This is part one of a three part series.
In this piece, we'll tell you about some of the folks who will be teaching you about all
the exciting new 21st century publishing technologies that will allow you make a
worldwide impact and build a thriving writing career.
In the next article, we reveal the three fantastic nonprofits we'll all be partnering
with to promote global literacy and childhood education.
And in the third post we talk about our vision for you — how we'll help you build
confidence, overcome obstacles and find real meaning in your work.
———–
Last month, when we posted our "manifesto" — A Children's Writing
Mission for the 21st Century — many of you reacted this way:
"This is great — I love the idea of impacting the lives of children around the
world. But how are we going to be able to do create these new things like
ebooks and apps, and how can we make a living?"
Good questions! Here's the answer:
We are assembling a superstar team of experts to teach you, make it easy and,
most of all, make it fun!
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DAY ONE: A NEW BREED OF EXPERTS AT YOUR DISPOSAL
You already know that CBI has the absolute best stable of children's writing
experts on the planet. All of your favorites — Laura Backes, Linda Arms
White, Teresa Funke, Jane Choate, Natasha Wing and the rest of our stellar crew
— will still be on board to help you master the craft of writing for children.
Without great writing, everything else, all the new publishing technologies, all
the marketing tactics, are meaningless.
Let's be clear: Craft will always be our #1 priority.
But there's so much more to understand now, and we have the right people in place
to teach you exactly what you need to know. These experts will do more than
provide great articles — they'll be featured in webinars, they'll create
fantastic courses and they'll be available for 1-on-1 Coaching. All the
answers, assistance and knowledge you need will now be at your fingertips.
Let's meet some of these outstanding professionals:
Karen Robertson – Creating & Selling Your Own Book Apps
Karen Robertson is the Founder and Chair of the Book App Alliance, and is an
international speaker and lecturer on how writers can turn their stories into
book apps. She’s the author of award-winning children's book apps (Treasure Kai
and the Lost Gold of Shark Island, Treasure Kai and the Seven Cities of Gold)
and the eBooks, What is a Book App and Could YOU Create One? How 27 Writers
Did!,Author’s Guide to Book Apps, How to Choose a Book App Developer and
How to Market a Book App.
Karen will be taking the mystery and fear out of app creation, unlocking the
unlimited creative opportunities this fascinating publishing platform has to
offer.
Rachel Rofé – Publishing Your eBook & Making it a Kindle Bestseller
Rachel Rofé is a multiple bestselling author who has been featured in
Entrepreneur, Woman's World, and on Fox News. Since 2006, she's written and sold
more than 40 Kindle books, experience that has led her to create The Ultimate Kindle
Course, a educational tool that has helped countless authors thrive on Amazon's
publishing platform.
No one knows more about today's dominant epublishing platform than Rachel, and
she'll be on board to help make your transition to epublishing easy and fun!
Penny Sansevieri – How to Market Yourself, Build a Platform and Sell Lots of Books!
Penny Sansevieri is a best-selling author and internationally recognized book
marketing and media relations expert. She is the author of five books,
including Book to Bestseller which has been called the "road map to publishing
success." In the past 24 months Penny's creative marketing strategies have
helped land 11 books on the New York Times Bestseller list.
Penny will your guide to making marketing a joy, not a chore. She'll help turn
you into an advocate for your book and your message, and give you the tools to
spread your writing far and wide — and build a real writing career that rewards
you both emotionally and financially.
Andrea Woolf – Your Personal Journey Coach
Andrea Woolf is an author, coach, seasoned trainer, and motivational speaker.
Known as ‘The Queen of Having It All’, she loves to inspire people to do just
that. With her heartfelt style she has helped over 2500 organizations and
individuals alike to clarify, simplify, and achieve extraordinary results while
bringing purpose and meaning to every aspect of their lives. Each day Andrea
fulfills her dream of supporting amazing people in transforming their lives and
truly connecting to the difference they make in the world.
Andrea will provide you with the emotional support and real-life tools you need
to overcome any obstacles, take your confidence to new levels and truly get the
most out of the incredible journey we've all embarked upon.
Julie Hedlund – Your Field Guide to the Future
Julie Hedlund is a children's book author (A Shiver of Sharks, A Troop is Group
of Monkeys), founder of the 12 x 12 in 2012 Picture Book writing challenge and
creator of Template for Storybook App Proposals. She exemplifies the 21st
century children's writer, with an indomitable spirit to experiment, try new
things and make a real impact on the children of the world.
Julie will be trying out new publishing and marketing tactics, including
crowdfunding, partnership publishing, co-promotion with other authors and
anything else that might be of use to Fightin' Bookworms — and then report
back about exactly how she did it, what she learned and how you can follow in
her footsteps!
Katie Davis – Building a Writing Business and Using Video to Reach Your Audience
Katie Davis is a bestlselling children's author and illustrator (Who Hops?,
Little Chicken's Big Day) who's become renowned for her marvelous promotional
videos. She's the creator of the Video Idiot Bootcamp course, host of the most
listened-to children's book podcast (Brain Burps About Books) and the winner of
the 2013 National Trailee Award for best video book trailer.
Katie is a wonderful example of someone who balances art with making a living.
She's turned her passion for writing and illustrating into a full-time business,
and she's eager to share how you can do the same.
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That's a pretty great lineup, wouldn't you agree? And they're all here just for you!
You've already met Julie through her excellent videos, and those of you who
attended our webinar with Katie the week before last know just how awesome she
is (we'll be offering a replay soon, by the way). In the weeks ahead, we'll be
introducing you to Karen, Rachel, Penny and Andrea, so stay tuned!
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I hope this message has gone a long way toward calming any fears or apprehension you
may have about your ability to move into the future of publishing. It sure is
nice to know that some remarkable people are standing by and ready to take your
hand on this incredible journey!
In the next article, we reveal the three fantastic nonprofits we'll all be partnering
with to promote global literacy and childhood education.
And in the third post we talk about our vision for you — how we'll help you build
confidence, overcome obstacles and find real meaning in your work.
.