Author and Book Success: In Sight … In Mind

Typically, most view January as the month of Resolutions. I suggest you don’t. Why—simply this: most Resolutions are trashed within a few weeks of making them. It’s estimated that over 75 percent of resolutions are quickly side-stepped.

 

What are the top reasons resolutions become out of sight … out of mind?

1 Creating an All or Nothing Scenario

Almost guaranteed to set any author up for failure, we authors sometimes think of success in a black and white format. Usually it is kicked-off with the word “instant” … as in I need to sell 500 books in the next two weeks; I need to get on a national TV show this month; I need to ________. The publishing journey is a marathon, not the mythical short sprint that most just published authors think.

2 Lapsing and Relapsing

ODing either way … happens if there is a relapse … then you promise yourself (or others) that you will get back on track … and you do until you run into another hiccup. Then it moves into an all or none strategy that rarely goes flawless in execution or succeeding. Hiccups happen, get that it’s part of the journey. They hurt, but are rarely fatal.

3 Rewards Work

Every author has something different that motivates him or her. What’s yours? Do it; enjoy it; celebrate whatever your “it” is. Growth and success comes in a variety of steps and stages. One of my favorite books is Mastery by George Leonard. Required reading when I worked on my MBA years ago, its aha was the value of setbacks and plateaus … events that would enable/encourage one to regroup, relearn, practice and then woot … a huge leap in progress becomes highly probable.

4 Re-instill Vision

When you started on the Author Journey, you had a vision for either you or your book, preferably both. It’s time to revisit it. Clarify and goose your motivation.

5 Accountability and Action

Your Author and Book GamePlan for success require all of the above plus it needs action that has accountability tied to it.
Many jump on the authoring journey without putting one together. If that’s you, it’s never too late—you just may not like some of the revealing “hiccups” that your lack of a GamePlan didn't include. If you had one, you could be under the influence of Author Fatigue Syndrome—you are pooped.

Let’s try something different. It’s time to revisit it and reward yourself for the milestones you can mark off as DONE. Instead of vowing that you won’t do this or that you will do that … create a new GamePlan for 2015. If you have book in hand, it’s all about marketing and positioning. If your book is being written or in production, it’s ditto along with making sure that “your team” is creating the book that is your vision and one that you have no regrets about.

Lots going on in January. The PublishingAtSea.com sets to sea on the 18th … a great was to concentrate on lots of publishing info PLUS have a vacation on the side PLUS have it tax deductible. How cool is that?

The Author’s Ark will be starting up in February—THREE intense months of coaching with me. Get signed up NOW. http://bit.ly/1fWGR9Y
The Draft to Dream Book Publishing Competition ends on the 15th … if you have a manuscript that hasn’t been published, this is a HUGE window of opportunity. All details are on the www.AuthorU.org website. DO IT>  http://ow.ly/Co6DM

Early bird registration for the AuthorU.org Extravaganza is just around the corner. All the main publishing players will be there… the question is… well YOU. Rates will increase $100 on February 1st.
2015 is the year for in sight, in mind for you and your book’s success. I’m committed to it … are you?

 

Judith Briles is known as The Book Shepherd a book publishing expert and coach. She 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 31 books including Author YOU: Creating and Building Your Author and Book Platforms (ForeWord Indie/Fab Book of the Year), Snappy Sassy Salty: Wise Words for Authors and Writers and a speaker at publishing conferences.

Become part of her inner circle by joining the Author’s Ark and exclusive monthly webinar and coaching event. Each summer, she holds Judith Briles Unplugged, a two and 1/2 day intensive limited to a small group of authors who want to be seriously successful. In 2015, the dates are August 27-29th.  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 Author U – Your Guide to Book Publishing on the Toginet Network at http://tinyurl.com/AuthorURadio . 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.

The ABCs of Publishing Terminology Today

Are you confused in which way to publish today? And for that matter, what are the publishing options? Join the club! Traditional publishing, self-publishing and independent publishing are tossed in the air with the flick of the tongue. Just what are they? Authors feel like they are going bonkers with the choices, that unfortunately, lead to plenty of disillusionment.

