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Sunday
Thursday
MY OWN BOOK STATUS
I hope you don't mind a personal note about my own books - I'll be brief. I just received notification from Smashwords that The One Hour Author: non-fiction book writing for busy people has now been accepted into their Premium Catalog. This means that it will shortly be available for purchase in the Apple book store, Sony, the Barnes and Noble Nook, etc. In addition, it is available at Kindle and as a PDF download and on most other e-readers. It means that anyone purchasing the book has lots of different ways to access the information and this makes me happy - I know it will make readers, who are aspiring authors, happy too.
One other note, while I'm patting myself on the book...er, back - I continue to be surprised at the constant sales volume for My Secret Mother, also available on Kindle. I'm doing no promotion but it is apparently hitting a note with readers and other authors - here's a review.
OK, that's it - thanks for the support and I look forward to hearing about your books, too.
One other note, while I'm patting myself on the book...er, back - I continue to be surprised at the constant sales volume for My Secret Mother, also available on Kindle. I'm doing no promotion but it is apparently hitting a note with readers and other authors - here's a review.
OK, that's it - thanks for the support and I look forward to hearing about your books, too.
Monday
CREATING A BOOK - WHEN?
"Creating a book sounds like an onerous task and I just don't have the time to do it."
Sound familiar? Most people when asked will say that they would like to write a book, have an idea, want to make a difference in the world, have stories to tell, want to help others and on and on. Most people, when asked will tell you that they just don't have any spare time - too much work, too much to learn, kids to soccer, dance, grocery shopping, lawn mowing, house repairs - it just never stops.
Here's the thing - it never stops! There is always something else to do. The time does not magically appear to write a book, especially for someone trying to make a living today - it has to be found. Most people who have come to the realization that writing a book would be important in their life then have to deal with the whole aspect of time. They start to bargain and make deals with themselves. Much of this is misspent energy. Many try to work in the time during their day by promising to spend a few minutes here and a few minutes there, maybe they promise to spend Saturday mornings in 4 solid hours of writing, ditto for Sunday.
The reality is that this is very rarely successful - it's as rare as creating a NY Times bestseller first time out of the gate, by someone with no name recognition.
Most people don't want to hear this. Most people give up their dream when they hear this. Most people will never write the book they talk and dream about because they do not want to accept this.
See, I told you that you didn't want to hear this - but it's true. For the first time author, regardless of the occasional exception, this is the rule. For the average working person with responsibilities to a company and a family, this is the only solution that actually works. You really can create a book by committing an hour a day to its writing but pick your hour, your total, uninterrupted, written-in-stone, no exceptions, no excuses, no email, no kids, no phones, no pool, no pets, kitty-bar-the-door, everyday hour. It works, period! The only thing is that you need to do this for 21 straight days to create a habit. That includes weekends, holidays and sick days. It works! There is a money back guarantee for this tip.
Sound familiar? Most people when asked will say that they would like to write a book, have an idea, want to make a difference in the world, have stories to tell, want to help others and on and on. Most people, when asked will tell you that they just don't have any spare time - too much work, too much to learn, kids to soccer, dance, grocery shopping, lawn mowing, house repairs - it just never stops.
Here's the thing - it never stops! There is always something else to do. The time does not magically appear to write a book, especially for someone trying to make a living today - it has to be found. Most people who have come to the realization that writing a book would be important in their life then have to deal with the whole aspect of time. They start to bargain and make deals with themselves. Much of this is misspent energy. Many try to work in the time during their day by promising to spend a few minutes here and a few minutes there, maybe they promise to spend Saturday mornings in 4 solid hours of writing, ditto for Sunday.
The reality is that this is very rarely successful - it's as rare as creating a NY Times bestseller first time out of the gate, by someone with no name recognition.
Most people don't want to hear this. Most people give up their dream when they hear this. Most people will never write the book they talk and dream about because they do not want to accept this.
