Archive for the ‘Publishing’ Category

Reinvention is NOT limited to rockstar musicians!

• Send an email with your phone number and top three (3) day and time requests for next week only (Monday through Friday, November 1-5, 10am ET to 6pm ET).
• Please limit your time requests to the hour or half hour (10:00, 10:30, etc) and remember to request your appointment in Eastern Time.
• I’ll respond and confirm, assigning you to the  first availability on your list that is not already booked.
• You MUST include your phone number.

• The first mistake first-time authors make is they don’t identify their market. They don’t ask before they get started, “Who will buy my book?” Or worse, they think, “Everyone will want to buy my book.” You must identify and write to a specific audience to have a marketable product. Probably the number one thing many new authors do incorrectly is start to write about something they’re very passionate about without first finding out if there are enough people with the same interest who would buy the book.
• The second mistake first-time authors frequently make is not being aware of the costs involved and then over- or underspending. You might ask, “How can I underspend?” Well, you can underspend by thinking you can do it all yourself and not having a budget for an editor, cover designer or marketing assistance. You can overspend by not knowing the typical fees for these services in the marketplace and paying too much. If you spend too much on production or marketing, you may not be able to recoup your money with the sale of the book. So, it’s important to know what you will need and how much you should be spending on those services before you begin the process.
• The third mistake first-time authors make is not knowing how to determine whether to traditional-publish or self-publish. Not knowing the pros and cons of both avenues and choosing the wrong method wastes your time and money. For example, nonfiction authors who want to establish their credibility in the marketplace and position themselves as experts want to get the book on the market as soon as possible. They can’t afford to spend the time it can take going the traditional route, which could be up to four years to find an agent, publisher and wait out the publishing process. However, if you are writing literary fiction and getting reviews and acclaim from literary reviewers or perhaps being on the New York Times bestseller list is your goal, you may be best served to try the traditional route.
• The fourth mistake first-time authors make is they don’t have a marketing plan. Most people know not having a marketing plan when self-publishing is just dooming the book to failure. However, even if you have a publisher, you are expected to market yourself. Not many aspiring authors know this is important and they think the publisher is going to take care of marketing, so they don’t include that information with their submission proposals. But you can show you do know the “ins and outs” of publishing and how important marketing is by including a marketing plan with your proposal or novel submission. If you do, you’re going to set yourself apart and get closer to the head of the class.
• The fifth mistake first-time authors make is giving up too early, or giving up at any stage of the process. What blocks success in publishing (or any field) more than anything else is having the “I can’t” attitude. The whining: “I can’t speak in front of people.” “I can’t travel to seminars and conferences.” “I can’t find the time.” “I can’t start learning about how to market on the Internet.” You’ve heard those excuses. Hopefully you haven’t said them. But I’m sure you’ve heard them if you’ve gone to a writers group or a conference. Replace that attitude of resistance with an attitude of persistence. Successful authors find ways to say, “I can” and “I will.”

Many of these five mistakes are made as a result of misconceptions or myths that are typically held about the publishing business.

But, the truth is that EVERY mistake first-time authors make is a result of ONE big error. That error is attempting to write and publish a book without first learning about the process.   Writing is a passion. But publishing is a business. Successful authors learn the difference. Once educated, it’s easy to skip past the mistakes and misconceptions and start to cash in on the miracles. Miracles happen every day in the current publishing market, and the next one could be yours, if you decide to invest in your publishing success.

This article was excerpted from the 4Ps University curriculum,  Lesson 1, “The Mistakes, Myths and Miracles of Book Publishing.” If you’re ready to jump over the mistakes and myths and experience the miracles of publishing, get the education you need. 4Ps University is a 10-week home study course that can catapult you to the head of the class. Hurry, though. Registration closes on September 30, 2010. Review the entire curriculum here>>

Yesterday I made a big “Oops!” I got up early, wrote an reminder email about yesterday’s deadlines, put it in the queue to send and promptly hit “delete” instead of “send.” Oops.There is no retrieving emails deleted from the queue, and I didn’t have a back-up copy. Sigh.

Actually I did quite a bit more than sigh, but I’m not proud of my initial reaction, so let’s move on to where I am proud of my next steps. After I calmed down, I looked at the clock. I had about a half hour before I had to leave for a full day of much-needed fun and recreation.

I had two choices: skip the first activity and catch up with the others later, or skip sending out the reminder email. I chose the latter. I AM proud of that choice because too often I choose work over play, and I’ve made a conscious decision to balance all areas of my life.

