You can see the marketing problem of every business just by glancing at the plight of the typical author.

Once a year, once every other year, he has to come out of his university office/hovel/apartment/rural enclave and go on the road. He has to do Leonard Lopate and the Today show, a spate of blogs, book readings, Tedx appearances and sleep on whatever couch he can find, use whatever media will have him.

Why?

To reach strangers. To reach people who, if they only knew about the book, would gladly buy it, read it, share it, listen to it, download it.

Selling a book to friends is a totally different story. You send an email to your fans and you’re done. You blog it on your blog or tweet about it once or twice and you’re done.

Selling [a book] to strangers… that’s getting harder and harder and less effective every day.

The old model of marketing books is what Seth describes. Still, mainstream publishers are doing it–though less and less often.

It truly IS easier to sell to friends. So, where should you put your book marketing efforts?

(Hint: It’s one word, and something else I learned from Seth Godin, that I mention here.)

Here’s what I answered:

Author 101 University is excellent. I’ve been to some of Rick’s sessions and heard many of the speakers  over the years. They are all excellent.

If you want to be on the “career author” path, it’s especially worthwhile. (Listen to my “Find Your Publishing Path” teleseminar sometime to discern which path is best for you.)

Rick and many of the other speakers have been around for years. They have the benefit of experience YET they are also on the cutting edge of publishing today.

Check out the speakers and sign up:  www.allaboutgettingpublished.com. NOTE: You can bring a friend for free, so you split the cost. Plus it’s much nicer to have another author buddy to compare notes with, spur each other on, etc. Just the sort of offer I’d expect from Rick Frishman.

I also recommend it because to get the free ebook, you need to subscribe to Seth’s blog, The Domino Project, where you’ll find information on this new publishing approach is and how it works.

His stated goals:

• To reinvent the way books are created when the middleman is made less important.
• To reinvent the way books are purchased when the tribe is known and embraced.
• To reinvent the way books are read when the alternatives are so much easier to find.
• To find and leverage great ideas and great authors, bringing them to readers who need them.

Read the rest of his article to understand why he believes change must happen in publishing, and how he plans to fix the problems.

Will Seth Godin change the face of publishing?  Look at his partners so far: Amazon for distribution, sponsors like GE for his marketing. Look at his model: partnering, spreading ideas, reaching his audience, solving problems.

What do you think?

There were at least 250 people signed up, and around 50 on the call. That may not seem like much, but actually it’s very good, considering the size of her list and the fact that most physical, in-store book signings don’t get nearly that many people. Many more people will listen to the replay–and pass on the word to friends.

Now that the VBT is finished, the author has a tool which she can use to market her book, find and develop her audience, and build a list of people who are interested in her message. In fact, I’ve identified 26 ways one can use a teleseminar Virtual Book Tour to build a list of loyal followers who will buy the book, tell other people about it, and come back to the author for more of the message. (Provided the author use the VBT in the ways I suggest.)

Not incidentally, this author got a call from a major magazine and did an interview, which appeared in the magazine. VBTs are great for generating interest from the media.

More recently, I conducted another Virtual Book Tour with another first-time author. There were 500 people on that call; nearly 2500 signed up. We sold a lot of books, and continue to sell them.

Contrast this with the experience of a friend of mine, a successful author of eight novels and several nonfiction books (all by mainstream publishers). After a two-month book tour for her newly released books, with various speaking engagements interspersed, she completely collapsed from exhaustion.

Were the book tours successful in terms of sales? I didn’t have the heart to ask after she used “abysmal” to refer to one of them.

These true incidents portray the difference between two approaches to publishing and promoting books, what I now consider the “old era” of publishing.

Publishing is changing, big time! We may or may not like it, but we can’t escape it.

Technology is altering everything, for better or worse.  When you understand where things are going, you’re in a better position to make choices that are right for you.

I happen to think many of the changes are for the better, and that now may be the BEST time to be an author.

Read on for seven ways publishing is changing for authors and publishers alike.

Dr. Alex Loyd, author of the bestselling The Healing Code

I would love for you to attend my Virtual Book Tour (live on October 28, 2010  or via replay) for two reasons.

One, to get a feel for how a Virtual Book Tour works, so you can perhaps think about whether something like this can work for your book. Experiencing it for yourself will help you know what your readers will experience, and hearing the author being interviewed can help you know how to present yourself and your book.

So it’s a “learn about book marketing” event, on one level.

I’d also like you to attend for the topic itself.

You’ve heard me talk about The Healing Code before, no doubt.

Maybe you’ve investigated it for yourself, or maybe you’re skeptical.

The subtitle promises a lot: “6 Minutes to Heal the Source of Any Health, Success, or Relationship Issue.”

So in this interview, I intend to ask Dr. Alex Loyd to answer skeptics’ questions.

Such as:

* What is a Healing Code?

