All posts by Mike

Speechwriting Skills

by Mike O’Mary

“I got skills… You know, like nunchuck skills, bowhunting skills, computer hacking skills…” — Napoleon Dynamite

ninjaI feel like a hypocrite. I am looking to hire a speechwriter. One of the requirements is that the speechwriter also have PowerPoint skills.

I feel like a hypocrite because if you have a good speech, you don’t need a PowerPoint presentation to go with it. But the requirement for PowerPoint skills stands nonetheless.

Let me get the self-serving part of this post out of the way: if you are a good speechwriter in the Chicago area with good PowerPoint skills, or if you know a good speechwriter in the Chicago area with good PowerPoint skills, please contact me via my personal e-mail address, which is mike at michaelomary dot com. Thanks.

Back to the requirement for PowerPoint skills…

Why does a speechwriter need to know PowerPoint? Because people expect it. My day job is writing executive communications for a Fortune 300 company. A recent audit showed that we produce about 120 “executive communications” a year for the company’s top two executives. Sometimes the “communication” is a relatively simple e-mail announcement to employees. But other times (about 40 times a year, in fact), the communication is a speech or a presentation.

More and more, we’ve been moving toward speeches rather than presentations. But most keynote addresses still come with the expectation that they will include a PowerPoint presentation. I think that’s just a fact of life for the foreseeable future. Still, I’m looking for a good speechwriter because my hope is that some day, if the speeches are consistently good enough, our speakers will get to the point where they feel so good about their speeches that they won’t want a PowerPoint presentation — because it will detract from their marvelous speech.

But until that day comes, best to keep up-t0-date on your skills…you know, like nunchuck skills, bowhunting skills, computer hacking skills…and PowerPoint skills.

Mike O’Mary is founder of Dream of Things and of the Note Project. He is also responsible for executive communications at Discover Financial Services.

Getting Un-Fried

by Mike O’Mary

I’m fried. Over the past ten weeks, I’ve written at least ten speeches and presentations, plus video scripts, articles, blog posts, and hundreds and hundreds of e-mails. I’m seriously fried.

Midnight in ParisWhen I get like this, I need to relax. Music usually does it for me. Pretty much any kind of music. Getting away from the computer is important, too. Even if it’s just to take a walk – or to do any kind of exercise, because doing something physical is good not just for your body, but also for your mind.

Years ago when I was in graduate school, I got into a nice rhythm of working really hard for a ten-week quarter, then doing something physical to give my mind a break for a week. I remember refinishing an old oak desk during one break. That was a good break – and I used that desk for about twenty years after that.

Enjoying the arts is another great way to give yourself a break and also spark your creativity. I often find myself dreaming up new ideas while listening to a concert or watching a play.

What about you? What do you do to give yourself a break when you’re getting burned out? Please leave a comment and share your advice.

PS: Speaking of walks and the arts, I strongly recommend that you take a break this week and see “Midnight in Paris.” It’s a whimsical and humorous trip back to the literary scene of Paris in the 1920s that starts when a writer takes a walk and gets lost in Paris one night. (It’s a little like the great Griffin Dunne movie “After Hours,” but not as distrubing!) It you’re a writer, “Midnight in Paris” contains some special treats for you.

Mike O’Mary is founder of the Note Project, a campaign to make the world a million times better, and of Dream of Things, a book publisher and online bookstore.

The Not-So-Lavish Lifestyle and the Printers Row Lit Fest

First things first…I recently asked folks to take a one-question survey to share what they like about freelancing (see “The Lavish Lifestyle of a Freelancer” on May 18).

Here are the top five answers:

#1 answer (a tie): “I’m my own boss” and “Ability to set my own schedule”

#3: “Variety of work”

#4 (tie): “Working from home” and “Satisfies my inner entrepeneur”

The least selected answer? “The lavish lifestyle!” Go figure.

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Printers Row Lit Fest June 4-5

If you happen to be in the Chicago area this weekend, check out the Printers Row Lit Fest, formerly known as the Printers Row Book Fair. It is the largest free outdoor literary event in the Midwest. More than 125,000 book lovers are expected to attend the two-day showcase. And if you happen to be at Lit Fest on Sunday afternoon between 2:00 – 4:00, please stop by the Chicago Writers Association tent, where I will be signing copies of The Note, and talking with folks about the Note Project. (Tell me you read about Lit Fest on Freelance Zone and I’ll give you a free DVD!)

Mike O’Mary is author of The Note, a book about the power of appreciation and how a simple note can change a person’s life. He is also founder of the Note Project, and of Dream of Things, a book publisher and online bookstore.

The Lavish Lifestyle of a Freelancer

by Mike O’Mary

bentleyI’m curious… What do you like about being a freelancer?

I’ve written in the past about the pros and cons of being a freelancer. Let’s focus today on the “pros.”

Below is a simple, one-question survey. Please take a moment to select your top three choices for answers. If you have other answers not listed in the survey, please tell us about them in your comments.

