The Author’s Corner presents Michael Murphy

The Author’s Corner is presented by Kathleen Gage and The Street Smarts Marketing Blog.

This week’s featured author is Michael Murphy. Michael has lived in Arizona most of his life. A former journalism major at Arizona State University, he set aside his writing and concentrated on starting a family and a business career.

1. Tell us about yourself – where you are from, how you got started writing, what you do when you are not writing (or anything you want our readers to know)

I’m a former journalism major who switched to get married, switched to business and began to raise a family. I became serious about my writing in my forties and wrote my first novel, which won first place in the Arizona Authors Association novel writing contest in 2000.

2. What inspired you to write your first book?

My first novel, Class of ’68 was inspired by the year I graduated from high school, one of the most tumultuous years of the twentieth century. I wanted to write a book that captured the horror of war, despair of the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy, and the end of the idealism of the sixties.

3. How many books have you written?

I’ve written six novels. Three came out this year, Try and Catch the Wind, the first in my Casey Bannister series, Class of ’68 and Secrets of Sheridan Manor, the second in the series. My fourth novel, Cold File, comes out September 1. Two more next year, the third in my series, Cuts Like a Knife and a spin-off of that series, called Ramblin’ Man. I’m currently finishing my seventh, a suspense novel called Scorpion Bay.

4. How do you decide on their topic?

After Class of ’68 I focused on writing the types of books I like to read, mystery and suspense thrillers. The series that began with Try and Catch the Wind focuses on a former NYPD homicide detective struggling with retirement and his wife’s death in upstate New York. In many respects, the setting of the series gave direction to the novels.

5. What works best to keep you focused and on track?

What’s kept me on track most of the time is belonging to a critique group. We meet weekly and if I don’t have a new chapter to turn in, I feel like I’ve let them down. Keeps me on my toes.

6. Do you write to make money or for the love of writing?

Since my publisher is small with limited distribution, I’m definitely not in it for the money, but I love creating novels and would never want my writing to become work.

7. What are some traditional methods of marketing you have used to gain visibility for you and your book(s)?

I’ve enjoyed book signings. It’s quite humbling when people take time from their day to come see you and purchase your book. I’ve had good success with media coverage, three newspaper articles, a radio, a web chat, and a television interview. I have a nice website, www.mjmurphy.com that emphasizes my books, not me.

8. What are some unique methods?

I’ve really jumped into the My Space phenomena, and have “met” people from all over the world who have purchased my books. They’ve becomes some of my biggest fans.

9. Do you sell through a website?

My website routes readers to amazon.com or my publisher’s website, www.wings-press.com.

10. Do you plan on writing additional books?

I’m looking forward to putting the final polishes on my seventh novel, Scorpion Bay. Then I’ll jump right back in with a new one. I will continue my Casey Bannister series, but next I’m going to tackle something new, but still in the suspense/thriller genre.

This interview was done in conjunction with Nikki Leigh, author of Book Promo 101 – www.nikkileigh.com/book_promo_101.htm.

GET IT WRITE! – The Women's eGuide to Writing, Publishing and Promoting Your Book by 20 Best-Selling Authors FREE

Writing a book is a lot like giving birth, it can be a painful, labor intensive exercise … Once your ‘new baby’ is born, the real work begins.”- Heidi Richards, President WUN Publications, INC.
Get this great FREE resource and learn what it really takes to get it WRITE!

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Turn your expertise into money making products and services

If you have ever wanted to turn your expertise into money making products you are invited to join me for a free teleseminar series. It is designed for Speakers, Trainers, Authors, Coaches and Consultants:

Learn how to package your expertise and start making money faster than you thought possible!

FREE Street Smarts Marketing™ Teleseminar Series Begins September 4th and runs through the month of September.

Even if you can’t be on every call be sure to register so you can get the recording.
www.streetsmartsmarketing.com/4partteleseminar.htm

My best
Kathleen Gage
The Street Smarts Marketer

Repost on Blog for Non Blogger Article

Recently there has been discussion in one yahoo group I belong to on whether or not blogging is a good idea. Below is an article I wrote on the subject.

