Tuesday, July 3, 2007

You CAN Write A Book—Even in 5 Minute Bursts—REALLY!

I want to show you that you can, without a shadow of a doubt, write a lot in just five minutes. There’s a trick to it, though. You won’t get as much done if you start by staring at a blank screen and wondering what word to type first.

The secret? It’s not difficult. In fact, even a child can do it.

One person who took the Entrepreneurial Authoring Mastermind Mentoring Program used this secret fast writing tool to author his book while on the road. Not while driving, but while on a road trip. And you can do it too.

The secret? Simply this. Start with a keyword or phrase and write about that word. Not convinced you can write your book this way? Let me demonstrate to you that you can.

Get out a timer. You’ll only need 5 minutes. To do this for this first writing exercise, I’m going to give you 2 words, and I want you to write anything and everything that comes into your mind while the timer is running. Don’t filter. Don’t edit. Don’t stop. Don’t even think right now. Just write from the heart.

Ready? Set the timer. Your 2 words are: Dream and Book. Go

How did that feel? Didn’t you write more than you imagined possible in that short amount of time? I know you did.

Now, it’s time to take it to the next level. Once again, give yourself 5 minutes, but this time, I want you to choose a keyword or phrase from your Author And Grow Rich Genealogy Tree™ as your guide. Do this now, while you’re on a roll.

Isn’t that amazing? If you can do that, you CAN absolutely author a book, even if you are a busy person and only have short bursts of writing time available.

The Time of Your Life Exercise:

This will not only get you thinking and writing; it will get you remembering so that you can leverage the power of your life. You will need this to make best use of your unique history as you write your book and build your business. Remember, your story is a tremendous source of power and connection with your audience.

You are going to create a timeline for yourself and fill it with memories and significant events. Here’s what you do:

Step 1: Take out a sheet of clean white paper and set it in front of you, landscape style (wide). Draw a line across the page, left to right. This is your timeline. Write the first year you remember something significant on the far left end of the line.

Step 2: Above the timeline, you'll make a chronological list of the "positive" things that have happened to you. Examples would be things like graduating from school, winning an award, getting married, and other major events

Below the line, you'll write your trials and tribulations—those events that were the hardest for you to deal with in your life. These might include major losses of income, severe illness, the death of a loved one, abuse, divorce, and other tragedies that had a "negative" impact on you.

Step 3: Keep this timeline somewhere easy for you to find and update. What you'll discover is that once you start thinking about your life in this way, things that happen throughout the day will remind you of things you probably haven't thought of in a long time. Be sure to WRITE these events in your timeline.

Remember, there is often more power in your difficulties and "failures" than in your successes, because your troubles have tempered you. As you share parts of your life with people through the stories you tell in your book, you will forge a bond with your reader. Think about it. Are you more likely to want something that comes from an impersonal source, or one that comes from someone who has a story that you can relate to?

Tap into the power of your life story. Don’t be afraid to share your story with others. It will help you build lasting relationships as you grow your business—and your wealth.

If you're like most people, you don't think you're special. You think you're just doing the best you can in life. But you're wrong. You are special. There is nobody on earth exactly like you. And here's what's amazing about your story…

No matter where you live, no matter who you are, no matter what has happened to you in the past…

You DO have a million dollar story. Yes, you do! You can discover what's unique about you and put that story to work for you. Here's how to get started.

"What If You Could Author A Best Seller in Less Than 12 Hours of Actual Writing and Gain Instant Access To A New York Publisher Without An Agent and Formal Book Proposal?"

How? By Following This Simple, Proven System for Authoring Success.

http://www.AuthorAndGrowRich.com

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

One Hundred Never Fail Chapter Titles

You can adapt and use these headlines to create your chapter or article titles whenever you are absolutely, positively stuck! Here they are! Tweak them as you will to meet your immediate needs. (We always loved having an ace up our sleeves when we were struggling to write something!)

