Entries tagged as ‘How to’
Anne Morrow Lindbergh observed that, for the most part, mothers and housewives were the “great vacationless class” because they had little time off. I would add the self-employed to her list.
If you’re self-employed as I am, it’s often difficult to see your way to a holiday. You’re either too busy or too broke or both. I haven’t had a vacation for a long time. So I decided that it was time to hang up my Gone Fishin’ sign and take a vacation in August. Nothing fancy. Two weeks in and around my hometown of Victoria.
Here are a few tips that you might find useful if you’re still struggling with the notion of taking a vacation.
- Silence the “Gremlins”. As soon as I think or say “vacation”, my inner critics start whispering. That’s irresponsible. People depend on you. Your business will fail. You’ll lose clients ! Gremlins want to keep the status quo. You need to recognize these voices for what they are and politely tell them to “Get lost”. If you don’t, you’ll end up chained to your desk.
- Plan ahead and set firm dates. Setting dates forces you to make a commitment. I’m closing up the office on August 20th and returning two weeks later on September 4th. It’s critical to allow yourself several weeks lead time. The more the better. This allows you to wrap up projects or stages of a project. Don’t cram everything into the final week before your vacation. You’ll end up exhausted and won’t enjoy your time off. Make sure that you don’t plan any project work the week you return. This will allow you to settle in and catch up on e-mails and other administrative matters.
- Inform your current clients. This post is a way of letting all of my loyal readers know that I’m not going to be writing any new material for the two weeks I’m on vacation. I’ll still be posting three times a week but these will be articles from my archives. Don’t try to pretend that you’re still at your desk. Letting clients know of your vacation avoids the embarrassment of their trying to reach you and not getting a reply for a couple of weeks. Trust that your clients understand that you’re human and like everyone else need some free time.
- Set up an e-mail auto-responder. Even though I’m having a “staycation”, I’ll resist the temptation to peak at my e-mails. I’m going to leave an auto-responder message that goes something like, “Thank you for contacting me. I’m currently away from my desk and unavailable from August 21st until September 5th. I’ll answer your e-mail on my return. If this is an emergency, please call 250-514-****.”
- Leave a vacation voice-message on your answering service. Even if you’re staying close to home on your vacation, you don’t want the interruption of business calls. That’s why I’ll be adding a telephone message that says something like, “Thanks for calling. I’m away from my desk until September 5th. Please leave a message and I’ll be happy to return your call when I’m back. If this is an emergency, please call 250-514-****.” A word of caution. It’s advisable in both your e-mail and telephone messages not to give the impression that you’ve left your home or office vacant. This information could fall into the wrong hands and lead to a robbery.
- Relax. It sounds obvious. But if you’re like me, you probably have what I’d call the “Manager of the Universe” syndrome. It goes, “The world will stop spinning on its axis if I’m not at my desk 24/7.” Well I know and you know that’s ridiculous. It’s quite amazing how the world keeps turning even when we’re not involved. So, I’m giving myself permission not to worry and just to relax.
Photo by The Hamster Factor
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Categories: Holidays · Personal Care · Personal historian · Tips
Tagged: Tips, How to, self employed, freelancers, vacation, time off, overworked
Another Monday and a roundup of some of my favorite links. If you love design as much as I do, don’t miss An industry in re-covery. It looks at how good design may yet save the printed book from the onslaught of e-books. Still uncertain what you should be charging for your work? For some helpful tips, take a look at How Should Freelance Writers Determine What Price to Charge?
- Listening to History. “Developed organically in a series of improvisatory workshops, based on real people in a real place over a 90-year period, and conceived without a conventional script, The Tosca Project presented a particularly complex challenge. What kind of information would be most helpful to the process? Where could we find it? How could we make it accessible to the cast and creators?”
- How Should Freelance Writers Determine What Price to Charge? “If you’re a freelance writer (or if you hire freelance writers), then you may have a difficult time determining what the market price for writing is. Of course, your lowballing client would have you believe that nearly all writers work for practically nothing at all–but, don’t you believe them.”
- An industry in re-covery. “To give new life to old titles, publishers are turning to what e-books can’t offer yet: great design.”
