Hello beautiful people!
This month’s meeting will take place on Wednesday, February 14th at 11:30am PST at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85965793555 and its replay will live on this page within a day of the live mastermind session.
Reminder: We’re using the same Zoom link for all of our JFDI hotseat sessions. Keep it handy! And keep an eye on my events calendar for any changes to our dates (time will always be 11:30am Pacific). So excited for where we’ll GROW from here!
If you’d like a refresh on any of the JFDI with Bon curriculum goodness without having to comb through alllllllll the content we’ve covered since March 2020, check out this lovely orientation page over here. Yay!
AND, if you’d like more support or just some hang time each month, you’re welcome to join in for Connect with Bon (check for all the details here). No RSVP, no replay, no pressure.
Great meeting, y’all! We tackled prioritizing what it is you need/want/require of your mailing list management, keeping your list clean and well-tagged, captioning in Instagram reels/vids, how to ask for (and get) great blurbs (thank you, Dana, for this link!!), handling creepy fans (thank you, La Trice, for the overview), and more. As always, super delightful just to share space as so much shifts in our world.
Dave, you have to let us know how Benihana-chef-ing goes!! Jaki, here’s the “Winding the Wheel” offer I wanted you to see. (That’s So Pisces has a ton of offers and this was hard to find… a note for all of us who make our offers less-than-Googleable. *ahem*)
Continue the convo in the comments below as you wish. It’s so good to connect here (and everywhere).
All my love,
Friendly reminder to double-check you have all your backup codes: I had a hell of a time with Mailchimp trying to get back into my TDS account after my phone was reset and lost connection to the Google Authenticator. (How I lost this particular backup code, I don’t know. #EmbarrassedVirgo)
Additional reminder: don’t use an email address you can’t send from as your only Mailchimp account address (i.e. an alias). They’ll refuse to reset your account if you can’t email them from that address, even if you can prove you own/have access to that alias. (I had to enable a trial of WordPress email to get around this.)
It’s taken over a week to get support to even respond. I’m only just back in the account as of 5 minutes ago. And it’s not even Mercury retrograde…
In other news, I might just be in the market for Mailchimp alternatives. Lol. 😉
YIKES! What a Pluto-in-Aquarius zap, Stephanie! Wow! Thank you for these reminders. I’m so glad you’re back in action and OMG wow. What a scramble! We can definitely talk about options for mailing list goodness in this month’s meeting. 🙂 (We’re shopping too.)
I’m really glad I discovered it now, well in advance of recital season. It could’ve been much more urgent. Everything’s clicking again, I triple-checked I have all my other backup codes, and made sure I saved all my contacts to my hard drive as well (which I also backed up). So, we should be good to go.
Pluto in Aquarius… dang it, lol. It’s been zapping me much like Mercury retrograde the last couple weeks!
On that woo weather bit… specifically those “tone setters” I mentioned in the Aligned Hustle Calendar… they’re no joke! As each of the personality planets runs over Pluto in Aquarius, we’re getting a really big hiccup that tastes like Aquarius… and it’s got a lot of zap for sure!
Two recent JFDI wins I want to share, because I’m practicing celebrating ‘em:
First off, you might remember I created #30SecondBallets Valentines last year. I used them as freebie gifts to my subscribers, and sold the set to the public for a couple bucks. Fast forward to this year, and I have multiple copycats doing the same thing! One is the author of a picture book about a flamingo who goes to ballet class, another is a pre-school/early childhood program, that kind of thing. They aren’t charging for theirs, but I found it interesting to see these pop up shortly after posting about my own. (Did it ding me for a minute? Yes. Was the ding shorter than before? Also yes. Therefore, wins.)
I also have this marketing win to share: I noticed on opening night that the COC played a recorded pre-show voiceover announcement, and my ears perked right up. So, I made a bold move and asked the opera’s Company Manager who recorded it. My brain went through a storm of feeling guilty af, opportunistic, and terribly rude for doing so, but I received a lovely response with the name and email of the PR Director. Took me a couple days to work up the courage to email her, but I did so yesterday, just mentioning that I do voiceover in case they’d like more names on the roster. (Was careful to make sure I didn’t sound like I was dissing the current announcement, because I wasn’t at all.) Fast-forward an hour later, and I’m sitting pretty with a lovely email from the PR Director wanting a demo, her CCed Senior Manager wanting a demo, and a series of compliments on my performance in the opera itself. Demos have now been sent, and I’m on their list!
Part of my brain is still convinced this was terribly opportunistic, too forward, and an icky move. But another part asks how else they could know I do this work, or know that I have specific background experience that makes me particularly aligned to voice for their brand? Especially because I’m literally on their stage right now? Paired with the introduction from the Company Manager (who I already have KLT with- she’s even quoted on my website), I think this is much more of a Gloop bonanza than reality. (I picture Augustus gleefully splashing in the chocolate river.) But I wanted to share the whole experience with y’all, both for the celebration and for the reinforcement that I’m not alone in this Gloop-y experience. 🙂
Looking forward to seeing y’all live on Zoom next week!
