In a world of logos, tag lines, and selling your unique proposition, doesn’t it sometimes feel like an endless cycle of trying to stay on the up and up to get your message out to the world?

Sometimes, it feels like even when we’re trying to get ahead, we’re back to square one, finding the next “big” thing to push us up back front.

What if today…I were to ask you to just STOP.

“Um, what?” or “Well, I wish I could but…” or “Really? YES!”…Any of those seem to ring true for what you’re thinking right now?

Whatever your answer would be to me telling you to stop trying so hard to push your brand out there, I get it. It’s scary and thrilling at the same time to try something that is new, that’s quite unheard of, and honestly, quite risky….

If you let it.

But what if you did stop? Stop trying to push, push, and push your message to your audiences?

What if instead, you approached marketing you and your book as an opportunity to romance and swoon your ideal clients to working with you?

What if your marketing was wanted, desired, and actually put a smile on the faces of your clients and customers? When they think of you, they feel great, inspired and ready to take on the world because they have you in their corner?

What if….?

As someone who planned to become a psychotherapist and chose to instead, move to work with business owners (many of whom are authors and speakers) to create freedom in how they use their brilliance to better serve the world, I fell in love with the new ways in which we can share our message that doesn’t feel pushy.

Of course, you can begin to share and grow with your audience through social media. Facebook and Twitter have become staples in our how-to marketing strategy to help our customers get to know us better. YouTube is a powerful way to engage our customers and clients to better understand our quirks, sayings, and of course, expertise. Google Plus now is a growing trend for many of us who see that Google’s searches are impacted by the content our friends on G+ are putting out there.

But, there’s one powerful set of strategies that most authors and speakers have not yet tapped into, and when they do…when you do…you will create a brand experience that your clients and customers can get excited about and eagerly seek to find you there.

The strategies are focused on mobile marketing.

What is mobile marketing? Mobile marketing is a suite of tools and strategies that help get your business brand seen, heard, and making you money through mobile devices – cell phones, smart phones and tablets like Kindle Fire, Apple iPad and the Samsung Galaxy.

No, it was not only created for local brick-and-mortar business. No, it was not only to push out messages to your customers.

This is a powerful way to keep connected to your audience and interact with them to grow your audience, make more sales, and create a brand that meets your clients and customers where they’re spending most of their time.

In June 2011, more people were using their smart phones and mobile devices than they were using their computers to surf online!  In fact, after my team and I worked on creating a mobile version of Kristen’s website, we were able to notice that 33% of her website visitors came from her mobile site on their smart phones and tablets! Here’s a quick view of what we did for her:

Before	After

 
Having a mobile presence is critical to your brand’s success this year and honestly, I can see this being just the start to what’s to come in the ever changing marketing space today.

Your brilliance can serve so many people, if only you’re able to be in front of your audience when they are looking for you – on their mobile devices. It doesn’t have to feel salesy, pushy, or annoying. You can actually build your brand in a way that feels right to you and connects you to the types of clients that want to hear from you on their mobile devices. This year, 2012, you’ve got gifts and talents that can impact the world for the better. Choose your branding strategies wisely and choose to grow your audience in a way that brings you joy.

About the Author:

Maruxa “Muh-ROO-Shah” Murphy is a speaker, author and international consultant for best-selling authors, speakers and trainers and the co-founder of No Slow Days, a company geared to support authors, speakers, entrepreneurs, and small business owners in using today’s most powerful marketing tools to get more clients, make more money and increase brand awareness.  If you’re interested in learning how to use mobile marketing in your business, register for the webinar  we’ll be doing together next week on Mobile Marketing For Authors: How To Use Mobile Marketing To Grow Your Brand, Make More Money, and Sell More Books.

In other words, I had to comment. Wanting to keep this future author from falling into an easy button trap, I replied with, “Make sure your distribution options are open, then… Nothing like choosing the wrong company & finding out a year down the road you can’t make any international sales! (BTW, I regularly sell books in the UK & other parts of the world.)”

