My favourite day: morning walk with my dog, breakfast in the garden (got a veggie growing adventure going on there), reading a good book, writing a good book (my own and a client's), helping the team at Peaceful Profits do EPIC work, a dip in the ocean, a mellow evening with special people...I usually manage about 20% of that, and then the universe and the world in general take over :-)

That's life!

Born in Zimbabwe, raised in South Africa, I live in Scotland with my husband and Jack (the dog).

Besides helping people write and publish their books, I'm the host and chief storyteller on the Waffle-Free Storytelling Podcast and author of the associated books.

Other writing shenanigans include short story collections, a novel series (still in the makting), and a few books on speed-reading and managing information overload.

For all the books, go to Amazon and search my name: Tina Konstant.

Welcome to my world.

A pipe-smoking storyteller, dressed in dungarees and a red-checked shirt, sat on a rocking chair on a stage and mesmerise 800 kids on a sweltering South African afternoon. I knew I was seeing magic in action. That’s the power of storytelling.

My passion for a great tale took root long before that – the beginning was probably the first time I remember my dad being pulled over by the police.The story he told on that trip from Jo’burg to Durban was so intense that the car had to speed up! When the police pulled us over, my dad walked them a mile up the road, showing them at what point he had no choice but to put his foot down (there was a witch, a broomstick, a gorilla…)! He told the police the whole story…We still got a ticket.

Here’s a truth you already know: Few things settle our hearts and souls more than firesides, rocking chairs, and a good story. When we need a break, we turn to stories. When families need some time out, they pick up a book, turn on the TV, or go to the movies. When we need to understand each other, we tell stories. The story worlds we wrap ourselves in keep us sane, fulfilled, engaged, and connected.

It's the best thing about being human.

After working in London theatre, travelling a bit, and getting an MA in English Lit at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, things got busy! In 2000, I published my first two books on speed-reading written in response to overwhelming information overload. Having studied all the speed-reading systems on the market, I found none that met my needs, so developed a system that I taught to students at The University of Aberdeen for two years. After ironing out the creases, I published Teach Yourself Speed-Reading and Successful Speed-Reading in a Week with Hodder Education (both still in print today) and kept teaching. Those first books were followed by a number of spin-offs on the topics of speed-reading and managing information overload, books on change management, a very weird book on copywriting (if you dig around, you might still find a copy on Amazon), articles for various magazines, a decade in oil and gas, writing copy for various clients and… drumroll please… a few works of fiction.

The biggest lesson I learned in all that was the power of a short book as a tool to grow a business.

As I said, my publishing career started in 2000 when Hodder Education agreed to publish Teach Yourself Speed-Reading and Speed-Reading in a Week. My husband had the idea of sending the book to training managers in organisations I wanted to offer speed-reading training to. We did this. And a little business grew.

The process was simple. 

Step 1: I wrote and published the book.

Step 2: Because I ran this business before internet marketing was a thing, we (hubby and I) called my ideal customers and told them we had a book to send the head of training. They were, without exception, delighted.

Step 3: We sent the book with a letter saying we’d call them in a week to answer any questions they had.

Step 4: We called everyone we sent a book to, answered their questions… and took bookings for courses!Here’s the thing…Even people who hadn’t read the book booked a course! Why? Because the book told them I knew what I was talking about. It gave me authority. I didn’t tell them I could teach their team to increase their reading rates and manage information overload; I showed them.

And that’s what your book will do for you.If you want one of these incredible assets for your business, I do all my work through Peaceful Profits. Here’s the link to OBMM (The One Book Millions Method) by Mike Shreeve. Read the book, then get in touch with the team and join Peaceful Profits.

Between all the stuff and nonsense of life, my time is filled with working with an incredible team at Peaceful Profits, writing books (fiction, non-fiction), storytelling, storybuilding, storywrangling, and being the chief noisemaker on Waffle-Free Storytelling