*A quick shout out to Carmel writing retreat grad Ana Holub, who just delivered the final edits of her manuscript to her new publisher. (I’ll keep you posted on her upcoming title and release. To see Ana’s latest thoughts on Carmel, go to the bottom of this post.) I’m excited to report that another retreat gal is in negotiations with Rodale right now—publisher of magazines like Men’s Health and Prevention, and one of the largest independent book publishers in the U.S…. some favorite titles being An Inconvenient Truth and Eat This, Not That. Agent Laura Yorke’s about to go out with another retreat proposal and we think it’s gonna be BIG. Stay tuned. Now for today’s post, covering the crucial topic of NAMES…
In last week’s post, I shared some of the frustrations I’ve had building my platform, and the many steps I’ve taken—and the various people who’ve helped me—as I worked to create an online “presence.” I knew I’d struck a chord when I heard back from so many of you that you’ve felt similar overwhelm. Good to know we’re in this together…
In that post, I talked about having to come up with my “umbrella” name because Sivertsen’s too hard to spell and even my best friends mangle it. Since I promised to open up the curtain to reveal how I came up with the BookMama name, and how I secured it—which was a process—here’s the scoop…
Choosing that umbrella name was scary for me, and scarier the longer I’d put it off. In order to feel good about making the change, I needed to LOVE whatever new name I chose. I needed to feel that it represented my work and personality. It had to be memorable, easy to spell, leave a positive image in people’s minds, and oh—and this was a big OH—be available. We’ve all had the experience of excitedly trying to sign up for a name—maybe a business or book title—only to learn that someone else already owns the domain or trademark. Letdown!
So, what name was I to choose? I had no clue. As I was already in Carmel at the time, and we were already brainstorming titles for two retreat gals (and nailing it for them), I put my gals on it. These are SMART women—and the brainstorming, electric. Terrific, bestselling titles are always fairly easy for us to pull in—friends don’t let friends leave the house without them.
Except on this occasion.
I don’t know; maybe it was the pressure to get it especially “right” since I was leading the retreat and no one wanted to suck in my hour of need. Maybe I was putting too much urgency on the task, what with a superstar like Danielle LaPorte about to launch a product with me, and me wanting to be READY to step up my game. I’m fairly sure the gals could smell my neediness and desperation and the clock seemed to be ticking even faster because of it.
Imagine me blocking the flow and pushing creativity out to sea, cuz that’s what was happening.
To their credit, everyone did their damndest to come up with my umbrella name, and they got close, very close. BookLove.com was my favorite (and, remarkably, available). But it felt a little nicey nice to me. Not quite edgy enough. Besides, it didn’t really say what I do. Sure, I LOVE books. But that doesn’t intimate that I can help you bring yours out of the ethers + your head, and into this third dimension. Or, get it sold.
The other names they came up with escape me now—but no matter how catchy, we all agreed we didn’t feel them in our gut. In a group of tuned in, tapped-in women, everyone feels a winning idea when it hits. That’s the power of groupthink. If the whole group doesn’t feel it at once (goose bumps and all), chances are, it’s a dud.
I thought about going backwards. I already owned the name BookWhisperer.com—I’d bought it years ago after Arielle Ford used the name to describe me on one of her publishing telecourse calls. But it felt a bit too arrogant to call myself that.
I’d remembered hearing Jack Canfield talk about how the blockbuster name Chicken Soup for the Soul had come in a meditation. Sorry. I’m in panic mode, people. There’s no patience for cushion sitting tonight!
Then I had an idea.
As I tucked myself into my third floor suite, I opened my windows so I could hear the waves crashing on the shore. With the breeze moving through the pines and the smell of sea air wafting throughout my room, I thought about the vast artistic history of this part of Northern California’s coast. About the famous names in art and music and literature who’d called this place home or made the trek here frequently for inspiration—many in the days when horses or the first cars and windy dirt roads made it a long and arduous trip.
These luminaries were gone now, but I imagined that I could tap into their genius if it still hung around, which I assumed it did. Duh?! Of course it did. (Stay with me here.) In 1906, the San Francisco Call devoted a full page to the “artists, poets and writers of Carmel-by-the-Sea.” Sixty percent of Carmel’s houses were built by citizens who were “devoting their lives to work connected to the aesthetic arts,” the paper reported in 1910.
Everyone I know who lives or visits Carmel talks of the heightened sense of creativity they feel here—like an artistic quickening. I’d felt it myself, many times, and had seen it first hand over the past three years with all the books and businesses that had been birthed at these retreats. I was banking on that magical vibe.
I didn’t actually pray that night to John Steinbeck (who spent some of his happiest years down the road), or Sinclair Lewis (the first writer from the U.S. to win a Nobel Prize in Literature, who worked at the Carmel-by-the-Sea writers’ colony). I didn’t pray to Jack London, Mary Austin, Upton Sinclair, Ansel Adams, Charles Lindbergh, George Gershwin, Charlie Chaplin, Robert Bly, or Clint Eastwood. (Wait, he’s still alive, and sort of on my list right now, what with all the Obama bashing—despite how much I relished my Eastwood sightings as a kid, where I’d catch him walking around town or parking his old red Chevy truck.)
