2012 will be upon us in just a few days, and I want to take the time to say heeeey to all of my readers and let you know about some exciting developments for 2012. The best word to describe 2011 was cuh-ray-zay (and not in a good way). I moved a lot, I wrangled with my book, and I went through a very serious breakup.
Some wonderful things about 2011, however, were that I went to the blogging conference Blogalicious in Washington DC for the first time and felt like I had landed in blogging paradise, surrounded by like-minded women from all over the nation. My friends in Baltimore gave me a wonderful send-off, and I am so grateful for the amazing women that made living there post-breakup not only bearable but fun! I also moved back to my hometown of Austin, Texas and I am so happy to be back in a city that I love surrounded by people that I love. My little sister is preggers with my two twin nephews, and I am super-excited to be the zany (and only) aunt! Tameka and I have especially enjoyed munching on Target concession stand popcorn and watching endless hours of Bravodashian TV. My two best friends from high school moved back to Austin recently, so I have partners in crime and fun. My cute little hometown has given itself a seriously sexy makeover, and I’ve enjoyed exploring the many restaurants and bars that have popped up in my absence. It’s like the city grew up in the last ten years as I grew up!
One of the best things about 2012 was that I hired a team of women to help me take my goals to the next level, which brings me to my news…
I finished the first draft of my book Be Your Own Boyfriend, and it is time to get this thang published!
All of my new developments and initiatives are consistent with my #1 goal of getting this book published and widely read:
I’ll be writing much more consistently–but not here. I have loved building up my tribe of Crazy Girls here at CrazyGirl Nation, but I no longer want to wave the banner of Crazy. I’m 28, y’all, and I do not want to be known as the Crazy Girl when I’m 35! Obviously, I’m still myself but I’ve really learned a lot in the last three years since I started devouring dating and self-improvement books, and I can honestly say I don’t have a lot of the same CrazyGirl tendencies that I used to. Perhaps I’ve matured, or perhaps I really started taking my own advice!
Writers need a platform not just to get a book deal but to actually sell their book once it’s published. Kaneisha.com is the place where I’ll be expanding my platform as a lifestyle writer (lifestyle writing is a fancy word for “dating, dating, dating, and oh yeah, some fashion and career advice too” writing). From now on, you can read my dating and happiness advice for women at Kaneisha.com. We will be publishing occasional flashback favorite posts from CrazyGirl Nation, so don’t worry that you’ll never be able to read the CrazyGirl Nation classics again! I’m working really hard to put together a beautiful, fun, and informative site. We launch Kaneisha.com on Valentine’s Day, and we’re working hard to get lots of cool prizes to give away on launch day, so be sure to sign up for my mailing list so you can be one of the first people to come and see the new site!
I’ll be doing live events! I love writing and consider myself first and foremost a writer. However, I also love interacting with people live online and in person. The first such live online event is a free webinar I’m putting on called “Date like a Diva: How Online Dating Can Be Fun & Easy.” The webinar will be chock-full of my dating juju magic tricks (don’t be scared away by the string of crazy words) and the recording of the session will be sent out to everyone who registers ahead of time. There are only 100 spots available so sign up now so you can get your online dating on before Valentine’s Day sneaks up on you!
I’ll be pitching my book to agents and traveling the country. I’m putting together a kick-a** book proposal with the hopes of snagging a partnership with just the right publisher (and maybe even getting the book turned into a movie like they did with He’s Just Not That Into You… Wouldn’t that be cool?). While I wait to get just the right publisher, I’ll be hustling to build up my tribe of high-achieving women who want a heaping side dish of romance with all those degrees and fancy jobs. One such way in addition to writing consistently on Kaneisha.com and other sites is to actually meet people in person! I’ve submitted panel proposals to some of the largest and dreamiest conferences in the nation (at least for me), and I’ll be hearing back from all of them in the next 2-3 months. I plan to spend a fair portion of 2012 traveling to these different conferences to learn, connect, and have fun with like-minded folks–and especially women. The wonderful thing about building your own platform is that you don’t find the right publisher for your book, you can publish it yourself via Amazon and make sure that the people you want to reach with your message are able to get it.
