Do you think the only way to become  a celebrity is to be a rock star, TV personality or have a Hollywood mega box-office hit? Think again!

Over the last decade, a new kind of celebrity has emerged—the expert celebrity. These are people who are absolutely at the top of their professions, and they find a way to use the media to offer their expertise to their audiences.

Join us when VIP Author Talks hosts guest Marsha Friedman, owner of EMSI, a public relations firm, and author of Celebritize Yourself. Marsha will reveal how authors can follow in the footsteps of celebrity experts such as Martha Stewart, Bob Vila, Suze Orman and Rachel Ray.

During this teleclass, you will learn:

• Why becoming an expert celebrity is an effective strategy for authors
• The qualifications or background necessary to become an expert celebrity
• The first step to gaining expert celebrity
• The 5 questions you must ask yourself before putting pen to paper

Have a question on a topic not listed? Write it down now for the live Q&A at the end of the call.

Mark your calendar right now to join us for this informative teleclass!

Topic: Celebritize Yourself!

When: Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Time: 8:00pm Eastern Time (7pm Central, 6pm Mountain, 5pm Pacific).

How to Register:

VIP Authors Inner Circle Members: You are already registered. Log on to the Members-Only page for call-in details. The audio recording of the class will be posted to the members page within 24 hours after the event.

Non-Members: Not a member yet, but want to hear the class? The monthly VIP Author Talks teleclass is free to members, but you can pay for the class only and sample the membership benefits before joining.

Tuition for non-members: $14.95 (includes mp3 recording download). Call-in details for the class will be sent after purchase is made. You will also receive the mp3 audio recording after the class, in case you miss the call or want to review the material again. Click Pay Now button below and receive your call-in details for the class by email:

Speaker Bio:

Marsha Friedman doesn’t like sitting still. As a prominent business woman, she has run her pay for performance public relations firm successfully through prosperity and adversity, ironically having one of her best revenue years in the midst of the 2009 recession. As a publicity expert, she recently debuted her new book, Celebritize Yourself, and began a national media tour.

VIP Author Talks with Shelley Lieber

Your mother may have told that “You can’t judge a book by its cover,” but people do it all the time. And, you don’t have to be an publishing industry expert to spot a poorly done, unprofessional cover that screams “self-published.” Most people can tell immediately if the book looks like it is worth picking up in a bookstore, or clicking the “Buy” button on a web page.

Join Shelley Lieber as she shares the experts’ secrets and tips about how to:

• Get endorsements for your front and back cover
• Write copy that will invite interest and sell the book
• Decide whether to use a graphic, illustration or photo on your front cover
• Hire the professionals you need to get the job done right
• Combine all the elements (design, copy, graphics) for a winning look

Have a question on a topic not listed? Write it down now for the live Q&A at the end of the call.

Mark your calendar right now to join us for this informative teleclass!

Topic: How Many Experts Does It Take to Create a Winning Book Cover?

When: Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Time: 8:00pm Eastern Time (7pm Central, 6pm Mountain, 5pm Pacific).

How to Register:

VIP Authors Inner Circle Members: You are already registered. Log on to the Members-Only page for call-in details. The audio recording of the class will be posted to the members page within 24 hours after the event.

Non-Members: Not a member yet, but want to hear the class? The monthly VIP Author Talks teleclass is free to members, but you can pay for the class only and sample the membership benefits before joining.

Tuition for non-members: $14.99 (includes mp3 recording download). Call-in details for the class will be sent after purchase is made. You will also receive the mp3 audio recording after the class, in case you miss the call or want to review the material again. Click Pay Now button below and receive your call-in details for the class by email:

A Message from Shelley Lieber, The Wordy Woman and VIP Authors CEO & Founder

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope I’m among the first to wish you a happy, healthy holiday filled with joy.

Our family’s Thanksgiving tradition is to go around the table and let each person express gratitude. We started years ago when my
children were young. Thanksgiving came on the heels of my son’s and my niece’s birthdays, with Chanukah sometimes only a week or two
away. Because they were so young, the children started to associate the holidays with gift getting, culminating with my daughter
blowing out the Chanukah candles, thinking it was a birthday party (she was only three).

So, we began our gratitude-giving tradition to help them understand that holidays are as much about giving as receiving. We continue it to this day, whether we are together or celebrating at tables spread across the country. We make sure we call each family member who is away so we can still connect and give thanks together.

A Special Thanksgiving Offer

I’d like to include you this year in my gratitude giving. I thank you for being a VIP Author Inner Circle member or taking a class or consulting with me this year. You are source of inspiration for me and I appreciate your participation in our work together.

