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You Are a Writer (So Start Acting Like One) by [Jeff Goins]

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Jeff Goins

You Are a Writer (So Start Acting Like One) Kindle Edition

by Jeff Goins (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

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Becoming a writer begins with a simple but important belief: You are a writer; you just need to write.

In You Are a Writer, Jeff Goins shares his own story of self-doubt and what it took for him to become a professional writer and best-selling author—and the principles he’s learned from seeing many others do the same. He gives you practical steps to improve your writing, get published, and build a platform that puts you in charge.

This book is about what it takes to be a writer in the 21st Century. You will learn the importance of passion and discipline and how to show up every day to do the work. You Are a Writer will help you fall back in love with writing and build an audience who shares your love. It’s about living the dream of a life dedicated to words.

Print length

136 pages
Language

English
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On Kindle Scribe
Publication date

April 27, 2012
File size

1236 KB
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"In You Are a Writer, Jeff Goins shares the truth aboutwriting. He provides the tools and insights you need to build yourplatform, develop an audience, and make meaningful connections. Nowriter should embark on his or her writing journey without reading thisfirst!"
-Michael Hyatt // Author, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World

"Writers! Read this by Jeff Goins. Seriously. Go."
-Carrie Wilkerson // Author, The Barefoot Executive

"As an academic who doesn't have a marketing bone in my body, Jeff Goins helped me understand branding for my blog in a new way."
-Elizabeth Chapin

"Writers now have the option of building an audience, a brand, andaffecting thousands -- maybe millions -- of people with their words. Jeffis showing you the door. The question is, will you open it and put yourfoot forward?"
-Paul Jun

From the Author

Hi, my name's Jeff. And I'm a writer. But I didn't always think of myself that way. In fact, for years, I dreamed of one day becoming a writer. But secretly, I was afraid of the risk. It took a gentle but firm rebuke from a friend to realize the dead-end course I was on, to finally understand who I was. After that, I was never the same.

One day, a friend asked me about my dream. I said I didn't know. "Really?" he said. "That's too bad -- because I would've thought it was to be a writer."

That hit me hard. I told him that was true. I did hope to be a writer. Maybe. Some day. If I was lucky.

He shook his head and smiled: "Jeff, you don't have to want to be a writer. You are a writer. You just need to write." So that's what I did, and it changed everything.

This is a book about a journey of becoming a writer. It's a guide to writing and publishing, including how to navigate the world of platform-building and getting your work noticed. Mostly, it's about believing in yourself. About the process of self-doubt we all go through and the declarations we make to do what were made to do.

Whether you realize it or not, you are a writer. You just need to write.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B007YJEIAS
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Jeff Goins; 1st edition (April 27, 2012)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 27, 2012
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1236 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 136 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #94,513 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #72 in Creativity Self-Help
- #74 in Writing Skill Reference (Kindle Store)
- #186 in Writing Skill Reference (Books)

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1,313 ratings

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Jeff Goins

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Jeff Goins is a writer, keynote speaker, and entrepreneur with a reputation for challenging the status quo. He is the best-selling author of five books including The Art of Work and Real Artists Don’t Starve. His award-winning blog Goinswriter.com is visited by millions of people every year, and his work has been featured in the Washington Post, USA Today, Entrepreneur, Forbes, Psychology Today, Business Insider, Time, and many others. Through his online courses, events, and coaching programs, he helps thousands of creatives succeed every year. A father of two and a guacamole aficionado, Jeff lives just outside of Nashville, Tennessee.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5

1,313 global ratings

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4 star		21%
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Jackie Paulson

You are a Writer start today!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 27, 2012

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You are a Writer by Jeff Goins
Written by Jackie Paulson May 26, 2012

In this book, Jeff will inspire you to claim who you already are. He will teach you tips on perfecting your writing, expanding your platform, and getting your writing published.
This book is about falling in love with your own writing and how to focus on just writing. The selling and publishing is to be left alone and done by others.

You have to be yourself, to speak in a way that is true to you. This step is so important because your life as a writer, matters, so take yourself seriously.

Pros are always looking for a chance to get better and writers write every day. They find their passion, their voice, and it doesn't matter to them if others care, they do what they love.
The secret to successful writing as experts say is that if you are supposed to imagine a specific persona and write for them! Yes, that specific person! This is a trick marketers use to find their ideal customer. They choose someone, give them a name, and focus all communication efforts on reaching that specific person.

Jeff's secret is to write for HIMSELF: JEFF! So you are to write for YOU!
Jeff notes that if you stop multi-tasking and just focus on your writing and take all distractions away, then you will find your writing voice and be able to conquer all of your writing fears.

If you are going to fall out of love with the public approval, something interesting will happen: people will be attracted to your writing. They will not be able to help it. Passion is contagious. If you treat people like humans and write from a place that is deep and true to you, you will find an audience that loves you and your writing!
In the business of writing, you are going to have to be a marketer, an entrepreneur, and a talented salesperson. Learning this trick will help you start to change lives by the writing you put out into the universe.