Oh! I totally wanted to comment on this today! I forgot!
Please know, when you feel over-promote-y, it’s likely to be a Canadian thing + a female thing + a not-practiced-enoughness-muscle-for-doing-it thing. That’s a pretty big combo of things to ask Gloop to ignore! So, for sure, Gloop bonanza is to be expected and I’m so glad you were able to spot it as such.
You’re doing GREAT! So freakin’ inspired by everything you’re building. 🙂
Thank you for this either way! And for helping me keep my head on straight through the workout, Bon. <3
Quick check in from self-publishing land.
Reached out the SVP of Paramount Animation to see if she’d be interested in reading/writing a quote to put on the book. Never heard back. Was kinda surprised and not sure I feel comfortable following up. She intro’d the animation block at the La Femme Film Fest here in LA when Dragonfly screened, had very nice things to say about it and told me to keep in touch. When I reached out after the fest she responded immediately, but it has been over 4 years since then…
The final book block is 99% complete, just a couple photoshopping things to take care of. Still working on the cover and taking a mental and visual break from it for the moment. I kinda know what I want it to be, but not sure I can create it with the images I have, so I’ll debate next steps when I get back around to it next week.
Other than that, gonna start working on the back cover copy, creating the website and getting my blurbs ready for my Amazon and GoodReads profiles – other book things I can work on while still avoiding the cover. 🙂
So this is the second or third time this thought has passed through my mind, and so I’m looking for a sounding board: What do we think about me trademarking “The Dancer Speaks”?
I’m a little haunted by your experience having to scrub everything with your recent experience, Bon, and perhaps a little scared that if I don’t take it, someone like Squirrel could (and really throw a wrench into the mix). I’m also very aware of the fact it’s taking years to process my #30 trademarks, so… thoughts?
Okay, okay, I was brave and asked my lawyer to file it today. Same lawyer as last time, the one who I’ve currently got on the retainer/membership thingy. Part of that membership is a reduced fee for his trademark filing services too, so this trademark will be less expensive! Making those membership benefits work, lol! He’s also reviewed two of my boilerplate contracts so far (TDS and my choreography contract), so I feel organized and put-together for 2024.
Yayayayayayayayayayay!!!!! I am celebrating you so much!!!!!
That’s always a good test of “should I or shouldn’t I” — How will it feel if I’m told I cannot use it? And if it would break your heart/piss you off/be a total PITA, definitely go ahead and protect it.
MY TRADEMARK’S OFFICIAL, Y’ALL!!!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/11rEN1tQmKTjvERKyM0SVQCSdX5Hr5VwQ/view?usp=sharing
Booya! Way to go!
Thanks! Yay!
Gawtdamm, that’s pretty!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well done, Stephanie!
My Mom thinks I should frame it. Lol!
It doesn’t feel like an accomplishment in the same way doing it myself would’ve felt, but it is a big one in terms of the enoughness and tier-stepping it marks. And that’s interesting, that shift from a physical thing (like a book copyright) to a more intellectual one (like an IP trademark).
You have too much going on to do it yourself. You had the ABILITY to hire someone to do. That’s the win. Frame it!
Yesssssssssssss.
I think you should frame it too. It’s a big deal. It represents some seriousness that helps the brain know, “Oh yeah… I own a business and it’s real.”
Here’s a rough, first draft mock up of the back cover with a back cover summary/text closer to what I actually want (not just a summary of the book, but WHY the book is special and why you’d want to buy it). I’m using the exact quote from her email, but when I send it to her I’d probably delete the usage “film”. Since I’m still working on the cover, I’m defaulting to the solid green background you saw earlier. My hope is to still have a wrap around front & back cover image, but with plenty of negative space on the back for the text you see here.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/18Un7WWyVTz9viccO5xwpB7kh0grMqZDq/view?usp=sharing
Also, for reference, here is the exact back and forth email chain:
October 2019
Hi Emily,
I wanted to follow up to say thank you for your kind worlds about Dragonfly at the LA Femme Film Festival this past weekend. You always hope your films resonate with other people, and when it’s such a personal story you just never know. It means a lot to hear how this, ultimately universal theme of loss, has resonated with strangers.
Thank you again for taking the time to watch and support our indie animated shorts and I hope our paths cross again soon.
Thanks,
Sarah McLean
_________(2 hours later)_______
Hi Sarah,
So nice to get your note. You did a beautiful job with the film – authentic, heartfelt, well told. I can tell you there wasn’t a dry eye when I showed it to some of the team here.
Stay in touch, hope to see much more of your work.
-Em
__________
January 2024
Hi Emily,
I hope you are doing well. I know it’s long overdue at this point, but congratulations on your promotion to Senior VP.
To refresh your memory, we met at the La Femme Film Festival back in 2019. You intro’d the animation program where my short, Dragonfly, screened. You also had some very, very nice things to say about it.
