A Marketers Tribute to National Poetry Month - With Cheese on Top

Moving Mountains

Those who paved the roads before us  
carved paths around the hills.

The little things that wouldn't budge, 
weren't match for rampant will.

When barriers were in the way,  
too big and way too tough,

Like TNT, tenacity 
always proved to be enough.

~Lisa Pelto

When you are embarking on your publishing journey, or opening a business, or going after any goal, remember that obstacles will be in your way. You can go around them or you can move them -- but don't let them stop you from achieving your dreams.

"Triple Threat" Theory is as Important in Your Business as it is in Show Business

Singing, Dancing, Acting. Movie stars, TV stars, stage actors and other performers are quickly identified as Unbeatable when they embrace their gifts and hone their skills in all three of these areas -- they are Triple Threats. You don't have to break out your opera glasses to see that you can apply these principles to your book, your promotions, and your business, too.

Tom Becka examines the relationship between business and show business in his funny, practical book There's No Business Without the Show (Orpheum Brothers Press, 2008), he demonstrates how any type of business can apply show business techniques to enhance their sales. I've watched him deftly apply his theory to non-profits for fundraising, to government agencies protecting their budgets, and to businesses of all types and sizes setting their sights on increasing revenues.

I see it in my own business, and I have had the opportunity to watch some authors succeed beyond their dreams; and I have also seen others falter with their books and their platforms -- and the spotlight is focused squarely on how well they script their message, and how well they deliver it day after day.

Here's your Triple Threat Plan:

Singing: Create a message that is harmonious with your product or service. When you deliver your presentations or promotion, make sure you connect with your audience, show your passion, and also that you are on pitch and in tune with your market.

Dancing: The choreography of your whole business and every product and service within it is important. Make sure your techniques are spot on, your timing is right, and you are following through with your actions.

Acting: Pull from your own emotions or reactions to identify with the product or service being portrayed. Carefully answer the needs and wants of your audience when developing your business strategies and designing your products, services, promotions, and marketing materials.

I know this isn't new information, but the principles beg to be revived: Develop a great script, choreograph your moves, and deliver a great performance night after night.

If you would like to read Tom Becka's book, it's available in hardcover or paperback on our website (here's the link).  If you prefer ebooks, it is available on Amazon Kindle, and all other ebook formats via Smashwords. Use his Promocode ZZ34F to save 44% through April. If you are planning an event, I can also attest that he is an entertaining and thought-provoking speaker!

QR Codes Are Here...Easy, free, and powerful

QR Codes are popping up everywhere, ads, name badges, trucks, brochures, billboards and business cards.  As diverse as the uses are, the opinions of using them are just as diverse. Initially, groups like realtors thought they would change the face of putting a house up on the market. Some say that it has not made a difference in the way prospective buyers research houses; some say it hasn't been enough time to make that judgement and consumers are just barely adopting these codes as useful tools. I think that the technology is here, it is powerful and easy to administer. Sure, only those with devices that can read these codes benefit now, but those numbers are growing in herds. So why not use this tool if you have an executable and viable application for it? 

QR Code is a "Quick Response" Code. You can embed text, an image, your website, a telephone number, a promotion, etc. You can get them at many websites. Here's one: QR Code Generator

Add a QR Code to your book wherever there is data to share, an image to see or a website you want the reader to visit. Add these codes to your business cards, your marketing materials, trade show materials (including your booth), or virtually anything on which you think you can reduce risk of user error when they enter your info later, or to increase the user experience by adding expanded content that you normally wouldn't have room for. The code I have added above contains a paragraph of text.

When you are publishing a book in today's technology-driven world, there are lots of tools that can not only make your book more interactive for your reader, but can actually make your book exponentially more useful. This is one of those tools. It's not hard to do and it adds value to your product.

Make Your Website Your 24/7 Salesforce (I know, blah, blah, blah)

Since you cannot be "ON" 24 hours a day, seven days a week, you need a website to do some of the work for you. There are easy ways to build a website -- it just takes a little time and a few hours of planning. You can get started on your website and be done in a matter of a couple of days. Here are a few things to keep in mind. 

Create a website using a professional development programming platform. There are inexpensive and easy-to-use website building platforms out there that allow you easy access to easily change things on your site. You can and should:

1. Write or edit your pages to have relevant keywords so people can find your website in their searches. 
2. Incorporate images in your content, however don't save relevant text as part of any jpeg or gif image-- search engines can't search jpegs or gifs -- they only search text.
3. Pay particular attention to the navigation of your site. Your user has to be able to find what is relevant to them easily and quickly.
4. Would some type of interactivity be important to your audience? What other things can you include in your site to make it a place people will visit and be comfortable?

