AuthorU

Thursday, November 12, 2015

Top Ten Twitter Tweets of November 12

Today

Author U - Your Guide to Book Publishing, host Dr. Judith Briles of The Book Shepherd digs into a variety of writing insights this month. During November, millions pick up pen, pencil, dictating and heaving typing as they particiate in the National Write a Novel and a new Nonfiction book month. Very cool. During the month you will pick up a variety of short-cuts for writing/publishing from authors “who are doing it”.

Today, award winning book and cover designer Nick Zelinger joins Judith—they are deep-diving into what Judith calls the RTP Syndrome: Rush to Publish … or as they both say: the messes the authors create when they do. Tune in.

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! With over 300,000 downloaded podcasts each month from around the world, you are in good company!

Here are 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

Like this for #authors when bombarded with deadlines: 10 Ways to Reduce Stress in Under 10 Minutes - bit.ly/1LhXUUB

Hot info: Individual #author earnings tracked across 7 quarters, Feb. 2014 toSept. 2015 via @authorearnings http://ow.ly/TzBcK #book

You won’t bug people with your emails if you’re sending something of value ow.ly/Tx0oW

Social Media and Marketing Strategies

How to Get More Out of Google+ With Circles dlvr.it/CS27RJ

How to Make Great Landing Pages (With Crazy High Conversions) http://t.co/3cOs6OBP4f http://t.co/tu9v5uovT4

Is it Time to Re-Think Your Search Strategies? keepupweb.us/1LwrmDd via @donpurdum RT @RealSocialShark

Writers & Writing

Call to Action Phrases That Will Convert your followers and/or visitors. bit.ly/1LusISe #author #selfpub

[it happens!]RT @WritersDigest: How to Cope With Bad #Book Reviews | http://t.co/ofmRilAt3x http://t.co/Ja2fDP4geU #author #selfpub

Looking for a literary agent? @MarySouth seeks your queries for #fiction and #nonfiction? tinyurl.com/pt85hd8 #author #book

Fun and Cool Things to Know or Do

Learn the fastest way to tie a shoelace with the “Ian Knot” holykaw.alltop.com/learn-the-fast…

Remember … you can listen to over 240 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, subscribe directly on iTunes: http://ow.ly/QO0oK

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, November 10, 2015

4 Essential Questions (plus 1 more) Every Author Must Ask (and Answer)

When in 4^th grade (and that’s a long, long time ago), my teacher Mrs. Russell reminded her wide-eye students to avoid two words: always and never.

Her words were ingrained in us and to this day, they gurgle up repeatedly in my thinking. In most cases, Mrs. Russell was correct. But there are exceptions.

When it comes to writing and books (and living), the “always” and “never” need to be tossed aside. I always ask authors a few questions when I meet them … and ask again as I work with them. Two “always” questions that I ask involve the word “WHO” in them. Who is the book for … Who are you to write it?

As a follower of Seth Godin’s wise words in his daily blog, he hit on my hot spot questions on October 13, 2016 when he asked four simple, yet critical questions for all writers. And that means we authors.

Godin’s questions were:

1. What is it for?

If this piece of writing works, what will change? What action will be taken?

The more specific you are in your intent, the more frightening it is to do the writing (because you might fail). And, magically, the more specific you are in your intent, the more likely it is to succeed.

For me, I’m looking for value and the “who cares” factor. If you don’t know it, how do you expect readers and buyers to know?

2. Who are you?

Writing comes from someone. Are you writing as scientist, reporting the facts? Are you an angry op-ed writer, seeking political action? Or are you perhaps the voice of an institution, putting up an official warning sign in an official place?

My add is that when you know “who” you are, your expertise spills forth—your credibility. It’s not so much what alphabet soup initials you have behind your name; rather, it’s the true, in the trenches experience you deliver to ease the pain and deliver the solutions for the reader. For the fiction writer, what entertaining factor your deliver.

3. Who is it for?

It's almost impossible for a piece of writing to change someone. It's definitely impossible for it to change everyone. So... who is this designed to reach? What do they believe? Do they trust you? Are they inclined to take action?

Oh boy, this is a hot button for me. Why do so many authors get the deer in the headlights glaze when asked this question? The “why” here is that they haven’t done the necessary homework to really ID this “who” … the kiss of death is the common response, “Oh, my book is for everyone.” No, it is not. The reality is that the more you niche yourself, drill down into who your reader is, the more successful you will me. Your book is not for everyone—far from it.

4. Will it spread?

After the person you seek to reach reads this, will she share it? Shared action is amplified action.

My take is ditto, ditto, ditto. Your words, your writing and the re-sharing of it via social media, buzz, mouth are what makes the difference. Depending on situations and circumstances, your words bring solutions and in many cases, healing. What an awesome power to have.

5. What’s holding you back from completing it? OK, this is my add. Are you diddling at all in getting your writing, your book done? Do you practice what I call, One for the money; Two for the show; Three to get ready … Three to get ready … Three to get ready … and you just don’t GO?

