Tag: blogging

Yecheilyah’s Book Reviews – Define Your Voice: Narrowing Down Your Target Market by Altovise Pelzer

Title: Define Your Voice: Narrowing Down Your Target Market

Author: Altovise Pelzer

Print Length: 43 pages

Publication Date: July 14, 2016

Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC

Language: English

ASIN: B01IGD5WXW

Define Your Voice is a book that reads like a workbook designed to help authors discover their unique voices. By voice, the author means your unique story. The experiences that set you apart as an individual make your work reverberate unlike anyone else’s. The author shares some of her personal experiences and takes us through prompts designed to help the reader find his or her voice. I cannot say the information presented was new for me, but it is a great read to help someone who needs a step-by-step guide on discovering and embracing their authentic selves.

Rating this book was a challenge for me. I was excited to read this, considering the author’s many accomplishments, and there are parts I really appreciated. However, the book also needs more editorial and formatting attention. However, the inspiring messages of hope and motivation were on point. The book was also an easy and short read which is always a plus. My decided rating is therefore based on these strong points. Some of my favorite quotes from the book:

“Motivational quotes are birthed out of the victories, trials and failures in a person’s life. They become popular because they are relevant and transparent.”- Altovise Pelzer

And my most favorite:

“Are you bitter or better? There is a huge difference and it will show up in how you talk about your pivotal moment. Are you speaking from a heart of forgiveness or hatred? Don’t think you have to wear a mask or pretend to be anyone other than you. I need you to be authentic. For me, being authentic means that you are able to share the pain and the purpose in your pivotal moment. People need both! There will be those who follow you even if you lean more to one side than the other. It’s better to stay grounded by sharing the good, the bad and the ugly then to have people believing that there is only one side to a pivotal moment.” – Altovise

Strong Introduction: 3/5
Entertainment Factor: 3/5
Authenticity: 4/5
Thought Provoking: 4/5
Overall Rating: 3 / 5 stars

Define Your Voice: Narrowing Down Your Target Market is available now on Amazon

Be Sure to Follow this Author Online! Here’s more information about Altovise:

Bio. Altovise Pelzer is the host of “Our Voice Matters” on WoW TV and the #MorningPRESS series on Periscope and Facebook and has entered the world of publishing in 2016. Her most recently released book is the second of an eight-part series, Getting Through Difficult Situations: “The Ripple Effect”. This book is a follow-up to her first book “It’s Okay to Cry”. Altovise has learned, first hand, what it means to live in difficult situations. Because of her life experiences, she motivates women and youth to find their unique voice.

You can find Altovise at the following social networks:

www.facebook.com/findyourvoicenow
www.lnkedin.com/in/findyourvoicenow
http://www.instagram.com/findyourvoicenow
http://www.altovisepelzer.com/
Author Altovise P. (@TheeVoiceCoach) | Twitter
 Stay tuned for my next awesome author!

Throwback Thursday Jam – Don’t Ask My Neighbor, The Emotions

What ya’ll know about this? Get ’em old school! This song reminds me of playing spades around the card table. *snaps fingers*

The Author Media Kit: How it Helps Me to Stay Organized

Since I got my butt kicked editing the hard-copy of my author media kit yesterday (the longer one I print out, not the one in the sidebar) I figure it will be the topic of today’s discussion. IT owes me that much!

I have slowed down my writing articles a lot lately so I figure we were due for one. I’ll discuss why I’ve slowed down at a later time. Anywho, the author media kit…

Though “It is always worth it” (See my most recent guest post here), that doesn’t mean it’s not important to focus on putting energy toward the right things (balance is seriously everything!) Energy and time spent directed toward the wrong thing is just as ineffective as no energy toward the work at all. Running into a wall will produce the same thing as standing still. It is insanity, repeating the same thing and expecting a different result. Posting everyday on your blog will not bring more views if you aren’t also networking with others or people can’t even find a follow button on your blog at which to follow your blog (my most serious blog pet peeve!) That is why I have shifted my perspective and started to focus on activities that will give me a return on my time. It is about growth.

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Partial snapshot of the office and my unorganized work-space. Yes, I work from two computers. One is responsible for holding my sticky notes lol

At some point in your writing life, you are going to have to get a bit organized. Whether that is posting sticky notes on your computer as reminders (guilty), keeping a notebook filled with notes you may or may not be able to read (guilty again), or having an author media kit.

I’ve been updating my writing life in more ways than one and have found that being able to go to my author media kit for links has been a great help in getting things done. What is an author media kit anyway?

An Author Media Kit is a collection of marketing material that anyone wishing to know more about you as an author can access and use for articles they may want to write on you, interviews, and other forms of publicity. It is a collection of branded hype-free marketing materials and collateral material for journalists.