This quick interaction prompted a private discussion where William asked me to expand on that comment. He found my response so helpful, he thought I should also share it with you…

There are a lot of companies that will “self-publish”  your book for you and claim they get you into distribution (make your book available to order through online retailers and any bookstore). But what they don’t tell you is that bookstores have specific requirements to host you for a book signing and stock your book on their shelves, and not a single one of those companies can meet all of those requirements.  The biggest requirements are price point, wholesale discount and returnability. Some companies require the purchase of a $5,000 “Pro” publishing plan plus an $800/year fee just to list the book as returnable. This only meets one of the bookstore’s requirements, and honestly if someone’s going to pay $5,000 to get a book done they can do way better than a vanity “self-publishing” company.

There are other publishers called “custom” publishers that create beautiful books and can meet bookstore requirements, but they usually require hefty setup fees for the book’s production, as well as a minimum order of 3,000+ copies of the book. Since most authors don’t have a few spare rooms to house books, they conveniently offer their warehouses for $100/month to stock and ship books. Usually these options cost in the $40,000-50,000 range to get a book produced and printed. They are a good option if you’re a major international speaker and can move thousands of books in a matter of a few months, as the price-per-book is lower than a print-on-demand style book.

Then there’s your average book printer that will print a nice book for you, but it’s up to you to register the book with Amazon Advantage ($99/year) to get it listed online, and that only gets it to one retailer, not in the distribution channel for bookstores.

Basically there’s currently one back door to get access to bookstores without a lot of red tape – and that’s an industry trade secret. Then again, if you don’t need access to bookstores one of the above options might work well for you – if you’re willing to give up your distribution rights, the single rights that will enable you to get a traditional publishing contract someday. (If your goal is not a traditional contract and your funds are limited, vanity publishing might be a good option for you.)

I personally am an entrepreneur used to being in control of my business, so I prefer to have my books registered 100% in my name, all rights controlled by me (including distribution), and 100% of profits from book sales in my pocket… plus access to major distribution channels that typically are only open to big traditional publishers.

If you’re interested in learning how to write and self-publish a book that will rival those on the traditional bookstore shelf, check out my upcoming class “6-Weeks to Self-Published” starting February 13. It’s a small investment to make to learn tons of writing and publishing secrets companies want to keep you in the dark about!

Let’s go.

Stage 1
In 2008, I told people that I was writing a book.

“Good for you,” many folks told me, half expecting that it would never happen. After all, you probably know a few folks who “have a book in them” but, for whatever reason, it never comes out. After publishing Why New Systems Fail, more than a few people were surprised.

I’ve always been a reader, and there was nothing quite like first holding my book in my hands. One could say that it was even addictive.

Stage 2
After publishing my first book, I got the bug. When the book reached number 91 on Amazon after a Slashdot review, I nearly broke my finger hitting refresh for my browser on my keyboard.

“Hey”, I thought, “Maybe I can actually write books that sell.”

Against that backdrop, I began writing my second book in mid-2009, The Next Wave of Technologies. Buoyed by an esteemed publishing company and more connections than a year ago, my expectations were sky high.

Lamentably, though, those expectations were never met. For a bunch of reasons not worth getting into (get a few beers into me and that may change), the book did not do nearly as well as I would have predicted. The price of the book had a great deal to do with it ($60 retail–ouch). Stubbornly, though, I persisted. I was convinced that I could use my books to advance my career.

People began to think of me differently because I had done two books in a very short time. I started doing podcasts like The New York Times and getting some additional exposure. A few speaking inquiries came my way. People started asking for my advice about different publishing methods, book covers, editing, the publishing process, and the like.

Was I becoming some type of expert?

Perish the thought!

Stage 3
In the last 18 months, I wrote two more books: The New Small and The Age of the Platform. To get my message out as soon as possible without sacrificing quality, I started a publishing company. I even published one of my client’s books (101 Lightbulb Moments in Data Management).

No, I don’t sleep much. I have moderation issues. I type fast. I have too many opinions. I’ve heard them all before.

But I persist because I enjoy it and because I’m convinced that they result in good things for me. Writing books has led to keynote speeches, guest posts in The Huffington Post and other high-profile media outlets, and connections with some fascinating people. I’ve consulted successful authors on their own publishing endeavors like Scott Berkun–a friend of mine. Every day is an adventure–and I love the unpredictability of it, even if it means the occasional negative review or snarky blog comment.