I’m going to be on television! Well, more like your Macbook Pro monitor…but it’s going to be really amazing! I’ve hired a (very young but very smart) real live screenwriter/producer who is now toiling away to mastermind The Be Your Own Boyfriend Broadcast, a live monthly call-in web show where you can write and call in with all of your juiciest dating and happiness questions. Our first few episodes likely won’t be anything too fancy but it will get the job done and I know you’re going to love it. No longer will you have to leave your dating questions as comments on my posts or send me emails, wondering if your question will ever get answered. You can just call into the show and we can talk all about it, girlfriend.
I’m creating the Dating Encyclopedia. As I mentioned before, I have read what would be an embarrassing number of self-help and dating books (If I hadn’t claimed dating and self-help as my industry and life’s work, I would totally be embarrassed. Instead, I’m just dedicated to my craft…) and one of the strangest things I’ve found is how hard it is to find the information I need in the moment I need it! I end up randomly flipping through what I know is the right book but unable to find the page containing the explanation of the witty quip “Men don’t respond to words; they respond to no contact.” I didn’t go to Harvard for nothin’, and I’m going to put this nerd-brain to use! My team and I are currently working on cataloging the plethora of dating knowledge that I have accumulated and consumed over the years into a useful, searchable online database that we are currently calling the LoveWiki. You’ll be able to search the database 24/7 and submit new questions to have answered. The database will also contain “scripts” for approaching commonly held difficult conversations like the oh-so-awkward but very necessary STD test discussion. Think of it as your go-to guide for dating scenarios and awkward conversations.
You can now buy products and services! At Kaneisha.com, you’ll be able to buy one-on-one coaching, virtual classes, and even “done for you” online dating services like having my team give your online dating profile a major man-catching makeover. Though Kaneisha.com will have just as much dating deliciousness as I provide here at CrazyGirl Nation, I will definitely be running the site as a business. I have cultivated a treasure trove of knowledge and experience, and it’s time to start getting serious about scaling and monetizing my efforts. I hope that you’ll let me know which products and services sound most interesting to you as well as give me ideas for what kinds of online classes and services you’d be interested in having me offer!
I’ll be predicting your future. Long-term data shows that you lovely ladies here at CrazyGirl Nation love you some horoscopes, so we are working hard to write dating horoscopes for you that we’ll be providing to you every month for FREE! Our special Kaneisha.com twist to the horoscopes is that they will be based on dating persona type rather than your zodiac sign (didn’t we randomly get two new ones this year anyway?). So if you don’t know what your dating persona is yet, hop on over to OKCupid and take the test for free (I’m the Sonnet–go figure) and then join my mailing list so you can get your horoscope sent straight to your inbox every month.
Three easy ways you can help me is by fanning, following, and liking my stuff.
Follow me on twitter @KaneishaD.
Like my page on Facebook here.
Come and join the mailing list so you stay in the loop (no spam!).
Despite a rocky first 10 months, I’m really happy with how 2011 has ended and very excited about all of my projects for 2012. Most of all, I am grateful for my family, my friends, my amazing new team, my admissions consulting clients, and all of you here at CrazyGirl Nation. I hope you join me over at Kaneisha.com. It’s going to be just as much fun as we’ve had here at CrazyGirl Nation–and more!
So my beloved Crazy Girls (the last time I may ever say that phrase!), how can I help, serve, entertain, and delight you in 2012? What do you want to read about at Kaneisha.com? What services would you be interested in? What kinds of online classes would you want to have? How can I work with you and write for you to help make 2012 the best year yet?
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Love this very very excited for you and i want to help and make sure you are tapped into my own WEmpowered Network of Women Biz Savvy Influentials across the USA.
I am so excited for you – congratulations with your projects and best wishes for 2012!