POPULARITY
Welcome to the second installment of our three-part series on corporate finance for beginners! In this episode, we'll lay the foundation by introducing the basics of corporate finance: what it is, why it matters, and the key concepts every beginner should know. We'll explore topics like financial statements, cash flow management, and the role of corporate finance in business decision-making. Whether you're an entrepreneur, student, or just curious about the inner workings of businesses, this series will equip you with the knowledge to navigate the world of finance confidently. John Cousins MBA ASAP: www.mba-asap.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6nmDenZkLv34n3FtkzRwgw X/Twitter: https://x.com/jjcousins Facebook MBA ASAP: https://www.facebook.com/MBA.ASAP Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jjcousinsiii/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johncousinsiii/ Medium: https://medium.com/@johncousins-68418 Substack: https://substack.com/@johncousins2 Email newsletter: https://app.flodesk.com/form/66a40b8912a2c53b3e9235ef/build Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mbaasap LinkedIn newsletter: Blog: www.jjcousins.com Books: www.BizB-Press.com Author Central: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B01JVF2XTU My Men Richard/Richard Lesperance richard.lesperance@gmail.com https://linkedin.com/in/richardlesperance https://tiktok.com/@mymenrichard2 https://tiktok.com/@mymenrichard https://www.instagram.com/mymenrichard2/ https://twitter.com/MyMenRichard https://www.youtube.com/@mymenrichard https://www.facebook.com/1richardlesperance/
Send us a Text Message.In this eye-opening episode we dive into Amazon's latest updates that are shaking up the way book descriptions are managed on the platform. For authors who use Author Central, these changes are crucial to understand if you want to keep your book pages in top form. Join us as we discuss how these updates can impact your book's visibility and sales, and provide actionable tips to navigate the new system effectively. Whether you're a seasoned author or just starting out, this episode is must-know information to help you stay ahead in the competitive world of publishing. Buy Penny's new book, The Amazon Author Formula now!FREE BONUSIf you leave a review for the podcast email info@amarketingexpert.com and we'll give you our Book Launch Checklist! Just include your reviewer name or a screenshot of your review in the email.Check out our podcast page and learn more about the team at www.amarketingexpert.com/author-podcast
Today, I interview Angilie Kapoor, who struggled with being bullied as a child. She was an extremely shy and introverted girl who preferred to be alone, afraid of being made fun of for looking different.As the daughter of a military father, Angilie's family moved frequently, forcing her to constantly start over in new places. This made it difficult for her to form lasting friendships. However, it also helped her develop resilience, adaptability, and acceptance that people come in and out of one's life for a reason.In high school, Angilie began branching out, joining activities like cheerleading and student government. She rediscovered her love for writing, which had been nurtured by a teacher. This led her to eventually write three books on mindset and leadership.The breakthrough point came when Angilie started a self-discovery journey during her corporate career, where she realized the importance of mindset and getting to know and accept oneself in order to be an effective leader.Now, Angilie helps individuals like managers, teachers, and parents, as well as companies, to develop conscious leadership programs that integrate empathy, compassion, and the human experience. Her message is to inspire people to get curious about themselves, discover their core values and unique voice, and share their message to help others.__________________Angilie Kapoor is a highly acclaimed leader, author, speaker, and TV show host with over 20 years of experience in healthcare management and leadership. As the founder of Oversight Global, she helps aspiring leaders in the workplace, business, and life become more productive, confident, and effective while maintaining a healthy work-life balance.Angilie shares her invaluable knowledge and insights gained from her extensive background and personal journey through coaching, mentoring, training programs, books, speaking engagements, and her two TV shows. Her mission is to address the global "consciousness crisis" by empowering individuals to tap into their leadership potential and develop the necessary skills and mindset to excel in their roles and make a positive difference in the world.__________________Find Angilie here:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oversightglobal1356/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oversightglobal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/oversight-global-llc/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angilie-kapoor/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@oversightglobal Author Central: https://www.amazon.com/author/angiliemkapoor Take The Lead TV Show Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/TakeTheLeadTVShow Unveil Your Brilliance Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/UnveilYourBrillianceTVShow Free Download: 5 Tips to Designing Your Empowering Morning Routine Guide: https://gift.oversightglobal.com/empowering-morning-routine Support the Show.I'm Dr. Doreen Downing and I help people find their voice so they can speak without fear. Get the Free 7-Step Guide to Fearless Speaking https://www.doreen7steps.com.
Today I'm reading from Michael Prescott's book 'Life & Afterlife'.“For about twenty years,” novelist Michael Prescott says, “I hosted a blog that dealt largely with the subject of life after death – the evidence for it and the philosophical implications if that evidence is valid. During that time, I read countless books and engaged in many interesting conversations with both believers and skeptics. Life & Afterlife sums up that personal exploration; it's my best guess at what awaits us in what has been called ‘the supreme adventure.'“Because I think the convergence of many different lines of inquiry is the best overall argument for postmortem survival, Life & Afterlife is meant to be as eclectic as possible. I use material obtained from near-death experiences, out-of-body experiences, deathbed visions, apparitions, past-life regressions, children's memories of past lives, trance mediumship, experiences of sudden spiritual enlightenment, shamanic vision quests, experiments with mind-altering drugs, folklore and religion, remote viewing and other ESP tests, and even cases of spirit obsession and possession.BioAfter twenty years in traditional publishing, novelist Michael Prescott found himself out of work in 2007, his career apparently over. On a whim, he began releasing his older titles and some new novels in ebook form. Much to his amazement, sales took off, and by 2011 he was one of the bestselling ebook writers in the United States, profiled in USA Today and sought after for interviews. To date he has sold roughly four million books (both print and digital). His latest full-length thriller is TEARS FOR THE DEAD, the fifth entry in a continuing series that also features COLD AROUND THE HEART, BLOOD IN THE WATER, BAD TO THE BONE, and SKIN IN THE GAME. A complete list of his books can be found at Amazon Author Central's Michael Prescott page. Please be aware that more than one writer uses the name "Michael Prescott," and sometimes the works of these other writers show up in Amazon searches or on Amazon sales pages. If a given book is not listed at Author Central, it is the work of a different author.Amazon link http://tinyurl.com/2p87y2sthttp://michaelprescott.net/https://www.pastliveshypnosis.co.uk/https://www.patreon.com/pastlivespodcast
There is a new scam targeting authors.An enterprising scammer can use AI to write a book similar to your writing style. They can use an AI-generated cover similar to yours, and publish the book with a pen name that also happens to be yours.Sometimes, Amazon even puts this fraudulent book in your Author Central account so customers see the AI book you didn't write listed with the books you did write.The crazy thing about this attack is that it might not be illegal.It is such a new type of attack that there is no name for it yet. But in this week's episode, I will call it “reputation theft.” Reputation theft is where someone you don't know uses your name and style to sell their own books.How do you protect yourself from reputation theft?How do you navigate the many legal dilemmas authors face in this age of AI-assisted writing?I invited literary lawyer Lloyd Jassin to guide us through this legal forest. He's a publishing insider who tells us.The difference between copyright and trademarkWhich tool is best for protecting your name and workWhat you can do if you've been attacked by “reputation theft”Listen in and learn how to protect your writing from copyright infringement and which legal tools can help you deal with AI-generated fraudulent versions of your books. Read more...Support the show
In this episode, you'll also hear:How to obtain an ISBN, and why you might need more than oneHow to use keywords to attract your ideal reader to youTips on pricing your book – and why it won't necessarily reflect the hours of work you put into writing and publishingWhat a literary agent does and why you probably need oneIt's easy to be really passionate about the writing process and about wanting to share your story with the world and, at the same time, also be really lost to how the industry actually works. But if you don't understand how the industry works before you publish, it can actually hurt your book's success and impact. If you missed the previous episodes in this series, you can check them out here!Here are the next set of publishing terms you need to know.ISBNIf you have been thinking about self-publishing a book, you've probably seen this term, but you may not have fully understood what it meant. So let's break it down. ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number. As the name implies, this is a way of identifying your book. In other words, it's a way of distinguishing your book from others. Each book receives its own ISBN, which is typically 13 digits in length and used internationally. But why does it matter? Let's say you want to get your book into a library. The ISBN helps that library find your particular book out of all the books out there. How you get an ISBN varies depending upon where you are. If you're located outside of the United States, you can get one through a local ISBN Agency. If you are here in the United States or in the UK, ISBN numbers are administered by the companies Bowker and Nielsen, respectively. You do have to pay a fee to get an ISBN, but remember: publishing a book is starting a business. So consider this one of the startup costs for your book business. Often, the source you use to publish your book will offer you the opportunity to get an ISBN through them. For example, Amazon will grant you a free ISBN. But a word of caution: that ISBN can only be used on Amazon KDP. That means you'll have to get a new ISBN for every self-publishing platform you want to list your book on. A better alternative would be to purchase your own ISBN, so you have just one to use across all platforms. That said, you may still want to purchase multiple ISBNs at a time, because a single ISBN is only good for that particular format of the book. So if you get an ISBN for your print book, you'll need a separate one for your audiobook or Ebook. So, for that reason, it's not uncommon — and could be a wise business move — to go ahead and purchase 10 ISBNs at once. And because they don't expire, you don't need to worry about your money going to waste, even if it takes you some time to put out your audiobook, updated version, or other formats of your book. KeywordsIn this age of the internet, chances are you've probably heard mention of keywords before. But you may not know how this term applies to you as an author. So here's a very simple way of