Enjoy

Blogging for the Non Blogger
By Kathleen Gage

If you are new to blogging chances are you may be unsure of what the best and most effective approach to gaining maximum benefit from time and effort invested. A primary goal for blogging should be to gain visibility, credibility and market reach for your efforts.

The following are some easy to apply strategies that will get you well on your way to becoming a competent blogger.

Determine Your Purpose
The first thing you need to do is determine what is the purpose of your blog. Are you blogging for fun or is this a viable part of your overall branding and marketing strategy?

Here are some common reasons for having a blog:

· Establish expert status
· Keep in touch with clients
· Reach a global market
· Blow off some steam
· Create your online personality


Blog Consistently
To be effective you need to blog on a fairly regular basis. Your postings can be short, but need to be relative to your purpose. Many bloggers post information from other sites as a way to keep their readers informed on a particular topic. Doing this makes your job pretty easy. Other than doing a few google searches for information and posting the information, there is not a lot for you to do.

The advantage to this is it’s fast and relatively easy. The disadvantage is you are not establishing your own expertise if this is the only type of posting you do.

Why not offer a bit of both?

Driving Visitors
There are a number of effective ways to get people to view your blog. One is to use key words relative to your market and industry. Whenever you post something you want to include those key words.

Next you can announce to your opt-in subscribers you have a blog and give them the blog address.

You can add your blog address to your sig (signature) file that you use at the end of your email messages.

Write articles specific to your market and industry. Add a resource box at the end of your article with a link back to your blog. If you areticle is of value there is a very good chance readers will visit your blog.

Post your articles in various online article directories to optimize exposure and reach. A quick google search with the words “article directory + your topic” will bring up various locations to submit your articles to.

One of the most popular is EzineArticles.com. To access go to www.ezinearticles.com

Subscribers to Your Blog
Make it easy for people to sign up for your blog. You can add in a simple form by visiting www.feedblitz.com and/or www.feedburner.com.

Utilize the power of RSS feeds. People can subscribe to the feed and receive updates as you add new content to your blog.

Keywords
Keywords are a way to improve your search engine ranking. Choosing the right words is extremely important. Keywords are what lead search engines to your blog.

Before you begin blogging think of the keywords you need to include specific to your market and industry. The more targeted your list the more effective your postings.
Analyze your business and your market. Think of any words that your readers might be search on to find you that relate to your company, industry, product or service.
For example my market uses words like:

Making money on the Internet
Internet marketing for authors
Internet marketing for speakers
Internet marketing for consultants
Self Publishing
Writing
Authorship

This is only a partial list. However, it is a very broad and general list. The more targeted I can be the more my ideal client will find me in a search.

The way to narrow your target words down is to use a keyword selector tool. A reliable selector tool will help you to narrow the search by indicating how often people search on specific word combinations.

Two resources you can check are WordTracker and Overture. To learn more go to:

http://inventory.overture.com/d/searchinventory/suggestion/

and

http://www.wordtracker.com

WordTracker offers a free trial product. This is a great first step. Become familiar with the product before you decide to purchase it.

In Conclusion
Blogging can be a fun experience and it can create great opportunities when done correctly, consistently and conscientiously.

Kathleen Gage is an Internet Marketing Advisor for Speakers, Trainers, Authors, Consultants and Entrepreneurs. Access her eBook The Truth about Making Money on the Internet at http://www.streetsmartsmarketing.com/free-ebook.htm

3 Extremely Low-Cost Marketing Strategies for Speakers, Trainers, Authors and Consultants

3 Extremely Low-Cost Marketing Strategies for Speakers, Trainers, Authors, and Consultants
by Kathleen Gage

Are you looking for cost-effective marketing strategies? Look no further. The following three strategies have proven extremely effective for countless businesses and they can for you.

