Be Kind. Work Hard. Have Fun.

Today's Soundtrack

Don't Half Ass It

My view on life (as of May-2023):

It could be better, it could be worse, but it's just right.

This mantra may help you move past judgement and be less critical of yourself and the world. Yes, we can strive to improve, but let's always appreciate where we're at.

Level Up

  1. Be true to your word & walk your talk (integrity).
  2. Learn from experience and act in spite of fear.
  3. Stay true to yourself and take 100% responsibility.
  4. Give more than you take.

Midnight Blue

I used to follow, yes it's true. But my following days are over. Now I just have to follow through. (From the song Midnight Blue).

New Music

Let's Get to Work

Mission Statement

everything is connected and I am a connector

Everything's connected and I am a connector. I find it easier to advocate for others than I do for myself. I internalize & amplify my client's enthusiasm by infusing creativity & making new connections. It's through cocreating that we make a greater impact and open new doors. As an inbetweener, my role is to bridge the void creating new possibilities. I can be a catalyst for miracles and moonshots.

Writing-in-progress

These are early beta versions of topics I'm working through.

Wins & Ships

Audiobooks

Tools

Web Development

Nailed all greens on Google's PageSpeed Insights benchmark for a PubWriter website:

FAST Goals

A F.A.S.T. Goal is:

F: Frequently Reviewed (Written Down)
A: Ambitious (BHAG) (Moonshots & High Impact)
S: Specific (Metrics, Milestones, Deadlines)
T: Transparent (Shared / Accountability)

Related: SQA

FOCUS

Projects / Roles / Commitments / Partners - What (& who) Matters to Me

WIP (Writing in Process)

This site also contains links to thoughts, observations, and reflections. For the last 10+ years, I usually spend 1-2 hours/day writing. Most of what I write is never shared and a self-therapeutic way to gain clarity with an over-active mind.

Most of what I write is a constant 'WIP' (Work in Progress) and continually updated. Like many bloggers, what I'm sharing are things I need to refer back to on a future date. Putting it all online is a great way to unlock deep searches later (plus, you never know when someone else might benefit):

Recent Writing

Implicit Bias - A Self Exploration

The most profound sentence I read this year was "His enthusiasm for the project undoubtedly biased his subjective observations." It made me think about the filters we have that we are unaware even exist. Read more about bias.

SEO TIPS FOR PUBWRITERS

There are millions of pages written on the topic of SEO (Search Engine Optimization). This page is my effort to curate the best usable advice I've found and continue to find as I learn by doing. (and keep in mind there is no shortage of bad, outdated advice out there as well).

Projects

★ PubWriter
★ AuthorDock
★ TechBrew
★ Self Publishing Expert (SPE)
★ 50 Interviews
★ Audiobook Publisher
★ Ukulele Teacher

Brian Schwartz - Self Publishing Expert

Self Discovery

For most of my life, I've been a self-inflicted self-improvement junkie. I've carved out a significant portion of time & money on 'self-improvement.' However, of late, I've determined that self-improvement is a carrot you can never reach... by design. The multi-billion industry is built upon the premise that you can always do better (no matter how much you accomplish, we'll try to convince you to accomplish more).

So my shift this year is away from self-improvement and towards self-discovery. Here are a few programs I'm currently working with:

History

Cal Poly Grad (IT '94). Lived (& loved) in Fort Collins, Colorado from '99 - '13. Moved back to the central coast (San Luis Obispo) in 2013. This is where I plan to stay.

As the 'Brew Master' for TechBrew (a tech centric business collective), we meet the 2nd Monday of each month in San Luis Obispo.

I write a column for SLO LIFE Magazine on local authors and provide consulting & services for authors and small businesses. As of May-2022, a core focus is on PR for authors.

I teach ukulele for fun and created a workbook.. Yoga, meditation, and music are the most cherished activities of my life, and I'd go as far as admitting that my entire life revolves around them. I am happiest when all 3 are integrated into my life. While I can skip a day now and then, I rarely do. My mantra of 'Self-care is Healthcare' reminds me of why the time I care out for yoga, mediation, and cycling is justified. I ultimately see health as a personal responsibility to avoid depending on others for my health (I see evidence that the healthcare system in America not what it once was).