Stage 4 and Beyond
Where will my books take me next? I honestly have no idea, but it’s going to be one hell of a ride.

Phil Simon is the author of four management books. His fourth, The Age of the Platform, is his most ambitious yet. A recognized technology expert, he consults companies on how to optimize their use of technology. His contributions have been featured on Huffington Post, The Globe and Mail, Fast Company, the American Express Open Forum, ComputerWorld, Technorati, ZDNet, abcnews.com, forbes.com, The New York Times, ReadWriteWeb, and many other sites.

I want to remedy that.

But my friend said, “Kristen, you are really cool to chat with, but do you think people will just to pick up the phone? You gotta have a reason.”

So I went into my marketer mode -
She is right. People won’t just call to connect. I know from working with tons of clients that in marketing I need to give a compelling REASON, should name the session something sexy to make it appealing, and I need to spell out the return on investment for them.

UGH! My energy just sank when I thought of it this way. I want to connect with PEOPLE, not just sell them something!

Then I went to my heart -
As I move into 2012, I want to be talking about what’s more real. That means sharing about stuff beyond getting your book written and published. It means in addition to achieving your dreams, it involves having conversations about YOU, your LIFE, and your deeper dreams. I am making a decision to “suck” out of you the next version of who you need to be in order to create a business that will make you happy, and give passion to your dreams of getting those books done.

Some of you may be resonating here and so for you….Lets have a chat.

I want to know YOU.

I want to hear what inspires you and what challenges you.

And this is not a pitch, a marketing ploy, or connected to any agenda other than to find the tribe of like-minded peeps. I’m looking for folks who are a bit sick of the hypey marketing practices and who are looking for a place where it’s ok to speak about the personal side of your life.

So if you are game, pick up the phone.

What the call is – a chance to get to know each other better. I don’t consider it a coaching conversation, but if there are a couple of suggestions I can make to support you in your book creation journey, sure… I’ll share ‘em.

What the call is NOT – any form of sales pitch. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. No offers attached, no trick “strategy session” designed to lead you to a sale. There’s not even an opt-in for another autoresponder series! Just two people sharing their journey.

Are you game? I’m opening up slots now for the first few weeks of January. Just go to http://TalkWithKristen.com and grab yourself a 15-minute appointment.

Thanks for reading. I appreciate you being on my list and look to be of service to you and your dreams. Here’s to reading YOUR new book in 2012!

With much gratitude and best wishes for 2012.

Mistake #1: Waiting too long
Most readers want to see more information from you within the first year your book comes out. If you have more to say, and especially if you’re getting a lot of questions from your audience that you don’t cover in your current book, you should seriously consider getting your next book released within that first year.

If your first book is out, you probably already experienced an increase in your business, clients and expertise. The credibility the first book brings to you as an expert is elevated with each book you write. For example, in early 2011 I wrote 21 Ways to Write & Publish Your Non-Fiction Book. Later that year I published the next in the series, 21 Ways to Powerfully Network Your Business. While the first book brought credibility to my business in the form of new paying clients, the second book got me noticed as a paid speaker, telesummit expert and a book signing with a captive 300-person audience. The first book was great for credibility in my field. The second took me to a whole new level and got me in front of masses of people rather than small one-on-one meetings.

How to avoid this mistake:
Keep track of what readers and your audience (those you speak with at a book signing who haven’t bought your book yet) are asking you. Write those questions down in a small notebook you carry with you. If the questions aren’t answered in your current book, they are the key to what to write next.

Use those questions to start an outline immediately after your first book is out. If you don’t feel you have enough material to write and publish an entirely new book (and if you think you don’t, I can probably prove you wrong), then consider a companion to the first book such as a workbook or small book of “tips.”

Mistake #2: Choosing a random topic
I have seen an author with broad interests write their first book on a subject like dog sitting, then the next about marketing a business online. Keep in mind everything you do reflects on you as an expert. Do you want to be a pet expert? Or an expert on business marketing? This is why traditional publishers will often discourage authors from breaking across genres unless they’re writing about the same topic. For instance, a fiction writer might also write a non-fiction book about how to write fiction. This is still within the topic area he currently writes, so it reinforces his expertise rather than confuses readers who may question if he knows what he’s talking about.

