LDSPMA

Empowering Latter-day Saints to spread light and truth by connecting them at the intersection of faith, creativity, and professional skill

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Member Spotlight: Elizabeth Hubbard!

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What are some names of the books or other media you have created?

  • Fight On! World War II and Cold War Experiences of Lt. Commander John R. “Jack” Hubbard USNR
  • The Search Never Ends: Musings of John R. “Jack” Hubbard
  • Adventures With A Historian: The Life and Times of John R. “Jack” Hubbard

What inspired you to become a creator of media?

It was an accident. I spent many years proofreading books my father wrote. In 2011, in an effort to maintain my sanity while recovering from major surgery, I worked side by side with my dad as he put his brother’s memoirs, letters, and notes into a manuscript for publication. I began by fact-checking everything I could because I quickly realized that my uncle’s story was as much a global history lesson as it was his personal story. I conducted extensive research to answer questions that arose during the compilation of the manuscript, then incorporated my findings into the book.

What has been the highlight of your career so far?

The highlight has been the encouragement and assistance received from David McCullough, Congressman Michael Burgess, and the University of Southern California.

What was the best advice you’ve ever been given in your creative journey?

It is better to push back a release date than not verify that your facts are accurate, your grammar is correct, and your typos have been eliminated. Don’t be afraid to include photos, illustrations, maps, etc. if they add interest and/or understanding to the story but don’t use them just to fill up space.

What advice do you have for someone just starting out in your field?

If you are writing nonfiction, make sure you document all sources and give credit where credit is due. Don’t be afraid to make cold calls to obtain more information and understanding.

What keeps you inspired in your daily creative work?

I’m inspired by looking at the mountain of source materials in cardboard boxes that sits in my office. To me, it’s too valuable to throw into the dumpster.

What would you like others to know about you or your creative process?

I was surprised at the reaction of immediate and extended family members. Deep feelings ranging from anger and resentment to awe and wonder arose from the four corners of the world. As a result, we took out certain sections, deleted some names, and re-worded embarrassing or compromising sections to protect the innocent without compromising the integrity of the story.

In what ways do you feel you have been able to be a voice for good in your creative pursuits?

We were able to make the Amazon Best Sellers list without using profanity to tell war and espionage stories.

If you want your spotlight to link to your website or any of your social media platforms, include the URLs here.

http://www.punaluudata.com

LDSPMA Member Spotlight: Monique Bucheger!

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Monique Bucheger lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

What are some names of the books or other media you have created?

My middle-grade fiction is called the Ginnie West Adventure series: 1) The Secret Sisters Club, 2) Trouble Bows West, 3) Simply West of Heaven, 4) Being West is Best, plus the story Popcorn; also see the boxed set of The Ginnie West Collection (books 1-3).

I will be launching Change Rushes West this year with my co-author, Scoot Merritt, who is an author, artist, and horse whisperer—a needed resource for our series going forward. 🙂 I am also in two anthologies: Little Boy Blue: Hope After Miscarriage and Angels from the Realms of Story. Proceeds from each anthology are donated to help people.

What inspired you to become a creator of media?

As a former foster mom to over 100 kids, I write books that empower and amuse kids. Adults resonate with my books as well. I deal with hard subjects such as alcoholism, child abuse, child abandonment, death of a parent, divorce, and blended families, all in an age-appropriate way.

My books also deal with friendship, horses, country living, overcoming hard things, and finding joy in the journey of your life. Kids aged 8 to 108 realize they can change their own stars and that they can step into their own power to become the superheroes in their own lives.

What has been the highlight of your career so far?

The highlight has been meeting people who have shared with me that my series has helped them have courage and brought them peace and healing, and knowing my series has impacted people in a positive and meaningful way.

What was the best advice you’ve ever been given in your creative journey?

Write books you want to read and be authentic. I want to impact lives in a positive, uplifting way, and my series does that. Also, write SOMEthing—you can always edit to perfection—you just can’t edit a blank page. Give yourself permission to write garbage if you need to—then FIX it. 🙂

What advice do you have for someone just starting out in your field?

Write something you are passionate about. You don’t have to know everything to start, but starting will help you learn what you need to know.

What keeps you inspired in your daily creative work?

