Tuesday, November 8, 2016

Book Review Secrets -- What to Do and Not to Do in Getting Them Today

In the U.S., over 70% of books are sold through the Amazon channels. Book reviews are considered “essential” to have, yet Amazon has taken an aggressive posture in removing many that are posted: many from legitimate book buyers/owners and some from phony “reviewers”.
amazon-reviews

What happens when a posted book review has been zapped by the Amazon bots (or many); is there a path to getting reviews that stick; are perplexed about which type of reviews to seek and how to get them; or are there rules, and unwritten rules, for authors to know when seeking book reviews?
Amazon has new guidelines and authors need to be aware of them ... effective time was October of 2016.

From it's website:
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Community Guidelines

Amazon.com wants your voice to be heard! The Amazon Community provides various forums for engaging other users and sharing authentic feedback about products and services - positive or negative. These Community Guidelines will help you use Community features, including Customer Reviews, Customer Questions & Answers, Amazon Follow, Profile pages, Registries, and Lists.

Eligibility

To post Customer Reviews or Customer Answers, post on Customer Discussion Forums, or submit content to followers, you must have spent at least $50 on Amazon.com using a valid credit or debit card. Prime subscriptions and promotional discounts don't qualify towards the $50 minimum. You do not need to meet this requirement to post Customer Questions, create or modify Profile pages, Lists, or Registries, or to read content posted by other customers.

Be Helpful and Relevant

The Community is intended to provide helpful, relevant content to customers. The content you submit should be relevant and based on your own honest opinions and experience.
  • For Community features focused on a specific topic, you should only submit content related to that topic.
  • Customer Reviews and Questions and Answers should be about the product. Feedback about the seller, your shipment experience, or packaging can be shared at amazon.com/feedback or www.amazon.com/packaging. Comments about pricing, product availability or alternate ordering options are also not about the product should not be posted.
Respect Others

Amazon values diverse opinions, so you may disagree with some content that you come across. Please keep in mind that something that may be disagreeable to you may not violate our Guidelines. In order to maintain a welcoming environment for all users, your participation in the Community must always be respectful of others. In particular:
  • Don't post content that is libelous, defamatory, harassing, threatening, or inflammatory. For example, don't use obscenities or profanity, and don't express hatred or intolerance for people on the basis of race, ethnicity, nationality, gender or gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, age, or disability, including by promoting organizations with such views.
  • Don't post content that invades others' privacy. For example, don't post other people's phone numbers, email addresses, mailing addresses, or other personal information, and don't post links to phishing or other malware sites.
  • Don't impersonate other people or organizations or pretend to be someone or something you're not.
  • Don't repeatedly send messages or requests to other people.
  • Don't attempt to drown out other people's opinions, including by posting from multiple accounts or coordinating with others.
  • Don't engage in name-calling or attack people based on whether you agree with them.
  • You may question the beliefs and expertise of others as long as it is relevant and done in a respectful and non-threatening manner.
Promotions and Commercial Solicitations

In order to preserve the integrity of Community content, content and activities consisting of advertising, promotion, or solicitation (whether direct or indirect) are not allowed, including:
  • Creating, modifying, or posting content regarding your (or your relative's, close friend's, business associate's, or employer's) products or services.
  • Creating, modifying, or posting content regarding your competitors' products or services.
  • Creating, modifying, or posting content in exchange for compensation of any kind (including free or discounted products) or on behalf of anyone else.
  • Offering compensation or requesting compensation (including free or discounted products) in exchange for creating, modifying, or posting content.
  • Posting advertisements or solicitations, including URLs with referrer tags or affiliate codes.
The only exceptions are:
  • You may post content requested by Amazon (such as Customer Reviews of products you purchased on Amazon or received through the Vine program, and answers requested through Questions and Answers). In those cases, your content must comply with any additional guidelines specified by Amazon.
  • You may post an answer to a question asked through the Questions and Answers feature (but not a question itself) regarding products or services for which you have a financial or close personal connection to the brand, seller, author, or artist, but only if you clearly and conspicuously disclose the connection (e.g., "I represent the brand for this product."). We automatically label some answers from sellers or manufacturers, in which case additional disclosure is not necessary.
  • You may post content other than Customer Reviews and Questions and Answers regarding products or services for which you have a financial or close personal connection to the brand, seller, author, or artist, but only if you clearly and conspicuously disclose the connection (e.g., "I was paid for this post."). However, no brand or business may participate in the Community in a way (including by advertising, special offers, or any other "call to action") that diverts Amazon customers to another non-Amazon website, service, application, or channel for the purpose of conducting marketing or sales transactions. Content posted through brand, seller, author, or artist accounts regarding their own products or services does not require additional labeling.
Book authors and publishers may continue to provide free or discounted copies of their books to readers, as long as the author or publisher does not require a review in exchange or attempt to influence the review.