The media kit is always a work-in-progress. It is something that must be revisited and added to as you gain more exposure for your work and should be both electronic and hard-copy. (You can find my e-copy on the sidebar of this blog HERE. It’s a little bootleg but I’m working on it). It doesn’t matter where you are in your career, every writer can use a media kit. This means that your “status” as a writer has nothing to do with it. Whether you have twenty book reviews or none, whether you are a Best Seller or novice, whether you’re a Self-Publishing “Pro” or not, whether you are visible in the community or not. All of this has nothing to do with the Author Media Kit. Easy to put together if you invest the time, you do not need any special skill set, training, or experience. In fact, the author media kit can be bought if you have the money and is not something you send out to people in the form of a “Buy my Book” Ad.

“Luck is preparation meeting the moment of opportunity.” – Oprah Winfrey

Look at it as an opportunity to prepare. When the door opens for you to appear on someone’s radio show or your article to be featured in a magazine or whatever you consider “doing it big”, the media kit will come in handy. In fact, the interviewer will refer to the kit for basic information on you as his form of preparation and research.

The Author Media Kit is:

  • A major marketing package
  • Anyone should be able to access it through your website/blog
  • Journalist expect it
  • Ensures accuracy in news stories
  • Helps people to promote you and your book
  • Free publicity – Free publicity beats paid Ads

7 Key Audiences Who Will Access Your Media Kit

  1. Journalist – Broadcasters, Talk Show Hosts
  2. Bloggers – Easy access to photos bloggers can use, social media handles
  3. Reviewers— Amazon reviews in your kit
  4. Retailers
  5. Individual Buyers
  6. Event Planners
  7. Anyone Who Wants to Promote you or Your Book

The primary goal of the media Kit is to make all these people’s job easier. By making their job easy, they are going to promote you and your book.

Caution.
The Author Media Kit is not something you send out to people as a “Buy My Book” Ad. It is something that is offered in the event someone needs more information on you. It is also there in the event someone happens to organically come across your website. All the information they need to know about you is right there. It is not even for you, but for others.

Personally, it helps me to stay organized and cut down on a lot of time. It helps me to:

  • Easily access social media links and photos for guest blog posts
  • Easily update my author website or anything else that may require such info as contact emails and links
  • Copy and paste needed info into emails of inquiry
  • Share across social media in the event someone is looking for more information about me.

I can go on but you get the point. It even helps in the case of Book Reviews! Are you tired of having to send your social media handles out? Author photos? Send the reviewer to your Author Media Kit. There, they can find author photos, social media links, and anything else that they need and so can you.

Not only does the Author Media Kit help others to find you but it helps you too.  My online Media Kit (which needs work itself but that’s the kit for you. It will always need an upgrade!) is working for me right now. I can go to it for my social media links and my bios for the website, cutting down on time I can now spend doing something else.

(Speaking of Bio, it is good to have at least 3 different sized bios in case someone wants to write something on you and they may not have a lot of time. They can copy and paste the short one or the extended one according to their schedule. It is good to have a short bio, a medium length bio, and an extended bio.)

It’s about taking the steps needed so that you do not drown in this sea that is Indie Publishing by making yourself easier to find. Just like genuinely supporting others, by making the job of others easier you naturally become better. (Also, write your bio in 3rd person so people can cut and paste it. Again, the job of the Author Media Kit is to make the job easier for whoever is reaching out to you.)

Yecheilyah Ysrayl is the author of The Stella Trilogy, Blogger, and Poet. She is currently working to release two books in “The Nora White Story” this year–about a young woman who dreams of taking part in The Harlem Renaissance movement and her parents struggle to accept their traumatic past in the Jim Crow south. “Renaissance: The Nora White Story (Book One)” is due for release July 15, 2017. For updates on this and other projects be sure to follow this blog and to subscribe to Yecheilyah’s email list HERE.

It is Worth It – Guest Post by Yecheilyah Ysrayl…

My Guest Blog Post with Chris Graham. My message today is “It Is Worth It”. This is for the writers underground. Underground is the place where people are tilling soil, laying seeds and preparing for harvest. Keep striving! DON’T give up! Why? Because it’s worth it.

Chris The Story Reading Ape's avatarChris The Story Reading Ape's Blog

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Peace to everyone reading this post at this moment, for sharing these words on your blogs, and for giving me the opportunity to speak. I am grateful for the support and for the opportunity to build with you.

Frustration, depression, sadness, and lack of hope is something that everyone experiences at one time or another. These spirits are most especially present in the ambitious person. The man or woman who desires to go above and beyond. The person who strives for excellence, who strives to do anything beyond the norm, anything great, anything outside the box, and anything noble can be sure to experience these low points somewhere down the line.

Any writer who is really seeking to make a difference, not just to pen empty words on a page but to literally carve purpose into ink and to do it so powerfully that it breaks down mental barriers, this…

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Writers Wednesday – Chapter 1: The Women with Blue Eyes

Chapter 1: New Beginnings?

