If you were lucky, you had a teacher like Sandee Kastrul — someone talented enough to make chemistry relevant, accessible and fun. Back in the 1990s, deep in some of Chicago’s poorest and most crime-ridden West Side neighborhoods, Sandee had a gift for engaging her students and bringing concepts like the three states of matter – gases, liquids and solids – to life. Girls found it easy to imagine themselves as flowing liquids, musicians and other artists self-identified as amorphous gases, and even jocks recognized their affinity to stolid solids.

The great thing about Sandee is that she didn’t confine her magic to the classroom. Over the years, she stayed in touch with her students and took an interest in their lives. And when she saw one sharp student after another graduate from high school, excel in college but then settle into low-paying, pink-collar jobs, she refused to accept the status quo; she acted.

In 1999, Sandee co-founded i.c. stars. This is an organization that puts Chicago young adults on a path to soar — as entrepreneurs, as business and IT professionals, and as community leaders. Through project-based learning, full-immersion teaching and strong partnerships with leading corporations, technology services providers, grant makers and individual volunteers, Sandee and her team connect talent with opportunity. During and after the program, i.c. stars interns and alumni benefit from mentorship, critical contacts and relationship building, and merit-based employment.

I find it pretty impressive that i.c. stars has transformed 200 high-potential urban young adults into some of the best technology professionals and community leaders around. But Sandee will tell you they’re just getting started.

In fact, the i.c. stars vision is to create 1,000 such “inner city computer stars” by 2020 – and not just in Chicago.  This is a model that could work just as well in Rockford, Aurora or Atlanta, but it will require people like you and me to contribute time, talent and/or treasure to the cause.

Case in point: If you’re in the Chicago area, consider purchasing a ticket or sponsorship to attend i.c. stars’ Techbash 2011. You’ll have an opportunity to personally meet many of the program’s alumni and network with 40 company CIOs, who will be serving drinks as celebrity bartenders at the event.

Next up: i.c. stars community and alumni success stories

Related articles

• I.C. Stars: Connecting Talent with Opportunity (networldingblog.com)
• Chicago Social Media Week: Non-Profit Makeover – Join Us! (networldingblog.com)

Get more credibility, become a thought leader or increase your speaking fees by using your book as a door opener for new business. How?

Take advantage of this unique time where you can publish a book on Amazon or digitally on devices like the Nook or Kindle in six months or less. Why wait when you can publish great books with beautiful, full-color covers for as low as $2.50 a book?

But how do you make sense of all the options? What should you write about? How can you ensure you book will stand out in the crowded marketplace? Should you self publish, traditionally publish or try out a hybrid publisher? Should you get an agent?

We welcome Melissa Giovagnoli (G) Wilson, a twelve-time published author with four books that have have been on bestseller lists, including Networlding, Melissa’s seventh book written with the first CMO of Motorola. This book held a top ten Amazon spot in Chicago for a year. She also leveraged the success of the book, naming her now eleven year-old company, Networlding, after her successful book.

Melissa will share:

Why this is a good time to write a book either using a developmental editor a ghost writer or a good writing coach.

The steps you can take to decide how to publish.

How to create a book that is best positioned to leverage you as a thought leader.

What 5 top things can you do to ensure your book will sell as well as possible.

Melissa has helped more than 120 thought leaders learn how to write, publish and market their books. In fact helping thought leaders publish books is her top passion. To this end she has grown her company, Networlding, recently creating Networlding Publishing to help thought leaders both write and market their books. Her unique process involves helping only ten authors yearly write, publish and promote their books.

Join us for a lively, interactive conversation with Melissa as she shares her time-tested strategies and tactics for successfully authoring and marketing books in this new world of publishing.

Bonus: Each attendee will receive a copy of Melissa’s latest book, “50 Ways to Better Social Media.”

Click here for the Metropolitan Club site or call to reserve your space at 312-876-3200.

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Is 2012 Your Year to Write Your Book?