My series is a safe place to overcome hard things—and hopefully helps others to step out of their comfort zones like my characters do to help their lives become more meaningful.

What would you like others to know about you or your creative process?

I love being a catalyst for empowering people. I am passionate about my published series as well as my two unpublished ones. I want to help people step into their courage—to be the person they know they can be. Usually the key person who holds us back is our self. Giving ourselves permission to be who we know we need to be is the first step to stepping into our own power. Allow yourself to BE that person.

In what ways do you feel you have been able to be a voice for good in your creative pursuits?

I write books that empower kids and adults. I champion kids in tough situations. I share my story of seven miscarriages and stillbirths in Little Boy Blue: Hope After Miscarriage. I lost a twenty-year-old son to a car accident and find parents in similar situations crossing my path. I always try to uplift them. I advocate for people to be heroes in their own lives—because sometimes you have to save yourself. I want to empower people to save themselves and other people they care about.

If you want your spotlight to link to your website or any of your social media platforms, include the URLs here.
https://theheroinsideme.com/

Minority Voices & the Power of Podcasting

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By Tyler B. Nelson   

Every Thursday morning, I go for a walk. I put on my shoes and pop in my headphones and take a couple of laps around the neighborhood. On Thursday mornings my favorite podcast, Revisionist History, airs new episodes. The host, Malcolm Gladwell, digs into overlooked and misunderstood bits of history. I learn and I get some exercise at the same time!

Revisionist History is but one podcast in the vast multitude of podcasts available today. Statistics from Apple, Spotify, and other streaming services that produce podcasts suggest that there are around two million podcasts active today.1 There are hundreds of topics for podcasts. Food, sports, behind the scenes, DIY—you name it. As I mentioned before, podcasts are versatile. You can listen to them on walks, while you commute, or even while you garden. Doing dishes? How about a side of True Crime? My wife and I even use a podcast for our weekly family study.

Podcasting is dynamic. It is powerful. And podcasting is part of a growing force of rising voices all around the world.

The History of Podcasts

Other forms of media spurred the growth of podcasting. Social media rapidly expanded through the 2000s. First Facebook appeared. Then Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.2 Facebook recruited its billionth user in 2012.3 As these platforms grew, people had more and more to say. But only so much can be reasonably put into a social media post. Podcasting’s ability to cover a wide range of subjects while simultaneously going in depth about those subjects was appealing.

Apple introduced podcasts to Itunes in 2006. At the time, tech savants and a few forward-thinking comedians were the only ones using podcasts. But podcasting’s popularity rapidly expanded. Politicians, sports teams, and history buffs soon got into the game. The famous/infamous Joe Rogan started a podcast. George Bush gave weekly updates from the White House via podcast.4 Even Buckingham Palace got in on the action, releasing a Christmas speech from Queen Elizabeth as a podcast.5

The power of the spoken word spread in popularity until reaching today’s levels of an estimated two million podcasts filling people’s ears. Fun and games and entertainment aside, podcasts quickly became the medium for tackling serious issues. One of the most amazing things that podcasting has done is give a voice to those who haven’t always had one. In recent years, the number of minority groups and people podcasting has surged. With the platform provided and important issues on the table, these groups have stepped up. They have raised their voices.

Minority Voices in Podcasting

If you spend some time looking around on streaming services, you will start to see podcasts with titles like Pod Save The People or Code Switch. These are podcasts that are run by Black creators. They discuss the role that race plays in Black American’s lives, Black heritage, and how to unpack the uneasiness that we often feel when it comes to discussing race. Whether or not you agree with what is being said, these podcasts utilize the medium to start conversations that otherwise would not be had. They allow racial, political, and geographical lines to be bridged as easily as putting in headphones. These podcasts reach millions of listeners across races, ethnic, and even political lines.

The Black communities are not alone in raising their voices through podcasts. La Brega, a Spanish word that means “struggle,” is a podcast published in both Spanish and English that details the Puerto Rican people’s experience both in and out of the United States. Judaism Unbound’s hosts interview everyday Jews and examine the current issues for American Jews. And #Good Muslim Bad Muslim takes time to discuss the everyday ups and downs for Muslim Women in the US. 