Every successful writer needs three things:

A platform to share your writing.

YouTube Channel
Podcast
Blog
Newspaper Column
TV Show
Speaker

You need to have a reason for others to listen.

How do you build a platform?
Get Experience.
Demonstrate competence.
Generate Buzz.

The best way to build a platform and earn influence is to get noticed.
How do we do that?
We get rid of noise, distractions, and just help others.
Be a resource for others, to others. Give to others and always have their best interest in mind. This is contagious!

Elements of a Brand:
Name: Your name, a brand name, or a pseudonym.
Image: Logo, your face, or custom head photo.
Voice: Your style and tone of communication. It is how others will recognize you.

In essence your brand is your identity. It is what makes you, YOU!
Think of your brand as a promise, one you get to deliver on with every word you write and article you publish. Do this with every single book you sign, email you respond to and every fan you meet. Branding is promises delivered.

1. Choose a name.
2. Design your Look.
3. Find your voice.

You want your writing for others, to move others. Here are questions you need to ask yourself:
1. Describe yourself in a few adjectives.
2. Take note of your interests: favorite books, movies, music, what do they have in common?
3. Imagine your ideas reader. Describe them! Write a letter to this person.

A Brand will build trust with your readers.
Channels of connection to distribute your art (writing).
Build a reputation by being on social networks like facebook.
Where Do you Start?

* Start a blog and sharing it.
* Sign up for twitter
* Create a facebook page for your brand
* Build an email list with mailchimp.com
* Create great work day after day.

Reaching out builds;
* Fans
* Friends
* Patrons

Here are three ways to building a fan base:
1. Create amazing stuff. Find out what people need and deliver it to them.
2. Be generous. reward your readers by giving them free things. Serve them!
3. Ask permission. Never assume, always invite.

How to get patrons to notice you?

* Ask.
* Interview.
* Stay in touch.

To get published you need to ask yourself three things?

1. Am I serious?
2. Am I committed?
3. Am I prepared to be challenged?

What every Pitch needs:

* Personal salutation
* Introduction of yourself
* Samples of your work
* An abstract of each article
* Closing with your contact info, including a link to your website
*Jeff gives a template to use

Publishing is about having the right connections. Be persistent!
I have to say that is the most informative book I have read in 2012. If you are a writer and need motivation and inspiration then this book will give you that kick you need to start writing! Thank you Jeff for this opportunity to write a review on your book and to be able to share with the world what writing is all about. May all who read this be blessed!

© 2012 Jackie Paulson All rights reserved.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Crystal Lee

Insomnia and Jeff Goins good mix, depending on...

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 18, 2012

Verified Purchase

What do you do when you go to bed at 9:30 p.m. like the earlier-bird special you know are, deep down inside, but then inexplicably wake up at 1:30 a.m. and can't get back to sleep? Well, you grab your iPod on your nightstand and of course, you read a free ebook from Jeff Goins that you got months ago for free, and can't actually remember the title of. I think it's something like You're a Writer, Now Start Acting like It, Dammit! Okay, so I tacked on the dammit for emphasis, but you know, I think he should yell at me since I'm too lazy to even look up the proper title. Not shout because I don't think I'm a writer--I am one, and have been for the last 2 years. I have no shame in admitting this and telling people, but I am still trying to figure out what it means to want to do this for the rest of my life.
And not have an anxiety attack over it.

Or a heart attack.

Or get ulcers.

Or grow bitter like other writers I know, because it's tough work and it's hard to find that niche audience.

*sigh*

But, hey, it's all good. Because, Jeff, my good friend, though he doesn't know it yet, is a positive, uplifting person, and he knows how hard it is. He's told me I can keep going and do it because I love it.

Now comes the gushing part when you can't hold back my raging river of praise... Get an umbrella for protection if you want your hair to stay intact. This could get ugly.

But first--let me share a little of my journey before I read this book, and why it's significant.

Let me start by saying, I read another book months ago that blew me away on how to be a successful author. I was hooked, and I loved it. The man that wrote it--his name is John Locke. He became my hero. Then, later on, I found out the controversy behind his success--bought and paid for reviews. I still have mixed feelings about this. Turns out my cowboy wears a gray hat, not a pristine white one like I thought. Hmm...

I have also, since that time, met a friend that I believed was a sock-puppet. I understand why authors do this, but it's a little heartbreaking. So, in some ways, I've kind of been burned and become a little jaded, and even abused by a few fellow authors myself, and some of them happened not too long ago, so the last thing I wanted was to read a book that would blow sunshine up my writer's flabby rear and tell me the path as a writer is paved with roses. Yet, they leave out the part about the nasty thorns, and, oh yeah, if you skip down this path where these branches are all leggy, overgrown, and laying on your path, you might want to wear some shoes as you skip down this path while whistling zipaadeedoooodah!