Exercise has always been a key aspect of my existence.

From '94 - '08 I worked for a variety of tech companies (including IBM) beginning in contract manufacturing for microprocessors & chipsets, I transitioned to I.T. hardware, services & software in 2004. Working in a sales capacity from 2004-2008, I covered the northern Colorado territory from Denver to Cheyenne.

In 2008, following a severe episode of burnout from corporate sales, I began interviewing entrepreneurs and launched a publishing company, 50 Interviews in 2008 (going full-time in 2009). I ultimately pivoted to an author services consulting practice which has kept me busy ever since.

My expertise is rooted in working with over 500 authors since 2009. The majority of my business is repeat and referrals. In 2016, I launched AuthorDock and PubWriter.

Today, my primary focus is serving a small number of indie authors who have enrolled in my AuthorDock VIP program.

Through AuthorDock, I have established myself as a trusted publishing partner for hundreds of authors.

As a self-taught publishing consultant and instructor, I teach several topics on self-publishing and promotion. Many of are available as condensed curriculums packaged for writers who attend conferences, writing clubs, or delivered through university extended/adult education programs, and community/recreation programs. Teaching is something I've always enjoyed.

I've published three books: 50 Interviews: Entrepreneurs Thriving in Uncertain Times, Finding Speaking Success (Wise Media Group), and the Ukulele Playbook. I was also featured in Wild Ink: Successful Secrets to Writing and Publishing (Prufrock Press).

While in Colorado I wrote a monthly column for the Northern Colorado Business Report, based on my book 50 Interviews.

I recently stepped down as Vice President of Tech Brew at Softec, to focus my time and energy on Tech Reads - the podcast for Softec.

Need to send me a large file?

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Need to schedule a time to chat?

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As much as possible, I try to limit email in favor of PubWriter and AuthorDock.

About myself and my philosophy

Since 2009, I have worked with over 500 authors. I served as the president of the Colorado Independent Publishers Association. I speak at a few writing conferences/year and taught publishing at Cal Poly University in the writing program offered through extended education.

Outside of work, my passions tend to center around Yoga, Ukulele, Meditation. I call it my YUM fountain of youth!

I am extremely grateful to wake up every day on the California central coast.

Recommended Tools

I only recommend products I actually use. Often you'll get a discount through my referral link. While I may also get some compensation when you click, it's not the reason I am promoting them. I promote them because they've had a positive impact on my business.

Indispensable

Other Tools

New tools & strategies I am testing

Social Media Profiles

What am I currently writing?

Much of what you read on this site is what I'd call beta writing. Still in progress with some editing, rework and proofing to be done. It's a glimpse into the mid-point of my writing workflow - the phase between unfinished and finished, between unpolished and polished work. Your input is a valuable part of the iterative writing process I teach:

Prince is said to have thousands of unpublished songs, because they are what I would classify as his 'beta' work. I've read that he wrote a song/day. Is there any better way to hone your skills? I am sure some of those are so short they would hardly constitute a song and much of it was just practice. He was a creative genius. If his song writing technique is similar other songwriters, you will hear the influences of whatever he was listening to at the time he wrote the song. I would even speculate that a lot of his unfinished work that he never released is too close to the work of others. We ALL pull our ideas from somewhere. Perhaps it was from his own music, which makes me contemplate the idea that the more we create, the more we can pull from our own creations for inspiration.

Prince was also highly protective of this 'unpublished' work, likely because we never wanted us to hear anything less than his best!

The backstory of Vincent van Gogh is similar. He painted over 2,000 paintings in just 10 years. And while hundreds went on to become invaluable works of art, many more would be considered 'practice.'

PubWriter provides writers with an ultimate canvas for unfinished work. It's my beta writing, and it's often influenced heavily by something I'm reading.

Common themes in my writing

Meditation is the opportunity to rediscover the omnipresent peace within yourself.

People I admire (& who inspire me)

I will create a (dedication) page to elaborate how each of them inspire me!

Favorite bands/musicians

Favorite authors

Books Published

Milestones

The events that shaped who I am?

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