Infringing Content

Don't post content or interact with other members of the Community in a way that infringes the intellectual property or other proprietary rights of others. Only post your own content or content that you have permission to use.

Illegal Activity

Don't post content that encourages or supports behavior that is illegal, including violence, fraud, illegal drug use, underage drinking, or child or animal abuse. Examples of prohibited content include:
  • Content advocating or threatening physical or financial harm to others, including terrorism.
  • Content offering fraudulent goods, services, schemes, or promotions (e.g., make-money-fast schemes, pyramid schemes).
Additional Guidelines for Customer Reviews

The following guidelines apply to Customer Reviews in addition to the other guidelines set forth above:
  • If your review is removed or rejected because it does not comply with our guidelines concerning promotional content, you may not resubmit a review on the same product, even if the resubmitted review includes different content.
  • Reviews may only include URLs or links to other products sold on Amazon.
  • Customers in the same household may not post multiple reviews of the same product.
Reporting Abuse

For some types of content, including Customer Reviews, Customer Answers, and Discussion Boards, you can report possible violations of these Guidelines by clicking the "Report abuse" link near the content and entering the reason you believe it violates these Guidelines. If no "Report abuse" link is available, you may email community-help@amazon.com, specifying the location of the content and the reason you believe it violates these Guidelines.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
What does this mean for you? It means ...
  • You can’t get paid Reviews … period.
  • If you are participating in a “paid for” type of book Blog Tour, any book reviews generated from it could get the boot.
  • There is a "closet type" of  Amazon “black list” … bloggers who get some type of remuneration (whether in money or product) are being identified and reviews pulled.
  • If you are an Amazon Affiliate, your Review won’t be posted.
  • If you offer discounts, sweepstakes, any type of “stuff”, coupons, your Review won’t be posted.
  • Service providers can’t Review client’s or books that they are connected with
So ... breathe here. There are options and some types of workarounds. In future blogs, I'll share them. In Saturday's AuthorU program, I revealed many. Suggest you get the video.



signature - Judith TRN
Ashography Event Photography
Judith Briles is a book publishing expert and coach. She empowers authors and is the Founder of Author U, 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. Judith is the author of 35 books including Author YOU: Creating and Building Your Author and Book Platforms (ForeWord IndieFab Book of the Year), Snappy Sassy Salty: Wise Words for Authors and Writers and a speaker at publishing conferences. Book #35 was published this summer: The How to Avoid 101 Book Publishing Blunders, Bloopers & Boo-Boos. Get your copy now.
Each summer, she holds Judith Briles Book Publishing Unplugged, a three-day intensive limited to a small group of authors who want to be seriously successful. In 2017, the dates are June 22-24th.  Her audio and workbook series, Creating Your Book and Author Platform is now available. Join Judith live on Thursdays at 6 p.m. EST for "AuthorU – Your Guide to Book Publishing" on the Toginet Network at bit.ly/PublishingShow .
Follow @AuthorU and @MyBookShepherd on Twitter and do a “Like” at AuthorU and Judith Briles – TheBookShepherd on Facebook. If you want to create a book that has no regrets, contact Judith at Judith@Briles.com.
header-logo1.pngAuthor U is a non-profit membership organization dedicated to the author who wants to be seriously successful. Monthly education programs delivered face-to-face and online, The Author Resource ezine, BookCamps and the annual Author U Extravaganza are tools designed for authors pre, during and post publishing of their books. Join AuthorU.org today.
 If you are looking for FREE author and book coaching ... call in to Judith's Author Monday Mornings at NOON Eastern each Monday. The number is 218-632-9854; Access Code 1239874444 ... have your questions ready--there's a full hour to ask and listen

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Have You Matched UP Yet with Amazon Yet?

