“Build your platform” was the advice most often given to writers by agents, editors and publishers in the past 10 years. The idea was to establish a waiting market for your work  by connecting to your audience via email, newsletters, speaking engagements, media appearances and so on.

Today the platform concept has been extended to incorporate a more personal connection between you and your audience, and the more appropriate description is to “build community.” The word community implies “interaction” and “communication” with others who have common interests or goals. Social media such as blogs, podcasts, videos and social networking sites can bring you in direct contact with your readers and enable two-way conversations.

Nancy Mills may have started the trend several years ago when she created The Spirited Woman, a woman’s empowerment community on the Internet, long before the term “build your community” was ever uttered. The Spirited Woman community that Nancy began with only a newsletter to a small list of women today includes a website, newsletter, blog, mastermind groups, events plus much more and serves thousands of women globally.

Don’t miss VIP Author Talks with guest Nancy Mills on Wednesday, October 28, when Nancy will share how she grew her list (& business) and reveal the strategies authors can use right now to build their own communities of loyal readers.

On this call you will learn:

• The tools Nancy Mills used to build The Spirited Woman
• Why authors must build communities and lead their “tribes”
• The best resources authors can use to build their communities
• Whether to go it alone or use a team to build your community
• What else authors must do to effectively communicate with their audiences
• What strategies authors can employ to stand out in a crowded genre or marketplace

Have a question on a topic not listed? Write it down now for the live Q&A at the end of the call.

Mark your calendar right now to join us for the VIP Author Member Event on Wednesday, October 28 at 8:00pm Eastern Time.

How To Register for This Event:

If you are not an VIP Authors Inner Circle member yet, find out more about  Membership Benefits here>>

If you are already a member, you can find the call-in number on your Members-Only  page. If you no longer have this information, please e-mail us at support@vipauthors.com.

Speaker Bio:
Nancy Mills is the founder of The Spirited Woman, a leading women’s empowerment community, the publisher of the international Spirited Woman Blogger Team. She is known for being a creative out-of-the-box marketing expert. She also mentors women in her “Nancy’s Inner Circle” program. On a more personal note, through her Tales of Downtown blog, she loves to write about her adventures living in a loft in downtown Los Angeles. That blog is gaining quite a local following.

Myths & Reality: Where’s the Money?

Every writer wants to know how to get paid for his or her work. If anyone knows where writers can find markets (and money) for their writing, it’s C. Hope Clark, founder and editor of FundsForWriters.com.

During this class, Hope will reveal how you can earn income from these “funding streams”:

• Grants: Arts commissions, Foundations/Nonprofits, Conferences
  Retreats, Fellowships
• Contests: Scams, Entry fees, Boosts to publication
• Freelance Markets: Queries and pitches, finding paying markets, what to avoid
• Jobs: Freelance, Fulltime, government positions, be a reporter
• Plus, tips on being a writer: pride and promotion!

Have a question on a topic not listed? Write it down now for the live Q&A at the end of the call.

Mark your calendar right now to join us for the VIP Author Member Event on Wednesday, September 23 at 8:00pm Eastern Time.

How To Register for This Event:

If you are not an VIP Authors Inner Circle member yet, find out more about  Membership Benefits here>>

If you are already a member, you can find the call-in number on your Members-Only  page. If you no longer have this information, please e-mail us at support@vipauthors.com.

Speaker Bio:

C. Hope Clark is founder of FundsforWriters.com, an online resource for writers seeking grants, contests, markets or jobs. The nine-year-old site has almost a million hits per month and has received the Writer’s Digest 101 Best Web Sites for Writers designation for each of its nine years of existence. Hope’s newsletters reach over 26,000 readers. She’s published nonfiction in commercial magazines and websites. She also writes mystery fiction, and her Carolina Slade series is in the hands of an agent, making the rounds of New York publishers. The highlight of her career will be publishing that series and proving how diligence and practice can pay for writers.

Do you want to know how your writing can support you, instead of the other way around?

Many writers dream about writing for a living, but the reality is they are spending money on classes, software, workshops and conferences—and haven’t been earning a dime.

If you’re ready for your writing to be a business instead of an expensive hobby, then mark your calendar now for a free teleclass that identifies the strategies and tools you can use immediately to generate income.

Free Class*: “From Class to Ca$h in 6 Weeks”

When: Wednesday, September 2, 2009 at 2pm ET (1pm CT, Noon MT, 11am PT)

Call-In Details: Dial 1 (641) 715-3300, Enter Access Code 171279# when prompted

*The presentation is free to attend, but long distance charges may apply.