Have you always felt it was your destiny to write a book? Have you become frustrated because you know you have this book inside you, but you just don’t seem able to put it into words? Rest assured, you are not alone. The world is filled with people like you who have a great story to tell but don’t quite know how to get it written, let alone published.This is why we have created the Aspiring Author Workshop. Come spend an afternoon with Jon Malysiak, Chicago-based literary agent, author/playwright, blogger, and me to help you put your dream of becoming an author into action.

WHEN: February 14 – 1:30 – 4:30pm (or a variety of additional dates scheduled after)

WHERE: 101 N. Wacker, 6th floor conference room – Chicago, IL., 60606

Reserve your place by January 5th and receive a price: $179

We will book only 7 spots per workshop to provide the maximum one-on-one support.

Workshop Details

The first hour of the workshop will consist of a group consultation/discussion with Jon Malysiak where you will have the opportunity to talk about your book idea and get insider advice from a publishing industry veteran on how to get started with the writing process. The second hour will be YOUR time to start putting your words to paper. And finally, the third hour will be your chance to share what you’ve written with Jon and get additional insider advice from me on how to market and promote your book. You will come away from the workshop with a clear perspective on the publishing process and an exciting start to making your author dreams come true.

Jon Malysiak is the co-founder and President of the Jonathan Scott Literary Agency, (www.jonathanscott.us) a boutique agency located in Chicago’s West Loop neighborhood. Jon has been a publishing professional for more than fourteen years, first as an acquisitions editor with several top Chicago publishers and, since, 2005 as a literary agent at Jonathan Scott. He is also the author of the soon-to-be-published novel Birds of Dreams—a satiric look at reality television—and two plays. In addition, he is the creator and writer of the Author-on-the-Town blog (http://author-on-the-town.blogspot.com) and a certified high school English teacher.

Sign up this week and get this $229 workshop for only $179

Meanwhile, check out what previous attendees thought:

“I attended the writer’s workshop  and didn’t know what to expect but I was so motivated after I left the seminar to move forward with my dream of writing a book. The writer’s workshop helped me to get off the fence and start to put my dreams into a real action plan. The insight that Melissa Giovagnoli provides the participants is priceless having authored over 10 books.

The exercises that we did in the seminar gave you a realistic view of where you need to go next with your book and also all the resources that are available to you. The best part of the seminar was the interaction with other prospective authors and the honest and direct feedback you receive from all the participants. I would highly recommend the workshop who is thinking about writing a book.”

-Billy Dexter
Partner at Heidrick & Struggles and is a member of the global Diversity Services

“The worst thing that can be said about Melissa is that she cannot be cloned as a service provider since she’s a champion at teaching AND she continues to be accessible and giving way past normal expectations in follow-up activities. As a trainer myself, it’s easy to both see and be captured by Melissa’s passion and talent for helping people release their “inner writer”. She has that knack for motivating people to to move ahead with what they learn and count on her to be their biggest cheerleader!”

-Linda Bolinger, Founder and CEO, Boardroom Bound.

“Melissa is a true professional and expert in the field of publishing! She delivers on what she says she will do in a timely manner and is always available to answer questions often providing insight and direction to achieve the best results”.

-Lisa Dietlin, President, Lisa M. Dietlin and Assoc.

Don’t let me persuade you – Check out this video from our last book writing workshop

Related articles

• Why You Should Take Part In A Writing Workshop (tfollowers.com)
• James Franco signs first-novel deal with Amazon (independent.co.uk)

Biz Book PitchFest 2010 Winner of Round #2!

Well, the time has finally come. The winner of Round #2 is Maura Thomas.

Maura will get my comprehensive Networlding Book Writing and Publishing Coaching Package from me to write her book and get it out to the world. However, this does not stop the other two Round #1 winners from getting out great books. I am excited to see what books they will create.

Here are some simple highlights from Maura’s fans who voted for her:

VOTE: Maura Thomas. (And not just because I know and like Maura, admire the work she’s doing, and want to support her in this competition.) For the past five years we’ve been implementing a behavioral wellness initiative primarily with rural and community hospitals. We know that people will change satisfying and even deeply entrenched behaviors so long as they believe it’s worthwhile to do so and that, if they make an honest effort, they can expect to be successful. In order to instill that sense of self-belief, they must be mindful of their daily choices and believe that they can incorporate modest-but-meaningful improvements in a way that won’t be burdensome or stressful. As I understand Maura’s strategy, it should provide a toolkit to help our participants stay positive, focused, engaged and successful.

