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.

When someone asks you—anyone—what’s the Vision for your Book, and for you the Author, what do you say? Do you stammer and stutter? Do you feel like you project the “deer in the highlight” gaze? Or are you direct and succinct?

For the visionary founder of Virgin, Richard Branson, he’s been an entrepreneur from the get-go. Virgin was seeded when he was 20 years old—since then; he’s created an empire that includes eight separate billion-dollar companies in eight different industries. He’s birthed a new book, Like a Virgin: Secrets They Won’t Teach You at Business School and it is both a good read and incredibly insightful. And yes, he did it all without earning a degree in business. As he writes,

                        “Had I pursued my education long enough to learn all the conventional dos and don’ts of starting a business,
I often wonder how different my life and career might have been.”

It’s All About Intentions …

Step 1 … The Pitch and Platform
When someone asks what your book is about … what do you say as you Pitch them your work and words? Do you stumble a bit? Do you start and stop your response until you get it out to the listener? Is the listener still listening? Or do you say it smoothly in the words you absolutely intended to say with confidence?

 What about when someone asks about your Platform … do you know what a Platform is? Can you articulate what yours is? Do you know what magic words and phrases need to be said so that your listener gets what your book is about, what commitment you have to it, what your Fan base is and how you will engage them to buy your book? Are you able to communicate them with clarity and confidence?

Step 2 … Find the Fans and Readers
Who’s your crowd? The people you have written for—it doesn’t matter if it’s a fiction or nonfiction book … you are writing for the “someones” out there who are ready to chew on your words—who need them to ease their pain, solve a problem, provide a solution, to be inspired or just simply to entertain them.

It’s National Friendship Week … reach out and let someone you care for know that you are thinking of them.        

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

6 Things Social Media Can’t Do For You http://ow.ly/cRFsg  

Amazon & Book Ownership. Who owns your book review? http://t.co/wkrHoSLh

How to Increase Your Book’s Amazon Rank  http://t.co/IZHx9GJr

Authoring & Writing & Speaking

13 Writing Tips To Make You A Better Blogger http://ow.ly/d4xGL  

Words from the savvy and wise Joel Friedlander: AUTHORNOMICS http://t.co/kEJxNGBv  

Social Media & Marketing  What do you think? 13 Blogging Learned The Hard Way  http://ow.ly/cV0Ll

Online Copywriting Tips for Beginners – How to Craft Killer Copy    http://t.co/WrzoMxA1

It’s been a heart-breaking week for so many in Colorado … our thoughts and prayers to all … please remember that your amazing words make a difference … use them to spread the healing.

Below are your top Tweets of the 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

Are you in charge of your workflow? Or are you just reacting? http://t.co/7iCY4fkE

Authoring & Writing

The Social Experience of Reading http://t.co/Tlha09HC   

Social Media & Marketing

NEW! 12 Ways to Focus Your Email Marketing http://t.co/gSAhfgif
6 Tips for Managing a Social Media Community – Do you wonder how to go about exercising good social etiquette… http://t.co/ag2qnnMV

6 Master Moves to Merge Social Media & Direct Marketing–good info for authors http://t.co/lKPF6azp  

The Mansoons have hit Colorado …amazing thunder and rain storms this past week … If you are in Colorado and new to authoring and publishing, don’t forget to register for the August 18^th Is There a Book In YOU?  half-day program designed for the Eaglet—the newbie—to the authoring and publishing worlds. It’s only $47 and includes breakfast, workbook and a copy of Judith Briles’ book, Show Me About Book Publishing ($20 value). Early bird deadline is July 31^st. Register at: http://authoru.org/is-there-a-book-in-you.html

And definitely don’t forget to attend the Author U-Tattered Cover event on Monday evening, July 23^rd …  http://authoru.org/tattered-cover.html

ALL profits for both events will go to support the fire fighting efforts that so devastated major areas of Colorado in June and July. Come and out and let your educational/investment in your book dollars count.

Tweets are faster than a speeding bird … below are Author U’s Top Ten Tweets from the past week that you may have missed …

July is Smokin’ Hot all over … If you are in Colorado and new to authoring and publishing, don’t forget to register for the August 18^th Is There a Book In YOU?  half-day program designed for the Eaglet—the newbie—to the authoring and publishing worlds. It’s only $47 and includes breakfast, workbook and a copy of Judith Briles’ book, Show Me About Book Publishing ($20 value). Early bird deadline is July 31^st. Register at: http://authoru.org/is-there-a-book-in-you.html

And definitely don’t forget to attend the Author U-Tattered Cover event on Monday evening, July 23^rd …  http://authoru.org/tattered-cover.html

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

Why I Write: George Orwell’s Four Motives for Creation http://t.co/ubKPAUoE

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What successful people do before breakfast.  http://ow.ly/bWvWL

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Love the stuff from @guykawasaki: The secret trifecta for building an engaged audience.  Perfect for authors/speakers. http://t.co/lL77MIy6

Your Book Success Is Up to You … and ONLY You!

This week, I send three emails to three separate authors that I had shephered and agreed to co-publish their books about the lack of sales. Publishers don’t love the term, “lack of sales.” None of these authors should have got the “Wake up and smell the book roses … possible death toll bell” from me.

I hated writing them … I hated sending them.

And, I had to do it. As the publisher, because it’s business. As The Book Shepherd, because they chose to ignore the hours of brainstorming about strategies to market, position and sell their books. As the publisher, I got the books into national distribution at all major channels—even Barnes and Noble ordered them.

And they failed. Two of them have done zip in marketing support. ZIP. The third did an announcement on her Facebook page and has created a few speaking engagements. Granted, those sold books on site, which is a great strategy and was part of the game plan. But, that’s it.

Book Publishing and ISBNs … Do You Need Them?

Do authors need ISBNs? If you plan on selling your book, the answer is yes. If you are creating something that is not for re-sale—from the family history to your high school reunion … most likely not. How many should you have … just the one for your book or do you need others? What about eBooks and other book formats? Below are answers to the top three questions that I frequently get:

Should you eBook have an ISBN?
Most will respond, “It depends.” If you plan to have your eBook available for iPad readers, than you must have an ISBN. Remember, your ISBN is the ID that the rest of the book retail world sees. It’s mandatory if your book is available in bookstores as well as with distributors and wholesalers. Amazon doesn’t require one—you get assigned the Amazon ASIN number–which stands for Amazon Standard Book Number. If you already have an ISBN, then you will enter that number during the publishing process with them–just click on the upload image tab. Others, such as B&N’s new PubIt doesn’t require it … they will assigned you a number

Book Publishing Savvy Today:

Do You Know Where Your Book Sales Come From?

       Do You Know Where Your Clients Come From?

              Do You Know Where Your ____ Comes From?

Having a marketing and sales background, it was drilled in that I had to follow my leads, track my leads and know where my business came from. Maybe. Maybe not … at least today. The Internet has changed a lot of the rules of yesterday … yesteryear. It’s fast forward time…

If you have a product—a book, consulting services or any other product—today, it’s all about being “out there”—exposed, talked about, findable.

Maybe it’s time to stop asking the question, Do you know where your business is coming from? Because there isn’t a definable answer. Maybe the answer is in the response zone of “… just because.”