One of my subscribers sent me a link to an article on the unique writing rituals of 20 acclaimed authors, and it got me thinking about whether I have any rituals myself.

Though I don’t do it just before writing, I write “morning pages” every single morning, as a way to both “mind dump” and “prime the pump.”  I believe this practice of writing morning pages is one of the reasons why I never have writer’s block. Ever.

The other reasons I don’t have writer’s block stem from a couple of other techniques I learned years ago. I talked about them all in my class, “Writing Secrets Revealed.” You can learn more here. If you too took up these simple practices, I believe you will come to find writing about as natural as breathing. (And even more enjoyable.)

Share your own “writing rituals” or ways you overcome writer’s block below, please.

His information is always solid. Tomorrow, he is going to talk about the seven things rich authors do that poor authors do not do.

After working with 9,300+ authors over the last 20 years, Steve Harrison has learned rich authors simply do seven key things differently than poor authors.

What you’ll discover on the call will arguably be the most important information you’ve ever heard about publishing.

I realize that’s quite a promise, but I’m totally serious. You’ll discover things like:

• Why the seven key differences between rich authors and poor authors aren’t obvious things like getting publicity or having a good title (though those things are important).
• The ’secret reasons’ behind bestsellers like Rich Dad Poor Dad, The Purpose Driven Life and The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.
• Why understanding the rich authors’ strategies is critical even if you don’t really care about money and just want to share your message with others.
• * How rich authors overcome the many problems and frequent obstacles of the bookstore distribution system.
• The ‘unfair advantage’ rich authors use to win the publishing game which 99.9% of all authors don’t know anything about.
• How you can use the rich authors’ secrets to make a nice living from your book even if you only sell 10,000 copies and never get booked on Oprah (not that you shouldn’t try!).
• An incredibly simple thing you should immediately do to dramatically increase the profit you make from every book.

To register for the 75-minute teleseminar, go here now: http://www.WhatRichAuthorsDoDifferently.com

Who knows … this may be the a phone call that changes your life!

Some who have followed me for some time have wondered why they haven’t heard from me for a while.

There have been a number of reasons for that, the chief one being, I now have so many clients, mostly as a Healing Codes Coach-Practitioner, that I’ve had little time for keeping up with publishing and writing.

(You can read more about “my story” at http://www.DianeEble.com if you are interested.)

But I don’t want to leave you hanging without some good coaching on publishing matters.

I still feel the same passion I always did to keep any author or aspiring author from the many traps out there designed to prey on your desire to become an author, yet that only cost you money, time, and heartache.

Therefore,

after much thought and prayer, I have decided that I will be able to best support you in two ways:

1. by helping you to heal any blocks that may keep you from being or becoming the successful author you can be, and
2. by coming alongside you as a trusted adviser to let you know which products, services, and people really will help you become a successful author. I have followed people over the years and know who the real pros are that you will want to listen to. There are many good people who can teach you publishing matters. When you do hear from me, it will be to point out only GOOD information from people you can trust.

I hope that this helps you understand where I am now, and how I can best support your efforts to be a successful author–a goal I share with you!

Perhaps your goal is to share your message and positively impact the lives of others.

Maybe you want to create new income streams or position yourself as an expert to attract more customers as well as media coverage, speaking and consulting engagements.

No matter your goals, nobody’s more qualified to show you how to become a successful author than Jack Canfield.

Co-creator of the ‘Chicken Soup for the Soul’ series and other books, Jack has launched 47 New York Times bestsellers with over 500 million copies in print worldwide.

Jack recently teamed up with Steve Harrison, who has helped more than 12,000 authors promote
their books, to create several free training videos.

Here’s some of what you’ll discover on the free training video:

• 8 critical things you need to know to become a successful author.
• How to get started writing your book (and the common mistake that causes many authors to take forever getting it finished).
• What it takes to hit the New York Times bestseller list (and how to get there).
• The Author’s Money Tree and often-overlooked ways to profit from your book.
• The strategy you can copy which provided $24,000/month in much-needed cash flow in Jack’s early days.
• 10 keys to creating a successful book before you even finish writing it.
• Right and wrong ways to use social media to share your message and sell books.
• The ‘bypass marketing’ strategy that made’Chicken Soup for the Soul’ a huge hit.
• How to get celebrities to endorse your book.
• Not-so-obvious traits of bestselling books.
• How to make your book ‘mediagenic’ so it naturally attracts publicity.
• … and MUCH more

Go here now to claim your free author training:

I know you’ll enjoy the videos and look forward to hearing how they help you become a (more) successful author. I’m thrilled to be a compensated affiliate for this program because I know it will really help you. (Remember, I only promote those few people I really believe in. I’ve followed both these men for years, and their advice is top notch!)