As these podcasts continue to grow, their influence reaches further and further. No longer does an individual have to go to a different neighborhood, or another country, or even a mosque or synagogue to hear and learn from the words of other cultures and religions. The gift of technology blesses millions of lives around the world, and even within our church. Podcasting is being used in wards, for missionary work, convert retention, and connecting members across the world.

An Interview with Eriene Oh

I run a Podcast called Mission Report where I interview missionaries about their experience serving for the Church of Jesus Christ. A few weeks ago, Eriene Oh reached out to me on LinkedIn to ask a few questions about starting a podcast. She wants to interview Chinese converts about their experience joining and staying in the Church. I found the idea fascinating and asked Eriene if we could talk more about it. Eriene graduated from BYU in the spring and now lives in Seattle, so we were able to sit down together over Zoom and I got to ask her a few more questions. 

Can you tell me a little more about yourself?

I am originally from Malaysia. I was born and grew up there. I grew up in the Church, which is kind of rare, since I am from Malaysia. My parents are converts. I moved to the States when I was fifteen. I did high school here, went to BYU, and then served a mission (California, Arcadia), came back to BYU, and now I am graduated and here in Seattle. 

So your parents are converts; what is their story?

It’s actually pretty cool, because it shows the power of member-missionary work. My dad actually grew up Christian. His family was Protestant. My mom grew up Buddhist. But my mom growing up went to a Catholic school, and she wanted to become a Catholic. Her mom was really against it. She gave my mom one condition: she had to marry a Christian boy, or she could not convert. If my mom had a list for marriage, that was her one thing.
When my mom met my dad, he was investigating a lot of churches, including the Catholic church. My mom thought that was great. She could marry him and convert! Then one day, my dad was at work and he saw a coworker (who was a member) reading a Teachings of The Prophets book. My dad was kind of curious and asked what she was reading. She said “This book is from my Church—would you like to know more?” And my dad began to meet with the missionaries. Every time he came back from meeting with the missionaries my mom would ask him questions. It got to the point where she had so many questions that my dad couldn’t answer. So that is when she came to the lesson with my dad. And she stayed faithful ever since.

That’s amazing! So, where did the idea for a podcast come from?

When I was teaching at the Missionary Training Center (MTC), we were having a work meeting. One of the trainers asked us what we could do to push missionary work forward now that we were back from our missions. I was thinking about it and I was like you know what? A podcast would actually be really helpful! My parents are converts, and even though they have been in the Church for almost thirty years, I feel like their conversion to the gospel isn’t all the way there because I think there are cultural things that are preventing them from embracing the gospel wholeheartedly whether or not they know it. On my mission, I saw that a lot of cultural barriers came up that would lead to them not being able to endure to the end. 

What do you hope to accomplish with this podcast?

Another catalyst that made me want to reach out and figure out how to get this thing started is that I had a friend reach out to me. She is from China. She asked if we could talk about something spiritual. She had been a convert of about 7 or 8 years by now. We talked and she brought up examples of people who had been so strong and then left the Church, and about converts she knew that weren’t strong in the Church anymore. She was hesitant to reach out to them about spiritual things because she didn’t know if they were strong in the Church anymore. That got me thinking: if that is such a big, not-problem, but enduring to the end is such a big topic, it’s what we really are about right? At the end of the day, it is to get people to exaltation, to the Celestial kingdom, and if she feels hesitant or she feels like she can’t reach out to people around her, that’s kind of sad. So I think at least for the converts that I have met, for that friend that I know, I hope that this can be a tool that they can use to look at successful converts, or people who were not born in the Church and had to adopt this whole new culture and how they successfully did it. I think those real world examples would be invaluable.

Why did you specifically choose a podcast as your platform?

I think that it’s the easiest medium to reach the audience I want to reach. I want it to reach people who may find reading hard. Or people who, maybe if one day China opens up it can strengthen the converts there. I want it to not have any barriers. 

That’s a great goal. Do you have any last thoughts you’d like to share?

I have one scripture that I love. It’s 2 Nephi 5:27, “And it came to pass that we lived after the manner of happiness.” I think that is the gist of the gospel. At the end of the day, it is to have true joy. 