GET UP AN HOUR EARLIER OR STAY UP AN HOUR LATER
Take your choice.
See, I told you that you didn't want to hear this - but it's true. For the first time author, regardless of the occasional exception, this is the rule. For the average working person with responsibilities to a company and a family, this is the only solution that actually works. You really can create a book by committing an hour a day to its writing but pick your hour, your total, uninterrupted, written-in-stone, no exceptions, no excuses, no email, no kids, no phones, no pool, no pets, kitty-bar-the-door, everyday hour. It works, period! The only thing is that you need to do this for 21 straight days to create a habit. That includes weekends, holidays and sick days. It works! There is a money back guarantee for this tip.
Tuesday
CREATING A BOOK - WHY?
Why create a book? If you are a business person, salesperson, entrepreneur or stuck in a job you hate, why might writing a book bring you some benefits...and just what are those benefits? Writing a non-fiction book about your area of expertise or interest can benefit you and your business life in these ways:
- increased credibility - competitors, peers and customers generally look upon people who have written a book about their mutual fields of interest, with a heightened sense of respect. You, as the author, are afforded this respect (some might call it envy) because you have taken the time to assemble information and create a book that explains, convinces, informs or instructs them.
- no noise - when a person is reading your book, there are no interfering or competing points of view. You get the chance to tell your story without interruption. Even if they put your book down to go and make dinner for the kids, they come back later and finish reading what you have to say. You can use a book to make your points clearly, concisely and convincingly.
- visibility - if you create a book that has good information and creates and gives value to its readers, then you are among the small minority of people in your field, any field, who has taken this step and it positions you among the thought leaders in your industry. You can and should expect requests for interviews as an acknowledged expert.
- possibilities - creating a book opens up a world of possibilities in your particular field and well beyond. Opportunities to speak, invitations to sit on panel discussions, present workshops, provide seminars and coach others start to appear if your book is well received.
- career opportunities - whether it is in the company you now work for, with a competitor or something you had never considered before, creating a book will give you a serious leg up in the employment world. Today, there is so much competition for every position that anything you can provide that sets you apart from other applicants can only benefit you. The fact that you have written a book clearly indicates a level of expertise that most companies are very eager to have on board.
- business card - a book that is based on your business expertise is perhaps the most exclusive business card on the planet. There is even a company that recognizes this fact and designs and creates books in a small format for this very purpose. You can use it as a hand out to clients or even sell it at the back of the room during speeches and workshops. This is a small but highly effective marketing tool that gives incredible ROI.
Sunday
WRITING BOOKS should I or shouldn't I?
There is always some guilt
around knowing you should write a book and then not taking any action in that
direction - “I know I should, I know I should...” This feeling of guilt,
combined with the fear of not being able to accomplish the goal, has a
tendency to freeze most of us - freeze us in inactivity. It is a vicious circle
as we know in our head that we need to do something but we hold ourselves back
and then the pressure to move ahead creates even more fear and guilt. Yuck!
Let’s go past that today and leave it all behind. We cannot fix the past but we
can make a new choice. That is what you are doing right now - making a
choice. Choose to write the book that resides within you and know that you will
write it well and that you will express that creative side of yourself to help
make a difference in the world. In other words, “start at start.”
You may be full of ideas but do not know how to arrange and organize them so that they become a clear and powerful manuscript but until you get started, why should you know how to do it? Let’s look at it this way, you would not still be reading this if you did not feel, at a deep level, that you have something important to share with the world and you are now ready to take the risk of sharing yourself with that world, so let’s get at it.
“The purpose of life is to . . . matter; to feel it has made some difference that we have lived at all.” – Leo Rosten
excerpted from, THE ONE HOUR AUTHOR: non-fiction book writing for busy people
You may be full of ideas but do not know how to arrange and organize them so that they become a clear and powerful manuscript but until you get started, why should you know how to do it? Let’s look at it this way, you would not still be reading this if you did not feel, at a deep level, that you have something important to share with the world and you are now ready to take the risk of sharing yourself with that world, so let’s get at it.