1. Press Releases – Very effective method of gaining visibility and credibility when published. You must have a well written release pertinent to the media source you are sending it to. You can distribute press releases both online and off.

A quick Internet search under media resources in your city will bring up radio, television, newspapers and magazines in your area. To find online resources do a search under - free online press release distribution. Numerous listings will come up. Utilizing the free services when on a limited budget can prove to be invaluable.

There are services you can pay for if you are so inclined. An excellent resource for both free and paid distributions is www.prweb.com.

Prior to writing a press release, determine the following:

-Who is your target market?
-What is your target media?
-Who is the contact person at the media outlet?
-What is the timeframe for submission?
-Do you have an attention-grabbing headline?
-Do you know the who, what, when, where, why, how?
-Do you have good quotes, research and technical date if appropriate?

2. Articles - Writing articles is a great way to gain recognition as an expert in your field or specific industry. By providing practical information, you can reach targeted audiences. This can create exciting opportunities for you and your business.

You should write on what you are knowledgeable about. Make sure your information is factual. Incorrect or untrue information can come back to haunt you.

Recently I read an article by someone claiming to be an Internet marketing expert. Their article was about gaining visibility on the Net. To find out how much visibility this so called expert has I did a name search on the author. The “expert” author had only 10 postings under his name. Not very impressive when other experts have thousands of listings. The author immediately lost credibility.
3. Presentations – One of the most effective ways to market your product or service is to offer a complimentary information seminar. When you provide great information that is of interest to your market you have become a resource before you are a vendor. By positioning yourself as a resource you are marketing in a very unique way.

Hosting a presentation can be virtually expense free. You can offer to do a presentation at a staff meeting for a client. Many large companies have brown bag lunch speaking opportunities. You can host a meeting open to the public at your local library. Be sure to send press releases to the local media when you are offering a presentation open to the public.

Many associations, including your local Chamber of Commerce, are constantly seeking good presenters who can provide timely and content driven talks that benefit their members.

When you apply one of the three recommendations to your marketing mix you will gain benefit. When you apply all three the results can be phenomenal.

Kathleen Gage is an Internet Marketing Advisor for Speakers, Trainers, Authors, Consultants and Entrepreneurs. Access her eBook The Truth about Making Money on the Internet at http://www.streetsmartsmarketing.com/free-ebook.htm

Street Smarts Ezine is ready

The September issue of The Street Smarts Marketing Newsletter is now ready. This month I have two excellent articles for anyonewho writes and wants to get their works published.

Do you have the dream of becoming a published author?
Are youthinking of writing a book to promote you, your services or yourcompany?

Prior to launching into a major project, do yourhomework. It can save you time, money and frustration. Almost daily I receive an inquiry from someone who has spent asmall fortune getting their book published by a company thatpromises them the moon when it comes to the success of theirbook. Unfortunately, in 99% of the cases I hear about, theresults don't at all meet the promises.

Often the authorapproaches me after much heartache, disillusionment and wastedexpense. My most recent inquiry came from a man who had a 56 pagedocument published as a book by what appears to be a subsidiarypublisher… (read more)
http://www.turningpointpresents.com/newsletters/enewsseptember2007.htm

Learn how you can participate for free is an incredible eventhappening with people like Alex Mandossian, Shawn Casey, YanikSilver And more. "An Elite Group Of Speakers Will Raise Hopes And Funds ForChildren Battling Life-Threatening Illnesses." (read more)
http://www.turningpointpresents.com/newsletters/enewsseptember2007.htm

Check out my FREE four week teleseminar series for speakers,trainer, authors and consultants who want to turn theirexpertise into money-making products and services. (read more)
http://www.turningpointpresents.com/newsletters/enewsseptember2007.htm

Have an incredible and joyful month.

Kathleen Gage

The Street Smarts Marketer

Learn how to package your expertise from someone who is doing it

If you want to know how to make money from packaging your expertise, please read this entire message. It may change the way you view things.

