Authors: Are You Emotionally Driven or Intentionally Driven?

Emotions and Intentions. They affect us all when it comes to the book.

Sharing with a publishing colleague that I’m always amazed that authors wait until the last minute to sign up for things. “Pay more later for the same thing that I could have gotten for less sooner,” is their operating model. Or, “I just can’t make up my mind what I want to do, to be.” Or, “I don’t like to, don’t want, to prioritize.” Or, “My book success really isn’t critical … at least now.”

What prompted our discussion was a recent conversationwith a client who said that she wouldn’t be attending the Author U Extravaganza May 2-4, 2013 because she had another workshop that she was going to register for the same week—it was one with a business sales orientation. I had held a spot for her at the early bird rate. Well, business sales are important. But …

And it’s not just a “big but,” it’s a HUGE BUT … when a book is in hand, or one is birthing, the only thing an author should be doing in “sales” is myopic. You hang with people who are making it with book sales; you hang with the people who are pros in marketing books; you hang with people who are rockin’ and rollin’ in social media strategies with and for books; you hang with anyone who is everything books. What works. What doesn’t. Period.

If you don’t, you aren’t “intentionally driven.” Your success ratio drops, and you are vulnerable to the next lure that falls in your pathway, between your ears. My client won’t be at the Extravaganza and I deleted her from the reserved spot held, a significant loss in my opinion. For her, the lure of business sales success is more attractive.

I get the emotional, and intentional, pull to build a business. But you need all the freakin’ tools that are currently used by those in your industry to launch with a “wow”—authors, books, publishing—and get ready to learn about strategies and tools that you didn’t even know existed.

That’s whereintentionalseparates fromemotional.  For book, author and business success, intentional purpose will keep you focused and on track. Intentionality = Success.

I’ll see you at the  Extravaganza if you want to be seriously successful with your books, network and hangout with 25 amazing author and publishing pros who are flying to Denver to share all their insider tips … and next year’s is scheduled for May 1-3, 2014.  Put it on your calendar. That is if you want to be seriously successful in the authoring and book business. The keynotes are already booked and half the speakers are committed.

 Judith Briles is known as The Book Shepherd (www.TheBookShepherd.com) and the Chief Visionary Officer and Founder of Author U (niversity (www.AuthorU.org), a membership organization created for the serious author who wants to be seriously successful. She’s been writing about and conducting workshops on publishing since the 80s. She’s the author of 30 books including her latest, Author YOU: Creating and Building Your Author and Book Platforms that official launches in March of 2013.  Join Judith live on Thursdays at 6 p.m. EST for Your Guide to Book publishing on the www.RockStarRadioNetwork.com
.  Follow @AuthorU and @MyBookShepherd on Twitter and do a “Like” AuthorU and TheBookShepherd on Facebook. If you want to create a book that has no regrets, contact her at Judith@Briles.com