For Introverted Authors – The Transition from Writing to Connecting with People – In Person, and on the Web

To all my friends, business colleague, and even random strangers with whom I strike up conversations – I encourage everyone who has a “knowledge resource” to write, publish, and somehow make their “knowledge resource” available as a “product.” There are many reasons for this, and I’ve discussed them in previous blogposts. (You may want to see some of my postings from both this blog and my other, “scientific/technical/business” world.)

In short, whether you write a book, produce a DVD, or offer any kind of unique knowledge – the one where YOU are the expert – I encourage you (and all others “like” you) – to make a stand-alone product.

With a “product” standing behind you, you become more recognized as an “expert.” Also, your “product” becomes a “personal surrogate.” It can train many others on your behalf; this means that you can reach many people, much more effectively over time. People all over the world – those who could never make it to your regular classes, private coaching sessions, or even your occasional workshops, can order your product, or download your DVD, and connect directly with you.

You reach more people. And you shorten their learning curve.

These are two huge benefits – for them and for you.

However, there is a huge upfront cost involved. In order to produce a product, of any sort, you have to pull back from connecting with people and doing your “regular business,” and focus on product creation. You can get a lot of this done at night, on weekends, during vacations, and during various other “slow times” in your life.

But there comes a time, when in order to guarantee – to yourself more than anyone else – you must pull back from your “regular life” and focus exclusively on product creation. This can be a short timeframe – a few weeks, perhaps. Or it can be months. Or, it can take years.

A “big product” takes a long time for completion.

It’s like growing a garden. If you grow a simple “salad garden,” you’ll have a bumper crop of lettuce, radishes, and baby carrots within 60 days. And it’s easy; plant, water, harvest. But healthy though salads are, we do not live on salads alone!

We need heartier fare as well. Even from a farmer’s garden, we need things like fruits and nuts.

And fruits and nuts grow on trees.

Trees take a much longer time to grow than lettuces. The time-to-produce (or “product development time”) is measured in years, not months or weekends.

So to build a more powerful, more effective product, takes comparably more time.

All logical so far, and no surprise to any of you.

But I’m working my way up to the crucial, main point.

Some of us have the tenacity, the focus, and pure, sheer endurance and will-to-succeed that it takes to produce a major product, such as a book.

But during this time of “product creation,” something happens. We become – necessarily, and through an absolute requirement of focusing on getting the product done – very introverted.

We do what we have to do to succeed, and this means pulling back from many social interactions.

The result is that we move into a prolonged introverted state; a state-of-mind that is characterized by intense focus on a single objective. Think of it as becoming “laser-like.”

Very, very effective for getting a book written.

And absolutely horrible for getting out, connecting with people, marketing, schmoozing, networking, staying active on Facebook and other social media — and all the other things associated with promoting (whether you’re promoting yourself, or your book).

So — this is exactly the situation in which I’m finding myself right now.

And a main, MAJOR reason that I write this blog is NOT JUST to share the actual “Unveiling message,” but to share with you what it is like to actual DO the process. Not just write a book, but now, to transition from writing to marketing.

And this is a “sea change.” It’s HUGE.

It’s going from introversion to extroversion.

It’s going from tight, laser-like, mono-manaical focus to extremely broad spectrum.

But what it is NOT (I’m learning this right now) is going from long-range rifle to “buckshot.” Going from product-completion to marketing is NOT going into a “scattershot” mode.

Instead, the NEW approach has to yield maximal results for your time.

There are secrets to this, and I’m devoting much of my time to learning, and implementing them.

And I’ll share them with you, from time to time.

And of course, I’ll continue to reveal – and discuss with you online – the “secrets of Unveiling”!

To your health, wealth, happiness, and personal fulfillment in every way –
my very best wishes —

yours – Alay’nya