Show Me The Money!

Practically every author wants to know how to make money from his or her book — particularly self-published authors. There are a number of ways you can make money from your book. The best place to start is with:

1. A Platform

2. A Plan

In this video blogpost, the Author's Midwife shares how you can make money from your book.

If you don't have either of these elements, it's going to be difficult to make money from your book, whether you are self-published or whether you publish with a traditional publishing house.

Having a platform means that you base your book on your brand, which is what you want to be known for or know as. Without a platform, you'll find it difficult to take your book to the next level.

The next must-have element is a plan. What are your goals for your book? What does success look like and how will you measure that over time? There are a number of things to include in your book plan and you have to consider all of those things including who your target audience or primary identified reading audience is. Hopefully, that audience also melds well with who your target audience is for your business or for your platform.

Then, of course, you have to consider what your budget is for your book project; not just the production aspect, but also the marketing and promotional aspects.

Once you've developed and determined each of these aspects, you should look at your investment in this project. Oftentimes, from a business perspective -- and even from an individual one -- we look at expenses. I challenge you to view your expenses for your book as an investment because there is a result we expect from our investments and that is a return. So rather than look at your expenses as simply money out of your pocket, think of them as an investment in the long-term benefit of your book project and of your business.

Consider various ways you can make money from your book, not just from book sales. Once you define your platform, you will discover some creative ways to make money from your book. These include speaking engagements, teaching, webinars, teleseminars, and information products among others. I challenge you to be creative. This is the information age, but it's also the engagement age. People are willing to pay to be engaged with you and with the content of your book, specifically if you've positioned yourself as an expert.

So build on your platform and discover new ways to show me the money (and show yourself the money) as a result of your phenomenal book.    

What creative ways have you used to make money from your book?

______________________________

Anita Paul, known as The Author's Midwife, coaches aspiring authors to write a phenomenal book and helps current authors use their existing books to leverage their business. She is the author of the-book Write Your Life: Create Your Ideal Life and The Book You've Been Wanting to Write, and is the creator of the Write Your Life program, through which she has created a dynamic system to Write Your Book in 90 Days or Less. She has owned The Write Image for 15 years, and has had her freelance articles featured in over 25 publications in the U.S. and Canada. Anita is also the host of "Book Your Success."

Write Your Life Coaching Program on Facebook
Twitter: @AnitaRPaul
Anita Paul on LinkedIn

Today's Blog, Tomorrow's Book

Last year, I was asked to contribute an entry to Anne Wainscott-Sargent’s blog, The Writing Well. She was competing with herself on a challenge of writing 30 blogs in 30 days, which is a significant amount of work. That, coupled with her rigorous guidelines on content valuable to her writer readers, made the task tough and begged for co-authorship. Her friends and colleagues came out in force. Many people have asked me to repeat/update my entry, “Today’s Blog, Tomorrow’s Book,” for this year.  So, here it is:

Since my entry last May, not much has changed in the world of blogging: Technically, there are more options to post but the process is the same: type, share. Purpose-wise, it continues to be a robust floor for idea exchange, leading to engaging discussion and innovation. I’ve watched several of my clients successfully use blogging as a prototype to more formal work, beta-testing their opinions and conclusions to the judgment of the public before including them in dissertations, screenplays, and books.

Blogs get our thoughts together. We get a chance to emote, then retreat. Blogs provoke thought and online discussion. When carefully composed, blogs lend themselves to becoming sections or chapters on their own; and when organized, they can flow into a valuable addition to a genre – especially business books and memoirs.  

If you’re thinking about developing your blogs into a book, here is my updated list of things to consider:

1. Identify your expertise. Previously, I said “Identify your passions.” However, I have found that passions may not have deep reserves and sometimes fizzle out quickly. The idea is the same though: You’ve likely covered many topics in your blogs. Review them for threads or trends to identify the focus of your book. What are you most knowledgeable about?

2. Decide the structure and function of the book. Know your competition in the space you are writing and define your goals in publishing.

3. Know your audience. Know what the readers want and expect. You are selling it to them, not writing it for you (unless you just want to keep it in your basement!). 

4. Generate content. And more content. This has always been the case, as writers from centuries ago can confirm. When you’re ready to publish a book, you’ll be able to separate the wheat from the chaff.

5. Find other sources of inspiration. Read. Listen to music. Interview other professionals. These will add texture to your overall products.

6. Follow your blog voice. You will want to reach your readers the same way in your book as you did in your blog. Make sure the writing is consistent, and as formal as you need it to be in both places.

7. Do your research. Look up facts and spelling. Play Clouseau by following a hunch and getting evidence, even if it’s in a quirky way. Just make sure the facts are right. It’s an easy way to build your credibility and keep your readership.