How to avoid this mistake:
If you have more than one book idea, consider how you can make it flow into a series. A series creates a brand, and a second book in a series can cause the first book to experience viral sales.

If you’ve already written your first book, explore broadening your current topic. Use the questions from others as a launch pad to create another book in a series that fills gaps the first book left open. And believe me, every book has gaps, even those that are 1,000+ pages long! Also consider creating a brand like I did with “21 Ways.”  The “21 Ways” have started creating their own brand and their own loyal following of readers. And the best part is, when we publish a new “21 Ways” book, the rest of the books in the series are made aware to potential buyers!

Mistake #3: Ignoring the marketing
I have seen it time and time again. An author who plans on writing more than one book from the start of their career will forgo marketing until the next book is out. Then they procrastinate as they continue to write the next book. And so on. I blame the traditional publishing industry for this “closet writer” mentality. Yes, old-school publishing taught us that writers should write and publishers should market, but changing technologies and a changed system have changed the rules of marketing.

How to avoid this mistake:
No matter what, continue creating your brand. Market your current book as you write your next one. Your publisher will expect it, and if you self-publish you’ll have to do it anyway. Keep in mind that book sales from your second book will spill over to your first book and vise versa, so start promoting the second book before it is even out! You’ll be surprised who will buy the first book just because you’re pre-marketing the second. The current rule of marketing is always always always market – even before your first book is released!

Some practical ways to market both your first and next books:

• Offer pre-sales on your second book. If your second book is part of a series, it will drive awareness – and sales – to your first book.
• Bundle your two books in a package and sell them together (autographed, of course) at a discount. This can be combined with pre-sales.
• Ask for reviews on your second book after it’s released, and if it is the second of a series you’ll see sales spill over to the first book in the series
• Outsource your marketing. If you desire to write a series like I have done with the “21 Ways” books, you will find there’s not enough time in the day to market and write. To be truly effective, consider outsourcing some of your marketing, including (but not limited to) blog and newsletter scheduling and posting, social media posting, PR to media outlets, etc.

I hope knowing about these mistakes and what to do to avoid them will help you be the successful author I know you can be! For more information on how to create a four-month marketing plan for your book in less than one hour, check out MarketMyBook.com. I’ll see you with a successful selling book soon!

Even big name celebrities have sponsors. People including Madonna, Kobe Bryant, and Justin Bieber… And we know they aren’t charities.

Okay, so you’re not nearly big rock star or sports legend. Is it possible for you, a small business owner and/or author, to get sponsorships?

Yes!

You see, the reasons why a company would sponsor a celebrity are the same reasons they would sponsor you.

It used to be that companies would underwrite the costs of a sponsorship for good will. Times have changed. Today, sponsorships are now a valuable marketing tool, and corporations looking for a better return on investment than just that it ‘feels good’ to help out.

The sponsor’s goal is often to get access to a specific target market, so if you can answer these questions, you can get a support for something you are already – or planning on – doing:

1. Do you have a visible following? Think about your subscriber list, your social media, your connections with traditional media. If you can clearly prove you have a following, a sponsor will be interested. This doesn’t mean you need substantial figures. It’s the quality of the following, not the quantity that makes a difference. (See the next question to understand this more.)
2. Can you prove an affiliation with your following? Sponsors will want to see if you have a bond with the people in your ‘tribe.’ Can you establish that you can influence these fans? Influence means you can give them a call to action, and they will respond.  This is exactly why the quality of your following is more important than the quantity. There’s no return on investment if you have 50,000 followers on Twitter, but only two people are actually reacting to your tweets.
3. Are YOU willing to invest in a sponsorship relationship? If you think the sponsorship is over as soon as the company has handed you the hard or soft money, then you’re ill prepared for sponsorships. The key is building a lasting relationship.
4. Can you verify that your sponsors will get a quantifiable return on investment? There’s a right approach and a wrong approach to this. And without help, it can be hard to see what will work. (And by the way, what will work for one potential sponsor may not for another).