Friday, December 31, 2005, 11:55p

632 N Dearborn St., Excalibur Castle Chicago Dance Club

Bodies filled all five levels of the massive venue, and the music growled from the belly of the loudspeakers. Excalibur once again managed to stuff every available body into the three-level club. Blue, green, red, and yellow lights beamed from above the DJ table and hung from the second and third floors and illuminating the pack of intoxicated bodies on the ground floor.

“Erica girl where you been? It’s about to start.”

Tina turned away from the bar to face the short woman of milk chocolate complexion and short hair. Her body filled out the black dress as the woman waved her hot face.

“What?”

Tina laughed; the women couldn’t hear themselves over the music.

“It’s about to start. The countdown!” yelled Tina in Erica’s ear.”

“Wait, lemme get my drink.”

“Girl please, time don’t wait for nobody you better c’mon.”

Tina jumped down from the barstool.

“Grey Goose Martini and a plain cranberry juice,” shouted Erica to the bartender who smiled and winked.

A crowd of people began to surround the main stage as it prepared to lower the huge crystal ball to the middle of the floor.

“I need yall to make some noise,” boomed the voice of the Emcee from the microphone, sending the crowd into hysteria.

“C’mon E,” said Tina, watching as the bartender handed Erica her drink and the woman wobbled over to her. The women stumbled toward the stage, laughing.

“Here we go!” yelled the DJ.

“Whew” yelled Tina, laughing. It had been a long time since she had this much fun.

“I love you Chicago!” screamed Erica. Tina laughed. She was tripping on that drink.

“We love you!”

“I love you too baby,” said the DJ.

“Whew!” laughed Erica and Tina.

“Ten…nine…” began the DJ.

“Eight…” said Erica.

“Seven…” said Tina.

“Six…” said the crowd.

As the crowd sang along something caught Tina’s eye. A man stood in the distance. Wearing a black suit and tie he is oddly out of place and looked to Tina to belong in a courtroom, not a club. The sound around her went mute and her mind raced to decipher the identity of the strange man. After spending a year in therapy, she had tried to forget about her now fading past.

Purposefully considering her sanity, she had not expected to walk into Erica’s office to receive such a down to earth reality check from a doctor who was now dancing out her dress in a club with her patient. As such, Tina took this as a sign that things were finally back to normal, taking hallucinogenic suppressants as prescribed and even cutting off any ties to the former life.

But now, as the club lights bounced off the hint of blue that gleamed even in the darkness, she remembered Malaki’s words like it was yesterday. “What happened to Ronnie…was no accident. I saw Ja’mella’s eyes, the …they were blue.” That’s when they knew there were women too.

“HAPPY NEW YEAR!”

The crowd’s shout startled her and forced Tina to take a step back. Erica hugged her and spilled some of her drink.

“Damn, messing with you.”

Tina smiled to conceal her changed demeanor, but it was too late.

“Hey girl, you alright?”

Tina’s eyes darted frantically around the club for the man, but he was gone.

“Yea girl, I’m good,” she said waving her hand.

“You sure? You been taking the pills, right? Don’t let me have to write yo butt up.”

Stealing one more glance in the direction where the blue-eyed man stood, there was no one there.

“Yea girl, I’m alright,” Tina waved, “where’s the bathroom though?” she said with laughter to fake the fear that already started to grow the tiny hairs on her skin, the sweat already creeping its way down her back. Tina gripped her purse as Erica pointed in the direction of the ladies’ room. She was definitely in need of a double dose tonight.

Chapter 2: “Captivated”

No Whining Wednesday – Write It on Your Heart

Yup, it’s that time of the week again. First, if you’re new to this blog or this segment please check out the first post HERE for more information on what this is all about. In brief, this is the only day of the week where you do not get to Whine, Complain, or Criticize.

The No Whining Wednesday Badge

“Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year. He is rich who owns the day, and no one owns the day who allows it to be invaded with fret and anxiety. Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could. This new day is too dear, with its hopes and invitations, to waste a moment on the yesterdays.”

–  Ralph Waldo Emerson

Mat 6:25 “Because of this I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you shall eat or drink, or about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than the food and the body more than the clothing.”

If there is something that you need, write it on your heart and when the sun peaks through the sky to indicate a new day, do something small to help manifest that dream. Challenge yourself not to do too much. It is not necessary. One small, tiny action and one single leap of faith in the right direction every single day is all that you need. A year from now you will look up and see you are a different person and far more ahead than originally anticipated.

If every day is a new day, embrace it as if it is so. Yesterday’s problems do not exist here and tomorrows problems have not come as of yet. Today is fresh and exciting and ready to be appreciated and filled.

Why I Read

kindle-photo-unsplash

Because I can create peace in my mind

Even if the world is not all that peaceful

Because people write their truths

And when the heart is contextualized

hidden gems are found

waiting to be resurrected

and valued

I read because reading is valuable

And because books are the only place

where you can learn for free

I read because books are the only schools

I can carry with me

I read to learn from people

who came before me

I read to hear voices

through words

written down

to understand others

to listen to hearts

I read to find the person between the lines.

I read because not everyone can.