Judith Briles Unplugged for Authors is Hot! Are You Ready to Be?

Get ready for TWO Author changing days …
it’s Book or Bust time August 1-2, 2014

Last year was sold out … don’t miss out!

Awesome authors came from Hong Kong, Canada, New Jersey, Tennessee, New Mexico, Texas, New York and Colorado … where will you come from?

August 1-2, 2014 will change your authoring life …

Experience two full days of Judith every September … no guest speakers, no pitches, justJudith Briles Unplugged delivering an amazing depth of publishing, authoring and marketing information that she has derived from her 30 plus years in the publishing field and as The Book Shepherd.

Create the best-seller you dream of … turn into the award-winning and sought after author you aspire to.Judith has done it multiple times and she will show you how.

• If you are just starting down the authoring and publishing path, you will come away with a personalized strategy to create and develop your book.
• If your book is ready to birth, you will come away with amazing steps and ahas on how to soar its official launch and develop your next steps.
• If your book has birthed, your will come away with how-tos, re-directs and the latest and greatest in strategies to goose it about the masses who are shouting for buyer attention.
• If your book, and you, want to create a book launch that sells books and gets you noticed, you will learn how.
• If you want to make serious money as an author, you will come away with strategies that are doable and how to do them.
• If your book is currently available, no matter how old, your current marketing concepts and strategies will be turned upside down.
• If you want to look at crowdfunding, you will learn the ins and outs of a campaign.
• If you want to create a speech that uses the key elements of your book and expertise, you will learn insider tips on how to and how to niche yourself into “your” market.
• If you want to master social media tricks that will allow you to breathe, you will learn and see exactly how to create a life beyond your computer. Judith selects several books of attendees and will demonstrate and position them for a marketing blitz your won’t believe in front of your eyes!
• If want to know tricks of the social media marketing whirlwind, you will learn which platforms work best for which books and how to drill down into them.
• If you are still noodling on what a Platform is, you will not only get it, but you will drill down into yours and embrace it.
• If you haven’t done a GamePlan for your book, no matter what stage it’s at, you will (or will revisit what you thought your GamePlan was) …  and discover amazing “ahas” along the way about both You and  Your Book.
• If  you want to make serious money as an author, you will come away with the  how to strategies that are doable.
• If you want to know how to deal with, and avoid, the publishing predators, you will come away with knowing who they are and how to disconnect from them.
• If … what are your “IFs” …, there will be hot seats throughout. Those who are registered by June 30th not only get a discount, they will be “entered” into a drawing that will allow three attendees to take the hot seat and get immediate laser coaching. How cool is that?

Judith Briles Unplugged is not just another publishing conference where you sit in your seat and take notes—expect extraordinary high interaction, plenty of “to-do” Activities—you will not only listen and hear The Book Shepherd, you will immediately implement what she says. Judith believes in feeding your brain and your belly.

All attendees with get a FREE copy of Judith’s book, Show Me About Book Publishing, co-written with John Kremer and Rick Frishman.

It is your next, next step to authoring and book success. Be there. You and Your Book can’t afford not to be.

Call Judith, determine if this is the “right fit” for you and your book now. Call 303-885-2207 or email Judith@Briles.com. Don’t delay.  www.TheBookShepherd.com 

In other words, your life as an author will be morphed.

Judith Briles Unplugged delivers extraordinary high interaction, plenty of “to-do” Activities and Hot Seats—you will not only listen and hear The Book Shepherd, you will immediately implement what she says. As the author of 30 books, many best-selling and award-winning, she knows publishing. Her latest book, Author YOU: Creating and Building the Author and Book Platforms will be used throughout … and a book that has earned three national awards in 2013, shortly after it was published: In the Writing and Publishing categories, it was the WINNER at the International Book Awards, the Indie Excellence Book Awards and the International Book Publishers Awards. Limited to a small number of participants, each will receive individual attention and walk away with a personalized GamePlan for his or her Book and for Self, as the Author.

It is your next, next step to authoring and book success.

If that’s your goal, be there. You and Your Book can’t afford not to.