Have You Matched UP Yet? It’s a Happy Birthday month to Amazon for its creation of the Kindle / Book Matchbook program.



Two years ago, Amazon quietly launched the Matchbook program. Designed to push print books … the bonus is that a buyer can get the eBook at a deep discount. Are you and your books in it? All you need is a print edition (POD counts) and an eBook. And, of course, to let Amazon know you want in.

Matchbook bundles the print book with the eBook.  The customer then gets a deeply discounted or free Kindle version of the same book.
Traditional publishers are doing something that sounds like, but isn’t.  Many are offering “enhanced hardcovers”—they bundle the more expensive hardcover books with an e-book, for a 25 percent greater charge. So, if you purchased a new hardcover release for $27.95, you could choose to pay an additional $6.25 to receive the e-book as well. If you purchase the much cheaper paperback, all you get is the paperback. Big deal—you can do better with a discount at Costco or Sam’s Club and get the ebook on a separate purchase.

Here’s why the Matchbook program is awesome and why you should make sure you mark the box when you upload your eBook to Kindle to participate in the Matchbook program …
With the Matchbook program, when the book is purchased via Amazon, you can offer the eBook at the same time for any price point between $0 to $2.99.

Here’s a bonus… you don’t have to be exclusive with Amazon in order to enroll in the Matchbook program. And for any Indie Author who only creates eBooks, Amazon's Matchbook program is the perfect incentive to get print versions of a book up and running. Hello POD for those who don’t want to run a full run. 

Take advantage of this … you will like it PLUS it’s an ideal way to do a “push” for your book combo during this Holiday Gift season.
This is what Martha Stewart says, “A good thing.”



Judith Briles is a book publishing expert and coach. She empowers authors and is the Founder of Author U, 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. Judith is the author of 35 books including Author YOU: Creating and Building Your Author and Book Platforms (ForeWord IndieFab Book of the Year), Snappy Sassy Salty: Wise Words for Authors and Writers and a speaker at publishing conferences. Book #35 was published this summer: The How to Avoid 101 Book Publishing Blunders, Bloopers & Boo-Boos. Get your copy now.
Each summer, she holds Judith Briles Book Publishing Unplugged, a three-day intensive limited to a small group of authors who want to be seriously successful. In 2017, the dates are June 22-24th.  Her audio and workbook series, Creating Your Book and Author Platform is now available. Join Judith live on Thursdays at 6 p.m. EST for "AuthorU – Your Guide to Book Publishing" on the Toginet Network at bit.ly/PublishingShow .
Follow @AuthorU and @MyBookShepherd on Twitter and do a “Like” at AuthorU and Judith Briles – TheBookShepherd on Facebook. If you want to create a book that has no regrets, contact Judith at Judith@Briles.com.

Author U is a non-profit membership organization dedicated to the author who wants to be seriously successful. Monthly education programs delivered face-to-face and online, The Author Resource ezine, BookCamps and the annual Author U Extravaganza are tools designed for authors pre, during and post publishing of their books. Join AuthorU.org today.
 If you are looking for FREE author and book coaching ... call in to Judith's Author Monday Mornings at NOON Eastern each Monday. The number is 218-632-9854; Access Code 1239874444 ... have your questions ready--there's a full hour to ask and listen

Tuesday, October 11, 2016

7 Rules to Avoid Author Self-Sabotage

As the political season enters the final month, we have all been overloaded with accusations, innuendos and a variety of interesting and inventive side steps and blatant untruths. Some of you are appalled by it; some of you have been amused by it; some of you have been mesmerized by it; some of you are sick of it; and some of it you have chosen to just ignore it.  Why am I bringing this up? Because …



Inappropriate words can sink an author’s reputation

What you say … what you write … what you say that you think is private … what you say kiddingly … what you say when you put your mouth or words out there before your brain has the opportunity to kick start … can come back to haunt you. And there isn’t one of us who hasn’t said something or put it in writing and post sending/saying, and regretted doing so.
It’s that simple … and that important.

