Feeling good about what I got accomplished this week. I was super productive… only in terms of marketing, though, lol. I guess I’m still waiting for the week where I’m killing it on my word count goals AND in my blogging business AND as a single mom AND in my personal life goals, ALL at the same time… but maybe that’s just me trying for the unreachable. (Nothing’s wrong with reaching far, right?) Ah well! I know that I’m working at my maximum capacity, especially since I’m tied to home and hearth right now with the little one.
Anyways… here’s what got DESTROYED last week (in a good way):
LAST WEEK’S HAUL
What I wrote: Not much actually, at least not in the way of getting a bigger word count for The Iron Maiden. I DID, however, finally took the scary plunge into writing the 4-part book description for The Iron Maiden. It was a lot of work, but it came out GREAT! I have a solid draft of it (thanks to the Selling for Authors course), and the final draft should definitely be ready by the end of the month! Yay!
What I edited: You know, I totally forgot about updating my mailing list pathway, but that’s ok, because my book distribution game was on fire, aaaannnd…
BOOK #3 IN THE BOOKS OF EZEKIEL SERIES,
THE IRON MAIDEN,
IS FINALLY UP FOR PRE-ORDER, YO!
And it’s not only at Amazon, but at all your other beloved e-retailers as well! (Kobo, Nook / B&N, iBooks). I’ll be making a more official announcement about the pre-order towards the end of the month. In the meantime, click on any of the links to reserve your copy today!
Also, the first two books in The Books of Ezekiel series, as well as the omnibus, are all re-listed and available at e-retailers, both national and international! Catch up with the series before the next book comes out!
I also edited and updated my manuscripts for the first two books to reflect some minor changes in text, copy, etc. AND I’ve tweaked a lot of my quarterly and yearly goals, adjusting for time, constraints, and reality, lol. Still on track to make some badass progress, though!
What I read / watched / listened to: Didn’t jump back into Mockingjay or anything else yet. But I am STRONGLY resisting the urge to read the TWO new non-fiction books I just got in the mail: “The Barefoot Executive” by Carrie Wilkerson, and “How to Write Copy That Sells” by Ray Edwards. These two books are definitely going to up my blogging biz to the third power. But still, MUST. RESIST. TEMPTATION. MUST FINISH ONE BOOK AT A TIME!! #damnyouMockingjay
What I researched / developed: I did some more Plotweaving for The Iron Maiden, this time on Caleb’s storyline, which is FINALLY coming together in a way that makes more sense. YAY!!! Aside from that? Not much development on anything else. I was focused a lot on getting my Book Distribution on point, which literally took the whole week.
What I learned: A WHOLE LOT! I’m more than halfway through Bryan Cohen’s Selling for Authors Course, and WOW. I’m literally getting blown away. This guy is amazing! My copy, my skills, and my knowledge are being upped by 1000%, and I’m developing a system that I will definitely use for the rest of my career!
I’m also over 1/3 of the way through Patrice Washington’s I Can Earn More Challenge! And I’m of two minds about it. On one hand, the challenge is a hit or miss some days. This is because the first two weeks are about Facing Your Fears and Setting Bold Goals. And while these are super important (especially the former), I feel as though I’m at a slightly more accelerated level in pursuing my purpose. And I don’t say this to be condescending at all. It’s just that 50% of the exercises are ones I did years ago, so they don’t feel so productive to me now. (Though it was a nice exercise in self-affirmation.) For those who are still new gardeners, planting their very first creative & financial seeds, though, these exercises are the perfect way to put you on your path to greatness.
On the other hand, this challenge has completely blown me away, and for one reason: I came to a really amazing epiphany about the deeper purpose I serve on this planet. And it came out of nowhere. I was working on Day #4 of the challenge “Define ‘More’ and ‘Why'”, when I had a bright, lights-in-my-eyes awakening about what I’m truly supposed to do on this earth. In terms of serving and helping others, that is. The great thing about it is that the “higher purpose” that hit me is so intrinsically intertwined with what I’m already doing. It’s as though all the roads on my life converged into one, and now I can move forward with deeper understanding, a more fiery passion, and more clarity. It was amazing. So, if I don’t get anything else out of this challenge (and I know I will), THIS experience and realization is incomparable.
THIS WEEK’S HUSTLE
What I’m writing this week: More of The Iron Maiden! And Blood & Ink as well!
What I’m editing this week: Getting my mailing list pathways fixed (OMG, COLBY, JUST DO IT, DAMN YOU).
What I’m reading / watching / listening this week: I’m going to gun through Mockingjay so that I can be done with it by the end of March. By April, I want to be reading the next trilogy + my two new non-fiction, badass-business-building books!
What I’m researching / developing: The entire next five-volumes of The Books of Ezekiel, because that’s what’s flowing right now. Also, plotweaving like a madwoman. And yet, I’ve also been day dreaming about The ASYLUM trilogy again. We’ll see what happens.
What I’m learning for this week: Okay, so I’m turning down my course whore ways and am only jumping into bed with two of them until the end of the month:
- Selling for Authors (FULL COURSE) by Bryan Cohen, which will have me done by the end of March.
- I Can Earn More Challenge by Patrice Washington, which’ll end on the 31st of this month… super excited!
The I Can Earn More Challenge is doable because it comes to me in bite-sized pieces, which is awesome. Additionally, I’m going to have a laser-focus on Selling for Authors, with my eye towards finishing the course lectures, notes, and action plans this week. Then next week (March 21-28), I’m going to do Bryan’s 7-Day Author Copywriting Challenge, which basically requires me to apply EVERYTHING I’ve learned in his course to a real life book. SO, by the end of the month, I should have a full copywriting package for The Iron Maiden ready and rearin’ to go!
We’re pulling up to the end of the quarter, so I’ll be posting a massive quarterly roundup / update on my blog sometime in the next two weeks. Stay tuned!
Writing on, rocking on, and forever journeying towards creative badassery,
<3 Colby