Are you do feel you have to get one more study; that you need to research one more thing … The reality is that if you don’t GO … all that research, another study, will just suck your time and energy. The reality is that the likelihood of GO becomes dramatically lessened. In my How to Write a Book in 4 Weeksworkshop I do (the next one will pop in February), after the first week, participants are told to STOP researching and START writing. At the end of the four weeks, then they are encouraged to do one more Google search; one more quick independent study using a tool like Survey Monkey to get an update if needed.

Five essential questions to ask yourself about your writing. Today would be a good day to answer them.

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 34 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 #34 was published this summer: The CrowdFunding Guide for Authors & Writers. Get your copy.

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 Book Publishing Unplugged, a three 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 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.

Thursday, November 5, 2015

Attend the Colorado Country Christmas Gift Show Nov. 6-8

Where will you be on the dates of November 6^th thru the 8^th?

The largest Christmas Gift Show is coming to Denver November 6th thru 8th! AuthorU will be there—will you? Plan now to get all your shopping done in one place for the Holidays (and for events the coming year) ... ahead of the crowds! Enjoy the lights as the Holiday season unrolls, knowing that you don’t have to fight crowds in stores.

The Colorado Country Christmas has over 400 booths to entice you and your shopping needs. The AuthorU Booth is #444-445 – In Expo Hall II … we are along the back wall at a corner site.

On Friday and Saturday, Jake Williams will have pen out, ready to draw caricatures for booth visitors. We will have over 60 titles displayed for shoppers plus authors will be signing their books throughout the three days. There will be something for everyone and all ages.

You will find yourself in a spectacular Holiday Wonderland with booths to entice shoppers and select from. Wander from booth to booth viewing arts & crafts, gifts, beautiful season decorations and gourmet foods!

There will be artists demonstrating skills and creating gifts with wood carvings, fold art, stained glass and pottery.

There will be handmade clothing, dolls, ornaments, blown glass, jewelry, woodwork, leather goods, toys and dolls, garden art, bird houses, painting and much more!

There will be yummy foods and a stage dedicated to cooking demos.

There will even be a section devoted to model trains!

And of course, books.

There will be gourmet foods (think truffles, cookies, candy, nuts, jams and jellies to tasty soups, dips, oils, vinegars, nuts, cookies and cakes, seasonings, homemade spices and sauces), wonderful accessories, jewelry, clothing, toys, gizmos and gadgets galore. There will be featured national and local chefs, culinary schools, authors and restaurants. Favorite holiday recipes will be shared, and live cooking demonstrations will be presented throughout the three days. Santa promises to be there as well. If you want to attend the cooking demonstrations, here’s a link to what’s happening:http://coloradochristmasgiftshow.com/cooking-program/

Don’t plan on coming for an hour … because it’s not going to happen—you will marvel and be delighted at all that is displayed, demonstrated and offered.

What you get is 400 plus mini stories –AuthorU Founder Judith Briles loved the note cards she picked up last year that were so unusual and fun to send out, the unique one of a kind earrings and the bread pudding in the food section was to die for—something she bought several of, froze and served throughout the following year. There is bound to be many vendors you won't want to miss!

SHOW TIMES & DATES

Friday November 6^th 10 am to 9 p.m.

Saturday November 7^th 9 am to 8 p.m.

Sunday November 8^th 10 am to 5 p.m.

Where: Denver Merchandise Mart - 58th & I-25 (Denver)

Admission Tickets are only $14.50 --- AND with a hand stamp, you can attend ALL THREE days for this single price! Bring this discount coupon worth $2 off:

There is plenty of FREE PARKING at the Denver Merchandise Mart. See you there!

Directions to the Mart: http://coloradochristmasgiftshow.com/faq/

Booth layouts are here: http://coloradochristmasgiftshow.com/floorplan/

Get Ready to Create a Writing Marathon Authors: Get ....

November is all about FAST Writing. Whether you are on the Novel side or Non-fiction, YES, you too can write a book in 30 days. Now with that said, it doesn’t meant that it’s going to be polished, ready for the editor. What it means is that you have a first draft—and it means that you should be doing the Happy Author Dance. You did it. Here are 6 steps to surround yourself with if you are ready to take the mighty Write a Novel in 30 Days or Write a Non-fiction Book in 30 Days.

1. Get FOCUSED pronto … do one final swoop via Google of any last minute info on your topic that has been posted in the past few months. Then stop—leave the Internet alone … you have hunted and gathered.. now you are going to sort and identify key topics that will become your chapters. Only at the end of the 30 days will you come back to do a final check for any late breaking news/studies, etc.

Outside noise—from doing your love of the Garage Sale Saturday adventure to playing hooky for a weekend to diving to a thriller you have been dying to chew over is allowed. Think of an almost isolation—your loved ones can bring you food and drink—but stay out. You are the Author at Work … DO Not Cross into My Space!

2. Create a STORYBOARD that includes Who your readers is; what Value your book will bring; identifies what the Pain is that the reader feels; identifies the scope of the Problem; identifies/reveals what the Causes and Effects are to the reader; and of course delivers the secret sauce—the Solution(s). Include what the key Activities you will include—quizzes, tips, etc.—what? Add your working title to the mix; what your own muse is that will keep you motivated and last, but never least—what your Dump Zone factors are. What are the no-nos that you need to stay away form so that you can stay focused?

