A few days ago Beyonce turned the world of music, the land of social media and the lives of her fans upside down when she released a surprise album. As a die-hard Bey fan myself, I spent Friday caught between disbelief and elation and couldn’t wait to get home from my day job so I could immerse myself her eponymous fifth studio album.
Coming out of what was supposed to be a month-long hiatus from my personal blog, this weekend I wrote about what Beyonce’s album means to me as a feminist. But I’ve been thinking about what it means to me as a writer too.
When it comes to typical music marketing strategies, Beyonce broke all the rules. And it worked. Just as Mrs. Carter is doing things on her own terms, I want to see more women writers doing things on their own terms too and doing so successfully. Ladies, let’s not wait around to be picked as if we’re a lonely wallflower at the school dance. It’s time to make our move and get on the floor.
Here are five things I think we women writers can learn from Beyonce’s surprise album release:
Be brilliant. Beyonce’s new release could have been a simple 10-track mixtape and it still would have garnered plenty of attention. But you don’t become the Queen (or the King) through mediocrity. Beyonce’s new album is a cohesive body of work that includes 14 tracks and 17 videos. Who does that?! She does. And you should follow suit. This is especially important for women writers looking to self-publish. Allow me to be frank: There’s a reason self-publishing has been looked down upon for so long. Too often self-published books are of sub-par quality — in desperate need of an editor and a decent cover design. Self-publishing should not be seen as a last resort after your work has been turned down by other publishing houses. Self-publishing should be the route you take when you want more creative control. And whether you’re self-publishing or not, you should always present your very best work.
Be bold. Beyonce’s new album is unlike anything we’ve seen from her and this surprise release is unlike anything we’ve seen before in music. Women writers, don’t be afraid to try something new. That crazy idea you have for a book or blog just might work. That wild story idea you have for your favorite magazine just might be the pitch the editors have been waiting for.
Be tireless. Beyonce didn’t need months or weeks of marketing to promote her new album. Instead she just hit the stage or as she says in the song “Ghost,” — “I don’t trust these record labels/I’m tourin.'” The hard work she puts into her shows was all the promotion she needed. And be honest, can you think of a performer who works harder on stage? Now it’s your turn. What’s the hard work you need to do to set the stage for your success as a writer? Do you need to write every day so you can finish that book? Do you need to pitch publications every week so you can make a name for yourself in magazines? Do you need to launch a book or blog tour of your own? Guest blog for other websites. Be active on social media. Seek out speaking engagements. Build your brand.
Be transparent. Beyonce’s fans love this album, I think, for the same reason we love her documentary Life Is But a Dream and her website Beyonce.com — it gives a glimpse into the life of Queen Bey. We enjoy seeing beyond Beyonce the brand and getting a peek at Beyonce the person. Believe it or not, your readers want the same from you. Don’t pretend you have it all together. Don’t pretend to have all the answers. Be vulnerable in your writing. Be willing to show your scars so others can learn how to heal.
Be a Queen Bee. Beyonce affectionately calls her fans the BeyHive and when this album dropped you better believe we were buzzing. In fact, Beyonce’s surprise album release even surpassed Sharknado in social media buzz. Women writers, we must be the Queen Bee and build beehives of our own. We each need a group of loyal readers — people who are more than followers, but fans. Jeff Goins calls this building a tribe. Regardless of your name for this process, it’s one that must be done. But do so sincerely and selflessly. Focus on building up your readers, not yourself. Consider what can you add to their lives with your writing. Consider how you can make their lives better with your wisdom and skills. You can build your beehive through a blog or even by starting a networking group like See Jane Write Birmingham. Uplift your fans and they will uplift you.
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“Birmingham is a bright and energetic community full of stories worth telling,” says Rachel Osier Lindley, and as the news director for Birmingham’s NPR news station WBHM 90.3 FM Lindley is determined to help share those stories. “I want to work with my colleagues and fellow community members to harness that energy — and turn it into great radio.”
Lindley became WBHM’s news director in September and has big plans for Birmingham. She wants to increase the station’s news staff and produce more in-depth original reporting on topics like education, race, economic development and health. She’s also interested in pursuing more collaborative projects with other media organizations in the city. And Lindley wants to expand the station’s website to include a variety of voices.
Prior to coming to WBHM, Lindley worked for Marfa Public Radio, a network of smaller stations in West Texas.
“We regularly worked with local writers, community organizations, and non-profits to produce a wide variety of original programming,” Lindley explains. “Since we didn’t have a large staff, we had to collaborate with other people and organizations. Collaboration wasn’t a choice, it was a necessity, it was just how we did things. I plan to encourage that mindset here at WBHM, and work with more community partners.”
For Lindley a love for storytelling seems to be in her blood. “Growing up, everyone in my family wrote,” she says. Her father made educational films for Encyclopedia Britannica and was a horror story writer and illustrator in his spare time. Her mother studied journalism briefly before going into nursing, but even after going into the medical field she often wrote articles for nursing publications and local papers.
“Writing was something I just thought all adults did,” Lindley says. “Because of that influence, I’ve done creative writing for fun all my life.”
Lindley’s interest in radio grew from a love of music. Her father was a huge fan of jazz and so was she.
“I grew up just outside of Chicago, and we had a great public jazz station that a community college operated. I spent hours listening to that station,” Lindley recalls.
“I also spent a big chunk of my childhood making fake radio shows on my boom box – recording stories, reading made-up news broadcasts with my friends, creating radio plays. I loved collecting those moments with my friends and being able to listen to them again later.”
Eventually Lindley’s imaginary radio show would become a real one.
“Lucky for me, my high school had a great broadcast program,” Lindley says. “We had a TV studio, a cable access TV channel, and a radio station that played over the campus loudspeakers before and after school. I had a radio show before class each day called ‘Rock and Roll High School,’ and hosted a talk show on the TV station.”
Lindley went on to study journalism at the University of Texas at Austin.
“My first item of business after arriving on campus was to apply for a radio show at KVRX, the student radio station,” Lindley says. “I was a DJ there all 4 years of school, and was the station’s Programming Director for most of that time.”
Lindley also interned at Austin’s public radio station KUT.
“Interning at KUT during college was what made me want to work in public radio,” Lindley says. “Interviewing and reporting for radio was a perfect combination of many of the things I was interested in. I decided that’s what I wanted to do.”
Lindley believes that any students interested in public radio should make it a priority to land an internship. She also offered advice that could be valuable to journalists and writers of any age: “Work hard. Challenge yourself and get our of your comfort zone as much as possible. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Find other women who are smarter and more accomplished than you and learn from them.”
You can meet Rachel Osier Lindley and other members of the WBHM staff at Issues & Ales:Leadership. The event will be held Tuesday, Nov. 19 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at WorkPlay, 500 23rd St. South. Representatives from throughout Birmingham will discuss the challenges with leadership, civic engagement and regional cooperation that North Central Alabama faces. Lindley will help facilitate the discussion. RSVP here.