1. The Secret Of Making People Like You

Formula: The Secret Of…

Example: The Secret Of Discovering Untapped Niches Online

2. A Little Mistake That Cost A Farmer $3,000 A Year

Formula: A Little Mistake That…

Example: A Little Mistake That Almost Cost Me My Marriage

3. Advice To Wives Whose Husbands Don’t Save Money–By A Wife

Formula: Advice To…By A…

Example: Advice To Business Class Travelers-By A Fortune 100 Executive

4. The Child Who Won The Hearts Of All

Formula: The…Who Won The Hearts Of All

Example: The Figure Skater Who Won The Hearts Of All

5. Are You Ever Tongue-Tied At A Party

Formula: Are You Ever…

Example: Are You Ever Uneasy In Your Banker’s Office

6. How A New Discovery Made A Plain Girl Beautiful

7. How To Win Friends And Influence People

8. The Last Two Hours Are The Longest–And Those Are The Hours You Save

9. Who Else Wants A Screen Star Figure?

10. Do You Make These Mistakes In English?

11. Why Some Foods Explode In Your Stomach

12. Hands That Look Lovelier In 24 Hours–Or Your Money Back

13. Why Some People Almost Always Make Money In The Stock Market

14. You Can Laugh At Money Worriers–If You Follow This Simple Plan

15. When Doctors “Feel Rotten”, This Is What They Do

16. It Seems Incredible That You Can Offer These Signed Original Etchings–For Only $5 Each

17. Five Familiar Skin Troubles–Which Do You Want–For Only $1 Each

18. Which Of These $2.50 To $5 Best Sellers Do You Want–For Only $1 Each

19. Who Ever Heard Of A Woman Losing Weight–And Enjoying 3 Delicious Meals At The Same Time?

20. How I Improved My Memory In One Evening

21. Discover The Fortune That Lies Hidden In Your Salary

22. Doctors Prove Two Out Of Three Women Can Have More Beautiful Skin In 14 Days.

23. How I Made Fortune With A “Fool Idea”

24. How Often Do You Hear Yourself Saying: “No, I Haven’t Read It, I’ve Been Meaning To”

25. Thousands Have This Priceless Gift–But Never Discover It!

26. Those At Fault When Children Disobey?

27. How A ‘Fool Stunt’ Made Me A Star Salesman

28. Have You These Symptoms Of Nerve Exhaustion?

29. Guaranteed To Go Through Ice, Mud, Or Snow–Or We Pay The Tow!

30. Have You A “Worry” Story?

31. How A New Kid Kind Of Clay Improved My Completion In 30 Minutes

32. 161 New Ways To A Man’s Heart–In The Fascinating Book For Cooks

33. Profits That Lie Hidden In Your Farm

34. Is The Life Of A Child Worth $1 To You?

35. Everywhere Woman Are Raving About This Amazing New Shampoo!

36. Do You Do Any Of These Ten Embarrassing Things?

37. Six Types Of Investors–Which Group Are You?

38. How To Take Out Stains...Use (Produce Name) And Follow These Easy Directions

39. Today...Add $10,000 To Your Estate–For The Price Of A New Hat

40. Does Your Child Ever Embarrass You?

41. Is Your Home Picture-Poor?

42. How To Give Your Children Extra Iron–These 3 Delicious Ways

43. To People Who Want To Write–But Can’t Get Started

44. This Almost-Magical Lamp Lights Highway Turns Before You Make Them

45. The Crimes We Commit Against Our Stomachs

46. The Man With A ‘Grasshopper Mind’

47. They Laughed When I Sat Down At The Piano–But When I Began To Play!

48. Throw Away Your Oars!

49. How To Do Wonders With A Little Land

50. Who Else Wants Lighter Cake–In Half The Mixing Time.

51. Little Leeks That Keep Men Poor

52. Pierced My 303 Nails...Retains Full Air Pressure

53. No More Back-Breaking Garden Chores For Me–Yet Ours Is Now The

Show-Place Of The Neighborhood

54. Often A Bridesmaid, Not A Bride

55. How Much Is “Worker Tension” Costing Your Company?

56. To Men Who Want To Quit Work Someday

57. How To Paint Your House To Suit Yourself

58. Buy No Desk–Until You’ve Seen This Sensation Of The Business Show

59. Call Back These Great Moments At The Opera

60. “I Lost My Bulges And Saved Money Too”

61. Why (Brand Name) Bulbs Give More Light This Year

62. Right And Wrong Farming Methods–And Little Pointers That Will Increase Your Profits

63. New Cake-Improver Gets You Compliments Galore!

64. Imagine Me...Holding An Audience Spellbound For 30 Minutes

65. This Is Marie Antoinette–Riding To Her Death

66. Did You Ever See A “Telegram” From Your Heart?

67. Now Any Auto Repair Job Can Be A ‘Duck Soup’ For You

68. New Shampoo Leaves Hair Smoother–Easier To Manage

69. It’s Such A Shame For You Not To Make Good Money–When These Men Do It So Easily

70. You Never Saw Such Letters Such As Harry And I Got About The Pears

71. Thousands Now Play Who Ever They Thought They Could

72. Great New Discovery Kills Kitchen Odors Quick!–Makes Indoor Air “Country-Fresh”

73. Make This 1-Minute Test–Of An Amazing New Kind Of Shaving Cream

74. Announcing...The New Edition Of The Encyclopedia That Makes It Fun To Learn Things

75. Again She Orders...”A Chicken Salad, Please”

76. For The Woman Who Is Older Than She Looks

77. Where You Can Go In Such A Good Used Car

78. Check The Kind Of Body You Want

79. “You Kill That Store–Or I’ll Run You Out Of The State!”

80. Here’s A Quick Way To Break Up A Cold

81. There’s Another Woman Waiting For Every Man–And She’s Too Smart To Have “Morning Mouth”

82. This Pen “Burps” Before It Drinks–But Never Afterwards!

83. If You Were Given $200,000 To Spend–Isn’t This The Kind Of (Type Of Product, But Not Brand Name) You Would Build?

84. “Last Friday... Was I Scared!–My Boss Almost Fired Me!”

85. 76 Reasons Why It Would Have Paid You To Answer Our Ad A Few Months Ago

86. Suppose This Happened On Your Wedding Day!

87. Don’t Let Athlete’s Foot “Lay You Up”

88. Are They Being Promoted Right Over Your Head?

89. Are We A Nation Of Low-Brows?

90. A Wonderful Two Years’ Trip At Full Pay–But Only Men With Imagination Can Take It

91. What Everybody Ought To Know...About This Stock And Bond Business

92. Money-Saved Bargains From America’s Oldest Diamond Discount House

93. Former Barber Earns $8,000 In Four Months As A Real Estate Specialist

94. Free Book–Tells You Twelve Secrets Of Better Lawn Care

95. Greatest Gold-Mine Of Easy “Things To Make” Ever Crammed Into One Big Book

96. $80,000 In Prizes! Help Us Find The Name For These New Kitchens

97. Now! Own Florida Land This Easy Way...$10 Down And $10 A Month

98. Take Any Of These Three Kitchen Appliances–For $8.95 (Values Up To 15.45)

99. Save Twenty Cents Off Two Cans Of Cranberry Sauce–Limited Offer

100. One Place-Setting Free For Every Three You Buy!

You’re never at a loss for words with these sure-fire winners.

“What If You Could Author A Best Seller in Less Than 12 Hours of Actual Writing and Gain Instant Access To A New York Publisher Without An Agent and Formal Book Proposal?”

How? By Following This Simple, Proven System for Authoring Success.

http://www.authorandgrowrich.com

Monday, June 25, 2007

Power Your (Sales) Prose with these Action Phrases

Here’s a whole wheelbarrow full of Power Action Phrases that you can use in your chapters so that your readers and prospects won’t even consider going away without purchasing your book!

