CANDICE COOTE graduated this spring from the City College of New York.  She majored in English Literature and is part of the school’s Publishing Certificate Program (PCP). Having previously attended art school, earning her A.A.S. in Graphic Design/Illustration from Pratt Institute, she is creative and well-rounded with varied skill sets that have helped her to keep striving toward her goals in publishing. Before entering the PCP, Candice was an editorial intern at BUST Magazine and Akashic Books and bookseller/intern at Artbook @ MoMA PS1. Currently, she is finishing up a managing editorial internship at Open Road Integrated Media and is an agency assistant/intern at McKinnon Literary. Dedicated to diversity and representation, she hopes to carve a path for people of color and other underrepresented voices both in books and behind the scenes in the publishing industry

ALFHA GONZALEZ is a senior at the City College of New York pursuing a career in Publishing. At the age of twelve, she left her family in the Dominican Republic and moved to New York City with hopes for a better future. During her high school years, Alfha immersed herself in the world of literature, falling in love with the English Language. After years of studying literature and learning more about her own passions, she decided to pursue a career in the book business. Alfha has published articles in campus publications such as Harlem Focus, and The Campus. Her love for reading and writing underlies her commitment to the written word, and how books can transform lives for the better

Thank you to all attendees who attend our December WMG Master class, How to join the Resistance. Take a look at stream of photos and social posts shared from the event.  If you missed out on attending this event be sure to attend one of our upcoming 2019 events.

NEW YORK, NY (Nov. 7, 2018) – At the last gathering of the Women’s Media Group at Upper Story restaurant in Manhattan, Gretchen Rubin, author of many bestselling books, including The Happiness Project and the forthcoming Outer Order, Inner Calm: Declutter and Organize to Make More Room for Happiness (Harmony / Random House, March 2019), and host of the top-ranking podcast “Happier with Gretchen Rubin,” answered questions from Jenny Blake, career and business strategist, international speaker, and author of Pivot: The Only Move That Matters Is Your Next One.

Connecting With Your Audience
Jenny Blake introduced Gretchen Rubin and asked her, on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of The Happiness Project and the success of her podcast Happier, how she connects with her audience. Rubin explained how she learned from the failure to connect to her audience with her book about JFK – after that book she began to search for new ways to engage.

She explored connecting through blogs, social media, and podcasting and discovered she loves doing it! From there, she went on to create more channels of engagement including a newsletter, Instagram, a video course and Facebook Live, all of which is a lot work for her, she said, but fun. She gets material and insight into what people are interested in this way. “Audience engagement can lead you,” she said - it helps her figure out what to create next.

For Rubin, the books came first, then the social media. But now that the audience for the podcast that Rubin and her sister Elizabeth Craft produce, Happier, has had more 40 million downloads, it is better known than the books!

Start with Books
Rubin’s main source of inspiration for her books and content is reading. “If you are in the book industry, remind people that reading is a fun thing to do all the time!” she said. “All my ideas are from reading and from talking to people around me….randomly reading – not research.” She became obsessed temporarily with the subject of color, for instance, based on random reading. She is also inspired by children’s books and is a member of three children’s literature reading groups.

Always drawn to the topic of habits and human nature, in one form or another, her reading is across all genres and disciplines – she also reads nonfiction, biography, and memoir. Every week she posts about the 4-7 books she read with the hashtag #GretchenRubinReads.

Networking
“As a former member of the Women’s Media Group,” Blake asked, “how do you make the most of meeting professional friends?”

“Talk shop, have fun, hear what’s going on, get other perspectives,” said Rubin. “Think of friends as allies and not competitors and seek out friends in different fields and areas of publishing.”

Learn more about Gretchen Rubin at:
Gretchenrubin.com

For more about Jenny Blake visit:
pivotmethod.com

For more about this Women’s Media Group event, see these social media highlights:
https://wakelet.com/wake/7f3cc7bf-1951-4d36-83cb-19c9b079b70d

This article was prepared by by Susannah Greenberg, WMG board member, and President, Susannah Greenberg Public Relations, a book publicity firm
@suegreenbergpr
http://bookbuzz.com

Nowhere else would you get unprecedented advice on six life matters in the span of two hours but WMG’s “Rise Up Roulette.” On Wednesday, October 10, all brains were ablaze and ears perked up for answers to questions on top talent recruitment, personal branding, meaningful transitions, crowdfunding, transforming passions into cash, attitude overhauls, and much more.

