Tuesday, January 17, 2006

Free "Author's Night" Writing Tele-Seminars

I tuned into a couple of tele-seminars in the past week and I got some great information. I find it pretty amazing that you can sit in your home, in your play clothes, dial a telephone number and learn. Wow! Can it be any easier?

To help new writers get started on their writing journey, I decided to have my own tele-seminar series. I am offering a free "Author's Night" Tele-seminar on the last Tuesday of each month. 5:00 pm PST. Here's the line up for the first 4 events:


Tuesday, 1/31/06 - How to Get Started and Prepare to Write!
Tuesday, 2/28/06 - How to Organize Your Material
Tuesday, 3/28/06 - How to Produce Content, turn your notes into a book!
Tuesday, 4/25/06 - Staying Motivated, Dealing with Procrastination and Writer's Block

I thought it would be great to talk about the topic for 20 minutes or so and then open it up to Q&A, sharing writing tips, strategies and experiences.

Join me for an hour and learn something new about writing!

Telephone Number: (641) 985-1000
Access Code: 630054#

To Your Writing Success!

Ann

Monday, January 16, 2006

Writing an Inspirational Book Based on Your Experience

If you want to write an inspirational story or book based on an experience in your life, here is my formula for capturing content.

First, associate yourself to the experience, (you can do this quickly by just thinking about the experience and putting yourself back in it) focus on what happened and visualize it. If possible, relive it.

Second, ask yourself the questions I have listed below. Think about them and start writing. Just write, write, write. Do not stop to edit, forget about punctuation or structure right now. Just write.

Third, after you have finished writing, stand up and shake it off, especially if it was a painful or frightening experience. Read what you wrote. Make any notes about key points that you want to add in. I usually let my writing “simmer” overnight, and edit the next day.

(1) What Happened?

What happened to you? What did you experience? How did it come about? What was your intention or outcome? What happened instead? Describe the event, what occurred? Describe the experience in as much detail as you feel comfortable and conveys the message to the reader about the experience. Stick to What Happened. What was the environment, your purpose for being where you were, your physical and emotional state before, during and after the event. What was your reaction during the event? Who else was involved? How was it resolved? How did you feel when it was over?

(2) How did it affect you?

What was your reaction after the event? How was your life changed? Personally? Professionally? Physically? Mentally and emotionally? What was different in your life, in your routine, in your relationships? How did your world change? What steps did you take? What did you do differently?

(3) What did you learn from this experience?

What lessons did you learn after the event? How much time has gone by? What have you learned since the event? Would you do anything differently? How are you a better person? What tools, strategies, techniques, steps, books, web sites, resources, groups, coaching, etc., did you use to get through your experience? Where are you now?

(4) What do you want to teach others?

What lessons did you learn? What information do you want to share? What could others learn from your experience? What is your message? What could others learn from your experience? What “technology”, steps, system did you develop that you want to share or teach to others? Name the top 3 things that are the gift of this experience. Write about each one.


This will get you started on creating your content.

Talk to you soon!

Ann

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

How to Sell Your Book Tele-seminar

I received a note from my friend and colleague, Alex Carroll. An author and fabulous Radio Guest, Alex has a phenominal package that teaches you how to get on the radio and make money selling your book or product. (www.AlexCarroll.com) Next Monday evening, Alex will be hosting "Bulk Book Sales Genius" Jerry Jenkins on a live tele-seminar (no charge).

Monday, 1/16/06 at 5pm PST / 8pm EST
Call 620-294-4000 and enter PIN: 222089#

Did you know that:

* Non-bookstore outlets buy more than 300 Million books every year?
* They never return them for a refund?
* They almost always pay for the shipping!

I found this fascinating information. I would LOVE to sell a thousand books to one outlet. Yes, even Big Lots! Hey, 1000 books at $5.00 each is better than 1000 books at zero. (Just ask any author who has hundreds of books sitting on pallettes in their garage!)

Jerry has sold 12.8 Million books to Catalogs, Universities, Associations, Foundations, Book Clubs, Big Corporations and MLM's. (MLM's are network marketing companies like Amway, Herbal Life) and they buy over 100,000 books PER MONTH) Jerry is an expert in this area and he is going to talk about:

* The types of books big corporations buy, and why they often order more than 100,000 copies at a time


* 3 things your book must have to make it more attractive to big buyers

* Secrets to finding the key buyers at the big companies and institutions and how to pitch them once you do

* How to break into selling books to government agencies (Alex has a neighbor in Santa Barbara who's been living off the sales of 2 books to the US Government for almost a decade now)

* Three secrets to getting your book(s) into the big mail-order catalogs and the hidden windfall this will bring (in addition to the book sales)

* Which MLM's buy the most books ... and a couple of strategies to get your book in through the back door

* The inside scoop on Book Clubs. Many are a waste of time, but a few of them can make you a fortune. You'll learn which ones they are, and what they are looking for.

Mark your calendar for next Monday evening:


January 16 at 5PM Pacific/8PM Eastern.
Call 620-294-4000
Enter PIN: 222089# to join the call.

This is a great way to learn about how you can make money selling large quantities of your book!

See you there!

Ann

Saturday, January 07, 2006

How Long Does it Take to Write a Book?

One of the top 3 questions I get asked most often about writing a book. (The other two are: How do I get started? and How many pages does it have to be?

In a nutshell and without any sugar coating, the answer is very simple: as long as you decide it's going to take.