Not a day goes by that I don't have people inquire on how to create consistent and real revenue streams by packaging their expertise into products and services.

The truth is, most people either don't know where to begin to create information products or if they do have products they are not making any money from them. If anything, they seem to have gotten caught up in chasing good money after bad buying program after program on how to make money.

Unfortunately, this often happens to people who have had a great deal of success in other areas of their professional life. What I see is they let their emotions drive them rather than coming up with a system that works.

Or, they live with the belief that all they have to do is create the product, write the book, develop the program and buyers will flock to them. I'm here to tell you, this is not the way it is.

Sadly, lots of people are getting (and paying for) advice from so-called experts on how to make money by packaging their expertise when the very experts they are going to have not been able to even squeak out a living doing the very thing they are teaching.

I have to say; I am appalled and saddened by how many people get taken advantage of with the get-rich-quick garbage and by people playing on their emotions.

Some time ago I made it a part of my personal mission to do what I can to educate people on what it really takes to make a living (and a really great one at that) by packaging their expertise into books, information products, seminars, training programs and teleseminars.

I have been making my living through providing great information products and services for years so I know what it really takes. I also know what it is like to wonder if you can pay the mortgage, put food on the table and pay your bills. I have not had to worry about not being able to pay my bills for a long, long time.

The way I educate my market on how you can make money from your expertise is by writing and distributing very content driven articles, postings on my blog, media interviews, sitting on expert panels, a guest expert on teleseminars, and offering lots and lots of free information. I do this for a few reasons.

One, I really do want to help others avoid getting caught up in the BS that is so prevalent both on and off line.

Two, I love sharing my insights. Insights from owning and operating a successful business for 14 years.

Three, people who recognize quality often end up buying my products and participating in my mentoring courses.

With this in mind, I would like to invite you to register for my upcoming FREE Street Smarts Marketing teleseminar series. In this content driven program you will Learn what it really takes to Turn Your Knowledge into money-making products and services faster than you ever thought possible.

I know this program will fill up fast. The sessions take place for four weeks beginning on Tuesday, September 4th at 10 a.m. PDT. I will be recording each session so even if you can’t participate on the live call you will receive the information. Again, this series is FREE, however you must be registered to join in and get access to the information.

Go to http://www.streetsmartsmarketing.com/4partteleseminar.htm to register.

Please feel free to pass this message on to anyone you know who would benefit from my information.

In success,
Kathleen Gage
The Street Smarts Speaker
www.streetsmartsmarketing.com

The Author's Corner featuring Kim Baccellia

The Author’s Corner is presented by Kathleen Gage and Street Smarts Marketing. This week’s featured author is Kim Baccellia. Kim writes fantasy novels about multicultural heroes.

1. Tell us about yourself – where you are from, how you got started writing, what you do when you are not writing (or anything you want our readers to know)

Hi! I’m Kim Baccellia, the YA author of the multicultural fantasy, Earrings of Ixtumea. I’ve been writing ever since I can remember. I always seemed to have a story running through my head. In middle school I wrote a horoscope column that was very popular with both my peers and teachers! In both high school and college I wrote for the school newspaper.

Later as an educator, I ran my own writers workshop for my first grade classroom. My students published their own books. My husband even made a computer program where parents followed their child reading their books. I videotaped my students reading and my husband scanned their books. This was a big hit with parents.

Even as a teacher, I would find extra moments to write. During my lunch breaks I would sneak over to the local Burger King. I wrote some of Earrings there.

2. What inspired you to write your first book?
Not finding enough multicultural heroes in fantasy novels. I was a bilingual teacher for a school district in LA County and found it odd that there weren’t many books, especially YA, that represented the population I taught.

3. How many books have you written?
Earrings of Ixtumea is my first novel. I’ve also written a YA paranormal, Crossed Out. Right now I’m working on Bullets of Truth, a contemporary YA that deals with bipolar disorder.

