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:

  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.

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 …

Have you wondered why celebrities being interviewed on television can look so calm when millions of people are watching them?  And have you ever wondered if you could do that?

At the Extravaganza you will learn how to perform on national television and radio while appearing calm and collected.

The key to any good performance is preparation. Just as actors do, media guests need to know what they are going to say during all their performances and practice their delivery of each word beforehand. Adequate preparation will make you more confident in your ability to perform and help you relax while you are on the air. 

You have probably heard that practice makes perfect. However, that is not necessarily true. Practice makes permanent, so you have to make sure you are rehearsing the right things. At the Extravaganza, you will discover the right techniques that you can make permanent.

Why video:

Author U will hold its 4^th Annual Extravaganza May 2-4 at the Renaissance Denver Hotel. With 25 author and publishing experts speaking at workshops and 30 national Exhibitors, the Author U Extravaganza attendees will feast in information to expand their marketing, social media and publishing efforts. The question is: will YOU be there?

 Do You Have the Edge? Every Author Needs One!

Over THREE amazing days, you will be working with amazing book marketing strategists, publicists, Internet gurus, mobile marketing geniuses, audio and video pioneers … all done in an intense workshop environment … Block the dates on your calendar and register now for THREE days that will turn you and your book into creating the edge that you both need. Keynotes are Guy Kawasaki (APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur), Joel Friedlander (The Book Designer)and Penny Sansevieri (Red Hot Internet Publicity).

Do you want to be successful! How about seriously successful?

The Dates it will happen:  May 2-4
What will make it happen: the 4^th Annual Author U Extravaganza
Where will it happen: Denver, CO, Renaissance Denver Hotel
 

 Have you signed up for the Author U Extravaganza yet? Why not? Guy Kawasaki will be there; Penny Sansevieri will be there; Cevin Bryerman will be there; Georgia McCabe will be there; Daniel Hall will be there; Judith Briles will be there; Joan Stewart will be there; Joel Friedlander will be there; Greg Godek will be there; Brian  Jud will be there; Peggy McColl will be there; Dan Janal will be there;  Matthew Bennett will be there; Mary Agnes Antonopoulos will be there … and so many more to speak, to brainstorm, to mentor; 30 national publishing Exhibitors will be there–over 50 amazing publishing and author experts will be in Denver, Colorado May 2-4, 2013. The Who’s Who of publishing is coming to Colorado … and so should you. That is, if you want to be seriously successful.  The full Agenda is on the AuthorU.org website. The question is: Will you be there?   http://ow.ly/hM8aZ

Have you heard? Author U is going BANANAS over APE! Everyone who attends the Extravaganza will get a copy of Guy Kawasaki’s APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur. With over 1.2 million Twitter followers, 4 million Google+ connections, multiple NY Times best-sellers, former Chief Evangelist for Apple Computer, Guy knows marketing, branding, books and authors … and he’s the Friday, May 3rd Keynoter. And he didn’t publish APE via New York. Saturday’s Keynote will be delivered by Cevin Bryerman, Publisher of Publishers Weekly—he’s allotting plenty of Q&A time.

If you have an eBook … Deadline tonight-January 31st – for Global eBook Awards Contest
Dan Ponter’s Global eBook awards entry window ends at midnight tonight. There’s a Special Offer on the table: first entry is $79, second is $29 (another book or category). Use coupon code: 50OFF2 during checkout.
If you have already entered an eBook in the 2013 Global Ebook Awards, you may add a category or another ebook for $29.00
(Use coupon code: ADDCAT during checkout). Visit http://globalebookawards.com/registration/
to add your entries NOW!
 Note: All Discounts for add-on entries will be matched with Global database before processing.