Incline Thine Ear to Wisdom

One of my favorite scriptures is in Proverbs 2:2. “…incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding.” In this day and age the Lord has provided miraculous tools for connection. The power of podcasting is immeasurable, because it is the power of voice. It can educate. It can uplift. It can inspire. Podcasting allows us to sit down and spark the needed conversations about topics that are crucial to this day and age. Hopefully someday it can bless those who need it in China. For now we can listen and learn. Maybe you could even start your own podcast! What we call all do is use this power for good, by speaking, and by listening to those who finally have voices to raise.

Sources
  1. https://www.podcastinsights.com/podcast-statistics/#:~:text=Also%2C%20a%20common%20question%20is,and%20it’s%20currently%20over%202%2C000%2C000.
  2. https://online.maryville.edu/blog/evolution-social-media/
  3. https://money.cnn.com/2012/10/04/technology/facebook-billion-users/index.html
  4. https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/podcasts/
  5. https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna16322845  or https://www.royal.uk/

Tyler Nelson is an English Major at Utah Valley University, and will graduate with his Bachelor’s degree in English, Creative Writing this fall. He is the author of five published short stories, including Letters From Bahati which can be found through Owl Canyon Press. He is also the host of Mission Report, a podcast all about interviewing returned missionaries and letting them share their experiences and advice for future missionaries. Tyler and his wife currently live up on a hill in Provo, UT.

LDSPMA Member Spotlight: Shaun Stahle!

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Shaun Stahle lives in Bountiful, Utah.

What are some names of the books or other media you have created?

I was a journalist for nearly 40 years, including 17 years at the Deseret News, where I wrote and edited the Church News section, writing about 1,000 articles, covering such events as temple dedications and travels of President Gordon B. Hinckley. I loved writing about the obscure acts of faith as well the 15-year-old girl who shrieked with joy when President Hinckley walked in front of her in Moscow as he entered the hall to speak with members in Russia.

What inspired you to become a creator of media?

I wanted to be an architect. An aptitude test in junior high school suggested I become an art critic. Somehow, Mother Nature veered me down the path of writing, much to my surprise. I remember talking with friends only weeks after our missions, telling them I’d have nothing to do with writing or newspapers… too hard, poor pay. Before I knew what was happening, I was receiving my journalism degree from BYU. As a reluctant writer, I find great joy in telling the unknown, obscure story.

What has been the highlight of your career so far?

I’m honored that I could be an eyewitness to meaningful moments, like the dedication of temples and Church history sites, to feel the energy and hear the testimonies of Church leaders when the cameras weren’t rolling, to stand outside the Boston temple on dedication day and look over the beautiful landscape and feel that the people who mingled on the grounds weren’t the only ones there. But I probably most prize working beside my father during my teenage years in his community newspaper where I learned the fine art of communication.

What was the best advice you’ve ever been given in your creative journey?

“He who would cast a living line must sweat.”
This simple quote was taped to the edge of my father’s wooden desk. How I was able to find it under so many piles and stacks of books and yellowing sheets of paper, I’m not sure. I don’t know if it’s what changed me but foretold my experience, that writing is hard, maybe harder than swinging a 75-pound sledgehammer to break concrete.

What advice do you have for someone just starting out in your field?

Writers are lovers of life, with an ambition to know and do. Their souls are open and long for new thoughts and sensations. If you grow grumpy when you fail to express yourself in words, then you have potential. If not, you’d be better off swinging that sledgehammer.

What keeps you inspired in your daily creative work?

The sensation of doing good. Writing about people and historic events is a release of joy. I feel a spiritual connection to those I write about. Discovering the good in them, how they have sacrificed to make life better, is a thrill to discover, like finding gold in a stream. Sharing their experiences with the world amplifies my joy.

What would you like others to know about you or your creative process?

It seems that thoughts and finding interesting perspectives on life and what is going on around me are constantly coming to mind. I’m slow to respond by writing. For me, there are two great challenges to the creative: sludge in the bloodstream that seems to cause my procrastination, and the feeling, or fear, that my writing will not match the greatness of the person or the event I’m describing.

In what ways do you feel you have been able to be a voice for good in your creative pursuits?

I feel that my God-given talent and purpose in life is to help others see what they are missing, to slow them down to recognize the value and contribution of an obscure person, or to take a moment to relish a seemingly insignificant moment in life. My writing over the years has the unspoken motive of unifying a community, to discover the goodness of life, to stir feelings of peace and contentment. I hope my creative juices have built communities of faith.