Traditional publishing is the easiest to get … and digest. The biggies in the field today are: Simon & Schuster, Wiley, Hachette, HarperCollins, Penguin, Random House and Macmillian. They acquire authors and manuscripts. They promise to publish your book, do some editing, cover and interior design, print it and maybe, maybe some publicity and marketing. In return, you may get an advance—which means they give you up-front money that is an advance payment against/toward future royalties. The good news is that if the book doesn't do so well, you keep the money. The bad news, it’s not usually a lot and the process takes many, many months-sometimes years to see additional moneys.

The real confusion and culprit is in the “self-publishing” terminology. It’s misused and bastardized on a daily basis.

Self-publishing is well, self-publishing—the DIY model. And, it has lots of modes you can take. It gets interchanged with Independent publishing (or Indie publishing as many call it). One of the key differences between the two is that “self” is usually on a smaller production scale—the “indies” think nothing of print 1,000 plus copies and selling all of them … and back to print. The self-publishing author is thinking that 100 is a BIG step.

Independent publishing  You, the author, handle all the details under your own name/company—your imprint. You hire designers, illustrators, editors, printers and anyone else to create your masterpiece. Yes, all costs are yours, but you also get the difference between cost and selling point (If the cost of printing a book is $3.25 and you resell it for $15, you put $11.75 in your bank account). Authors who transitioned into the Independent publishing model are serious authors, understanding the business side of publishing. AND ... this is a must ... you need to understand, embrace, that this is a business. It you go down the "hobby" path, your results will be mediocre at best. End of my sermon.

Pay-to-publish is when YOU pay a company to do the publishing process. You can pay them to get editing done, the cover, the layout, the publicity and the marketing. You have much more control than with traditional, but all costs are out of pocket. YOU PAY ALL. Even though you are footing the bill, you still get royalties (a percent of the cover price--some gloat that they pay the best rates, like 20 percent). Not much here … and the quality is well, questionable. Many of the "pay to publish"—which includes Author Solutions, Author House, LuLu, Red Dog, Tate (I'm working on getting two authors out of a very messy situation/disaster with Tate as I write this), Balboa, Westbow, iUniverse, XLibris—the author sells an average of 100 book—100!!!! Ugh to that. The pay to publish crowd routinely say "self-publish" ... it is not. It is a business that takes just about any author who has got a checkbook or credit card, fills in the necessary paperwork, submits the necessary Word documents to their process … and voila  … a book is created.

My advice … if you are going to do all the intellectual work, need to save money, find resources that don’t suck you in for the $297 or $397 or $577 or whatever their “cheap” lure is and then you get hit with all the "up-selling." Always Google the name of the company—add “complaints,” “scams,” "ripoffs," "con," "lawsuits" and or “problems” behind it and read … dig down. READ EVERYTHING -- don't stop on the first page.

It's Easy to Get Lost in Publishing Terminology

Dear, Dear Authors... if you are going to do the work of writing a book ... you are going to market you book—NO ONE else is—thinking that another publisher—traditional or the pay-to-publish crowd will--it is today’s author fantasy land ... if you don't land a deal with a traditional publisher .. bypass "pay to publish" ...you are going to end up coughing up several thousand dollars by the time you are done; end up with a so-so product (as one of the AuthorU.org members said about Tate, “A 5-year-old could have made a better cover.”; and then you fumble with what to do next. If you are going to end up spending several thousand dollars, invest in learning about publishing and "buy" what you need to create your vision.

If money is a challenge—at least get your book edited; have a professional cover designer create your cover; get the interior layed-out by someone who does interiors—you will spend a few thousand dollars if you do it RIGHT and it will be money well spent … then you can go the cheap route: have your interior designer load up to Create Space—at least you've get the visuals of a solid book on your side and the content solid—you've got mammoth Amazon there ready to do the POD print and you can buy the book for most likely less than $3 a copy (less than the pay-to-publish model—trust me here). Amazon can then create the eBook in a nano-second for mini-costs.

Now, you can do the Create Space option and bypass your own designer … and you get what you get—it will look “self” published—I have yet to see a Create Space that the author has just down the “dump” process—used their templates, picked a plain vanilla type of cover they created and see the results as stellar. My thing is to work with authors to create a book that they don’t regret. If you want a Book that you don’t have to apologize for, get some professional input. Please.

Then, then ... you start social media marketing like crazy.

If you decide to pull it from Amazon and choose another option—like creating your own imprint or even selling it to a traditional publishing house, you can easily—you've got all the design done already and you own it.