thinking about it: keywords are what the reader puts into the search engine when they want to find something to help them with a problem they have or questions they are looking to answer. Think about it. When you turn to Google or Amazon because you have a particular need or question, what do you type into the search box? Those are keywords. To put keywords to work for you, you've got to put yourself into the mindset of a reader, not the author. When readers go looking for what you have to offer in your book, what words will they enter into the search box? Spend some time brainstorming answers to that question so you can strategically select keywords that best describe your book and that match what your idea readers are looking for. Then, you'll need to use those keywords to your advantage. Include them in:Your bioYour book descriptionYour information on Author Central on AmazonAnywhere you can!That way, when people in your target audience go looking for a solution to their problem or answer to their question, your book comes up in the list of search results. When you choose the right keywords and leverage them effectively, you can attract your ideal reader to you.PricingPricing is an important topic, because there's so much wrapped up in it — and not just for the book. Many aspiring authors have a desire to use their book as a platform to build a coaching, consulting, or speaking business, so pricing also comes into play as they price their coaching and consulting packages and set their fees as a speaker. That means this is an important thing to get a grasp on as early as possible. Remember, books are a business, and businesses have to think about things like pricing strategy. So, again, put yourself in the mind of the reader. If you only think about it from your point of view as as author, you're only going to be thinking about the countless hours you've invested in researching and writing the book, how much you've paid for the book cover, formatting, editing, and so on.Yes, those things are a significant investment, and you want to make sure you get a return on that investment. But they're also the startup costs to your business, so they shouldn't necessarily determine the price you set for your book. Ultimately, you're going to earn the bulk of your income from what happens after the book — as you launch your coaching or consulting program, start getting those paid speaking engagements, or launch your online course. The book is just one piece of the puzzle. So everything doesn't rest upon the book.Instead, think of the book as a way of attracting people to you and what you have to say. That means the price needs to be reflective of the value that the client, the reader, is going to get and what they believe is reasonable for a book in your genre. Of course, this will vary depending on the type of book you want to write. So you'll want to do some research to find out typical price points for books in your genre, and also think about what your pricing will communicate to the reader and your future client. There's a little bit of an art and science to pricing your book, but ultimately, you do have a few options:Lower price: Pricing your book lower can help you sell more copies. Just be careful not to price it too low, because that can imply that it's of inferior quality.Middle ground: Choosing a mid-range price can be a safe medium that's not too high or too low.Higher price: A higher price communicates a higher value. However, the reader who stumbles upon it must believe that the value is there. If you price your book higher, you'll need to ensure that you have the credibility to back it up. Like it or not, your reader is likely comparing your book with your competitors'. So choose your pricing carefully, and keep in mind what your prices are communicating about you and your book. Literary AgentMost of the above terms are related to self-publishing, but a literary agent is relevant when you are thinking about going the traditional publishing route. A literary agent, or book agent, acts as the intermediary between you and the key players that can get you that book publishing deal. You aren't necessarily required to work with a literary agent, but it's a very good idea if your dream is to be picked up by a publishing house. Traditional publishing is a business that operates on relationships. So, as a new author who does not have those connections and relationships, you need to lean into someone who already has them. Someone who has already built a network, versus you trying to come in and convince people who have no idea who you are to give you a chance.Again, it's not impossible to get a traditional publishing deal without a literary agent, but it is extremely difficult. A literary agent helps reduce friction and makes the process much easier and faster, because they know how the book industry works. They have the relationships already, and they can act as your advocate to help you get the best deal and position your book for success. Without a literary agent, it's so much harder to get an editor to look at your book proposal or manuscript. And that's huge, because the editor is actually the person who sets you up to get that publishing deal. If you approach an editor on your own, you could easily end up talking to someone who doesn't specialize in the type of book you want to write. Then you'll be wasting their time and your own. But a literary agent knows what types of books editors are looking for, and can act as your liaison to introduce you to the right editor for your particular book. Because literary agents know market trends and keep their fingers on the pulse of the industry, they can even help you shape your manuscript so you'll have the best chance with an editor. Plus, they'll help you negotiate the terms of your contract.Of course, as the agent representing you, the literary agent gets a percentage of the deal they help negotiate. Typically, they operate on commission, and are only paid when you as the author get paid. So, while the literary agent may receive a 15% commission, keep in mind that they aren't paid for all the work they do prior to landing the deal, and it doesn't always work out. So when a book deal does come together — largely because of their network and relationships — they deserve that 15% commission! Of course, you do want to do your due diligence and make sure the literary agent is someone you feel good about. Pray about it, and make sure you trust them, because you'll be counting on them to advocate on your behalf. You want to make sure you have the right person for your particular project. Next Week on Book Publishing A to ZWe've covered some important terms this week, but there are still plenty more to come! Here's a sneak peek at what to expect in the next installment of the Book Publishing A to Z series:Personas (an often-overlooked concept in the book publishing industry)Print-on-demand for self-published authorsThe importance of proofsBook publicists: what they are and what they doWe'll cover all that and more right here next week! BIO:My name is Tamara "Coach Tam" Jackson and I am a published author, Facebook© Certified Digital Marketer, host of the Top 100 Publishing Secrets podcast, and founder of The Christian Authors Network (C.A.N.) Facebook© community. I specialize in helping mission-driven authors, coaches, and entrepreneurs increase their exposure, impact, and income through strategic self-publishing and digital media appearances. Just say yes and we will work together to attract a tribe of loyal followers that 1) "get you", 2) love what you do, and 3) are happy to invest in your book, business, cause, or movement. Plus, we will accomplish all of this without fake, salesy, sleazy, or manipulative tactics. Yes you CAN write, publish, and profit in a way that honors God; join the community today at https://christianauthors.net/fbgroup. GET CONNECTED:Connect with fellow Christian Authors: http://christianauthors.net/fbgroupDownload the Free Christian Author Marketing EBook: https://265point.com/secretsbook1Get Booked as a Guest Speaker for Free: http://christianauthors.netFollow Tam on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TamaraJacksonTransformationExpert/Interact with Tam on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fitnesstamara265/
Serve No Master : Escape the 9-5, Fire Your Boss, Achieve Financial Freedom
Welcome to the Serve No Master Podcast! This podcast is aimed at helping you find ways to create new revenue streams or make money online without dealing with an underpaid or underappreciated job. Our host is best-selling author, Jonathan Green.Today's guest is Magnus Carter is a network engineer by trade, he enjoyed the process of writing to topics that he was passionate about like investing and personal finance.In this episode, Magnus Carter discuss the challenges and opportunities of being an independent author in today's market. Carter shares their personal journey of self-publishing.Notable Quotes- "It's a lot of persistence. It's a lot of thinking out of the box." - [Magnus Carter]- "Either you can have my full rate or you go on Amazon right now, you buy my book and you read it and write a review for it within three days." - [Magnus Carter]- "Your due diligence is actually going to work." - [Magnus Carter]- "The people who keep going are the one who sees obstacles as opportunities. Say, oh, there's a way around this. I just have to find it. So it's very interesting because what you did is very different to what I did." - [Jonathan Green]- " I just do it every day. It's not that I'm a genius. It's not that I work harder than anyone else. I'm not smarter than anyone else. I don't know. I'm probably not smarter than you. I don't know you well enough to say that. But I'm not a genius. I'm not sitting here as, like, a mad scientist, but I'm here every day. And that's really the difference." - [Jonathan Green]Connect with Magnus Carter● Twitter: @magnusCarter10● Radio: www.voiceamerica.com/show/4065● Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/makingmoremoneyforyou/● Author Central: https://www.amazon.com/~/e/B09HYXVNM5● Books: https://www.amazon.com/Making-More-Money-YOU-Investing/dp/1956376011https://www.amazon.com/Making-More-Money-YOU-Cryptocurrency/dp/1956376046Connect with Jonathan Green The Bestseller: Serve No Master Free Book on Amazon: Fire Your Boss Podcast Website: https://servenomaster.com/podcast/ Subscribe, Rate, and Review: https://servenomaster.com/itunes Video Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@ServeNoMasterPodcast
Recently, someone read the fine print to an agreement on a distribution platform that volunteers your books for training artificial intelligence on Apple. Amazon finally enacts new ebook return policy. Fiverr rolls out new influencer program. Facebook Ad costs drop. And, much more in this week's self-publishing news! Sources: Best Web Hosting for Authors: The Good, the Bad, and the Heavy-duty - https://kindlepreneur.com/web-hosting-for-authors/ SiteGround - https://DaleLinks.com/SiteGround (affiliate link) Amazon Finally Adds Change to Ebook Returns Policy to Its Terms - https://selfpublishingadvice.org/self-publishing-news-uk-government-cancels-plan-to-allow-copyright-exception-for-text-and-data-mining/ Author Central - https://author.amazon.com/ Announcing Expanded Library Distribution to Palace Marketplace! - https://www.draft2digital.com/blog/announcing-expanded-library-distribution-to-palace-marketplace/ Written Word Media - https://www.writtenwordmedia.com/reader-reach/ Fiverr Influencer Program - https://dalelinks.com/influencer (referral link) Nate Hoffelder on Twitter - https://twitter.com/inkbitspixels/status/1621497237007114240 Findaway Voices' Agreement - https://my.findawayvoices.com/docs/Findaway_Voices_Digital_Distribution_Agreement_(6.10.2020).pdf Authors Guild Income Survey - https://qualtrics.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3kkZJzXqF9WssAK?referral_org=D2D She Loves Poems (Derek Murphy) - https://shelovespoems.com/ The Self-Publishing Hub - https://TheSelfPublishingHub.com Spme outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. We only endorse programs, products or services we use and can stand confidently behind.