4. How do you decide on their topic?
The idea came to me to develop a world with Mexican mythology while I was teaching second language learners. I wanted to create a world that had some of the richness of my Mexican culture. Also I love Spanish dichos—similar to our own proverbs. I wove these throughout my story.

5. What works best to keep you focused and on track?
Getting up early each morning and just writing. It helps to have my own writing space. I have a large whiteboard where I sketch out my story paradigm. I divide my story into three acts. I also have character sketches in my room.

6. Do you write to make money or for the love of writing?
I write because I can’t silence the stories that run through my mind. I also love to write.

7. What are some traditional methods of marketing you have used to gain visibility for you and your book(s)?
I’ve purchased advertising spots with sites that are geared toward my market—teen girls.
My book is available through Amazon.
I have a live journal blog.
I belong to two professional organizations—SCBWI and EPIC.

8. What are some unique methods?
My current virtual book tour. I thought why should I wait to have my book published through a traditional publisher in order to have a book tour? Having my book on a virtual tour opens up a lot of possibilities that are limited by just the book store signings.

9. Where is your book available?
My book is available through my publisher’s website at www.virtualtales.com

10. Do you plan on writing additional books?
Yes. I plan on writing a sequel to Earrings. Right now I have a rough outline for books two and three.

This interview was done in conjunction with Pump Up Your Book Promotion Virtual Book Tours – www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.com.

About Earings of Ixtumea

Fourteen-year-old Lupe Hernandez dismisses the legend about her Mexican grandmother's magical earrings as a silly fairytale, despite recurring nightmares of human sacrifice. But then the earrings thrust her into the parallel world of Ixtumea...

Keep track of what you are doing

I am reading the second draft of a book I am working on. Because I have been reading for a few hours, I decided to take a break from the manuscript and check emails. One that came through is actually one of my own messages (articles) people who download my eBook, The Truth about Making Money on the Internet, will receive at some point once they download the eBook.

I believe it's a good sign when you read one of your own articles or tips and think, "Hmmmm, that's great information."

I don't mean that in an egotistical way. Rather, I pride myself on providing relevant, valuable information to my readers. My objective is to cut through the fluff and give people solid information that will help them to understand the realities of running a business as well as using the Internet in their marketing. I don't believe in babying people or pretending there is no effort that goes into building a successful business. If I did that I would be doing them a great disservice.

Sadly, many people are looking for shortcuts in running a business that ultimately will lead to a dead end road of success. This is very prevalent with those trying to run a successful business using the Internet as part or all of their marketing mix.

The fact is, lots of people can find incredible success by running a business in which you use the Internet to do much of your marketing. However, it isn't going to happen overnight and without a focused approach.

The clients I work with seek to gain high trust with their market, name recognition, visibility and ultimately a connection with a core group of clients that appreciate their expertise.

After I read the article that came through into my own inbox, I am convinced the message in the article bears repeating.

Therefore, I have posted the article below. Feel free to share this full posting or the article below with your readers.

Your So Lucky
by Kathleen Gage

I'm writing this in the middle of the night. For some reason, I woke up at 3:00, couldn't go back to sleep, so decided to get up and check my emails.

One email was from someone who has been on my main database list for a few years; someone who has been receiving my information month after month for several years. She wrote to thank me for the quality of her purchase.

Her message was not unlike others I have received from readers who at some point signed up for one of my free items and then, after I had built name recognition and trust, decided it was a good idea to purchase something from me.

The message got me thinking about the number of times someone has bought a product from me and then shared they had been on my list for either a few months or a few years. It is more common nowadays for people to receive information for a period of time before they make the decision to buy. Not just from me, but from you too.

As a matter of fact, I just purchased another expert's product on a topic I have an extreme interest in. A topic designed to take my business to the next level. The product was not inexpensive. Not at all. Actually, it cost more than just about any other product I have ever purchased and more than most people would even consider spending. (I tell you this to make a very important point)

In thinking about what got me to the point of making my decision to buy this expert's product I realize that I have been on her list for a few years. I have received regular correspondence from her during that time. She has built name recognition, trust and credibility with me. (and not just me, all her readers).

