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.

Dr. Alex Loyd

The last teleseminar interview in the Successful Author Secrets series was one of my favorites, because it was with an author I’ve worked with personally on a book that has changed my life, and is changing the lives of thousands of other people.

Many of them write to me and share their stories of healing of all kinds of issue, not just for themselves but for others as well. You can read some of them at www.thehealingcodeinfo.com.

I’m talking about Dr. Alex Loyd, and his book, The Healing Code: 6 Minutes to Heal the Source of Any Health, Success or Relationship Issue.

The key word here is Source. That is what makes this book so unique.

Dr. Loyd has truly discovered how to heal the source of any issue.

The actual source is something that Solomon wrote about 3000 years ago, and modern science is confirming in study after study. That’s not what’s new.

What’s new is a way to heal the source that, for once, does not require any pills, complicated techniques, or even outside help.

I know it sounds too good to be true, but I challenge you to get the book, which explains how it all works. And not only explains it, but gives you the answer–the way to fix that source of your issues.

Lots more information here, including my own personal experience with this new healing mode. I have a rather dramatic story.  (By the way, it has nothing to do with chakras, meridians, Reiki or anything like that. It is truly its own new healing mode, discovered in 2001 and validated by Heart Rate Variability studies.)

NOTE: If after you listen, you want personalized help using The Healing Code for your issues concerning your book, contact me via email. I will tell you how you can work with a coach on your specific issues.

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…

(It’s what I talk about in my Find Your Publishing Path free teleseminar–path #2 and #3.)

When you’re an author, you have a business card that lasts forever, sharing your message and wisdom with the world. In fact, a book is often your ticket to getting invitations for paid speaking engagements, media attention, information products, higher fees, and a steady stream of clients.

However, writing and marketing a book can be challenging, especially if you don’t know where to begin. Aspiring authors can get bogged down and never finish their books, or, even worse, write a book that no one wants to buy.

I’m really excited about an event happening the month of August, Successful Author Secrets: Navigating the Course from Aspiring Author to Best-seller and Beyond. This ground-breaking program will feature
21 successful authors who will tell you the truth about what it took for them to become successful.

Just imagine learning from author super stars like Michael Gerber, Marci Shimoff, Loral Langmeir, and T. Harv Eker. The best teachers are those who have mastered the task.  These folks are proven master authors who are ready to share valuable information you can use right away. Yes, some have even been on Oprah’s couch. I want to hear about that!

If you are even remotely considering writing a book to build your business, check out the all-star line up of speakers at this on-line event happening in August. And, you can attend for free!

Check it out here.

What, you don’t know what the three publishing paths even are?

Don’t feel bad, few do. Until recently, there weren’t really more than one publishing path.

But as you know if you’ve been reading me at all, things in publishing have changed tremendously.

Now there are three pretty distinct paths of publishing, and if you don’t know what they are and which one you’re on, you could make some pretty bad mistakes.

Like you could even publish the wrong way, spending money you didn’t need to.

Or you could spend years of your life trying to get published one way when another way would save you time and prove much more profitable.

So, I am making available a class I taught awhile ago, at no cost to you. There’s even a Study/Resource Guide available for you to take notes on and refer to.

Go here and find your best publishing path!

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).

Seventeen-year-old Katherine asks, “Exactly what does it take to get published?”

First-time author Kevin sends me his manuscript and wants me to edit it so it can be publishable.

My response to all three people is, “The best thing to do right now is to create a blog and see if anyone is interested in what you have to say and the way you say it.”

Listen carefully, please: Being an author is not what it used to be!

It doesn’t have to necessarily mean having a print book. Not anymore.

Now it means establishing your authority in a credible way and gathering a following.

You can best do that, these days, by having a blog. One that you write regularly for. One that you drive eyeballs to through other means, such as Twitter, Facebook, articles, teleseminars, the media, and a myriad of other kinds of online and offline connections.

With a blog, you can publish for free.  Sorry, Kelsey, there is no such thing as publishing a book for free. Even if you get a publisher to pay you to publish, as in traditional publishing where they pay the publishing costs and give you an advance against royalties, you will have to invest something sometime in marketing and promotion. And it’s extremely difficult for first-time authors to get published in this way–unless they have a platform, that is, a following. So now we’re back to, How do you get a following? Answer: Create a very successful blog.