- And Now, the Tricky Part: Naming Your Business. “As many entrepreneurs can attest, deciding on a name for a new business is no easy task. One with pizzazz can set a new company apart; one that misses the mark can make a burgeoning start-up fall flat.The problem, marketing and branding experts agree, is that there is no magic bullet to picking the best name.” [Thanks to Diane Dassow of Binding Legacies for alerting me to this item.]
- Exploring My America. “We’re asking engaging, adventurous people to hit the road for a week and tell their story and the stories of the people they meet. Does that sound like you? The program will run from July 11 through August 28, 2010. Over the course of the program, we’ll launch three road trip teams on different routes each week. Each team’s mission is to interact with people along their assigned route, capture interesting stories of unique personalities and places throughout their journey, and upload their stories to the program website.”
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Categories: Monday's Link Roundup
Tagged: Life stories, How to, link roundup, genealogy, freelance writers, naming your business, determining price, exploring America
In Part One, I wrote about the need to be familiar with the academic research on life stories and palliative care. In Part Two, I want to highlight five other factors to consider when establishing a life stories program at your local hospice. If you want to be credible and succeed, here’s what to do:
- Become a hospice volunteer. This is the route I took. If you’re going to work with people at the end of life, it helps immeasurably if you’re trained as a hospice volunteer. First, you gain experience and a level of comfort being with people who are dying. Second, it signals to the hospice administration that you are serious and committed to helping patients in palliative care. Third, and most importantly, you become a familiar and trusted part of the hospice care team.
- Keep your hospice “life stories” work separate from your personal history business. It’s critical to your success in establishing a program to assure hospice administration that you’re not using the hospice to recruit clients for your business. I’ve been scrupulous in not mixing my business with my hospice work.
- Find a hospice manager who’ll champion your idea. In most cases this individual will be the person responsible for volunteer services or it might be the manager of psychosocial services or spiritual care. This will be the person you’ll need to convince that a life stories program is worthwhile and complements other hospice services. This manager will also have to bring other members of the hospice management team on board with your idea. It’s important that you establish a good rapport with your “champion”.
- Keep it simple. You want to keep the time and costs involved to a minimum, especially because you’re providing a free service. This is why the program I initiated at Victoria Hospice only offers unedited audio recordings of patient interviews. Do make sure that the Hospice covers the cost of any materials you provide.
- Build in a program to train other life story volunteers. It’s inevitable that you’ll soon find there are more requests than you can handle. Besides, you’ll not be able to devote all your time to offering a free service unless you’re fabulously wealthy! Here’s another point to take into consideration. Ideally, you should be planning for a program that will continue even when you’re no longer involved.
Photo © Dušan Zidar | Dreamstime.com
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Categories: End of life · How to · Life stories · Palliative care · Personal historian
Tagged: End of life, hospice, How to, Life stories, Palliative care, Personal historian
Those of you interested in building a sustainable life stories program at your local hospice will need more than good will and enthusiasm although that helps. I hope that the experience I gained in establishing a life stories service at Victoria Hospice will be of help to you.
One of the factors that weighed in my favor was the growing academic research supporting the value of life stories. It’s not uncommon for some medical professionals to see life stories as a frill, not something that can complement end-of-life support. Being armed with the relevant research can bolster your proposal.
Here’s a suggestion. Before attempting to initiate a hospice life stories program, familiarize yourself with the research. Two studies in particular that I’d recommend are :
Dignity Therapy: A Novel Psychotherapeutic Intervention for Patients Near the End of Life. Harvey Max Chochinov, Thomas Hack, Thomas Hassard, Linda J. Kristjanson, Susan McClement, and Mike Harlos. Journal of Clinical Oncology. 2005; Vol. 23, No. 24
Ninety-one percent of participants reported being satisfied with Dignity Therapy; 76% reported a heightened sense of dignity; 68% an increased sense of purpose; 67% a heightened sense of meaning; 47% an increased will to live; 81% reported that it had already, or would be of help to their family.
Legacy Activities as Interventions Approaching the End of Life. Rebecca S. Allen, Michelle M. Hilgeman, Margaret A. Ege, John L. Shuster, Louis D. Burgio. Journal of Palliative Medicine. September 2008, 11(7): 1029-1038. doi:10.1089/jpm.2007.0294.
