I have been trying literally for years to find something that can truly safeguard intellectual property. I’ve finally found it: Wishlist Member, which converts your Wordpress blog into a membership site that is secure.

It’s not only a way to protect your content, but to give people more of you, and yet get paid fairly.

It’s pretty simple to set up and use, especially if you already have a Wordpress blog.

I want to call your attention to a special promotion that is only going on until 3/18/10. If you buy one Wishlist license, you’ll get the second one for only $25 (a 74% discount). I’ll be editing this post after the promotion, so please use this link to get to that special page.

If the concept of a membership site is new to you, read my article on how to make membership sites work for you. Membership sites come in many forms, but they’re truly the best way to both protect your content and “be well paid for what you know.”

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Interestingly, someone else had just emailed me about her experience with said company. She had published her first book with Xlibris and will not do it again. She did not elaborate, but clearly it was not a good experience.

In his book, The Fine Print of Self-Publishing: The Contracts & Services of 45 Self-Publishing Companies–Analyzed, Ranked and Exposed, Mark Levine says that XLibris marks up the price of a book by 150%, and makes more than 300% more profit on Amazon sales than the author does, and 225% more on direct sales. XLibris is in Mark’s list of  “publishers to avoid.” I can see why!

Mark’s book is an excellent reference. He did an amazing amount of  “legwork” to put it together. If you’re thinking of going with these self-publishing companies, you must get Mark’s book first.

I myself worked with Intermedia recently. It was overall a positive experience. As the book comes out, I’m eager to see if the distribution lives up to its promise. That’s one of the things that impressed me about the company.

They also  have these “events” that they stage all over the country, and for authors who are willing to go there and at least sign books, it’s great exposure. Also, they really do get into bookstores (of course, that depends on the buyer, but they’re structured such that book buyers might say yes).

Intermedia also acts as a speaker’s bureau for authors, which is a really nice plus. I’m impressed by the way they try to help authors “think outside the book” in terms of marketing. That’s what you’re really paying for (though their services, such as cover design, are very professional as well).

If you’re an author who is willing to take responsibility for marketing your book (and all authors must), I think Intermedia provides some of the best support. Listen to my interview with Terry Whalin on this–it’s quite extensive. You can even ask a question!

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So I’m asking you to help me help you, by filling out a simple survey of what kinds of things you want most from me.

Please answer a few short survey questions now and I’m much obliged! I’ll get working on the most-requested items right away.

Also, if you will, please do add your email address. That way, if there is a product that you want and I already have it or know of someone else who does a good job meeting your need, I can let you know.

Thanks a bunch!

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Not to a baby (I’m done with that, boo hoo), but a book.

Though I didn’t write it, I had a heavy hand in editing it, and also shepherded it through the publishing process at Intermedia.

What a process!

Anyone who says it’s easy to write and publish a book probably hasn’t done it.

It’s not simple at all, but it is gratifying.

When I opened up the page proofs from the printer, I cried.

In some ways, it felt like, “Is this all there is?” Though it will be a 320 page book, the page proofs, sent in 8 stapled “signatures,” seemed like a lot less.

Yet, seeing the cover, seeing the book ALMOST as it will be … was quite a thrill.

Especially since this may be the most important book I’ve ever worked on.

In terms of potential to save and change lives, it probably is.

It’s kind of frustrating to not be able to tell you more about it, but … all good things come to those who wait, as they say.And this will be a very good thing. Something that truly everyone can benefit from … though I doubt all will be open to.

You’ll see.

In the meantime, if you have ever birthed a book yourself and want to share your own experience, comment below, please.

And if you haven’t, well, please comment or send an email (diane at wordstoprofit.com) and tell me your biggest reason you’ve not written your book yet. I really want to know, and perhaps I will be able to point you to just the right resource to help you overcome your problem.

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There are some great resources out there you can sign up for (free), that will tell you what media people are looking for. I suggest you sign up for both HARO (Help a Reporter Out) and Steve Harrison’s Reporter Connection.

I thought it was interesting what Bonnie D. Graham of Blog Talk Radio says she’s NOT interested in: ” Please do NOT respond if the following describes your topic:anything woo-woo, NLP techniques, drugs, addictions, 12-step programs, disease / illness, allergies, LOA, manifestation, parenting, schools / education, kids, young family issues, adoption / foster care, chiropractors selling products, skin care products, nutrition products, violence, death, bereavement, unemployment, job search strategies, HR / employee retention, love yourself first strategies, personal stories about violent relationships, personal dieting success stories.”

If you’re book is on the “not interested” list, it’s a clue that the media are sick and tired of such stories. That’s not to say that if you’re book is on that, it’s hopeless. But you’ll probably have to come up with a new hook, an angle they haven’t seen.

