I respect your privacy and will not rent, share or sell your personal information.

The Surprising Truth Every Published Writer Must Face

By 3 Comments
Kindle version puts 2nd edition in your hands fast

Kindle version puts the 2nd edition in your hands fast

Writing is a passion, but publishing is a business.

This catches many aspiring authors by surprise.

When they discover that writing their manuscript was just the start, many authors resist doing the marketing required and others resent it so much that they neglect it entirely. Disappointing book sales result.

Like it or not, writing is a home based business where you must face the same challenges as every other entrepreneur: managing time, avoiding isolation, resisting distractions as well as organizing and balancing work with family and personal life.

In the 2nd Edition of How to Run a Successful Home Based Business, I share useful tips and advice for entrepreneurs and small business owners. Writers who recognize that part of their success depends on being entrepreneurs will benefit from many of the tips, especially on networking, building a list, and creating a social media marketing plan. This edition has 30% new content.

The Kindle version, available for only $2.99, poses key questions and offers answers to many of your business challenges. You don’t need to own a Kindle to read it either. Amazon makes the Kindle app free to you here. Get your copy now at http://amzn.to/101IoFg , then remember to leave a review when you finish the book.

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: entrepreneur, self-publishing, the writing life Tagged With:

Self-Published Authors Must Act Like APEs

By 9 Comments

I had the pleasure of being a beta reader for APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur-How to Publish a Book by Guy Kawasaki and Shawn Welch. It is easy reading, packed with tips, tools, links, actionable steps, and a supporting website (APETheBook.com,) along with warnings of the pitfalls of self-publishing.

Historically, traditional publishers successfully blocked the door to publication for many authors until digital publishing changed the game. With direct access to their readers via platforms such as Amazon Digital Publishing authors can now enjoy faster success and higher profits.

Why Self-Publishing?

Kawasaki turned to self-publishing when he discovered that a traditional publisher could not handle an order for 500 ebooks. He became a convert, and enlisted the aid of Shawn Welch to help him understand the complexities of publishing ebooks, who created and and produced Kawasaki’s book, What the Plus!: Google+ for the Rest of Us

Kawaski strongly believes

“. . .self-publishing enables you to determine your own fate. There’s no need to endure the frustration of finding and working with a publisher. You can maintain control over your book and its marketing, receive a greater percentage of revenues, and retain all rights and ownership.”

But he does not suggest that self-publishing is easy. Without guidance, it can be confusing,  inefficient and unnecessarily expensive.

APE makes it clear that to self-publish successfully, you must be willing to don all three hats: author, publisher and entrepreneur.

Becoming an  APE

APE begins with four good reasons and two bad ones for becoming an author. The desire to make lots of money is one of the two bad ones since earning great wealth from book sales, though possible, is rare.

Whether you are writing your first book or fifth, APE will enlighten and empower you. It is loaded with  details about preparing your manuscript, ballpark costs of self-publishing, publishing options, copyright issues, digital rights management and valuable self-promotion techniques, such as how to pitch bloggers and reviewers.

APE offers us publishing Plans A, B and C and urges us not to get stigmatized when we can’t find a traditional publisher. He chucks out the stigmatized phrase “vanity publishing” and ushers in a new one.

“Self-publishing could change from stigma to bragging point–maybe we could change the term to “artisanal publishing” and foster the image of authors lovingly crafting their books with total control over the process.”

By crowdsourcing the editing of APE, the authors attracted hundreds of writers, coaches, entrepreneurs and bloggers in the field who gave priceless input to help catch errors and build in real-life examples, anecdotes and sources.

You will learn in one chapter details on navigating Amazon and from another chapter, tactical and practical guerilla marketing techniques.

The section on becoming an entrepreneur is the most valuable section for the self-publisher.  Here you will learn how to create your profile and platform using the major social media sites, as well as details on creating a press release, virtual book tours and using social networks designed especially for writers and readers.

While APE shows us how to self-publish, it does not discourage traditional publishing, nor harnessing the power of  a traditional PR launch.

If you’re looking for a get-rich-quick road to self-publishing, this isn’t it.