  1. Free (the most powerful word)… You (the other most powerful word)…
    • Example: You Can Start Building Your Financial Empire Today, with this Free Report!
  2. Discover...Announcing...
    • Example: Announcing the Latest Discovery in Yogurt Production…and How It Will Improve Your Love Life!
  3. Do You... Last Chance...
    • Example: Do You Want to Miss Your Last Chance at True Love?
  4. Secret Of...Bargains...
    • Example: Secret Techniques of Shop-aholics That Garner Bargains in Every Store!
  5. New Always...Yes...
    • Example: Your Clothes Will Look Like New Always! Yes, Even After Coming Right out of the Dryer!
  6. Now Is...Love...
    • Example: Now Is the time to melt pounds off, even if you love cheesecake so much that you can’t give it up!
  7. Amazing...Hate...
    • Amazing new technique builds muscle for people who hate sweating!
  8. Facts You Should...How Much...
    • 7 facts you should know about personal lubricant. How much is too much?
  9. Breakthrough...How Would...
    • Breakthrough in medicine! How would you like to never be itchy again?
  10. At Last...This Is...
    • At last! No more bickering children! This is what thousands of parents have been waiting for!
  11. Advice To...Only way...
  12. The Truth Of...Sale...
  13. Protect...Hurry...
  14. Life... How To...
  15. Here Is The...Suddenly...
  16. Introducing... It’s Here...
  17. Just Arrived... Important Development...
  18. Improvement...Sensational...
  19. Remarkable...Revolutionary...
  20. Startling...Miracle....
  21. Offer...Quick...
  22. Easy...Wanted...
  23. Challenge Advice To...
  24. The Truth About...Compare...
  25. Bargain...

And now we’re going to give you some of our secret stash of headline/chapter title tips that we’ve collected over the years and still use every day!!

1. Never use all upper case letters. We’ve found that caps on each word in the headline makes them noticeable.

2. Use “quotation” marks surrounding your headline.

3. You need to aim your appeal at basic human needs:

  • Making money
  • Saving effort
  • Impressing others
  • More leisure time
  • Self-improvement
  • The need to belong
  • Security
  • Getting something others can’t

John Caples (a famous copy-writing guru) says the following:

A. First and foremost, try to get self-interest into every headline you write. Make your headline suggest to reader that here is something he wants. This rule is so fundamental that it would seem obvious. Yet the rule is violated everyday by scores of writers.

B. If you have news, such as a new product, or a new use for an old product, be sure to get that news into your headline in a big way.

C. Avoid headlines that merely provoke curiosity. Curiosity, combined with news or self-interest, is an excellent aid to the pulling power of your headline, but curiosity by itself is seldom enough. This fundamental rule is violated more often than any other. Every issue of every magazine and newspaper contains headlines that attempt to sell the reader through
curiosity alone.

D. Avoid, when possible, titles that paint the gloomy or negative sides of the picture. Take the cheerful, positive angle.

E. Try to suggest in your title that here is a quick and easy way for the reader to get something he wants.

Great advice, isn’t it? You can see why chapter titles are sooo incredibly important! Imagine your readers thinking that they can browse through your book-you know, a cursory read! As you watch them, you see how they are suddenly riveted to your book. They are trying to pull themselves away but they can’t!! They have to keep reading and reading and reading because you have reached in through their eyes and grabbed their heart-where they dream-and you won’t let go until they take action. Good for you!

"What If You Could Author A Best Seller in Less Than
12 Hours of Actual Writing and Gain Instant Access To A New York Publisher Without An Agent and Formal Book Proposal?"

How? By Following This Simple, Proven System for Authoring Success.

http://www.AuthorAndGrowRich.com

Friday, June 22, 2007

Capture Readers with Power Action Words

Crafting good chapter titles is essential for your nonfiction book, not only from the standpoint of reader interest, but in terms of the search engines as well.

The following is a list of Power Action Words that successful authors use in chapter titles and throughout their chapters to keep their readers nailed to their books:

  1. Discover
  2. Eliminate
  3. Build
  4. Reduce
  5. Avoid
  6. Save
  7. Grow
  8. Generate
  9. Compound
  10. Benefit
  11. Solve
  12. Produce
  13. Craft
  14. Execute
  15. Deliver
  16. Launch
  17. Throttle
  18. Magnify
  19. Unravel
  20. Identify
  21. Gain
  22. Achieve
  23. Motivate
  24. Listen
  25. Improve
  26. Think
  27. Change
  28. Balance
  29. Control
  30. Polish
  31. Capture
  32. Vary

A bonus tip for you when using these and other Power Action Words is to avoid using an ‘ing’ at the end of the word. i.e. “Making More Money While Staying At Home.’ Instead, go with ‘Make More Money While Staying At Home’. It is more powerful and more promising.

Remember, chapter titles are like the subheads for each section of your book. You want each title to be so engaging and to nail the ‘hungry button’ on your readers so well that they cannot stop reading until they have devoured the whole book! Other important ‘headline’-writing tips for your chapter titles follow. Choose three and apply them directly to your book right now!

1. You must tell the truth.

2. You must be believable.

3. You must overcome inertia and sloth.

4. Clarity is more important than vocabulary.

5. Writing “down” will catch the most sales.

6. Everyone is the same. We’re all humans.

7. The four questions you must have a ‘bang-on’ good answer to in your chapter titles are:

  • Why should your targeted prospect read and listen to you?
  • Why should your targeted prospect believe what you have to say?
  • Why should your targeted prospect do anything about what you’re offering?
  • Why should your targeted prospect act NOW?

In other words, each title should specifically address and meet a need that your market has.

Some great examples of titles that draw readers in include:

  1. ”Do you make these mistakes in English?”
  2. “Would you give 1$ for 16 dancing lessons if—“
  3. “The Mystery Of Lovemaking solved”
  4. “Get Plump!”
  5. “Reduce 33 pounds!”
  6. “Here’s An Extra $50 Grace—I’m Making Real Money Now”
  7. “They laughed...”
  8. “To People Who Want To Write...”
  9. “$1000 Help To Be Your Own Boss!”
  10. “Self Mastery...The Key To Life’s Riches”
  11. “1944's SEX Discoveries Now Revealed”
  12. “I Like Being With A Man Who Knows What He’s Doing!”
  13. “They All Laughed When I Said I Was Going To Start My Own Business.

I’ll bet for more than a few of these titles, you were trying to imagine what product was being pitched!! That is good news! That means that they work like titles/headlines should!

