Authors need feedback, reality checks and plain old-fashion butt-kicking. And they need a little kindness. Few think about putting together an “official” type of board to serve in the feedback/reality check/butt-kicking honors. An Author Inner Circle … a type of Advisory Board.

Who Belongs in Your Inner Circle?

It’s time to create yours. The Author Inner Circle … trusted colleagues, pals, and always someone who has “been there, done that.” Most likely, it’s not going to be your sibling, mom or dad. Not unless they’ve authored or work with authors, publishing, books. You want someone who has got an inkling of what is going on in the publishing business; someone who is connected with others; someone who has a sense of humor; someone who has a kaleidoscope of business experience; someone who will say it as it is and not side-step the elephant in the room (which could be you); someone who loves to brainstorming and bounce off-the-wall ideas around; someone who will move you to action; someone who gets what social media marketing is about; someone who gets your Vision for your book and where you want to go with it.

Author Headlines: Be Smart … or Be Square

How many times have you noodled your lead or headline to trash it, over and over? It could be for a blog, an article, a speech … and gulp, your book. Don’t you wish the headline gods would drop in, give you your zinger, so you can write or finish what you are working on?

Or, have you gone blank and you just can’t get the promo piece together? Or, how about trying to come up with something that can tie into an event, happening, or even newsy type of item that you think would be a hook for your community?

For the annual Author U Extravaganza, One of Author U’s Premier Partners Dave Raymond and Thomson Shore created an email that was sent to his lists:

          This week celebrates National Library Week. For authors, libraries can be your best friend. With over 100,000 throughout the country, their budgets still purchase approximately $2,000,000,000 in books each year—two billion dollars! That’s what the American Library Association and the Book Industry Study Group report.

So … the question is … are you getting your share?

•  Say hello to your local library and librarian. Let them know about your book.
• Offer to do a program—especially if you are a children’s author. Many libraries have author programs and are enthusiastic in working and featuring authors—stick your neck out. And if you get invited, make sure you encourage others to come. Bodies count!
• Ask for testimonials and endorsements.
• Make sure you share reviews and any media clippings with your librarian … the one you befriended!
• Donate a book to the library—it just may be the thing that generates a purchase order.

Social media keeps shifting.  That’s an understatement. It used to be that AMs were the best time to blast out Tweets to your Peeps and get on Facebook. Google+ is now roaring into place and timing is unknown, yet my gut tells me AMs will dominate with revisits later in the day for it.

Social media posts get lost quickly; they have a limited shelf life. Very limited. If you have something that is timely and important—your post time becomes critical.

Who Is Using What When?

What’s your time zone? Almost half the U.S. population is in the Eastern time zone … it’s critical to post within. If you are regionally based and do events/activities with one zone—focus on it.

Twitter users are spending more time between the hours of noon and 6 PM. On Twitter, most of the United States posts and reads tweets between Noon and 6:00 PM with the best time to Tweet being 5 PM and a range of one to four tweets within the hour.

  Guy Kawasaki is the opening keynote on Friday am at the Extravaganza. All attendees will get a copy of APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur,  his latest book. As the former Chief Evangelist for Apple computer and author of multiple NY Times bestsellers, he knows books, authoring and publishing. Be there. If you are an author who wants to be serious successful … you will be at the Extravaganza. No excuses allowed.

Here’s his Five Simple Ways to Improve your Ranking on Google a la Guy Kawasaki …

Sear In fact, Google is too smart for most “black hat” marketers. On average, Google changes their algorithms over 500 times a year. Why do they do this? Well, mostly to make sure that websites that are focused on content farming and other black hat SEO tactics don’t climb up the search engine ranking.

As it should be … today is National School Librarian Day … hugs, flowers, supporting, reminding the community and its leaders to keep the doors open, visit and discover your local  school library and just say, “Thank you.” Sci-fi writer Ray Bradbury told Judith Briles, “My idea of education is locking a kid in the library and letting him out when he’s 18.”

Today, Your Guide to Book Publishing will focus on all things that makes authors into rock stars with Lori Ruff, one of the top 10 connected women on LinkedIn and Mike O’Neil. 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://rsrn.us/youpublish.  You can also go to the Home page of http://www.AuthorU.org, scroll down and click on any of the past five show—just click and you are instantly there!

Last year, Author U created it’s radio show, Your Guide to Book Publishing, that is available for downloads with the last five available for instant download on the Home page of www.AuthorU.org.  

This year, Author U is kicking it up. We will be videoing many of our workshops and presentations … and the Extravaganza. Those videos will be available for purchase to start your own Video Library. The first available comes from the rock star event that was held in January.

Of the four years we have been doing AuthorU BookCamps, January’s workshop with online expert Amber Ludwig, was the single best one that we’ve done. The topic?

 6 Pillars to Build Your Author and Book Business Online

It included hot strategies and tools for authors with topics including: brand identity, website development, content strategy, building your readership, product development, social media and advanced training on affiliate marketing and join venture partnerships. Amber Ludwig rocked. And so will you.

 Author U continues to grow and grow. We have just received notification that we are the proud owner of an official registered trademark! The Extravaganza has only 30 seats left and six weeks to fill them! The odds are high—we will be sold out this year. All Exhibitor spots are already taken. The Author Shark Tank already has one member ready to take a swim. The Extravaganza is going to show every participant how to create the “edge” as an author; and for their book.

We have plans for many new programs and services to help our Author U® members create quality books, as well as market and sell more books. Meaning money and adding to your bank account.  In other words: achieve success as an author. Isn’t that your goal?

The hiccup is that we need some assist.  We have more ideas than people to implement them. Are you feeling creative? Would you be willing to volunteer some time to help us continue to grow?

One lucky author or author-to-be will walk away with over $6,000 in prizes this month.

Enter now for the opportunity to win 10 amazing prizes … all to ONE person: http://ow.ly/iMzSz

• Silver Success eBook Promotion from Penny Sansevieri, VALUE: $499
• Reduce the Cost of Your Next Print Run from Color House Graphics, VALUE: $1,000
• Book Covers Say a Thousand Things—You Get One that Does from Nick Zelinger, VALUE: $750
• Author U Extravaganza May 2-4, 2013 in Denver, CO from Author U, Value: $560
• Premium Conversion and Distribution form BookBaby, VALUE $249
• Every Book Needs an Editor for 10 Hours from John Maling, VALUE: $500
• Extreme FaceBook Makeover from Georgia McCabe, VALUE: $750
• Specialty Ad Placement in Premium Book Catalog form Brian Jud, VALUE: $500
• The Book Shepherd Consultation from Judith Briles, VALUE: $750
• Para Promotion program for Book Marketing and Sales from Dan Poynter, VALUE: $497 

Emotions and Intentions. They affect us all when it comes to the book.

Sharing with a publishing colleague that I’m always amazed that authors wait until the last minute to sign up for things. “Pay more later for the same thing that I could have gotten for less sooner,” is their operating model. Or, “I just can’t make up my mind what I want to do, to be.” Or, “I don’t like to, don’t want, to prioritize.” Or, “My book success really isn’t critical … at least now.”

What prompted our discussion was a recent conversation with a client who said that she wouldn’t be attending the Author U Extravaganza May 2-4, 2013 because she had another workshop that she was going to register for the same week—it was one with a business sales orientation. I had held a spot for her at the early bird rate. Well, business sales are important. But …