If, on the other hand, you want a content-rich, user-friendly, comprehensive and up-to-the-minute guide for navigating the self-publishing waters, get APE today. It’s the new self-publishing bible.

About the Authors

Guy Kawasaki is the author of APE, What the Plus!, Enchantment, and nine other books. He is also the co-founder of Alltop.com, an “online magazine rack” of popular topics on the web. Previously, he was the chief evangelist of Apple. Kawasaki has a BA from Stanford University and an MBA from UCLA as well as an honorary doctorate from Babson College.

Shawn Welch is the author of From Idea to App, iOS 5 Core Frameworks, and iOS 6 for Developers as well as the developer of several iOS apps. Previously he worked as a senior media-editor for Pearson Education.

He also helped pioneer many of Pearson’s earliest efforts in iPad solutions. Welch has a BS from Kansas State University.

============

Are you encouraged to try self-publishing again  or for the first time? Share your thoughts.

Filed Under: entrepreneur, marketing your book, publishing, self-publishing, the writing life Tagged With:

A Critical Mistake that Will Keep You Buried in Your Niche

By 12 Comments

All your efforts to attract clients,  build your list and distinguish yourself from your competition will miss maximum benefit if you are making one critical mistake: neglecting to write a book.

Your niche is loaded with skilled, talented and successful experts. You are one of them. While writing a book may be on your bucket list, you are making a big mistake if you don’t move it up to the top of your to-do list today.

You may be lulled into procrastination by thinking that writing a book is not that significant anymore. After all, with the popularity of self-publishing and sites like Amazon and their company, Create Space, it’s easier than ever to write a book. Perhaps you think there’s not much likelihood that you will shine as an author.

Not true.

Whether you are a coach, entrepreneur or speaker, when you write a book sharing your slant on your niche, you will not only stand out, but you will kick butt. Whether networking on and offline,  as an author you will rise to the top of your niche, bolster your own confidence and set the stage for creating multiple streams of income.

  • One of my clients is finishing up the rough draft on her book for helping Christian entrepreneurs, and she already is putting in place workshops, coaching and audio products.
  • While another client is eagerly waiting for his book on AIDs survival to be delivered,  he has already presold copies, lined up two speaking gigs and is increasing his visibility by participating in a bike ride from Los Angeles to San Francisco to raise money for  AIDS research.

The best thing about being a coach, a blogger, a speaker, or a pastor, is that you already have content. Unlike the average person who dreams of writing a book one day without any idea of what he wants to write about, you (and you know who you are) already have the ingredients for your book (actually more than one.)

As an entrepreneur you also already have a platform, a list (no matter how small) and are probably active on social media. This means that you have fans who already like what you offer and will become the first wave of buyers of your book, not to mention evangelists for spreading the word.

So why should you write a book if you already have all these great things going for you?

Your book is going to get your transforming message out to a wider audience and fulfill the purpose for which you went into business. While you can reach a throng through your blogging, speaking, and other forms of communication, it’s no comparison to what your book can do.

You can’t even imagine the reach of your book.

It reminds me of a time when I spoke at a workshop and took some of my books for sale. One lady who came up to my table didn’t want to buy my book. She already had a copy and wanted me to sign it. When she handed her book to me I noticed that she had little colored post-it tags sticking out throughout her book from top to bottom.  She had read my book thoroughly and thanked me so much for making a change in her life. She was not on any of my lists, had never read my blog nor heard my radio show. But she had read my book.

As an author you will have an unfair edge over your colleagues because your book can work on your behalf when you are resting. It will

  • demystify your niche for your potential clients, endearing you as the go-to person in the field
  • introduce your product/service to people of influence who can become joint venture partners
  • establish your credibility as an expert in your niche
  • put you at the forefront of meaningful interaction in your niche
  • enable you to command higher fees
  • help build a team of devoted fans and even evangelists

Now that you know the critical mistake you’ve been making in your niche, it’s a good time to correct it. And if you’ve always promised yourself that you’d write your book someday, I have a special gift for you. Download it here

 

Filed Under: bloggers, coaches, entrepreneur, getting visibility, standing out in your niche, writing a book