Special Report - Part 1

You know them from afar -- Brené, Les, GaryVee, Tony and others. You’ve purchased their books and savored their stories. Stories that spoke to you -- making you itch to tell your own. Because you know you have a story inside of you. Is it merely a pipe dream? Doesn’t have to be.

 But how do you start? How do you juggle current obligations? Where do you even begin?

 Look no further than your own LinkedIn backyard. Right here on this blue turf, are connections who are published authors.

In Part One of this Special Report, you’ll meet a select seven of LinkedIn writers, each with learned habits and insider tips inspiring you toward your path as a published author. They’re mothers, fathers, professionals just like you who’ve done their due diligence, gone through the process and are ready for a tell all on how they made it.

#1 Dr. Nadine – Persistence Despite Push-Back

Dr. Nadine Hamilton’s pain from a relative’s suicide was the foundation of her passion. She became a renowned psychologist and a world authority on veterinarian suicide prevention and wellness. Dr. Hamilton is the author of Coping with Stress and Burnout as a Veterinarian, An Evidence-Based Solution to Increase Wellbeing. From her journey of writing her book, she discusses her break-through habit, persistence with publishers…

“I think my biggest tip would be to not give up when trying to find a publisher. I remember reading that from Doreen Virtue in one of her books years ago. She said she wrote to a lot of publishers and kept getting knocked back, but didn't give up until she got a publishing deal. It was a similar process with me -- a lot of interest but also some knock-backs along the way or some taking their time to make a decision. In the end, the one I went with (after submitting proposals globally) was based in Brisbane about an hour north of where I live!”

Learn more about Dr. Nadine Hamilton: https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/drnadinehamilton/

#2 Brian – Minister of Motivation

As a child, Brian David Porter was told he would “never amount to anything.” But he battled his way through “special classes” and surfaced as a 4x self-published author and podcast host with an emerging presence across social platforms. During the final stages of his 4th book, Brian’s Place, The Podcast, The Journey, The Experience - Season 1, Brian paused to reveal one of his habits to aspiring authors…

“Be intentional about writing. There may be times when you don’t feel like putting in the time to write or times when writing seems overwhelming. But you have to be intentional and press through. I look at it from the perspective that my writings are the medicine others need to heal and if I don’t write then they won’t receive what they need to receive.”

Find out more about Brian at: https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/brian-david-porter-5199a093/

#3 Davida – Plan Like a Pro

Davida Ginter is on a mission for the wellbeing of changemakers--those who self-sacrifice and are in the trenches of social change. Her ten-year quest and research culminated in her debut book, Burning Out Won’t Get You There, Cultivating Wellbeing to Successfully Lead Social Change.  Davida offers advice to writers from her experiences as a first-time author…

“Don't over plan your writing process at the beginning. There will be time for creating flow, structure, themes, and sub-titles. But first, write freely your ideas, key realizations or messages, stories that connect and could enhance your text (or data) and even key-words. All of those will spark more ideas and gradually will evolve into coherent paragraphs.”

Davida’s LinkedIn presence is: https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/davida-ginter/

#4 Sunny – Reaching New Heights

With years of observing leadership do’s and don’ts and implementing best practice principles while scaling his career, Sunny E. Isuekebhor knows first-hand the reaching impact of a leader. He is a keynote speaker and the author of Turning Every Leader Into A Star, Learn the A-Z of Leadership and Soar (reaching #1 in Outsourcing/Amazon). Sunny offers a tip to ensure your words deliver a value to the reader so that they keep coming back for more…

Sunny says, “Be flexible about the topic. Feel free to rephrase anytime. As you write, you may need to modify your topic to fit your new thoughts. But the key is letting your topic come across like a solution to a problem.”

For more on Sunny: https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/sunny-e-isuekebhor-59859826/

#5 Carol – Writing Her Own Rules

Through a series of life-altering wake up calls, Carol Pearson realized that happiness is a choice and bliss a state of mind. What unfolded was the beginnings of her book, 10 Little Rules for a Blissy Life, which has grown into a series of books by several authors. Carol focuses her comments on the day-to-day realities of writing…

“For many authors (self included) writing books is not our "day job." So while it's great to schedule chunks of time when you'll sit down and write, be prepared that your creativity will be interrupted at the worse possible times. Don't resist; you'll only get frustrated. Just know that your creative muse will knock when it's ready to come out and play.”

Visit Carol at: https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/carolpearson/

#6 Prof. Pete – Reach out and Recruit

 Professor Pete Alexander skyrocketed to sales success at a cost. After the depths of a stress-induced diagnosis he penned his Amazon best seller, Lighten Your Day, Fast Easy and Effective Stress Relief for When Sh*t Happens. Professor Pete, also a podcast host, offers taking a team approach and embracing collaboration to reach your milestones…

“Concentrate first on the table of contents and once you have a solid draft, consult with a few people (not all friends and family) who would fit your target audience. Ask them for feedback on what they would modify. That can save you a lot of editing time up front.”

Prof. Pete’s profile is here: https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/petealexander/

#7 Sidney – To Win You Must Start

Sidney Evans learned from Corporate America straight out of college. Since then, he’s smashed the corporate ladder and been featured on Forbes, BrandingMag, Black Enterprise and Oracle’s Marketing Cloud. He is the Author and Audible Voice of Run Your Own Race, 12 Steps to Building a Powerful Personal Brand (#1 in Business Consulting/Amazon). Sidney’s insider tip to first-time authors is short and sweet…

Sidney advises, “The most important thing you can do in life is to make a decision!” A huge first hurdle, but absolutely necessary to start the race. So stop listening to whispers of doubt. Stop listening to whispers of fear. They’re just wind resistance on the track to success.

Get more of Sidney: https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/sidneyevansmba/

From a Passion within

A mother-voice once said, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” That voice was from poet, memoirist and civil rights activist Maya Angelou.

It’s up to you to make your untold story told.

Still seems like a daunting task? Well stay tuned for more habits and inspirational tips from LinkedIn authors in Part Two of this Special Report.

These authors started from a passion within, you can too.

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Theresa Whetstone is a Content Writer and Storyteller and the Marketing Coordinator of a breakfast sports bar in Alabama.

She’s the Founder/Administrator/Curator of Positive Nuggets, an outlet that gives creatives an opportunity to present and amplify their books and podcasts.

Also, to encourage creatives to work on their craft (whatever it may be), she developed Just Create, a series of posts highlighted historical info for inspiration.

Theresa is currently working on a project depicting a historical event in the south. She’s an avid viewer and student of westerns and film noir. Anyone can reach her at [email protected].