Intervention patients reported decreased breathing difficulty and increased religious meaning. Caregivers and patients reported greater social interaction on the part of the patient. All participants in the intervention group initiated a Legacy activity and reported that Legacy improved family communication. Legacy interventions hold promise and are simple to implement.
Other studies of older people and reminiscence have also shown promising results. One in particular is:
Evaluating the Impact of Reminiscence on the Quality of Life of Older People. A report by the Economic and Social Research Council about a piece of research on reminiscence they carried out with 142 older people in 2003.
Reminiscence activity results in psychological benefit for older people. Older people in our study who participated in activities were found at the end of the period of intervention to have better psychological morale and less psychological morbidity, and show more positive emotion and less negative emotion, than older people in our study who had not participated in our activities.
A pioneer in the interdisciplinary study of aging is Robert N. Butler. One of his seminal articles, Age, Death, and Life Review, is a must read. This article originally appeared in Living With Grief: Loss in Later Life, Kenneth J. Doka, Editor, © Hospice Foundation of America, 2002.
The life review, as sometimes manifested by nostalgia and reminiscence, is a natural healing process. It represents one of the underlying human capacities on which all psychotherapy depends. Some of the positive results of a life review can be the righting of old wrongs, making up with estranged family members or friends, coming to accept one’s mortality, gaining a sense of serenity, pride in accomplishment, and a feeling of having done one’s best.
In Part Two, I’ll look at some of the practical steps that will help ensure the successful implementation of a hospice life stories program.
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Categories: End of life · How to · Life stories · Palliative care · Personal historian · Uncategorized
Tagged: End of life, hospice, How to, Life stories, Palliative care, research, Resources
The following guest article is published with the kind permission of Susan Owens of Tales for Telling.
For all but a few famous authors, whether a book is self-published or published by a big name like Random House, “selling” books is in a very real sense up to the author. What sells books is buzz, getting people excited about the topic, the author, or both, marketing, and the author being willing to push the book at every opportunity. Some people are great at this; others think that once their book is printed and on Amazon, they’re done. Sadly, “If you write it, they will buy,” just ain’t so!
Of course it’s important that a book be well-written, well-designed, and attractively presented. But the sad truth is that a lot of good books have languished on the shelves while a lot of bad books have sold very well. Why? Because they’ve gotten the right publicity, or because the author is famous.
Distributing books, on the other hand, is a different matter. Self-publishing houses like iUniverse and others do make certain that the book gets on the list to be distributed by places like Ingram (most bookstores order from this source) and that it can be purchased from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.com. Some houses arrange for the book to be made available electronically for Kindle or other e-book sources. As important as these logistical steps are, I don’t think it can be said that these houses are “selling” books. What they are doing is facilitating the process so that when the author sells books, people have a way to get them in their hands. That said, here’s an interesting article about self-publishing: The Basics of Self Publishing
Here’s what to do to get a book into the distribution channel so that when the author generates that buzz, the book is out there to be had.
- Determine who the publisher is. To publish a book for sale, you need an ISBN number, which can be purchased in blocks of ten but only by a publisher. Would you be the publisher? Or would the author?
- Get ISBN numbers and barcodes. If you have hardback and paperback, each gets a different ISBN. Click here for more information.
- Register copyright with Washington, DC. This isn’t required but it’s certainly a good idea. It costs $45. Don’t do this until the manuscript is pretty final; changes of more than 25% of content, I believe, require a new registration. For more information click here.
- Figure out what BISAC code you want to use. These are often printed on the back cover. This helps bookstores to shelve the book (for example, Self-Help, Memoir, etc.) See this website for more information.
- Find a librarian trained to do publisher’s cataloging-in-publication data. This is the stuff on the copyright page that the Library of Congress does for traditionally published books but will not do for self-published books. However, I think it adds a level of professionalism to a book and also helps librarians to add it to their databases. This means libraries are more likely to buy the book if it’s marketed to them. Your local library may be able to recommend someone with this expertise.
- Register book with the Library of Congress. You also have to send them copies when the book is printed. Click here for more information.
- Try to get the book into the Ingram catalog. Check this website for more information.
- Get the book on the Books in Print list. Here’s a link with more information.