8. Use the Rule of Time Travel.  A Journalism-school rule: Enhance your work with wisdom from the past, examples from the present, and characters in the future.

9. Know when to stop. Be brief, be brilliant, be done. Don’t risk losing your readers’ attention.

10. Get an editor. Or two. Each one will give you different feedback. Do you need an editor who knows your subject matter or not? Give it some thought before paying one. The results will be different.

There you go: an updated list that will help you prepare for assembling your own tome. When you’re ready to take on a book-writing project, know that it can be a smoothly-vectored transition from blog to book. It can increase your platform as an expert, and give your blog followers a treat. Be a little cautious, follow these recommendations, and you’re more likely to leave a lasting impression.

_________________________

As CEO of Write Advisors, Bonnie Bajorek Daneker helps clients express themselves digitally and in print. Author of The Compassionate Caregiver Series®, Bonnie released her seventh book, CLIMB, in November 2010, with Sandy Hofmann, President of Women in Technology (WIT). Her most recent book, Publishing as a Marketing Strategy, is co-written with five other contributors and was released November 2011. She holds a BA in Journalism from The Ohio State University and an MBA in Strategic Planning and Entrepreneurship from The Goizueta School of Business at Emory University.  

The Art of Self-Promotion

As children, we’re taught that it isn’t proper to brag. Only conceited, self-centered, narcissistic people toot their own horn. The modest, humble folks among us allow others to do their bragging and bidding, thereby making for a much more valuable third-party endorsement.

Well, I’m here to tell you that, as an author, you need to throw that logic right out the window! If you plan to leverage your book to support your brand, image, or business platform, you sure as heck had better learn the art of self-promotion and horn tooting. Most authors think of promoting their book as selling. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Instead, think of it this way: You’re actually serving others. You are educating your target audience about how your book can help them. Isn’t that why you wrote the book; to inspire, educate, motivate, direct, support, or serve others?

You not telling people about your book is like you knowing the quickest, easiest escape from a place of danger and not telling others. Oh sure, you know how to get out of the burning building—and you’ll certainly make it out to tell the story—but what of your comrades left behind to figure out the escape route without the knowledge you already have? That would be just plain selfish and wicked!

There is an art to promoting yourself. The artistic part comes when you realize that you must value your gift. Most artists know, or at least have a sincere inkling, that their artistic gift has some value, first to them and then hopefully to someone else. You have to know this about your book. Remember, you write first for yourself and then for others. When you value your book and its contents, you’ll be in a better position to share what you offer with others.

Secondly, go back to the service part of being an author. Your book provides information or inspiration to readers. Someone, somewhere is waiting for the very flavor that you offer in your book. Don’t cheat them, give ‘em what ya got! Frame your self-promotion as service to those who want and/or need what you offer in your book.

Finally, get over yourself! I know that sounds harsh, but it’s true. When you get over worrying about what people will think of you or say about you when you take the bull by the horns and promote yourself and your book, then you’ll be less inclined to hold back on the yummy goodness of sharing your gift and your service. Develop a succinct message that explains the benefits to the reader, and go about sharing that message with whomever will listen. Understand that those who might criticize your self-promotion efforts probably themselves wish they could do exactly what you’re doing. Unfortunately, they’re stuck worrying about what others will think of them. 

So don’t delay. Get about the business of self-promotion. After all, if you don’t promote your book, no one else will.

What's holding you back from enacting the art of self-promotion?

______________________________

Anita Paul, known as The Author's Midwife, coaches aspiring authors to write a phenomenal book and helps current authors use their existing books to leverage their business. She is the author of the-book Write Your Life: Create Your Ideal Life and The Book You've Been Wanting to Write,  and is the creator of the Write Your Life program, through which she has created a dynamic system to Write Your Book in 90 Days or Less. She has owned The Write Image for 15 years, and has had her freelance articles featured in over 25 publications in the U.S. and Canada. Anita is also the host of "Book Your Success".

Anita Paul Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/AnitaSaunders.Paul?fref=ts
Write Your Life Coaching Program Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/WriteYourLifeCoaching?fref=ts
Twitter: @AnitaRPaul
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/anitapaul/

STOP Editing as You Go

I edit my writing before I let anyone else see it. The problem develops when I edit too soon.  

Editing as I write kills my enthusiasm and stops my momentum. I gently remind myself to get all my thoughts down first — the good, the bad, and the ugly. I don’t stop to rework or rewrite until after I take a break.

When I feel the urge to edit as I’m writing, I remind myself to STOP!

For me this means:

S – Set an intention to write for a specific period of time, maybe 15 minutes. I can keep writing when my timer goes off if I’m in the flow.

T – Tell myself that mistakes are good. Keep going! I can fix them in the next draft. I sometimes find that a “mistake” has led me in a new direction.  