Save these two days in 2014:
August 1st and 2nd … they will change your publishing life. Who better to captain your journey than Author and Publishing Expert, Dr. Judith Briles?

Location: Denver, Colorado … our late Summers and  Falls are spectacular in Colorado.
Time: 8:30 to 4:30 each day.   On the 1st, there is an after session reception that is a great schmooze and noshing time.

Cost: $497 for Early, Early Bird signups now. Discount disappears on JUNE 30th. You will get an immediate savings of  $100 at checkout. Continental breakfast is included each day along with lunch and a Friday night reception. You can bring a friend or family member for just $250. That means the total cost for two, with the discounting in pace is only $647.

NOTE:  Registration rate increases to $597 on July 1st.

Site: Doubletree Hotel SE, 13596 E Iliff Place, Aurora, CO  80014.
Room Rates: $109 . Call 303-337-2800 to reserve yours now, ask for  to get the Unplugged rate 

 Refund Policy:  there  are no refunds 30 days prior to event.  Cancellations before 30 days will have a $200 fee with the balance refunded to you within 30 days.

Cliques Aren’t Us … Author U Expands Its Community

There are a variety of definitions of “community” including:

A group of people with common interests, 

likeness, shared ideas and activities.

Author U fills them all—we are authors; we are alike (and yet very different in our topics, methodologies and strategies); we share ideas and activities.  

The author’s voice—your voice—is amazing … reaching every corner of every community. To expand our community, Author U has surfaced on LinkedIn this past week. The community has expanded broadly from the “Mothership” of Colorado to members globally. And it’s very exciting. We have members in Canada, England, Mexico, Australia and of course, the United States—it’s thrilling now to reach out to authors in Europe, India and other parts of the world. The author community—it’s alive, it’s vibrant, it’s well … and it’s a good place to be in.

At the recent Board meeting that followed the annual Author U Extravaganza, we asked:                                  

• Where are we now?

• Where are we going?

• What do we want to expand in and to?

• How are we going to do it?

What was echoed by many was that the strength of Author U was the fact that it wasn't a clique—there wasn't exclusiveness—you are an author or budding author, come on in.

If you aren't following Author U on Twitter, join in @AuthorU. If you want to chat with others, pose question, offer answers to those that ask, join the LinkedIn Author U Group (there are over 4,900 authors there)—you need to have a LinkedIn account to do so … FREE. We have a weekly radio show: Author U – Your Guide to Book Publishing … listen in live on Thursdays or pick up the recorded podcast … all on the AuthorU.org site, just click on the
“On the Air” icon and you have over 100 shows with experts on a huge variety of topics. FREE  There’s a community just starting on Google+—join it. FREE.

Our monthly ezine, The Author’s Resource will have it’s last issue available to the public in June. Beginning in July, it will be for AuthorU.org members only. Become one so you don’t miss out on terrific articles and columns and events that are put together nine times a year… as in 40 to 50 pages worth. All about books, publishing, social media, marketing–you name it … if it will enhance what you can do with your book, Author U wants to share it.

Finally, we will launch our Google Hangouts FOR MEMBERS only … starting with creating massive sales via Amazon… watch for the date!

Let’s celebrate our fantastic and diversified voices. Author U … created for the author who wants to be seriously successful.

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, 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. 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 TheBookShepherd on Facebook.  If you want to create a book that has no regrets, contact Judith at Judith@Briles.com.

Why Should You Publish via Printing … Let Me Count the Ways!

With the onslaught of the “e” world … and yes, it is an onslaught; the overwhelming amount of “e” pollution has turned many off. “You’re an author … what type of an author are you? A real author … or who that just jabbers and tosses out anything and everything, without really thinking about content, much less the audience that it is meant for or who it really is?

Can you be a real author and publish just in the “e” world? Sure. Can you just publish in the “p” world—print—and be considered a real author? Maybe—it depends on what you are printing/publishing.

Solid questions. Good questions. It boils down to quality.

I, just a solo voice out here, am getting tired of the massive amounts of info coming out me—please read my book; read my book; get my book for free; get my book for only 99 cents; comment on my book; recommend my book, etc., etc.