Presented in a contemporary format of learning in small groups for short spurts of time, “Rise Up Roulette” allowed 50 members to engage with a select band of bestselling authors and experts, who traveled from table to table to educate and inspire. Conversations were rich and resourceful to say the least—so much so that collectively, about 100 questions were addressed!

Here are a few highlights of the evening:

• How to Network Like a Pro, with Kelly Hoey: Kelly, who has been hailed as “1 of 5 Women Changing the World of VC/Entrepreneurship” (Forbes) and one of the “25 Smartest Women on Twitter” (Fast Company), emphasized that networks must be created and cultivated thoughtfully. Each social media vehicle offers something different to your network; know your objectives before investing in each, and remember that in-person networking will still get you closer to big goals like finding investors. Her latest book is BUILD YOUR DREAM NETWORK. Quote of the eve: “Don’t deny your network the opportunity to help you.”
  
  
• How to Figure Out Your Next Chapter, with Susan Gordon: Susan, the president and owner of Lynne Palmer Executive Recruitment, provided a guide for evaluating your next chapter. The five steps are: taking a personal assessment, doing research, planning your personal roadmap, knowing your story on why you’re changing paths, and ensuring you are ready to move forward by updating social media and joining new relevant groups. Quote of the eve: “Whatever you do for work, being happy is key!” 
  
  
• How to Find Luck at Work, with Janice Kaplan: Janice, the author of 14 books and former editor-in-chief of Parade, advocated for being positive about where you are in any given moment, even in the trenches of a negative experience, because resentment or bitterness has dire consequences. She also suggested to always being open to unexpected directions because the outcome may be more fulfilling. Her latest book is HOW LUCK HAPPENS. Quote of the eve: “Gratitude can never be overrated or overstated.”
  
  
• How to be Fearless, with Kate White: Kate, a New York Times bestselling author of several influential books for women and former editor-in-chief of five prestigious U.S. magazines, including Cosmopolitan for 14 years, stressed that courage is the hottest ticket in getting ahead. Exercising courage in your decision making, leadership style and goal setting will bring more satisfaction than stalling or avoidance. Her latest book is THE GUTSY GIRL HANDBOOK. Quote of the eve: “This is about taking a bolder, grittier, gutsier approach in your quest for career success.”
  
  
• How to be Mentally Strong, with Amy Morin: Amy, a psychotherapist turned author and an instantly successful one, having started with an article that was read by 50 million people, shared a deeply personal story of tragedies leading to her optimum mental strength. She insisted that anyone can institute specific habits that breed mental strength fit for what could otherwise feel like an insurmountable odd. Her latest book is 13 THINGS MENTALLY STRONG WOMEN DON'T DO. Perhaps Amy’s most popular tip of the evening could be summarized in her quote: “Sometimes we think too much, wasting a lot of time on dread and anxiety.”
  
  
• How to Cultivate and Work a Side Hustle, with Susie Moore: Susie, a high-performance coach and advisor to high-growth startups in Silicon Valley and New York City, described mesmerizing “side hustles,” or passions and interests yet to be explored for revenue. Spoken from a woman who has helped build three startups, all of which were sold, she advised to feel out your skill sets that could be used beyond your main career. Catering, organizing, and matchmaking in business and dating were just a few examples she discussed. Susie’s book is WHAT IF IT DOES WORK OUT? Quote of the eve: “If you are good at something, you may not need ‘credentials’ to build a side hustle.”

Thanks to Turn of the Corkscrew Books & Wine on hand to sell books and speakers’ willingness to connect with members beyond the event, this wheel of wisdom for WMG will continue to spin!

On Friday, May 11 at Random House Terri Trespicio gave a terrific master class on Why Every Author Needs a TEDx Talk...and What It Takes to Get One.Terri Trespicio is a WMG member and award-winning writer, speaker, and branding pro, who works with individuals and organizations to help nail their messaging and craft signature TEDx talks. Her TEDx talk, "Stop Searching for Your Passion" earned more than 3.6 million views to date.

Find out more on how she can help you or your authors do a killer TED Talk at https://territrespicio.com

Terri Trespicio took the full house through her entertaining and informative presentation.