LDSPMA Member Spotlight: Ilyan Lavanway!

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Ilyan Lavanway lives in Lehigh, Kansas.

First, tell us about your unique name!

I asked my dad about the meaning of my name. He told me he named me by inspiration, which is especially significant to me, given the fact that my parents knew nothing about the Church until I was three years old. They were introduced to the gospel by a bishop who owned a farm in Connell, Washington. My parents were renting a house on his land. My parents were baptized when I was three years old, and have remained active, raising me in the Church. According to my dad, my first name, Ilyan, has origins in several countries and means Superior, Gentleman, Gentle.

Also interesting is the fact that while my dad was inspired to name me as he did, he said he did not learn the meanings of my names until after the fact. He said my pediatrician, Dr. Vernie from Holland, told him my middle name, Kei, means Stone or Rock. My last name, Lavanway, comes from French origins and means Keeper of the way, or Keeper of the front gate. My dad said his inspiration in naming me has proven accurate. I appreciate knowing that, and I realize it gives me a lot to live up to.

What are some names of the books or other media you have created?

My Spiritual Horizons Expander Pack is a growing collection of eleven out of over two dozen books I have published. These eleven books include: Pondering the Atonement of Jesus Christ, The Book of Mormon Answers the Fermi Paradox, Eternal Family Structures Among Exalted Couples, Nature of The Godhead, Onions of Eternity, The Grandeur of Christmas and the Son of God, Circumscription Hypothesis, Thought Log 2015.08.17.1900, Intelligent Universe, Paradise and Spirit Prison, What Happens at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Most of these books are short reads, but all invite lengthy pondering, deep thought, exploratory personal scripture study, and personal revelation. Another is called An Aviator At Heart, which is about my teenage years as an aviator. Hopefully, it’ll inspire other young ones out there!

What inspired you to become a creator of media?

When I was a pathologically shy fourteen-year-old boy, I was told in a priesthood blessing that I have the ability – which means responsibility – to teach and to project myself to my fellow man. I was promised that I would be a full-time missionary, and that I would bring many souls into an understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ. In a later blessing, I was promised that complex things would become simple and easy to understand. I consider it my lifelong responsibility as a member missionary to be anxiously engaged in gathering Israel through my personal written works.

What has been the highlight of your career so far?

Soon after launching The Book of Mormon Answers the Fermi Paradox, and sending hundreds of emails inviting NASA and SETI scientists to read it, a senior scientist from The Mars Institute and SETI responded. Although he maintained his secular perspective and disagreed with the content of my book, he was kind and continued an email conversation with me for several days. The Holy Ghost helped me address his arguments. Later, I was invited to write an article about my book for a science website. Having answered the SETI scientist, I was prepared, but my article was not published as promised.

What was the best advice you’ve ever been given in your creative journey?

“Do not become discouraged when trials come to you, for all men must overcome the adversities of life in order to achieve perfection.”

What advice do you have for someone just starting out in your field?

I would pass along the same advice given to me. I have discovered during my endeavors to invite others to read my written works, that fat too often I encounter total rejection. Much of it is mean and abrupt. All of it is unfounded. Such rejection presents opportunities to be forgiving, and to press on, undaunted.

What keeps you inspired in your daily creative work?

Something my dad said to me, after I shared with him a particularly hurtful rejection, inspired me. My dad told me, “Son, you are a voice crying in the wilderness, and a light shining in darkness.” My dad also told me, “Son, I love reading your work. It makes me think and feel.” Encouragement like this, and the influence of the Holy Ghost, and sheer determination to not be silenced keep me forging ahead. Personal insights that come to me as I study and ponder the scriptures and the words of latter-day prophets and apostles constitute ongoing inspiration in my creative work.

What would you like others to know about you or your creative process?

Searching the mysteries of God and then sharing and discussing them is part of declaring repentance, affording and inviting a change of mind and heart that gives us a fresh view about God, about ourselves, and about the world. The deep things of God point us right back to the first principle of the gospel, which is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The mysteries of God point us right back to the first law of heaven, which is obedience. This expanded perspective of what it means to declare repentance is the foundation and the core of my creative process.

In what ways do you feel you have been able to be a voice for good in your creative pursuits?

