I

Why?

Because I heard a great interview by the author on the radio. I knew I had to get his book.

Alex Mandossian often said, “You don’t make money writing books, you make money explaining books.”

Test it for yourself.

Think about the last time you bought a book. Wasn’t it either because someone recommended it, or because you somehow heard the author talking about it and it seemed interesting to you?

Notice too the viral element. I’m telling you about it, and word is going out via my blog, emails, Twitter, Facebook. All because of one interview! (And no, I do not work for the publisher. They don’t know I’m doing this, but I would love a review copy, hint hint!)

Check out my past Virtual Book Tours and see if you’re not at least tempted to get one of the books. Just browse the left-hand column for an author or topic that interests you. I’ve got lots of topics to choose from, from leadership to parenting to health. www.virtualbooktourexpert.com

The book, by the way, is Richard Swenson’s In Search of Balance: Keys to a Stable Life. I took notes on the interview, and can’t wait to read the book. It’s a topic I’ve been thinking about a lot, and Dr. Swenson’s other book, Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives, was excellent. Life-changing, really (though I admit, I need to go back to it).

Why is a topic for another blog post….

Part 2 reveals the fascinating (and encouraging) story of how Randy got published, how his amazon campaign went for the launch of his book, the “new era publishing” strategies that are working for him, and more.
http://www.wordstoprofit.com/tamingemailbeast.html

1. Specific tips for “taming the email beast” and restoring email sanity from time management expert, Randall Dean.

I’m going to confess just how many emails are sitting in my email inbox–or rather, were, before I learned Randy Dean’s email strategies.

Find out how to go from hundreds of unread emails (or more!) to zero … how to drastically cut down the time you spend on email … how to keep email from usurping personal and work time … and more.

You even get to ask Randall your question, now and during the call.

There will also be a special offer just for listeners of this call. (But you’ll get a lot out of it even if you don’t take advantage of that, so listen in-and tell your friends and colleagues!)

Just go here: http://www.wordstoprofit.com/tamingemailbeast.com.

2. Randall is the author of two books, including (surprise) Taming the Email Beast: 45 Key Strategies for Better Managing Your Email Overload. His publishing story is quite interesting—and will provide hope to authors who aspire to get published by a traditional publisher. We’ll talk about the “new era publishing” strategies he’s used and is using to get published and to promote his book and other products.

Randall also recently conducted an amazon.com campaign to launch the book. Find out what it takes to do that.

You can listen either via phone (there are a number of local call-in numbers available now!) or via webcast, on the computer. Click here now for the call-in details and to ask a question.The call will be recorded and archived, so if you’re reading this “after the fact,” you can still listen at your leisure. But you can’t ask us questions about either topic live, so ask now and/or on the call!

Aside from taking the “Develop Your Audience” class (which you can still do, it’s all recorded–hint hint <g>), the best way is to start a blog and then point to that through the MPOW technique, developed by Internet marketing expert, Bonnie Dillabough. (Bonnie’s techniques snag more than a quarter of a million hits on her Yaktivate.com podcasting network–per month You can attend her Internet marketing classes for free on Saturdays; details here.)

MPOW stands for

Multiple Presences on the Web. First you have your focal point. If you’re a writer, make it a blog. If you’re a talker, make it a podcast. (More about this in my recent Publishing Coach Weekly article, “Are You a Writer or a Talker?“)

Then, you set about getting all sorts of links back to your blog or podcast. You put up articles at ezinearticles.com and other article directories. You comment on other people’s blogs. You start a Twitter account and get followers who would be interested in your message. You list your podcast in podcasting directories.

You make as many things point to your focal point as possible. And you keep adding good content to your blog/podcast on a consistent basis.

What this does is raise your rank in the search engines, enables people to find you, and if you do make a contact, say with a media person, when they google your name, it comes up with an impressive number of entries.

I just googled my name; 22,900 results. When I googled “publishing coach” one of my sites showed up in about half of the results on pages 1 and 2.

See what I mean about “multiple”? (I say this not to brag, but only to illustrate that it works.)

One more note about those results for my name: a good number of them are social network profiles. Another way to be “all over the Web.”

None of the things I mentioned cost anything, aside from the basics of having a web hosting company to host your site. You can get free software (audacity) to record your podcasts, so all you’d need is a microphone.

Over time, as you do these things, you begin to attract people who want to hear your message. Over time, you build your audience.

Did you notice I repeated something?

“Over time.”

As Bonnie Dillabough says often, “The Internet is not instant pudding.”

It does take time.

There are, however, ways to lessen the time it takes.

How to Lessen the Time

First, if you are very, very clear about your message, and you know it’s a message people want to hear, then you can build your audience quicker. (That’s what the Develop Your Audience class is all about. Listen to my interview with Russell Cox here.)

Second, you can use leverage. If you can get the media interested in you, or get interviewed by someone who has a large audience, that provides leverage and is probably both the fastest AND most cost-effective way.

So get to know the media. Sign up for helpareporterout.com, and you’ll get reports on what reporters and journalists are looking for–delivered to your email inbox–three times a day.

So those are my two tips: remember MPOW, and leverage what you do as much as possible.

That’s why I want you to listen to a different class this week other than my Publishing Coach Weekly teleseminar.

I am working on something exciting that will show you how to create a global audience for your message.

I’ll tell you about that soon enough, but in the meantime, I want you to take the Podcast Secrets Preview training on Thursday evening.

This 2-hour training is going to lay a foundation I want you to have for when I show you how to create a global audience.