Because she is consistent in how she markets, because she has her systems in place, and because she established a level of trust with me (the buyer), when it came time to buy a product on the topic she was selling, bingo, I made the purchase.

I am not telling you about my decision to buy the product to make small talk. I am telling you because it is a model of success I use; the expert I purchased information from uses; as does virtually every other successful online marketer I know.

Not only do online marketers use a system like this, successful businesses of every description do. In the last few days I have had conversations with more than one person about their frustration with not selling their products from their website. Their frustration stemmed from the fact they sent out one message, put a product up on their site to sell, or made a blog posting and the flood gates of sales didn't miraculously open up.

I've got news for anyone who thinks sales are going to happen with one contact with their market...IT AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN.

The fact is the process of selling online or driving sales to a consulting business or a brick and mortar business is just that, a process. Part of the process is keeping in touch. Before you can keep in touch, you need to build a database. Before you build a database you have to give people a reason to leave you their contact information whether it be with an Ezine, weekly tips, articles of interest, a report, a white paper or a teleseminar.

Once you have someone in your database you have to continually find ways to create value and trust. And believe me, that won't happen with one article, one tip, or one short message.

As I prepare to go back to sleep my question to you is this, "Are you establishing trust with your market? Are you constantly looking for ways to increase value for your market? Are you establishing yourself as an expert? Are you positioning yourself as a resource before you are a vendor?"

If yes, then you are among a small percentage of folks who "get it". If not, isn't it time to begin?

Something else occurred to me about the product I just purchased. It came neatly boxed and wrapped with a great welcome letter. Unlike the majority of people who buy products and then let them sit, I opened the information and have been delving into it for days now.

Not only will I read and listen to it once, I will read and listen to it several times with a notepad in hand. Is it because I am a slow learner I need to listen more than once? Not at all. It is because I am really smart when it comes to my investments. I want the greatest ROI - return on investment - I can get.

After I dissect the information, I will implement step-by-step what is recommended. The way I figure it is if this woman is making the kind of money she is making, then she must know something that can work for me. Sure, I could try shortcuts, I could eliminate steps or I could think to myself how interesting her information is without applying, but that won't get me the kind of revenue increase I am wanting.

Chances are there will be some people who buy this woman's information, read a bit of it, listen to one or two CDs and then go on to the next "magic bullet". There might be some who are tempted to say her information doesn't work. At that I have to laugh. It's not that her information doesn't work, it's that the information wasn't utilized.

Shoot, when someone is making over a million dollars a year with the very information they are teaching, then they are worth listening to, studying and modeling. A few years ago this same expert was barely able to pay her rent, but because she invested in herself and her business, learned from top experts, applied the information and put systems in place, she is now recognized as one of the most successful people in her field. Funny thing is, lots of people are now saying how lucky she is.

As my business continues to grow through the magic and power of the Internet, I smile when people tell me how lucky I am. I venture to say luck has very little to do with it. Systems, time, consistency and commitment are more a part of the mix than anything.

Kathleen Gage is an Internet Marketing Advisor for Speakers, Trainers, Authors, Consultants and Entrepreneurs. Access her eBook The Truth about Making Money on the Internet at http://www.streetsmartsmarketing.com/free-ebook.htm

(You are free to use this article in your ezine, trade journal, blog, or any other location as long as it is published in its entirety.)

Author's Corner - Presenting Judi Moreo!

Today is the launch of a new feature on The Street Smarts Marketing and Promotions blog called Author's Corner. Every Friday you can read about a published author and find out what makes them tick. How did they get started writing? What motivates them? Do the write for the love of writing, money, or both? How do they market their works.

I am pleased to launch this exciting feature with author is Judi Moreo.