Music has a piracy problem. People want to listen to as much music as possible, all day. Most people aren’t reading much at all, let alone reading your book. Seth Godin says, “I’ve written several free ebooks (here’s one) and even when I want unlimited piracy, it doesn’t happen.)

What is it you really want? Isn’t it for people to read your book?

Sure, you want to sell it and make a lot of money. But if that’s your primary goal, I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed. Most books just don’t make you a lot of money. Also, if you’re paranoid that other people might steal your content, again you’ll be disappointed.

Few people will go to the trouble of stealing your content outright. And if they really want to, they will find a way.

What people who love your content will do is share it. Yes, they may do so in a way that robs you of a few cents.

The question is, would you rather be read, or safe in obscurity?

Make sure you read the comments on the PW article.

Find out the truth about whom you’re dealing with. Buyer beware!

Answer: “You have to write a book proposal an editor will read and say yes to.”

How do you do that?

You get “inside information” from someone who knows the publishing business.

My friend, Terry Whalin, has been in the publishing business for over 25 years. One of the keys (which no one controls) is making the right connection with the right person at the right time and the right place.

While you can’t control that element, you CAN be actively working to learn all that you can about how to make the best possible pitch.

Within the publishing community, the devil is in the details. For example, several years ago when he was a fiction acquisitions editor, he could only acquire a few novels each year. One of the key rejection tools that Terry used was the word count. If the writer didn’t tell him their word count,  the proposal was rejected. If their word count was outside of the typical range for novels, it was rejected. The writers received a polite “thanks but no thank you” rejection letter and never knew they had missed the mark. It wasn’t Terry’s task to inform them of what was missing.

Terry wants to help deepen your understanding of how editors and agents REALLY make their decisions about your proposals and pitches. Remember editors and agents don’t read manuscripts. They read book proposals.

He has developed a 12-week training course on how to write a book proposal. It is at
http://BookProposalsThatSell.com.

You can get the first lesson and start training today.

On Thursday, February 2nd at 8 p.m. EST or 5 p.m. PST, Terry is going to be answering your questions in a free 70-minute teleseminar. You can sign up and ask him any question about proposal creation and proposal marketing here.

In addition, Terry has created a special free Ebook for everyone who signs up at the teleseminar:  BOOK PROPOSAL BASICS. You can get this  24-page Ebook packed with content when you sign up.

If you can’t make the time of the call, please go ahead and sign up anyway. The entire teleseminar will be recorded and EVERYONE  who signs up will receive an email with the replay link. Also if you sign up, you will be able to download the FREE special report right away. This report is loaded with valuable advice. So sign up and learn from the publishing insider who has rejected–and accepted–hundreds of proposals and knows what sells!

As you look ahead to a new year, do you feel hope in your heart, or fear?

For many, fear is the predominant feeling.  So much bad news in the world, and much of hits home.

Yet I want to say, hang on to hope. I’ve had many very “dry” years. Yet, I hung on to hope, even when I could not see how things could possibly change.

Well, they did. For me, 2010 was an amazing year. Despite the economy and the turbulent state of publishing, it was an incredible year for me.

In fact, it was a year 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 fourth  year, shoots pop up. In the fifth year, it grows 80-90 feet tall!

2009 was like my “fourth” year. Around midyear, the shoots popped up. I’m talking about my business and personal life–everything. This past year, they really took off.

I’m telling you this to give you hope. The things that contributed to my success are eminently duplicatable–by anyone.  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 many of the principles in my Author Success Plan course. If you don’t have it, by all means get it.

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

As for the resources,  I’ll just tell you about one of the key tools that has made a difference to me. It’s absolutely the place to start.

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 9 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.

Hang on to hope.  I’ll do my best to make it a “bamboo year” for you as an author. That’s my pledge!

While I’m always wary of corporations controlling things, seems like the security of DRM is a good thing for authors. I’m ALWAYS for protecting intellectual property rights. We authors get so little as it is, and it’s still too easy to rip us off.

Digital books are here to stay. So are printed books. I’m encouraged by the comments that some people read more than ever because of E-book readers. As an author, I want my book out in as many formats as possible.

What’s your take? Comment below.

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.)