* How was it discovered?

* Is “The Healing Code” similar to other energy techniques, such as EFT or Reiki?

* How exactly does The Healing Code heal “any health, relationship or success issue”?

* Is there any scientific evidence to validate The Healing Code?

* Does The Healing Code work on ____ (ALS, cancer, diabetes, etc.)?

* How long does it take for The Healing Code to work?

* Can a person do The Healing Code for someone else?

Ask your own question, sign up here.

This book soared to #1 in 8 categories at amazon.com in just a few weeks. I checked today: It ranks #4 in Stress Management and #4 in Stress (separate categories), #5 in Religion & Spirituality (it is NOT an occult book, however), and #615 in Books overall.

It’s in its 5th printing, which may well be sold out tonight. (Keep this in mind as you attend.)

And honestly, we’ve been so busy dealing with the success of it–including offers from all the top 5 publishers–that we’ve done little marketing. (The publisher, Intermedia, however, has done a bangup job of getting the word out.)

It’s taking off because people buy it, try it, and find it works. Then they tell their friends about it.

So find out what all the hoopla is about, ask your question, and learn about marketing AND how to heal the true source of your issues.

Can’t make the live interview? Signing up will give you access to the replay–and the 60+ page excerpt, and the special bonuses available. Which will be the subject of another marketing lesson. See if you want pick it up before I tell you. (That would be marketing lesson #3….)

He’s very successful now. But it wasn’t always that way. Here’s his “rags to riches” story, in his own words.

Be encouraged by it.

And–take note, there is a gift at the end you won’t want to miss.

What $12.95 Can Mean

Early in our marriage, my wife and I got deeply into credit card debt. (I’m talking tens of thousands of dollars in debt at 18% interest.) We had a combined annual income of just under $30,000 and couldn’t pay our monthly bills.

We had to charge electric bills, food and other necessities on our credit cards because we were so far off budget due to the debt.  When we made a $800 payment to the credit card, about $650 of it went directly to interest payment.
We did the math:  making the minimum monthly payment (which was growing!),  it would take almost 70 years to pay off.

Things weren’t looking good.

Then, something happened:  I made $12.95.

Ten years ago a $12.95 order came through a secure order form at my website. It was for a small information product that I had put together which taught how to earn affiliate commissions with X.com (which later became Paypal).

I had to manually process that order on a credit card machine that I used for a small gift shop I owned in my home town. When the order came in, I hand typed the numbers and expiration date and then “batched” out the order at the
end of the day.

The memory of my wife and I dancing in the small living room of our small home over that $12.95 order is still vivid in my mind.   We were so excited!  I had generated a sale completely online.  It wasn’t much money, but it was a
start.

Paula was a few months pregnant with our soon to be firstborn son.  My hope was to get this Internet business up and running so she could quit teaching and stay home as a full-time mom.

Little did I know at the time how dramatically our lives would change as a result of that first $12.95.

I stepped out on faith, sold my retail store and went “full-time” as an internet marketer.  That was ten years ago this month.  That’s when I launched ProfitsVault.com.  That $12.95 turned into a six-figure income my first full year
in business.  And that six-figure income has grown to numbers so far beyond my expectation that I still have trouble believing our good fortune.

Paula, by the way, resigned as a teacher and has been a full-time mom ever since.  She’s in her fifth year as Jacob’s homeschool teacher, and loving (almost) every minute of it.

I’ve been blessed.  Like it, don’t like it … God has been good to me.  During the past ten years the Lord has not only blessed us with a lot of income, but with some WONDERFUL friends that have come into our lives as a result of this
business.

We have no debt now.  Our home is paid for.  Our vehicles are paid for. We travel a lot, do a lot of mission work and help people around the world.
Thank God!

Ten years later, our lives are much different.  That’s what we’re celebrating this week … not just ten years online, but the result of those ten years:  freedom from debt, flexibility to do what we want.

That’s our story.

I hope it encourages, inspires and challenges you to create your own story!

Let me give you a nugget of truth to hold onto that may help…

Leading up to this ten year milestone, many people have asked me the question: what do you do differently now than you did back then?

With all that’s changed (I certainly don’t hand key in credit card numbers anymore , much of what I do has remained the same.  When Armand Morin interviewed me back in 2003, I explained the process that I had been using for three years at that point.  Seven years later, I’m still using it…

1. Create an offer.
2. Mention it to my subscribers and lists.
3. Invite affiliates and partners to promote it.

While there are a lot of variables – and, to be sure, many of those variables have morphed into new things – the core foundation that my business is built on is unchanged.

I share that because one of the things I’m convinced of is this:  the reason most people fail in this business is because they abandon their foundation and attempt to try “every new thing” that comes along.

Sure, there is a time to experiment.  There is a time to tweak.  There is a time to try new things and fine-tune old things.

