Well…it’s finalized…
I’M WRITING A BOOK! Wa-hoo!
Thanks to my amazing agents, Danielle and James at Levine Greenberg, I signed a book deal with the awesome Crown Publishing and get to work with fabulous editor John Mahaney over there. I’m heading to NYC this weekend so that I can sit down and meet with him regarding all of the wonderful things we are going to do…including writing this book. We’re all really excited about the various dimensions in which this can play out.
The title I came up with?
How to be a Social Capitalist: winning with the currency of online communities
And the book follows the framework of my recent presentation in Rotterdam with lots more meat, case studies and fleshed out advice.
The catch?
I have to have it finished by April 30, 2008. That gives me exactly 6 months. *gulp* So my life is going to have to shift in a major way. I’ve asked the wonderful Brian Oberkirch if he will step in and be my brain partner with clients over the next 6 months. Of course, I will still be involved with our consulting, but I don’t want our clients to feel as if they aren’t getting full value, so Brian will MORE than make up for where my attention is torn. Besides, he’s smarter than me anyway. 
I’m still sniffing around for a research assistant, but I may have one. Either way, if you know of one that is amazing at online and periodical research, I’ll be paying a better than academic rate for the work ($25/hour). Basically, I’ll write a bunch of crap that will make all sorts of assumptions, my editor will come back and say, “this is an assumption, back it up with real world examples” and I’ll need someone to help me find these.
I still have to find out from Crown if I can invite people into the process while I am writing it. I’m pitching that this will be an open and transparent process…although going with a special invite group for this and not full-blown open as I want to stay focused and create some anticipation around the book. It will be an intimate community of trusted advisors I invite in. The Spread Love Project will be part of the puzzle as will a couple of other pieces I haven’t put online yet and those will be completely open. I will also be publishing much of my research as I go along (as well as full interviews) on my blog, etc.
Otherwise, I’m just going to write it. It’s a personal goal I’ve always had and I’m excited to do it. In fact, I’m super excited about it.
October 30th, 2007 at 12:27 am
Congratulations Tara, this is really great news!
Wishing all the best with the project and can’t wait ti read the finished result.
- Neil.
October 30th, 2007 at 4:30 am
Great news, Tara — good for you! I look forward to seeing the book.
As for the research assistant: I know several people who would be perfect for this . . . but they’re all here in Austin. If a remote arrangement works for you, drop me a line and I’ll be happy to put you in touch.
October 30th, 2007 at 6:06 am
Congratulations! I can’t wait to read it.
If there is anything I can do to help, do not hesitate to ask!
October 30th, 2007 at 8:46 am
Wonderful! That will be a great read.
October 30th, 2007 at 9:01 am
Congratulations, Tara! It’s great to hear you are accomplishing a goal you’ve had for a while. I look forward to reading your book
October 30th, 2007 at 10:12 am
Sounds like a great book. Can’t wait to read it!
October 30th, 2007 at 11:13 am
Ooooh. I’m so preordering this. Tell me when and where. I’m so excited for you! — Lisamac
October 30th, 2007 at 12:08 pm
Outstanding! I’m looking forward to reading it.
October 30th, 2007 at 1:13 pm
Congratulations, my turn to be proud of you! I can’t wait to read it myself and put a copy on the shelf at IndyHall. Perhaps it will become required reading for new members
Cheers, best of luck.
October 30th, 2007 at 1:29 pm
Congratulations, Tara! And it sounds like it’s perfect for where we are now, in the late-2000s. Give me a holler if you want another author to review (and, if I like it, endorse!).
November 1st, 2007 at 2:23 am
Congrats Tara! That’s great news. Can’t wait to read it
November 1st, 2007 at 7:20 am
Congrats! Best of luck with the book. Looking forward to reading it.
November 1st, 2007 at 7:26 pm
So happy for you Tara! Just catching up on Spread Love Project -great stuff. Anxious to hear more in the coming months.
November 7th, 2007 at 5:18 pm
I’m watching Josh and Charlene write their book, and saw Shel writing his, wow, it’s truly a labor of love that will pay off.
Congrats on this success, you’re truly a thought leader.
November 7th, 2007 at 5:38 pm
Tara, I’ve been following your tweets on this subject, and like someone else said, ‘I’m so preordering this.’ Glad you’re on a tight deadline — it’ll be in our hot li’l hands sooner.
I was a book editor for a decade, the 90s, and can testify that I know of few things that capture bleak reality as well as a P&L analysis for a book that might sell some, but won’t be a mass-market best seller. That’ll make a nice backdrop for the runaway success story I’d “make book” that yours will be. Who’s better positioned to “win with the currency of online communities” than you?!
Godspeed with it.
November 7th, 2007 at 6:03 pm
Congrats, Tara. I have to admit that the title emphasis on _online_ comunities surprised me, given how much you’re doing with IRL communities, coworking, barcamps, et al. I guess they all rely on / leverage the online counterparts.
November 19th, 2007 at 5:38 pm
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