The few times I've opened the files up to “look” at the book, I’m shocked at the immense, and I mean immense, lack of editing—both from the “p” and “e” world. Today’s publishing opportunities invites a lot of garbage possibilities. For some, it’s anything to make a quick buck. “Get my book—today only for 99 cents … such a deal it sounds like … until you figure out what your time is worth. My time, a couple of hours is worth lots more than 99 cents—isn't yours?

The POD world—print on demand is inexpensive, which is very cool. I've openly recommended CreateSpace as a strategy for many clients as a test, stepping stone, even a way to enter the publishing world with the giant Amazon in play — but, and always a but in the mix — there has to be editing, get a professional cover done and yes, lay it out — don’t do the template Amazon version … than have the layout designer do the uploading—for less than $3,000 (most likely), you have quality cover design, interior, editing and you are rocking and rolling with the big boys — you get max percentage on eBook payout, you have print books available on demand and you can start marketing your work and words like crazy. If, and it’s a big if, the demand comes in for mass amounts of copies, you can then go to print.

This dear reader, is a far better strategy than getting sucked into all the pay-to-publish operations that demands you buy “x” amount of copies plus fork over many thousands of dollars.

So … why consider printing vs. just the “e” method.

1. Credibility. If you want any media, you need a print option, no exception.

2. Libraries. I love libraries … and you should to –yes, you should. Without them, much of our culture, and the culture you want your kids to know about and your words to continue you, wouldn't happen. I was thrilled to discover my own books were in the local Arapahoes Library system in Colorado … and the Nelson Mandela Library in South Africa.With your books available to libraries — and yes, they are active buyers of eBooks as well, you can do signings. The savvy author gets to know his or her local librarian. Just getting you book on the shelf opens up networking opportunities, create book signings and speaking gigs — plus when someone asks if your book is at the library, you can say, “yes.” Suggestion … donate a few copies to your local library and let your network know that they are there … then, as a demand is shown for checkouts, the library will be inclined to order more copies, both “e” and “p.”

3. eBooks can be signed. With Authorgraph, http://www.authorgraph.com/you can digitally sign kindle copies of a book. Print paperback copies of your book and you can have a book launch party and book signing—authors love a crowd! Note: the great majority of local bookstore or library is unlikely to host a digital book signing.

4. Review copies. Believe it or not, some people don’t like eReaders … and don’t own one. There are not hundreds, thousands … oh yes, there are millions of readers out there who still, gasp, love to hold a book. Why in the world would you want to ignore them? In fact, many of us have been known to stroke the covers, feel the pages, even smell the ink … aaah, heaven!

5. Goodreads. The Goodreads giveaways programs is all about the “book book” meaning you are do paper here—it’s great exposure, Goodreads is quite the place to start and build the buzz. Why would you want to exclude it?pBooks sell eBooks and eBooks sell.

6. pBooks. And, of course, there are "aBooks" and "vBooks" as well — audio and video. We live in a menu/restaurant type of world. Let your readers select the book morsel they desire. After all a hamburger can be pretty boring — it’s all the goodies and ingredients that are added between the buns that make it mouth-watering around the world. Print books STILL are the majority of the book business. Don't ignore it.

7.  Stop being a snob. Use Amazon. Get books on BN.com. Ditto for iPad and Smashwords. Spread your words. Learn about Amazon’s KDP and MatchBook programs. Maximize. Leverage. This is the book business.

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, 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. 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 TheBookShepherd on Facebook.  If you want to create a book that has no regrets, contact Judith at Judith@Briles.com.

Once You've Got Your Book ... What's Next?... that's the question

... Market it ... Speak about it, Of Course!

When the book deliver euphoria wears off, every author has the gaze in the belly button moment … what do I do next?

Two quick responses:

1.     Market, Market, Market. Eighty percent of your time will now be directed to this single word.
2.     Speak, Speak, Speak. You will enjoy the reprints, not to mention the book sales.

Get that your writing of the book is over. Done. You are now the CMO--Chief Marketing Officer. You have a product to move; a product to sell. You are the single best person to do it ... or at least create the vision and guide it. You may hire someone(s) to execute your marketing game plan, but you have to be in the deep midst of it.

