It’s been a long gestation. Years. Lifetimes. But all the chop wood and carry water” activities are starting to pay off.
It was June at BEA (Book Expo America) in New York that I had a realization: as a self-published author, I couldn’t start at step one and ever hope to get the exposure I desired to get my message out.
So I investigated over 50 PR agencies on line. One stood out like a light in a very desolate place. We’re now in the 2nd month of a 4-month campaign. Cathy, the owner of the agency, spent the first month prepping my materials – taking information Mel and I had created over the last year or two, including 40 articles, bios, brochures — and constructed a strategy for pitching yet another new author.
Hiring a publicist was superceded by my collaboration with Mel, who started off doing media coaching with me in 2011, then did the last greatest edit version of the book with me last fall, and then continued on with me with media coaching, including writing, editing, editing, rewriting, rewriting dozens of questions so that I can provide pithy intelligent answers using “active language.”
Then came the video production, writing, producing, and recording the gems Attitude Reconstruction has to offer.
(As you can guess, hasn’t been a lot of time to be bored.)
Last week, I gave a lecture in San Antonio at the American Electrolysis Association annual conference. This was an opportunity to script a two-hour presentation. So Christy, my “executive assistant,” and I started working on the talk. By the time I left for Texas, I was on my tenth revision. Dear Brother Bob, and I also spent a lot of collaborative time on ten, yes ten, power-point revisions.
The end result: a masterpiece, if I do say so myself. Easy-to-follow. Personable. Experiential. Connecting. Educating. Flowing. A nice time was had by all. The amount of adjustments that I will need to make for next time is minimal.
So now it’s on to radio shows. All of the grueling prep work Mel and I did over skype and the phone, has taken hold and has started to blossom, because my anxiety level is low and my confidence level is high. And I’m learning a ton with each interview so I hit the relevant/helpful points each time I’m on-air.
The gods are indeed generous. The stars and my body are aligning. I feel grateful. I’m enjoying sharing what I’ve learned so others have a little more information. What an amazing job description I was assigned this lifetime! Om Namah Shivaya.