You can figure out how to create a decent blog by watching how others do it, and a couple I recommend are Jimmy D. Brown, Seth Godin, Michael Hyatt and Alex Mandossian.  If you have no idea how to start a good blog and want expert help, then I highly suggest you take the Wordpress Workshop with Cathy Perkins, The Wordpress Wizard. It starts TODAY, but sessions will be recorded. Cathy will actually give you a student blog to work on during the course, so by the time you’re done, you will have the kind of blog that will establish your credibility.

When you sign up for the workshop, you’ll get two great bonuses from me: the “How to Choose Your Bestselling Title” Special Report (to help you title your blog and book), and a free 30-minute consultation at the end of the course to make sure your blog is also the most effective it can be for an author. Details and signup here.

Blogging is free, it’s a way to test your market and establish your authority. As I said in previous blog posts, it may be THE current way to become an author.

So get a blog, and get published! (Just remember, “author” is no longer limited to “publishing a print book.”)

For many, I know 2009 was a year to forget. So much bad news in the world, and much of hits home.

Yet for me, 2009 was an unexpectedly good year. Despite the economy and the turbulent state of publishing, it was an incredible year for me.

In fact, it was a “turnaround year,” when when the “bamboo” I’d planted and had assiduously watered and cultivated finally took off.

You know I’ve often said (borrowing from Alex Mandossian), success is like bamboo.

Bamboo grows silently in the ground for 4 years. Not a sign of life.

Then, in the fifth year, a shoot pops up. In that one year, it grows 80-90 feet tall!

2009 became my “bamboo year.” Around halfway through the year, the shoot popped up. I’m talking about my business and personal life–everything.

The things that contributed to my success are eminently duplicatable, I’m happy to say. I’m not just “lucky.” Luck has nothing to do with it. I’ve just discovered some resources and principles that have made all the difference–especially when used together.

I teach some of what I’ve learned in my Author Success Plan course, which if you don’t yet have, by all means get it.

I will be sharing more of what I’ve discovered in the coming days and weeks.

For now, I’ll just tell you about one of the key resources that has made a difference to me.

If you don’t already have a website that:

• people can find easily because it gets high search engine ranking
• is easy to set up and maintain, and doesn’t involve all kinds  of plugins and updating as blogs do
• does not require a webmaster to keep going
• allows you to add fresh content at will
• is secure from hackers (without having to take a course on how to, as I did for my blog)

… then you might want to check out the software I’ve been using for 5 years that’s as easy to use as MS Word.

This material will shave YEARS off of the learning curve as well as time and money you would invest in any other way of getting your website up and running smoothly.

Believe me, I know. I have both Wordpress blogs and this software, and hands down I prefer this. The only advantages to a blog are that people can comment, and if you want a membership site, you can use Wishlist Member software to convert it.

Otherwise, stick with Paul Smithson’s course and software. Both are absolutely topnotch. One of the best products I’ve ever invested in. And it was truly an investment, paying me back many times over.

Not only is this award-winning software for an extremely good price, but the customer service is great. Within the first 90 days, they will help you with anything you need to know to get your site up and running–within 24 hours– at no extra cost.

For me, customer service is a big indicator of the true quality of a company and product. I’m happy to report that the service has been excellent in the 5 years I’ve been using the product. First, I’ve hardly had to contact them. Second, when I have, the response has been speedy and the service excellent.

There is also an extremely extensive course on how to build a profitable website that’s top-notch. To see what the course has to offer, go here.

To see the features of the software, go here.

Again, happy new year! I’ll do my best to make it a “bamboo year” for you as an author. That’s my pledge!

You’ve heard that before from me.

I’m writing TODAY–and I’d like you to act right away on this–because Cathy Perkins is giving a class tonight on how to make money with your blog.

The class starts tonight, and if you can be on the live call, there will be a bonus.

But even if you open this too late, or have another commitment, you can still sign up and you will be able to listen to the recording. At your convenience. Again and again.

This class is very inexpensive–only $25. You will get specific strategies you can put to use tomorrow (if you already have a blog).

I rearranged my schedule to be there myself tonight. Hope you can join me!