If you want to get your share of the $17 Billion in corporate sponsorship available, check out Sponsorship Made Simple. It’s a highly specialized home study curriculum that’s a little differently than most how-to programs out there. You will learn everything needed to secure sponsorships the RIGHT way, including:

• Find the right sponsors for your projects to pay you thousands of dollars a year
• Understand the different kinds of sponsorships and why you want both in your sponsorship plan
• Discover the real secret to knowing what makes a sponsor take notice of your proposal
• Avoid the top mistakes most people make when approaching a sponsor
• Leverage the media to attract sponsors
• Discover the top benefits you can offer a potential sponsor.
• Craft a winning pitch letter and proposal. And know why you need both to make sponsors say ‘Yes!’
• Manage the sponsorships to get them coming back year after year
• And much, much more

Click here to check out all there in the Sponsorship Made Simple Academy!

Shannon Cherry, Your Creative Relationship Marketing Expert, helps you do just that by creating a powerful presence to make more money. Her background as a PR and marketing pro, as well as a TV reporter and anchor, combined with a unique ability to see through the clutter, gives her the expertise to build your exposure, increasing your credibility and visibility.

A note from Kristen: I have Shannon’s course and am working through it right now. I have to tell you I’m impressed! I’m learning a ton and getting ready to talk to two very large companies (hint – you probably buy their products regularly!) about sponsoring my speaking and books. You can get a sponsor for your next book and have all the production costs paid for, plus extra in your pocket for marketing!

Article Marketing lends itself to easy product creation and provides with so many benefits I couldn’t list them all here. I can give you 7 of the top ones here:

1) The more you do it, the easier it gets – Some folks will tell you that creating content (writing articles) is time consuming and hard. And it is, when you do the wrong way. When you use templates and create content on a regular basis, it gets so easy that you can crank out a prospect and profit pulling article in less than 30 minutes.

2) You become a recognized expert – Get your first article published on EzineArticles and you are called an Expert Author. Keep it up and publish fresh new content weekly, and you begin to be seen as a recognized expert in your niche.

3) Easy Online Visibility – Not only do you get the visibility of appearing in the top article directories and other people’s blogs, you can use parts of your article content on all the top Social Marketing platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and even YouTube.

4) Consistent Traffic Generation – Article Marketing is the very best free source of consistent, passive traffic. Each article you create and publish becomes its own stream of evergreen traffic.

Then as you add each new article on top of the previous ones, your traffic begins to compound, compound and compound some more. Pretty soon you have so much traffic coming in you could not stop it if you wanted to, and believe me, you won’t want to.

5) Highly Qualified List Building – When you build your list with Article Marketing, you can make big profits with a small list. In these Social Marketing times, when someone takes 3 – 5 minutes to read your article, they have raised their hand as a highly qualified person for your list. And when you take good care of your list, they will take good care of you.

6) Rapid Product Creation – So many people get stuck when they get to product creation. I don’t want that to happen to you. The great news is that when you are creating your content for your articles, you are creating your content for your information products.

7) The New Expert Author – Having your article content spread all over the internet qualifies you as the New Author, with all the rights, privileges, expert status and respect of a traditional author, without all the hassles of becoming a traditional author.

Join me on December 12 8PM Eastern/5PM Pacific at Jeff Herring’s Content Creation Workshop – FREE! Register now!

Content creation and content marketing are a great method for building your prospects and your profits. But you don’t have to get that news just from me – a recent issue of Entrepreneur Magazine had this to say about content creation and content marketing:

“When it comes to marketing strategies, content marketing has just been crowned king, far surpassing search engine marketing, public relations and even print, television and radio advertising as the preferred marketing tool for today’s business-to-business entrepreneur.”

Think about that: bigger than print, radio or television. Bigger than SEO marketing or PR. Don’t you want your share of the prospects and profits from content creation and content marketing?

And since you do, here are 3 reasons you need to be able to do it yourself (at least in the beginning):

Reason 1 – Prospects are attracted to your voice

Whether you have a golden voice made for radio or just the opposite, prospects are attracted to your voice. Because what I mean by “your voice” is the unique way you approach problems. Prospects come on the internet searching for solutions to their problems. When they hear your voice – how you approach and solve problems – they will be drawn to you like magnet.

Reason 2 – No one else can deliver it like you

Here’s the good news and the reality (nice when those two go together): There are more people out there, eager to hear your message, who can only hear it in your voice, than you can ever get to in your lifetime.