When you are hunkering down to start thinking of your chapter titles, use the AIDA formula to help you with the building blocks:

  • A- The title should grab your readers’ ATTENTION and hold it in a vice-like grip!
  • I- A great title will be the match to start a fire of INTEREST under your reader!
  • D- Your chapter title should reach into your readers’ core and touch on their longings and DESIRES.
  • A- The title that you want will force the reader to stop everything he’s doing and plan on how he must take ACTION!

You’ll want to spend a lot of time crafting your chapter titles, because they will pull your readers in. They are your powerful hook.


“What If You Could Author A Best Seller in Less Than 12 Hours of Actual Writing and Gain Instant Access To A New York Publisher Without An Agent and Formal Book Proposal?”

How? By Following This Simple, Proven System for Authoring Success.

http://www.AuthorAndGrowRich.com

Thursday, June 21, 2007

Make Readers Continue To Swallow The Bait - Page After Page

We all know that the way you say things is often just as important as what things you say. Expert authors know that they must be careful with the words that they choose. Everything that you put before your readers must not just be engaging, but it has to keep their eyeballs glued to the page and their hearts pounding with every idea. You are giving them the secrets to make their dreams come true! Who could stop reading that?? Who would WANT to stop reading that??

The format for gluing your readers to your book starts with the title of the book. It should be like the headline of an ad that is pulling in millions of dollars every day.

Next, you need to build great chapter titles. If you see the book title as a headline, consider the chapter titles as the sub-heads. To put it a different way, the headline is the bait that gets the fish to snap, the sub-head is what makes the fish keep chomping so the hook sinks deeper and deeper!

It is imperative that you are able to write titles that pull. A more technical way of looking at it is that your book title and your chapter titles are a series of descriptors that clearly describe your Unique Selling Proposition (your USP). Go back to the benefits list you created when listing benefits and features of your book/product/service.

Let me assure you that the way you word something can mean the difference between success and failure or in our case, between being read and being ignored!

Here is an interesting study…

One marketer discovered the value of words by trying 4 different headlines, marketing a diet product, over a 3-month period. The sales material remained identical.

Only the headline was different in each case (In other words, only the words changed. Look at the huge difference in results.)

  1. The headlines were as follows:
  2. Breakthrough New Diet Product!
  3. A New Diet Revolution!
  4. How A Texas Housewife Lost 23.5 Pounds In 32 Days!
  5. Dieting Secrets Of A Desperate Housewife!

The Big Question!!!!

Which one do you predict would outsell all the others and by a wide margin?

I pick # ____ and Why did you pick that one?

The Study Results

Every individual response was carefully tracked and recorded. The actual documented results may surprise you.

Total sales were 165 units over this testing period.

Let me repeat myself.

The ONLY thing that changed in this whole sales process was the headline. Everything else stayed exactly the same!

Here’s a breakdown of the results each specific headline produced:

  1. Breakthrough New Diet Product! 13 Sales (8% of total sales)
  2. A New Diet Revolution! 8 Sales (5% of total sales)
  3. How A Texas Housewife Lost 23.5 Pounds In 32 Days! 98 Sales (59% of total sales)
  4. Dieting Secrets Of A Desperate Housewife! 46 Sales (28% of total sales)

Why do you think that number three out-pulled every other headline by a lot?

I’ll tell you. Number three alluded to a REAL STORY. A REAL person who lost REAL WEIGHT in a REAL AMOUNT OF TIME. It combined in a sense the UPP with the USP. The target market that this ad was aimed at could identify with that, and thus they bought the product.

What if the advertiser just crafted headline #1 and wouldn’t change it? He would have lost 92% of his sales!!

What a lesson! You need to make sure that you craft a book title and chapter titles that will continually sell your readers on why they need to keep reading AND why they need to buy what you are selling!


"What If You Could Author A Best Seller in Less Than 12 Hours of Actual Writing and Gain Instant Access To A New York Publisher Without An Agent and Formal Book Proposal?"

How? By Following This Simple, Proven System for Authoring Success.

http://www.AuthorAndGrowRich.com

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Key to Writing Success: Go with the Flow

Flow is critical to your book selling and to bringing your readers back to you for more. Flow means: 1. move easily and smoothly 2. Continuous movement.

Flow in writing is the process of making the reader's experience a positive and rewarding experience. In order to accomplish this, YOU as the author must do everything in your power to keep the reader reading the contents in the book.

For non-fiction and entrepreneurial writers in particular, your objective is to solve a person's problem with the material in your book. In order to do that you must provide the incentives, cues, experiences, and transitions that compel the reader to keep reading.

This can be accomplished in a variety of ways. The important point to remember is to think “flow” and to always write your content from the reader's perspective.

There are two types of flow:

Aesthetic Flow—ways and means to keep the reader reading the book

Structural Flow—the formal organization of the contents of the book

Aesthetic Flow

Consider the following as suggested methods of maintaining flow in your book. These are but a few examples.

1. Organizational Flow

  • Point form outlines
  • Table of Contents (much more about this later)
  • Questions and Answers (more ideas later)
  • Headings and Sub-headings
  • Breaking up of long text passages (e.g. with graphics, pictures, clip art, quotes, text boxes, line section dividers, text borders, summary statement, personal anecdotes)
  • Consistent formatting of page content throughout the book
  • Using topics, sub-topics, sub-sub-topics
  • Following a chronological order of presentation
  • Use of white space—not "crowding" the text

2. Progression Flow

  • Logical
  • Sequential
  • Step-by-step
  • Easy to difficult
  • Novice to expert
  • Start to finish

3. Graphics Flow

  • Flow charts
  • Planning diagrams
  • Graphic organizers
  • Examples and samples
  • Indices
  • Maps
  • Schematic diagrams
  • Structural outlines
  • Graphs
  • Charts
  • Flow sheets
  • Spreadsheets

4. Writing Flow

  • Use words with few syllables
  • Tell stories (especially ones about the author's experiences)
  • Hook the reader with introductory statements for each chapter
  • Include summary statements at the end of sections of text
  • Connect one section to another with transitional paragraphs
  • Keep the Readability Level at the Grade 7-10 level
  • Use simple sentences
  • Write in short sentences
  • Keep paragraphs small (3-6 sentences—not 10+ sentences)
  • Use active voice
  • Include checklists
  • Involve reader using questions, fill in the blanks, sentence completion, surveys, questionnaires, comment sheets….
  • Create point form summaries and lists to reduce the reading and break up text
  • Use repetition to help the reader anticipate the organization and be ready for it (e.g. a quote to begin each chapter that summarizes the message)

There are plenty of other ways to maintain the flow of reading in your book. If nothing else, you now have plenty of food for thought.