O – Open my mind and let my emotions come through. Feelings and stories are more compelling than facts and figures. Emotions matter in any genre. I can fill in the details or statistics in the next draft.

P – Play with others. Collaborations can be a powerful way to expand on a subject through a variety of perspectives and writing styles.

If premature editing is a challenge for you, I propose an experiment.

My friend, Christian, is experimenting with a 25-day writing project where he writes one page a day. Each day continues the story from the day before, but he isn’t editing any of his writing until the end of the 25 days. No outlines. No preconceived concept of where his story will go. It’s an experiment.

Or your experiment can be writing morning pages—something Julia Cameron recommends in The Artist’s Way. Morning pages are three pages, written first thing in the morning in longhand. They can be about anything—or about nothing in particular. This writing exercise can prime the pump to get your creative juices flowing for the day.

 

Maybe it’s an experiment of tapping into your intuitive brain by writing a question with your right hand and writing the answer with your left. (Vice versa if your dominant hand is your left.)

Experiment with a collaborative writing project where you pick a central theme and all your collaborators write a certain number of words on topics around that theme. Several of my books have been created this way. My new book that launched in January, The 28-Day Thought Diet, has 25 co-authors.  

Be willing to STOP, experiment, and THEN edit. Let your mind go and your ink flow! 

__________________

Vanessa Lowry is a marketing consultant, graphic designer, author, radio host and speaker. She leverages nearly 30 years of design and marketing expertise to support book authors who are self publishing. Her books, including The 28-Day Thought Diet, are available on Amazon. www.connect4leverage.com

Reader Engagement

If you're like most authors, you might not have considered how to engage those who read your book. Of course, you might have considered how readers will perceive your book and how much they will enjoy your book. However, you probably aren't thinking about how readers will actually be engaged with the content of your book ... and more importantly, not just with your book, but with you, the author.

 

In this video blog post, The Author's Midwife shares how to engage your readers.

There are many ways to engage your readers before, during, and after they read your book. One of the first ways to engage your readers is with an amazing book cover. Beyond the way your book looks, however, you should consider how you can engage your readers throughout the experience of reading your book. That could happen a number of ways, particularly if your book is based on your personal or business platform. Some of those engagement tactics include:

• Mentioning your consulting or coaching services
• Referring to a product you offer that can help readers with certain issues you mention in the book
• Listing websites, social media sites, blogs, and other resources that readers can access to engage and connect with you further

There are other ways, but the point is to engage with your readers throughout their experience with your book so when they're finished with the book it is not the end of their interaction or their engagement with you and the content you have presented in the book. You might also consider providing downloadable worksheets that are available in PDF format, or additional tips, questions, or resources that readers can access from your website or from your blog.

Always remember the three areas that I encourage authors to consider when writing their book: What do you want readers to think, feel, or do when they're finished reading your book? That is the core of reader engagement.

In what ways do you currently--or plan to--encourage your readers to further engage with you through your book?

______________________________

Anita Paul, known as The Author's Midwife, coaches aspiring authors to write a phenomenal book and helps current authors use their existing books to leverage their business. She is the author of Write Your Life: Create Your Ideal Life and the Book You've Been Wanting to Write, and is the creator of the Write Your Life program, through which she has created a dynamic system to Write Your Book in 90 Days or Less. She has owned The Write Image for 15 years, and has had her freelance articles featured in over 25 publications in the U.S. and Canada. Anita is also the host of "Book Your Success".

5 Strategies to Transform Procrastination into Productivity

I recently published my first book, Splash Into Calm. In the process of writing I realized how easy it is to put off what I had to accomplish. I could have easily thwarted my progress if I had not taken measures to ensure I stayed on task. I was lucky to be writing about the very techniques that help with procrastination, so I had a full toolbox of useful ideas.

Procrastination is problematic for many aspiring authors and many people struggle with it for years. I often share the concept of “one day at a time,” but when challenged, even that needs simplification. In essence, you should focus on accomplishing your project one minute or one simple task at a time, otherwise you risk sabotaging what you want to achieve. In many circles the acronym KISS is used —Keep It Simple, Sweetie. (I know many use the word Stupid, but I get no inspiration from that.).

This quote from Julia Cameron brings us to another layer of procrastination:We must work with what we have rather than languish in complaints over what we have not.

This is at the heart of what keeps you stuck. You cannot be great at everything. Unfortunately, people often use their weaknesses as excuses to quit, rather than cultivate their strong points. For example, when I began to write my book, I knew that grammar was not my strong suit. My children and husband have a sophisticated command of the English language that I lack. I almost quit before I began, until my wise advisor reminded me that there are trained professionals who can fill in where I lack skill. What I do possess is knowledge and experience of the practices and philosophies contained in my book. I also have my own style of effectively communicating concepts that stay true to my voice and those I want to reach. As I continued to forge forward, I dove in deeper and honed the skills that were already inherent within.