When I teach my How to Write a Book in 4 Weeks, this is a critical element of the first week where all participants get their Story Boards and start working on them. The visual they get is ideal to quickly see where the holes are.

3. Start sorting into PILES all those articles that you’ve been saving/storing/ripping out of magazines—do this by printing them out. YES, print … them … out. I’m a huge fan of getting the visual going here.

I don’t care where you spread it—a huge table, a floor—just spread out. Build your piles—the larger ones will most likely be chapters. Get your highlighter out. If some of the articles can cross over to another pile—copy it and drop in. This could take a few hours—a few days. But it’s the essential element in getting you off and running. Do you see any patterns?

4. Find a spot that you can get to your Piles quickly. One that others don’t get their hands on. It’s do not cross into my space “people”.

5. START writing. Pick up of your Piles, get them organized and start writing—either dictating, keyboard or by hand. But START and save into individual files on your computer. Don’t mix it up as one document. Don’t worry that you may not be writing “in order”—you are developing a puzzle and all the pieces will come together—you just need to create them. Your Contents page will be one of the last things you finalized as you complete the chapters. Don’t feel that you need to start writing with a completed outline … just start writing.

6. Remember—participating in a 30 Day Write a Book marathon creates your first DRAFT. Now … you start fine tuning … Does it flow? Does it address the Pain—offer Solutions? You are now ready for the next step … that’s all the tweaking; the adds for call-outs, illustrations, quotes, tips, etc. Then, of course, editing—ruthless editing.

Join me for my next series of How to Write a Book in 30 Days this Winter … either IN PERSON in Denver in February or in the REMOTE sessions in March. Several of the participants in the July and August classes will have there completed, edited, layed out, printed books in hand by November 1^st.

Loving it!

Friday, October 30, 2015

Author Writing, Book Marketing, Publishing Tips October 30

There are always grumbles about Amazon … it takes too much … it controls everything … I don’t like Amazon. My response: get over it. When it comes to eBooks, Amazon is the eBook God for sales in North America. Stats always flow about eBook sales. Don’t forget to do the MatchBook combo for both print and “e” sales. Here’s what’s popping for you to noodle on this week:

Amazon makes up a higher percentage of the total US ebook market than the oft-cited 65% figure: when indie books without ISBNs are included in the statistics, Amazon accounts for 74% of all US ebook purchases and 71% of all US consumer dollars spent on ebooks.
Outside of Amazon.com, 4 other major online retailers comprise nearly the entirety of the remaing 26% of the US ebook market: the Apple iBookstore, the Barnes & Noble Nook store, the Kobo US bookstore, and GooglePlay Books.
At those 4 other stores, self-published indie ebooks make up 22% of all ebooks purchases and take in 32% of all author income generated by ebook sales.
Between 14% and 25% of all ebooks sold at Apple, Nook, and Kobo store lack Bowker-issued International Standard Book Numbers (ISBNs).
In total, more than 33% of all ebooks sold in the US each year have no ISBN.
Across the entire US ebook market, ebooks without ISBNs now command a greater share of consumer ebook purchases, reading time, and author earnings than all of the AAP’s 1,200 publishers put together, including the Big Five Publishers.
The true US ebook market, which includes non-ISBN sales, is at least 50% larger than ISBN-limited market statistics from Nielsen and Bowker are estimating.

Source: AuthorEarnings.com

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Inspiration and Ideals for Authors

What author doesn't need a goose every once in a while? And what author | writer wouldn't love to NOT have to start from scratch for every piece of work that gets published? And, have you thought about exploring what might be a fit for you and your expertise that could be waiting to be found via the public domain?

It's always fun to share new things that come across the AuthorU desk that does just that, especially when it is birthed from one of our own.

Inspiration and Ideals: Thoughts for Every Day by Philippa Burgess pops this week and what a terrific book to encourage you in your writing and yes, your marketing. Think of it as a non-fiction every day inspiration with something to read and noodle upon.

Here's what is cool. This is an old book brought back to live with love and care. Originally discovered at a flea market over 30 years ago, Philippa used it as her daily encourager as a

teen to today. Written by Grenville Kleiser (1868 - 1935), the daily thoughts in their original form carried a quality to them designed to instruct and uplift and became a guidepost for her life.

Learning about public domain books and fondly reading her very, very worn copy, the light bulb was turned on. She worked closely with a book coach, editor and designer--morphing her version for today's modern audiences. Her vision was to create a vivifying and instructive and very friend manual for your own life's journey. And she did.

Here's a few lessons for all of us:

ID what has inspired | encouraged you over the years ... can it be morphed for your own writing/authorship?
Are there an "oldies" out there that you can "repurpose" a bit and bring them out as a new version with your name attached?
Don't forget your roots. For Philippa, what brought her to where she is today, she has now made it a contemporary and beautiful book.

I love it and would encourage you to get your copy--I chose "hard"--I get what a well used book looks like after multiple readings. Something you will do. I'm for helping our fellow and fellowette author members out. Here's Philippa Burgess' website where pre-orders are currently being taken. Think of it as a gift to yourself and anyone you care for.