I have told my Book Shepherd clients to tone down anything to do with politics, celebrities and scandals on their social media pages. Guaranteed, many can immediately be ticked off. For this season, I cautioned them about posting positions/thoughts about Trump or Clinton. Do I have opinions about either? Yes, I do, but they aren’t on Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ or Facebook. Have I wanted to post or respond at times? Oh yes, but I don’t. I’ve shared with friends in person—but on social media? Nope. In fact, after observing a vomiting of posts pro and con for each, I told a stand and posted:
Note to all ... if there are any political or what I deem offensive postings, I will delete and in some cases, unfriend you or disconnect. My pages are about author, publishing, and personal success. Thanks.

And I had my virtual assistant start go through and deleting posts and in some cases, disconnecting. I don’t want to read it and I don’t want my social media to be clutter with it. I’m about author success. Now, do I follow politics? Yes—I read two newspapers a day; do a catch up with a couple of hours a week with various media shows that I follow.

Judith’s 7 Rules

1. Do not … do not … do not say or do anything that can land you in the media and tarnish you or your book. The old rule that any media—good or bad—is good media. I don’t believe it.

2. Do not … do not … do not send an email that you could possibly regret. Once sent, it’s fair game to land in the wrong place. I know, I know, it doesn’t seem right, but that’s what can happen … and does. And did you know that any email that is forwarded can simply be edited with what you wrote by the forwarded that could even alter what you originally wrote?

3. If you are upset about something … do not … do not … do not leave a voice mail. Your name and call back number is best if you don’t connect live. With Caller ID on my phones, it’s difficult to hide from a completed call.

4. If you feel a tirade coming on … don’t. It’s best to have an outburst pal to get it off your chest vs. spell it out in emails or social media channels. Or keep it within the walls of your home or office.

5. Don’t post things that could offend or tick off potential SuperFans. Nurture them instead—it’s what will grow you and your author success. Your Fans will hunt you down … they want to know about you. Are they going to get a surprise when they find posts, interviews that may be contrary to what you are positioning yourself as?

6. If you are a Facebook user—remember FB favors the family/friends approach … lots of pics, trips, chatty personal stuff. Not business. Authoring and publishing is a business—understand that. If you are a Twitter devotee and you get on a rant, don’t be surprised if you get a boatload of unfollows.

7. Think of your beloved Gramma listening in or reading what you wrote. What would she think? What would she say? If it’s not, “Wonderful” or “Others need to hear this” or a variation, take a pass.

Solid reputations take time to build and only seconds to take down. Think before you put your mouth or words in gear.



Judith Briles is a book publishing expert and coach. She empowers authors and is the Founder of Author U, 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. Judith is the author of 35 books including Author YOU: Creating and Building Your Author and Book Platforms (ForeWord IndieFab Book of the Year), Snappy Sassy Salty: Wise Words for Authors and Writers and a speaker at publishing conferences. Book #35 was published this summer: The How to Avoid 101 Book Publishing Blunders, Bloopers & Boo-Boos. Get your copy now.
Each summer, she holds Judith Briles Book Publishing Unplugged, a three-day intensive limited to a small group of authors who want to be seriously successful. In 2017, the dates are June 22-24th.  Her audio and workbook series, Creating Your Book and Author Platform is now available. Join Judith live on Thursdays at 6 p.m. EST for "AuthorU – Your Guide to Book Publishing" on the Toginet Network at bit.ly/PublishingShow .
Follow @AuthorU and @MyBookShepherd on Twitter and do a “Like” at AuthorU and Judith Briles – TheBookShepherd on Facebook. If you want to create a book that has no regrets, contact Judith at Judith@Briles.com.

Author U is a non-profit membership organization dedicated to the author who wants to be seriously successful. Monthly education programs delivered face-to-face and online, The Author Resource ezine, BookCamps and the annual Author U Extravaganza are tools designed for authors pre, during and post publishing of their books. Join AuthorU.org today.
 If you are looking for FREE author and book coaching ... call in to Judith's Author Monday Mornings at NOON Eastern each Monday. The number is 218-632-9854; Access Code 1239874444 ... have your questions ready--there's a full hour to ask and listen

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

6 Tips To Increase Discoverability and Book Sales

Are you that author who regularly shouts “buy my book” on Twitter and Facebook? If this is your idea of book promotion, you need to get comfortable with the fact that your personal brand is “salesperson.” That’s fine if your books are about how to sell things, but a terrible fit if you write novels.

the lilypad

Authors are often uncomfortable with the idea of personal branding. Yet, by being part of the social conversation, most are creating some type of brand whether they’re aware of it or not. Why not be more deliberate about the process? In today’s crowded book marketplace, crafting an effective personal brand has never been more important.

