Get to the Point!

Get to the Point!
Author: Joel Schwartzberg
Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
Total Pages: 129
Release: 2017-10-16
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1523094125

In this indispensable guide for anyone who must communicate in speech or writing, Schwartzberg shows that most of us fail to convince because we don't have a point-a concrete contention that we can argue, defend, illustrate, and prove. He lays out, step-by-step, how to develop one. In Joel's Schwartzberg's ten-plus years as a strategic communications trainer, the biggest obstacle he's come across-one that connects directly to nervousness, stammering, rambling, and epic fail-is that most speakers and writers don't have a point. They typically have just a title, a theme, a topic, an idea, an assertion, a catchphrase, or even something much less. A point is something more. It's a contention you can propose, argue, defend, illustrate, and prove. A point offers a position of potential value. Global warming is real is not a point. Scientific evidence shows that global warming is a real, human-generated problem that will have a devastating environmental and financial impact is a point. When we have a point, our influence snaps into place. We communicate belief, conviction, and urgency. This book shows you how to identify your point, leverage it, stick to it, and sell it and how to train others to identify and successfully make their own points.

The Space Between Worlds

The Space Between Worlds
Author: Micaiah Johnson
Publisher: Del Rey
Total Pages: 351
Release: 2020-08-04
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0593135067

NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITORS’ CHOICE • An outsider who can travel between worlds discovers a secret that threatens the very fabric of the multiverse in this stunning debut, a powerful examination of identity, privilege, and belonging. WINNER OF THE COMPTON CROOK AWARD • FINALIST FOR THE LOCUS AWARD • “Gorgeous writing, mind-bending world-building, razor-sharp social commentary, and a main character who demands your attention—and your allegiance.”—Rob Hart, author of The Warehouse ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR—NPR, Library Journal, Book Riot Multiverse travel is finally possible, but there’s just one catch: No one can visit a world where their counterpart is still alive. Enter Cara, whose parallel selves happen to be exceptionally good at dying—from disease, turf wars, or vendettas they couldn’t outrun. Cara’s life has been cut short on 372 worlds in total. On this dystopian Earth, however, Cara has survived. Identified as an outlier and therefore a perfect candidate for multiverse travel, Cara is plucked from the dirt of the wastelands. Now what once made her marginalized has finally become an unexpected source of power. She has a nice apartment on the lower levels of the wealthy and walled-off Wiley City. She works—and shamelessly flirts—with her enticing yet aloof handler, Dell, as the two women collect off-world data for the Eldridge Institute. She even occasionally leaves the city to visit her family in the wastes, though she struggles to feel at home in either place. So long as she can keep her head down and avoid trouble, Cara is on a sure path to citizenship and security. But trouble finds Cara when one of her eight remaining doppelgängers dies under mysterious circumstances, plunging her into a new world with an old secret. What she discovers will connect her past and her future in ways she could have never imagined—and reveal her own role in a plot that endangers not just her world but the entire multiverse. “Clever characters, surprise twists, plenty of action, and a plot that highlights social and racial inequities in astute prose.”—Library Journal (starred review)

Bonds of Love and Blood

Bonds of Love and Blood
Author: Marylee MacDonald
Publisher: Grand Canyon Press
Total Pages: 244
Release: 2023-02-18
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1732078718

Twelve stories of wayward travelers. Twelve stamps on the passport of the soul. Walter struggles to see past his disfigurement, but a trip to Thailand and a mysterious woman may challenge his quest for perfection. Married to a workaholic, Leslie is accustomed to solitude until her overbearing Indian mother-in-law turns her kitchen into a verbal battlefield. A woman looks for the perfect souvenir in the Turkish Bazaar and instead finds a passionate love affair. From ice storms in Maine to swimming pools in Vera Cruz, errant souls must grapple with past baggage to forge profound connections and a new sense of direction. At home and abroad, solitary travelers embark on journeys that take them where they never expected to go. Bonds of Love & Blood is a poignant collection of award-winning stories featuring life’s unexpected arrivals and departures. If you like intimate accounts of lives at the crossroads, vibrant portrayals of global locales, and elegantly-crafted prose, then you'll love Marylee MacDonald's compelling tales of travel. Buy Bonds of Love & Blood to embark on a heart-wrenching journey of love, loss, and redemption today!