OK... that's my two-bits for now ... remember: your motto is: "If it's to be, it's up to me ..." and keep my two favorites that I will include in my next book--a book that has won six national book awards, including a coveted Book of the Year from the Indie/Fab awards announced at the 2014  American Library Association annual meeting in Las Vegas ... Author YOU-Creating and Building Your Author and Book Platforms ...

If you never say "no" your "yeses" are worthless ... 

                      Don't do well what you have no business doing ... Nuff said.

 Get the book if you don't have ... and start your GamePlan today.

Judith Briles is known as The Book Shepherd a book publishing expert and coach. She 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 31 books including Author YOU: Creating and Building Your Author and Book Platforms (ForeWord Indie/Fab Book of the Year), Snappy Sassy Salty: Wise Words for Authors and Writers and a speaker at publishing conferences.

Become part of her inner circle by joining the Author’s Ark and exclusive monthly webinar and coaching event. Each summer, she holds Judith Briles Unplugged, a two and 1/2 day intensive limited to a small group of authors who want to be seriously successful. In 2015, the dates are August 27-29th.  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 Author U – Your Guide to Book Publishing on the Toginet Network at http://tinyurl.com/AuthorURadio . 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.

Authors, Judgement and Publishing Predators

   What do you do when you’ve been “had” in the publishing   game/maze?

Who’s the book-buster
       you call in?

Do you moan and groan that you’ve been screwed?

Do you spend countless hours in phone and email hell trying to get to someone who’s
going to fix whatever needs fixing on your book?

Do you cave in, with book tail between your heart and soul and just slink away?

Do you make a variety of excuses as to why you are in the mess you are?

Do you ignore that you’ve been treated like a piece of yesterday’s trash?

Do you …

How about: let’s kick in “your better judgment” Do you … and get the heck out of dodge?

Stop working with the people and group that have zapped you.  Just stop. Lick your wounds; you made a mistake that is costing you time, energy and money. I know, it’s the money thing that keeps people in the book and author abuse cycle.

If you don’t, it will suck the passion out of your book and you. Tell everyone you know who they are, what exactly has been the pits and engage with someone who knows what they are doing. And listen to them; dump your ego, not your vision.

There is too, too much information out there available with a few clicks to weed the publishing predators out. Google the names; add “scams”, “problems”, “cons”, “complaints” after their names—read every one of them. Predators & Editors should always be checked out. Ask, Ask, Ask. I had someone who called me last week who admitted after I asked him why he signed with Xlibris–he was sick of being hounded by all the phone calls and just wanted them to stop. He signed a contract, gave them money … because he wanted them to stop calling him!

      Authors—the boiler room operations of Author House, Author Solutions, Xlibris, iUniverse, etc., have hundreds of people “hounding” naive authors-to-be around the clock—it’s their “job”—they are author hounders, lurking in the shadows, ready to root into your creative juices, and yes, your personal vanity, to get your wallet and book.

And Amazon, with all its bucks, needs to kick up its quality control. The results are hit and miss on printing and layout quality for its CreateSpace program. CreateSpace is a pay to publish method, let’s call it what it is. The choice for cover presentation—gloss or gloss—is dismal. Lightning Source is leap years ahead of it. Certainly OK for a “galley” and ARC strategy or to “test” the grounds for a book … but to sell in physical quantity/quality—to compete what books that authors and publishers of any size are putting thought and money into—not so hot. If you don’t care what the physical presentation of your book is, then it doesn’t.

When I look at the finished results of the vanity, pay-to-publish, subsidy crowd, and hear the author tell me in writing or in person that they are OK/happy with the results … just what are the results being comparing to? If he or she doesn’t know better … well … is that really OK? Your choice, you choose … and look in the mirror when you do. I would choose to get out of dodge and start over. Yes, you are out some money and time. And yes, you will get your book and author life back. The book-buster is in the mirror. Your choice, you choose.



Judith Briles is known as The Book Shepherd a book publishing expert and coach. She 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 31 books including Author YOU: Creating and Building Your Author and Book Platforms (ForeWord Indie/Fab Book of the Year), Snappy Sassy Salty: Wise Words for Authors and Writers and a speaker at publishing conferences.   