So what exactly is personal branding? We like this straightforward definition: “personal branding is the process by which individuals and entrepreneurs differentiate themselves and stand out from a crowd by identifying and articulating their unique value proposition, whether professional or personal and then leverage it across platforms with a consistent message and image to achieve a specific goal.” (Just to clarify, a value proposition is a promise of value to be delivered.) For authors, this boils down to what is the type of reading experience you promise to deliver to readers.

So if readers were asked to describe your personal author brand in a few words or phrases, what would they say? Do you know? If not, perhaps it’s worth taking some time to define and create a plan for your personal brand. Here are five simple steps:

  1. Discover your brand. Explore and define your life-long aspirations, passions, and goals as an author. When you start in a place of honesty, you build a brand that is genuine. 
  2. Know your audience.  Brands do not exist in vacuums. They are designed to reach a specific audience. You can’t craft an effective author brand without understanding your target audience. Do your homework. Research everything you can about your target audience. Do you know their genders? Age? Areas of common interest? Favorite social channels? Popular entertainment (movies, books, songs, etc.)? Find out as much as you can about your target audience. It is central to your success.
  3. Ask hard questions. What makes your work compelling? What differentiates you and your writing in today’s book marketplace? How do readers perceive you and your work? Is that perception aligned with the perception you desire? Do the books you create and the way you market them help you cultivate your personal author brand and achieve your goals? How do you add value to your community of fans?
  4. Create a plan. Map out a clear roadmap to help you reach your readers. If you don’t have enough information, consider surveying your audience. If you know where and how your readers are discovering new books like yours, map out a marketing plan to reach them. This includes creating a content calendar to share relevant content with your audience on a consistent basis. Your planning should also include long-term strategy sessions. in which you outline the types of books you will write (not necessarily just genre, specific qualities are important too), when you will release them, the way you will share them with the world, and the types of actions you will take on a regular basis to demonstrate the qualities and values for which you wish to be known. Thinking strategically will help you craft a more effective author brand.
  5. Choose your platforms. Where are the best places to communicate authentically your brand’s message? Research social and real-world communication channels that make sense for your brand message. Execute on your plan across your chosen platforms.
  6. Think long term.Building an effective personal brand takes a long time. It requires commitment and consistency. Don’t give up on your roadmap just because you’re not seeing results quickly. If you stick to your plan, you will achieve your goals over time.



KathyKathy Meis will hold a session at this year’s AuthorU entitled, “Metadata IS Your Brand.” She is the founder and CEO of Bublish, the world’s first complete publishing solution with integrated brand-building, marketing, and discoverability features. With more than twenty-five years of experience in the media and publishing industry, she has served in a wide variety of editorial and management positions at some of the world’s leading media companies, including CBS and Forbes, Inc. She is a founding partner of PubSmart, a publishing conference in Charleston, South Carolina as well as a professional writer, editor, and ghostwriter. Kathy speaks and blogs regularly on the subject of book promotion, author branding, social marketing, and discoverability. She has appeared at many conferences, including Book Expo America, Women in Media, GrubSteet, PubSmart, and IndieRecon.

header-logo1.pngAuthor U is a non-profit membership organization dedicated to the author who wants to be seriously successful. Monthly education programs delivered face-to-face and online, The Author Resource ezine, BookCamps and the annual Author U Extravaganza are tools designed for authors pre, during and post publishing of their books. Join AuthorU.org today.
 If you are looking for FREE author and book coaching ... call into Judith's Author Monday Mornings at NOON Eastern each Monday. The number is 218-632-9854; Access Code 1239874444 ... have your questions ready--there's a full hour to ask and listen

