Steal the Show with Michael Port - 111 AJ Harper on Writing for the Page vs. Writing for the Stage, How to Start a Daily Practice, and the Current State of Self-Publishing

111 AJ Harper on Writing for the Page vs. Writing for the Stage, How to Start a Daily Practice, and the Current State of Self-Publishing

07/09/18 • 42 min

“All that matters is that you are delivering quality content that’s truly transformational and authentic to you.” - AJ Harper

(click to tweet)

A book is obviously different than a speech.

But that’s not to say we can’t use the stage to test the ideas for our written work. When we lean too heavily towards one medium, we corner ourselves to the constraint of that delivery system.

Instead, when we embrace all opportunities and let each speech or article inform what write or say next, we create that artistic synergy that audiences and readers latch onto.

On today’s episode of Steal the Show, we are joined by AJ Harper. AJ is a developmental editor and publishing strategist who has helped hundreds of authors, from newbies to New York Times bestselling authors, write and publish game-changing books, develop significant and loyal followings, and build their brand.

As executive editor for Collaborative Books, AJ has worked with Lisa Nichols, Les Brown, Barbara De Angelis, Dr. George Frazier, and many more.

Listen to today’s episode to hear what AJ has to say about the speaking and writing mediums, so you can thoughtfully utilize each in your advancement as a thought leader.

“Speaking is a very big part of developing the content for a book.” - AJ Harper

(click to tweet)

Steal The Points

Very few people have the skills to implement a message-based speech or book.
When writing, use the word “you” to connect with the reader.
Trying to make things clever usually results in things being more complicated.
Simplicity comes with mastery over time.
Write every day. It doesn’t matter how much, just keep a consistent habit.
Use the stage as testing grounds for written content.

“All that matters is that you are delivering quality content that’s truly transformational and authentic to you.” - AJ Harper

(click to tweet)

A book is obviously different than a speech.

But that’s not to say we can’t use the stage to test the ideas for our written work. When we lean too heavily towards one medium, we corner ourselves to the constraint of that delivery system.

Instead, when we embrace all opportunities and let each speech or article inform what write or say next, we create that artistic synergy that audiences and readers latch onto.

As executive editor for Collaborative Books, AJ has worked with Lisa Nichols, Les Brown, Barbara De Angelis, Dr. George Frazier, and many more.

Listen to today’s episode to hear what AJ has to say about the speaking and writing mediums, so you can thoughtfully utilize each in your advancement as a thought leader.

“Speaking is a very big part of developing the content for a book.” - AJ Harper

(click to tweet)

Steal The Points

Very few people have the skills to implement a message-based speech or book.
When writing, use the word “you” to connect with the reader.
Trying to make things clever usually results in things being more complicated.
Simplicity comes with mastery over time.
Write every day. It doesn’t matter how much, just keep a consistent habit.
Use the stage as testing grounds for written content.

Previous Episode

undefined - 110 Andrew Davis On Obsessively Tracking Your Career, How To Create The Speech People Talk About, And Why You Can Charge More Than You Think With The FEE Model

110 Andrew Davis On Obsessively Tracking Your Career, How To Create The Speech People Talk About, And Why You Can Charge More Than You Think With The FEE Model

“The more systematic you are about it—the faster you can increase fees, get more gigs, and turn this into a real business.” - Andrew Davis

(click to tweet)

Between knowing what to charge and handling client relations, a workload can quickly become overwhelming before the actual work even starts.

For the novice speaker, negotiating with event organizers and creating fair but profitable proposals can be a steep learning curve—one that can take serious time away from what the focus should actually be: the performance.

That’s why on today’s episode of Steal The Show, we are joined by Andrew Davis to discuss his systems for bypassing these hurdles. After all, life doesn’t get in the way, it IS the way. Andrew has many credits to his name, all of which have helped him land big-time public speaking deals. He has written for Charles Kuralt, produced for NBC, and worked for The Muppets and MTV. And as one of the most influential marketers in the world, Andrew has appeared on The Today Show and in The New York Times.

Tune in to today’s episode to learn his method of tracking his speeches and email inquiry, so that you can start to do the same and land stage time at exciting events and conferences.

“Remember your business model isn’t their business model.” - Andrew Davis

(click to tweet)

Steal The Points

Be as systematic as possible with creative endeavors to allow for more creativity.
Small business owners comprise one of the most engaged audience demographics for public speakers.
Speeches should come from a place of vision, not “expert-ville.”
Set fees based on the FEE Model: fame, entertainment, and expertise.
Track your demand over time by aiming for a high loss-rate over a high close-rate.
Accept free gigs as a way of testing material to get to that referrable speech faster.

Next Episode

112 John Ruhlin on the Performance of How to Give the Perfect Gift

“The gift is supposed to represent the value you place on the relationship.” - John Ruhlin

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Why is gift giving such a challenge? We know the people around us; we know their likes, their interests ... but when we want to celebrate them, all great gift ideas go out the window. Amazon becomes our search engine. Wine and chocolates are a go-to.

On today’s episode of Steal the Show, we are joined by John Ruhlin to unpack the performance of gift-giving. Yes, gift-giving is a performance--one that has true craft and technique. John is the founder of the Ruhlin Group, a company that develops relationship-building strategies and VIP-gifting programs to increase referrals and strengthen retention with their most important employees, clients, and prospects.

John’s clients include the Chicago Cubs, San Antonio Spurs, DR Horton, Morgan Stanley, St. Louis Blues, and hundreds of other industry leaders and high-end service firms.

His second bestselling book Giftology: The Art and Science of Using Gifts to Cut Through the Noise, Increase Referrals, and Strengthen Client Retention can be found here

Listen to today’s episode to hear John’s insights about gift-giving, and how we can best approach the often difficult task of finding that great gift for the people in our lives.

“In business, we call it marketing. And we don’t realize we’re spending money to damage relationships because we’re making it all about us.” - John Ruhlin

(click to tweet)

Steal The Points

Marketing is typically not gift-giving because we make it about us.
Don’t give gifts with a transactional mindset.
Try to give gifts that people can use every day rather than those that are consumed and disappear.
Treat gift-giving as an opportunity to inspire the recipient, rather than just hand off a possession.
Understand what the recipient wants, and then align the gift with that.