No one else your unique perspective, life experience, knowledge and wisdom. No one else. And there are people out there who need to hear your unique message, who can only hear it from you. Not getting it out to your audience is selfish.

Create your content and get it out to them!

Reason 3 – You must learn to do it yourself

In the beginning of your business, like so many of us when we began, you will have more time than money. Use that time to learn how to quickly and easily, and with impact, create your own content whenever you want or need.

In this way, later on, when you have more money than time, you may want to outsource some of your content creation. Then you will know what to look for when you are looking for someone who can “write in your voice” – which is very hard to find.

Join me on December 12 8PM Eastern/5PM Pacific at Jeff Herring’s Content Creation Workshop – FREE! Register now!

So I’m taking that lesson to heart and going to describe to you exactly what it is I do!

We are primarily a service-based company. Yes, I’m the author of six books and we sell those, too, but our bread and butter is the professional services we provide authors.

These services can be categorized into three areas:
Writing Coaching
Publishing Consulting
Book Marketing

Writing Coaching
Writing coaching involves one-on-one hands-on coaching with me personally through the book writing process.

If you’re ready to “deep dive” into your project, I’m available to make sure you’re able to keep breathing and make progress one month at a time (no lengthy contracts). In between our 30-minute calls, I delve into your progressing manuscript, offer suggestions on content, organization, structure and marketability. One-on-One coaching is more than a simple motivational conference call, it’s where I personally review your manuscript as it’s being written and help you create a stronger, more professional book. One-on-One Coaching starts at $395 per month and includes three 30-minute conference sessions each month with manuscript reviews in-between. If you require deeper coaching such as sentence structure, ghostwriting, market research, etc., we can discuss a custom package for you.

Publishing Consulting
Publishing is what I’ve become known for. As creator of the exclusive I am Published!™ independent publishing program, my team and I take your written words and craft a professional book that rivals those in the traditional marketplace. We also have all our publishing services available a’la carte.

I am Published!™ – 100% of our authors have been able to get their books inside a bookstore. We make you, the author, appear traditionally published with all the perks of self-publishing, and we help you make more profits and get more credibility because we set up your books to open all the marketing doors other companies shut. And I personally coach you on how to use your books to increase your bottom line through methods beyond the simple book sale. In fact, one of our clients saw a significant increase to her business by saying she had a publishing division!

The packages in the I am Published!™ program are designed with the real author’s needs in mind, and not filled with “junk” I don’t use for my own books as many upper level vanity plans contain. Every marketing piece in the Gold and Platinum levels is something I have used myself and you’re sure to use, too. The done-for-you solutions take the stress level off of you and give you a finished product you can be proud to show off. Our goal with publishing is to make you fight with those who see your book, who don’t believe it could possibly be self-published. We want your book to stand out in the tight market, not be one of those poorly designed and formatted “pass over” books.

We are not a middle man. Think of us as the production department of your company for the process of getting your book published. We do not take any money from your book sales – you earn every penny and pay only the print cost on books you order. A $20 book that might cost you $10 to order from a vanity publisher will only cost you $3 through the I am Published!™ program. I’m often greeted with gasps of surprise and, “That’s it?!?” when I explain this on a free Jumpstart My Book!™ session!

Our most popular package is the Platinum level, which includes everything you need for a professionally produced book, including copy-editing, cover design (by a real book designer who doesn’t use Microsoft Word!), interior layout and a massive dose of useful marketing materials, including a video book trailer and a press release to major media outlets. The second most popular package is the Gold level, which includes the same necessities every author needs as Platinum, with less marketing materials.

The best part of publishing happens at the end of the process. After you receive your hardcopy proof from the printer and approve it, I personally guide you through a recorded training of your virtual back office with the printer. I teach you how to track sales, drop ship books anywhere in the world and more. This is what I call putting you in the drivers’ seat. Once that call is completed and all elements of the publishing package are fulfilled, you are in 100% control and I take a seat in the stands to watch you drive your way to success! And don’t worry, I’m also available for the pit crew if you need me.