Well, over the course of the last couple years I adapted the movie into a children’s picture book and will be publishing it later this year. If you are open to it, I was hoping I could send you a copy of the book and, if you feel comfortable, provide a quote I could use? No obligation and no pressure with either, of course.
I can mail you a physical copy or a pdf/electronic version, whichever you prefer.
Thank you again,
Sarah
Ooh, yeah. Start it at “authentic” and I think it’d work perfectly! Unless, of course, she would like to write something else…
Fingers crossed you can get a reply and the permission to use it! It’s gold!
This looks so dang good, Sarah! I’m excited! This may be at the point of “ask for forgiveness rather than permission” now, unless you’ve heard back from her. While we prefer to get someone to confirm their consent, lots of times, it’s not a priority to them and that also means they’re unlikely to have a problem with you using those words of theirs. I mean, the praise DID happen! Of course, it’s a wobbly place, values-wise, and that could mean you prefer not to use it unless she expressly says it’s okay/signs a release. Of course, you could always anonymize her name into initials and not use her title, just the department/company… that may take any wobble out? Or maybe you have zero wobble. Are you wobbly? 😉
Thanks. I’m gonna make some tweaks to it and then send it off this Thursday or next Wednesday and go from there. Not sure how I’d feel about using the quote without consent, but I still have time to figure out that part. And maybe she’ll respond and that’ll take care of things!
People who have Amazon & Good Reads author pages, this one’s for you.
Looks like I can’t create my author pages until my book is published or about to be published? What have your experiences been? How early before the publication date have you been able to create and populate your profiles/link your book? I’d obviously like them to be as full as possible for the on sale date. I would assume if you’re distributing directly through Amazon you can probably create that one a little sooner since the book info is already in their system.
Thanks!
Wish I had an answer for ya… I stumbled across the whole author page thing after my first book was published through Amazon. I can tell you that my subsequent books just populated themselves to my author page (which I barely even look at it, tbh). Maybe someone else knows for sure!
Just did a quick hunt through the Amazon help pages, and came across this:
“Note that in order to set up an account or sign in to Amazon Author Central, you must have at least one book available for purchase on Amazon under your author name.”
So… maybe just write all the bits and pieces you’ll need, and have ’em ready to copy-paste as soon as you can get access to the Author Page!
That was the plan, Stephanie, especially, since from what I’ve read, all the metadata across all platforms (Amazon, Ingram) need to match EXACTLY or there can be issues with identifying and matching ISBNs to the actual book.
Gosh, I’ll be interested to see the answer to this, Sarah. Maybe nudge Kathi to see if she has recent experience with this? My Amazon author page has existed since 2002, so I’ll be exactly zero help for this.
Accountability update! Well, seeing how I was somewhat thwarted in getting my author profiles completed… I will finish my accountability with-
I have a very, very, *very* barebones book website published! You can already see the changes I need to make! Which I’ll slowly start doing. It looks like I’m stuck with “sites.google”, which I guess I should have expected since it’s free, even though I own the actual domain name, but created the site through the free Google option. But I’ll look into it. I’m also going to see how things shake out since Squarespace now owns Google Domains and I can’t find an answer as to how that could affect websites created with Google Sites. At least for now this will be populating the search engines with some book info.
https://sites.google.com/view/leahthedragonflybook/home
I was going to create a simple Jiggy website the same way, so we’ll see what happens with this one first. At the very least I already have Jiggy pointing to the Mailchimp landing page.
So, to really fulfill my accountability, next I’ll work on getting everything written for my author profiles so I can add them when I’m able.
Spoke to soon! looks like I’m good to go for the actual website http://www.leahthedragonflybook.com/.
HOORAY!
Exploratory polling.
From my research, I THINK I can make changes to a book title without needing a new ISBN since the book has not yet been published.
What are people’s thoughts about this as a title (or was this a delusional first-thought-of-the-morning thinking?):
“You Are Never Alone: A true story of life death and friendship”
and in context of the story:
“I’ll always be here with you…”
A scary and unexpected series of events could have turned tragic if it wasn’t for a guardian angel. All too often we lose loved ones only to wonder where they’ve gone and if we’ll ever see them again. In You Are Never Alone, Sarah McLean lovingly reminds us that those that may have left us never truly leave our side, and that they can even take shape as tiny, little dragonflies.
This true story of life, death, and friendship is based on the award-winning animated short film Dragonfly, available online at http://www.youareneveralonebook.com.
And, yes, I realize there is another book with that tile and uses the above link that I randomly type and I would need something different.
Aw, sweet. I like it! One edit: “…tragic if it weren’t for…” — weren’t instead of wasn’t. Oh, wait. One more edit: “…reminds us that those who may have left…” — who instead of that. 😉 Okay. I think that’s it! I’m so glad you were able to make shifts and that this one is resonating with you. Or was, when you posted before. How are you feeling about it all now?
A reminder that times get hard for all of us now and then… and it’s all about how we move forward from those times: the Passion Planner’s latest email.