Structural Flow

The structural flow of a book is the way that the material in the book is organized. Two factors affect the method of organization.

The first is the presentation of the contents from the reader's perspective. Your target market (reader) is more important than you. Always remember that. You are not an effective writer if the intended audience doesn’t want to read what you have written.

The second is the background that you bring to the authoring experience both as an expert on the chosen topic and your own personality. Don't try to be something you aren't. Your book is your story—both personal and professional. You must decide, among the myriad of choices, how best to effectively present the material to your reader. A term we have coined is the author's UPP (Unique Personal Proposition). This is YOUR unique approach, background, experiences, and philosophy that you bring to the topic. Your personal story around your topic carries a great deal of weight in building reader confidence. This helps convert the customer to a client, and that’s what you want—people who will come back to you for your expertise again and again. But they’ll never do that if your book doesn’t have good flow.

"What If You Could Author A Best Seller in Less Than 12 Hours of Actual Writing and Gain Instant Access To A New York Publisher Without An Agent and Formal Book Proposal?"

How? By Following This Simple, Proven System for Authoring Success.

http://www.AuthorAndGrowRich.com

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

38 Ideas To Find Hungry Markets And What They Really, Really Want

You absolutely must find a hungry market if you expect your book to sell. Let me get right down to business with these winning strategies.

1. Do some research both online and offline. Online, you can use search engines and other tools such as Overture, WordTracker, Google etc. to check the supply and demand. The best site to analyze your demand is http://www.pixelfast.com/overture. Make sure you create a massive number of key words to analyze your business idea.

2. Purchase the following software to niche your idea: http://www.ProductIdeaEvaluator.com/awaken (Get a great discount of 33% off here.)

3. Check eBay and see which of your key words are being searched and whether or not people are buying the products.

4. Check online directories. Go to Google (key words + directories)

5. Search for chat rooms and discussion boards with your key words. Go to Google (key words + chat rooms, and key words + discussion boards)

6. Check blogs with your key words. Go to Google (key words + blogs)

7. Check a number of magazines on different subjects. Go to the public library. Research the advertisers. Make sure you look at the paid subscriptions. If advertisers are spending money on a certain topic, this is a great indication of a hungry market.

8. In magazines, check to see who is marketing to whom. Use http://www.Magazines.com

9. Call universities and colleges and find out what are the growing demands in different faculties and new subject areas being taught.

10. Get a list of private companies who are teaching your subject areas at college.

11. Get a list of local businesses from the Chamber of Commerce. This will help you analyze who is servicing whom.

12. Attend trade shows and fairs.

13. Look at hot tangible products where there are no digital information-based products at http://www.Amazon.com.

14. Examine the newspaper and magazines focusing on business trends.

15. Examine columnist topics in newspapers and magazines.

16. Go to the bookstore and check out the shelf space given to the books that are selling. Go to different sections in nonfiction and see how many books in different subjects are placed facing out so you can see the entire cover.

17. www.Amazon.com lists the top 20 books.

18. Amazon.com (Books Tab >Advanced Search> Power Search).

19. USA Today…Every Thursday, the top 50 books are listed.

20. http://www.DMnews.com. Get the free subscription of Hardline Copy…new mailing lists available.

21. Visit Yahoo Stores and see what are the hottest selling items.

22. ClickBank Market Place (http://www.ClickBank.com).

23. http://www.TradePub.com.

24. Go to Used Book Stores.

25. Analyze back issues of magazines.

26. Examine where people hang out…forums, chat rooms, discussion groups.

27. Examine blogs, RSS directories and podcasts.

28. Look at the list of benefits on “competitors” websites. Write the questions that go with each of the benefits. Now take the questions and write your own answers (or research them if needed).

29. Run an Ask DataBase Campaign and let your target market answer them for you. http://www.askdatabase.com/cmd.asp?AF=243385

30. Here are a few sites to examine to see what is going on

Business Trends,

a. Cool News of Day http://www.getresponse.com/t/263997/

b. Seth Godin's Blog http://www.getresponse.com/t/263998/

c. Tom Peter's Blog http://www.getresponse.com/t/263999/

d. Springwise Newsletter http://www.getresponse.com/t/264000/

31. Here is a site the media use to stay current with trends…

http://www.news.google.com/press/zeitgeist.html

32. Check media release sites like.http://www.PRWeb.com and http://www.BusinessWire.com

33. http://groups.google.com

34. http://catalogues.google.com

35. http://froogle.google.com

36. Watch PBS television and other educational programs to stay on top of trends.

37. Information in the public domain (books published before copyright laws were in affect)—how to find material using public domain. Everything before 1923 is public domain; 1923 to 1963…must be renewed in the 28th year (85% not renewed). Examine public domain using the following sites…

a. http://www.Copyright.gov/records

(US Government for works from 1950-1963)

b. http://www.Alibris.com (Owned by Google.com)

(Use advanced search…specify after 1923 and before 1963)

c. http://www.firstgov.gov

d. http://www.Thomson-Thomson.com

(Pay the small fee to do a copyright search)

Start with a few of these strategies and branch out so that you can be sure you are going to satisfy a hungry market.

"What If You Could Author A Best Seller in Less Than 12 Hours of Actual Writing and Gain Instant Access To A New York Publisher Without An Agent and Formal Book Proposal?"

How? By Following This Simple, Proven System for Authoring Success.

http://www.AuthorAndGrowRich.com

Monday, June 18, 2007

The Solid Foundation to Assure
That Your Digital Book will sell:

So many companies and entrepreneurs make this fatal mistake. They fall in love with an idea without ensuring that there is a hungry market that will purchase their products and services. More pointedly, you must ensure that there is a market that wants and desires your expertise before you take the time to create your digital product. Without taking the time to do the background work, you could end up wasting time, effort and money authoring your book and building other information products. Prevent this scenario by taking the time to analyze your idea from a supply and demand stand point. This is absolutely critical.