Now, here’s the deal: We can all benefit from my mistake.

This photo is from the Festival...see what I mean about enjoying a day out? What fun!

I had a fabulous day out enjoying friends and a visit to LAAFF (Lexington Avenue Arts and Fun Festival) in downtown Asheville, I bought crystals, enjoyed the sites and discovered Kava (more on that in a future post).

And…

You get two extra days on the deadlines! I realize that notifying you today will eliminate those of you who won’t even open your computer until tomorrow, because YOU are out having fun! So, here’s the scoop:

Tuesday, September 7 is  the NEW deadline to:

Register for 4Ps University and save $100 >>

Sign up for a “Get Acquainted” consult at half price >>

Now we can all LAAFF at my oops!

Sometimes two heads are better than one!

Do you have 1 to 3 questions that need immediate attention?

This 30-minute live phone  session gives you the opportunity to resolve a writing, publishing or social media problem or just sample working with me without a long-term commitment. Audio recording and 30 days email follow up are included.

Purchase a consult by September 5 to be scheduled on the date of your choosing in September (subject to availability–these will book fast!)

Cost: Reg Price: $175

Only $87 (through 9/5/2010)

Instructions on how to submit your questions and schedule the call will be sent to you upon receipt of payment.

Other consulting packages here>>

Are you experiencing a heatwave where you live? We certainly are here in Asheville.   Although I do have to snicker just a bit. You see, after living in South Florida for 27 years and putting up with “heatwave conditions” daily from May through September, a few weeks of temps in the 90s and some moderate humidity seem like a minor inconvenience.

But, hot is hot. And here’s something else to heat you up…but in a good way! You can download the digital edition of 4Ps to Publishing Success, your step-by-step guide through the publishing process for F.R.E.E. right now.

I really mean “right now” because this fabulous opportunity comes with a deadline: August 15. So, not much more time. Do it now, before you forget and it’s too late.

See the big Sign Up arrow to your right? That’s the place to enter your name and email and get immediate access to the tips, tools and resources that thousands of writers have used on their way to publishing success. (See who needs this book here.)

Learn how to heat up the pages of your manuscript or the path of readers to your book. It’s all in 4Ps to Publishing Success ebook. You can’t beat this F.R.E.E. offer, even at twice the price ;-D

No, that’s not a misspelling. (Come on, I’ve been an editor for over 30 years.)

On July 4, America celebrates Independence Day. This year, VIP Authors can continue partying for the entire month when they take advantage of the new VIP Author Inner Circle 6-month membership program (July through December 2010).

The 2010 yearly membership is now closed, but savvy VIPs can hop on board the Inner Circle for only $75 for the rest of the year! (If you can’t wait to take advantage of this opportunity, join now and come back to read the rest of the post later.)

So why are we calling it Independents Day Month? Maybe you say you’re not an independent author—your book is already published by Simon & Schuster, or maybe you’re aspiring to get an agent and traditional publisher. Well, I say it doesn’t matter who your publisher is (you or HarperCollins). ALL authors are independent authors, because ultimately all authors are responsible for their own success.

You may have noticed that even the Big Publishers expect their authors to come ready with a platform, community of readers, blog and/or website, and marketing plan. So, indie authors and traditionally published authors have to do the same work…we’re all one.

In the spirit of the colonists overthrowing their tyrannical oppressors, break free of the stifling old attitudes and join forces with like-minded writers who are ready to take control of their  publishing success. The VIP Authors Inner Circle program provides education and support for all authors. See all membership benefits here>>

VIP Authors embrace independence! We rise to the challenge, eager to adapt the new technology and resources to our own advantage. VIP Authors don’t wait for permission, we’re too busy following our dreams IRL (in real life).

All we ask is your commitment–not for a year, but only 6 months! (And, at an insanely low price.) That’s why this offer is available during July only. Register this month, or be closed out for the rest of the year!

It’s not too late to turn those almost-forgotten 2010 New Year’s resolutions to get published this year into reality. Come January 2011, will you be where you are now…or will you be clinking your glass to celebrate your continued success in the new year?

VIP Authors choose NOW. What do you choose?

Good. Register here and start celebrating your independence in the VIP Authors Inner Circle program today.

BONUS OFFER: Register by July 10 and download all the VIP Author Talks and Open Coaching audio recordings from January through June 2010–an additional 6 months of value!! But act now, because on July 11, the material is being archived and will no longer be available!