Digital Publishing – Another aspect of publishing is pure digital. Our digital publishing program is unique in that it’s designed to take audio and webinar files that are collecting “virtual dust” on your hard drive and turn them into lead-generating, sales-making Kindle books. Though eBook formatting is included in the I am Published!™ program for print books, our goal with our Digital Publishing service is to repurpose content you already have. It’s a way to get your name recognized quickly, align yourself with experts, increase SEO to you and your website, increase opt-ins, pre-qualify potential new clients and more. Digital publishing packages start at a mere $497 for a complete, cleanly formatted eBook created from your audio file and custom cover design created by our professional book designers.

Publishing A’la Carte – Sometimes an author comes to us only needing a piece of the puzzle. They either need registrations set up for the printer, an eBook formatted by our eBook programmer, a professional cover designed or an interior layout created. Whatever the need, if it has to do with books, we can do it a’la carte. We’ve become known for our professional cover designs and authors regularly seek us out for those, not realizing we can combine everything else they need into one convenient package. Keep in mind that the I am Published!™ packages reflect a discount vs. a’la carte services, so you may actually save money and get more bang for your buck by choosing a package over several a’la carte pieces.

Book Marketing
Our clients demanded it, so we added book marketing services to complete the book lifecycle. Usually once someone starts working with us they don’t want to go elsewhere for their book marketing needs, so I created the Market My Book!™ program as a do-it-yourself book marketing digital product, which was added to other services we already offered.

Market My Book!™ – This program is designed to teach you how to create a 4-month book marketing plan in less than one hour. It comes in the form of a digital product you can instantly access from any computer. As soon as you sign up, you’re sent a link to download and print the Action Guide and all the bonuses, as well as a link to the hour-long video course. The video course will walk you through multiple book marketing tactics, grouped by price: free, low cost, mid-range cost and high investment. I not only show you what tactics to use, but when to use them and how to form the overall strategy, which is the key to any book marketing plan’s success. This plan retails for $197, a heck of a deal for the power it will give you over your book’s marketing, and it is included with the I am Published!™ Platinum package.

Graphic Design – You will almost always need some form of printed material to advertise your book, whether it’s bookmarks, postcards, business cards or posters. You might also need a custom website, logo, banner ads or Facebook graphics to showcase your book online. The same professional graphics department that created your killer book cover and fancy interior layout can create marketing materials that showcase your expertise and your book. And the best part is, they know the publishing industry, unlike other graphics firms and “discount” service providers. In graphic design, quality matters, but almost as important as quality is what type of files the designer gives the client. We have had to re-design tons of Photoshop documents because they were done poorly, and because Photoshop is a photo editing program – not a design program. You can easily waste your time and money choosing a cheap route. Our designers have a combined over 20 years of experience and excel at all things design. If it can be printed or viewed online and it’s graphical in nature, our Art Department can create it!

As you can see, our range of services is specific to the independent author or business owner who wants to spread their message to the world in book format. If it can be written, we can turn it into a book. You’re already an expert on your topic. We just make it so the world knows you’re the only one they should call when they need what you have to offer!

Content is the basis of EVERYTHING online. Creating your content and then marketing it well is how you profit from your content online.

Create It

The key to successful content creation is to be prolific. What most people do is wind up staring at a blank screen. I don’t want you to do what most people do because most people are broke.

Instead of staring at a blank screen I want you to use templates. Create a 7 tips article or a 3 mistakes article. Then all you have to do is fill in the blanks with your information.

Another great way to become prolific is to just write on regular basis (you do this already, right?!). Make it a habit, and you’ll find yourself the flow.

Market it

So many people create their content and then do nothing with it. Again, don’t be most people.

There are so many ways to market your content that you really can’t run out of ideas. Start with your blog. Then post your article on EzineArticles and other top Article Directories. Next is Social Media. Use your article content or parts of your content on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and LinkedIn. You can also turn your content into teleseminars and webinars.

Convert It Into Products & Services and Sell It

What most people do not realize is that while you are creating your content you are also creating your information products.

For example, a simple 7 tips article expanded on easily becomes a great eBook. In a similar way, a collection of several articles on a specific topic gathered into one document becomes an ebook or mini-guide.

And that’s really just getting started. There is so much more you can do. One of the best ways to offer an info product is in multimedia, and you can easily create print, audio and video training from your content.

Join me on December 12 8PM Eastern/5PM Pacific at Jeff Herring’s Content Creation Workshop – FREE! Register now!