Episode 130 / It's back to the archives this week for one of our most popular episodes. Jami and Sara share how they launch a book, covering tactics for low-, medium-, and high-budget launches as well as sharing beau·coup tips about what's working for book launches right now. Intro links: Kickstart Your Book podcast Link (To be added) - Sign up to be notified when Jami's book about launching comes out Show notes: KU or wide - weigh pros and cons of each Price point - consider typical price of genre and goals to pick the best price point (99 cents can generate preorders and sales while a higher price point give you a higher royalty and the option of dropping it for sales later) Preorders - a preorder lets you capture sales and get your sales pages live on the vendors, but some authors won't do preorders because they feel Amazon doesn't weight the preorder sales as heavily as purchases/borrows made after the books releases, which may impact rank. Don't forget the impact of your newsletter to launch Low-cost Launch Tactics for a New Author Blog tours Newsletter swaps Goodreads giveaways Library Thing giveaways Newsletter Connect with authors in genre groups Lower price Paid newsletter promos Small-to-medium Budget Launch Tactics: Newsletter giveaway like Booksweeps Paid newsletter promos Ads, like a small Amazon ads Big budget Launch Tactics: Facebook ads Newsletter swaps Discount previous books in the series Bonus Launch Tips: Focus on getting your book in front of the right readers Learn/use one ad platform at a time Pick about three things to focus on for your launch (don't try to do all the things) so you're not so scattered and so you can track results Backmatter matters -- make sure it's up-to-date and include link to next book/second epilogue/etc Goodreads giveaway sends an email on release day to everyone who entered your giveaway Jami's Launch Plan: Use tagline in graphic teasers/promo images Shared prologue/early chapters Release paperback a week ea, call Author Central to merge ebook and paperback, and then readers can post review--you'll have reviews on the sales page when the book launches Add “follow” links (Bookbub, Goodreads, Amazon, etc) to promo and those sites will send a new release alert Preorder email on Bookbub Contact authors in genre and ask if they will share and if they want an Advance Review Copy Giveaways in author groups to create buzz Remind readers of release date so they can post a review if they'd like Segment newsletter list and email over several days, then mail to unopens Sara's Out-of-the-Box Launch Tactics for a First-in-Series Book: Set up a print preorder through Ingram Spark Send opening chapters to readers over weeks leading up to release to get them hooked on story Blog tours give you reviews and quotes you can use for graphics and editorial reviews Book box giveaway Advance Review Copies sent to reviewers Kobo Netgalley promotion Bookbub New Release Feature Staggered Audiobook release Long preorder on Book 2 so readers could order immediately when they finished Book 1 Patreon Amazon ad - low-budget auto-targeted Sara's launch philosophy: pull out all the stops with Book 1; subsequent book launch -- quieter launch, focuses on sale on Book 1 to pull readers into the series Come over and say hi to Jami and Sara in the WIKT Facebook group! You can find show notes and links at wishidknownforwriters.com. Links: Author website The Big List of Craft and marketing books mentioned on WIKT podcast episodes Jami's Launch Plan Sara's Book Release Timeline Checklist Jami's books Sara's books Resources from the Author and Reader Community to Help Ukrainans
Michaela S. Cox six-time published author. My books include Heartfelt Meditations: A Collection of Poetry Inspired by Cherished Scriptures, books on motherhood in her Take a Sip, Take a Breath and Go... series and most recently, on her faith in Scripture, Spirituality and Our Culture series. Her third series is entitled Before the Clock Strikes Midnight Michaela has also been published in "Light and Life". She is an author who writes about her heartfelt meditations related to her passions about her journey as a mother, her journey of faith and the American journey of We the People. Michaela S. Cox takes the inspiration for her writings from her own life's journey walking and travelling a journey that has taken her from much tribulation to learning how to thrive in all things including; a lifelong, since birth, disability of legal blindness, divorce at age 26 and then at age 38 the loss of her beloved husband and thus having to journey through widowhood, solo/single parenting while managing her disability. These experiences very much influence her work, as an author, on her journey through motherhood, her journey of faith for over 35 plus years. In the future Michaela plans to start and introduce two new series over the next several months related to 'We the People”, and her own personal life experiences as she has travelled her own life's journey as a woman of faith who has dealt with a life-long disability, and the new struggles of life as a widow and solo mama. Aside from being a mama to her two precious babies and enjoying her author journey, Michaela S. Cox is a native Texan who now resides in Louisiana with her children. Michaela enjoys time with her tribe of fabulous friends with who she travels and does life on this journey. Michaela is striving to find her own way as she is following her path, travelling the journey before her and striving to thrive in all things no matter where her journey made lead and takes her in life. Social Media Website: https://www.myheartfeltmeditations.com/ Author Central page: https://www.myheartfeltmeditations.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Heartfelt-Meditations-by-Michaela-S-Cox-326674074197797/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nowisee779/ Free gift: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_On6Pb87XAribf6sMC9_yXbRXDbCCths/view?usp=sharing --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/entrepreneurtalks/message
Amazon Author Central has added a feature that allows you to create additional author bios in other supported languages. But before you log on and just start adding new elements to your profile, we want you to understand when it makes sense and how you can use it to support your platform. October Promotion:Book to Bestseller Pre-Order Giveaway and Prizes!It's finally here – Book to Bestseller: The Savvy Author's Guide to Book Promotion, Smart Branding, and Longterm Success is up on Amazon for pre-order and that means it's time to announce all the fantastic promotions we've been planning to celebrate!Honestly, this has been the most exciting release yet, so I encourage you to read through this post twice to ensure you know what's on the table!
Join PART 2 of the conversation with Mrs. Lily Palma, she is the founder of Lily the Zapotec Traveler and co-founder of Criollito native corn kitchen. She definitely shared and educated us about Mexico's wonderful indigenous community. She's a migrant indigenous woman native to the Central Valley of Oaxaca; a proud Zapotec woman born and raised in Santa Monica, CA. Lily curates sustainable intimate experiences for responsible travelers in Oaxaca to 100% support indigenous-owned businesses, she host an Airbnb. Lily's Airbnb: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1377146?source_impression_id=p3_1631024867_KhsmNNNXaZJX1KbF&guests=1&adults=1 To contact Lily Palma: https://instagram.com/lilythezapotectraveler?utm_medium=copy_link To contact your host Angie Nieto, email us at: MexiCanpodcast21@gmail.com To check out Gaby's podcast: Author Central by Fig Factor Media https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-author-central-podcast/id1520010040 --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/angie-nieto9/message
Join the conversation with Mrs. Lily Palma, she is the founder of Lily the Zapotec Traveler and co-founder of Criollito native corn kitchen. She definitely shared and educated us about Mexico's wonderful indigenous community. She's a migrant indigenous woman native to the Central Valley of Oaxaca; a proud Zapotec woman born and raised in Santa Monica, CA. Lily curates sustainable intimate experiences for responsible travelers in Oaxaca to 100% support indigenous-owned businesses, she host an Airbnb. Lily's Airbnb: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1377146?source_impression_id=p3_1631024867_KhsmNNNXaZJX1KbF&guests=1&adults=1 To contact Lily Palma: https://instagram.com/lilythezapotectraveler?utm_medium=copy_link To contact your host Angie Nieto, email us at: MexiCanpodcast21@gmail.com To check out Gaby's podcast: Author Central by Fig Factor Media https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-author-central-podcast/id1520010040 --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/angie-nieto9/message
9 consejos IMPRESCINDIBLES de marketing para escritores que autopublican sus libros en Amazon KDP. Si quieres vender más libros debes ver este vídeo. 🔴¡Regalo🎁GRATIS en nuestra 👇👇👇 LISTA DE CORREO! ➡️https://www.letraminuscula.com/suscribirse-lista-de-correo/ 🔴Visita nuestra WEB👉https://www.letraminuscula.com/ SI deseas PUBLICAR escríbenos📧: contacto@letraminuscula.com Llámanos☎ o escríbenos por WhatsApp:+34640667855 🔴¡SUSCRÍBETE al canal! 👉CLIC AQUÍ: https://bit.ly/2Wv1fdX ⏲ÍNDICE: ▶️00:00 Inicio ▶️00:09 Presentación. ▶️00:45 1️⃣ Author Central. ▶️01:12 2️⃣ Amazon Ads. ▶️01:39 3️⃣ Promociones gratuitas. ▶️02:04 4️⃣ Kindle Countdown Deals. ▶️03:01 5️⃣ Preventa del ebook. ▶️03:40 6️⃣ Regalar ebooks. ▶️04:05 7️⃣ Préstamo de Kindle. ▶️04:34 8️⃣ Kindle Instant Book Preview. ▶️05:03 9️⃣ Fragmentos de muestra. 📌Listas de reproducción📌 🛒MARKETING para escritores👉https://cutt.ly/tbMcud5 📑Tutoriales para PUBLICAR un LIBRO en AMAZON👉https://cutt.ly/tbMx8pv ✔️Autoedición de LIBROS👉https://cutt.ly/UbMcwrp 📕¿Cómo SER ESCRITOR?👉https://cutt.ly/UbMcebB ✍🏿 Redes sociales para ESCRITORES👉https://cutt.ly/WbMcrBd 🥇Cómo VENDER más libros👉https://cutt.ly/NbMct9L 🎧Audiolibros👉https://bit.ly/3ivgHDe 💬Testimonios de nuestros CLIENTES: 👉https://bit.ly/354Wht2 📙Publicar un libro en Amazon KDP 👉 https://bit.ly/3w8dYDV ✍Consejos para ESCRITORES 👉 https://bit.ly/2TPsrWZ 💥Síguenos en nuestras REDES SOCIALES: Grupo en Facebook Escritores Amazon: ➡️https://bit.ly/3is7NGK Página Facebook➡️https://bit.ly/3x616OJ Twitter➡️https://bit.ly/2TS4M8r Instagram➡️https://bit.ly/3iwnjl7 Página LinkedIn➡️https://bit.ly/3x80Z5o Pinterest➡️https://bit.ly/2Shvtmx ♨️Si te ha gustado el vídeo dale a ME GUSTA👍 y compártelo en tus redes sociales. Suscríbete al canal y haz CLIC en la campanita🔔 para que te lleguen las notificaciones cada vez que subamos un nuevo vídeo. ¡Gracias😉!