There are always options available. You can get help or hire someone to do the parts that either you do not want to do or are incapable of accomplishing, so the only thing that holds you back is fear.

The main ally to procrastination is fear and it shows up in many forms: We fear that we will never finish. We fear reality. We fear that we never measure up. We even fear success. Each of these fears can be destructive to your progress in completing your book.

There are a few things that I found helpful in overcoming procrastination while completing my book. I believe these strategies will work for anything you want to accomplish:

•      Guidance: Find someone who can help you—you cannot do everything on our own.

•      Structure: Due dates and a step-by-step process (there can be some flexibility here) are vital.

•      Positive people: Surround yourself with those who are supportive.

•      Accountability: Find someone who can help you create a timeline, and then report your progress.

•      Keep it simple: Easy, step-by-step, bite size pieces will work most effectively.

•      Know your strengths: Focus on what feels natural for you and then decide if you need accountability or someone else to help with the rest.

•      Praise: Each step of the way, give yourself a pat on the back (or your shoulder if you can’t reach your back) for beginning. Reward yourself in some small way.

One final note—after completing this article I felt relieved and happy and am now free to indulge in a well-deserved pedicure. Goodbye procrastination, hello relaxation!

________________

Consultant, speaker, author and teacher, Ellen is the President of Custom Calm and the author of Splash Into Calm.  Ellen has extensive training in the area of transforming stress and pain into productive, life enhancing solutions. She teaches and consults at the Cancer Support Community, Weinstein Adult Day Program, and businesses.

www.customcalm.com

Ellen@customcalm.com

http://www.facebook.com/customcalm

https://twitter.com/customcalm

http://www.linkedin.com/in/ellensichel

 

Messaging Your Book

In previous blog posts, and in many of my presentations, I explain to authors that the theme of your book is your answer to the question: “So, what’s your book about?” When your theme is well developed – condensed down to a sentence or two – then you’re ready to work on the messaging of your book. 

The message is the main point of your book; the lesson or the takeaway for your readers. The message communicates vital information about the content and the benefits contained in your book. This message will be used during your marketing campaign to help develop a solid brand and image for you and your book. So how do you message your book? 

Develop your book’s message by considering who your target readers are and what they need that your book offers. In my soon-to-be-released book, How to Market Your Book for Free: The Essential Guide for Authors, Publishers, and Publicists, my co-author, Nicole Antoinette and I describe a simple method to develop a precise, effective message that will help sell your book.

Using the STAR method, you can develop a message that covers the following areas:

Situation: Describe the situation you were in or what inspired you to write your book. 

Task: What goal were you working toward when you decided to write your book? Describe the tasks involved in that situation. 

Action: Describe the actions you took to address the situation with an appropriate amount of detail. What specific steps did you take? 

Results: Describe the outcome, what you received from writing the book, and what readers will get from the book.

Here’s an example of the STAR method of message development:

Situation: I speak to many audiences about what it takes to produce a quality book and how to leverage their book for success. What many authors don’t consider when beginning a book project is how they will turn their investment or expenses into revenue through effective marketing. 

Task: Although many authors do not budget for a comprehensive marketing campaign, I want to see every author succeed and reach their goals, so I sought to share several free or low-cost strategies to market a book. 

Action: Through a partnership with an incredible author advocate, we researched 101 free marketing strategies and aggregated them into our new book, How to Market Your Book for Free. 

Result: With this valuable resource, I can now share a wealth of information with authors to help them reach their book marketing and sales goals.

You can approach this message development process at any stage of your book production, but it’s best to consider it before writing and to keep your message in mind throughout the process of creating your manuscript. During the entire time you’re writing, you should be constantly thinking about your readers. What do they want? What problem(s) do they have? What solution do they seek? What keeps them up at night that you can help with? Why should they choose your book? 

Be bold and give this STAR method of message development a try. You’ll find that you end up with a succinct message that effectively communicates the benefits of your book and what readers can expect to get from it. All of that can equal more sales.

Look for the launch of How to Market Your Book for Free, coming to Amazon.com soon.

________________

Anita Paul, known as The Author's Midwife, coaches aspiring authors to write a phenomenal book and helps current authors use their existing books to leverage their business. She is the author of Write Your Life: Create Your Ideal Life and the Book You've Been Wanting to Write, and is the creator of the Write Your Life program, through which she has created a dynamic system to Write Your Book in 90 Days or Less. She has owned The Write Image for 15 years, and has had her freelance articles featured in over 25 publications in the U.S. and Canada. Anita is also the host of "Book Your Success".