We’re honored to have long-time WU contributor Dan Blank join us today to discuss his new book, Be
the Gateway: A Practical Guide to Sharing Your Creative Work and Engaging an Audience. Please join us in offering our congratulations to Dan on the book’s March 7th release. Thank you for taking the time to answer a few questions for us today, Dan!
Many people feel the drive to do creative work, but get overwhelmed by the process of connecting with an audience. They follow “best practices” in marketing that never seem to pan out, don’t produce results, and make them feel lost and oftentimes, frustrated. Be the Gateway offers a powerful way to have an impact.
If you want to share your voice and inspire people with your writing, art, craft, or creative idea, you have to be the gateway for them. Instead of throwing “products” out into the marketplace, you open them up to a new way of looking at the world, of knowing themselves, and connecting with others. You unlock new experiences for them — not just through what you create, but through the unique way in which you share it with the world.
Too often we think about the creative process as being separate from the marketing process. Instead, view them as the same. Replace the inclination to “promote” with the desire to share and engage. How and why you create is a story — and is the best asset you can use to truly engage people. Be the Gateway shows you how to use that gift with joy and confidence.
For more information about this book and services Dan Blank offers to authors, please visit here.
Q1: What’s the premise of your new book?
Too many authors end up frustrated with the practice of sharing their writing, launching their books, and developing an audience. Be the Gateway reframes this as focusing on practical ways to achieve these things in a manner that feels meaningful and fulfilling, instead of overwhelming.
The difference? You can take clear actions day by day, week by week, to reach the people who care about your writing. Be the Gateway outlines a step-by-step plan to craft your gateway, open it up to others, and help lead others through.
Q2: How is Be the Gateway unique in today’s market, and why this book now?