Become part of her inner circle by joining the Author’s Ark and exclusive monthly webinar and coaching event. Each summer, she holds Judith Briles Unplugged, a two and 1/2 day intensive limited to a small group of authors who want to be seriously successful. In 2015, the dates are August 27-29th.  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 Author U – Your Guide to Book Publishing on the Toginet Network at http://tinyurl.com/AuthorURadio . 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.

Top Ten Twitter Tweets on November 13

           
                                          It’s Thursday at

…

                          

The Author U Publicity / Marketing BookCamp with Joan Stewart is in 2 days … don’t miss the day that will change your book’s life.

Author U – Your Guide to Book Publishing will focus on Author Photos… as in casual images, book covers, promotion, website images, products, and training. Judith Briles has Dave Raymond and Thomson Shore as her guest—they will be deep diving into the latest in printing strategies and techniques for authors and publishers—Dave is the National Sales Manager for Thomson Shore.Tune in at 6 Eastern, 5 Central, 4 Mountain, 3 Pacific and for our out-of-the-country members and followers … you are going to have to do the clock crunching for your time zone at http://tinurl.com/AuthorURadio.  You can also go to the Home page of http://www.AuthorU.org, scroll down and click on any of the past shows—just click and are instantly there! 

Here’s your Top Ten Tweets for the past week  

Tweets are faster than a speeding bird … below are Author U’s Top Ten Tweets from the past week that you may have missed …

• Success & Resources
• #Book printing ahas for #authors-learn when the sweet spot for #bookprinting is-listen to podcast: http://ow.ly/DWSFy

• 5 outdated #PR practices that have successfully undergone modern makeoversfrom @PRDaily ow.ly/E5fDu
• 
  
• Social Media and Marketing Strategies
• 
  
• Are you Missing These 5 Social Sharing Powerhouses?#authors can’t afford to!ow.ly/DojN7 #sales #marketing

• 
  
• RT @PublicityHound: 6 social media lessons from Billy Joel #socialmediatips via @PRDaily http://ow.ly/E5i6
• 
  
• Green Marketing: Be Careful What You Say … always smart.bit.ly/1wMVPIO
• #Author savvy: Why Visual Content Can Boost Your Brand [INFOGRAPHIC] bit.ly/10SBbKY
• #Author #blogging: How to Find and Use Top Quality Images for Your Posts dld.bz/dgMZN #books
• Writers & Writing

• Are you a #writer with a #book done? Enter Draft to Dream#Book Competition now open. Huge Prizes. Details: http://ow.ly/DWCmJ

 Fun and Cool Things to Know

• Come to the Fall Authors Tea … Book Addicts Welcome!tinyurl.com/nodjmlx

Remember …

You can listen to over 150 programs that Author U Founder Judith Briles has created for your book and authoring success:http://tinyurl.com/AuthorURadio , scroll down and click on any of the past shows—just click and you are instantly there! Or you, can go to the radio show’s home page and do the same: http://tinyurl.com/AuthorURadio

Authors: Make Up Your Mind

Are you a procrastinator? Are you looking for the perfect phrase, word, idea? Are you stuck? Wouldn't getting unstuck and moving forward be a fantastic goal. 

                       

Make a decision to go forward or eliminate vs. the one that you have practiced—to do nothing.

Moving from wannabe author to the real thing is totally possible this coming year. Moving from wannabe speaker to the real thing is totally possible this coming year. Moving from wannabe anything to the real thing is totally possible this coming year. 

Is there a book in you? Most think there is. And most don’t get them out. You could have the makings of a fantastic novel, a creative young adult series, and exquisitely illustrated young children’s stories. Cookbooks, health, space, romance, intrigue, how-to or business book may be lurking in your creative closet.

You just may be able to take your career to a whole new level with the creation of a book. Adding to your professional credentials, if done right, could position you as the expert in a specific field. A book could talk you to a whole new level, a different type of professional business card. Amazing doors can open with book in hand.

Many wannabe authors, speakers, or whatever, practice the art of one for the money, two for the show, three to get ready, three to get ready, three to get ready … and they never go. They keep reaching for one more thing; one more piece of information; another interview; another who knows what. Sometimes, it’s just another excuse. Their book never gets written, much less published. Their quest for the perfect book has become the enemy of creating a good book, even a great book.

Perfection and Procrastination go hand-in-hand. Break the bond and move forward today.