While few and far between, positive reader feedback is one indicator. For example, one reader said of The Book of Mormon Answers the Fermi Paradox, “I love this book. It was clearly written and answers questions I’ve had for years. The author writes in a way that’s simple to understand but informative.” Of course, reader reviews are not decisive indicators of merit. I know I am a voice for good because my books are an integral part of my personal testimony of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. By the word of my testimony, I can help defeat the Adversary.

I have taken the initiative to produce a short, two-part video series of The Book of Mormon Answers the Fermi Paradox, narrated by a simple text-to-speech system.
Part One is fifteen minutes. 
The Book of Mormon Answers The Fermi Paradox by Ilyan Kei lavanway Part 1 of 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3A18zirdV04
Part Two is seven minutes.   
The Book of Mormon Answers The Fermi Paradox by Ilyan Kei lavanway Part 2 of 2  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mp4oh_xy2iw
YouTube playlist containing both parts:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7pXkt_XY8yYNNKfdTfnNv_PlHG2lz8Cm
That’s twenty-two minutes of pondering the infinite and eternal majesty of our Creator, Jesus Christ. It’s one small and simple invitation to look upward and consider the works of God that extend beyond our own myopic perspectives.
Twenty-two minutes to investigate “a change of mind and heart that gives us a fresh view about God, about ourselves, and about the world.”
Please watch and share. This is an integral part of my personal testimony of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. I discovered it through years of diligent personal scripture study, and I am supposed to share it, so please indulge me in my efforts to do so in this creative manner.

If you want your spotlight to link to your website or any of your social media platforms, include the URLs here.
https://www.amazon.com/Ilyan-Kei-Lavanway/e/B004YL1HG2

Member Spotlight: Jen Brewer!

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Jen Brewer lives in Rochester, Minnesota.

What are some names of the books or other media you have created?

The Bench – a parable that follows a young mother through her journey of finding and fulfilling her personal purpose.
Lazy Hydroponics online course – a course that teaches people how to build and grow a hydroponic garden in their home.
Be the Chocolate Chip – a short book geared toward the youth to teach how to not ‘melt’ in the oven of the world.
Stop Dieting and Start Losing Weight for Good – a book sharing principles of health and how to build a toolbox of actions to create a healthy life.

What inspired you to become a creator of media?

I have always loved writing and teaching. I have a book constantly swirling around inside my head. I love to speak and see light bulbs come on as someone grasps a new concept or understands an old story in a new light.

What has been the highlight of your career so far?

Seeing a book make its way from my head, through the various stages of writing and editing, to come out in a finalized format. It’s so surreal to hold one of my books in my hands for the first time.

What was the best advice you’ve ever been given in your creative journey?

To be true to my story. To take advice but not lose my essence in the creative process.

What advice do you have for someone just starting out in your field?

Go for it! The world needs YOUR story, told through YOUR eyes. It’s easy to get intimidated by all of the already published authors out there, but you have a unique voice to share.

What keeps you inspired in your daily creative work?

Seeing the power of God makes my words more than they ever could be. When I get in the zone and become more of a faucet for God’s inspiration, I feel a complete oneness with the Spirit. It’s such a cool feeling.

What would you like others to know about you or your creative process?

It’s a constant roller coaster. I can be completely in the groove one day and hit a major creative wall the next. I am definitely a work in progress!

In what ways do you feel you have been able to be a voice for good in your creative pursuits?

I have fused my nutrition education with my creative pursuits and have jumped into the world of humanitarian work. All of the profits from my books or courses go directly to fund humanitarian projects. I have loved giving a voice to forgotten communities around the world by telling their stories.

If you want your spotlight to link to your website or any of your social media platforms, include the URLs here.

http://www.jenbrewer.com

Humbly, I Market: 5 Reminders of the Power of Humility in Creating

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By Emma Heggem  

When I first started editing, I thought I had all the necessary job requirements because I knew how to identify weaknesses in a book and recommend solutions. Then I realized I had to convince real humans—people who had spent months or years writing their book—that I had useful advice for them. When I first started, all they saw was a stranger telling them what was wrong with the product of their labors. Until I proved my expertise, we didn’t get anywhere. 

Marketing our expertise is true about any product or service. Whatever role you play in the media industries, you are eventually going to put something out into the world and hope other people find it. However, if you want people to actually discover the existence of your work and pay attention, you will have to get involved in some level of marketing.