Listen to this game-changing conversation about How to Sell Tons of Books on Amazon with AME (Author Marketing Experts, Inc.) CEO Penny Sansevieri on this new 8-Second Branding Podcast episode with your Host Liz H Kelly. As a Best-Selling Author with 18 books and working with thousands of author clients, Penny shares Amazon Marketing success secrets in her book; “How to Sell Your Books by the Truckload on Amazon” (last updated January 28, 2021). You'll learn about how to use keywords, videos, categories, book promotions – and most importantly your Author Central page on Amazon to increase your search results and book sales. And if you feel overwhelmed, Penny recommends starting with the Amazon details that you can control (your bio, book description, and reviews all impact your rank and search results). To learn more about Penny's books or her book marketing services, email info@amarketingexpert.com or visit https://www.amarketingexpert.com/
In the first episode of Behind the Book, co-hosts Karen McQuestion and Tess Thompson interview bestselling Women's Fiction author Grace Greene. Grace discusses her process for writing novels, how she got her start in publishing, and gives inspiring advice for aspiring authors. About Grace Greene:Grace Greene writes women's fiction and contemporary romance with suspense ~ Stories of heart and hope ~ from the Outer Banks to the Blue Ridge. A Virginia native, Grace has family ties to North Carolina. She writes books set in both locations ~ and in those beautiful landscapes in-between.The Emerald Isle books, BEACH RENTAL, BEACH WINDS, and BEACH WEDDING (as well as the novellas BEACH CHRISTMAS, BEACH WALK, and the short story, BEACH TOWER) are set in North Carolina where "It's always a good time for a love story and a trip to the beach."Or travel down Virginia Country Roads for Women's Fiction with Suspense in KINCAID'S HOPE, A STRANGER IN WYNNEDOWER, and CUB CREEK and "Take a trip to love, mystery and suspense." LEAVING CUB CREEK, is the sequel to CUB CREEK.BEACH RENTAL, her debut novel, won the Booksellers Best award in both the Traditional and Best First Book categories. BEACH RENTAL and BEACH WINDS were each awarded 4.5 stars, Top Pick by RT Book Reviews magazine. KINCAID'S HOPE received a 4 star review from that same magazine.Grace began writing for Lake Union, an Amazon Publishing Imprint in 2017, with the release of THE HAPPINESS IN BETWEEN on January 31st and THE MEMORY OF BUTTERFLIES, released on September 5th. WILDFLOWER HEART, the first novel in THE WILDFLOWER HOUSE Series, published in January 2019 and WILDFLOWER HOPE followed in September. The third in the series, a Christmas novella, WILDFLOWER CHRISTMAS, arrived in November of that same year.A LIGHT LAST SEEN ~ another Cub Creek novel (a single tile) ~ released in February 2020. Grace is currently working on a return to the beach with her next novel.Grace lives in central Virginia. Stay current with Grace's releases and appearances at www.GraceGreene.com and sign up for her newsletter. Grace loves to hear from readers. You'll also find Grace here:Twitter: @Grace_GreeneFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/GraceGreeneBooksGoodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/Grace_GreenePinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/gracegreeneauth/Amazon's Author Central: amazon.com/author/gracegreene
In today's episode, Jay is joined by 'The Entertainment Guru' Mike Barker, who has worked with top-notch celebrities. He is an entertainment sales, events, and media professional. He is also the author of a best-selling book – "4 Strategies to Personal Branding and Marketing Strategies." Episode Highlights: 02:03: Mike talks about his career journey and how he took one responsibility after another in the entertainment industry. 04:55: Jay talks about the importance of personal gratitude.06:00: Jay is impressed by what Mike's best-selling book has to offer. He points out how Mike talks about branding capabilities. 08:10: Dream career means you are yourself, and you are authentic. If you don't have that intent, it isn't going to happen. 09:31: To achieve anything written in the book, you have to fake it until you make it.10:06: In his book, Mike talks about the importance of finding purpose in life to succeed. 10:44: Even if you don't have all the resources, your product must be an A-list.12:59: Mike talks about how he wanted to be a guidance counselor and later prompted him to change his career. 13:26: Mike talks about how his high school guidance counselor dissuaded him from college or joining the army because he is black. 14:21: Jay discusses the charity events and speaking engagements that Mike does. He points out that how vast majority of what Mike had achieved so far was just a preparation so that he can give it back to society. 17:51: Mike talks about the systems designed for white people and the racial discriminations encountered. But he adds how it is essential not to get angry about it, instead use it to your advantage and be a better person.18:59: Jay urges listeners to be grateful for what they have done in the past, be it something good or bad. 19:59: Jay is not an advocate for divorces, but he warns the listeners not to stay in a relationship that is not working.20:21: Mike agrees with Jay's opinion on the relationship and stresses that the same mentality should be followed in the case of friends. 23:04: Jay points out the essential role struggles play to shape one's life and career. 25:45: Because of the struggles faced by Mike, he now knows his strength. He points out how we put ourselves in insane mazes and go through the same mistakes repeatedly.27:29: Jay highlights how celebrities aren't given any empathy.28:50: When it comes to mental illness or mental health, Jay has found that a part of healing is to teach others.31:32: Jay talks about how he has healed himself by launching this podcast and talking about mental health.33:48: Mike talks about the struggles and challenges while writing and completing the "4 Strategies to Personal Branding and Marketing Strategies" book.35:22: Mike shares the importance of emotional discipline. It is not about stopping or controlling it but getting to the root and let it go.3 Key Points:Jay discusses the best-selling book written by Mike. He is impressed how the book talks about achieving one's dream rather than pursuing what others want.Jay and Mike explain how branding is more about positively wearing a mask.Mike and Jay talk about the financial and life struggles they have faced while growing up. They share how they have learned from it and given their life a positive spin.Tweetable Quotes:"if people don't give you the roses, you got to give it to yourself" - Mike Barker."Gratitude and empathy are gateways to understand other people." – Jay."You have to eat, sleep and breathe, who you want to be." – Jay."Shape your life around the thing or purpose that is most important for you." – Jay."Gratitude is what you have to practice to get results." – Jay."Don't hate anyone, because of their success - Be Inspired!" – Mike Barker."Everybody should be a method actor for a year or two because that is how you understand other people's feelings." – Jay."At the end of the day, we all have issues; it just has to be fine-tuned if you want to have a successful life." - Mike Barker.Resources Mentioned:· Mike Barker: Website | The Carlos Ramer Scholarship Foundation | InstagramMike Barker Bio: With over 15 years of experience in the entertainment business, Mike Barker has worked with artists such as Janet Jackson, Ciara, Usher, Michael B. Jordan, Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Cardi B, Meg The Stallion, The Game, Larry King, Tito Ortiz, Toni Braxton, Jill Scott, and Gene Simmons. Mr. Barker continues to partner with organizations like The Grammy Recording Academy, Dick Clark Productions with the Billboard Awards, American Music Awards, Krutchie Entertainment, BET, and Fox Networks as a Talent Relations and Production Manager for Radio Remote & Press Events. Mr. Barker resides in Los Angeles, CA, and also holds the position as an Account Manager & Sr. Licensing Rep for Motion Picture Licensing Corporation. This ‘Entertainment Guru’ holds a BA in Communication Studies from Long Beach State University and an MBA in Marketing from the University of Redlands. He is the Founder & CEO of The Carlos Ramer Scholarship Foundation and serves the community as a motivational speaker to colleges and universities throughout Southern California.#1 Amazon New Release & Bestselling Book 4 Strategies to Personal Branding & Marketing Yourself, currently available on Amazon. www.amazon.com/dp/B08NY1W7J2?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420 https://thetragedyacademy.com
Stephanie Chandler is the author of several books including The Nonfiction Book Publishing Plan and The Nonfiction Book Marketing Plan. She is also founder and CEO of the Nonfiction Authors Association, a vibrant community for writers, and the Nonfiction Writers Conference, twice-yearly events conducted entirely online since 2010. Stephanie shares her ninja strategies to increased book sales both in retail and more! She also talks about the magic of Amazon ads, Author Central, and finding your niche readers before you write your book!
This course from Appy Pie Academy will teach you how to write a book and become a best-selling author on Amazon. It includes effective book writing and marketing techniques that can help you see your book online.
Authors, especially those who are self published, can obsess over their Amazon Best Seller Rank (BSR). But they shouldn't. I explain why. YouTube video: https://youtu.be/AT_atQ0OIkw Timestamp show notes (click timestamp to view segment on YouTube): 0:16 The question that sparked the Amazon BSR discussion 0:39 What is Amazon Best Seller Rank? 1:54 Author Central shows your Best Seller Rank, but not much else 3:16 How your Amazon BSR can improve with no sales 4:07 Amazon Best Seller Rank is impossible to control 5:04 How Amazon BSR varies over time 6:51 Don't play games to improve your Amazon BSR 7:53 How to measure your book's sales success on Amazon 9:08 How to connect with Heidi
I review some exciting recent changes to Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Author Central, and the Amazon Marketing Services (AMS) platforms as we head into 2021. YouTube video: https://youtu.be/zDRK7KHKiDA Timestamp show notes (click on timestamp to view segment on YouTube): 0:34 Updates to new KDP Reports Beta interface 2:46 New Amazon Author Central interface 3:35 New Customer Reviews reporting on Author Central 4:34 New Sponsored Brands ads on AMS 6:26 New Kindle Unlimited KENP Reads & Estimated Royalties tracking in AMS 7:51 Why you shouldn't be discouraged with your 2020 book income 8:41 How to connect with Heidi Check out my Udemy courses to level up your self publishing game in 2021: How to Sell Your Self Published Book on Amazon https://www.udemy.com/course/how-to-sell-your-self-published-book-on-amazon/?referralCode=CC4046D09C80264BC0BE How to Self Publish an Audio Book https://www.udemy.com/course/how-to-self-publish-an-audio-book/?referralCode=75A2310A555CB12AFE4C
Facebook Facebook SEEMS to have emerged from its crazy banning ad accounts time period. But maybe not. If your ads or account got banned, you weren't alone! Try to get through to their chat or on the phone with someone to get this fixed. They are finally shoving all people into the new Facebook look, which I hate, along with most other people. We'll forget old Facebook by next year. For now, we mourn. Amazon's KDP Publishing Series pages can now be managed right from your KDP dashboard. This is great! You can reorder them, create a blurb that talks about the series as a whole, or add related content (which isn't showing up on the page yet). You can now nominate your books for Kindle Deal or Prime Reading (I can't speak to whether those work well, but the monthly deals I got didn't do a thing for my sales). The place to do this is under the marketing tab. (It's in beta so you might not have it.) You can no longer change the titles of your ebooks without republishing them. This stinks, because if you change the title and republish, someone might actually RE-BUY the book and get mad. (I've had this happen.) I'm hoping this change goes back. Author Center is now connected right in the marketing tab, and they've done some updating of their own. I almost never go into Author Central, but it's very shiny and new. You can also more easily handle the other countries with Author Central, right from the KDP dashboard. Amazon Advertising Recently, Amazon advertising added a few metrics you can now track in your dashboard. First, the pages read (KENP read) and more importantly, the royalties for those pages read (KENP royalties). That's the difference between these two outcomes: You can also now try Sponsored Brand posts if you're approved. These were formerly just for Amazon Ad Advantage members, which is hard for authors to get. It will show as an ad with up to three books. I haven't heard much about how these are working... yet. A Few Others Draft2Digital is now allowing for authors to split royalties for co-authored works. Read more HERE. I've talked before about the issues with Audible Returns and I think that some big things (aka: lawsuits) will be lining up soon. Read more on the whole thing HERE.
I'm Chatting with Author Sherrill Joseph about her Botanical Hill Detective Mysteries, writing, and all things cozy. Her book Eucalyptus Street: Green Curse launches tomorrow October 20, 2020. Sherrill is a winner of the Mom's Choice award and you can follow her on Sherrilljospeh.com, Amazon's Author Central, and Goodreads.com. Her books are geared for 5th grade readers and up. to help keep the show commercial-free and growing join us on Patreon.com/TheCozySleuth and become either A Guiding Clue, A Clever Sidekick, A Small Town Sleuth, or A Sherlock Holmes. Or for a one time contribution you can become a member of my Ko-fi Klatch and follow my blog The Mystery Girl's Life of Ko-fi.com/thecozysleuth.