The essence of business is built on the supply and demand of an idea. In fact on the demand side, it is critical that you prove there are advertising dollars being spent on your topic idea. The best way for you to quickly understand the supply and demand of your idea is to examine it using the Internet. With a little work, you can analyze this quickly and with certainty. Not only can you get exact details on your business idea, but you can also determine how it is that you will differentiate yourself in the market place.

After analyzing your most profitable words against the supply of your business idea (your competition), you now will be able to use your best key words to purchase a domain name. This will help you get high search engine rankings. You will also have a selection of great key words to use in your ad copy. Finally, you will have a great head start in creating your Table of Contents (TOC) for your product. More specifically, you will be using these words in creating a really specific Authoring Genealogy Tree™ in the creation of your product.

To calculate your profit potential accurately, purchasing the PIPE software from www.ProductIdeaEvaluator.com/awaken will be one of the best investments that you can possibly make. It’s a small investment that will reap benefits well into the future.

How To Check Markets Using Your Target Market’s Feedback…How To Let Your Target Market Tell you exactly what they want.

Here is a great way to find out exactly what hungry markets want. Create a Google AdWords campaign and then drive people to a website where you ask them their most burning questions about a given topic. This will help you to determine what your target market really wants.

A website that we really recommend is the Ask DataBase software created by Alex Mandosian and his team. This is the only search engine that is currently available for analyzing surveys.

You ask people to answer a simple question and use their feedback to create your book and other information products, such as seminars, audio programs, e-courses, special reports and future books. Go to http://www.askdatabase.com/cmd.asp?AF=243385

Audience Profile

Write your audience profile. Be as specific as possible. Be sure to consider the following information in your profile:

Get a clear vision of your intended audience in mind.

Who are they?

What gender, how old, how much education, etc.?

How will they benefit from the knowledge?

How can they use the knowledge?

How can they adapt and adopt the knowledge?

How much are they likely to pay for this knowledge?

How is your book different from other information they can get?

Who will they influence to possibly purchase your digital product?

The more you get to know your intended audience--the more you “feel their pain" and provide a solution to the problems that keep them up at night—the better you will be able to relate to them and the better your book will sell.


"What If You Could Author A Best Seller in Less Than 12 Hours of Actual Writing and Gain Instant Access To A New York Publisher Without An Agent and Formal Book Proposal?"

How? By Following This Simple, Proven System for Authoring Success.

http://www.AuthorAndGrowRich.com

Monday, June 11, 2007

Now Featuring—The Benefits!

You *must* understand the difference between features and benefits. Features are tangible and benefits are intangible. Features describe what a product is or has based on physical/tangible characteristics. On the other hand, benefits are feeling oriented. Remember that the reason that people come to the Internet is because they have wants and desires. The key for you is to market to people’s problems. This is the *sole* reason that people come to the Internet.

From the list of benefits that you create, you want to distil down to the very essence which is your key benefit. You do this by playing the “Which Means What?” game with yourself.

Your assignment is to record all the features and benefits that your product will provide to your target audience.

Here are some Definitions to explain the difference between Features and Benefits.

Definitions

Feature = What a product IS or HAS

Advantage = What your product DOES

Benefit = How your product HELPS you

Example

Let’s look at the example of a pen. Let’s say you design a new fangled pen using a proprietary ink formula that you have developed.

Feature: Has non-blotching ink

Advantage: Won’t leave blotches of ink and hence smudge marks on a page

Benefit: Saves you the frustration of making a mess by smudging blotches of ink. Saves you the frustration of trying to get your ink to flow properly. Saves you money since you don’t have to purchase pens as often.

You are now going to create a Benefits vs. Features comparison for your book.

An Exercise:

List every possible feature and benefit that your product offers your target group. Make sure that includes everyone. The key with successful marketing is to focus on the benefits, especially those that make you different in the market place.

You must consider the following propositions in order to better market yourself and your book

USP—Unique Selling Proposition

A Unique Selling Proposition:

Is what differentiates your product/service from all others.

Is the most unique benefit that your product or service provides that others do not

is the one thing about your product and service that makes it unique among your competitors

Is a one sentence summary of your uniqueness distilled from all possible statements of your uniqueness

Is clearly written so that anyone can understand it

Is a believable statement

Is targeted to a "niche" market

Is a proposition that fills a void in the market

Provides a solution to a problem

Is measurable

Is the statement that tells the customer/client exactly 'what's in it for them'

Draws attention to both the rational and emotional side of the customer

Examples:

Learn how to write a book from the first person to use books to make a million dollars!

Work with the only sales trainer in the world who uses improv comedy to help you laugh all the way to the bank!

Our warranties are the best in the business and they have NO fine print!

MSP—Multiple Selling Propositions

A Multiple Selling Proposition:

Is exactly like the Unique Selling Proposition except there are more of them

Reflects the fact that your product/service may offer several unique propositions

Allows for the use of several USP's at the same time or at different times to different niche markets

Draws attention to both the rational and emotional side of the customer

Allows you to market your product/service in several ways

Covers a number of possible reasons for continued interest in your product/service

Is an option to a single USP

Examples:

Our warranties are the best in the business and they have NO fine print!

Our service department charges you nothing until the problem is fixed-and stays fixed!

UPP—Unique Personal Proposition

A Unique Personal Proposition:

Is a unique personal characteristic/trait that makes what you have to say as an author worth listening to

Gives credibility to what is shared with the reader because of who the author is and what she/he has accomplished

Is what distinguishes your personal background history from others who want the attention of the niche market

Demonstrates the wisdom acquired and shared with the reader

Makes the author a "member" of the targeted niche market

Exhibits true leadership qualities

Offers "hope" for the prospective client

Example:

Jim Edwards was living out of a trailer in complete squalor until his book business paid for his house in Virginia.

Glenn Dietzel had a high paying job as a vice principal but he risked it all to become a successful book author and replaced his (and his wife’s) income in record time!