And so, in gratitude, I’m making this special Thanksgiving offer. You can join VIP Authors or renew your membership at the special low rate of only $97, a savings of $30. If you are renewing, the additional year will be added at the end of your current membership, so every member can take advantage of this offer.

Please take a moment to review the VIP Author Inner Circle member
benefits and take advantage of this special Thanksgiving offer>>

Due to last-minute, unexpected schedule conflicts, today’s free tele-class, “2010: A Publishing Odyssey - Part II,”  has been rescheduled.

Please mark the change on your calendar:

Please forgive the inconvenience.

Now is the best time in history of publishing to be an author because everything is changing. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” Get it? There are more opportunities to get published than ever before–if you know what you’re doing. But with all the changes, it’s harder than ever to know what to do.

From where you’re standing, you may not be able to see how you can achieve publishing success. It may seem very far off in a distant future, or perhaps down a road with too many obstacles. It’s not your fault. Today’s publishing industry has been turned upside down and you need a roadmap to navigate all the new twists and turns on the road to publishing success.

4Ps to Publishing Success (print version) was published exactly one year ago. Yet already many new trends in publishing have emerged to change the landscape of the industry and what authors must do in order to succeed. So I’m offering a tele-class to update the information in the book with new strategies to match the new mindsets.

4Ps 2009: The Indie Author’s 4-Step Guide to Publishing Success is your roadmap through the maze of confusion and misinformation surrounding self-publishing and Print on Demand (POD) publishing. This 4-week tele-course will teach you the basic principles necessary for good publishing, inform you with up-to-date information about the changing face of today’s publishing market, and arm you with the knowledge you need to avoid losing money on scams and rip-offs. Read more>>>

“What are some of the obstacles you’ve faced and overcome?” That’s the question I like to ask when I interview people who are leaders in their communities, companies or organizations. Although the individual replies vary, the majority of the responses reveal that each person has managed to transform some type of adversity into opportunity.

What I have observed in my own 30-year career is that the opposite is true as well. Unsuccessful people not only let obstacles stop or delay their progress, they actively put barriers in their paths, preventing them from reaching their goals. We all are guilty of this to some degree. After all, it is easier to say we don’t have time to write because we work and have children, homes and mates to look after than it is to get up an hour earlier, go to bed an hour later, or work through lunch hour at the office.

It seems to me that each time I make a concerted effort to rein in my concentration and focus on the completion of a goal, the Universe sends something to tempt me away. Just when I decide to spend the next two weeks finishing the final edit on my book, something “urgent “or “important “comes up, and gives me reason to put my personal work on the back burner–again.

Without exception, I have regretted my decision each time I placed my goals on hold “just until this next project is finished.” And, each time I placed myself ahead of the distraction, and said “no” to stepping off track, I have been rewarded with an inner sense of satisfaction and accomplishment that comes with following my heart rather than my head (or pocketbook).The decision to pursue my true calling has also led to far greater riches in the long run than any project ever pays in the present.

Knowing what is the right thing to do and actually doing it are two different things. Most of us need some support to help us hold steadfast to our goals. Being part of two writers groups provided the motivation and support I needed to finish my novel. If I didn’t have that commitment to produce a chapter a month, I’d probably never have finished my novel at all. Today I have two mastermind groups that keep me accountable to my commitments and focused on my goals.

If you’ve ever felt the desire to pursue your writing dream, don’t let obstacles stop you and, above all, don’t construct stumbling blocks to your success. First, start visualizing your book signing or whatever symbolizes the accomplishment of your success as a writer. Then set measurable, attainable goals and, finally, find a support system to keep you going when you’re tempted to get off track.

Do you need some guidance to help you through the publishing process as well as support to keep you focused on the goal? The Wordy Woman offers three levels of support to writers. See which one is right for you>>>

Remember Jack Nicholson’s famous line in the movie A Few Good Men, where he explodes on the stand while being interrogated by Tom Cruise. “You can’t handle the truth!” he delivered with the voice and power only Nicholson can muster, to the cross examination directive that he tell the truth.

Although most viewers would be on the side of Cruise’s character, rather than the manipulative character played by Nicholson, I have to say that sometimes that’s how I want to respond to people who ask me questions and then don’t like the answers they receive.

I truly enjoy receiving writers’ questions by email. I usually reply directly to the individual if my schedule permits. However, aside from time constraints, one reason I’m considering ceasing my personal replies and only responding in my blog or newsletter is because people sometimes get angry when they receive information they don’t like and then get indignant and even arrogant about my reply. Worse are the ones who ask my advice and then go ahead and do it their way, only to experience what could have been avoided if they had followed the advice they sought.

