Author: Ellen Zielinski Whitfield

Ellen Whitfield is senior publicist at Books Forward, an author publicity and book marketing firm committed to promoting voices from a diverse variety of communities. From book reviews and author events, to social media and digital marketing, we help authors find success and connect with readers.  Interested in what's possible for your book sales and building readership? Check out our services, tell us your goals, and get a customized publicity campaign tailored just for you.

Financial expert shares career achievement advice

Posted on | by Ellen Zielinski Whitfield

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Millennial financial upstart Sten Morgan shares his secrets to career achievement in ‘The Seven Mindsets of Success’

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The millennial generation is often painted with a broad brush, stained with a lack of ambition and a drive for success, but at just 30 years old, one of the country’s youngest elite financial advisers, Sten Morgan, wants to change that mentality.

In his upcoming book, “The Seven Mindsets of Success” (Morgan James, July 4, 2017), Morgan goes behind the scenes of his own entrepreneurial achievements and explains how other young professionals can rise to the top.

Morgan has a unique perspective as a successful millennial who went from $40 in the bank to an upper-six-figure income in just three years after starting his own business. Tested in a real-world context, the mindsets espoused in “The Seven Mindsets of Success” guided Morgan’s rapid business development and can help other businesses achieve new heights.

Perfect for young professionals or seasoned veterans looking for a new spark, “The Seven Mindsets of Success” is a quick read that can transform business outlooks and jumpstart dream careers.

STEN MORGAN graduated from Linfield in Oregon with a bachelor’s degree in finance and economics. In college, he interned at Northwestern Mutual selling life insurance and quickly rose to the top 10 percent of the group. After college, Morgan applied for his dream job at an investment firm and was hired on the spot. A prodigious student of the financial industry, Morgan earned his investment licenses in record time. After a few years, he decided it was time to build his own financial practice, Legacy Investment Planning. “The Seven Mindsets of Success” is his first book. Learn more at www.stenmorgan.com.

 

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About the Book

PressKitBookCoverSeven

“The Seven Mindsets of Success” explains how to:

  • Create new daily habits that boost productivity and achieve results that lead to more money, happier clients and deeper personal fulfillment.
  • Confidently put business techniques into action to resolve conflicts, improve time management, balance work and family and practice generosity.
  • Work harder, longer and with more purpose.

 

 

 

 

An Interview with Sten Morgan

What makes “The Seven Mindsets of Success” different than other business self-help books?
“The Seven Mindsets of Success” aims to change the mindsets of individuals that will lead to lasting change versus changing habits alone.

What led you to share your experience in “The Seven Mindsets of Success?”
After achieving a high level success in my business, many would inquire about my path that I used to get there. From there, I decided to put my strategy into a book to help others achieve that same success.

Have you always been a success-driven person?
At a young age, a lot of family turmoil was about survival versus success. It wasn’t until my 20s that I saw the rapid success happening.

Have you found that these mindsets helped your personal life as well as your career?
Yes, I apply this mindsets to all areas of my life including spiritually, physically and emotionally.

What are some common mistakes that you see people making when trying to build a successful business? People tend to look for shortcuts instead of the hard work needed. Success comes from focused intentional effort.

How would you recommend recent college graduates approach their new careers in what can often be a frustrating job market?  I would tell them to get an idea of the direction that they would like to go and start studying the field they are targeting. It is key to be more equipped than the other applicants applying for that job.

 

 

New author turns successful article into book

Posted on | by Ellen Zielinski Whitfield

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Designer Justin Dauer Turns Successful Guest Article Into New
Book Cultivating a Creative Culture

After receiving high praise on his guest article, “Resetting Agency Culture,” Justin Dauer took his method a step further and turned his procedure for how to create a positive work environment into a new book, Cultivating a Creative Culture (Lead Hand Books, Release Date TBD).