Whether you are writing a book to build your business or it is something you have always wanted to do or a dream you want to fulfill, the length of time that it will take you to write a book all comes down to 3 simple things: preparation, commitment and dedication.

For some people, the idea of writing a book is as formidable a task as climbing a mountain. For others, it’s not the work itself that is so daunting, but the time required to complete it. After all, who has time to sit down and write a book?

I’ve asked hundreds of people, “How long do you think it takes to write a book?” The typical answer is anywhere from 3 months to a year. I then ask, “How long do you think it would take YOU to write YOUR book?” These responses are very different. “Oh, I don’t know, 6 months, 1 year, a decade. I would love to write a book, but I don’t have the time! People are always surprised to learn that writing a book doesn’t have to take a long time and amazed when I tell them that they can complete their book in just a few weeks.

I recently attended a writing class and one of my classmates asked, "How long will it take me to write my book?" The instructor, a published and well-known author, responded, "about 2 years". As I was squirming in my chair, pressing my lips together so I couldn't blurt out something I would regret, she went on to say that she devoted 7 hours a day, 5 days a week, to writing her book. Yikes! Who has 7 hours a day to write?

I have found that for many aspiring authors, writing a book seems like a giant monster and believe they need to set aside a big block of time to capture it. The truth is, you can write your book in just 30 minutes a day, 4 days a week and complete it in a reasonable amount of time. Honestly, it doesn't have to take huge blocks of time, a summer vacation or a sabbatical.

It all comes down to preparation and planning. Have you ever heard the riddle, "How do you eat an elephant?" -- one bite at a time. It's exactly the same for writing a book, you write your book one bite at a time. I've helped authors write 54 books in 2005; 33 of them in as little as 3 days, the rest were written over a period of 4, 6 or 8 weeks.

It call comes down to preparation, planning, committment and execution.

To your writing success!

Ann

Happy New Year!

Can you believe how fast 2005 flew by? It was an amazing year for me, I produced 55 books! (more on that later). Looking back, 2005 was filled with so many great events and learning experiences . . .

January

What better way to start the new year than by writing a book? I was delighted to assist several new authors create their manuscript. Michael Lipowski wrote Pure Physique, Roberto Ruiz created Zero to Iron Man and Feryal Allen, who wrote From Fear to Light. February and March were chock full of new books (soon to be listed on my Author's Page) and all of sudden it's April. Time to get ready to Exhibit at my first event!

April - Mark Victor Hansen's Mega Book Event

What a thrill to be "approved" as an Exhibitor at Mark's event and even more thrilling to be there. Mark certainly knows how to host an event and ALWAYS has an incredible lineup of speakers to present. Exhibitors get a 45-min breakout session to present and it was pretty cool to get a huge turnout for my 7:30 am Writing Class. That's right, 7:30 A.M. and there were 54 people in the room! Bea Donatelli, my Marketing Manager was phenominal, sales were through the roof!

Exhibiting can be very fun and very profitable. Here is what I learned from doing my first show:

1) Have a great partner / assistant / helper.
2) Know your audience and their needs
3) Know your product and make sure it matches your audience and their needs
4) Be prepared: to answer questions, sell product, stand for many hours
5) Collect email addresses and permission to contact them -- I asked: May I send your my Writer's Newsletter? Everyone said yes.

May - First Writer's Boot Camp

My first "group" of authors. Wow! What fun. 9 authors, 12 books! How did they do that? Michael Morningstar, Health Coach extraordinare, (
www.GreatNewsCoach.com) wrote 3! Sandra Herron wrote 2. Held at the beautiful Lake La Quinta Inn in La Quinta, California, we had 3 amazing days. The synergy was incredible and inspiring. Everyone commented on how much fun and how easy it was to write their book! The Writer's Boot Camp is a hit! Everyone got their outcome and a great time was had by all! I was walking on clouds for days after the event.

July - NSA in Atlanta!

Off to Atlanta for 5 days to Exhibit for the National Speakers Association. Honestly, I don't remember how I found out about the NSA but it made sense to go to the event since Professional Speakers typically need a book. I was right! It is an absolute MUST for Speakers to have a book. What a fabulous experience! I took Bea Donatelli, and as usual, she surpassed all my expectations for sales.

October - Writer's Boot Camp

15 Authors, 21 Books! Can you believe it! The most amazing 3 days of the year! From the moment I arrived at the hotel, 3 days before the event, I knew it would be magical. My Leadership Team, Michael Morningstar, Yolanda Harris, Brenda Schinke, Farah Riseon, Billy Billitzer, Carol Grove were absolutely incredible! Authors from as far away as Australia and New York came to Newport Beach, California to write their book and we did it in 3 days! The guest speakers, Adam Witty (Publishing) , James Roche (InfoProducts), Glenn Plaskin (Manuscript Review), Yolanda Harris (Speaking) and Katherin Sansone (Publicity) gave content-rich presentations.

November - Mark Victor Hansen Speaking Empire

What a hoot! Incredible speakers, fabulous presentations, great venue. Mark's team is top notch and a delight to work with. The event was a huge success and Mark personally invited me to speak on stage at the next Mega Book Event!!! I was totally speechless! The event is in July, 2006 in Orlando, Florida. This was a dream come true and I owe this happening to Yolanda Harris, (
www.TheKeyNoteGroup.com) Speaker's Coach Extraordinare, and my Business Coach, who literally got behind me and pushed up to Mark to say hello and speak with him. Thank you, Yolanda! You are awesome!!!!

Dreams do come true!!!!