appropriately.

These are just a few ways you can find people to pay you for doing what you love. Your new venture may just be a fun side gig or you may find you enjoy it so much it becomes a full-time endeavor! Whatever the case, when you free yourself from self-imposed limitations about what you can’t do — “Oh, I can’ t earn money as a writer. Nobody will pay me to bake cookies for them. I’ll never make it as an artist.” — then you’ll be amazed at how many opportunities there are to do the thing you love!

Make money and make an impact, too | February 26, 2009

This economy is forcing a lot of people out of jobs. More than 3.5 million so far — and that number is growing rapidly. That means a lot of people are desperate to find some kind of way to bring in money in a tough economy. Here are a few tips to help you start thinking about bringing in some money now — whether you are looking to start a whole new career or just pick up a few extra dollars on the side.

These two tips can produce income, if you approach them the right way. I shared this and other important information with college audiences recently when I spoke on their campuses, so I’m sharing a small bit of it with you here, to get your mind turning about the possibilities for you:

Lean on your talent. Each of us has some kind of talent or ability. Figure out what yours is and use it. Develop the talent, then sell it. How do you sell your talent? Do a brainstorming session - -just 20 minutes will do, if that’s all you can spare today. Write down your talent(s), then write down things people will pay for involving that talent. For instance, if your talent is writing, write down things like — copywriting (advertising, marketing, etc), books, articles, descriptions, blurbs, stories, jokes, reviews, devotionals, case studies, reports, Web sites. The list can go on.

All of these involve writing, and people pay to have others write these things for them. Once you have a list of things pay for relating to your talent, start looking at opportunities to get paid. I’ll give you some ideas for finding gigs that pay you to use your talent tomorrow.

Use your experiences. None of us gets out of this life without going through some things. And sometimes we can use those things as lessons or launching pads for other things. Maybe you went through a terrible divorce or you surivived a painful and devastating medical situation. Perhaps those experiences now give you a perspective and skills others don’t have. Consider finding a way to use your experience to help, teach, train, reach or relate to others. Maybe this could provide a new career for you as an author, speaker, trainer, coach, consultant, counselor or some other professional.

These are just two tips for thinking outside the box and using what you know to prosper and grow — and that’s the point of Knowledge Wealth Series. I love sharing this information, but two tips are enough for now. So, how will you use what you know to bring in a little extra money — or start a whole new career?

Three ways to excel at work, in business, life | February 25, 2009

One way you can take what you are doing to a higher level is to learn more about it. When you’re just starting out, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed and wonder just where to turn to learn what you need to know. When you are experienced, it can be tempting to become complacent and stop looking for ways to grow. So whether you’re just starting out, or you’ve done all right for yourself, always have a learning attitude.

In my work as a personal development author and even in my role as an entrepreneur, I am often amazed when I speak with people who have an interest in a certain area but are making no moves to learn more about it, yet want to be successful in it. How can you produce top-quality results if you don’t know what it takes to get there?

Here are three ways you can learn about your chosen career, business, creative pursuit or other path:

Find a mentor. I shared this tip with some college students when I conducted a Greatness in You leadership program at their school recently. The mentor may be someone you know well or someone you only know of, through her work. A mentor can show you the ropes, provide a little guidance and sometimes, even help you connect with others. Spiritual Life and Leadership Coach Carolyn Townes shares some tips on how to engage a mentor.

Find good examples of work. Look for examples of the work you are engaged in and study it. For instance, if you are into photography, check out the work of photographers. The Internet has made this a lot easier. Web sites, blogs and forums can showcase examples. Here is the blog of a very good photographer I know named Greg Pearson. When you start to study good examples of the work you want to learn more about, you will begin to notice what makes different types of the work very good. This is an excellent exercise for any field — music, books, business. For example, I read Good To Great by Jim Collins last year and saw case studies of several great companies, all in one place.

Connect with others. If you want to get better at whatever you are doing, then look for ways to be around others who are doing it. Join an association, online community or create your own site for gathering, sharing or collecting information. Robert Trudeau does this by showcasing the work of local writers, artists, musicians and others for our city of Shreveport, Louisiana.

Which of these three tips will you use today?

Focus on your race, not your neighbor’s | February 24, 2009

If you want to achieve a particular goal, you’ve got to zoom in on that one. Forget what the person next to you is doing. When you zoom in on something, you focus on it. It comes into sharp view. And that is what creates the power. I share the simple Zoom Power Equation in my book, Zoom Power: Your Key to Hitting Your Personal, Business and Financial Targets. Once you learn how to apply zoom power to what you do, you will see an increase in the results you produce. You will be able to lose the weight, write the book, launch the business, master the subject, whatever it is you want. But you’ve got to have focus — zoom power.

A lack of focus is the reason so many people produce subpar results, or less than what they want. It’s because they are too busy looking at what others are doing. And they are trying to do too much. The cliche “spread too thin” really is true. If you are stretching yourself in an unreasonable way, you may touch a lot of things, but not leave much of an impression.

Entrepreneur Alynetta Beck wrote an interesting blog post about our views of success. And she has a point: Many people base their success on what others do, and so they are always left disappointed. So decide to focus on what you truly want and what’s important to you. And create your own definition of success. Then zoom in on making it happen.

You’ll produce a lot better result that way.

Get the yucky thing done first | February 24, 2009

Take charge tip of the day: Get the yucky thing done first. You’ve procrastinated long enough and have made every excuse you can think of. That thing on your to-do list — you know, the one you really dread doing — isn’t going to go away. And it’ll sap your energy until you do it.

So do it. Do it or take it off the list, it’s just that simple.

Many times we put things on our to-do lists that are important but they are dreadful — maybe they aren’t all that interesting or exciting or perhaps they scare us a little. But if we don’t tackle the stuff we don’t want to do, we can’t enjoy the stuff we love doing.

I’ve been able to produce many good results, and it’s because I know the power of just jumping in and doing a thing. Some people look at the books I’ve written or the business I’ve built and say, “Must be nice…” Yeah, it is. And it can be nice for you, too. If you just decide to do.

I didn’t get any of the results I’ve had just because I’m so special and could sit back and watch things fall into place. Nor did I get them because I was content to wish for things to happen. I had to do it the old fashioned way. By putting in the time, and doing even the things I wasn’t all that excited about doing.

There is a quote that shows up in many forms, but it’s basically this: “Do the things today that others won’t do so you can have the things tomorrow that others won’t have.”

Most folks will keep putting off the important things and focusing on the easier but not all that impactful things. And the result is they never produce the results they want or are capable of producing.

So tackle that thing on your to-do list that you’ve been avoiding. If you can’t bear to think about doing the whole thing in one go, take it in doses. Just decide you’ll spend 20 or 30 minutes on it today, or you’ll do a certain number of repetitions or whatever is appropriate. Then tomorrow, tackle it again.

The point is to MOVE on it. Now get going.