“The purpose of life is to . . . matter; to feel it has made some difference that we have lived at all.” – Leo Rosten
excerpted from, THE ONE HOUR AUTHOR: non-fiction book writing for busy people
Thursday
WRITERS GROUPS
I had an inquiry from an author the other day about two things: first he wanted to contact someone about editing his new novel and he was also looking to find a group of like-minded writers who would get together and critique each others work. Isn't it funny how things just "pop up" when we are thinking about them?
I had been thinking about the solitary life of a writer who spends countless hours with nothing but her thoughts and a keyboard when someone reached out to me with a lovely note. I had recently published My Secret Mother and a reader sent me a copy of a review she had posted which opened up a whole new world to me.
I have loved everything about books since the first moment I smelled them in my first visit to the public library and I find that I have spent most of my life gravitating to people and circumstances where books are a central theme. I love nothing more than hearing about a new book or author from someone who has read them and sharing my latest find with them.
The review of my own book had been posted on an online site called "Goodreads." Naturally, I clicked on the link to read this five star rating and then started looking around. Truth be told, I had heard about Goodreads before and I am sure I made a note of the address in a notebook somewhere but had not taken the time to search it out. All I can say is, "Wow!" This a book lovers dream come true (shhh, I was thinking about another phrase with the word "dream" in it for you erotica writers out there, but don't tell anyone). Most writers are, in the first place, readers. I know there are lots of book clubs around but maybe you don't belong to one. How about a book club with 5,000,000 members who are passionate about reading and sharing?
Anyway, needless to say, I joined, invited a few friends to join me and now I am inviting you to take a look - here's my profile page, set up your own, ask me to be a friend - I will - and then start looking for more contacts, book recommendations and ratings. I have found some great reads and some new authors (some of whom are now friends) and am having a fabulous time connecting with people just like you - book lovers.
To bring this all together, we all need feedback from people who are objective and knowledgeable whether we are budding authors or just interested readers. I was able to connect the young man from the first paragraph with a great local editor who also meets with a group of other writers. But, what a wonderful time to be alive for authors and readers when we can connect with people from around the world to discover new books, new writers and new opportunities to literally (pun intended) expand our horizons.
I had been thinking about the solitary life of a writer who spends countless hours with nothing but her thoughts and a keyboard when someone reached out to me with a lovely note. I had recently published My Secret Mother and a reader sent me a copy of a review she had posted which opened up a whole new world to me.
I have loved everything about books since the first moment I smelled them in my first visit to the public library and I find that I have spent most of my life gravitating to people and circumstances where books are a central theme. I love nothing more than hearing about a new book or author from someone who has read them and sharing my latest find with them.
The review of my own book had been posted on an online site called "Goodreads." Naturally, I clicked on the link to read this five star rating and then started looking around. Truth be told, I had heard about Goodreads before and I am sure I made a note of the address in a notebook somewhere but had not taken the time to search it out. All I can say is, "Wow!" This a book lovers dream come true (shhh, I was thinking about another phrase with the word "dream" in it for you erotica writers out there, but don't tell anyone). Most writers are, in the first place, readers. I know there are lots of book clubs around but maybe you don't belong to one. How about a book club with 5,000,000 members who are passionate about reading and sharing?
Anyway, needless to say, I joined, invited a few friends to join me and now I am inviting you to take a look - here's my profile page, set up your own, ask me to be a friend - I will - and then start looking for more contacts, book recommendations and ratings. I have found some great reads and some new authors (some of whom are now friends) and am having a fabulous time connecting with people just like you - book lovers.
To bring this all together, we all need feedback from people who are objective and knowledgeable whether we are budding authors or just interested readers. I was able to connect the young man from the first paragraph with a great local editor who also meets with a group of other writers. But, what a wonderful time to be alive for authors and readers when we can connect with people from around the world to discover new books, new writers and new opportunities to literally (pun intended) expand our horizons.
