Are you thinking about self-publishing? Find out what you need to know and the questions you should be asking when working with Print on Demand (POD) publishers to avoid rip offs and scams.

Don’t miss this informative free tele-class when VIP Authors founder and publishing consultant Shelley Lieber reveals:

• How to pick a POD publisher
• Two questions POD publishers don’t want you to ask, and why you MUST know this information

This class can help you save hours of time and thousands of dollars. Here’s how to get on the call:

Free Class*: ”Don’t Get Ripped Off: How to Make Informed Decisions when Self-Publishing

When: Wednesday, May 6, 2008 at 2 pm ET (1pm CT, 12pm MT, 11am PT)

Call Info: Dial (641) 715-3300. Enter Access Code: 171279#

* The class is free to attend, but long distance charges may apply.

When did you start your blog, Stories for Invisible Friends?

I officially started in Summer 2005 when I was moving from South Florida to take a faculty position as a history professor in Tallahassee.  Before that I had a website where I published the articles I wrote for parenting magazines.

Why did you start your blog?

The first time I heard the word “blog” and became aware of their existence was in Summer 2005 when I read about a New York Beauty editor/blogger losing her job for writing about work while at work.

Minutes after I read that article I followed a few links and had my own blog up.  I had no specific intentions, no desired audience. It felt very much like buying a new leather journal - exciting, inspiring, fresh and new.

What is the significance of turning 40 and posting your 1000th blog entry on the same day for you?

About two months ago when I logged on to Blogger,  I saw that I was at post 950, and decided to pace myself to hit 1,000 on my 40th birthday.

Honestly, I’m amazed at how effortlessly the stories have come, and how they show how my perspective and voice have evolved over the past three years.  One thousand sounds like a huge number, but really, it works out to less than a story a day, reflecting only a tiny corner of my life.

At first I thought I would write about turning 40, but I have a bigger story to write –  one that doesn’t involve me at all. It’s called “Hearts: Broken and Hopeful.”  (more…)

HARO (Help a Reporter Out), the brainchild of publicist Peter Shankman, is a must-have free subscription for any author or business person who wants easy access to fabulous publicity opportunities. Delivered by email three times per day, with anywhere from 15 to 40+ queries from journalists (which include print, Internet and broadcast media), HARO provides a seemingly unending supply of editors, bloggers and broadcasters looking for sources for their stories. In other words, they are looking for YOU.

Since the first time I mentioned this service in my newsletter about 6 weeks ago, I’ve had feedback from readers on their HARO successes. I’ve had a few of my own, too.

I submitted writing tips in response to queries from blogger Laurie Kienlen and my material, my book title plus links to my site were included in 3 blog posts: Best Writing Advice, Best Leads and Tips for Staying Motivated.

Feng Shui expert Pat Heydlauff responded to several queries and has scored a radio interview. Just this week she received an immediate positive response to a submission she sent to a New York-based magazine looking for Feng Shui experts to interview regarding “how harmonizing your bedroom/house will help relationship dynamics” for an article that will appear on its website, which gets over 400,000 unique hits monthly.

And the Queen of HARO award goes to survivor coach Paula Holland De Long, who has been quoted in Aventura Magazine, featured in a story on Capessa.com and interviewed by a national magazine and is awaiting confirmation that her segment will be used.

Have you had HARO success? Email me with your success and I’ll extend your coverage by mentioning it in this newsletter and on my blog. I’ve even posted tips on how to pitch or respond to a journalist’s query for those of you who need some help with your pitches. It doesn’t get much better than that. What are you waiting for? Let me know HARO you doing!

Back in the days when I toiled in advertising, those people who were locked in their offices, hunched over desks either writing copy or designing the layouts for the ads were called “creatives.” The “beautiful people” were the account execs who got to wine and dine the clients as part of their job to sign and keep the accounts.

And that is how “creative” can be perceived: The starving artist, reclusive writer and temperamental actor.

I don’t like clichés or stereotypes, so today’s myth-busting message is that authors can be both creative and entertaining. Here are three examples of writers who extended their imaginations past the page to the public’s eye.

The first two were clever enough to tie their work to the event foremost in most Americans’ minds right now–the presidential election.

Mark LaFlamme, author of the novel, Dirt: An American Campaign, put his protagonist, Frank Cotton, in the race with a website and blog for the fictitious character. Those who want to help promote Frank Cotton and the book can download a banner to post on their own websites or blogs and get the good deed reciprocated with their links listed on the “candidate’s” site as a Friend of Frank Cotton.

My client, Feng Shui expert Pat Heydlauff, wrote and posted a press release/article analyzing the colors worn by First Lady Laura Bush, Senator Hillary Clinton, Cindy McCain and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin during their presentations at the Democratic and Republican National Conventions. This was not a fashion article, but a commentary on how color helped deliver the speakers’ messages with respect to both the outfit and the contrast against the background. The article was picked up by newspapers around the country, with Pat’s short bio, website link and mention of her upcoming book, Feng Shui: So Easy a Child Can Do It.

Author Deb Sharp overcame her resistance to what she calls “shameless promotion” by poking fun of herself both in her personal blog and in Ask Mama, the blog she created for her title character in Mama Does Time and Mama Rides Shotgun. Deb has even created some radio essays for Tampa’s National Public Radio station WUSF-FM that detail the “horrors” she has faced getting ready to be a published author.

I could write a book (and maybe I will) about clever ways to promote yourself. But, you’re a writer, too, so you don’t need me to tell you how to be creative. Just get in the shower, take a walk, drive your car or whatever gets your muse working and think of ways to get your work in front of readers. And then send me your story so I can tell everyone here.

Do you have a publishing dream? Have you written it down? Articulated and visualized what publishing success means to you? Good! (I’m envisioning you all nodding your heads, “yes.”)

So, how’s it going? Are you closer than you were a year ago, or do you feel you’re spinning your wheels? (My guess is that my reading audience just split into two groups: one group is smiling, the other group is frowning.)

My “guess” is not a random supposition. After 30+ years of working with writers as an editor, consultant and publisher, I’ve seen many writers succeed while others fail. The difference between the groups is rarely due to talent alone. Successful authors share five traits that separate them from the wannabes. And, here they are:

The 5 Traits of All Successful Authors
1. Successful authors have a personal mission. Their writing stems from a deep need to share their personal passion with the world.

2. Successful authors are persistent. They do not let setbacks or rejection stop them. They develop an attitude of persistence rather than resistance.

3. Successful authors make educating themselves about their craft and the publishing industry part of their plan for success. They subscribe to trade magazines and ezines, attend writers’ conferences and workshops, and take writing classes or join writers’ critique groups.

4. Successful authors invest in coaching and other programs to get professional feedback on their work. They understand that critique is not criticism and are open to the feedback they receive.

5. Successful authors have an upbeat attitude. They don’t have a laundry list of excuses (circumstances) to explain why they are not successful. They understand they have to figure out a way around the obstacles and turn them into opportunities.

No one is born with these traits, but anyone can develop the characteristics of a successful author. It’s up to you to decide if you want to do the work. Choosing to put your efforts into other endeavors and enjoy your writing just for the pleasure of it is a perfectly acceptable decision. But, if you are driven to see your name in print or on a book cover, then start developing these traits and you will see your dreams come true.