Audio Book Connection - Behind the Scenes with the Creative Teams
Youtube is one of the internet’s most popular search engines and there are ample marketing benefits to getting your audiobook in on the mix. But how do you translate your audiobook into video? In today’s episode, I’ll share how to create potent marketing material with audiobook segments and some video editing magic. I’ll cover how to select segments appealing to your audience, ideas for visual components to accompany your story, and video editing softwares. I’ll also teach you how to leverage your Author Central account and youtube to the maximum in attracting people to your audio title! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 026 / Jami and Sara share how they launch a book, covering tactics for low-, medium-, and high-budget launches as well as sharing beau·coup tips about what’s working for book launches right now. In the intro, Sara talks about she’s started a German translation through Reedsy. Jami’s new book Homecoming King launched with a big splash--breaking into the top 100 of the Amazon store, then going all the way to number 81! You can find show notes and links at https://www.wishidknownforwriters.com. In this podcast episode, you’ll discover: Things to Consider Before You Launch: KU or wide - weigh pros and cons of each Price point - consider typical price of genre and goals to pick the best price point (99 cents can generate preorders and sales while a higher price point give you a higher royalty and the option of dropping it for sales later) Preorders - a preorder lets you capture sales and get your sales pages live on the vendors, but some authors won’t do preorders because they feel Amazon doesn’t weight the preorder sales as heavily as purchases/borrows made after the books releases, which may impact rank. Don’t forget the impact of your newsletter to launch Low-cost Launch Tactics for a New Author Blog tours Newsletter swaps Goodreads giveaways Library Thing giveaways Newsletter Connect with authors in genre groups Lower price Paid newsletter promos Small-to-medium Budget Launch Tactics: Newsletter giveaway like Booksweeps Paid newsletter promos Ads, like a small Amazon ads Big budget Launch Tactics: Facebook ads Newsletter swaps Discount previous books in the series Bonus Launch Tips: Focus on getting your book in front of the right readers Learn/use one ad platform at a time Pick about three things to focus on for your launch (don’t try to do all the things) so you’re not so scattered and so you can track results Backmatter matters -- make sure it’s up-to-date and include link to next book/second epilogue/etc Goodreads giveaway sends an email on release day to everyone who entered your giveaway Jami’s Launch Plan: Use tagline in graphic teasers/promo images Shared prologue/early chapters Release paperback a week ea, call Author Central to merge ebook and paperback, and then readers can post review--you’ll have reviews on the sales page when the book launches Add “follow” links (Bookbub, Goodreads, Amazon, etc) to promo and those sites will send a new release alert Preorder email on Bookbub Contact authors in genre and ask if they will share and if they want an Advance Review Copy Giveaways in author groups to create buzz Remind readers of release date so they can post a review if they’d like Segment newsletter list and email over several days, then mail to unopens Sara’s Out-of-the-Box Launch Tactics for a First-in-Series Book: Set up a print preorder through Ingram Spark Send opening chapters to readers over weeks leading up to release to get them hooked on story Blog tours give you reviews and quotes you can use for graphics and editorial reviews Book box giveaway Advance Review Copies sent to reviewers Kobo Netgalley promotion Bookbub New Release Feature Staggered Audiobook release Long preorder on Book 2 so readers could order immediately when they finished Book 1 Patreon Amazon ad - low-budget auto-targeted Sara’s launch philosophy: pull out all the stops with Book 1; subsequent book launch -- quieter launch, focuses on sale on Book 1 to pull readers into the series Genres discussed include romance, romantic suspense, cozy mystery, and historical mystery. Links: Wish I’d Known Then Facebook Group Canva Book Box episode on the Science Fiction and Fantasy Marketing Podcast Jami’s Launch Plan How to Set up a Print Preorder on Ingram Spark
Today on the show Jodi breaks down five of the most common book marketing mistakes she sees author-entrepreneurs make. If you can avoid these mistakes, you’ll have a leg up in the book marketing game. Mistake #1: Starting too late The cliche is true: It’s never too early to start marketing your book. Even before the book is finalized, you have material to share: the title, the fact that you’re writing a book, your launch date, the cover, early reviews, and more. If you wait until your book is published to start marketing, you’ve waited too long. Mistake #2: Not focusing your efforts Just as you don’t market your business to everyone out there, it makes no sense to market your book to everyone. Hopefully before you ever started writing you identified your ideal readers. Focus your marketing efforts on those people, wherever they are. Mistake #3: Blowing off Amazon Uploading your book to Amazon and crossing your fingers isn’t a smart rule of thumb. Take advantage of what they offer as far as categories and keywords, and utilize your Author Central page, as a complement to your marketing efforts. Mistake #4: Not planning for all phases of the book launch Having a launch party is fun and a great idea, but book marketing is much more than a party on pub day. You need to think strategically and have activities for all phases of your book launch: pre-launch, launch, and post-launch. Pre-launch, you’re doing activities like sharing the book cover on social media, sending book updates to your email list, and building buzz. During the launch phase itself, you’re using your launch cheerleaders to help spread the word that the book is available. After the book has been available for a while, you’re in post-launch and your tasks include things like sharing positive reviews/testimonials with your audience and offering a holiday or anniversary discount or bonus. Mistake #5: Needing more reviews Book reviews don’t affect your rankings, but they CAN affect your sales and visibility. Book reviews are essentially the online version of word-of-mouth. Listen here or on your favorite podcast player, and let me know what you think! Other resources for you Don't make these 5 book marketing mistakes (https://www.jodibrandoneditorial.com/blog/dont-make-these-5-book-marketing-mistakes) Book Launch Phases - http://www.jodibrandoneditorial.com/write-publish-market-podcast/episode-27-book-launch-phases Hosting a Book Launch Party Hosting a Book Launch Party (https://www.jodibrandoneditorial.com/blog/hosting-a-book-launch-party)
Over the last 12 years, Carol McManus has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs, speakers and authors reach new markets using innovative methods of marketing, branding and social media. She prides herself on staying up to date on information that help her clients be more successful. Now, today, she'll be sharing how to drive book sales and build your own e-mail lists, using the back door secrets at Amazon. Screw The Commute Podcast Show Notes Episode 263 How To Automate Your Business - https://screwthecommute.com/automatefree/ Internet Marketing Training Center - https://imtcva.org/ Higher Education Webinar – https://screwthecommute.com/webinars 03:13 Tom's introduction to Carol McManus 08:18 Amazon is the biggest player in the ebook market 12:20 Kindle Direct Publishing (formally CreateSpace) 18:16 Use keywords in Amazon's book description 21:09 Set up your Author Central page 27:01 Amazon and readers love series of books 29:01 Customer reviews and social proof 33:09 Back door secrets 47:01 Sponsor message 49:17 Get what you know out there Entrepreneurial Resources Mentioned in This Podcast Higher Education Webinar - https://screwthecommute.com/webinars Screw The Commute - https://screwthecommute.com/ Screw The Commute Podcast App - https://screwthecommute.com/app/ College Ripoff Quiz - https://imtcva.org/quiz Know a young person for our Youth Episode Series? Send an email to Tom! - orders@antion.com Have a Roku box? Find Tom's Public Speaking Channel there! - https://channelstore.roku.com/details/267358/the-public-speaking-channel How To Automate Your Business - https://screwthecommute.com/automatefree/ Internet Marketing Retreat and Joint Venture Program - https://greatinternetmarketingtraining.com/ Author Central - https://authorcentral.amazon.com Carol's website - http://ckcglobalmedia.com Via email: carol@ckcglobalmedia.com Internet Marketing Training Center - https://imtcva.org/ Related Episodes Learning and Working from Home - https://screwthecommute.com/262/ More Entrepreneurial Resources for Home Based Business, Lifestyle Business, Passive Income, Professional Speaking and Online Business I discovered a great new headline / subject line / subheading generator that will actually analyze which headlines and subject lines are best for your market. I negotiated a deal with the developer of this revolutionary and inexpensive software. Oh, and it's good on Mac and PC. Go here: http://jvz1.com/c/41743/183906 The Wordpress Ecourse. Learn how to Make World Class Websites for $20 or less. https://www.GreatInternetMarketing.com/wordpressecourse Join our Private Facebook Group! One week trial for only a buck and then $37 a month, or save a ton with one payment of $297 for a year. Click the image to see all the details and sign up or go to https://www.greatinternetmarketing.com/screwthecommute/ After you sign up, check your email for instructions on getting in the group.
Welcome to the Courageous Entrepreneur Show. This is the show that shares information and inspiration to help you break free from self-doubt, limiting beliefs, and disempowering patterns and break through to create the thriving, successful business you dream of and deserve. The show features interviews with entrepreneurs who've overcome amazing challenges to create success on their terms and experts who share insight and practical information to help you move forward with courage, confidence, and clarity so you consistently reach your biggest goals. Some of the links below may be affiliate links. That means if you click through and make a purchase I may make a small commission as a thank you. It doesn't impact the price you pay. It's my way of generating gas money for my long trips back home to South Jersey. Show Notes If you're an entrepreneur, freelancer, solo professional who is also a former employee, the chances are very good that you've experienced some form of trauma at your past job. Whether you've worked for abusive bosses or you've worked with difficult or even bullying peers, the chances are very good that you've experienced some type of emotional trauma at work and there's also a good chance that trauma scarred you in some way. In this episode,Tracey Maxfield recounts her experience with severe workplace bullying and how she's using her experience to help children around the world. Tracey is a nurse with over 37 years' experience. She is certified in gerontology and dementia care and is a regular guest on well-known author and radio host Peter Rosenberger's show Hope For the Caregiver on WLAC and iHeart Radio in Nashville, Tennessee. Tracey experienced her first episode of clinical depression in her twenties and lived with chronic depression ever since. However, nothing prepared her for the acute depressive episode she experienced in 2015. After enduring years of intense work place stress, harassment and bullying, she plummeted into an abyss of darkness, hopelessness and despair the likes of which she had never experienced before. Encouraged by a psychologist, Tracey started a blog, Escaping the Rabbit Hole - my life with depression, to better help her friends understand her depression. Over time, she began to heal and found that out of the darkness and despair, there is hope, there is life after depression. Since the release of the book (affiliate link) that grew out of her blog, Tracey has become a staunch advocate for mental illness and mental health awareness and bullying. She has met with children, teenagers and young adults to talk about bullying and mental illness and was one of the breakout presenters at the TEACH 2019 Conference in Jacksonville, Florida. Her website was recently awarded the silver medal for Best Author Website 2019 at the eLit Awards and her book is a top 10 finalist in the Non-Fiction category at the Author Academy Awards. Tracey has appeared in over 60 podcasts in the USA, Canada, New Zealand and UK, live radio shows and on ABC, NBC and FOX News. Her philosophy is to Engage children and teenagers, to Educate them about mental illness and bullying and to Empower them to develop confidence and skills to continue to move ahead in their own life journey. Born in Wales, U.K. Tracey moved to Canada in 1987. Escaping the Rabbit Hole my journey through depression is her first book and has received international rave reviews. Remember, my guests and I aren't giving you specific business, health, or life advice. The information we're sharing is for educational and entertainment purposes only. If you need help, be sure to seek out a trained professional whether it's a financial advisor, tax professional, business building support, or a physical or mental healthcare provider. If you feel triggered by anything in this episode please get help right away. And if you're concerned you may harm yourself call 911 or the emergency number in the country where you live. Listen in as Tracey shares: What the rabbit hole is and how she got there The reaction of her friends, family, and healthcare providers as she struggled to recover What finally helped her to begin to climb out of the hole And how she's making her mess her mission and how she's focusing on helping teens and children. As always, listen all the way to the end where I'll share your cocktail exercise and action step for this episode. Guest Contact Information Tracey's website Tracey's Author Central page on Amazon Tracey on social media Facebook Instagram Pinterest Twitter YouTube Resources Mentioned Tracey's book on Amazon Related Episodes How Organizational Life Conditions You to Struggle Out on Your Own Get Free Access to Past Episodes Like what you see and hear on The Courageous Entrepreneur? Get access to all the episodes from past seasons as well as bonus content when you sign up for The Vault. You'll get episodes emailed to you each week along with articles, tips, and information to help you get the courage, confidence, and clarity you need to get your business to the next level of success. Join the Courageous Success Community The Courageous Success Community is for introverted, mission-driven coach, consultant, or other service professionals with a big message and big mission to change the world. If you're ready to stand out and step up as a thought leader in your industry segment and to your target audience, but know you need and want help to stay focused on your core goals, then click to ask to join the group.