I am a firm believer that speaking is one of the best ways to move a book—when you connect with an audience, they want to take you home with them. Your book may be the best thing and the least expensive. They are impulse buys—meaning you need them onsite. You must take credit cards. My personal record was speaking at a conference in Utah for 60 minutes. In 5 hours, over $16,000 in book sales happened (560 books to audience of 800) ... one book at a time.

Knowing who your audience is; who your wisdom and advice can deliver the answers or relief of pain for and to; having a quality book—and I mean quality, not one of these 30 day faux products that look like it; and learning how to speak, which includes story telling can create an amazing vocation.

You need a good website … no, you need an EXCELLENT website … a MUST … the Home page needs to say upfront what your expertise level is—meeting planners will give it less than 10—that’s a quick TEN—seconds to grab their attention—bullet point your key points; get testimonials from planners and attendees that say you and your message rocks; make sure there are photos and videos of different locations/groups so that they can see that you can address multiple audiences. No matter how serious your topic, make sure there is a short clip or something that shows you have humor. People love to laugh.

Speak, Speak, Speak. Market. Market. Market.

Your website, with whatever your call to action is—something that is in the upper right side of your Home page; yes a Blog—continue the conversation with depth and create your own Forum; yes Facebook—your Fans are waiting for you; yes Twitter—Tweets and “hashtags” can rock your marketing and Internet presence; yes for Pinterest—especially is audience for a book that is created for women; yes a YouTube channel—become a video star; yes to Google plus—get to know the “hangout” feature; yes create a virtual blog tour; yes get the book on Amazon—don't bellyache about the discounting or the percent they take—it’s the same in bookstores; write articles; seek reviews ... and oh yes, get prepared to work your tush off.

Writing the book is a mere 20 percent of your time ... now the real work begins—I know, I just went to print on my 30th.

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, 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. 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 TheBookShepherd on Facebook.  If you want to create a book that has no regrets, contact Judith at Judith@Briles.com.

Top Ten Twitter Tweets of June 5

It’s Thursday at  

...

On June 1^st, General Jim Hall passed away—he was one of Author U’s first members and the author of Parachuting for Gold in Old Mexico and the to be released, Korea. 

For those wishing to attend services, they will be at:

Funeral Mass & Reception

Friday, June 6
11:00 am
Our Lady of Loreto Catholic Parish
18000 E. Arapahoe Road
Foxfield, CO  80016

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Hall Family Memorial Fund, P.O. Box 461377, Aurora, CO 80046.

Today

Author U - Your Guide to Book Publishing will focus on a variety of tips and tricks for a DIY publicity campaign as well as working with a publicist. Judith’s guest is Julie Schoerke with JKS Communciations. Last week, Judith and Kelly Johnson identified a dozen “wow” websites that authors need to know about and how to use them. This week it’s all about great websites and apps for your to use.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://togi.us/authoru.  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!  

There’s a Tech Tool Box next week on the 10^th … 3 spots left.  You can attend remote if out of the area or in person… details on the website.

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

• It’s a happy #author dance: A dozen websites and apps that are so practical, easy to use and #FREE- listen to podcast: http://ow.ly/xwIKP

• #Author alert: Get key DVDs from #AuthorU Extravaganza to create #book success. ow.ly/xwJiG

• #Authors ... have your checked out your #book competitors... always a good idea? http://ow.ly/xDE1a

Social Media and Marketing Strategies

• The latest and greatest for #twitter fans--get your twitter card-very cool http://ow.ly/xDAXm

• check out 5 hot things from the new #twitter format... #author alert: http://ow.ly/xDENm

• 4 Ways to Rank Higher in YouTube Search Results bit.ly/1pPrjbW

• #authors- Do You Make These Online Marketing Mistakes with your #books? via @JFbookman buff.ly/1kyF7au

• The entire text of your #novel on a poster! What a wild idea-great gift for an #author! fb.me/1hCkYGd8j

Writers

• For #writers ... what comes first: tips to guide you: http://ow.ly/xDEVZ #authoru

Cool and Sometimes Goofy or Unbelievable!

