Category: Publishing

Ready for a Book Breakthrough? (Summer Camp 1.2)

Summer (Author) Camp Preview!

Can you sense it? The tastes of summer
coming alive, the smells, the yearning to
step fully into yourself as Conscious Creator
…and yet your hesitancy to reveal the
sweet and juicy heart of your message and to
become visible around what is at your core.

As you are planning your upcoming week,
I don’t want you to miss out on this special
Summer Camp preview opportunity for creators —
especially if you are a writer, author, messenger.

Summer brings out those creator-longings,
and the times urgently call us to reflect on–
and then dive into — ideas and projects
from the heart. There’s a spaciousness that
summer allows and invites — for you to go
after what you care about most and feel
called to share with the world.

In fact, I know that many of you have been
thinking about taking that big leap to start
(or finish) a book and feeling increasing
urgency to make your mark with your work.
(And if you know my story, you realize
I am on a similar path, even as I guide
others to do this!)

Now, with some time to breathe, maybe your
excitement about deciding to “go for it”
may be accompanied by some anxiety and
a few (or several) questions:

. Is it really the right time to publish?
. Can I truly be successful with my
message and book?
. Where do I begin?
. Can I believe the stories and advice I
hear on what works — and what doesn’t?

From inside the publishing industry, things
are shape-shifting at warp speed, much like
all the other changes we are facing.

Then there’s all the hype, conflicting advice,
and the pressure to “publish, publish publish!”
All this can make it confusing and difficult
to find the best path for YOUR message and book
in today’s noisy and competitive market.

And, without that clarity, it’s easy to waste
creative energy, time, and money only to realize
that you might be following a path that doesn’t
align with your timing, budget and goals.

If you’re thinking about writing, publishing, and
figuring out the best next steps for your ideas,
message and work, I invite you to take advantage
of a fantastic no-cost call from my colleagues
and friends, Janet Goldstein and Elizabeth Marshall.

Clear your calendar for
Wednesday, June 27 at 3:00 pm EDT on
the “5 New Rules for the Right Time to Publish.”

Janet and Elizabeth are the real deal, with years of
experience in traditional and self-publishing worlds,
and they understand how to help “real people” like us
to develop and share their work with the widest
possible audiences.

I’ve been a fan of Janet and Elizabeth for several years.
I have already booked this call onto my calendar!
Publishing is just moving too fast for any one person
to stay on top of all the details. I attended
Elizabeth’s and Janet’s very first Book Breakthrough
when it was a single day, live in Dallas. So I highly
recommend their work.

On this all-new content-rich call,
you will discover how to:

• Find your “right thing” to publish
and promote right now

• Pick the RIGHT MODEL for your book or project —
and why the “start from scratch” approach
doesn’t work today

• Leverage the Big 3 Ingredients that you need to
successfully develop and launch your book or message

• Uncover your real WHY for publishing —
and how the answer makes every step of the
process more successful and more fun

https://lizmarshall.infusionsoft.com/go/rules/bobbye/

On the call, they’ll include examples of current clients
and they’ll sprinkle in stories from their work with
bestselling authors you know and love, including
David Allen, Harriet Lerner, Barbara Kingsolver,
Howard Behar, Michael Port, Seth Godin, Keith
Ferrazzi, and Carol Roth.

Don’t put off your publishing dreams a moment longer.
Register today for The 5 New Rules —
a content-rich, no-cost call
with Janet and Elizabeth:

June 27 at 3:00 pm EDT (12:00 pm PDT).

No-cost Preview call sign-up:
https://lizmarshall.infusionsoft.com/go/rules/bobbye/

You’ll be glad you did! I look forward to joining
you on the call.

Love, Light & Laughter,

Bobbye

P.S. This call is a preview of what Janet and
Elizabeth will be teaching as part of their
Book Breakthrough Virtual Master Class this summer.
(Yes, it’s summer camp for authors affordably available
right from the comfort of your own home!)
Based on their incredibly successful live event,
this 4-week online program is an affordable way to
help you break through with your idea, book and
business — and sooner than you ever thought possible!

https://lizmarshall.infusionsoft.com/go/bbtnycmc/bobbye/

P.P.S.  I so believe in the value of their
work that I’m committed to spreading the word.
Using my links means I receive
a referral fee — only if you decide to purchase.

What Shelf? — Blog Challenge Day 12

The conundrum of the interdisciplinary writer and not fitting into book categories.

