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Unless your book is already published, you need to find a great title for it.

If you plan to self-publish, you absolutely need to find out how to come up with an irresistible title, because no one else will help you!

That’s why I’ve created the “How to Choose Your Best-Selling Title” TeleCourse, which begins soon–October 3.

In the course I’ll show you how to come up with a title so irresistible, you will sell your book on title alone–in the 4 or so seconds it will take people to read your book’s title and subtitle.

I also created a way for you to get in for half price, or even for nearly nothing–while at the same time multiplying the benefits of attending the classes. (more…)

Selling your book to corporations and companies is, in my opinion, THE way to go.

One or two phone calls can mean hundreds of thousands of books sold.

And, unlike selling to bookstores, when you sell to companies like this, the books are not returnable.

There’s a technique to it, however. (Of course.) And there’s an upcoming seminar that will teach you how. (Of course.)

You can view a brief video on what is possible, and the seminar. Don’t delay, though–if you think you might want to attend the seminar, you’ll want to sign up by Friday, before the cost goes up.

I was in the doctor office, and as always, I carry a book with me in case I have to wait (typical).

The book was The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss. (Which, by the way, has already changed my life in significant ways–and I haven’t even finished reading it! For instance, it’s changed the way I handle email. )

The physician’s assistant, Lauren, looked at the book and said, “Wouldn’t that be nice?”

“Yes,” I replied. “In fact, if it helped me get to a 4-hour work day, I’d be happy.”

Lauren laughed. “Me, too. I think I’m going to get that book.”

My copy was from the library. I often check out a book from the library first, to see if I want to actually buy it.

I bought it today. So did two friends of mine, after I mentioned the title and that I’m finding it very helpful.

The 4-Hour Workweek hit several best-seller lists, and there are a number of reasons why. One is certainly the title. As Lauren said, upon seeing the title, “Who wouldn’t want that?”

I hazard the guess that Tim Ferriss has probably sold a lot of books on his title alone. Why? His title promises something quite compelling that appeals to almost anyone. It gets the imagination going. “What if I could get my work done in only 4 hours per week? What else would I do with my life?”

I love The 4-Hour Workweek. I also find it fascinating as a case study for how to sell books. Ferriss’s blog has a wonderful article about how he got onto the best seller lists. He doesn’t talk about his title per se, but he does talk about the other important ingredient in making a best seller.

You have to deliver on the promise in the content of the book itself. In my opinion, Ferriss definitely does that.

Which brings me to my recipe for a best seller: Compelling title + great content + smart marketing = word of mouth “buzz” and publicity that sells books!

The early-bird special for signing up for “The Irresistible Title: How to Sell Your Book in 4 Seconds or Less ” is about to go away.

Until Wednesday, at 9 p.m. Central, you can still get the discounted price AND the Jump Start Your Book Tool Kit bonus.

There are many ingredients that go into a best-selling book, but one of the most important is title. And coming up with an irresistible title even before you write your book will save you so much time and effort. (more…)

I have posted a new article, in answer to Lorraine’s question from my last teleseminar:

“Does the length of the title make any difference to the salability of the book?”

I did not get to answer her question on the teleseminar, so I wanted to answer this important question now. (more…)

What happened when Suzanne Lieurance and Jerry Willis took my advice from the first teleseminar I did on Choosing Your Best-Selling Title?

You can hear the whole story on the most recent teleseminar I did, in which Suzanne told how she and Jerry found their winning titles and got their blog up and running–all in a matter of 3 weeks!

This could be YOU, by the end of October. (more…)

Last night Suzanne Lieurance shared something amazing on my preview teleseminar on “Choosing Your Best-Selling Title.”

(If you missed it, you can listen to the replay now.)

Suzanne talked about what happened when she and co-author Jerry Willis took my advice on titles.

The short of it is–in 3 weeks time Suzanne and Jerry have nailed down the title, are outlining their book, and have started a blog!

That can be YOU by the end of October. (more…)

The teleseminar on “Choosing Your Best-Selling Title” is TONIGHT.

If you want to ask a question, please ask it now .

Here’s some of what you’ll learn from tonight’s call:

1. At what point in the writing process it’s best to nail down your title. (more…)

A subscriber recently wrote me, asking what’s the best way to start a book?

“Should I just start it?” she asked.

My answer: “Definitely not!”

Jumping in and writing your book without a plan can be a huge waste of time. Besides that, without a good plan, you can easily lose steam and never finish your book at all. Sadly, that happens all too often.

There’s a better way: Nail down a great title first.

My new article goes into more detail. Please read it.

What if you could sell 10,000 books … to just one company?

It does happen. Smart authors do whatever they can to uncover ways to sell books in quantities like this to large companies, who gladly buy them to give away to thier own customers and/or employees.

This is one of the ways the Chichen Soup for the Soul authors were able to gain momentum with thier sales. I think it’s just plain smart. I’m always for ways to leverage time and effort!

If you’d like to find out how to sell 10,000 …20,000… even 100,000 copies of YOUR book to just one company (or a handful of companies), sign up for a special telephone seminar this Thursday, September 20.

Steve Harrison will interview Matthew Bennett, a self-published author who’s still relatively unknown to the general public, yet has sold over 5 million books in quantity to Fortune 500 companies including Disney, Reebok, NBC, Abbott Labs, Pfizer, US Healthplans, Subway and innumerable others.

You don’t have to be on a bestseller list to sell a truckload of books! Do yourself a favor and sign up for the call. I often recommend Steve’s teleseminars because they’re usually very content-rich. You’ll learn a lot!