Once you understand the difference between features and benefits, you can make every communication with your prospects and clients much more powerful. This puts money in your bank account.

"What If You Could Author A Best Seller in Less Than 12 Hours of Actual Writing and Gain Instant Access To A New York Publisher Without An Agent and Formal Book Proposal?"

How? By Following This Simple, Proven System forAuthoring Success.

http://www.AuthorAndGrowRich.com

Thursday, May 31, 2007

What We Really Need On The Net Are Better Filters

Information is your enemy. That’s right. Information by itself will prevent you from building a successful business quickly…whether it is online or offline. What you want to create for your target market is an ‘information’ product that incorporates your personal experiences and guidance.

Information + Experience = Knowledge

Knowledge + Personal Reflection = Wisdom

What you want your product and service to do is to be a very practical way for your target market to solve their problems. The book you create must be an information product filtered by your experiences—the things you have learned from the school of hard knocks. If you want your merchandise to really answer your target market’s problems, you should provide the opportunity for personal reflection.

Your knowledge-based product should provide the ability for your prospect to gain in wisdom. After all, your prospect wants immediate access to what has taken you perhaps years to discover.

Show your prospect what to do= Knowledge

Show your prospect how to do it = Wisdom

Do this successfully, and you will become your prospect’s best friend!

Pre-Authoring Readiness

Reflective and Writing Stems—RaW Stems™

The approach I take is to direct you step-by-step as you launch yourself on the Internet with a digitalized product and other products and services.

The Reflective and Writing Stems I talk about in my work are tremendous ‘starters’ that help you prevent writer’s block. They are Idea Generating Activities (IGA).

Stems are questions turned into “open-ended” statements.

The statements are then used to generate ideas in a brainstorming fashion. The key is to ask yourself the question that you want answered—which is relatively easy to do—then write it down. After you write the question turn it around to form an open-ended statement. Now write as many answers as possible to complete this statement, accepting any answer that comes to mind.

Once this process is complete, review the brainstormed ideas, accepting and rejecting and refining and choosing the best ones.

Our minds think in questions but create best in statements that give us direction and focus.

Examples:

Question:

What were the problems I first faced when I started learning about the topic of my focus?

RaW Stem™:

The problems I faced when starting out were…

Question:

What are the most important things my readers will need to know to help them solve their problem?

RaW Stem™:

At the minimum, my readers will need to know how to…

Question:

What is going to be my Unique Selling Proposition (USP) for my book?

RaW Stem™:

For my book, I could do one of several things to make my presentation of the material unique enough to draw attention including…

Muriel Chen wrote, “We cannot discover new oceans until we have the courage to lose sight of the shore.”

When you apply different techniques to jump-start your brain into creative thinking, you begin to understand how to filter out useless information to create a useful knowledge base. This is what people who go to the internet so desperately want and need. And they’re willing to pay for the privilege of tapping into your wisdom.

“What If You Could Author A Best Seller in Less Than 12 Hours of Actual Writing and Gain Instant Access To A New York Publisher Without An Agent and Formal Book Proposal?”

How? By Following This Simple, Proven System for Authoring Success.

http://www.AuthorAndGrowRich.com


Friday, May 25, 2007

Recognize and Monetize Your Expertise And Passion

Most people tend to dismiss what they’re good at. Part of it is that you become so accustomed to having whatever skill you have that you cease to notice it. Sometimes it is out of a sense of false humility. But every single person has innate talents and gifts that enrich people’s lives—AND provide a source of income for you.

How can you discover what your true talents are? Let me give you a hint. Where your passion is, you will find many of your natural abilities that you probably take for granted.

But it’s more than passion. It’s profit. Thousands of people have harnessed the unbelievable power of their natural talents to not only enrich others, but literally enrich themselves financially.

Here are some questions to consider. Answer these and you will have the core for a profitable business.

1. Define your ideal client.

2. Who are the people you have been working with if you are already in business? What have you liked or disliked about them? Are there any common denominators?

3. What kinds of people could ideally benefit from your knowledge?

4. If you had all the money in the world, what would you be doing?

5. Interview three people you most respect (friends and family members) and ask them what they see you doing? What are your strengths from their standpoint?

6. What have you always been good at?

7. What did you dream of doing as a child?

8. What needs/values do you care about most?

9. Whom do you admire most?

10. What makes you most fulfilled?

11. What do you love to do the most? What are you passionately against?

12. What have you felt called to do?

13. What legacy do you want to leave for your children and grandchildren? What do you want to be remembered for most?

14. Analyze your ‘competition’ and find out all about them. This will give you ideas as to your niche and how you can brand yourself.

15. Remember that you want to make sure your target market has money.

Two On-going Exercises

Produce your own personal inventory. This inventory should be focused on the following:

1. What you know…focus on the attitudes, knowledge and skills

2. Experiences you’ve had

3. Training you have had

4. Destinations that you have been to

5. Titles that you have earned

Create a list of several hundred, even thousands, of descriptors. Note: you will have to keep pen and a pad of paper on you at all times as you will realize all the talents you do have!

Now create a list of “What You Are”:

Record a description of yourself. For example, I am a man, father, husband, basketball player, a lover of pizza, wings and Indian food, slightly bald, a resident of Sarnia, have four degrees, play the piano, traveler, speaker, author and creator of the entrepreneurial authoring system etc.

Keep in mind that you want to make sure of two items: 1. the market you are targeting has tremendous wants and desires and 2. the market has money to spend—in other words, it is hungry for your information.

Spend some time journaling for a couple of hours. Let it all hang out. Write as quickly as you can and get in touch with the real you.

Narrow business possibilities to two or three. You can do this by playing the devil’s advocate with each of your ideas. Provide as many reasons as you can why you shouldn’t go with an idea. Now check by completing a focused target market key word analysis on your top two or three ideas.

My top two or three ideas for creating a book and building an online business include _____.

Put these exercises to work for you and enrich your life and your pocketbook.


“What If You Could Author A Best Seller in Less Than 12 Hours of Actual Writing and Gain Instant Access To A New York Publisher Without An Agent and Formal Book Proposal?”