VOTE: Maura Thomas : Regain your time As a person (finally) diagnosed with A.D.D. (after age 50) as well as having a renaissance soul (interested in just about everything) this is exactly the kind of information that could clearly be life changing. A well needed strategy to keep people like me on track despite the usual “Look, shiny!” distractions that seem to pop up far too often.

VOTE: Maura Thomas: As I write this, I just finished a 2-minute zone out checking Twitter. Today was a good day – I am on track with a task list. But not every day goes this way. Distractions and diversions are increasing in presence and speed. This book holds something for folks like me, I’d bet!

VOTE Maura Thomas: The book is timely — it promises to explain the challenges of living in the information age in an integrative, insightful way. More importantly, it will help people understand what they can do for a more rewarding and productive life. The benefits will be immediate and invaluable!

Maura’s Entry:

Proposed Title: Control Your Attention, Control Your Life: Succeeding in the Information Age

Proposed Title: Control Your Attention, Control Your Life: Succeeding in the Information AgeCompany name: RegainYourTime.comTitle: Chief TrainerWebsite: www.regainyourtime.comBlog: www.regainyourtime.com——————————-

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The Award:

Maura will be receiving a comprehensive book coaching package by me. We will also publish the author’s book through our publishing division or work with the author to submit a book proposal to an agent if preferred .

To keep promoting them, the other Round #1 winners were:

Winner: Laura O’Shea

Proposed book title — The Potlatch Principle: How to Build Customer Relationships Through Content Marketing

Company — Two Rivers Creative
Website — http://www.tworiverscreative.com
Blog — http://www.tworiverscreative.com/blog.html

FULL PITCH – http://www.tworiverscreative.com/blog/2010/07/12/19-what-is-the-potlat ch-principle-.html

Brief overview of your book pitch — When companies distribute free, high-quality content via blogs, videos, newsletters, webcasts and other media channels, they want three things in return: recognition, loyalty and sales. This book, named after the historic term ‘potlatch’ meaning to give away, uses case studies and stories to illustrate how content marketing builds strong customer relationships and provides corporate decision makers with the tools they need to develop a powerful content strategy.

Winner: Sheri Lee

Proposed Title: Say What Free Stuff – Small Business or Launch Your Business with Say What Free Stuff

Company:  Hurston + Hughes Owner/Blogger/Author
Website: http://www.saywhatfreestuff.com/
Blog: http://saywhatfreestuff.wordpress.com/

Brief overview of your book pitch : Say What Free Stuff (SWFS) Small Business is a resource guide for small business owners and budding entrepreneurs emphasizing free open source software, online resources, talent bartering, and crowd sourcing. SWFS Small Business explains how entrepreneurs can leverage free resources to eliminate some startup cost. In addition to the cost benefit, using these free resources allows the entrepreneur to simultaneously grow their business and promote other entrepreneurs, freelancers, and e-lancers.

Judges’ Bios

Kevin Small

In 1996, Kevin was recruited by the leadership development author John C. Maxwell. Kevin was tasked with the creation of a platform that would be used to bring Maxwell’s leadership books to market. As the
President of Maxwell’s company, Kevin launched a satellite event training series that would enroll over 1 million students while rolling out an integrated publishing platform that launched four New York Times bestselling leadership titles. Maxwell’s annual book sales grew to over 1.2 million books. Under his leadership, the company grew dramatically over the next four years – from 10 to 125 people, and from $2 million to $25 million in revenue. Kevin managed the company’s sale in November 2004.

Meanwhile, the book business was changing quickly. Publishers were less and less able to commit the usual level of resources to authors’ launches. Kevin recognized that market conditions would soon require
that authors have their own marketing representation in order to have impact — despite the strength of their ideas, or their platform.

Kevin’s response was to form ResultSource, a boutique marketing firm that works with today’s thought leaders to build bestsellers. Kevin and his staff of six full-time employees serve as the business managers for Chip and Dan Heath, best-selling authors of “Made to Stick.”