We’re all marketers in the end.

1. Recognize Humility isn’t About Being Ashamed of Your Talents

Most of us go into publishing or media creation because we have a talent that we want to share.  There’s nothing wrong with that. After all, God gave us those talents for a reason. Personally, I have felt His guiding hand in my career, helping me find jobs and pushing me towards opportunities to work with some amazing people.

But He has never convinced someone else of my skills before. He provides the opportunity for me to prove myself, but He doesn’t send promptings to the client or hiring agent that I am the editor they need. He sends me a picture of a job notice from a friend or puts my website in front of a potential client. The rest is up to me. Sometimes I prove my skills through a résumé or an editing sample. Sometimes I do it through social media or by writing blog posts. Regardless of the method, proving what I can do is a necessary part of using my talent to the fullest.

2. Know Where Your Talents Lie

I didn’t just wake up one day and believe I was a good editor. I started out as a student, taking classes and doing industry research. Once I’d learned enough, I began applying those lessons to actual books. Over time, and with feedback from other editors, authors, and readers, I tested those skills. I found some weaknesses that I could work on (some are still works in progress!) and I learned what strengths I have. For example, I have determined that my work is able to help authors write stronger plot lines and engage their audience, but it isn’t great at catching all the typos and grammatical errors. This knowledge gives me the confidence to tell people about my editing skills, but also the humility to know when my services aren’t the right fit. 

It isn’t pride to tell people what you can honestly do. If you use known facts and unbiased reviews, you can create marketing messages that genuinely reflect the quality of your work and help the right people find out about it.

You can use beta readers, reviewers, or industry gatekeepers to test your work. You can attend classes and conferences to continually adapt your knowledge to the changing industry and expand your skills. You can even create claims that you know to be true. For example, you may believe that everyone will love your movie. But what a humble creator will tell everyone is that they know the movie is a classic fantasy adventure tale for 12 year olds. You may believe the special effects are unbelievable, but you can know for certain that top industry professionals made them. (Think of all the movie trailers that begin with “From the creators of X.”)

Making factual claims and using reviews to verify your work may not be as flashy as sweeping messages about being the best and the newest, but it allows you to make public claims about your work that are coming from a place of honesty and not a place of pride. This is a huge step in creating a marketing message and still preserving your humility.

3. Get the Word Out

Marketing isn’t just about creating a message. It’s also about spreading it far and wide. In the modern age, there are many ways to do that. Social media ads, TV commercials, pitches to industry professionals, printed advertisements, giveaways, and many more opportunities exist. Because there are so many opportunities, you have to be careful not to over-saturate your audience.

As far as I know, there is no commandment that says, “Thou shalt not tell everyone thou knowest about thy book release.” But I think we all have been annoyed by a marketing attempt at least once in our lives, and I feel there is a commandment about that. I think it’s safe to assume that “love thy neighbor” includes things like not adding them to your email list without their permission and not messaging them weekly about liking your Facebook page. Still, as long as we are being kind and courteous, it’s okay to ask if friends and family are interested every once in a while. 

Your current friends and family are not the only people you will likely reach out to. Endorsements from respected industry professionals can be a useful tool. Reviews from popular bloggers can get the word out. People with big email lists or social media followings can help spread the news beyond your own personal connections. Some people may feel that humility prevents them from assuming these big names and large reaches would have any interest in their work. However, asking for help is a principle of the gospel. We are encouraged to allow others to have a chance to serve their fellow man. As long as you are polite and give them a genuine chance to say no, there is no reason to be afraid of reaching out to influencers for help.

Asking for help is a principle of the gospel.

4. Do Not Raise Yourself Above Your Fellow Man

One of my favorite things about the publishing industry is the way it tends to be a supportive community rather than a cutthroat competition. Books and movies are an inclusive interest. It’s not like buying a phone or a house. Just because a customer buys one doesn’t mean they won’t buy another. In fact, in my experience, readers are more likely to buy books later if the first one they bought is good. Good media supports other good media.

Because of this, being a good marketer doesn’t have to be a competition. A humble person can advertise their own book and still leave positive reviews on books by other authors. A humble person can market their own editing skills and still give contract tips to other editors. To be a good member of the media industries, you need to accept help and offer it.