- Get it listed on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Also have the book included in the “look inside” feature. For information on selling a book on Amazon click here. And for info from Barnes & Noble click here.
- Make an e-book version available (for Kindle users, at least). I know one author I worked with had requests for this almost immediately when he started to give talks and push his book. And fortunately, the publisher we had used was able to comply pronto.
After all of this the work begins. Actually before that, because the author should begin to generate publicity about the book months before it’s released. This should include a web page, perhaps a Facebook page or blog, etc. Once the book is out, there should be press releases, speaking engagements, radio/TV appearances, and so on.
I hope this helps.
Photo by katiew
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Categories: Distribution · How to · Marketing · Personal historian · Publishing · Tips
Tagged: book distribution, free resources, How to, Resources, self-publishing, Tips
In a previous post, Lousy at Getting Referrals? Here’s some help, I provided several tips that could increase your referrals. A personal historian colleague asked me to expand on my suggestion, Develop a large network of referral partners. She asked, “I know that we can benefit one another, but how do they know? How do I persuade them to give me their time for free? And what does it mean to follow up with my network every three months or so?”
Here then is an elaboration on my earlier post on referral partners that I hope addresses my colleague’s questions.
- This is a long term process. You’re involved in developing mutually supportive business relationships. It will take time, trust, and patience and not all your efforts will bear fruit. If you’re looking for a quick fix, this isn’t the route to go.
- Create your “ideal client” referral document. It’s helpful to compose a sketch of your perfect client and the follow-up approach you’ll use with each referred client. For example, will you contact your referral by telephone, letter, or by e-mail? How will you introduce yourself? How will you describe your referral partner’s role? Will you send promotional materials or wait until you have a positive response? Will you meet with referrals in their home or in some neutral location like a coffee shop? This document will clarify who you’re looking for and it will provide your referral partners with a good overview of your referral strategy. Don’t forget to add a few testimonials to your paper.
- Identify a referral partner. Start by choosing a business that likely serves similar clients as personal historians. Make it easy for yourself by identifying a professional you already use and like. Perhaps you know a financial adviser, accountant, or chiropractor that would be willing to be a referral partner. Once you’ve established this professional as a willing partner, you can ask for names of others he or she would let you contact.
- Try the ” reverse introduction”. Over at the Duct Tape Marketing Blog, John Jantsch has a clever approach to starting a referral partnership. He calls it the Perfect Introduction in Reverse. You can watch John explain it in a short video here. Basically the idea is to start by contacting a potential partner, explaining that you have clients that could benefit from her service or product. It’s easier to start be offering something of value. For example, I’ve been in touch with a company that provides a complete package of services to assist seniors with moving. It’s still early but with time the potential for referrals is there. Listen to John Jantsch here for a full explanation of the reversed introduction.
- Build a trusting relationship. Keeping referral partners is a matter of building professional trust. You want to be certain that clients you send to your partner are going to have a positive experience. Similar concerns exist for your partner.There are several ways you can go about developing trust. For instance:
- Offer a free seminar for your partner’s clients. Invite your referral partner to do the same for you.
- Write an article for their newsletter or website and ask for your partner to write something for your clients.
- Keep in touch. It’s important to nurture and care for the professional relationship you develop with your referral partners. Here are some things you can do:
- send a card or gift for every referral you receive.
- participate in their charity events.
- make regular phone calls.
- send an article that’s relevant to their work.
In a nutshell then, getting referral partners is not about asking people to give you something for free. It’s about a mutually supportive relationship where each partner wins. And to make certain that the partnership is maintained, you have to find ways to keep in touch.
Photo by Search Engine People Blog
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Categories: Marketing · Personal historian
Tagged: How to, ideal client, Marketing, Personal historian, referral partners, referrals, Tips
Mom at 23 in 1941
My mom is ninety-two and a wise woman. She never had much schooling but she earned her doctorate at the university of life. She has a homespun wisdom that on reflection has taught me some vital marketing lessons. Here they are:
- Never leave home without being carefully groomed. My mom always leaves her home neatly dressed and with her hair carefully coiffed. When I’m out in my community, I occasionally encounter former clients or workshop participants. Sometimes I find myself talking to a stranger about my work. I’m aware that I’m a walking billboard for personal history. This means I need to look appropriately professional. No need for a suit and tie. But slouching around in sweat pants and ratty sneakers won’t do when you’re in the public eye.