Ensure that your site is written specifically to your Target Market. 

1. Ask yourself if the content on your site is relevant. Is every word well thought-out and used correctly? 
2. Does it address the needs of your audience and tie it to your product by how it solves their problem/need?
3. Does the design create a mood that will attract your audience? Color, graphics, icons?
4. Are you talking their language? Using terminology that is important to them?  

Make sure your site is Search Engine Friendly.

1. Ping your site to let search engines know there is new or revised content.   
2. Make sure your website doesn't have any speed or download problems. 
3. Have colleagues test your site on Safari, Firefox, Internet Explorer, etc. Websites look different using different browsers.

There are, of course, a lot more issues with building a website and tons of great resources. Bottom line, you need to have a website to act as your salesforce when you are doing the things that you want to or have to do out in the real world.

Self Publishing Contracts - What's the story?

When it comes to publishing contracts, be careful before you jump in with a self publishing company. Read any and all contracts and know what you are signing and who you are dealing with. I have been watching as new consultants sprout up everywhere, with people who have done one book -- their own -- and then suddenly they are doling out publishing advice. I've also seen several people who have been laid off or fired from the traditional publishing world, where they performed one part of publishing, who are now opening up their own consulting firms. So dangerous for you! They often don't understand the whole-picture hurdles and, conversely, the special opportunities in the self publishing world.

If you are considering working with a self publishing company, read the contract, look at the books they have already done, request a detailed proposal or scope of work; also check references. If any vendor holds any rights to any aspect of your book, question it and make darn sure you understand the answer! Don't settle for commonly found lines like "You own 100% of the rights to your work."  You want to know who owns the layout and design of the book when it's done.  That's a good place to start questioning. 

CAUTION:  A check or payment is an implied contract. If you don't sign a specific contract, but you gave them a check or paid them anything, you now have a contract with them anyway. One additional note regarding contracts, don't rely on your regular attorney to know what the terminology means either...you need an intellectual property lawyer (and you want to make sure you know what the terms mean before you talk to them, too.)

Protect yourself by arming yourself with lots of information -- and make sure you really UNDERSTAND everything.

It's Saturday. Practice Saying YES to Yourself

It's the weekend, but if you're like most authors, you won't stop thinking about your book, your dreams, your interview with Oprah, or that one sentence that haunts you. But the work of publishing? Why ruin a good Saturday with all that reality? Publishing and marketing your book successfully, against all odds and against the mega publishing world, is possible -- I see it every day. I found this quote yesterday and was pondering it all evening:

"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great." ~Mark Twain

The concept must be in the air. Just like every morning, I opened my email and went straight to Seth Godin's blog. If you don't read it, you should. He's the guru of building the modern "Tribe", and so many other thought-leading principles of our culture. (click here for Seth Godin's blog). His posts are what I call "consumable". He provides one nugget to digest all day. In his post today he said:

"There will always be someone telling you that you're not hip enough, famous enough, edgy enough or whatever enough. That's their agenda. What's yours?" ~Seth Godin

Two great thought leaders a century apart; one important message pushing its way into today's consciousness. Today, think about what "success" in publishing actually means to you in both dollars and "sense". Then start making a realistic plan -- set a goal, plan a strategy, develop a list of tactics, put together a team that understands your goals. Above all, don't let people who are not experts discourage you and put their own agendas in the way of yours.

Set Your Story Free, Starting Today.

If people knew how hard I worked to get my mastery, it wouldn't seem so wonderful at all.

~Michelangelo

Every day, I hear from or experience writers who say they picked up a pen one day and let the ink flow, carving out a story that entertains, enlightens, engages, informs or educates another person -- mind you, even a whole civilization. Even though I see new writers day after day, hour after hour, I always have an internal dialogue running about the writers that paved the way for the one across my desk. 

You see, I've found that good writers read. They read a lot; and the more stories they read, the better writer they become themselves. I'll never harden to the truth that nearly everyone has a story, but it is a special gift to shape a story to share with others...not everyone can, or will, do that. Reading the works of other writers will help you write better, no doubt.

If you have a story inside you, set it free. To help others understand your story, though, work to master your craft, sharpen your tools, enrich your vocabulary, perfect your technique, get some coaching, and always keep learning. Then, one day when the ink begins to flow, your words will sculpt your story.