Steve Farber

Steve is an executive coach, speaker and a best-selling author. His latest book, Greater Than Yourself: The Ultimate Lesson of True Leadership, has been a USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestseller.
This first book, The Radical Leap: A Personal Lesson in Extreme Leadership” was recently named one of the “100 Best Business Books of All Time.”

Sarah Miller Caldecott

Sarah is an innovation champion who works with companies to ignite the innovation process, bringing a world-class innovator’s toolkit to individuals, teams, and leaders. She is also a great grandniece of Thomas Edison, an innovation author, and an MBA with 25-years of domestic and international marketing expertise.

Her best-selling book (Dutton Penguin) on Thomas Edison’s innovation methods was endorsed by the New York Times, Fortune Small Business, USA Today, 800-CEO-READ, and Investor’s Business Daily.

Brett Farmiloe

Brett is the social media manager for Jobing.com- the nation’s largest, locally-focused provider of employment media. He is a Gen Y’er who frequently speaks on the topic of how to use social media to attract and retain top talent. He has interviewed hundreds of leaders and employees in companies like Microsoft, Nike, and EA Sports in a social media intensive project he founded entitled Pursue the Passion (www.pursuethepassion.com). He also just published a book called ‘Pursue the Passion’ available on Amazon.

Melissa Giovagnoli

Creator of Biz Book Pitch Fest, Melissa is an eleven-time author with four books on bestseller lists. She recently launched Networlding Publishing a division of Networlding to help thought leaders and organizations with thought leaders grow their market share better and faster through the creation of award-winning blogs, profitable e-books and books. Networlding also helps thought leaders grow their platforms with the development of a community of “fans” who promote their books and hire them for
speaking, consulting, training and more.

Again, please vote, below in the comment area by August 5th. Thanks! Melissa

When:  Tuesday, January 30th, 11:30 – 1 p.m.

Where: Metropolitan Club

What: Lunch with Melissa and a copy of one of her latest books on social media for authors.

Cost: $25 includes lunch and a book

• What Chicago Social Media Eats (blogcritics.org)
• New “Anti-Social Networking” App for the iPhone and Android Helps Entrepreneurs, Professionals Make the Most of Business Events and Conferences (pr.com)

Is This Your Year to Write a Book?

Here’s what past attendees had to say about my past workshops:

“I attended the writer’s workshop  and didn’t know what to expect but I was so motivated after I left the seminar to move forward with my dream of writing a book. The writer’s workshop helped me to get off the fence and start to put my dreams into a real action plan. The insight that Melissa Giovagnoli provides the participants is priceless having authored over 10 books.

The exercises that we did in the seminar gave you a realistic view of where you need to go next with your book and also all the resources that are available to you. The best part of the seminar was the interaction with other prospective authors and the honest and direct feedback you receive from all the participants. I would highly recommend the workshop who is thinking about writing a book.”

-Billy Dexter
Partner at Heidrick & Struggles and is a member of the global Diversity Services

“The worst thing that can be said about Melissa is that she cannot be cloned as a service provider since she’s a champion at teaching AND she continues to be accessible and giving way past normal expectations in follow-up activities. As a trainer myself, it’s easy to both see and be captured by Melissa’s passion and talent for helping people release their “inner writer”. She has that knack for motivating people to to move ahead with what they learn and count on her to be their biggest cheerleader!”

-Linda Bolinger, Founder and CEO, Boardroom Bound.

“Melissa is a true professional and expert in the field of publishing! She delivers on what she says she will do in a timely manner and is always available to answer questions often providing insight and direction to achieve the best results”.

-Lisa Dietlin, President, Lisa M. Dietlin and Assoc.

Don’t let me persuade you – Check out this video from our last book writing workshop

We know you will greatly appreciate and enjoy this solid work of excellence. To get more information on the book and become part of The Inclusion Paradox community, visit Andres’ blog by clicking here.

Many people through the years have benefited from the following formula I created for writing a book. As a book coach and book marketer I have used it often in the last decade. I hope it can benefit you also.