The reason that I continue to answer questions is for the people who are serious about learning how to achieve their publishing goals and are willing to do whatever is necessary.

When Nancy Kaiser first contacted me last January, she said she wanted to self-publish her book, Letting Go: An Ordinary Woman’s Extraordinary Journey of Healing & Transformation, but wanted the assistance of someone who could guide her through the process, something most POD services don’t offer. When she sent me her manuscript to review, it was 180,000 words. I told her that was about twice as long as it should be for a first-time author writing a memoir. She replied it had just been cut down by half from its original size. I offered to send her a sample edit that would indicate how she could cut even more.

Nancy wasn’t pleased with my suggestion, but she went back to her editor and together they managed to reduce the manuscript to a more manageable and cost-effective size. Through the entire publishing process, Nancy listened to the advice of the professional designer and editors she hired to help her. She held firm to the vision she had for the cover and the integrity of the contents, but she was willing to revise and improvise whenever necessary. She never argued or refused to comply, and often a compromise was possible.

The result? A book that tells a remarkable story cased in an absolutely beautiful cover that is receiving rave reviews from readers all over the world.

Whether you ask questions by email or in person at a writers’ conference or author presentation, accept that the answer is given from the person’s experience. We’re not making the rules or inventing the process, so don’t shoot the messenger. There’s lots of things about this business that are frustrating, but I’ve found that many of the silliest-seeming procedures are there for a good reason, whether I like it or not. Publishing is not for the feint of heart or those easily discouraged. I’m reminded of one of my mother’s favorite expressions: “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.” And for goodness sake, “Don’t get saucy with me, Bearnaise.” (Harvey Korman, History of the World, Part I)

You’ve done it! You’ve finally gotten that story or nonfiction book idea down on paper (or computer file). Now what? How do you know when your manuscript is ready to submit?

Many first-time authors write to me, asking me to review their work. Here’s a portion of a letter that is representative of what I receive. (I’ve eliminated the portions that contain the confidential descriptions of plot, etc.)

“I have completed my first manuscript. Briefly it is a fictional story of approximately 43,500 words, single space, which describes the lives of various characters who become intertwined with each other.

[The author described the characters, summarized the plot and suggested potenial genres where the story might fit.]

I would like to send you a complete copy of the manuscript for your honest opinion and critique. Can I mail it to you as my file on the computer was lost due to computer crashing.”

I applaud writers who seek a professional opinion before taking the next step. This writer was on the right track by including the word count, genre, character and plot description. However, I did notice some things that would cause an agent or editor to reject the manuscript.

Here are some tips that can serve as checklist for manuscript readiness before you submit:

The copy should be double spaced. Additionally, use one-inch margins all around, and paragraphs should be indented with no extra space between paragraphs. Bonus tip: Use only one space after a period.

Adult novels are generally 75,000-100,000 words. However, some small publishers will accept short novels, called novellas. Nonfiction should be in the 65,000-85,000 word range.

To identify your genre, ask yourself–where would this book fit in the bookstore (what shelf/section)? What other books (that sell well) are like it? To identify your potential market, ask: Who will read my book?
As far as plot and character development, ask yourself:
Does the plot follow an arc pattern? Are your characters (especially the main character) different at the end than the beginning? Does every scene move the story forward? Does each chapter end with a page-turner? Is the dialogue natural?

Do not lose your work! Always backup on CD or an external drive. You will need both digital and hard copies of your manuscript.

In my seminars, I always offer this advice: Writing is a passion. Publishing is a business. Educate yourself about the publishing process the same as you would when entering any new business.

Where can you get the information you need? You can attend writers’ conferences, seminars and workshops. Subscribe to writers’ magazines. Read books on the topic. I recommend my book for both fiction and nonfiction writers, and so do a number of my readers. Here’s a review from someone who took my teleseminar last April, which used 4Ps to Publishing Success as the text for the course:

“As an aspiring author I have looked at various books on publishing, many of which left me feeling overwhelmed. 4Ps to Publishing Success is a great find because it inspires you to take action. The information is clearly presented and the exercises get you moving in the direction of completing your book. Thanks for helping me move forward towards accomplishing my goal!”
–Laura Baylor, Physical Education Teacher

The addendum to that endorsement is that Laura has just let me know to expect her completed manuscript at the end of this week. From manuscript notes to completed manuscript in four months! Much can be accomplished when you have a guideline to help you complete the task.