How? By Following This Simple, Proven System for Authoring Success.

http://www.AuthorAndGrowRich.com

Friday, May 18, 2007

Ten More Secret Ways to Make Your Brain Get the Write Idea

This is the second in a series of articles containing strategies for putting your brain to work for you so you can author your first book…and your second…and your third…and your--You get the idea.

• Set specific, measurable goals regarding time. Schedule two 1.5 hour blocks of writing time each week, for example, after considering the impact on others and accommodating your schedule. Writing daily for 15 minutes may be a reasonable and attainable goal.

• Take 15 minutes a day as reflective time or I.G.A. time (Idea Generating Activity Time). Think about what you are working on and record all ideas that come to you during this time. In this situation you are writing ideas not content but the content will come later.

• Invite your friends to have coffee and treats with you. Tell them in advance you want their input on some ideas you have for your book. Pay for their coffee and “harvest” their thoughts. This motivates you to write and enhances your commitment to the process. Remember that reflection and I.G.A. activities are an integral part of the writing process.

• Write when you need to! Drop everything and write when the time is right or the situation demands it. Don’t feel guilty! You can forgo other jobs and responsibilities you should have been doing and do them later. If others can do this then why can’t you?

• Use your time more efficiently by having all the materials you need for writing in one location so you can just sit down at any time and write. Whenever you end one authoring session you should automatically prepare the catalyst material to begin the next. This includes being very specific about the topic and key words to begin writing immediately upon sitting down. You will save 10 to 15 or more minutes per session when you prepare in advance. Take 5 minutes to get ready at the end of each session to prepare for the next one, and save writing time for the next session.

•Treat the time you take for writing as “re-creational” time. It’s writing time that energizes you and makes your life more worthwhile. Tell others how important writing time is for you. They will help you find time to write.

• Make a pact with your spouse or significant other to trade large blocks of time so each of you can pursue your individual interests. This removes any conflicts and any guilt feelings about using large amounts of time for writing.

• Prioritizing is a key to successfully reaching your goals in life. Making writing one of your priorities and advertising that plan of yours will open up possibilities to write more. Others respect what you value if they value your friendship.

• Think Big Picture. Your daily “to-do list” cannot govern your life. Authoring a book is a Big Picture item. Taking time out just to think and reflect and plan is okay. It will motivate you to write. Go for a bike ride or a walk in the woods to help you keep focused on the Big Picture. Remember that writing is the doing part of thinking. Give yourself time to think and reflect.

There is a third set of tips in this series. The best advice I can give you is simply to start putting one or two of these strategies into practice, then add another one or two. Do the ones that are the most powerful for you in your life first.

"What If You Could Author A Best Seller in Less Than 12 Hours of Actual Writing and Gain Instant Access To A New York Publisher Without An Agent and Formal Book Proposal?"

How? By Following This Simple, Proven System for Authoring Success.

http://www.AuthorAndGrowRich.com

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Ten Secret Ways to Make Your Brain Get The Write Idea

Once you have an idea for a book and a plan for how to get it written and marketed, it’s time to put your brain to work with some writing exercises. Here are 10 different tips to help your brain get the ‘WRITE’ idea:

• When an idea comes to you, usually unexpectedly, it is time to write it right now! Record it on anything that’s handy and transfer it to full size paper as soon as possible so you won’t lose it.

• You should write as long and as often as possible when you’re “in the mood” to write. Ideas can flow over a period of minutes, hours and days so steal time if you have to in order to write when you are on a roll. It’s a justifiable action.

• Write in the places where you are most inspired and where you go to relax and rejuvenate yourself. If you write in these places you will increase writing time because these are the places you frequent in order to make sense of life. Inspirational locations bring out the best in you.

• Carry with you at all times key words and phrases from your Table of Contents along with supporting points you want included. Use this bare-bones outline to write in the waiting rooms of doctors’ offices or while your wife/husband is shopping or whenever the opportunity presents itself. Key words and phrases are all you need to get you started writing. They are all the inspiration you need.

• Get up a little early 2 or 3 days a week or go to bed a little later 2 or 3 days a week. Set aside this time to write. You might also consider using part of your lunch hour, if you get an hour, to write a few days a week.

• If you are a sports fan write between periods, at half time or even during those 3-5 minute commercial breaks. You might also try keeping the sports event on the TV ‘muted’ even when the game is on. If I’m rolling along with my writing I don’t really need the sound to understand what is going on and I can always un-mute the TV if something interesting is going on.

• If you’re writing a particularly interesting or important section of your book, leave it out where you can see it. It’s easier to just pick it up and write for a few minutes if it’s readily available. Having your work handy also generates ideas just by looking at it. You can jot down those ideas in the margins of your work. (In our house my papers may get moved in the tidying process. Make sure you know where your spouse puts those tidied papers! Consider investing in an “inbox” for those inevitable fits of housecleaning; that way, you will never lose something important.)

• If you have kids, arrange to exchange babysitting or child watching sessions with someone to allow you to write in a large block of time during times when it’s your best time to create. I’m a morning writer and a sports watching writer. Exchanging child sitting time must be mutually beneficial. Using this kind of arrangement also removes any guilt and frustration you might experience regarding finding and using large blocks of time.

• Pay someone to look after the children. At crucial times in the book authoring process this may be a good investment. This is especially true if writing is a recreational activity for you. You deserve time for yourself doing what you want to do that has a positive impact on your life.

• Request for your birthday a weekend retreat to write your book. Pick a location that’s inspiring for you, relaxing but not distracting, and where interruptions are at a minimum. It could be at a friend’s house or cottage while they are away for the weekend. Or better yet, send your family away on a great weekend vacation while you stay at home in the comfort of your own office. This plan works just as well for a single day as it would for a weekend.

There are two more articles with additional strategies that put your brain to work for you, but even starting with these ten strategies will propel you toward success.



"What If You Could Author A Best Seller in Less Than 12 Hours of Actual Writing and Gain Instant Access To A New York Publisher Without An Agent and Formal Book Proposal?"

How? By Following This Simple, Proven System for Authoring Success.

http://www.AuthorAndGrowRich.com