Quick! Register now and start downloading! Remember, you must sign up by July 10 to get the extra goodies.

P.S. The new 6-month program is an opportunity for new members to join. If you are an Inner Circle member already, just pat yourself on the back and get ready to welcome new friends. If it’s time for you to renew, don’t worry…you’ll get a reminder email and you can get the special price, too.

P.P.S. Photo ©Joe Gemignani. All rights reserved. See more like this>>

I’m back from Book Expo America in New York and recovered from the metro-sized cold I brought home–so I’m finally able to tell you all about what’s really going on in the trenches of publishing straight from the trendsetters’ mouths.

In addition to trolling the Expo main exhibit floor, I focused much of my time at the small panel-size discussions held on the Javitz Center’s lower levels–that’s where the real action was happening, IMO. I attended these sessions:

• e-Strategy for Authors: A Publisher & Agency Perspective
• Are e-Books Good for Authors?
• How the Digital Book Cloud Works for Publishers & Users (sponsored by Google)
• Maximize Your Sales Potential (sponsored by Amazon)

These are some of the sessions I missed due to scheduling conflicts and time constraints:

• Bring Your Authors to the Social Media Party…and Getting Them to Stay
• Building Online Reader Communities with an Eye on ROI
• When Gutenberg Meets Zuckerberg
• Mobile Apps: A Publisher Roadmap for Creation & Use
• Who’s Reading e-Books?
• The Creative & Business Questions Surrounding Enhanced e-Books
• Community Social Networking
• The Next Decade in Book Culture (Guess what they were slated to talk about)

Are you starting to see where the future of publishing is headed?

The primary reason I attended this conference was to explore and experience firsthand the true pulse of the industry–not just read about it via someone else’s viewpoint in articles and blogs. When developing social media strategies for myself and my clients, I want to be absolutely certain that I know about the most up-to-date technologies and have a clear vision of how to apply them in this quickly evolving publishing environment.

I want to share what I learned with you and tell you about a program I designed to help you implement this new knowledge to launch or skyrocket your publishing success. Please join me for a free tele-class with an open Q&A session at the end so you can get your questions answered. Here are the details:

Topic: Using Social Media & Digital Publishing to Skyrocket Your Publishing Success

Date: Thursday, June 10, 2010

Time: 7:00pm Eastern (6pm Central, 5pm Mountain, 4pm Pacific)

Call-In Details: Dial (712) 432-0075, Enter access code 622330#

I’m expecting a big turnout (the last social media call went to capacity on the conference line), so call in at least 5 minutes early!

P.S. The cool photo at the top of this post is used with permission of the photographer, Joe Gemignani. All rights reserved. (Since he’s my hubby, you can imagine what would happen if he didn’t give me permission.) See more like this here>>

Remember the “do over” rule from childhood? In my neighborhood, that was the universally accepted back-up provision for when you messed up while playing a game. Missed the ball while tying your shoelace? “Do over!” Timing off while jumping rope? “Do over!” Not crazy about the cards you were dealt? “Do over!” And, most of the time it worked, unless you cried “do over” too often;-)

As adults, we still need “do overs” from time to time. Like when your audio recording of an event fails or gets erased, or when you simply missed an event and want to catch it on the rebound.

Well, luck is with you this fine spring day! You have two opportunities for a “Do over!”

Do Over #1

Here’s your second chance to attend the free live teleclass “How to Succeed in the New Publishing Environment” on the Women’s Writing & Publishing Series. Heidi Richards Mooney, Founder and president of WECAI (Women’s E-Commerce Association International), will be interviewing me. The original teleclass recording was accidentally erased and we’re having a “Do over!” Even if you were on the first call, listen in again because we’ll be covering some new material. (I dumped my notes after the first call, so this will not just be a repeat performance!) This is not-for-women-only event and there’s a live Q&A, so don’t miss it again!

Here’s the class info:

Topic: How to Succeed in the New Publishing Environment

Day: Today, Monday, April 5, 2010

Time: 4:00 pm ET (3pm CT, 2pm MT, 1pm PT)

Call Details: 641) 715-3840, Access Code: 361467#

Do Over #2

Have you missed any (or all) of the VIP Author Talk interview series from 2009-2010? These teleclasses feature conversations with best-selling authors and top publishing professionals on topics ranging from manuscript preparation to digital publishing to social media. Now’s your chance to catch up with any one that you missed or all of them because for the next week, we having a half price sale on the series. Read all about it here>>

Photo ©Gemignani. All rights reserved.

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.