Dr. Alex Loyd

Tonight is the last teleseminar in the Successful Author Secrets series. And it may well be the linchpin that makes or breaks everything else you may have heard.

It’s been quite a series! I have gleaned so much from all the speakers–great nuggets that can be put into action to make a real difference in my success (and yours, as I pass them on to you).

Tonight, however, may be the most important of them all.

Tonight you’ll find out how to heal whatever it is that’s stopping you from attaining the success you dream of.

If you sense that you are not where you could be, that there’s been something holding you back, then you must take time to listen tonight or tomorrow to the replay.

Without what you’ll learn tonight, you might as well throw out the window anything else you’ve learned. Anything I or anyone else tell you about how to become a successful author will be worthless if you are cut off from the power to use it.

Tonight you’ll find out what it is that cuts you off from that power, and how to unleash it.

The speaker happens to be one of my favorite people in the world, as I’ve gotten to know him. (Just was at his home this weekend, in fact!)

His name is Dr. Alex Loyd, he’s the author of the book you’ve heard me mention a lot, The Healing Code.

It’s in its 4th printing now; in less than 3 months, it’s sold almost 15,000 copies. Made it to #1 on amazon in 5 categories, including General Books.

Why?

Because The Healing Code gets at the source of any health, relationship, or success issue.

(The book explains how, and you can get it, plus personal helps from me right away, at www.thehealingcodeinfo.com. You can also download a 60+ page excerpt.)

People who get it and use it, are already buying copies for their loved ones and passing on the word.

Tonight Dr. Loyd will reveal how authors specifically can heal the source of what might be holding them back from the success they deserve.

I hope you can listen. Sign up now.

Around 5 years ago, I heard a teleseminar with Dr. Loyd that proved to be a huge turning point in my life.

Perhaps this will be the same for you.

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.

Master copywriter John Forde, whose email newsletter is always worth reading, wrote an article about plagiarism I’d like to share.  While he’s speaking to copywriters (those who write persuasively, to sell), what he shares is very applicable to authors of content in general.

Take it away, John! (Oh, and let me add this: John said I could use this with his blessing, as long as I tell people to go on over to The Copywriter’s Roundtable to get $78 worth of free gifts. Which I’m happy to do!)

Warning: You Might Be a Copy Thief And Not Even Know It

by John Forde

“Good writers borrow.
Great writers steal.”

- Oscar Wilde… er… Mark Twain… uh

Are you a copy thief?

Forgive what sounds like an accusation … but there’s a chance you might be and not
even realize it.

See, A few years ago, I ran an article from a lawyer friend … and was blown away by the response.

Seemed then and it seems now that a lot of you guys wonder, just where is that line when it comes to what you can “borrow” for a piece of copy?

Well, I’ve just stumbled across a New York Times article on the same topic.

And it turns out, the way the digital age has evolved, the confusion over what’s legit to re-use in one’s writing may be more pressing than ever.

DO GREAT WRITERS REALLY “STEAL?”

To look at the quote above, you might think that if a literary like Oscar Wilde could get behind a little larceny, surely it’s not such a big deal … right?

Only, it turns out it wasn’t Oscar Wilde who said that. It was Mark Twain. Or so some say.

Of course others say it was H.L. Mencken. Or T.S. Elliot. Or a playwright named Philip Massinger.

Or maybe Picasso, who said it instead about art. Then again, some say that was Salvador Dali.

And then where’s what the “other” Twain-like American humorist, Josh Billings, once said: “The most originality any writer can hope to achieve honestly is to steal with good judgment.”

Whoever said it, you’d think a tsunami of respectability like that gives you leeway.

But does it really?

Alas, no.

THE NEW CRIME: DIGITAL PILFERING

Let me be clear … I learned to write copy by imitation. And I steal copy from myself every time I come back and write again for products I’ve sold before.

What’s more, about every six months I come across something brilliant by another writer. And I study that so I can clear from — and yes — imitate that too.

I even jam my best copy with all kinds of stats, ideas, and whole quotes from people who found pieces of proof it would otherwise take me weeks or months to find on my own.

I don’t lose sleep over any of it. It’s all legit and ethically on the up and up. Not to mention, it’s made me a bundle over the years in royalties and fees.

So how do I get off warning you NOT to steal when you write? Here’s the thing. I also happen to think there’s a difference between knowing how to borrow and how to steal.

And borrowing is better.

Yet, as the New York Times article I told you about mentions, too many today get confused about where the lines get drawn.

Especially now, in the digital age.

COULD YOU BE CROSSING THE LINE TOO?

At one college, says the NY Times article — which focuses on plagiarism in schools — a student handed in a paper with colored text he had just cut-and-pasted from a web page.

When the teacher challenged it, the student thought “fixing” it meant only turning the purple text to black, so it would match the rest of his paper.

In another case, a student copied whole passages from Wikipedia. How could that be copyright-protected, he asked, if it’s written anonymously and collectively?

Isn’t the web, in fact, full of info that’s free? And doesn’t that also mean it’s free for the taking?