Meet Your Authors

Meet Your Authors
Author: Eric Leyland
Publisher:
Total Pages: 144
Release: 1963
Genre: Authors, English
ISBN:

Build Your Author Platform

Build Your Author Platform
Author: Carole Jelen
Publisher: BenBella Books, Inc.
Total Pages: 390
Release: 2014-05-13
Genre: Reference
ISBN: 1939529298

A great book is no longer enough. An author platform is the most powerful key to success in today's saturated market, and increasingly, publishers are demanding that new authors come to them with an existing audience of interested followers. Authors who are self-publishing have an even bigger need to build an engaged audience. Social media makes building the author platform easier than ever, but, unfortunately, most authors struggle to get it right. How can authors create their unique platform, connect with followers, write a manuscript, and grow their business? In Build Your Author Platform: The New Rules, top literary agent Carole Jelen and tech expert Michael McCallister apply their combined 35 years of expertise to outline 14 practical, hands-on steps to create a presence that will produce high book sales and expanded audience. From pre-publication through book launch and beyond, authors will learn how to: • Define goals and a unique brand • Employ successful website strategies, content, social presence, media authority, and training • Secure positive reviews • Attract viewers efficiently without cost Filled with detailed lessons, examples, success stories, and techniques used by marketing departments at major publishers, Build Your Author Platform is an indispensable guide for anyone looking for insight into publishing, promoting, and marketing books.

Your Author Business Plan

Your Author Business Plan
Author: Joanna Penn
Publisher: The Creative Penn
Total Pages: 133
Release: 2020-12-10
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1913321533

You are an author. You turn ideas into reality in the shape of a book. You turn the thoughts in your head into valuable intellectual property assets. You understand how powerful the written word can be. Now it's time to use your words to create a business plan to take your writing career to the next level — whatever that means for your situation. I'm Joanna Penn and I've been a full-time author-entrepreneur for almost a decade. In this book, I’ll guide you through the process of creating a business plan that will help you achieve your creative and financial goals. It’s relevant for fiction and non-fiction authors, as well as those who want to include other products, services, and income streams. It’s also applicable whether you’re just starting out or if you already have a mature author business. A plan helps at any stage of the journey. Part 1 covers your business summary and author brand, taking you through the process of deciding the overall direction for what you want to achieve and who you want to serve. Part 2 goes into the production process around your writing, publishing and licensing, products and services. Part 3 covers your marketing strategy and author eco-system. Part 4 goes into the financial side of your business, from mindset to revenue and costs, as well as paying yourself now and into the future. The final chapter will give you a framework for simplifying your plan and turning it into achievable steps across a chosen timeline. In each section, I give examples from my own business plan and there are questions for you to answer, templates, and resources that might help along the way, as well as example business plans for different kinds of authors. It's time to take your author career to the next level. Let's get started on your business plan. Please note: This book doesn’t go into detail on how to do the specific topics, for example, how to self-publish a book, or how to do content marketing. I cover those topics in my other Books for Authors. If you already have my previous business book, Business for Authors, this is a rewritten and updated sub-set of that material, focusing on the specifics of a plan as opposed to everything involved in running a business. This book acts as a companion as well as a more recent update to my own author journey. It will help you bring it all together into a coherent plan that you can use to take your author business into the future. Books for Authors by Joanna Penn How to Write Non-Fiction How to Market a Book How to Make a Living with your Writing Productivity for Authors Successful Self-Publishing Your Author Business Plan The Successful Author Mindset Public Speaking for Authors, Creatives and Other Introverts Audio for Authors: Audiobooks, Podcasting, and Voice Technologies The Healthy Writer Business for Authors: How to be an Author Entrepreneur Career Change

