Announcements
My wife and I are expecting our second baby in a couple of weeks!
We have entered the “any time now” phase of waiting for our Christmas baby. So the podcast will be airing some re-runs and pre-recorded episodes over the next several weeks.
This episode first aired on my other podcast, Novel Marketing
Episode Introduction
Do you ever feel alone in the writing journey? Or perhaps you are not sure what to do next. One thing every hero needs on the hero’s journey is a mentor. The journey of writing is no different. In this episode, I am going to talk about 10 different places to find mentorship.
Why Mentorship is Important
- Most authors feel like they are the exception, the chosen one, the one for whom writing will be easy and successful.
- A mentor is a person who sets you straight and teaches you that you still have a lot to learn.
- It’s hard to read the label when you are standing inside the bottle.
- Easy to make the same mistakes over and over.
- Helps identify blind spots.
- There is a lot to learn to succeed.
How to Tell If You’re Ready for Mentorship
- Are you willing to suffer criticism to get better?
- Are you ready to commit to implementing the advice you get?
- Every hero in every story thinks he is farther along than he really is. The mentor shows him that he still has a lot to learn.
Most successful authors avail themselves of most of these mentorship avenues at one point or another. Depending on where you are in your journey, one of these avenues may be more helpful to you than others.
Stop thinking about strategies in terms of right and wrong. It is better to think about it in terms of pros and cons. Advantages and disadvantages.
The right thing to do is to obey God. If he is calling you to do one of these strategies then that is the one to do, He may call other authors in a different direction and that is ok.
#1: Books
Pros:
- Cheap
- Can learn just about anything
- Expert advice
- Can learn from dead mentors (Literary Offenses of James Fenimore Cooper)
Cons:
- Dated
- Impersonal
- No Accountability
- No Personal Encouragement
Bottom Line:
Access the minds of experts for only $10 per expert. Impersonal and requires a lot of self-discipline.
#2: Podcasts & Blogs
Pros:
- Free
- Can learn just about anything
- Expert advice
- Cutting edge
Cons:
- Interaction Limited
- Unfocused
- No Accountability
- No Encouragement
Bottom Line:
A free, timely and impersonal way up the learning curve.
#3: Writers Conferences
Pros:
- In-Person
- Expert
- Focused
- Wide Networking
- One of the best ways to find an agent
Cons:
- Limited in time and scope
- Like Drinking from a Firehose
- No Accountability
- Expensive, Especially if you go to a lot.
Bottom Line:
The default for most authors. An easy way to spend a lot of money without much to show for it education-wise. But for networking, nothing beats a conference in expanding your network.
#4 Online Courses
Online courses blend of pros and cons of podcasts, conferences, and books.
Pros:
- Expert
- Focused
- The more you pay the more personal they tend to be
- Learn at your own pace
- Great value compared to conference.
Cons:
- Static
- Impersonal (you are one of many)
- Limited Accountability
- Limited Encouragement
- Limited Focus
Bottom Line:
One of the best ways to fill in knowledge gaps. If you take the cost of just one conference and spend it on courses you will advance up the learning curve much faster.
#5 University Degree
Pros:
- A high credibility path if you want to pursue traditional literary fiction.
- Degreed instructors
- Useful if you want to teach in university yourself
Cons:
- Slow
- Very Expensive. (Liberal Arts colleges now cost $25,000 to $50,000 a year not counting books, room and board). The days of being able to work your way through college on a minimum wage job are over. For grins check what your alma matter is now charging students to attend. I checked mine and it now costs over $40,000 a year. That is over $160,000 for a four-year degree!
- The focus tends to be on non-commercial writing, depending on the school.
- No one in the publishing world asks if you have a degree, they just care how well you write.
Bottom Line:
- Rarely worth the investment anymore. University is not the bargain it once was.
- Don’t get school loans for a liberal arts degree! You may never pay it off.
#6 VA Apprenticeships
Pros:
- Can make money!
- Learn things authors don’t know to teach.
- Learn advanced techniques
- I am looking to hire a VA to help me with my podcasts! If you are interested, email me your resume.
Cons:
- Hard to find.
- Time-consuming.
- No accountability
- It requires a significant time commitment.
- It’s a job. A lot of what you are doing is actual work.
Bottom line:
An unconventional way to learn for authors who are time rich and cash poor.
#7 1on1 Coaching
Pros:
- Personal
- Ongoing
- Focused
- Accountability
Cons:
- Very Expensive (unless you compare it to University)
- Good coaches are hard to find
Bottom Line:
If you can afford it, this is one of the fastest ways up the learning curve.
#8 Facebook Groups
Pros:
- They can be encouraging.
- Easy to join
- Fun
- Low risk (easy to hide)
- The Novel Marketing Podcast has a Facebook group!
Cons:
- Facebook is a time vortex.
- The quality of advice is a mixed bag. I see a lot of bad advice shared in Facebook groups. Most of the marketing superstitions spread in Facebook groups.
Bottom Line:
- Better than nothing. The benefit really depends on the group.
- Be picky and look for smaller groups with credible oversight.
#9 Critique Groups
Pros:
- Inexpensive
- Personal
- In-person
- Accountability
- Tend to be craft-focused
Cons:
- Inexpert Advice
- Hard to find. You will most likely need to start one.
- Tend to be craft-focused
Bottom Line:
- A great way to improve your craft. Only as good as the other authors.
- Beware of bozos!
#10 Mastermind Groups
There are two kinds of Mastermind groups.
- Peer
- Expert
Pros:
- Inexpensive
- Expert advice
- Accountability
- Community
- Deep Networking
- Advanced (Eventually this is all you do.)
Cons:
- Hard to find
- It is about both give and take
- Can be expensive. (Not uncommon for Mastermind Groups to cost $250/mo and up). Some cost $30,000+ a year.
Bottom Line:
One of the best forms of mentorship, especially in the long run.
I am starting two mastermind groups!
I am starting one for unpublished authors and one for published authors. You can learn more about the groups here.
The groups will be hosted through patreon and each is limited to 10 writers, so I won’t be surprised if these sell out quickly. We will meet monthly with online video.
Each author will get a chance to pick my brain and learn from the other authors as well. We will also set realistic goals and then hold you accountable to accomplish them.
I am running these mastermind groups through Patreon as reward tiers. So go to our patreon page to sign up.
- The group for published authors is $100/mo
- The group for unpublished authors is $50/mo.
If you are already a patron, all you have to do is change your patron level to get access to one of the mastermind groups.
Sponsor
Would you like to be a published author but don’t know where to start? This course is for you. In this course, Thomas Umstattd shares a simple explanation of a complicated process.
You will learn the pros and cons of traditional publishing and the pros and cons of independent publishing. You will also learn step by step how to go from idea to book on the shelf.
Use coupon code “podcast” to save 10% or click the link in the show notes.