Archive for the ‘Productivity tips’ Category

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My (Half-Serious) Analysis of the Cause of the Economic Crisis

Saturday, September 26th, 2009

Permit me this rant. See if you can find a common denominator.

OK, so I get an email from Facebook saying, “You haven’t been back to Facebook recently. You have received notifications while you were gone.” (Naughty me!)

So I click on the link. Ask trusty Roboform to fill in the password etc. Didn’t work.

Strange. It always did work. It worked on Tweetdeck.

So I click around some other ways and FINALLY get into Facebook. (Somehow, don’t ask me what finally worked.)

So, where are these friend requests? Not a clue. I click Friends and see I have some Suggestions. I click on some people I know I’d like to be friends with. Every time I click, I have to

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Posted in Productivity tips | 5 Comments »

How to Keep Your Sites and Computer Secure

Wednesday, July 15th, 2009

If you’re not absolutely sure your blog, computer, or other web sites are secure, I urge you to RIGHT NOW check this course out.

It’s the WordPress Blog Security Strategies class taught by Cathy Perkins, “the WordPress Wizard,” now in a home study version.

You will be able to get your Action Guides, listen to the class when it’s convenient to you, and/or read the transcript.

Lest you think keeping your sites secure is scary “techie” stuff, let me reassure you.

I’m not at all technical, and I was able to follow everything. Cathy gives screen shots of every single little step you have to do, so there’s absolutely NOTHING intimidating about this.

It will give you the peace of mind of knowing that no hacker will be able to get at your sites.

Having had my blogs hacked twice now, I can tell you,

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Reflections on Being “Unconnected”

Wednesday, May 27th, 2009

For the past 6 days, I have been unable to access the Internet, except for a brief, inexplicable time when the DSL connection worked for a few hours, then went bad again.

It’s been very frustrating, but enlightening.

Frustrating because, of course, so much of what I do is dependent on being able to hook up to the Internet. Whether it’s research, email, Twitter, connecting to the various accounts that allow me to get my work done, I must be connected or I’m “up a creek without a paddle,” as the cliché goes.

It’s also been an enlightening experience because

(more…)

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Much Easier Way to Create a Great Website than a Blog …

Monday, May 4th, 2009

I just took about an hour to get a new page for one of my Wordpress blogs (www.abundantgiftsblog.com) looking the way I wanted it.

It would have taken me 5 minutes at most to do the same thing in XSite Pro, the web design software I use for most of my sites.

People keep telling me WordPress blogs are better, so easy to use.

My experience has been: I could not even have a WP blog without Cathy Perkins, “the wordpress wizard.” I listen to her free weekly teleseminars and without those, and her expert help when needed, I’d be lost.

On the other hand, I’ve had very few issues with XSP. I can put up a web site in minutes. This one I put up in 10 minutes. The template came with the program. It was a matter of copying and pasting the copy I’d already written in Word. (And unlike copying and pasting from Word to a WP blog, I have little to no issues with formatting.)

What about search engine ranking with XSP vs. WordPress? (more…)

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Posted in Productivity tips | 2 Comments »

What It Takes to Succeed as An Author

Wednesday, October 8th, 2008

Seth Godin has a great blog post called, “Is Effort a Myth?” Read it and ponder this: “Am I willing to do what it takes to succeed as an author, or am I hoping for luck?”

There’s a reason some people get published and others don’t, and usually it has to do with the fact that published authors have put in the effort to gain expertise, build an audience, and actually write the book or get a good ghost writer to write it. They go through the work of putting together a good proposal, they don’t quit when they get rejected, or they self-publish intelligently.

My goal with this blog and my other resources is to give you the tools that can lead to your becoming a successful author. However, a hammer does no good in itself. Only in the hand of the carpenter does it hit the nail on the head.

Read Seth’s blog. To suggestion #2, I would amend, if you want to become a successful author, spend your 120 minutes:

  • writing an article and posting it to article directories
  • coming up with some free “Special Report” on your topic that you can give away to start relationships with people (ask them for their email addresses to get the report)
  • setting up a blog and writing 2-3 times per week
  • finding other people who are already talking about your topic (Ning groups, Yahoo groups, blogs) and enter the conversation by posting. Put your Special Report offer in your email signature line when you do post.

Everything else, listen to Seth!

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Posted in Productivity tips | 2 Comments »

If You’re Overwhelmed and Overloaded by Information about Internet Marketing, Here’s an Answer …

Tuesday, August 5th, 2008

If you’re on information overload…

wanting to learn how to successfully market your book and/or other information online …

confused and suspicious of all the so-called gurus out there and wondreing whom to trust …

read on for one of the HANDFUL of people and courses I can recommend without reservation.