My challenge to you is this:  keep things simple.  Find something that generates revenue and then duplicate it.  I’m a big believer in this advice that I regularly pass on…

*** Strip everything down to as FEW steps as
possible to get the job done well. ***

You want to do the MINIMUM amount of activities as you can in order to achieve the result you want.  Everything else is a distraction.  Everything else is taking away time from the things you started this business to free yourself up to do!

I’d rather be playing tennis or serving on the foreign mission field than experimenting with some new “idea of the week.”

Thanks for the advice, Jimmy!

And if you want to learn the 10 Lessons from 10 Years in Business Jimmy is passing on for free, go here to either view the video, listen to the audio, download the transcript–or all three!

As usual, Jimmy offers a lot of great content, in a way that makes you believe, “Hey, I can do this!”

This is one series you’ll want to add to your library and really STUDY. Takes notes, for they chart a pathway to author success based on real life.  So far they’ve covered how to Claim Your Expertise.

I’ve listened to two of the three so far and all were excellent! (Sorry, Andrea Lee, I’ll have to catch yours on the replay later–the weather derailed all ability to listen).

I encourage you to sign up for your free pass now–so YOU won’t miss any more.

Especially since tonight (August 5), they start on Step Two: Expand Your Vision.

The guest will be none other than Michael Gerber, definitely a thought leader and best-selling author qualified to expand your Vision!!

You can catch some of the highlights from my Tweets about it, which I wrote as I was listening.

More will be forthcoming tonight…

I

Why?

Because I heard a great interview by the author on the radio. I knew I had to get his book.

Alex Mandossian often said, “You don’t make money writing books, you make money explaining books.”

Test it for yourself.

Think about the last time you bought a book. Wasn’t it either because someone recommended it, or because you somehow heard the author talking about it and it seemed interesting to you?

Notice too the viral element. I’m telling you about it, and word is going out via my blog, emails, Twitter, Facebook. All because of one interview! (And no, I do not work for the publisher. They don’t know I’m doing this, but I would love a review copy, hint hint!)

Check out my past Virtual Book Tours and see if you’re not at least tempted to get one of the books. Just browse the left-hand column for an author or topic that interests you. I’ve got lots of topics to choose from, from leadership to parenting to health. www.virtualbooktourexpert.com

The book, by the way, is Richard Swenson’s In Search of Balance: Keys to a Stable Life. I took notes on the interview, and can’t wait to read the book. It’s a topic I’ve been thinking about a lot, and Dr. Swenson’s other book, Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives, was excellent. Life-changing, really (though I admit, I need to go back to it).

Why is a topic for another blog post….

However, there’s a right and a wrong way to do this.

Wrong way: Add a general comment that means nothing, just to get a link. Also bad: commenting on blogs that have nothing to do with your topic.

I regularly get comments such as this one, which just came in today: “wow i didn’t think of that! thanks for sharing your knowledge ” It was in response to the post, “”It’s a New Era in Publishing–Are You Ready?” but the commenter was from the  Asia Pacific Network Information Centre and I knew it was just a ploy to get a link. (Or worse. Who can keep up with all the nefarious Web activity out there?)

Fortunately, with Wordpress you can moderate the comments. I called this Spam. He will never get my link!

Right way: Make an intelligent comment (or just a sincerely nice one) on a blog that speaks to the same audience you do. The blog owner will be more than happy to add your comment, and you may get someone visit your site. At the least, you’ll get a relevant link to your site, which will help in the search engine ranking.

If you like this post (or any other here), leave me a good comment, and I’ll be happy to help you get traffic!

J

I was very impressed with the way they are going about the launch, which you can view here. Please view it in your browser after reading this post, and you’ll have an example of what I consider to be a “book launch” with panache–something you can model for your own.

What I like about it is, first, it’s not full of hype. Even the clean look of the site adds to this feel.  (The actual topic is incredible enough, it doesn’t need any more hype. This truly works–I’ve tested it for 3 years,  my own testimonial can be viewed here, and I’ve seen it work wonders with many, many other people as well–including my 78-year-old mother.)

Second, they give you a couple of free videos whether you buy anything or not. Yes, they are building their mailing list, but with integrity. The videos add to the value of the book  (and yes, the desire to get it) in an honest way. (The Dr. Bruce Lipton video is in 7 parts, at least 70 minutes long.)

Third, you get truly valuable bonuses: access to a teleconference series, “Secrets of Dynamic Living,” as well as other bonuses. Classy bonuses, related to the book’s topic, from people who truly know about The Healing Code and want to promote it. Not a bunch of no-value bonuses from everyone under the sun.

So check out the launch page, buy the book, enjoy the bonuses.

And if you want to read an excerpt, you can do that here. Note: If you missed out on the launch, you may still get the book and the bonuses, but only here (my special, which includes free shipping and bonuses of my own, as well as the ones offered on launch day).