Friday
WRITING YOUR OWN BOOK - what's holding you back?
What holds us back from completing our books? I suppose I might ask, "What holds you back from starting your book?" but that's for another day. Yes, I can feel your sense of relief...
Earlier this week, I had a message from Smashwords that My Secret Mother had been accepted into their premium catalog thus making it available in many more formats and places including the Apple store, the Sony store and Barnes and Noble, etc. This was great and gratifying news but there was another piece of news that I knew was coming but had hoped that somehow the book fairy would not notice or would magically fix it. The One Hour Author had not been accepted because it did not have an interactive Table of Contents. Now, if I'm telling the truth, I knew that would happen but hoped for something different.
I had glanced at the technical details of creating a Table of Contents in which the reader could switch from one chapter to any other with ease and move back and forth from text to TOC easily. This is one of the biggest selling features of a digital book or an e-reader but I anticipated a wrestling match with the technology.
This is not a new place for me as I have a love/hate relationship with the tech world and I live in dread of having to learn something new and make mistakes and redo it and on and on - it really tries my patience, something in short supply at the best of times.
Remember the ketchup commercial and the song "Anticipation" by Carly Simon. I feel a bit like the ketchup as I slowly make my way to the opening between me and technology. Anyway, the anticipation is far worse than the actual work itself. I set aside some time to get it started, followed the instructions that are detailed in the Smashwords publishing manual (it's free at their website) and started the dreaded process of formatting the book properly. It took about an hour, which includes the mistakes I made along the way.
Now, why didn't I just do that in the first place, you ask? I don't know - maybe I just anticipate this monumental struggle and want to avoid it. That doesn't work because eventually I have to deal with it anyway and the funny thing is, it's usually a much easier solution that I thought it would be.
My question to you is, where in your book writing process are you "anticipating" problems and avoiding solving them as you hope the book fairy will save you, too?
Go ahead and take a stab at it today - it may be easier than you "anticipated."
Please forward my blog to friends who might benefit - see you soon.
Earlier this week, I had a message from Smashwords that My Secret Mother had been accepted into their premium catalog thus making it available in many more formats and places including the Apple store, the Sony store and Barnes and Noble, etc. This was great and gratifying news but there was another piece of news that I knew was coming but had hoped that somehow the book fairy would not notice or would magically fix it. The One Hour Author had not been accepted because it did not have an interactive Table of Contents. Now, if I'm telling the truth, I knew that would happen but hoped for something different.
I had glanced at the technical details of creating a Table of Contents in which the reader could switch from one chapter to any other with ease and move back and forth from text to TOC easily. This is one of the biggest selling features of a digital book or an e-reader but I anticipated a wrestling match with the technology.
This is not a new place for me as I have a love/hate relationship with the tech world and I live in dread of having to learn something new and make mistakes and redo it and on and on - it really tries my patience, something in short supply at the best of times.
Remember the ketchup commercial and the song "Anticipation" by Carly Simon. I feel a bit like the ketchup as I slowly make my way to the opening between me and technology. Anyway, the anticipation is far worse than the actual work itself. I set aside some time to get it started, followed the instructions that are detailed in the Smashwords publishing manual (it's free at their website) and started the dreaded process of formatting the book properly. It took about an hour, which includes the mistakes I made along the way.
Now, why didn't I just do that in the first place, you ask? I don't know - maybe I just anticipate this monumental struggle and want to avoid it. That doesn't work because eventually I have to deal with it anyway and the funny thing is, it's usually a much easier solution that I thought it would be.
My question to you is, where in your book writing process are you "anticipating" problems and avoiding solving them as you hope the book fairy will save you, too?
Go ahead and take a stab at it today - it may be easier than you "anticipated."
Please forward my blog to friends who might benefit - see you soon.
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