Have you ever wondered if should write under a pen name? Or why some authors choose to write using a pseudonym? In this post, you'll learn why you might want to write under a pen name (or not) and how to navigate having multiple pen names. A year ago, I tried an experiment. I found a genre that was selling well where I thought I could find success. I didn't really want to use my already-established email lists and social media, so I started almost completely from scratch. You can see how that worked out after one year in this post. (Spoiler alert: month to month it's up-and-down, but has been four figures--sometimes closer to five-figures--a month for over a year.) So why write under a pen name? For me personally, it was more about marketing and testing the waters than anything else. In terms of marketing, I have a few nonfiction business books under my own name. These are NOT the same genre as the clean romance I wanted to write as Emma St. Clair. That can provide a muddy brand and reader confusion. A new name seemed like a good option. To test the waters, I wanted to know if I could use the knowledge I've gained over the past however-many years in this online space to find success self-publishing without using my already-established platform. I'm actually about to launch a second pen name (Sullivan Gray) who will do Young Adult paranormal and contemporary books. I'm planning the same strategy as I used to launch Emma and we'll see how it goes. EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PEN NAMES Listen to Episode 169 - How and Why to Write Under a Pen Name WHY DO AUTHORS WRITE UNDER A PEN NAME? Authors might choose a pen name if the subject that they're writing about might cause conflict with their actual life. I've seen this a lot when authors write steamy romance and don't necessarily want their mom reading it. Some steamy romance authors also write clean romance and don't want any crossover. In this case, authors will be very careful to keep their pen name completely apart and separate from everything else they write. It's a lot more hidden. Authors might choose a pen name if they write in multiple, unrelated genres. This is the main reason I chose a pen name. When we shop online, we don't realize how many quick snap decisions we make on things. Having a pen name can keep ultimate clarity in terms of branding. Are my sweet romance books that different from my Christmas devotionals or my book on email lists? No... but the readers aren't the same. The crossover is likely minimal at best. And when a reader glances at my author name and the books that customers also bought on the Amazon sales page, it presents a problem to see unrelated books. It would be confusing to see a romance book next to a book on business. Readers need quick and easy cues with clean author branding. Whenever you're as big as Stephen King or JK Rowling, you could write whatever and people will buy it. (Big authors still sometimes write under pen names!) But when you're starting out, it's much easier to have one author name PER GENRE for crystal clear marketing and branding. I've seen personally how well this has worked for me and I've also seen authors struggle trying to keep multiple unrelated genres under one name as they start out. It was HARD. Some people in the space (whom I really respect) say that you don't need to worry about a pen name. I disagree when it comes to branding and marketing, but if you want to see another side to this, check out a post by Anne R. Allen. WHEN SHOULD YOU NOT USE A PEN NAME? Amazon will only let you have three pen names under one Author Central account. It isn't TERRIBLE to have multiple pen names (more on that below), but if you can keep things easy, DO. If you're writing books that are related or might have a larger crossover audience, then don't do a pen name. An example might be writing clean romance and clean romantic suspense. These are the same steam level in terms of sexual content (which matters to readers), though the audiences might not be a 100% match. That said, my Emma St. Clair clean romance books will have a similar steam level to my YA content, BUT the YA books will have more violence and intense action. Some have paranormal elements. The crossover might be there (I read both genres!) but it's going to be a way smaller number. Just look at what these different covers convey! You can see how these are likely not the same audiences, right? Everything from the color to the tone of these book covers sends signals to the readers, even subconsciously. Pen name = good plan. If you don't NEED a pen name and already have an established brand or public-facing name that you could use, don't create more work for yourself. If you don't care as much about branding and sales and just want to write for the love of it, put it all under your name. If you have a HUGE platform under your name and people will buy whatever you write, then don't worry about a pen name. If you know it would be easier to write under pen names but you can't handle the idea of juggling them all, you might want to consider not writing under pen names. HOW DO YOU HANDLE MULTIPLE PEN NAMES TECHNICALLY SPEAKING? Speaking for Amazon, you can create up to three pen names under one author central account. That means that you'll be getting paid in the same place and don't need to worry about technicalities or weird legal stuff. Publicly, they are separate. Privately on the back end, they're all under your account. That said, some people want more separation even than THAT. This post talks about ways to find more separation. If you want to know how to set up a new pen name in an author central account, here's a brief video I made walking you through the process. WHAT DO YOU NEED IN TERMS OF AUTHOR PLATFORM FOR A PEN NAME? Now we're getting into the nitty-gritty of what it takes to juggle multiple pen names. It's less than you think! This also may vary wildly depending on how you want to promote books. With my pen names, I'm not very actively blogging (if at all). I don't post much on a Facebook page or Twitter. My main focus was email list (which sells more books), a FB page for ads, and a FB reader group. My basic suggestions for a pen name: Set up an email list (this is my main focus) Set up a web page with yourauthorname dot com or something similar Set up a Facebook page (so you can run ads) Set up ONE social media account that you'll use (this could just be the Facebook page) Important note about Facebook: It's against Facebook's terms of service to have two personal profiles (where you add friends vs a business page where you get "likes"). Don't create a personal profile for your pen name! You could get completely booted from Facebook. A page may not see a lot of organic growth or reach, but if you want to create ads, you need a page. Plus you can use a small page with few likes to market to a broad audience. That's really not that much to do. For one of my pen names, I own AuthorSullivanGray.com, but if you go there, you'll just get a landing page to sign up for my email list. I don't have a full web page set up. I focused on growing my email list through Bookfunnel and other author promos and I send weekly content to subscribers. I barely post on my Facebook page, but do run ads. My social media focus is Facebook groups and I am working to build active reader groups where I share my books, teasers or bonus content, other people's books, and have discussions. HOW DO CHOOSE A PEN NAME? I think it's a good idea to check your genre. For some, gender (or perceived gender) may send a signal to consumers. (Joanna Penn talks about that in this post under #3.) I personally chose names I liked that fit more with the genres. Emma is like everyone's BFF. You can't hate Emma! So of course, she writes sweet romance. Sullivan is a great name. (We almost used it for our fifth daughter!) It's tough, cool name that generally is a last name. Because it's not as common as a first name, I think it probably might speak to being a guy's name, but could be either. This felt like a great, edgy pen name for my more intense YA. Dave Chesson at Kindlepreneur has a great post on choosing a pen name. DO YOU NEED TO CREATE A WHOLE PRETEND PERSON FOR YOUR PEN NAME? The answer to this goes back to whether or not you're trying to keep things separate for marketing purposes or SECRET. If you just want some separation, then it doesn't matter as much if you use the same photo or you have the same bio. If you're trying to keep it a secret, then you'll want to consider how to handle the personal info, bio, and images for that person. I like to create a PERSONA for my pen names. Emma St. Clair is still me. It's just the part of me focused more on clean romance than the part of me that loves sarcasm and shows like Arrested Development. In my Emma emails, I don't talk about my love for horror movies, but focus on romantic comedies or Hallmark romances. Emma isn't untrue, but is more an edited bit of who I am. We all have a lot of facets to our personality, so for me, I let the pen names shine a light on a facet that relates to the genre. Some people might be fine with creating a fake person, but it's hard to keep secrets in the digital age. Just be aware of that. I'd be fine for anyone to know that Kirsten is Emma is Sullivan. If you'd like get a fun avatar made for your pen name, I've used this artist on Fiverr and been really happy with their work. So... do you need a pen name? Maybe. Maybe not. I think there are strong reasons to create pen names for clear branding and marketing in different genres, especially if you are newer. I don't think you have to do a ton of work to create a pen name. Keep it streamlined and simple. Don't feel like you have to be all the places all the time. Do what sells books. One day, my own personal brand might be a large enough umbrella to house everything, but for now, I'll keep my own name and the two pen names to write and publish books across multiple genres. For more discussion on this and other topics, join the Create If Writing Facebook group! Want to get weekly news, tips and tools? Subscribe to the weekly Quick Fix email.