Yet again, not necessarily.

When I use outside sources, either for directly or for inspiration, here’s what I do …

• I read hundreds of articles and other sources for every promo I write. And I save the URLs of all of them. A recent 24-page promo, for instance, had 72 different links to online sources.
• My client has a legal team review all those links. Often, they make me dig up a few more. I grumble then go ahead and do it. Because it’s better that way.
• If it has a statistic in it, or a number of any kind, I source it to a URL. And mention the source in the body copy.
• The URLs only stay in for the legal copy. They come out of the sales piece. But the text attributions usually stay in, and that has the double-effect of making my copy proofs even more credible.
• Even if I’m getting info from offline articles, I try to find the same article online, just so I can have the URL to share with the legal team.
• When I find something great in an article that I’d like to use, or when I reference a source in the text, I drag the URL right into Word and drop it in at the end of the paragraph. No need to write footnotes.
• Direct quotes, of course, also get sourced — both with a URL and a text mention of the source.
• Same goes for charts. Even if you redraw them, write “Source: ” and name where you got the info,even if you do it in tiny fine print at the bottom.
• If I’m using a testimonial or a direct quote from anybody, I say where I got that too.
• Fake names for customers who give testimonials are okay, especially if you want to protect privacy. But keep a copy of the original letter or email on hand.
• You can’t paraphrase whole ideas or an ideas outline, by the way. Not without giving credit where it’s due. And even then, you can only use so much of the idea without stepping too far.

The bottom line is that you if you feel like you’re getting away without doing the work — there’s a chance you might be going to far.

Good writing starts with good thinking. And it’s thinking that plagiarists — accidental or intentional — don’t do.

P.S. In case you’re wondering, the original NY Times article is called, “Plagiarism Lines Blur for Students in Digital Age.” It’s by Trip Gabriel and appeared in the August 1, 2010 issue. I swear.

(Thanks, John! You give helpful guidelines for anyone who wants to write and make sure they are doing so without violating anyone else’s intellectual property–which of course we would want others to do regarding our writing as well. The Golden Rule always applies.)

“I’ve decided not to publish any more books in the traditional way. 12 for 12 and I’m done. ”

Why would a successful author ditch the world that has helped create his success? (Or has he succeeded despite it?)

“Traditional book publishers use techniques perfected a hundred years ago to help authors reach unknown readers, using a stable technology (books) and an antique and expensive distribution system.” (Of the latter, I wrote a post back in March 2007 called “The Fatal Flaw in the Book Publishing Industry.” We’re finally now seeing its collapse.)

In an interview with Jeff Rivera for a Mediabistro feature, Seth elaborated: “I like the people, but I can’t abide the long wait, the filters, the big push at launch, the nudging to get people to go to a store they don’t usually visit to buy something they don’t usually buy, to get them to pay for an idea in a form that’s hard to spread … I really don’t think the process is worth the effort that it now takes to make it work. I can reach 10 or 50 times as many people electronically. No, it’s not ‘better’, but it’s different. So while I’m not sure what format my writing will take, I’m not planning on it being the 1907 version of hardcover publishing any longer.”

What strikes me especially are the words, “really don’t think the process is worth the effort that it now takes to make it work.” Attend any #bookmarket Tweetchat on Thursdays at 3pm Central, and you’ll hear a dizzying array of ways authors try to market their books in an overcrowded market, all to get, what–$1 a book, if that?

Seth Godin is not the only successful author who feels this way.  Successful mystery writer Joe Konrath has been saying some astute things on his blog. I can name other best selling authors who have confided that if they had to do it over again, they would not go the traditional publishing route. (I won’t, however, name names because these things were said privately.)

Is this the beginning of the end of publishing?

The end of one era, maybe. But, as I’ve been saying for some time, “new era publishing” will rise up in its place.

It’s been happening for some time. Recent developments such as Kindle ebooks taking off, retail chain stores being up for sale, and publishers laying off people right and left only point to the end of what Godin points out has been an antiquated system for some time now.

I will be digesting these recent events and coming up with some more observations/analysis and, I think, perspectives on opportunities. I invite you to do the same.

Here are some other useful links:

• audio of Seth Godin’s recent thoughts on publishing a talk for the Independent Book Publishers
• Wall St Journal article, “Author to Bypass Publisher for Fans“
• Publisher Michael Hyatt’s take on “Why Most Authors Should Not Emulate Seth Godin”
• Another perspective: “You are Not Seth Godin but …”

Your thoughts? Share them here.

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!”

If not, you have missed some insightful, informative, and useful information. These guests are really hitting the ball out of the park!

Last night was especially useful to me, so I’m posting some of the highlights so you can  make time to listen to the call while the replay is still up for free.

Bill Baren gave very useful tips on “time mastery.” If you find yourself getting distracted too often … if you find it difficult to focus on writing and/or marketing–getting your book done–you will find his suggestions tremendously helpful.

Here are a few.

