In episode 12, Melissa welcomes Marisa Corvisiero to the show to talk about author mindset. Listen in...EPISODE 12 - AUTHOR MINDSET.
Welcome to the Indie Chicks show! I’m your host, Melissa Koberlein. I’m an author and professor of publishing. If you’re just tuning in for the first time, let me tell you about the show. Indie Chicks celebrates and supports independent women in publishing. We’re a place for writers at all stages of the publishing process. So, whether you’re on the traditional route to publication or self-publishing, you’ve come to the right place for advice. Each week, I invite a guest host to join me for a hot topic in publishing or a book review.
This week I’m joined by Marisa Corvisiero. Marisa is a literary agent and the founder of the Corvisiero Literary Agency. She is also an Author Coach, Literary Consultant, Speaker, Author, and Attorney. Marisa began her publishing career as an agent at L. Perkins Associates, before founding her own agency, which now has nine agents, two apprentices, and several interns. She represents a broad array of fiction and nonfiction including contemporary romance, thrillers, adventure, paranormal / urban fantasy, science fiction, or any combination of those genres. She also loves teaching writers how to get published, which is why we are such great friends!
Welcome Marisa...
Marisa and I met at the Writers Digest Conference in New York City back in 2016. I sat down next to her in the front row not realizing who she was. We struck up a conversation and we've been friends ever since. I've said it before and I'll say it again--GO TO A WRITING CONFERENCE. You'll meet some amazing people.
Here's some of what Marisa had to say for the Q&A from the episode:
What is mindset?
Mindset is basically the way we perceive, respond, do, plan, execute and are perceived. I think of mindset as the way we think and are. The ‘mindfulness’ practice is a strange and wonderful thing. It is both the latest craze and a very old practice. Many give significant credit to American physician, Jon Kabat-Zinn for popularizing mindfulness in the west. He studied Buddhist meditation and adapted its percepts in order to formulate a method for relieving stress and managing pain. Despite its roots, mindfulness isn’t a religion or religious practice, it is a “lifestyle technique” or way of being based on ancient teachings that is now acceptable in scientific and medical communities. It’s even discussed in schools, work places, and public institutions.
Mindfulness is an attitude of mind that takes practice. I continue to learn as much as I can about it and practice mindfulness as often as I make myself aware of it, and I encourage those I work with practice it as well. Being mindful is very simple, when we focus on the now and learn to be aware of not only how we think and act, but also how we perceive our environment and respond to it. During my coaching sessions at our AuthorPreneur workshops, I always discuss mindset, mindfulness as a practice, and how to embrace the growth mindset.
I know that practicing mindfulness can be a quick fix for most of us. It helps relieve stress and it guides us toward thinking positively or productively if you will. But, the real benefits of mindfulness really manifest over time with sustained practice. By consistently being in the now and planning properly for the future, we are not only decreasing stress now, but decreasing stress in the future and getting better results.
Mindfulness should be a way of life or a way of thinking that we embrace. It applies to everything from the moment we wake up to the time we fall asleep. To everything that we feel to everything that we do. Whether we are doing chores, parenting, eating, exercising, socializing, working, traveling, studying, reading, whatever life brings to our day. Being in the present and mindful of our environment and how we take it all in, process it and react to it is all part of the mindfulness practice. It’s about being in the moment, being aware internally and externally, being patient with yourself and others, even your circumstances.
In my coaching, I focus mostly on how to apply these practices to work or, in most cases, to succeeding in publishing. So, my advice and guidance is focused on how authors can embrace this mindset, which I call the Write Mindset, to help them achieve success in publishing.
What does it mean to be a successful author?
I think that the definition or measure of success is different for a lot of us. When equating it specifically to authors, it generally means anything from getting published, or publishing a book and earning enough to not have to work, to hitting the NYTimes bestseller list several times. It depends entirely on the person’s goals. And when they reach their goals, they find success or feel successful. Goals, of course, can always change.
How can authors create a positive author mindset?
A positive mindset can be achieved by being mindful. And by that, I mean being aware and living in the present. Being in the moment. Most of us, especially if we are ambitious, live on the go. We have our To Do lists and our routines and go through our days on auto pilot. We are busy thinking about getting things done and often lose sight of the why--why we are doing all of these things, who we are doing them for, and why a specific outcome is our goal.
The key to positive mindset is to be aware of each moment, know our goals and the reasons for wanting or needing the outcome. You’ve probably heard the quote, “Success is the process, not the destination.” That means that we should be enjoying the journey. If we do that, there will be less stress and we will be aware enough of what we are doing and how we are behaving, and how close we are to our ultimate objective. The importance of this isn’t just in enjoying the moment and the process. It’s also in the lessons we learn along the way. It’s in the memories that we make in each moment that we enjoy. It’s the things that we achieve and lean and how we grow along the way.
We chatted on and on about mindset! Marisa is such an expert on the subject! She also mentioned that I was smart! I blushed. You should really listen in for the full experience.
AND....here was my Tip of the Week: This one is for unpublished writers- Visit a bookstore. Check out the section you write in. Sometimes seeing other books in your genre can be helpful. Look at covers, interior layouts, etc. Envision your book on the shelf.
Marisa, thoughts?
I’m a big fan of Amazon. Mostly for its ease of shopping and finding everything in one place. But nothing beats the bookstore experience. I love walking down the isles and seeing the covers and reading the titles and names of the many authors in each genre. Being there physically being able to see them lined up and organized and being able to touch them is a sensory experience that I think enhances learning. There is so much that authors can learn from looking at and reading books in their category. They are learning who is writing what, what’s being written and published by whom (author and publisher). They can get ideas about new stories. And they can learn by reading the blurbs in book jackets describing the books. This type of summary is exactly what agents and editors want to see when you submit and pitch your book to them. And if you’re self publishing, you’ll need a really good description for your book. So being familiar with the format is super helpful.
I thanked Marisa for coming on the show. This is where you can find her:
Website: www.corvisiero.com
Twitter: @mcorvisiero
Instagram: @mcorvisiero
Facebook: Marisa A. Corvisiero Literary Agent, Marisa Iozzi Corvisiero (personal page), CorvisieroLit, AuthorWorkshops
Blog: ThoughtsFromaLiteraryAgent.blogspot.com
That's a wrap for second season of Indie Chicks. I want to thank all the great guest hosts for coming on the show, and YOU, the listeners for supporting me. Don't worry, I'll be back for SEASON 3 in June!
Don’t forget where to find me! Find my podcast at indiechicks.net or follow me on Spotify or subscribe to Indie Chicks on iTunes. Please rate me! You can follow me on Twitter @Indie_Chicks or Facebook.com/TheIndieChicks or @TheIndieChicks.
So, remember, we’re all part of a publishing community, be kind and review your fellow authors’ books! Thanks for listening!
And…
Indie Chicks out.