And it could also be that this particular editor is sick of such topics. Here’s what she’s looking for now: ” Priority Topics: dating (online & face2face), breakups, encore weddings / mid-life marriage, mid-life divorce, re-entering the dating pool after divorce, male-female communications, male POV on dating & how women can meet good men, interesting cookbooks, body language experts. Best places to go on a date, tips on dressing for career & dating, cougar women / older women with younger men. Live weekly radio talk show 60-90 minutes Mondays 7 PM, NY time, with podcast on-demand. Guests call-in from their land line. Send hard-copy book or ebook minimum 10 days pre-interview. Three guests @ 20-30 min. segments per show.” Click here to respond to this listing

Many more media leads if you sign up at the links above. Remember what a rich research tool it is.

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I know very few people who have a lot of time on their hands these days. (We’re all too busy trying to keep up with the latest technology. Some of us out of necessity–such as what I’m dealing with concerning computer issues that have dogged me for months. Some because they like it.)

As tax time rolls around and I do the natural evaluating of my business, I’ve been  thinking about how to squeeze more productive results out of every day.

So this week I thought I’d share a few of the tools–most of them free or rather inexpensive–that have made a HUGE difference in my life and business. I don’t know what I’d do without them!

MUST-HAVE FREEBIE

First on my list is a tool called Evernote.  I don’t know what I”d do without this amazing and FREE piece of software. Basically, you can store ANYTHING in one file that you can search. You can even store pictures that you take from the Web on your phone. (I don’t use it for this, but those who use their phone for everything can apparently use Evernote with their phone.)

I just got an email with the PIN code to block my daughter from buying anything on her cell phone. (Ha ha!) I copied and pasted the numbers into Evernote. All I have to do is search “parental block” and I will get right to that information.

I copy and paste urls that would be useful to keep track of (these are live links within Evernote), important email correspondence, contact information–basically, my life!

So, Evernote is the tool you must have, in my opinion, to function in today’s world.

MUST-HAVE FREE (PRO VERSION INEXPENSIVE)

The other tool I can’t live without is Roboform. There’s a free version with a limited number of passwords you can remember, but the Pro version is not expensive, and what it will do for your sanity….

Basically, Roboform allows you to store all your usernames and passwords to your computer. When you want to go to that site, you go to Roboform in your browser toolbar, find the name of the site you want to access, then it automatically (and safely, I might add) adds your username and password, and you’re in.

I probably have a couple of hundred accounts, at least, that I would go crazy keeping track of without Roboform Pro. Even with Evernote!

And if you’re the type of person who feels you don’t need Roboform because you have one username and password for everything–Do you know how unsafe that is? You need unique usernames or at least passwords for ALL your different accounts.

These two tools will save you time and preserve your sanity. Get them today!

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You know that. No doubt your email inbox, like mine, is stuff with emails from them.

You suspect that most of them are making claims that make them money, but that don’t actually add to YOUR bottom line. They’re making money off of selling you hope that you’ll make money. You’re probably right.

I’ve been studying this for 6 years now. I’ve watched a lot of people come and go. I”ve seen how they market.

In some cases, because of my contacts, I know the Real Story behind who’s who and what’s what.

I’ll tell you, there are only a handful of people I trust and follow now. Only a very few truly know what they are talking about, truly have a system that works for the average person, truly offer good value for your investment.

At the top of the list is Jimmy D. Brown.

Jimmy is a true IM pioneer, and he’s always at least one step ahead of most of the other IM “gurus.” At the same time, his strategies are based on tried-and-true principles of marketing, and he doesn’t jump at every new tactic that comes along. It seems to me, from my observations, that many of the “gurus” actually learned from Jimmy.

At least, when I hear what they teach, I remember: “I learned that from Jimmy.”

Jimmy has a real gift for making things simple and doable. Whereas others often complicate (perhaps to make you feel your need more of their stuff?), Jimmy gives it all, no holding back.

There is an honesty about Jimmy I like a lot. He openly professes his Christian faith, and from what I can tell, he lives it. (I have gotten to know him personally somewhat.)

Best of all, Jimmy’s stuff is very reasonably priced. I always feel I get great value, even if it’s only a 20-age “Small Report.” There is more actionable content in two pages of Jimmy’s stuff than in 20 pages or hours of listening to other people.

I suggest you follow Jimmy D. Brown’s blog. You’ll learn as much from watching him as you will from reading him. (I learned that from Jimmy, by the way.)

I suggest you subscribe to his blog. I suggest you get his Special Report on writing.  If you work from home, you must get his Special Report on Homepreneur Habits. (Both these Special Reports are on sale, and  only available until 2/26, so get them now.) I suggest you get his course on list-building.