March 7th was the 20th anniversary of her car accident. She was left with a Traumatic Brain Injury and other injuries. During the recovery process, she was flooded with memories she had suppressed about abusive childhood. She ended up having a nervous breakdown dealing with those memories and the emotional scars the experience left. The conclusion she came to is we all develop strategies to deal with whatever we go through in our lives and at some point, those strategies -- that helped us to survive -- begin to actively hold us back because they no longer serve us or serve where we are now in our lives. Her examples would include things like perfectionism....an avoidant conflict style....to name a couple. Once she came to that realization she was able to begin the process of healing from my emotional wounds and taking control back over her life. The workbook that helped her begin the process of healing from abuse: http://www.ascasupport.org/_downloads/survivor_to_thriver.pdfThis is the author / therapist who helped her. It's her Author Central page where all of her books and other resources are: https://www.amazon.com/Beverly-Engel/e/B000APNBP6%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_shareWinnie's links:website - http://WinnieAnderson.comFacebook business page - https://www.facebook.com/couageoussuccess/FB personal page - https://facebook.com./winnie.anderson1FB group for introverted, mission-driven entrepreneurs -- https://www.facebook.com/groups/courageoussuccesscommunity/ (She shares information, tips, resources, and do free mini trainings in there)Podcast - The Courageous Entrepreneur Show - on iTunes is at http://thecouragepodcast.comHer YT channel -- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-rPYOY1GV7GGr7G3ug9EWAAnd my Amazon Author Central link: https://www.amazon.com/Winnie-Anderson/e/B00BWYKDA0?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2&qid=1558805852&sr=1-2She working on a couple of books and the next one is likely to be "Courageous Success" Thanks for listening. Please hit the subscribe button, tell a friend, or give us a rating. It helps the show to be seen. The show can be found on Itunes, Google Play, Castbox, Spotify, TuneIn, Podbean or anywhere a podcast can be heard. You can View some of the shows from our Live Stream here: https://www.youtube.com/user/AGPfacecast Don't forget, we have a phone number for you to leave a voice mail. 361-433-5739 Today's episode is brought to you by M&C Designs and The Wizards Workshop. Music is by XTaKeRuX and from his Beyond The Grave Album Do you want $5.00 for FREE??? Of course, you do! Download the Cash App today and you will receive $5.00 TODAY for using it. The best thing about the cash app is that for every referral you send, you'll get $5.00. Also, Boosts. Do you drink coffee? How about getting $1 off your cup of coffee every time you use the Cash App at your favorite coffee shop, like Starbucks or save 10% on your next purchase at Chick-Fil-A Download the Cash App today and they will send you $5.00 free and they send you and your friends $5.00 for every referral, just for trying it. Sign up Today and receive your very own Cash App Debit Card. http://cash.me/app/CQTCSSW
Copy That Pops: Writing Tips and Psychology Hacks for Business
Wanna see what it looks like to be a #1 bestselling author on your launch day? I pull back the curtain! Read (and watch) below for the 9 spots to look for proof you got bestseller...SEE it in action the day that my private client Mark Wills went live with his book! 9 Spots to Get Social Proof That Your Book Hit Bestseller on Amazon [the video!] In last week’s episode I revealed my big SECRET...which, if you missed it, is that I am pregnant! Due September 20th. My husband and I do know the gender at this point, but we are keeping that a secret until after the baby shower. I do not want a pink or blue explosion of gender-stereotypical decor and gifts. Also, if we have a girl, her name will be gender-neutral or something often used for boys. So, her name will not be anything like Laura, Michelle, Ashley, Monica, or the like. Fun fact. ;) As I shared in episode 177 about being pregnant, super sick and tired all the time, and needing to cut back on things to get more efficient in my business, I mentioned repurposing. So, I thought to try that for this podcast episode. On April 23rd, a private client of mine named Mark Wills went live with his book on Amazon...which you can find it directly from the link CopyThatPops.com/mark … and he hit #1 bestseller in over 12 categories in the U.S. I sat down the evening of his launch to record an updated video for my Bestselling Book Accelerator showing my clients in that effective group program both what it looks like to be a bestseller and the 9 spots to get screenshots to prove your feat. Recently, I’ve heard that none of my competitors in this space are teaching that! I have since day one when I first launched my group program in June of 2017, but it was time for another update of the screenflow, since Amazon does make updates to how things look. Long story short, this episode is the stripped audio from that video tutorial. If, as you listen, you wish you could SEE what I am showing on the screen, just head back to the shownotes at CopyThatPops.com/178 and you’ll find an embedded video there of the exact same content, but with the visuals. I hope it’s a useful episode even with audio only, but the video is available to you for free, even if you are not yet in the Accelerator! Without further ado...let’s jump in! ----------- 9 Spots to Get Social Proof That Your Book Hit Bestseller on Amazon [the list!] Book’s Individual Page 1. Look on book's actual page for rankings (under "Product Details") for the three categories it is in. Note: You can get tech support to put you into up to 10 you choose. #BookHack! 2. Look at the top of your book's page for a flag too! Note: May take longer to appear and it is not guaranteed. Note: #1 New Release easier/faster to get than Best Seller Book’s Category Pages 3. Look on each of the categories' pages for rankings and side by side comparison shots with your competitors' books. 4. Look at the "Hot New Release" rankings for side by side comparison shots with your competitors' books. 5. Look at other countries Amazon pages at #1-4 above Note: You can easily access your book in other countries through KDP 6. Then, check ‘up’ in the Parent Categories for how you rank in more competitive listings. Note: Even if you do not rank as well, the books around you may be very cool and photo-worthy! Search 7. Do an Amazon search for your author name or name of your book and look for the flags there! Author Page 8. Look on your Author Central author page for the flags there Mobile - BONUS! 9. Get the same shots, but from mobile to share! WHAT TO DO NEXT? Save all screenshots in a folder Use Skitch to ‘mark them up’ Share on social! Hope this audio repurposing was helpful to you. Pop over to CopyThatPops.com/178 to see the full video with screenflow! And, if you want to learn more about the Accelerator, visit CopyThatPops.com/Accelerator [special offer!] Talk to you again next time when we’ll find more ways to write a book and copy that pops! Take Action Now! TRAINING on hitting Amazon bestseller [free] COMMUNITY of new and growing nonfiction authors! [free] GROUP COURSE: How to write a great book & hit bestseller! [not free ;)]
If you're about to write a book, are writing a book, or about to publish a book, Candy Zulkosky is going to tell you how book launches work and why they need to start from the moment you have a concept for your book. She talks about the timeline for a book launch, from getting a cover to getting testimonials from your audience. You'll also learn: Why a book launch starts before the book is completed How to get your book cover and what comes next Building a community for your book launch Where to focus your social media strategy Producing a media kit Why it's important to have a separate website for your book How to co-ordinate a successful launch day Choosing your launch date What is a good frequency for emailing and posting to your audience The importance of asking for testimonials Setting up an Author Central page on Amazon How long you should keep promoting your book The importance of having people to support you as you write your book
Welcome to the Courageous Entrepreneur Show. This is the show that shares information and inspiration to help you break free from self-doubt, limiting beliefs, and disempowering patterns and break through to create the thriving, successful business you dream of and deserve. I'm your host Winnie Anderson. The show features interviews with entrepreneurs who've overcome amazing challenges to create success on their terms and experts who share insight and practical information that can help you get past your blocks and move forward with courage, confidence, and clarity. The show is available in both video and audio formats on a variety of platforms including iTunes, I Heart Radio, in the Google Play store, on You Tube and on my website. If you like what you hear I hope you'll share the show with others and I hope you'll decide to join my community. You can become a fan of the show on my site at Winnie Anderson.com/fans. When you do you'll get episodes delivered right to your inbox along with information, tips, and resources to help you consistently move forward with courage, confidence, and clarity. I want to help you position and pre-sell yourself as the unique solution provider you are, and ultimately to profit from your expertise as you build a business in alignment with your faith, beliefs, and values. Show Notes: When you become self-employed you embark on the most intense – and expensive – personal development program ever. Often we discover issues we never realized we had or issues we thought we dealt with come roaring back to life. That can especially be true about money. And it's especially true for women. I've wrestled with my own issues around money including pricing my services appropriately, making good money decisions as a business owner, and understanding the financial elements of running and growing a business. I had a past guest on to discuss this. Justin Krane talked about pricing your services and we talked a bit about mindset but I wanted to take the topic deeper since I know how important it is. That's where the idea came from to have today's guest on the show. Robyn Crane is a money and business growth expert on a mission to empower committed and passionate women business owners to make more money and help more people, so they can have a bigger impact on the world. Through her seminars, and FEMM Mentorship program, Robyn helps them attract qualified leads, close high paying clients, and optimize their time, so they can create their ideal business and life. Listen in as Robyn talks about: Mindset and the role it plays in profitability The role confidence plays in achieving results The challenge of changing your old limiting beliefs How to borrow the beliefs of others to strengthen your own The money patterns we develop through our lives and how they can limit us and help us break through Understanding your money mask Robyn also shares her own story of how she became a money coach and built a thriving, multi-six figure business after being more than 40 thousand dollars in debt As always, be sure to listen all the way to the end where I'll share your cocktail exercise and action step for this episode. Guest Contact Information Robyn's website Robyn on Social Media Facebook Twitter YouTube Robyn's books: Robyn's Author Central page on Amazon has all her books listed
Born in London, Tony Halker studied geology at Leeds University after which he worked as a geologist, travelling extensively overseas. Following an MBA at Cranfield School of Management, he became a manager in hi-tec business. The introduction of new technology threatens to upend the way of life in a Celtic Druid society as conflicting loyalties pit tribes against one another in this lyrical historical fiction from debut author. The Learn is heavily inspired by nature. www.tonyhalker.com Things to remember: Set up your Amazon author page at Author Central. You can do this for several countries. This also is where you can ensure that all of your books are available, add editorial reviews, your bio, and more. Write an intriguing book blurb. There are tons of resources available so that you can learn to do this. Don't pay someone to do it for you; you need to learn this skill in order to sell your books. The time to begin writing your next book is yesterday. A single book rarely gets you noticed.