• Fun … French bulldog pup finds delight in doorstop [video] is.gd/yygetm

Remember … 

you can listen to over 100 programs that Author U Founder Judith Briles has created for your book and authoring success: http://www.AuthorU.org, 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://togi.us/authoru.     

Do You Have the Publishing Snob Factor?

ahhhh, the old days, when NY came courting up and coming authors; advances were common …
Authors were groomed and nurtured in the process; media tours were set up; your editor was your advocate; and you were looked up to when you told others you had an agent.

The good old days are over … Times have changed—today’s author has to be prepared to work their butt off to get his book noticed by the media, the public, you name it; they often are disconnected from the editor who “acquired” the book and the one that does the editing; and advances have shrunk, even disappeared (many authors work for far less than minimum wage). The average mid-list author (that’s the bulk of where authors fall with the traditionally published crowd, by the way–meaning you aren’t the Dan Brown of publishing) sells around 5,000 copies of their book … 5,000 copies! That means that they will be lucky to make $5,000 from royalties … so ugh!

Saying that you are published with a NY house has become a yawn for many—that is unless you got a bunch of money.  Be real… when’s the last time you picked up a book, looked at the spine or opened it to the title page and said:  “Yes, I see that Random has published another fine book?” Really … books are not bought by the consumer because of a publishing house. They are bought because the topic appeals to them; will solve a problem; or is an author who he or she likes/follows.

Most people who buy books really don’t care who published it … what they want to know is—does it solve a problem I have? Is it a terrific read? Does it look like it has quality to the production (vs. failing apart when it opens—one of the major independent bookstores in the country won’t carry one of the POD publishers because they literally apart.) and can I get it? Do I go to the local book store to get it, buy it online or see if the local library has it–that’s the decision.

Do You Have the Publishing Snob Factor? It’s times to get over it. I know, I’m a formal publishing snob–truly believing that only legit authors published via New York… I did that with 18 of my books. What nonsense. That was before I took the cure in 2000 when a client bought 1000 books –paid for them upfront in two weeks. I became a publisher in name, than learned how to be a publisher … you can too.

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, 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. 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 TheBookShepherd on Facebook.  If you want to create a book that has no regrets, contact Judith at Judith@Briles.com.

Confused by eBooks? Welcome to the Crowd …

Is Amazon for eBooks the only game in town?

At the Extravaganza, we had two excellent sessions delivered by Mark Coker, CEO of Smashwords–get the DVD so you can get all the visual nitty gritty, slides are integrated throughout it. In addition, he was featured on an edition on Author U – Your Guide to Book Publishing … you can find that on our On the Air section of the website.

Click on the live links above or go to the website, AuthorU.org and click on the Store tab for the DVDs and
the One the Air icon to scroll down and see over 100 shows to select from.

The question authors ask is: Which eBook publisher is right for me and my book? It’s an excellent question. Outside of Amazon, which does nail down 70 percent of eBook sales in U.S., should you do something else? 

And the answer is ….

YES!

We encourage you to view the video from the Extravaganza by Mark … it’s peppered with information. Look at the slides. Listen to the audio of the radio show that Judith Briles did with him.  And, read the article that is linked below.

These days, it’s a bit hard to tell. With all the new ones popping up and the variety of offerings. This is a great article that takes a closer look at all of them – the good and the bad.

“While many authors report excellent experiences with the various companies listed here, it’s always important to read the fine print to determine which service is right for your book—and your budget. Are you willing to pay upwards of $1000 for add-on options that promise publicity or editorial support? Or are you looking for a cheap and quick way to get your book to the masses? Do you need a service that lets you add audio or high-resolution photographs to your book or have you just written 100,000 words of One Direction fan fiction? How important is it for you to have control of your content and edit it whenever you like? What about the individual bookstore design? Whatever an author’s individual needs, there’s an appropriate e-book publishing service—and often more than one.”

Read more here: http://booklife.com/publish/e-books/02/17/2014/which-e-book-publisher-is-right-for-you.html

Have a great week.

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, 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. 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 TheBookShepherd on Facebook.  If you want to create a book that has no regrets, contact Judith at Judith@Briles.com.