These things, for starts, will give you an excellent start in building your author platform–for only $57! Believe me, his suggestions will keep you busy for a while. You’ll get more in these three things than you would paying many times more from someone else.

I once hard another person worth following, Michael Masterson of Early to Rise, say, “Pick one guru and follow that person, you’ll go much farther than following many voices.” Pick Jimmy, DO what he says, and you won’t go wrong.

I haven’t. (My biggest problem is I haven’t implemented enough of his excellent suggestions.)

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I assume, if you’re reading this, that you already have written a book, or you want to, or you’re in the process of writing a book.

You have a dream in the back of your mind about what being an author will mean to you.

There is a simple secret to going from dream to reality, and I reveal it in my  article. And if you haven’t listened to the related teleseminar on “3 Essentials for Becoming a Successful (and Happy) Author,”  you can also access both the teleseminar and the article here.

Here’s to your happiness as an author!

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As far as I can tell, yes, they are.  (Which is more than most if not all other “publishing services” companies can say.)

However, you must understand that huge changes are happening in the retail sales world. The Barnes & Noble store in my area closed down a few months ago, for instance. I just read that Banes & Noble laid off a number of employees recently.  Also read that Ingrams, the big book distributor, laid off 75 employees. I don’t know what’s going to happen ultimately, but it’s safe to say that authors and publishers need to look to other outlets to sell books, as retailers are less and less a significant factor.

In fact, no matter whom you publish with, you will make of a profit through direct sales than retail sales. All distributors require a 55% discount (so they can have a profit margin), so you’re only going to get 45% of those sales. Actually, less, because IM (or any publisher) takes their 15% wholesaler cut. So you only make 30% of the retail price on your book, and your profit is that less your publishing and printing costs. Whereas with direct sales, you don’t have that hefty distributors discount to contend with.

By the way, I’m personally shepherding a book through the IM process for a client, and so far, so good! (It is a LOT of work, though–don’t let anyone ever tell you otherwise! It’s a 300-page book and just faxing the 161 pages of corrections for first proof took more than 2 hours!)

One of the things I like about Intermedia is the way they help authors with their marketing. Larry Davis is a great “think outside the box” person who loves to help authors think up creative ways to sell their books. Terry is amazing in the way he shepherds authors through the publishing process.

Another plus for IM is that they hold events throughout the US and invite authors to come, free of charge, to sign books and network. An event they are planning in Denver soon will get 5-10,000 attendees, and IM is inviting their authors from that area to attend for any amount of time they want, to sign books. This can become a PR event that can be promoted through local press releases. Intermedia tells their huge list (35 million) about these events, and even if a person can’t attend, they will hear about the authors present and their books.

I honestly don’t think there’s any idea book publishing option out there (never was, as the traditional model didn’t pay well, either), but Intermedia offers more pluses for the money that I’ve seen. Larry and Terry truly want their authors to succeed; they do not see them merely as a source of income, as publishers like Author House must. (My opinion, but how can they truly serve 21,000 authors a year?)

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My favorite cover for Abundant Gifts

Trying to design your own book covers is one of the biggest mistakes I see new authors making, especially if they self publish.

One of the advantages of self-publishing is that you are in control of the whole process. When you work with a company like Intermedia, for instance, you own the rights, and you get to pick the cover, the interior design, everything.

However, there’s a downside to this. Just because you have the final say, that should not mean that you are the best one to judge the cover design, or even the title, for that matter. Having the final say should not mean having the only say–especially when it comes to areas you’re not trained in, such as the interior and exterior design.

Unless you’re an experienced designer yourself, leave this to the professionals. I have seen over and over authors who have a concept that’s so complicated, so esoteric, or so cluttered that I know their design will kill the book sales. I can almost always spot a self-published book right away, just by the look of the cover (the interior as well).

Good designers are trained not only to key into your concept, but to make sure it both fits current trends and also stands out in some way as to be interesting. Not an easy task, and definitely one for the professionals.

I came across a great article on working with a designer I suggest you read, along with Michele’s other posts.  Even if you work with a company that provides a designer, you want to work with that person and allow him or her to take the time to develop a great concept and design. Work with a great designer, and your book won’t scream, “Self-published amateur author!” like I’ve seen so many do. Instead, it will draw the eye and make the potential reader want to pick it up and explore more.

Part of the pleasure of a book is the visual nature of it–the cover.  Someone once told me about my Abundant Gifts book cover (first edition), “My wife keeps it out on the coffee table just because it’s so pretty.” That of course warmed my heart, and is about the best thing a cover can do for an author.

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