The belief behind this book is simple: a happy and well-supported employee is a fueled, charged, inspired creator. Quality of work is elevated, quality of life is strengthened, and the organization’s brand becomes organically championed by the very people it supports. This book outlines how to get there, from specifying what to do on a new employee’s first day, to how to manage egos and expectations, to how to create a level playing field for all. Focusing on the human beings behind the projects facilitates them doing their best work, which leads to a successful company.

Justin Dauer graduated from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago at a time when the job title “Web Designer” was an ethereal mystery to our moms and dads. With Josef Müller-Brockmann and user advocacy claiming equal parts of his creative heart, he’s crafted digital experiences for clients like Sony, Chase, SRAM, IBM, and the U.S. Department of Energy. Through bloodshot tunnel vision, he’s drawn from those career experiences across agency side, client side, design studio, and pure tech to foster healthy, dynamic, supportive creative cultures. In his miniscule spare time he endlessly pursues side projects over a variety of media; pixel design, and the inherent constraints of the medium, has long been near and dear to his bit-based heart. He founded The Dead Pixel Society with some of the world’s best icon designers to carry on that tradition. His published written work has covered everything from usability in video games to the value of coffee toward inspiration. Justin lives in Chicago with his family. He can happily tell you where to get the best Old Fashioned or chain-stitched selvedge denim in the city.

 

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Cultivating a Creative Culture

PressKitBookCover-cultivatingWe create human-centered interactions and experiences in our field. Empathetic purpose drives our every decision. Mobile First? In reality, it’s humans first. This same mentality, turned inward, forms the cornerstone of something amazing: a creative culture.

Designers and front-enders have a unique advantage in solving the cultural problems in business that are sucking the life out of us. Several, in fact. The principles discussed in this book derive from the perspectives and skillsets we already use daily: empathy, objectivity and, yes, ample creativity. Join Justin Dauer as he notes through examples, case studies, and human-centered tactics how we can all get there.

 

 

 

 

An Interview with Justin Dauer

How did you develop the strategies for Cultivating a Creative Culture? How have your own experiences in the workplace influenced your outlook on creative culture?
Quite simply, through human observation, dialogues, listening, and enacting. Some of the strategies are practical common sense (weekly creative inspiration meetings), while others required more trial-and-error (the inspiration camp program). For my part, both positive and negative experiences in the workplace over the course of my career equally helped shape my viewpoint on what a successful creative culture is.

What was the process of adapting your guest article, “Resetting Agency Culture” into a book like?
The original article was through the lens of an agency, which is a limiter toward the bigger picture of the subject matter, ultimately. The feedback I received on that piece was from people working in all forms of media: radio, television, print, online. They cited that the themes were equally applicable to their livelihoods; this was the catalyst for expanding upon the material into book form. Copious research, dialogues with peers, and interviews with thought leaders later, here we are.

What is the number one problem in workplace culture today? What is the best way to fix this problem?
Forgetting that the human beings behind the sites we design and products we produce are, well, human. We’re not simply names on a spreadsheet and our dedication is not determined by the last out the door at night. Humility, empathy, and an well of inspiration that never depletes ultimately augments quality of work, quality of life, and the business on whole.

Where did the idea for the pink bird come from?
My incredibly talented friend and illustrator, Bobby Price, has had this character in iterative form for years. His overall illustrative style aligned perfectly with the tone of the material, so I put the concept of the book before him, and we moved forward from there. I broadly wanted a genderless character to be in the chapter illustrations, and Bobby and I conceived the idea that this character would be demonstrating / interacting with the general theme of the respective chapter in kind. His hummingbird design – a chill, pensive, self-confident little bird – was the perfect fit.

How do you best indulge in and develop your own creativity?
Idle hands absolutely drive me bonkers. Though spare time is a precious commodity in having a toddler, I’m always sketching, designing a side project, reading about my craft, refining my skill set, or pushing myself into a medium I’m not immediately comfortable in. Sleep is the ultimate causality, but coffee is my solace.

