From 17-year-old drifter to highly creative entrepreneur, Masha has delivered workshops, seminars, written articles and books, and provided personal training and coaching in the field of success and the skill of learning since 1998.
Today Writers in the Sky welcomes Masha Malka to our writing blog. She is discussing her book The One Minute Coach.
YVONNE: Tell me something about yourself and your writing background.
Masha: I am a Russian/American currently living in Spain. My background is in Elementary Education and I have a training certificate in Accelerated Learning Techniques as well as Transformational Thinking. I have a graduate certificate in Teaching and Training Online and Instructional Design for Online Learning.
So my writing background is mainly for training material and The One Minute Coach book is written using Accelerated Learning Techniques which makes even the most complicated information easy to read and assimilate.
YVONNE: What is the title of your book? Give us the basic story line so we’ll know what it’s about.
Masha: The One Minute Coach: change your life one minute at a time book is a compilation of inspirational one-minute messages all followed by application/action steps and engaging images. The book is designed for busy people who understand the importance of learning and growing but just can’t find the time to read.
Although this book can be read from the beginning to the end, it can also be used as a reference guide. For example, what many people say works best for them is to wake up and just open the book on any page. It takes one minute to read, get motivated and start the day in a positive way.
Some of the chapters in the book include:
- The secrets of people who are successful
- Freedom to be who you are
- Why do we suffer
- How to get what you want
- What it takes to be a great leader
- Time management and decision making tools
- The best source of wealth
- The most important job you do
- The secret to a great life
And more (52 chapters all together)
YVONNE: What inspired you to write this book?
Masha: I noticed that during seminars and workshops people get really inspired and motivated to implement new ideas and make changes in their lives; unfortunately, most people do not follow through at the end as the day-to-day tasks take over.
I decided to change that for my clients and started writing short one-minute messages to remind them of what they learned and the steps they can take every day to implement that new knowledge.
Eventually those emails turned into The One Minute Coach newsletter and then were compiled into the book with the same name.
YVONNE: Is this the first book you have written?
Masha: I have previously written an e-book called “Discover Your Inborn Genius” based on the skill of learning how to learn.
YVONNE: How long did it take to write this book? Any interesting tidbits about your writing method or how the book developed?
Masha: As I mentioned before, the book is a compilation of my newsletters. It took me 2 days to put it together as I have already been writing newsletters for two years by then.
YVONNE: How did you publish your book? Tell me about your publishing experience and what you learned from it.
Masha: After I decided on the outline and put the chapters in order, I had no idea what to do next! So I went to the Mega Book Marketing University put together by Mark Victor Hansen every year.
At the event I learned that your book is your business and that the best way to get publisher’s or agent’s attention is to give them the book that is ready (self-published). Also, ideally, the author needs to have a speaking platform and show that he or she is capable to market and sell the book on their own (especially true for unknown writers).
So I went home and learned everything there is to know about self-publishing. Published my book myself and six months later was asked by Morgan James Publishers in New York if I want them to publish my book. I agreed as I liked their entrepreneurial approach and the freedom I get as an author.
YVONNE: Did you work with an agent? If so, how did you find the agent? Was it beneficial to you?
Masha: No, I didn’t need an agent because I went strait with the publisher. I met them at the National Publicity Summit in New York.
YVONNE: Where is your book available? Do you have a Web site or blog where we can learn more about you or your book?
Masha: Sure! My website is www.mashamalka.com
The book is on Amazon.com as well as all the major stores and small stores. And if it is not in a particular store, it can be ordered (it will only take a couple of days to get it into the store).
YVONNE: As far as marketing, do you do more online publicity or print/radio/TV promotion? Tell me some ways you have promoted your book. Give examples and links to any sites you feel might help other authors.
Masha: I do a lot of radio as I have the freedom to do it from anywhere in the world. Online publicity is also a major part of my marketing. I am in the midst of the Amazon.com online promotion that is going amazingly well! Although I do most of the marketing myself, for this particular promotion I hired someone else – someone who is very experienced and produces excellent results every time! Her name is Kathleen Gage and you can find out more about her here www.kathleengage.com
YVONNE: Have you hired a publicist to help promote this book? If so, what was your experience like?
Masha: Part of the appeal of Morgan James Publishing for me was that they have a publicist I can work with. So far there has not been enough time to see if it has been effective or not.
YVONNE: Any other comment you would like to share?
Masha: No matter how big your dream is and how overwhelming the task might seem, just do it one word, one phone call, one decision and one action at a time. Remember, if you can dream it, you can have it!
YVONNE: Thank you for giving us the opportunity to get to know you and learn about your book. I wish you well in your journey as an author.
Masha: I too wish you continuous success in the wonderful work that you are doing! Thank you for doing the interview with me and thank you to everyone who took the time to read it. Hope it was helpful!
Get 91 bonus gifts when you purchase Masha's book at http://mashamalka.com/bookpromotion/
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