Step 1:  Choose a spot … any spot that is yours and yours alone. It’s the “Do Not Cross … Author at Work” sport. Authors need their space and time. Space will contain all the ingredients you need to support you. Think computer, phone— if necessary, pens, pencils, paper, files with reference items that you've collected, notes you've saved or made to support your topic, other reference books, a favorite snack (I confess—I've written an entire book with M&Ms and Cheetos being the reward each time I finished a chapter), beverage of choice, toys, etc. Your space. Claim it and let others know that when you are in your space, it’s a “Do Not Disturb … Author at Work” sanctuary.

Find time. Some authors have to work specific hours; others are more loosey-goosey. Do what works for you, but do it.

 

Step 2:  Just do it … even if what you get down looks like gibberish. Is it a cliché? Nope, it’s a start. You can’t move forward to publication until you've  got some words. So dump them out. Think of it as a giant puzzle. Sometimes just finding all the edges takes time.  As in a puzzle, colors begin to gather, segments within it come together, and it does come together if you persevere.  The more you organize your thoughts, stories, stats and general info, the better it is when it comes to the first dump. The general topic, sub-topics, stories/facts/stats to support the topic all go into magic piles.

Where you choose to “dump” is your choice. Some still write all by hand … if you having been procrastinating or dragging your feet—it’s best to bypass this method and either pick up the latest version of Dragon’s Naturally Speaking where you can literally put on a headset with a mic and start talking or glue yourself to a favorite spot and just start writing—writing anything to kick start your creative juices.

With Dragon’s program, your works get transcribed to your computer, and then you clean up spellings and missed words after your dictation is done.  Here’s what you don’t do with a speaking program: watch it as it unfolds on your computer. Guaranteed, it’s the kiss of author death.  You will want to stop. In fact, you will stop. Your creative juices vaporize as you start to correct spelling and do a first run at editing.  DO NOT DO THIS.  You need everything flowing when you are in your zone—you don’t need to make the written word perfect … yet.

 

Step 3:   Get help. You may need book coaching to goose you. You may need to get the big picture in place where you can see the book, even virtually feel what it will look like. Do you know your title … or do you need some help in creating it—don’t be surprised, titles can change as a book progresses … and it can be as firm as a slab of cement. If it’s firm, a mock up of a cover might be the visual encouragement that keeps you going. You will need an editor—content or grammar? All authors need editors who edit (this is not your friend or sister, although they can be readers) … all authors no exceptions.   

Plan on engaging other professionals who create books—interiors and exteriors. Will illustrations or cartoons enhance your work? Unless you are a pro in book design, book covers, illustrations, etc., don’t go down that path. Don't expect to do it cheaply—what does that say about you and the quality of your work?

Step 4:  Make up your mind. It's a new year ... changes are everywhere. What’s it going to be—your first book? A new book? A workbook or Teacher’s Guide to accompany one that you have already written? How about a stellar speech and/or workshop that will take you new places and create new places to see your book? Or an audio program? Do you see a video version of your book or creating Exercises and Projects for readers to use and enjoy? The paths you choose can be multiple, which makes it exciting for the Author. 

Your book can do amazing things ... you need to bring the amazing you to the party and invite the pros in for the journey.

 

Judith Briles is known as The Book Shepherd a book publishing expert and coach. She 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 31 books including Author YOU: Creating and Building Your Author and Book Platforms (ForeWord Indie/Fab Book of the Year), Snappy Sassy Salty: Wise Words for Authors and Writers and a speaker at publishing conferences.

Become part of her inner circle by joining the Author’s Ark and exclusive monthly webinar and coaching event. Each summer, she holds Judith Briles Unplugged, a two and 1/2 day intensive limited to a small group of authors who want to be seriously successful. In 2015, the dates are August 27-29th.  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 Author U – Your Guide to Book Publishing on the Toginet Network at http://togi.us/authoru. 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.

It's About Rules ... the Unwritten Ones in the Publishing Maze

Have you been to a writer's or publishing conference where you are a newbie? You quickly learn, and not so quickly, learn where stuff is; what's the buzz; who the must hear speakers are; what's the protocol for the conference. You learn the Rules ... and many times, the ones that matter the most are the Unwritten Rules. One of my Unwritten Rules is to avoid publishing predators ... in reality, it should be a Written Rule!

There’s a classic scene in the movie, A League of Their Own, when manager Tom Hanks sees one of his outfielders approaching the dugout and she’s crying. He says (actually yells), “Crying?! There’s no crying in baseball!”