Judi doesn’t just talk about success…She Lives It! In 2003, the US Business Advisory Council named her “Nevada Business Person of the Year” and the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce awarded her company, Turning Point International, with a “Circle of Excellence” Award. In 1986, the Chamber also honored her as “Woman of Achievement – Entrepreneur.”

As an international business leader, Judi knows first hand what it takes to be successful…especially amidst political, social, and cultural differences. In 1991, she moved to South Africa and became an executive in South Africa’s most prestigious media group. Today, she lives in Las Vegas, Nevada and serves as President of Turning Point International, a performance improvement company with offices in Las Vegas and Johannesburg. Her client list reads like a Who’s Who of the World’s Most Prestigious Companies and Organizations.

Judi Moreo ia the author seven books including “You Are More Than Enough: Every Woman’s Guide to Purpose, Passion, and Power.

1. Tell us about yourself – where you are from, how you got started writing, what you do when you are not writing (or anything you want our readers to know)

I am originally from Houston, Texas, but I graduated high school in Humboldt, Kansas, and then moved to Las Vegas to attend Southern Nevada University, which is now UNLV. I started writing in high school as I was yearbook editor and the local newspaper offered me a job as a teen reporter. From then on, I had a desire to write. I am a professional speaker and have spoken in 26 countries to date. I love telling stories that make a point and help people.

2. What inspired you to write your first book?

My first book was written because I had the opportunity to do an Infomercial and sell my cosmetic products. The show producer said I would need a book, so I said, “No problem. I’ll have one by the time we do the show.” And I did.

3. How do you decide on a topic?

Whatever I am doing at the time seems to lead to “needs” and when I see a need, the book gets written. When my business partner and I were doing “Creativity” seminars, we couldn’t find any books that spoke to the particular need of our participants, so we approached a publisher with our idea and they gave us a contract for our book, “Conquer the Brain Drain: 52 Creative Ways to Pump Up Productivity. After doing a couple of years of Leadership Conferences for Women, there was a need for women to know how to find their purpose, passion and power, thus “You Are More Than Enough” was born.

4. What works best to keep you focused and on track?

A deadline.

5. Do you write to make money or for the love of writing?

Both. I love to write and I love to eat.

6. What are some traditional methods of marketing you have used to gain visibility for you and your book(s)?

I do book signings in book stores, get interviewed on radio shows and television talk shows. I mailed 125 books to magazines and newspaper reviewers.

7. What are some unique methods?

I do seminars and speeches and sell the book in the back of the room. I have also placed books in hospital and doctor waiting rooms.

8. Do you plan on writing additional books?
Most definitely!

Learn more about Judy Moreo and purchase a copy of her book at www.judimoreo.com

Until next time, live with passion and follow your dreams!

Kathleen Gage
The Street Smarts Marketer
www.streetsmartsmarketing.com

Coming soon to my blog - Interviews with published authors

Lots of people would love to find out what it is really like to be a published author. Beginning on Friday, August 17th, I will be featuring an author every Friday.

Find out what they do to get inspired, how they come up with ideas for their books, what they do to market, if they make money at their writing or do it for fun, and much, much more.

Kathleen Gage
The Street Smarts Marketer
www.streetsmartsmarketing.com

FREE report on building web traffic

The #1 Web Challenge for most people is getting more visitorsand increasing your conversion rate. The fact is, the moretargeted your visitor the more revenue you can make. It’s thatsimple.

And yet, many people have no clue how to do this.

Blog experts, Patsi Krakoff and Denise Wakeman, aka The BlogSquad, have written a an easy to read report entitled, The GreatInternet Challenge: How to Get Your Business Found on theInternet. Best of all, it’s FREE and takes less than ten minutes toread. Access here: http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?Clk=2066194

Do yourself a favor. Get the report. You will be glad you did.

Kathleen Gage
The Street Smarts Marketer

What you don't know about publishing a book can take you from dream to nightmare overnight!