Synopsis Amazon provides two very powerful and easy-to-use tools to get our books in front of millions of potential readers and buyers. Together these two tools help form the basic foundation of an author's marketing plan. So, to help get you to start taking advantage of Amazon's benefits, here is a quick look at the two best marketing and selling tools on Amazon that can help make your book a financial success. What You Will Learn In This Post 1. You will learn about the two most important Amazon marketing tools that are available to authors. 2. You will learn how to use these tools, in conjunction with your blog and social media accounts, to create a powerful and profitable marketing program. 3. You will learn some of the different aspects of each tool, and how they can work together to make you more money from your books. Introduction As an author and self-publisher, it's absolutely essential that you have a presence on Amazon. And luckily for us, Amazon provides a very powerful and easy way to get our books in front of millions of potential readers and buyers. Even if you use a traditional book-publishing company to publish your book, you still need to have a presence on Amazon. Especially if you expect to sell any books. It's by far the largest book retailer in the world. Amazon has more market presence, more marketing power, a better website, faster delivery speed, and better customer service than any other big company in America. So, to help get you to start taking advantage of Amazon's benefits, here is a quick look at the two best marketing and selling tools on Amazon that can help make your book a financial success: AMAZON BOOK MARKETING TOOL # 1. Amazon Author Central This is the main page for authors in which Amazon allows you to provide your profile, add a video and photos, and link to your blog's feed. This powerful feature is like having an extra webpage devoted to you and your book. Here you'll also be able to track your book sales and see all of your customer reviews. Using Author Central, in conjunction with your blog, will create a very powerful way to market yourself and your book. Having a blog, and an Author Central account, are the very least that you should have for a basic marketing plan for your book. Here Are Some Of The Best Features Of This Tool: Thank you to Joel Friedlander of the BookDesigner.com for linking to this article from his website Carnival Of The Indies #30A. Look-Inside-The-Book This feature allows shoppers to read parts of your book – such as 10%, or 20%, and so on. The reader can see your cover, table of contents, index, foreword, introduction, and parts of different chapters. By applying this feature to your book, a buyer can feel more comfortable when choosing to buy your book over another. If you don't use this Amazon feature, you'll dramatically hurt your book sales. B. Connect Your Blog Feed As an author, it's absolutely essential that you have a blog. This is where you can discuss your book, and anything related to your particular topic. On your Author Central Page simply type in your blog's feed (RSS or Atom). Amazon will display a short portion of your most recent blog postings, which will appear on your Author Page that shoppers can view. By doing this, shoppers will be able to quickly visit your blog and see who you are, and what you care about. Thank you very much to Washington Romance Writers of DC for posting and linking to my article.C. Customer Reviews It's imperative that you get reviews posted on Amazon. The more the better. But for the biggest impact, try to get as many positive reviews as possible posted on Amazon during the first few weeks your book initially appears on Amazon. These first weeks can be crucial to help give your book the higher ranking it needs to help attract more buyers early on. Never stop asking for book reviews from as wide a variety of people as possible. From different demographics,
We're going to be talking about templates today. Something that I love, and I know you love as well. It's a great way to take your business in a new direction that, perhaps, you haven't considered before. So, that's what we're going to focus on. Benefits to Offering Templates in Your Business I think it's important to recognize, first of all, that we as human beings are hardwired to respond to templates. I mean, after all, we are based on templates. DNA, right? Everything that surrounds us falls into some sort of template. We may not think about it that way, but the fact remains. Anything that takes a long process, a long series of steps to do, over and over, repetitive-wise, can be turned into templates. Anything that is outside your wheelhouse, like maybe designing a book cover... You're not a graphic designer, or whatever, but you want to have something professional-looking. You can accomplish that using a template. So templates, across the board, save us time and save us energy, they save us effort, and that's one of the reasons why I refer to templates as "the perfect product type", because of those reasons alone. We love saving time, money, and effort. That's really it. Imagine taking product development, from that perspective. You have customers, regardless of what business you're in. How can you help them save time, save money, save effort? Even McDonalds, their hamburgers are made using templates. The process is a template. Actually, the hamburgers are too. They may not be the best hamburgers, but they are still made using templates. Why? Because out of the hundreds of thousands of McDonalds stores, restaurants, they want the hamburgers to be the same. It's a form of branding. You know, you want predictability. So, templates give us that opportunity. Part of my career past was that of a cover designer. I worked in the publishing industry for 20 years as a book cover designer. So, it's easy for me to create a professional-looking cover. I've done it hundreds of times, but for a new upcoming writer/author who wants to publish their book, they don't want it to look like crap. It won't sell. But, they don't know anything about designing a book cover. If I, as a designer, create a template that they can follow and just plug in their information, now all of the sudden, for a fraction of the cost and a fraction of the time, they have a professional-looking book cover that they can be proud of. It will boost their sales. It will boost their following. You know, all of that. I think that's just the beauty of working with templates. Let's say you want to start a new LLC, a new company. You go to MyCorporation.com. What do you do? You fill in a template, and you pay a nice chunk of money for that template, but still, it just speeds up the process. Imagine having to fly across the country, and sit down with an attorney, and fill out all of that stuff manually, face to face. Holy crap! We'd never do it. So, it just saves us so much time, and not only that, think about what you have in your business. What are people asking again, and again, and again? What are they communicating with you like, "It's so hard for me to do X." You know, or "I'm having a lot of trouble doing Y." What are those things in customer support, or in FAQs, or in your Facebook group, or whatever, that people are struggling with? How easy would it be to help them to provide better support and create a new product by creating templates that help them solve that problem? Another thing, like courses, they can take days, if not weeks, to put together. Templates you could bang out in an afternoon. A couple of hours and then you're done. I love that feature. That's why I say that it's such a win-win at so many levels. Identifying and Developing a Template or Template Bundle You know, we have our friend Felicia Slattery. Felicia is a speaker, trainer, and she's brilliant. She's coached me on my speaking, teaching on webinars, and all of that. She noticed something starting to occur within her business where people were wanting to get more speaking gigs, and she teaches how to do that. In order to professionally reach out to groups and reach out to organizations, and places like that where a speaker would want to be, folks were struggling. They didn't know how to make that connection. She's like, "You need a one-sheet. You need a way to communicate what your speech is, and where you've been featured, and who you are as a person, and all of that." They just really weren't sure how to accomplish that. So, Felicia had the great idea, "You know what? I could create a series of templates that people could just fill in the blank, and all they would have to do is put in their information, what the name of their speech is, their bio, their photo, and so on. Then, they could pick colors, they could make it look professional, and Boom! Done!" She set out to do that. She created a series of templates. I believe there were four or five. It was one basic template, and then she changed the colors. Ten different colors, and now instead of five different templates, there's 50 different templates, or whatever the case may be. But, it was just different colors. People loved it. Talk about creating a service. She had never done anything like that before. She had never created templates like that before. Coming from something that was a little bit outside of her wheelhouse, because she normally teaches speaking, but saw that need, provided a solution to that need, in the form of templates, and now all of the sudden, here's this little product that turns into a $15,000 payday for her. The other side of that being how she did with it. I remember whenever she released them, people tagging her on Facebook with a screenshot of their speaker template that they just created for their own thing, and it was fun to watch. It was fun to see people achieving that level of success so quickly, when they didn't have any idea what to even do before those templates were out. It's such a great example of what can be done, very quickly, just by identifying a problem and then producing a template to solve that problem. Step 1 - Identify What Your Customers Are Asking For The first step is to identify what your customers are asking for. What are the sticking points for your clients and your customers? You need to be looking at things like your FAQs, and what people are mentioning on your support desk, and on your support emails, and what they struggling with as communicating on social media, etc. That's essentially Step 1, and then the second step is to create a template that sort of fills that gap you have identified. Step 2 - Create a Template That Fills in the Gap One thing that I want to point out is that you should ask yourself what you would need to experience success whenever you are identifying what to create. As the template creator, one thing that you would really need to be aware of, and conscious of, is that when you are really good at something, like cover design or whatever the case may be, the process can become invisible to us, where we think it's easy when it's not. You want to even think about templates from that perspective. "Oh yeah, I can whip up a cover in no time," and somebody else, they're like, "What? I got nothing." They think it looks pretty, and well, we won't say what it looks like. So, what would a template look like to accomplish that? We're not talking about step-by-step training, but we're talking fill-in-the-blank, is really it. You know, what blanks need to be filled in order for your customer to experience the results that they want? You talk about Real Fast Results. That's the name of this podcast. How will someone achieve real fast results from a template that you're creating. What are those blanks that have to be filled in? Templates are all really unique. Felicia's templates are perfect for speakers, and that's what they were created for. But, quite frankly, authors could use them to advertise their books, coaches could use them to advertise their coaching service, and on and on it goes. Real estate agents could honestly use it to talk about what markets they're in and that kind of thing. So, there's a lot of adaptability there, and that's the other facet of templates. Don't pigeonhole them to the point where, "Oh, you've got to only use it this way." You know, our job is to create a framework where people can be flexible. Adding Templates to Your Business Decide what kind of template will best serve your audience. Of course, there's the creation process. You have to create that template. There's a number of programs that I like to "play in," so to speak, when it comes to template creation because a lot of the templates that I work with are information-driven. Tools to Develop Templates My favorite, probably, is PowerPoint. That's the same program that Felicia used for her templates. It's really easy to set up, to modify the data, and so on. Microsoft Word could be another example, because Word documents are very easy to fill in. Even Adobe Acrobat, you can use to create some pretty cool templates. From a cover design perspective, I've created some templates using Photoshop, which of course is the #1 image editor on the planet. But, I've also created them in PowerPoint. So, it's identifying the tool. Now, something to keep in mind here, with the tools, it depends on who your audience is. You don't want the tool that they need to use to modify the template to be cost-prohibitive, or require a steep learning curve, or those kinds of things. It's usually a good idea to include some sort of instruction on how to modify the templates, but you can get PowerPoint as part of the Office 365 Suite for $10 a month. You know? And, if you really don't want to do that, you can get OpenOffice for free. So, there's a lot of flexibility in using a presentation-style software for creating your templates because... free, $10, I mean, whatever... It's available to pretty much anybody, and it's pretty easy to figure out. So that would be the next step. Free Templates Vs. Paid Templates If you go to the Microsoft website, where they have Office, you'll notice that they have hundreds of templates there that you can download and use for free, which begs the question, "Yeah, if my customers can go to Microsoft, or other places, and find templates for free, why on earth would they buy templates from me?" And, it's a good question; it's valid. I've never let that stop me. To me, it's a non-issue that the templates are available for free because they aren't mine. They aren't my templates. So, whenever you're buying templates from me, or from whomever, you're not just buying a template that you can download somewhere. You're buying expertise, you're buying insight, you're buying business experience, professional results, and those kinds of things. You're not just selling a template. You are, but you're not. You're selling yourself. You're selling your results. That's a huge factor in it. Relationship certainly plays a role in that. Felicia certainly has a reputation of being a great speaker. She has spoken thousands upon thousands of times. So, she can draw upon those results and that experience to bake that into those templates. I've created nearly 600 book covers. That means I know a thing or two about book cover design, and I can bake that experience into my templates, and that's really what it comes from. That goes back to the question of, "What specialized knowledge do you have that will solve problems for your customers that could be turned into a template and save them time, money, and effort?" Step 3 - Sell Your Templates The last step is to make them available, to sell them, which is an obvious thing. I had a thought that I'd like to share really quickly just, again, to drive home an example. So, let's say that you serve the publishing industry, and you have a first-time author who wants to publish their book. What all do they need, as it comes to you as the publishing professional? Obviously, they need a book cover. They need the text of the book laid out. They need a website. They need branding. They should have an author one-sheet. They need a media kit, a book trailer, an Author Central page, a professional bio; you know, all of those things to help them promote their book, right? Every one of those, every single item, can be template-ized, and they should be. That's just one small market, and the same could be true of a myriad of markets. Learning More and Connecting with Tony I have put together a pretty stout on-demand webinar. It's available to you right now. You can head on over and register at RealFastTemplateProfits.com. The easiest way to connect with me would be to visit TonyLaidig.com. I've been working on redesigning my site, making it look pretty and functional. But, that's the best place. You'll get to learn more about me and see what I'm up to. My courses and trainings are all on there as well. Real Fast Results Community If you are diggin’ on this stuff and really love what we’re doing here at Real Fast Results, would you please do me a favor? Head on over to iTunes, and make sure that you subscribe to this show, download it, and rate & review it. That would be an awesome thing. Of course, we also want to know your results. Please share those results with us at http://www.realfastresults.com/results. As always, go make results happen!