Nope. I prayed to God and only God that night for my umbrella name, hoping He/She cares about such things. But, as I prayed, I thought about those greats who’d migrated here, some looking for a sense of community after losing their homes in the San Francisco quake of 1906. I thought about their friendship, their sense of faith in themselves and their muses, and about their creative dreams fulfilled. In short, I dared to hope those groovy men and women could hook a sistah up!
With all my might, here’s the simple prayer I said out loud while thinking of them: “Okay God. Thank you for giving me my umbrella name for my website tonight while I sleep. Thank you for letting me love it, making it easy to spell, easy to remember, and AVAILABLE. Thank you for allowing it to help me do the best work I can, for the greatest good. Oh, and thank you for allowing me to remember it when I wake up. I am so grateful. Amen.” (I recently found a letter I’d written to Santa when I was six, on behalf of my three-year-old sister and me, and the two requests sound remarkably similar. Other than asking for jewelry and promising—“Don’t worry, Santa!”—that I’d leave cookies.)
I woke up at 6 am feeling disappointed that I’d had no dreams. But immediately a name popped into my head.
BookMama.
Huh? It was so simple that I didn’t even take it seriously.
BookMama. I heard it this time, and saw it written out across the screen of my mind. Hmm. Sounds so obvious. I birth books. Midwife them. Surely all of my clients feel as if they’re carrying “book babies.” We laugh about it all the time. And, I call everyone “Mama!” as in, “What’s up, mama?” The more I thought about it, the more it grew on me, until I loved it. Within five minutes, I was giddy, giddy, gumdrops.
But I was sure such a strong and clear name must be taken. There was no way it was available. Was it?
I hurriedly opened my laptop and logged on. At first it seemed available. Then it didn’t. I did some digging. BookMama was owned by a domain registrar company in Russia. I emailed them. They wanted $800. I offered them $500. They accepted and took my money via PayPal immediately. YES!
I also bought BookMomma.com from GoDaddy here at home, so that I could have it forwarded into BookMama.com when my site was up. This was in case people spelled it wrong. I didn’t want to have to remember to spell out my new name while doing any kind of press interviews. This way I wouldn’t have to.
But then I couldn’t figure out how to legally make the transfer, and thought I might have been duped. By this time, twenty hours had passed and I’d already ordered business cards and written some of the copy of the site to send to Paul Jarvis, so I was a mess. After 3 days of going round and round and not getting my questions answered via email, I hired GoDaddy and Angie (Danielle’s miracle gal) to handle it. It was complicated, even for them, but within a few short weeks, the domain was mine. Not exactly effortless, but worth it. (FYI: If a site you want is taken, you can hire GoDaddy to try and negotiate a sale for you, for a very reasonable flat fee plus the cost of the domain, if you and the seller agree to the terms.)
That’s it. My Umbrella Name story. I’m having a lot of fun with this new name of mine, my new brand. As you can see, Paul and I made the site pink and blue (as in babies, ya’ll). I’ve never fancied myself as a pink girl, but I’ve gotta say, I love the hue we chose. The name has endless opportunities for sub categories related to writing—baby steps (for new writers), skinned knees (rejections), midwifery (hiring an editor), growing pains (on-going expansion), miscarriages (for ideas that die, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing), and on and on. I loved coming up with the tagline, too: midwifing bestsellers since 1998. Until I get the hit to change careers (good Lord no!), the name just ‘bout sums me up!
Hope that helps you brainstorm your names + titles. If you’re ready to go public, shoot me a comment and share the name you’re using, and how it relates to your business or book title. I believe it’s these types of behind-the-scenes vignettes that greatly help people wrap their minds around important topics—while keeping them playful!
Until next time!
Yours,
Linda
P.S. Oh, by the way, if you’re struggling with writer’s block or just want to tap into the magic of Carmel, we still have a few spots open for the last two retreats of this year—September 24-28 and October 29-November 2nd. We’re slated to get some major national press in the next two months (I’ll soon share the specifics of that really good news!). I may still raise the price for next year (not sure yet), but either way, they’ll likely fill up as soon as the press hits—like my January through August retreats did this year (most spots were taken by February). So if you’re feeling the call, give me a call—323-769-5153—or better yet, fill out the registration form here and I’ll give you a call. (Smiley.)
About Ana’s aforementioned publishing testimonial:
“Great video, Linda! It really captures the magic of your writing retreats. When I went to Carmel a few years ago, I was overwhelmed by the SUPPORT and HELP (real, usable, practical help) I received, from you and the rest of the women. With your assistance, I became more confident in my writing, finished my proposal, got an agent, got a book deal… and just yesterday, sent my draft manuscript to the publisher. Wow. I’m so elated. And I still feel connected to you and all the sisters who join us in writing from the heart. I couldn’t have done it without you, dear one.” ~Ana Holub, forgiveness expert, Shasta, CA
Go here to see our new videos, + LOTS of new testimonials like this one…
“I can’t believe how amazingly well this video captures the essence of the retreat… except for the fact that it’s a million times more life changing when you’re actually there. Surrounded by sisters. Being lovingly pushed by Linda to be your best. I’m so grateful to have been a part of this whole journey of yours, and it is still to this day inspiring my every move. My every keyboard stroke. Thank you so much Linda for all that you do!” ~Nathalie Lussier, tech guru, Canada