I hope it won’t influence your answers if I share with you that what I like most is the lavish lifestyle. But probe a little deeper and the questions come a little harder. What do I like most about the lavish lifestyle…the buckets of caviar for breakfast…getting all spiffed up for yet another white-tie event for freelancers…or the simple act of watching my driver wax the Bentley while I’m sipping mimosas on the veranda? Tough questions with no easy answers.

But that’s a different survey. Let’s focus on the basics first. What do you like most about freelancing? You’ll be able to see the results to date as soon as you submit your answer.

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world’s leading questionnaire tool.

Mike O’Mary is founder of the Note Project, a campaign to write 1 million thank you notes, and of Dream of Things, a book publisher and online bookstore.

The Pay Off

by Mike O’Mary

In 2009, I started a book publishing company called Dream of Things. A month later, I started doing posts on Freelance-Zone. Since then, I’ve periodically shared thoughts and stories about publishing in this space that are different than what I share elsewhere. FZ sort of feels like home to me (or at least one of several “homes” on the Internet), so it’s nice to come here and kick off my shoes and talk about some of the behind-the-scenes stuff.

Most of the behind-the-scenes stuff is hard work done over a lot of hours. But I’m not going to rehash that today. Instead, I’m going to share some of the rewards of the hard work. What’s the payoff?

The past month was pretty good in terms of pay off, in emotional reward if not yet financially.

For example…

Dream of Things published a memoir called Everything I Never Wanted to Be by Dina Kucera. I read Dina’s manuscript in January 2010. I edited her book in the spring and released it in October 2010. Ten months is a ridiculously short amount of time from acceptance to release. It was a lot of work in a short period of time. The payoff this past month: Dina did a reading in Los Angeles in April, and several people expressed an interest in the movie rights. I’m bringing her to Chicago for book readings/signings in July. I hope we will be able to announce a movie deal between now and then.

NAUTILUS SILVER - BESTOn January 1, 2011, Dream of Things released a book about creative writing called MFA in a Boxby John Rember. John’s book didn’t require a lot of editing. It was more of an assembly job. He had the material — from craft talks given at the Pacific University MFA program over many years. We started talking about the book in 2009, then worked on it in earnest from May to December 2010. Again, a lot of hard work in a very short period of time. The payoff: Publishers got a “heads up” in April from several awards programs, many of which plan to announce official results at BookExpo America in New York the third week of May. I can’t reveal details yet, but I can tell you that MFA in a Boxwill be recognized by the judges of the Nautilus Awards, the Hoffer Awards, the Midwest Book Awards and possibly two others.  Such awards are very gratifying emotionally, and they can help garner the attention to make a book a financial success, too.

Living Now GoldThe other “payoff” good news in April was about one of my own books. The Note is a book I wrote about the power of appreciation and how a simple note can change a person’s life. It’s the book behind the Note Project, a campaign to inspire 1 million people to write notes of appreciation. The Note Project launched on April 18, and I was very pleased to learn on April 21 that The Note has been named Best Gift Book of 2011 in the Living Now Book Awards.

So all in all, April was a pretty good month. I tell you all of this not to be boastful, but to remind you and myself that hard work does, in fact, pay off. We all know that, but we all also go through times where we wonder “what’s the point?’ and “is this worth the effort?” There have been many times in the past two years when I told myself I was nuts for starting a publishing company and doing all of the related work. But having people inquire about movie rights and having peers in the publishing industry recognize your work…that’s the kind of news that will keep you going for at least a couple of more years and several more books.

Mike O’Mary is owner of Dream of Things, and founder of the Note Project.

Call for Submissions: Notes (and Stories!) of Appreciation

by Mike O’Mary

NP-Telesummit-Composite-Photo-copyTwo weeks ago, I gave you a behind-the-scenes look at the Note Project launch and all that a “launch” entails – in this case, a media tour, a blog tour, an “event,” sponsor promotions, etc.

The launch is in full swing now. In fact, the Note Project Telesummit is going on right now – April 18, 19 and 20. if you are reading this on the morning of April 20, there is still time for you to sign up and participate “live” at 2:00 p.m. central time. For more information, click HERE.

If you are reading this after April 20, it’s still not too late to sign up and get access to free replays of the Telesummit, which features ten best-selling authors and experts over three days discussing the Note Project and all aspects of appreciation in our lives.

I mentioned the Note Project and its launch two weeks ago because I believe the project holds special interest for writers. The project is about writing notes of appreciation, the launch is very similar to what authors are doing for book launches these days, and a share of proceeds from optional $1.00 Note Project Starter Kits will go to support literacy projects around the world. But there’s yet another reason for writers to check out the Note Project…

I’m inviting Note Project participants to share their notes and stories on the “Your Notes” section of the Note Project website. I believe sharing them will inspire even more people to write notes – and I plan to publish the best notes and stories in a book about the project. So by writing a note of appreciation, you can accomplish several things: you can let someone in your life know they are appreciated, you can inspire others to write notes, you will be supporting a project that is helping to promote literacy, AND you can get a publishing credit. For more information, visit the Note Project website.

Mike O’Mary is owner and publisher of Dream of Things books, and founder of the Note Project.