When I was a kid back in the 1980s, I listened to a lot of Christian music. My favorite album during that period was “The Big Picture” by an artist named Michael W. Smith. One of the best songs on the album was titled Pursuit of the Dream, which contained one of my favorite lyrics ever: “Never forget your roots as you head for something new.”

That lyric has stuck with me for decades as I have gone through various periods in my life and made a lot of changes. It has particularly stuck with me over the last year since I quit my job as a college professor and became a full-time ghostwriter and author.

I have gotten a little bit of attention from people in my network because I’ve released a few books over the last year, built a successful business from scratch, and also have my first book coming out next month with a traditional New York publisher.

Yes, I’m proud of my accomplishments from the last couple of years. But the truth is that I had a lot of help getting here and I will continue to need a lot of help as I go forward. None of these good things would’ve happened without the support of my amazing wife and son, and mentors like Honoreé Corder, Dan Miller, and Nick Pavlidis.

At the end of the day, I’m just a kid from a small southern Missouri town of Potosi. I grew up in a double-wide trailer out in the country. But I had the good fortune of having amazing parents, a lot of good teachers, and so many people who have helped me along the way.

Whatever level of success you achieve in your life or business, don’t ever forget where you came from. We were all born the same way and we will all leave this life one day. Keep your success in perspective and remember that it’s all pretty pointless if you don’t use your success to help other people.

Question: How did your roots shape you into the person you are today?

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One of the most critical truths of living in the modern world is that we are all connected. As the poet John Donne wrote, “No man is an island.” (And neither is any woman, of course.) And because you are the type of writer who wants to be generous, the kind of writer who gives more than you take, you will want to discover ways to support the important work of other writers.

After all, the world needs more great writing, and you also want to continue expanding your relationships. Here are five ways to accomplish both things.

1. Write personal messages to authors whose books you enjoy. You can find email addresses, social media accounts, or at the very least, website contact forms for almost any author in the world. Let them know how their book impacted you and why you loved it. It will mean the world to them.
2. Engage with their non-book content. Most authors have email lists and social media accounts. Many also have their own podcasts or video channels. Like, share, comment, subscribe, and support the material they are creating.
3. Buy their books, share them on social media, and give copies away to your friends. You not only support the author’s livelihood, you also become your friends’ favorite person by giving them unexpected gifts.
4. Write book reviews. After you post a review on an online retailer site, take a screenshot and post it on social media. Make sure to tag the author. Reviews are the lifeblood of an author’s business. If you want others to leave book reviews for you, you must do the same for others.
5. Share quotes from their books. You can do this via social media, email, podcasts, or other means. It’s a simple way to spread a book’s message in a short, digestible way.

None of these actions have to be complicated. If you just take five minutes per day to do one or two of these, it will make a huge difference for the authors you support… and will grow your own influence as well.

Daily Question: Who are three authors you could support with these strategies in the next twenty-four hours?

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There are few things in life as powerful as a handwritten note sent through the mail. Why? Because we all want to feel noticed. We want to feel special. We love the feeling that someone took the time to hand-write a note, put it in an envelope, and mail it.

As a writer, you interact with a lot of people: readers, other writers, clients if you have them, people who have helped you with publishing, and others connected through podcasts and media. Whenever someone does something for you, send a note of thanks or appreciation.

Author coach and business leader Honoree Corder sends a note every day to someone. This strategy has been a powerful way for her to build strong relationships and set her apart as a person who goes the extra mile.

Sending a card does take some time and a little bit of money because there’s postage, but the return you get is amazing. People really love getting stuff in the mail. You can also include an extra little surprise such as a bookmark or a small trinket for a special touch.

Sending cards and gifts might seem like a hassle, but that’s precisely why you should do it: because hardly anybody else is doing it. Handwritten cards sent through the mail are a small gesture that produces massive results.

Daily Question: Who are three people who have helped you in some way over the last month, and how might a handwritten note build your relationship with them?

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There are many keys to your success as a writer and author. Writing a great book is an important part of it, but there are other important things as well. One of those components is book marketing, which can seem like an intimidating and mysterious part of your business as a writer.

While there can definitely be a lot of moving parts to marketing, it’s important not to lose sight of the bigger picture, which is serving and connecting with readers. On today’s episode, I want to share a recent call from our Daily Writer Community.

One of our members is Vincent Pugliese, who is the author of the fantastic book, Freelance to Freedom. He also is the creator and leader of the amazing Total Life Freedom Community, a membership group that has had a radical impact on my mindset and success over the last couple of years. I can tell you unequivocally that I would not have been able to build a business and leave my day job without the encouragement of this community, particularly Vincent’s.

One of the reasons Vincent is so successful as an entrepreneur and coach is that he looks at things differently. He approaches life and business with a generous mindset. On this call, he shares how he approaches book marketing through the lens of generosity. Not only does this take the pressure off of marketing your book in a sleazy way… it’s also a lot more fun!

This is a community call, so you’ll hear others speaking on the call, in addition to myself and Vincent. In the show notes for this episode, you’ll find Vincent’s links, in addition to a link for an episode he did on his Total Life Freedom podcast. That episode is “Becoming a Non-Bestselling Author,” and I highly encourage you to give it a listen. It’s a critical perspective for every writer.

Click on the links below to connect with Vincent, purchase his book, or listen to his podcast:

TotalLifeFreedom.com

Freelance to Freedom by Vincent Pugliese

The Total Life Freedom Podcast

Podcast Episode: Becoming a Non-Bestselling Author

Connect with Vincent on LinkedIn

Connect with Vincent on Facebook

Follow Vincent on Instagram

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Nobody intends to kill their big dream. 

After all, our dreams are what keep us going. We think about them day and night, we plan our future around them, we nurture them with books, movies, and other content that keep the dream alive. 

But inevitably, sometimes we kill the dream. How does this happen? The comedian and game show host Steve Harvey tells us how. He said, “If you want to kill a big dream, tell it to a small-minded person.” 

In our excitement, we sometimes share our dream with people who don’t want to hear it. If you want to be a bestselling author, and you tell your dream to someone who doesn’t think it’s possible, they will wound your dream. 

They will say you shouldn’t have those ridiculous notions in your head. They will say your plans won’t work. They will say you should be realistic.   

Pretty soon, if you tell enough of these people about your dream, it will die a slow death.  

So, reserve your dream for people who support you. Those people will not only listen to your dream, they will also help you achieve it. Your dream is a living, breathing thing, and it must be nurtured and cared for by people who want to see it grow. 

And when those small-minded people ask what you’re working on, you can just be vague or only share a bit of your dream with them. They’re not bad people… it’s just that their dreams have already died, and they don’t have the ability to help yours grow. 

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