- Don’t forget to say thank you. It’s a small word that goes a long way to creating a good impression. My mom never fails to says thank you for a kindness shown her. She always sends a thank you card after receiving a gift. Make it a point in your marketing to thank clients. I send a note thanking a potential client even if we don’t end up working together. I also send birthday and holiday cards to former clients. It’s a special touch that people appreciate and remember.
- Don’t waste time on ungrateful people. Mom is sweet but she’s also strong. If people don’t show some reciprocal kindness or interest, she drops them. There’s a good marketing lesson here. There’s no point trying to promote your personal history services to people who aren’t interested or don’t care. It’s better to concentrate your energy where you’re likely to get the best response.
- Answer letters immediately. Mom is a dying breed of letter writers. She still pens several letters a week to friends and family. And what’s crucial is that she never lets a week pass before she answers a letter. People appreciate her promptness. In marketing our services it’s vital to respond to queries in a timely manner. It creates an aura of efficiency, eagerness, and professionalism.
- Be meticulous. Mom never let a speck of dust settle on her furniture. Her home was always immaculate. Even today she prides herself in doing the very best she can even though she is quite frail. The marketing lesson is that all your print, audio-video, and website materials must be carefully designed and first class.
- Monday is laundry day. Mom never multitasked. Each day of the week was set aside for specific chores whether it was laundry, baking, cleaning, or gardening. It’s easy to become hit-and-miss with our marketing. Make sure you schedule marketing time each week and stick to it. Better yet, why not make Monday your marketing day?
- Be frugal and avoid debt. Mom was a child of the Great Depression. She never spent money she didn’t have and always looked for bargains and sales. She’s passed that fiscal conservatism on to me. I look for the most cost efficient ways to market my services. For example, this website/blog cost me all of twenty bucks a year. I avoid “gadgets” and constant upgrading and use my equipment and software as long as it still does the job.
- Don’t put on airs. Mom can’t abide pretentiousness or arrogance. There’s a good marketing lesson here. Avoid overselling or hyping your services. People can smell phoniness a mile off.
Thanks, Mom. You’ve taught me well.
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Categories: Marketing
Tagged: How to, Marketing, Mom's lessons, Personal historian, Tips
My grandfather
**LAST WEEK to vote on my poll: How long have you been a personal historian? Click here to vote.**
The other day I was asked if I had any ideas about writing the biography of a dead family member. This struck a responsive chord in me. For some time I’ve wanted to write about my mother’s father, my grandfather. He was only thirty-two when he died in 1920. A Winnipeg fire fighter, he succumbed to the great flu pandemic that was sweeping the world. My mother was only two when he died and she has few stories about him.
Maybe you’re also thinking about writing the life story of a distant family member. Before beginning, you’ll need to pull together as much information as you can on your ancestor. Here’s an approach I’m going to use for my grandfather’s story. You might want to try this.
Locate relatives and friends. Where possible, audio record interviews with descendants. Try to find out as much as you can, whether it’s first person accounts, documents, or leads to other people who may have information about your relative. For example, I’ve started to interview my ninety-two-year-old mother on everything she knows about my grandfather.
Research documents. Personal letters, diaries, and wills, as well as census, land, church, probate, and court records, may yield details of your subject’s life. For example, I’ve contacted The Fire Fighters Museum of Winnipeg to ascertain if there are any records of my grandfather.
Search for historical and cultural information. This will give you some clues about your relative’s life. In my case, I want to find out about the working life of Winnipeg fire fighters around 1920. What were the qualifications to get into the fire department? What did the job pay? How many hours a day did they work? Was there a pension plan?
Read local and ethnic histories. These can provide clues as to how your relative may have lived and provide interesting texture to your story. For example, I want to read newspaper accounts of the impact the the flu pandemic was having on Winnipeg.
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Categories: Ancestors · How to · Life stories · Personal historian · Tips · Writing
Tagged: Ancestors, biography, Fire Fighters, flu pandemic, How to, life story, Winnipeg, Writing