Secrets to Becoming a Successful Author Boxset

Secrets to Becoming a Successful Author Boxset
Author: Maggie McVay Lynch
Publisher: Windtree Press
Total Pages: 537
Release: 2018-11-27
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1947983881

Frustrated with the plethora of conflicting information on how to self-publish? Wouldn’t it be wonderful to sit down with someone who has already made the mistakes, done the analysis, and will provide you the short cuts—the secrets about the things that work? Now you have that chance with the Career Author Secrets series. Indie Publishing (Self Publishing) has changed dramatically in the past five years. There are now new, easier tools to use for every part of the process—editing, formatting, distribution, sales, and analysis. This boxset contains three books. Secrets Every Author Should Know: Publishing Basics It contains everything a DIY author needs to get her book from manuscript to professional publication in both ebook and print, including: * Why books don’t sell * Options for DIY or contracting professionals *The truth about ISBNs & Copyright Registration * Secrets for formatting your book the easy way * Creating book covers that sell * Making decisions about distribution Secrets to Pricing and Distribution: Ebook, Print and Direct Sales Once you have a finished book, you need to get it into readers’ hands. Loading your book to a vendor looks deceivingly easy. However, the career author knows that each vendor has its own methods for promoting books, performing searches, and identifying ready buyers. You need to take advantage of these differences in order to maximize your profits and discoverability. Capitalize on competitive retail pricing in different markets, and use effective metadata to draw more readers to your books. Learn to: * Write compelling book blurbs for each title that focus on “reader cookies” and • marketing. * Unlock keywords and get access to hidden category options. * Take advantage of search algorithm nuances at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Apple. * Use aggregators to increase distribution opportunities around the world. * Evaluate opportunities for direct sales to bookstores and individual consumers. Secrets to Effective Author Marketing: It’s More Than ‘Buy My Book’ This book provides specific techniques to exploit the value of your books without resorting to the typical overexposure in social media and newsletters with “Buy My Book” sales messaging. Instead, focus on the top three proven techniques that actually sell books. Follow step-by-step instructions and timelines to learn how to: 1) Create an Effective Plan for Communicating to Readers; 2) Use Social Media and Email lists to Engage with Your Readers; and 3) Plan for Effective Campaigns for both Book Launches and Backlist Rejuvenation throughout the year. In addition this book provides techniques to: * Distinguish specific groups of readers most likely to buy your novel or nonfiction book. * Understand your competition and the advantages that your book offers. * Clarify hooks that capture attention of the media, reviewers, and readers. * Identify where and how to reach readers, reviewers, and media. * Create and implement a consistent brand throughout all marketing efforts. * Effectively select, from 100+ options, the appropriate marketing tactics and timing that matches your book intentions and values. * Maximize organic reach and stay to a budget of less than $100 per book campaign. * Develop a long-term online marketing plan.

The Indie Author Strategy Guide

The Indie Author Strategy Guide
Author: M.L. Ronn
Publisher: Author Level Up LLC
Total Pages: 90
Release: 2021-09-20
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN:

What's your author strategy? Strategy is more than selling books. It's about the survival of your author career tomorrow, next year, 10 years from now, and beyond. In this guide, prolific author M.L. Ronn will teach you how to cultivate the practice of long-term thinking and strategic planning. He draws on his experience of over a decade of self-publishing and extensive experience in the corporate world where strategic planning is his job. In this guide, you'll learn: * How to craft a winning author strategy that will make you look like an evil genius in retrospect * How to think long-term * What strategy is and what it isn't * How to connect a bigger strategy to what you're doing every day to write and sell books Few things are more important than a sound author strategy. Buy now to learn how to develop yours! V1.0