Almost every day I receive an inquiry from someone who has spent a small fortune getting their book published by a company that basically promises them the moon when it comes to the success of their book.

In the majority of cases, regardless of how you get your book to market; self publishing in the truest sense of the word; vanity publishers, or traditional publishers, the author will have to proactively market the book in order to sell copies.

My most recent inquiry came from a man who had a 56 page document published as a book by what appears to be a vanity publisher. The publishing company has a retail price of $19.95 on the book.

Needless to say, the author has had a difficult time selling the book to people who see it and those who buy it sight unseen are disappointed with the minimal number of pages.

Lots of people have the dream of becoming a published author yet, lack enough information to make the best choice for their particular publishing needs. Although there are numerous reputable publishing companies, there are many companies taking advantage of an aspiring author's dream and lack of knowledge.

The best thing a wanna be author can do is to learn as much as possible about your publishing options before you “sign on the dotted line”.

For the purpose of clarification here are some simple definitions (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia):

Self PublishingSelf-publishing is the publishing of books and other media by the author(s) of those work, rather than by established, third party publishers.

Vanity Press A vanity press or vanity publisher is a book printer which, while claiming to be a publisher charges writers a fee in return for publishing their books or otherwise makes most of its money from the author rather than from the public.

POD – Print on Demand
Print on demand or publish on demand (POD) is a printing technology in which a copy is not created until after an order is received.

The reality is, regardless of what avenue of publishing an author chooses, they will still have to be very proactive in the marketing of their book. Rarely is this not the case.

Many people are under the impression, or led to believe, the publisher will do the marketing for them. If a publisher provides such a service it is usually minimal at best. Perhaps a press release or two, listing on Amazon, a posting on a website, a simple website, etc. If a company does provide an effective marketing and promotions campaign, usually there is a hefty fee that is attached to it.

Many vanity presses make a big deal out of getting the author a listing on Amazon.com and offering a website as part of the publishing deal. The fact is in and of themselves, listings on Amazon.com and having a website, will do little if any good. The author must still market and will be well-served to drive traffic to those locations.

It’s like anything, no matter how good something is, if people don’t know about it, they can’t buy it. No matter how good a book is, how great the title, how big the market, without a very proactive approach to marketing, books do not sell. The marketing and promotions is an ongoing process and absolutely essential to the success of a book.

Personally, I am an advocate of self-publishing in the truest sense of the word. It means I oversee everything. This doesn’t mean I do all the actual work myself, rather, I hire it out.

Areas that you would hire out would be:

Cover design
Copy editing
Book layout
Some marketing
You can even hire out some or all of the writing.

I personally do all my own writing, but the other areas such as design, layout, and editing I contract to others.

The world of book selling has become incredibly competitive. In my experience, the best way to sell a book is have a very proactive online approach as well as selling through speaking engagements.

You can find some marketing ideas in my free recordings at http://www.streetsmartsmarketing.com/marketingaudios.htm

You can learn some extremely effective online marketing strategies with my eBook, The Truth About Making Money on the Internet at http://www.streetsmartsmarketing.com/free-ebook.htm

You can also get many of your questions answered by joining two excellent Yahoo Groups for self-published authors.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/publishingandpromoting/

http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/Self-Publishing

You post a question to the group and if people have an answer they will usually respond in a timely fashion.

I would highly recommend you get books on publishing, marketing books and self-publishing by the following authors.

Dan Poynter
John Kremer
Tom and Marilyn Ross

There is nothing to compare to see your book published. Yet, without the correct information your dream can quickly become a nightmare. Before making any decisions do your research. You will be glad you did.

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When can you trademark something?

Every so often I have people ask me about what they can and cannot trademark. I found two excellent articles on the topic.

http://entrepreneurs.about.com/od/intellectualproperty/a/trademark101.htm

http://www.businessknowhow.com/QandA/phrasetm.htm

In success,

Kathleen Gage
The Street Smarts Marketer
http://www.streetsmartsmarketing.com/