Marrying the spiritual and business worlds has always been a mission of Sharon Lynn, multi -dimensional entrepreneur who created a social network, the Entrepreneurial Lightworker precisely for this purpose. The network will become a vibrant forum for those wishing to fuse all their talents and powers. Yet bridging the gap between all things business and spiritual is only part of what drives Sharon. She is currently enjoying success aiding budding authors achieve their dreams of publication through her ‘Get Writing, Get Published’ programme. More is revealed in the interview in which she shares her experiences of effortlessly moving and inhabiting so many domains.
- Congratulations on your recent success with the ‘Get Writing, Get Published’ courses. What is the objective of the course and who it is designed for?
If you attend one of our courses we teach you everything you need to know about writing a great book that will sell and transform your life and business, as well as that of your readers. If you just have an idea, but with no clue where to start we can hold your hand every step of the way; from coming up with a great title, to creating the back cover and everything in between. We have a practically fool proof method of getting all the content out of you and onto the page easily and effortlessly – so you never have to experience ‘writer’s block’.
We also show you the ‘technicalities’ of how to get your book print & publisher ready and explain all the publishing options open to you. Unless you are a mega star celebrity, the days of getting an advance from a traditional publisher are long gone.
Herkimer Publishing™ & Training can help with any kind of publication but we specialise in non-fiction, so the course is primarily designed for people who run their own business or would like to build a business around their book
2.How many budding authors have you helped to get published?
We have published six of our own products and in 2014 we decided to help others achieve their writing & publishing dreams. As I write this in October 2015 we have published five authors. Four of them published with us directly and one lady, further to our training, has published through Create Space (on Amazon). We currently have another 22 wishing to publish with us having recently completed the course.
3. Do you believe every person has a book inside them?
According to statistics from a highly revered author in America, 85% of people in the US have a book inside them. My belief is that if you have gone through any kind of pain – whether emotional, physical, mental or spiritual, then you have wisdom, knowledge and solutions to share with others, and the best way to do that is through a book.
As well as helping to transform your own life and the lives of others, sharing your message in a book can massively help you grow your business, position you as the expert in your field, increase your income and bring opportunities you never imagined.
Even if you are lucky enough to have never experienced any kind of pain then, further to your life experiences and imagination, you may simply just wish to entertain.
Either way I believe there is a book inside you
4. After completing the courses, where do the authors sell/market their publications?
We get you marketing and selling your book or publication, well before it is even written! Where that happens will depend on the author and the content matter. As a general rule we always suggest a .com website for your book where you can link directly to Amazon (or any other on line reseller). We suggest using social media to drive traffic, as well as blogs, articles, interviews (on and offline), competitions, free prize draws etc.
As a published book the ISBN automatically makes your book available from all good retailers worldwide but we do our best to get you into major book stores too, such as Waterstones, something that most other publishers won’t bother to do. We offer a page on our website to promote your book and will be running regular newsletters, joint ventures and email marketing campaigns. This is all just for starters, as what we can do now in the technology age for marketing is infinite – and that’s before you even think about physically doing book signings, attending events & networking etc.!
To give you a couple of examples of what can be achieved…One of our authors is using his book as a lead magnet, by selling into wholesalers where his specific client base will then go and purchase a copy off the counter. He does not make much money on each book by selling in this way, however, once he has delivered to all wholesalers in his niche market he will have got around 40,000 books out to people who will then likely buy his other services. I know someone else that uses a similar method and a book that retails at £9.99 is now worth, on average, around £85 per customer – even if he gives the book away! So for every 100 books that goes out he makes £8,500. In fact, this particular book has generated over £2,000,000 (yes £2 million) for his business in less than a year! We will be modelling this marketing method for our authors in the future
5. You are multi-faceted and have a background in event management, particularly arranging psychic fairs? Can you tell us more about that?
Yes, multi-faceted and multi-dimensional! I have worn many hats over the years, including one of Event Organiser. I met my husband in 1998 at a clairvoyant evening and let’s just say life has never been the same! We took on a ‘new age’ stall at our local shopping centre where lots of people kept asking to find out more about spiritual & complementary health, so being the entrepreneur that I am I decided to organise my first fair with local readers, healers, therapists & retailers. These were very successful and grew & developed over many years culminating in a huge 5 day event that took place in 2006 at the Kent Event & Exhibition Centre. Since then I have organised a number of retreats and workshops. More recently I have organised talks and fundraising events for a charity very close to my heart – Medical Detection Dogs and have, of course, also organised our Get Writing, Get Published Courses.
6.When did you realise you had psychic powers?