1. One of the biggest things that determines success is your commitment level. The things you’re not 100% committed to will be a struggle. So if you find yourself struggling, ask yourself, “Am I 100% committed to this?”

If not, then find a way to delegate it or get out of it. If you are, then renew that commitment–and the struggle will be gone.

Try it.

2. Don’t “stockpile” information. “Google killed the Information Age,” Bill said. You can get information pretty much whenever you need it. So, don’t worry about taking in information now unless you need it. Trust that you can find it when you need it. Focus on the task before you NOW, and go find out what you need to know.

I remember learning this from a course I took with Jimmy D. Brown as well. He suggested that, when offers coming into your inbox, you move them immediately to a “Friday” file. Only on Fridays will you look at it. Great advice!

3. Don’t “check” mail–”handle” mail. Be aware of how many times you check your inbox or your Facebook page or Twitter as a distraction. Set aside specific times to do email and handle it. Either take action right away (if it’s no more than 2-3 minutes), delete it or file it (see above), or schedule it as a task.

Bill also had a great strategy for overcoming procrastination, for doing “night pages” to set yourself up for being productive the next day, and much more.

Following his suggestions has made an immediate difference in my life already.

By the way, my favorite piece of software happens to be a productivity tool that is easy to use, inexpensive, yet keeps me on track in so many ways. Check it out at http://www.authortimetips.com.

So if you’ve signed up already, make sure you go listen.

If you haven’t signed up (free), go here.

Tonight’s Successful Author Secrets class will be with  T. Harv Eker, bestselling author of Secrets of the Millionaire Mind.  Harv is going to share some of the inside strategies on how to become a six or seven-figure author.  He’s also going to share something he rarely talks about … the STRATEGY behind his best-selling book that catapulted his business like no other strategy could. Hope you can listen to both Successful Author Secrets classes today!

I’ll be posting other highlights on my blog. If you missed any, you might want to invest in the whole series. I think they’re worth really studying.

It also takes four other things. I call them the Four Rs.

You must do the right things the right way,  in the right sequence, to the right people.

Let’s break this down.

The Right Things

There are two main things any author needs to do consistently over time in order to become successful.

1. Master your craft.

Without craft–and by this, I mean the freshness both of your message and your delivery–you will be here today, gone tomorrow. We’ve heard everything before. What fresh approach are you bringing to the table? What bling do you bring?

If you’re not really a writer, and don’t care to be one, you must put up the money to hire a very good writer. Period. Schlock never sells for long.

There’s something else you must master, or pay for.

A message is must reach its audience. So you must:

2. Market your message.

Everything you do as an author (or speaker, or business person, in fact) comes down to these two things.

Master your craft–the what–and your marketing–the how.

Which brings us to …

The Right Way

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of ways to reach your audience.

Nowadays there’s a plethora of social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, forums), as well as blogs, YouTube, apps for all sorts of technology.

There are article directories, magazines (online and off), speaking opportunities, podcasting, radio, television, YouTube, to name just a few things.

The right way means you do the right things consistently. That you test and evaluate regularly, discarding what doesn’t work.

But you must know not only where to start, but how to proceed, so you need …

The Right Sequence

So where do you start? And how do you continue from there, in the right sequence, so you’re building with a strategy, according to a blueprint, and not just performing a lot of frenzied activities?

That brings us to …

The Right People

You start with your who.

The people you are trying to reach is your who, and where you should start.

You must know your intended audience intimately. You must bring your message to the right who.

Know who they are (age, gender, economic status), what they like to do, where they “hang out” (online and offline). What they read. How much time and money they have for what you have to offer.

What you’re looking for is a connection. The vital link between your message and your audience.

Do you know what that key is that unlocks all these “right” approaches?

YOU!

You are the key. Knowing what you want to accomplish, what you want to say, what motivates you to reach your audience–this is the starting point.

Knowing yourself also shows you where to start with the how. As I said, there are thousands of ways to promote your book. Where do you start?

You start with the who–who your audience is, and who you are.

You connect the dots, using the approaches you enjoy (which will probably boil down to either writing or speaking primarily) that will also reach the people you want to reach.

You like to write primarily? Then you can focus on articles, blogs, forums and the like. But make sure your audience hangs out in these places as well. Or, if they’re not online, that you know how to reach the journals and magazines they read.

You like to speak? There are opportunities galore here, both online and offline. Again, make sure you focus on where your audiences likes to hang out.

What spells author success? The four Rs, and most of all, the connection.

And if you want more help with the four Rs and the connection, I invite you to check out “Write Your Book Right,” and/or my personal coaching to set up a plan that is right for you.

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.

The success attracts a top-notch literary agent.

Now the big question is: Should you go with the agent, who may be promising you a huge contract with a Big Six publisher?

Surprisingly, the answer is NOT a no-brainer.

It may not be in your best interest as an author to let the agent take your book and shop it around.

Why not?

Here are the considerations from  someone who’s been in publishing for a long time and has seen all sorts of things happen (few people will tell you what you’re about to learn). Read more

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!