Hi, there!
My name is Christine, and I’m a writer.
Whether you know it or not, you are too.
(by the way, I love to help new and growing writers get started and overcome obstacles. I encourage, teach, and coach over at my blog, WritersNextStep.com. And I give away lots of cool free stuff. Check it out.)
When you dreamed of being a writer, you probably imagined sitting in a hipster coffee shop, watching people and spinning fantastical tales on your MacBook Air.
Or maybe, like me, you’d rather hole up in a cabin in the woods, huddling in isolation, wearing the same hoodie for weeks at a time.
But now that you’re getting into it, you’re finding out that being a writer means doing all kinds of overwhelming stuff with Google as your only teacher. You have to:
- Start a blog.
- Build a platform.
- Setup a mailing list and get subscribers and send your blog posts to them and then send them newsletters and be on every social media platform…and…and…
WHEW!
Not to mention relentlessly pitching your book proposal to seventy-two publishers before finally getting a 4-figure advance at a royalty rate that will barely buy dog food. IF you earn out.
OR stumbling across a vanity press that will charge you thousands of dollars and leave you with a box of books gathering dust in your garage.
Being a writer seems like a choice between obscurity and a whole bunch of BS, doesn’t it?
But there’s a third option.
I’m Christine. And I want to let you write.
In 2012, I left a successful career as a Senior Project Manager in a Fortune 500 company to be a “real writer.” (I know, adorable, right?)
After years of 60+ hour work weeks and constant travel, I asked myself, “What if I put this energy into something that actually mattered?” I yearned to help real people, to build a business I cared about around the writing I loved, and to spend more time with my family.
But I learned that being a writer still came with a lot of business baggage.
Fortunately, it was baggage I already knew how to unpack, but it took me a little while to make the connection.
I know what it feels like to stress out over starting a new blog, to cry after you pour your soul into a piece no one reads, and to feel like there’s never enough time to write and “build a platform.”
I also know how to fix it.
I grew up in the typewriter age, but for some reason, tech has always come pretty easy for me.
I know that’s not the case for a lot of creatives, especially authorpreneurs. I can do a lot of things that cause other writers to tear their hair out in chunks.
I know the pain of being a writer, but I also know the process for running a successful writer’s business.
I built my first website (several, in fact) before the turn of the century. I understand how to set up a blog and customize a theme, optimize graphics, execute a social media marketing campaign, and format an eBook.
I’ve learned how to apply my experience as a Project Management Professional and as a sales and marketing director to the creative business of writing.
And as a writer and independent author, I’ve learned a lot of the technology, business, and marketing strategies that make most writers want to crawl back into their mountain cabins.
I’ve found the perfect marriage between business technology and creativity.
In the past few years, I’ve worked with authors and entrepreneurs to build and launch over a million dollars’ worth of books and online products, and I’ve figured a few things out.
- I know how to help you pick the right ideas, get them written, and launch them well.
- I know how to streamline your social media and set it on autopilot so you can focus on your writing.
- I know the technology that can get your writing in front of readers–and how to set it up so you don’t have to.
In short, I can help you write more and tinker less.
You should be writing
Your writing is special.
Whether you blog, freelance, or write books, you are the only person who can say exactly what you have share.
But if you’re like most writers, the technical side of writing is a little overwhelming.
Let me help you.
I offer unique solutions for both writers and entrepreneurs:
Get Unstuck
Maybe you’re struggling to make a few important decisions, and you just need a little advice from someone who’s been there.
Schedule a 1-hour “Unstuck Session” where we’ll:
- Review your goals for writing
- Review your ideas and dream project list
- Make some decisions to move you forward
- Set a 90-day “unstuck” goal and define the steps to get you there
You’ll finish the session with a clear plan to destroy distractions, focus on your writing, and get your words in front of readers.
Just hit me up to get unstuck!
Get Your Tech On
I swear if I hear the word “platform” one more time, I might just scream.
But the reality is, no matter what type of writing you do, having a corner of the Internet and your very own reliable way to connect with readers is the most important key to success as a writer.
Now, HOW you do that (and what order you do it in) matters very much.
I’ve been around the block enough to know which alleys are great shortcuts and which ones have thugs hanging out in an alcove, ready to steal your wallet and leave you for dead.
(sorrynotsorry. my thriller-writer-itis is sneaking through!)
Together, we will:
- Identify the best online strategy for YOUR writing goals
- Pick a “visual brand” that fits you perfectly
- Build (or rebuild) a blog that’s dead-simple to maintain
- Set up a subscription service that can grow with you
- Figure out how social media can help you grow rather than suck you in like a black hole
When we’re done, you will have a blog you love, an email system that works without baffling you, and a clear checklist of simple daily and weekly tasks to get you to your goals.
You’ll finally have the foundation you need to focus on your writing and share it with people who will love it (and ignore the ones who won’t!).
Give me a holler today for a quote tailored to your goals.
Choose Yourself (and publish your book)
You’ve got a book in you. Maybe it’s even pushed its way through your fingers, and you have a finished (or almost finished) manuscript.
Now what?
If you’re interested in keeping most of the money from your book sales and you’re willing to invest a little to make it awesomely professional, I’d love to help you put it together and launch it at the online retailers of your choice.
Pick any or all of these services:
- Work with a professional developmental editor to strengthen your book’s structure or story
- Work with a professional copy editor to tighten your prose and make sure your grammar, punctuation, and spelling are perfect
- Format your manuscript into popular eBook formats
- Get you a professional cover design appropriate to your genre
- Develop your book’s marketing copy, categories, and search keywords
- Submit your book for publication at the retailers of your choice
- Teach you how to keep track of sales (it’s not as easy as you’d think!)
- Set sales goals and build the right launch and promotion strategy to achieve them
Your book deserves to stand out from the crowd.
By using proven processes, you’ll create a professional quality book, publish it so the right readers can find it, and promote it in a way you can feel proud of.
Drop me a line today and let me know where you need help.
Teach Something
You know something someone else needs to know.
You might not even realize it. The knowledge in your head is so much a part of you, you probably take it for granted.
But think for a minute about what people come to you for. What they ask you about (sometimes over and over and over again).
Those are the things you can teach (and make a little bank doing it).
I’ve helped build and launch successful online courses on everything from writing and creative entrepreneurship to personal identity and discipleship.
In fact, I’ve had my fingers in over a million dollars’ worth of online courses, using at least five different course platforms (ranging from free and cheap to super-pro).
I know how to:
- Bootstrap a course (or build premium)
- Validate the idea
- Determine if it will sell
- Build the membership and payment systems
- Launch it
- Leverage affiliates to expand your reach
- Reliably predict how much it will sell
So quit doubting yourself!. Figure out what you can teach, and let’s build and launch it.
Email me today so we can chat through where you need help and how we can creatively make it happen.
What are you waiting for?
I’d love to get to know you, hear your story, and help you build a life around your words.
You’ve got a decision to make.
You can keep things the way they are…the way they’ve always been…or you can reach out for a helping hand.
Sure, keeping on the same track might feel easier (or cheaper).
But you can pretty much count on seeing the same results.
If you’re ready for something better, if you want to write more, tinker less, and get your words read? If you want to wake up excited about writing every morning, then it’s time to choose something different.
Contact me here, and let’s talk about how you can get back to creating.