What You Really Need is

(more…)

Posted in , Marketing Your Book, Productivity tips, Resources | No Comments »

“Can I Build a Website If I Know Nothing about Websites?”

Friday, July 25th, 2008

Here’s a question from this blog I’d like to answer. (Ask your question in the box to the right.)

Helen asks:

“I am a teacher working with kindergarten children for 50 years. I would like to publish books relating to children and others. I have no knowledge how to start. Can XSite Pro help me who knows nothing about website or the internet? Please advise, Helen”

My answer:

One of the great things about XSite Pro web design software is that

(more…)

Posted in Productivity tips, Resources, Writing/Publishing/Promoting Questions Answered | 2 Comments »

How to Save Money on Web Site Creation and Management

Sunday, July 6th, 2008

If you’re interested in creating easy web sites, read on.

Otherwise, move on. I know your time is precious.

Sunday at 3.p.m ET is the last webinar to explain how XSite Pro web design software can help you build great-looking, search-engine optimized sites fast.

I was thinking about how much money XSite Pro has saved me.

I spent $110 to get the basic web site for Words to Profit designed (via someone at elance.com that a friend recommended).

And … that’s it!

With the basic design for www.wordstoprofit.com, I could create the variation you see as the header to this blog.

Then, I decided it made more sense to change the header for two of my sites, from Words to Profit design to Your Book Publishing Coach:
http://www.writingsecretsrevealed.com
http://www.writeyourbookrightnow.com

It took four clicks to change, save, and publish each site; 1 minute 22 seconds for the whole process.

And I did not need any web master to do it.

If you like the templates you’ll get with V2 (full sites, sales letters, product pages), you won’t even need a designer. Attend the webinar or just watch the video to see all the things you get “out of the box.”

If you already have a header or logo, you can just use that.

What I did NOT have to spend anything on:

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Build Your Web Site Quickly, Easily, Inexpensively (The Best Software I Own)

Saturday, June 28th, 2008

A reader who listened to my Resource Roundup #1 teleseminar asked about whether I used the web site creation program I recommend, XSite Pro website design software, for www.wordstoprofit.com, and what I thought of it.

That got me going, because XSite Pro web design software is one of the BEST programs I’ve EVER used. I could not do my online work without it!

Last week, I created the following web sites in a matter of minutes:

I also made a new site out of what was a page on my site:
http://www.virtualbooktourexpert.com

I use XSP for almost all my sites, except my blogs. Here are a few examples:

(This Your Book Publishing Coach blog and my www.abundantgiftsblog.com blog are WordPress. I do like WordPress, too, but honestly–it’s easier to work with XSP.)

I just upgraded to Version 2 of XSite Pro. The latest version seems amazing, and I already think XSP is amazing. To read my full review of this software that, in my opinion, is the best software I’ve ever bought, click here. I actually describe and demonstrate some of the tasks you can do, and tell how long it took me to do them.

To get straight to the web page for XSite Pro, go here. I read every word of that site with my usual skeptic hat on. Honestly, none of it is hype. The program does all it says it does.

There are some webinars coming up that will make even clearer all you can do with this program. Check it out and sign up here.

If you want to create web sites where you can post your own articles (search engines love this), sell your products, and get known–easily, quickly, without even having to understand how blogs work–get this program. Honestly, it’s one of the best products I’ve ever bought in my life. Certainly the best software package. (The most profitable one, too!)

Posted in Productivity tips, Resources, Writing, publishing, promoting books | 1 Comment »

Learn What Makes a Winning Book Proposal, and about Writing Children’s Books and Fiction

Thursday, June 26th, 2008

My friend and colleague Terry Whalin has been busy doing some terrific teleseminars I thought you would want to know about.

Tonight, he’s doing one on book proposals. There will be a replay, if you get this late, so head on over to www.askterrywhalin.com.

There you can ask your question, listen to the live call or replay, and download a great new Ebook he just created, his Book Proposals
That Sell Extra Special Report. I’ve seen it, and it’s a goldmine of
valuable info on book proposals, writing–you name it.

It’s also well worth the $40 to access the interviews he did with 8 top publishing professionals. Why? Because you’d never in a million years have access to these people yourself, and I doubt they’d be as honest as they were with Terry. Each editor or publisher gave a slightly different perspective on what they look for in a book proposal. Check it out.

If you’re interested in writing Christian fiction or writing for children, you can catch the replay of the call Terry did last week with editor and author Andy McGuire at www.askandymcguire.com. Listen to the questions Andy answered from the teleseminar–it’s very enlightening.

Posted in News, Productivity tips, Resources, Writing, publishing, promoting books | No Comments »

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