Hmmm … now where would that be in the player’s policy manual? It’s not. Our outfielder has been hit with one of the deal breakers of the workplace—the unwritten rules. How was she to know that there was no crying … unless someone told her about it?

The unwritten rules reveal the true culture of any environment. The conference you are attending and groups that you belong to. It’s how people treat each other, work with each other, play games—good and not-so-good—with each other. It's know insider tips on how to connect with others while you are there; how to follow up; what's expected--and not expected (or accepted). Think about media and social media--oodles of items to do, and not to do. Most of us stumble through them it's how we learn.

It's the one hundred plus unwritten rules that can destroy your success as an author, as well as the success of the book.

Recently, I was giving a speech for a group within a hospital association at its annual meeting on one of my books. One of the unwritten rules that surfaced during the exercise I do to reveal them was that if you have to see Sister _______, don’t wear red! Truth be told, the good Sister has taken quite a disliking to the color red. If you want/need something from her, don’t go bearing red. If she sees it, you are discounted, almost become invisible. It’s that simple.

You may think that it’s no big deal, but for Sister it is. And, if you had any savvy, you would have done your homework and known that it was a button-pusher for her. It’s her unwritten rule. Don’t wear red. Wouldn't it have been nice if someone had told you of her strong dislike?

~Unwritten Rules Are Everywhere~

What other button pushers do you know about? Have you even been in a situation that you thought or said, “Why didn't someone tell me about that?”

Yes, Unwritten Rules are everywhere. Most of us stumble through them it's how we learn.And here's my tip: once you see them; understand them ... start to share them with others.

 

A common unwritten could be that the first person in makes the first pot and the person who takes the last cup of coffee make a new pot. Another could be if someone switches from regular to legal size paper in the copier, switch back to regular for the next person or if someone uses fuchsia paper for a flyer, switch back to white.

People who smoke get more breaks (and they don’t count the time toward a break until they get outside and light up).

Don’t sit in Bonnie’s chair or use Phil’s parking space. These are what I call pew rules. Think of a place of worship—have you ever notice that the same people sit in the same place week after week? Workplaces are loaded with pew-type rules. Parking places, pens, mugs, chairs at a meeting, space usage.

Coworkers with kids have rules—more personal phone calls are often allowed, time off for events, not working on holidays. And guess what, it bugs those without kids—they may have someone at home who is not a child and they are responsible for that need communicating with.

~Finding Your Unwritten Rules~

Set aside 15 to 30 minutes over the next few days, and just ponder scenarios in your workplace. Identify the different individuals you work with, those in management or supervisory positions and those in senior management, including your CEO. Next, list the women and men you work with directly.

As you identify coworkers, describe their tasks, their personalities, and the interactions you have with them. Does your manager have any idiosyncrasies, mandates, or dictum's? Do you have rules regarding days off, break time, interactions, or housekeeping? Are there dos and don’ts that everyone seems to abide by? No matter how minor anything seems, note it.

Ask yourself, “What things do you know not to do, and to do, just because you know it?” How did you learn it? By observing? By someone cluing you in?

Many unwritten rules seem common nonsensical, but when the unwritten rules are not followed, they seed discontent. Some rules are sacred cows. Some rules have everyone scratching their heads on why they are in place. A single incident may not seem important, but over a period of time, many small infractions can make life a monstrous hassle. It’s not the written rules (show up, do your job), it’s the unwritten rules that can make or break you and your workplace.

Finally, as you learn the unwritten rules, share them. Wouldn't it be so much easier if there was a list of what and what not to do to keep everyone out of the hot water?

Judith Briles is known as The Book Shepherd a book publishing expert and coach. She 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 31 books including Author YOU: Creating and Building Your Author and Book Platforms (ForeWord Indie/Fab Book of the Year), Snappy Sassy Salty: Wise Words for Authors and Writers and a speaker at publishing conferences.

Become part of her inner circle by joining the Author’s Ark and exclusive monthly webinar and coaching event. Each summer, she holds Judith Briles Unplugged, a two and 1/2 day intensive limited to a small group of authors who want to be seriously successful. In 2015, the dates are August 27-29th.  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 Author U – Your Guide to Book Publishing on the Toginet Network at http://togi.us/authoru. 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.