Blogging, Writing, and Publishing

Which works better, paid advertising or free internet opportunities? I still think (and have the numbers to back it up) that informative and attractive blogs provide the best marketing for your book. After all, you are the expert on your book and who else better to talk about your book than you. I recently ran an experiment with LinkedIn and Facebook. If you’ve read Get Rich in a Niche , you might remember that I loathe advertising. Against my better judgment I reluctantly decided to once again pay to advertise my books and publishing company. Using Facebook, I created four ads; three for books and one for Red Bike Publishing. Each ad is a pay per click ad and I set my limit to $10.00 a day. I gave each ad a max of a $100 limit before pausing it. I also limited my ads’ exposure to demographics likely to buy my book. For example, for my security clearance books, I set the ads to be visible for 22-55 years old and/or small business owners and/or professionals with technical backg...

Can your books get you noticed at work? My boss recently called me into his office. "Shut the door," he said. "I need to have a quiet discussion." I quickly shut the door with anticipation. "Congratulations, you've been assigned the supervisor position you applied for. We boarded your resume and out of all the candidates, you were best qualified. The leadership trait you excelled in was writing communication; especially your impressive publications. Your resume and books really set you above the others." No kidding, there I was getting kudos at work for the publishing company I ran at home. Unfortunately, I hear to many comments from authors who claim not to be motivated by money or any other gain other than the pride of publishing. Personally, I find payment as a reward for good writing to be very motivating. I also find the prestige of being recognized by readers and invited to speak on niche topics rejuvenating.  Why else d...

One reason authors and independent or publish on demand (POD) publishers should not spend money on advertising is distribution channel limitations. Since POD and many non-traditionally published books are documented differently with the Library of Congress, they are excluded from the same channels as traditionally published books, thus creative marketing effort are necessary. Librarians and bookstores receive a book’s information from the Library of Congress and distributors. If your book is not in the CIP process as described in   Get Rich in a Niche , chances are great that it will not be picked up by librarians and traditional books stores. More distribution channel opportunities are becoming available with Lightning Source and Createspace, however, without the CIP, books may be excluded. Some predators and aggressive book marketing agencies try to persuade authors to pay for their connections and inroads with major buyers. In reality, all they do is add you...

I love to watch the Olympics and see how Team USA performs against the rest of the world. While watching the international competition, I not only celebrate with the champions, but I tend to look at how they became successful. The simple answer is that competition is just another step in the journey. The athletes didn’t just wake up and perform spectacular feats; they incorporate winning performance into their daily rituals. They became world class athletes based on conditioning, determination and dedication spun from plans, goals and dreams. If an athlete breaks records or fails to qualify, the success or failure isn’t the onetime performance, but the milestones that led them there. They didn’t just wake up as champions, they prepared. Champions also exist in business. Again, they just don’t wake up as winners; they prepare to win. Their ideas are more contagious than others. They influence major decision makers. They set milestones that mark waypoints to success. Self p...