What is the number one thing you hope readers take away from your book?
Creative cultures contribute to the resounding success of an organization and the work its team creates. They permeate the interactions at our office, the meetings we attend, and the manner in which we produce. It’s very much about being focused on the human beings behind the projects and facilitating them doing their best work; getting there represents a shift in thought as much as in procedure. The good news is we all can get there.

 

New thriller offers genre-defying romance, revenge, and faith

Posted on | by Ellen Zielinski Whitfield

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Award-Winning Author Catherine Finger’s Latest in Thriller Series Offers Genre-Defying Romance, Revenge, and Faith

Award-winning author Catherine Finger continues to shatter the limits of both suspense and faith genres with the explosive third installment of her Jo Oliver thriller series that promises “murder with a message,” Anchored by Death (Elk Lake Publishing, Inc., Paperback, $14.99, June 2017). She seamlessly blends the genres of thriller, romance, and faith together in her Jo Oliver Thriller series.

Like her heroine Police Chief Jo Oliver, DR. CATHERINE FINGER is committed to protect and serve. But instead of handcuffs and handguns, she uses her wit and wisdom as a high school superintendent and church and community volunteer in northern Illinois. Her second Jo Oliver thriller, Shattered by Death, was a finalist in the International Book Awards and National Indie Excellence Awards. Anchored by Death is the third novel in her Jo Oliver thriller series. Learn more at CatherineFinger.com.

 

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Anchored by Death

PressKitBookCover-anchoredAnchored by Death follows Cleansed by Death and award-winning Shattered by Death in the Jo Oliver Thriller series, and brings non-stop action with a satisfying ending.

Praise for Anchored by Death

“Catherine Finger has done it again. In this next installment of the Jo Oliver Thriller, Anchored by Death, Ms. Finger paints a picture so vivid, so real, you won’t believe you’re not in the Midwest. The issues Jo Oliver muse face are raw and real, but not too much for a great God to overcome. Hang onto your seat and enjoy the read!”
— Toni Shiloh, author of Buying Love

“Author Catherine Finger is at her best in book 3 of the Jo Oliver thriller series. Murder, non-stop action, and a satisfying ending. Anchored by Death has all the twists and turns you’ve come to expect from this superb writer.”
— William Nikkel, Amazon bestselling author of the Jack Ferrell Adventure series

 

 

 

A conversation with Catherine Finger

What drives Jo Oliver?
Jo Oliver seeks to make sense of her rapidly changing life and to find a place in a world that has transformed around her. As she struggles through challenges, she experiences personal renewal and restoration. Embracing the loving community she has built in her life ultimately leads her to a vibrant life of faith and adventure.

You’ve created a tension between your characters and how they experience brokenness in this world. What conditions cause one to become better, and another to become embittered by similar circumstances?
We get to choose our response to our lives and to decide who and what will shape our attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. My story presents exaggerated external realities that give my characters an opportunity to choose to become better, more loving people—or not.

What is your primary message conveyed in your story?
Renewal-restoration-redemption. It’s really the message of The Cross—with a few twists thrown in!

Josie seems to be faced with some overwhelming odds. Who is her main enemy and what is her primary struggle?
Part of Josie’s struggle is with herself. She has to grow enough to shed some distorted thinking that holds her back from becoming the woman she was uniquely created to be. The difficulty of the journey serves to strengthen her to be able to walk into the renewed version of herself as her personal transformation progresses. While her flesh and blood enemies include a serial killer, she also faces periods of intense spiritual warfare.

Who is going to really love this book? Is there a primary audience? Multiple audiences, why?
I think anyone who loves a good thriller with a spiritual kick will really love this book. My characters are gritty, imperfect, human beings grappling with the vagaries of life. I write with a soft spot for anyone who has faced loss and found beauty in the new growth left behind as the old grass withers away.