You can offer help in many different ways. An aspiring author can share the news that a publisher or agent is accepting submissions. A humble editor can pass on clients whose work falls outside their realm of expertise to other editors. A bestselling author could speak at conferences or recommend their favorite learning materials to those still trying to make a name for themselves.

Your success does not need to come at the expense of others; an attitude of humility is recognizing that your success puts you in a position to help others instead. Heavenly Father didn’t give us these talents to stop anyone else from creating. If we allow our success to prevent us from caring for our brothers and sisters, we are no longer using our talents to serve the Lord. We are only using them to serve ourselves.

5. Let Your Light Shine

I have felt the guiding hand of my Heavenly Father many times in my career and have seen Him do the same for others. The work we do by putting out good books and movies and other media adds brightness to the world. We should not be ashamed of our talents and should not let a false sense of humility stop us from sharing them with the world.

The world deserves to know what you can create. Whether you provide a service to creators or a final product to consumers, the work you do can be uplifting to those around you as long as you keep in mind that sharing our labors is about spreading joy and goodness into the world.

By realistically representing our talents, accepting negative feedback, and treating competitors, coworkers, and potential customers with kindness, we can share our talents with the world and still remain faithful, humble servants of our Lord.

Emma Heggem is the managing editor at Future House Publishing where she specializes in content editing sci-fi and fantasy novels. When she’s not editing, she loves to attend writers conferences to take pitches, give critiques, and demystify the publishing industry. She also runs a writing/editing advice blog (www.editsbyemma.com). Emma graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in English language and a minor in editing.

Member Spotlight: Steve Dunn Hanson!

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Steve Dunn Hanson lives in Veradale, Washington.

What are some names of the books or other media you have created?

I have written articles for the Ensign and scripts for several Church Audiovisual Department leadership training videos. I also have published three nonfiction books, including Joy: The Other Side of Sorrow, 10 Principles of Love to Help You Parent Your Adult Children (co-authored), and Observations: The Book of Mormon. My published fiction books include The Mission, The Course of Fate trilogy (FIND, SHATTER, GATHER), and Sealed Up, the precursor to The Course of Fate series. In addition, I post my “cogitations,” poetry, and photography on my website.

What inspired you to become a creator of media?

President Spencer W. Kimball’s article in the July 1977 Ensign, “The Gospel Vision of the Arts,” spoke to my soul. Two statements he made particularly resonated with me: “Inspired Saints will write great books and novels and biographies and plays” and “Real craftsmanship, regardless of the skill involved, reflects real caring, and real caring reflects our attitude about ourselves, about our fellowmen, and about life.”

What has been the highlight of your career so far?

When people tell me after reading one of my books or articles or poems, that their lives have been affected, or that they see things now that they didn’t before, or that their love for the Savior has expanded, or that they have a new sense of peace and comfort, I rejoice in being an instrument, for that has been my intent. Those kind of responses are my highlights.

What was the best advice you’ve ever been given in your creative journey?

Listen! Listen to your readers. Listen to those trying to help you. Listen to the Spirit.

What advice do you have for someone just starting out in your field?

The same advice I was given: Listen! In addition, Read! Read! Read! That’s how you learn to write. And I’ll pass on a phrase I always use: “I write to be edited!” That’s another way of saying, “Be humble, seek advice, and listen.”

What keeps you inspired in your daily creative work?

My constant prayer is to write meaningfully and write that which will be of worth to my readers. Then I try to listen and go to work. I am not often disappointed.

What would you like others to know about you or your creative process?

My dear friend and mentor, Kaye Terry Hanson, told me, “Writing is easy. Just dip your pen in your blood and write.” For me, writing is hard, painful, often frustrating, and disappointing . . . and it is the process to my inspiration. That’s why I write.

In what ways do you feel you have been able to be a voice for good in your creative pursuits?

My first book, The Mission, a fictional account of a young man on a full-time mission struggling to find himself, was published 34 years ago. Even after all this time, I am still approached by men who are grandfathers now and who said they read that book as young missionaries, and it changed their mission and their lives. That does not cease to be an emotional, gratifying experience for me.

If you want your spotlight to link to your website or any of your social media platforms, include the URLs here.

https://stevedunnhanson.com/