“I wonder if real art comes when you build the thing that they don’t have a prize for yet.” Seth Godin

I thought of Seth’s comment earlier this week as I browsed the bookstore preparing for my “competitive analysis” for the Write Synergies book that I am ostensibly working on. As I consider the focus for this [first] book, I’m not even to the point of being concerned that there’s no prize yet. What is a concern is that the book’s author (moi) rarely sees it fitting on any of the available bookstore subject shelves.

Part of the process of developing your book and message is to see where your big ideas and visions locate themselves on the continuum of other creations, books, and messages of other thought leaders. You want to be out there, but not too out there. You want to have a shelf and category in the bookstore as a destination, a place where your people will naturally congregate, where they go for information and books similar (but not too similar) to yours. And online, you want the keywords, especially the long tail keywords, that people search for to find you and your information.

Over here, things aren’t cut and dried. Over here, the subject boundaries are more like permeable membranes. When you’re a passionate interdisciplinarian, they don’t make shelves for that.

Post #12 for 30 Day Blog Challenge. Follow us on Twitter at #blog30.

Celebrate National Bookstore Day on Nov. 7

Bibliophiles and bookstore lovers (and publishers and authors): Mark your calendars for Nov. 7 to celebrate all the bookstores you love! (Especially the independents!) Publishers Weekly, the publishing trade magazine, is sponsoring the national day to honor bookstores and all the benefits they provide. Check out the article from my old pal, Ron Shank, now PW’s publisher,  at: http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6696364.html?nid=2286&rid=##CustomerId##&source=link

Resources to Create a World that Works for All

Berrett Koehler Publishers (affectionately known as BK) carries out its vision of “a community creating a world that works for all” by actively and transparently partnering with its authors, stakeholders, vendors, and shareholders.  As someone who has been in and around the book publishing industry for nearly 30 years, I can tell you with assurance: These guys are the real deal.

Given the situation as it stands, “a world that works for all”  recognizes that we need to change — personal change, business and institutional change, as well as societal change.  The publisher has resources to focus on leveraging change from each of these arenas. You pick the area with the greatest resonance for you.

BK Life titles address the personal transformations required; BK Business titles address institutional/corporate issues; and BK Currents titles focus on the largest, societal, and systemic issues.

BK Publishers are the folks who brought you John Perkins’ bestseller, Confessions of An Economic Hit Man, Brian Tracy’s Eat That Frog, Repacking Your Bags, leadership classics like Leadership and the New Science by Margaret Wheatley (bringing quantum physics to business leadership!), Leadership and Self-Deception by The Arbinger Institute, A Complaint is a Gift, and Beverly Kaye’s half-million copy bestseller, Love ‘Em or Lose ‘Em.

Newer  titles that I find particularly intriguing include: The Introverted Leader, Glow, Lift, and Framing the Future.

Click ForeWord Magazine to see my review of BK’s Breakdown, Breakthrough by Kathy Caprino. 

You, as a friend of mine,  can access over 800 resources from the BK publishing archives.  By ordering your BK titles through the link here, you will automatically get a 20 percent discount on any BK publication that you order.

PLUS, you can take advantage of a summer special for just a few more hours!  They are concluding their summer sale, so order through August 31 to receive an extra 20 percent discount  by entering “summersale09” during checkout on the BK website — for a total discount of 40 percent.

Act Now: Through Monday, August 31, 2009, all books, e-books, whitepapers, audio books, DVDs, and digital toolkits are an additional 20% off when you use the SUMMERSALE09 e-coupon during the check-out process. Click here: Berrett Koehler

Remember at checkout, use this e-Coupon code = SUMMERSALE09

To see the wealth of ways to “Create a world that works for all,” (and save money too) connect to Berrett-Koehler publishers or use the following  link:

http://clickserve.cc-dt.com/link/click?lid=41000000028480391

Publishers’ University!

Highlights of Publishers’ University in NYC May 26-28, 2009.

It’s time for the annual Publishers’ University–next week!  What happened to May?!  It’s sponsored by the Independent Book Publishers Association.  I’m leading two panels this year:  The Publishers’ Repair Kit and Converting Promotion into Book Sales.  We have attracted amazing speakers again.  I will also be up bright and early to share my expertise at the pre-breakfast round tables, “Ask the Experts.”  I love the chance to connect with colleagues in the book publishing business, to meet exciting new publishers who are passionate about what they have to say, and to help convene these panels where we all contribute to each others’ learning and success.

If you have been thinking about publishing and want some grounding in the fundamentals and good business practices for *every* aspect of book publishing, then you should consider IBPA’s Publishers’ University a required stop on your highway to success.  You can learn more at http://www.ibpa-online.org.  From that home page for the association, click on the icon for Publishers’ University.  If you can’t make it to New York, you can order recordings of any or all of the sessions.