Looking back now I realise I always had some kind of strange connection with other dimensions, but I recall at the age of 17 thinking to myself “I’m going to be a spiritual healer one day”. Back then, I had no idea what one of those even was! Then, when I was 21, I had my first experience of a medium giving a demonstration at a spiritualist church and that really piqued my curiosity about the world of spirit communication and healing. As previously mentioned it was in 1998 when I met my husband that things really kicked off for me. Within three weeks of meeting him, I was the one giving the demonstration of mediumship in our local spiritualist church! I qualified in Feng Shui and Indian Head Massage, studied Shamanism, then after two years training I gained a Diploma in Crystal & Spiritual Healing.
This entire journey, from birth to now, is what my upcoming book is about. If Bees Can Fly…from Benefits to Benefactor the Multi-dimensional Way. (Due for release in 2016).
7.Can you learn to develop psychic powers or are you born with them
Both! I believe we are born with inherent abilities, and a strong connection to ‘things we cannot see, hear or feel’. How many children do you know that have ‘imaginary friends’, or talk to trees, fairies or animals for example? I have run many workshops and development groups over the years and you absolutely can develop these inherent healing and intuitive abilities that, as adults, we all seem to ‘forget’ we have
8. Another string to your bow is the Entrepreneurial Lightworker social network. Can you explain the philosophy behind this?
This is a network that is sitting quietly in the background at the moment until I find more time to properly build it. But the idea behind it is to bring the worlds of entrepreneurship and spirituality together – everything is all ‘one’ after all. Most Entrepreneurs are ‘spiritual’ as they have very creative minds – but they do not use their right brain as much as Lightworkers do and so won’t necessarily meditate or use holistic concepts to grow their business. Conversely, the Lightworkers / spiritual practitioners are very right brain and struggle to put their left (entrepreneurial business) brain to the best use, and so will often not do the marketing or technical stuff that they should.
The idea of the network is to share in equal amounts how one can assist the other and show the spiritual people that they really can have the life they desire if they get a bit more left brain, and to help the entrepreneurs be more relaxed and create even better businesses if they use a bit more of their right brain. Synergy is key.
9. Is there a thriving entrepreneurial psychic community in Kent/UK?
There is definitely a large spiritual / psychic community in Kent and the UK, whether they realise how entrepreneurial they are is another matter. I have seen (and still see) so many spiritual & holistic practitioners, or spiritual ‘businesses’, struggling to make ends meet, and although they have great entrepreneurial spirit – many of them having several therapies, or spiritual modalities under their belt – they are not good at the marketing or business side of things, hence I use the term spiritual ‘businesses’ lightly. This is something we are transforming, little by little, with our courses.
If you come to us as an entrepreneur/business person we enlighten you to the ways of meditation, colour and numbers for example to enhance or improve what you already have to offer. And if you come to us as a spiritual practitioner, we bring you gently into the world of sales/marketing, the technical stuff and running a proper heart-centred business.
10. How do you like to switch off? Who are the people who have inspired you in life and business?
I learned years ago that switching off is very important, so I have many ways in which I achieve that. Here’s just a few…playing with the dog, singing very loudly, chatting, sitting on my swing seat in the garden, watching TV with hubby (something funny or informative – no soaps or news!), going out with friends/family. I also love a long soak in the bath, but this can often get cut short by Eureka moments!
My inspirations – oooh that’s an interesting question that I’ve not been asked before, but three people spring to mind instantly so I am going to tell you those (even though now I think about it there are loads!). So, Princess Diana and Michael Jackson for so many reasons (Michael still inspires me from the other side from time to time).Then the last two years I have been hugely inspired and motivated by Andy Harrington and his team at the Public Speakers University and Professional Speakers Academy.
Even though I offer training in many areas I always see myself as the perpetual student. Having said that, I do get very inspired by those we ‘teach’ on the Get Writing, Get Published course. It is so beautiful and special to see someone holding their book for the first time! I am constantly inspired by, and learn so much from, the connections I make with others
11. Have you ever thought about creating webinars to market your courses?
Funny enough we have been discussing this recently, so the simple answer to this is yes we have thought about using webinars to promote our courses. We are currently working on a five stage product marketing strategy and I am sure webinars will feature in there somewhere.
Having come from a hugely right brain background and perspective on life, I have been one of those that shied away from technology, but in the last couple of years I am learning more and more how to use that left brain of mine and overcome my technophobia! I am also realising that it is okay to ask for help in areas that are not your forte! If you are reading this then I encourage you to do the same and ask for assistance in the areas you are not too comfortable with, as I can’t tell you how massively it can open up your world!
Bringing together all the parts to create the whole…Synergy equals Success. Hmmm…great title for a book? Who wants to write it? I know a great publisher 😉
Sharon Lynn
Co-founder and Director
Mystic Mouse® Publishing – www.MysticMouse-Publishing.com
Herkimer Publishing™ & Training – www.HerkimerPublishing.com
Interesting reading, so pleased I will be on your course next year. I think we will have a lot in common 😉
Thanks for your comments. Indeed it sounds like a great course…….