Mega Book University – Learning like Crazy

By Morgan Chilson

I am at Mark Victor Hansen’s Mega Book University in Orlando for the next two days — and already have a head crammed full of information and ideas brimming.

This is a fascinating conference because it focuses on non-fiction writing. As a journalist, I’ve spent my career in the non-fiction world, but as an aspiring author I pictured myself publishing fiction. But I’m thinking that those years of fact-finding and creating cohesive stories out of pages and pages of interviews could bring me success in non-fiction markets.

What’s interesting about Mega Book is that it is designed to get authors thinking about their writing as a business — something I think we all fail to do. (I know many KWI members still are not tracking receipts and expenditures for taxes!) More importantly, this conference is about creating a platform. It’s not just writing books, but it’s creating a career as a speaker, offering products related to your book and building a multi-dimensional business.

My favorite speaker today was Andy Andrews. I’m probably the only person in the world who hasn’t read his best-seller, The Traveler’s Gift, but I did order it after his talk. (I also bought his latest book, The Noticer.)  He was an inspirational speaker with a background in stand-up comedy, so you can imagine how well he delivered his talk. He also tapped into my personal belief system about being honest (with ourselves as much as others), following your passions and helping others.  

I’m finding myself focusing better on my writing business and am determined to get my website up and do a marketing plan. I help my clients market their businesses and yet, I’ve not done that for my own.

Some parts of these conferences seem cheesy — the over-the-top motivational parts (you know, the person who made a million in one year after attending a Mega Book event), all the yelling and clapping and back-slapping. But the fact is, it works. The attitudes of success are contagious.

I wonder at the cynical parts in each of us that don’t want to believe crazy success is possible, that we can achieve what these other people have (Mark Victor Hansen, co-founder of the Chicken Soup series got 144 rejections on those books!), and feel the need to poke cynical fun at these happy-happy events.

The fact is, I’ve always been a person who believes I can do anything, and yet I haven’t acted that way. I’ve taken many career risks, but none in years. I’m ready to take some of those risks again, to challenge myself in new directions and to grab hold of some of those happy-happy attitudes and make them work in my life.

In particular, I’m thinking that one million in the first year after attending Mega Book would be a good goal. . .

More tomorrow on what’s happening in Orlando at Mega Book University.

Write well. Write  happy. Write your passion.