What new twists can fans expect from book three?
Hold onto your hats Jo Oliver fans—stuff happens in book three! Anchored by Death springs from my love of the outdoors in general and all-things Wisconsin. I kept referring to it as a ‘romp through Wisconsin’ to my friends as I was writing it and I hiked, biked, and kayaked every route along the way. I love, love, love the ending and the surprising addition of a bold new character—Lisa Bhatt. Writing this book was a sensory pleasure for me and I hope I’ve conveyed the richness of the Wisconsin landscape along with the complexities of the human heart.

 

#Tips for Making the Most of #BookExpo

Posted on | by Ellen Zielinski Whitfield | 1 Comment on #Tips for Making the Most of #BookExpo

Here we are, the annual Book Expo America has come and publishers, authors, booksellers and publishing industry professionals are abuzz with the glow of all things new-book for the week at Javitz Center in New York.

As a book publicity firm, we have many of our authors attending for the amazing networking benefits and/or to speak in panels, sign books for fans, and partake in the convention hype. For industry veterans, BEA is a productive and sometimes stressful week full of meetings with little time to connect with all the work friends cultivated over the years.

For first-time published authors, BEA can be a very intimidating experience. Several of my clients have asked me what to expect and how to take advantage of their first BEA—a memorable experience to be sure. Here are my tips for having the Best BEA as an author or industry member.

    • Smile! BEA is the largest book event of the year, so there will be thousands of industry professionals (agents, publishers, editors, etc.) and authors roaming around the floors. You never know who you may bump into, literally, so be sure to keep a smile on your face and be kind to all you meet. That guy you spilled your Starbucks on after waiting for 35 minutes might end up being the agent of a good friend who is looking for new authors, and this “bad luck” might turn into your introduction to a powerful ally for your career.
    • Network! It’s a bit like the Wild West, and unless you’re a featured author on a major panel event, it’s tough to get personal attention. So it’s really about the networking—you never know who you may meet and where the connection could lead. Be friendly to anyone on the floor, in the food area, or at panel events. Chat with people before and after events. Create personal connections, and don’t talk shop too much here…that’s for later! 😉
    • Take photos with people, ideally showing book covers when possible. Tag them on social media so you follow each other there and can help cross promote things later!
    • Figure out the badges. Different types of attendees wear different colored badges for media, industry, bloggers, authors, etc. Figuring out which color is which can help you network more easily.
    • Don’t be self-important. I’ve seen authors go to BEA and just chat endlessly about their work, their goals, and how amazing their career is. This is the wrong approach to take. If everything is so great, sounds like that person doesn’t really need help…right? Authors that talk about their own careers a lot seem to be self-validating and trying to prove they belong at BEA. Instead, try to really ask questions and present yourself authentically as an equal in all your conversations, no matter where you may be in your publishing journey. No one likes a know-it-all, but everyone loves a new friend.
    • Take Notes. While you are doing your fabulous networking, you will think you can remember each person and his or her fascinating story. Not so much. Take notes after you walk away from conversations—name, description of appearance, what you talked about, and any notes on what you want to remember about them to follow up on later. This will make it easier to reach out later via email or social media. Once you’ve made “first contact” in person, you can follow up later with any business-y asks if that makes sense for this new relationship.
    • Wear comfy shoes—you will walk for miles and miles on that enormous conference floor! Not even your end of the day martini can save tired toes if they’ve been in too-high heels or arch-less flats all day long.
    • Don’t take every free book. After my first BEA I came home laden with about 40 books… more than I could ever need. Don’t fight people for them, don’t take them before they’re officially out on the free tables, and certainly don’t take more than you can comfortably carry around all day long. It is hard to pass up free, awesome books, but you’ll thank me later for being more discerning! Going along with this…don’t wear a backpack or bring a cart to carry them in—attendees that do so look like novices there for free swag rather than serious attendees.

    Whether you’re attending BEA this year for the first time or the fifteenth time, have a wonderful week!