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

5 Steps To Do if Your Copyright is Infringed Upon

Most authors don't think of themselves as "police" ... yet its one of those post-publication duties added to the authoring list once the book is out.
copyright-stock-photo-illustration-of-word-tags-representing-concept-of-copyright-infringement-1128561042-300x179
For copyright protection, if you’ve taken the steps to register your work, enforcing your copyright through the court system is a little easier--if it becomes a necessity. One of the challenges is identifying which part of your work has been copied.  Interesting, it's often a "fan" who will bring it to your attention that your work has been zapped and an infringement is in play.  
What do you do next?  Good question.
Start with:

1.  Notifying the author/freelancer/publisher that your work has been infringed upon and that you are protecting your copyright.
2.  You may want to contact an intellectual property attorney if a significant amount of your work has been lifted and discuss the best way to proceed with the "alleged" words.
3.  If your work has not been registered yet with the U.S. Copyright office, and the alleged infringement is significant, get it done pronto. 
4.  What about book piracy? Matey ... you've got a problem. 
Book piracy costs publishing over $200 million a year--don't let you or  your book become a victim. Get help. I've done a recent podcast on it. Listen HERE

Piracy Trace is an automated platform that searches the entire web looking for copies of your work. With an always-on scanning approach, you can rest assured if it’s been copied we’ll find it. There is a free 30 day trial… after that, to track one book, it’s $1 per month; up to 5 titles, $4. Suggest you listen in pronto to the podcast done on AuthorU-Your Guide to Book Publishing dated February 25, 2016. Your book may be on the plank with pirates!
image001

Create a Take Down Notice for Pirated Books!
One of the critical notices to send to any website hosting company is the DMCA. Go to IPWatchDog.com and download the sample letter. Do a copy and paste with your information, then submit it to any hosting company that is carrying your books and shouldn't be. The clock starts to tick with a 24 hour window to remove your material
image002 (1)

Create a Take Down Notice for Pirated Books!
One of the critical notices to send to any website hosting company is the DMCA (stands for Digital Millennium Copyright Act). Go to IPWatchDog.com and download the sample letter. Do a copy and paste with your information, then submit it to any hosting company that is carrying your books and shouldn't be. The clock starts to tick with a 24 hour window to remove your material. http://IPWathdog.com

copyright infringement5.  With that said, get yourself registered immediately for the June 4th Saturday Mornings Program. If you are in Denver--register anyway, or if you already have commitments. We will send the video to you the following week of the entire program.
Copyright questions. Trademark questions. Even Patent questions. You will get answers.



Ashography Event Photography
Judith Briles is a book publishing expert and coach. She empowers authors and is the Founder of Author U, a membership organization created for the serious author who wants to be seriously successful. She’s been writing signature-full TRNabout and conducting workshops on publishing since the 80s. Judith is the author of 35 books including Author YOU: Creating and Building Your Author and Book Platforms (ForeWord IndieFab Book of the Year), Snappy Sassy Salty: Wise Words for Authors and Writers and a speaker at publishing conferences. Book #35 was published this summer: The How to Avoid 101 Book Publishing Blunders, Bloopers & Boo-Boos. Get your copy now.
Each summer, she holds Judith Briles Book Publishing Unplugged, a three day intensive limited to a small group of authors who want to be seriously successful. In 2016, the dates are June 23-25th.  Her audio and workbook series, Creating Your Book and Author Platform is now available. Join Judith live on Thursdays at 6 p.m. EST for "AuthorU – Your Guide to Book Publishing" on the Toginet Network at bit.ly/PublishingShow .
Follow @AuthorU and @MyBookShepherd on Twitter and do a “Like” at AuthorU and Judith Briles – TheBookShepherd on Facebook. If you want to create a book that has no regrets, contact Judith at Judith@Briles.com.

header-logo1.pngAuthor U is a non-profit membership organization dedicated to the author who wants to be seriously successful. Monthly education programs delivered face-to-face and online, The Author Resource ezine, BookCamps and the annual Author U Extravaganza are tools designed for authors pre, during and post publishing of their books. Join AuthorU.org today.
 If you are looking for FREE author and book coaching ... call in to Judith's Author Monday Mornings at NOON Eastern each Monday. The number is 218-632-9854; Access Code 1239874444 ... have your questions ready--there's a full hour to ask and listen