Nope, not frustrated, not at all. Really, over the last few weeks, I'd kind of decided to take a slight break from killing myself to find readers for my published works, and fell back on my original love--writing Fan Fiction. But that's another story, and I'll be telling it on my blog shortly...

My point, and where I was going with that last little tangent--sometimes a writer needs to regenerate and fall back in love with what they do, and remember why they do it.

Jeff knows this very well. He shares some of his journey in a no-nonsense way. He didn't waste my time. I considered 2 hours of reading his book, reasonable for a bout of insomnia, and the fact I got the book free, made the deal even sweeter.

Here's the biggest thing I took away: be yourself and be generous.

Hey! I can do that!

And I'm going to be even better at it than I was already trying to be.

After reading his book, my mind was going a mile a minute, coming up with ways to share what I'm passionate about. My blog's gonna have a new page for more of my writings. I'm going to use my blog more, and share more of what I was second-guessing as maybe not worth posting there. No more. He's said to be brave and confident. There are times as a writer I wonder why I bother. I see other brilliant, amazing writers, and start comparing myself to them, getting overwhelmed, thinking that's the unachievable--a level of writing I'll never match.

But he slapped my wrists, and said stop it. Jeff knows. Stopping now. I promise.

I don't want to give away too much of his fabulous book, but I will say, I do believe him.

In fact, the old me from several hours ago, wouldn't even consider posting this review, because it was written on 4 hours of sleep, without much forethought. It is genuine though, and I wanted to share gut reactions before they fade with my digesting breakfast.
If you're a writer, or you want to be one, read this book. It may not have all the answers to your writing universe, but it has some good resources and insight I found truly helpful, and that's all I can ask for.

Well, that, and a few more hours of sleep...

Read it. Insomnia not required. Though, I will warn you... this book didn't help me get back to sleep, it woke up my mind even more. Thanks, Jeff! Now I have to write even more!

4 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Mr. Philip Deane

A Book on the attitude of Writing. Different from all the rest.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on May 4, 2012

Verified Purchase

I can count on one hand the books I have read on writing, as they seem very preachy. Some even seem to demand that only their way of writing will succeed.

One feature I love about E-Books is that you can download a sample. The sample caught me, or more specifically one paragraph caught me.

On talking about leaving a legacy he said:

"Before we start, we sabotage our work and subvert our genius. And How, pray tell, do we do this? With words. Subtle but serious words that kill your passion before you can pursue it. Words like "aspiring" and "wannabe"." Words like "I wish" and "someday."

I think we have all used those words, without a portfolio of published articles, a literary agent or recognition, we are reluctant to wear the banner of "writer."

This is where this book is different. While it does have a section on how to go about being published in magazines and blogs, it is more about attitude than style. It is about believing in yourself, making the mental step, which will facilitate your journey to becoming a writer.

It's a well recommended book, different in my opinion than most as it does not bash your ideas, it welcomes them, encourages them, and makes you state "I AM a writer!"

21 people found this helpful

Selina

What a great book. Jeff Goins shares his journey to becoming ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on July 14, 2016

Verified Purchase

What a great book. Jeff Goins shares his journey to becoming a writer and gives specific strategies to write and share your work - and ultimately, to make a living from it. Throughout he emphasises hard work over inspiration or dreaming, and makes it clear that writing for a living is no easy option. G love the straight talking and the specific steps Goins offers to get your writing known and working for you. I bought this having seen Jeff Goins speak at the Self Publishing Success Online Summit - and I wasn't disappointed.

2 people found this helpful

Kenny

It's that simple!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on September 22, 2012

Verified Purchase

I've always thought that motivational or self help books are only effective when the reader is receptive to what the writer has written. You can read the best book in the market on any subject but if you're not in the right place or frame of mind to accept the message, it might have little or no impact on you. Why do I like this book so much? For that exact reason. I've been writing for years and understand most of the challenges Jeff identifies in this book. Sometimes all you need is for someone to tell you it's okay to be worried about your position in the writing world but that the only way to change your situation is by taking (or continuing) action. It's that simple!

Phoebe Wilby

Just Write

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on August 17, 2017

Verified Purchase

Jeff's short and sweet book has helped me realise that I am a writer. He gives practical steps and ideas to help us take the steps we need to do not only to show others that we are worth it, but to help us to convince ourselves. He has shown me that I am worth it through simple words ands actions I can do. Practice my craft, show up every day and constantly, daily repeat the mantra - I am a writer. Read the book and find this out for yourself. Thanks, Jeff, for you timely help.

One person found this helpful

Daniel HY Ng

Useful Tips

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on March 19, 2022

Verified Purchase

This book explains all the relevant points that a writer need to have. I hope the writer could update informations on self publishing as well.

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