It will give you some steps, upon which I’ll show you how to build an author platform, for being “well heard and well paid

for what you know and love to do.”

It is 2 hours (maybe longer, knowing Alex Mandossian), it is taught by Alex and Paul Colligan, and it will cost you $20 with the VIP discount I obtained for you.

If you can’t make the live training, you will be able to listen to the recording within 24 hours. And you will have that recording, and your notes from the Action Guide, to refer to forever.

As I said in my recent blog post, podcasting may be one of the easiest and fastest ways to establish your author platform.

Author platform is what will allow you to be well heard and well paid.

Audio and video are increasingly effective and popular.

Knowing how to use these venues will give you the edge in getting your message out there.

And I know no one better to teach you than Alex and Paul. I took Podcast Secrets last year, and will attend it this year with video in mind as well. (My most recent foray into that will be posted at www.abundantgiftsblog.com as soon as I can get to it, assuming technology works as it should.)

I hope you will take advantage of this training. (Yes, it is a preview of the entire Podcast Secrets course, but the way they do preview calls, you will get a lot of valid training out of the preview itself–or you get your money back.)

I hope you will avail yourself of this important step toward becoming well heard and well paid.

Did you know that the older a boy gets, the more he needs from those who love him?

If you have a boy in your life (son, grandson, nephew, student, someone you’re mentoring), find out why boys are the way they are and how you can come alongside them at any age to help them navigate the choppy waters of the journey to manhood.

Listen to the replay of the Virtual Book Tour with authors Stephen James and David Thomas as they answered questions submitted at www.answersforparentingboys.com. (You can also submit your question; authors will be answering them on their blog.) Find out:

• why it’s so hard for boys to “sit still and pay attention”–and how to help them learn anyway
• what the 5 stages of a boy’s development and what they need in each stage
• how do we deal with a boy’s emotions (anger, crying, etc.)?
• how do you get a boy to obey?
• what does a boy need most from his mom? his dad?
• what is THE most important thing to remember when nurturing a boy?

And much more! Listen and learn how to better nurture the boy in your life.

The best part is–you get to ask the questions!

If you go to http://www.answersforparentingboys.com you can ask the authors about your most challenging issue with raising boys.

After you ask your question (or if you just want to sign up, say “none,”), you’ll have access to a quick video of the authors sharing a bit about what prompted them to write this new, practical, and insightful book that will help you understand, appreciate, and better mentor the boys in your life.

The live Virtual Book Tour–where I ask the authors questions submitted at that web site–will take place next Tuesday, Feb. 3, at 5 pm Pacific/6 Mountain/7 Central/8 Eastern.

So please mark your calendar and plan to listen in. You can listen via phone (normal long-distance charges apply) or via computer by clicking on a webcast player (no cost).

You’ll get all the details when you sign up here. (If you’re reading this after Feb. 3, 2009, you can still ask your question and listen to the replay afterward.)

Even if the boy in your life is older–say in his teens or 20s–there will still be plenty for you as well. That’s one of the unique aspects of this book: It shows why and how males need to be nurtured way past childhood.

I hope our paths cross next week for what will no doubt be a lively discussion that will provide fresh insights, encouragement and guidance as you come alongside the boys you care about.

Nearly 700 questions have come in from all around the world from believers, atheists, and agnostics alike (judging from the questions). We will answer as many as we can in 60-70 minutes.

Here’s the info:

DATE: Tuesday, November 18,2008

TIME: 5pm PACIFIC /6 pm MOUNTAIN/7pm CENTRAL /8pm EASTERN(time/date converter link)

WEBCAST and info link with call-in info (listen via computer–no long-distance charges; replay available immediately after.) If you have trouble dialing in (phone lines are limited), use the webcast.

And remember, if you can’t make this live call/webcast, the recording will be made available afterward (but you have to be signed up at http://www.askaboutchristianity.com to get the notification.)

Hope our paths cross there!

The cool thing is, you get to ask Nancy a question ahead of time! Just go to http://www.asknancyortberg.com and you’ll get to sign up, ask a question (or not), get the call-in details and see how these Virtual Book Tours work! You’ll also be able to download the first two chapters of Unleashing the Power of Rubber Bands: Lessons in Non-Linear Leadership free when you sign up, so you can get a taste of the book right away.

I recently sent Nancy’s book to Seth Godin, author of Tribes, another inspiring book about leadership. The other day he wrote back to thank me, and said he’d already bought a copy right before my book came. (I told him I’d send him a book for commenting on my blog, but didn’t tell him which one.)

So–Seth Godin thinks Nancy Ortberg is worth reading, and you will, too! It’s a terrific book. Great stories and insights. Make sure you get a copy, and if you can, listen to the Virtual Book Tour. If you can’t make the live event, you can always listen to the replay. You’ll get the link when you sign up.

(And you too will get a free book if you comment on my blog.)

Since you’re already a leader (author means authority), I believe you will be interested in attending the Virtual Book Tour with Nancy Ortberg next Tuesday evening. I’ll be asking Nancy Ortberg YOUR questions on leadership and how to unleash leadership potential in yourself or others.  We have dozens of questions already from all over the world!

I believe Nancy Ortberg’s “lessons in non-linear leadership” will inspire you. Nancy is a great storyteller as well, and I’ll be asking her to share some of her great stories during our interview. Storytelling is also something all authors need to do well–another benefit you will glean from listening to this VBT.

Nancy’s book is called Unleashing the Power of Rubber Bands and you’ll get a free sample chapter when you sign up for the Virtual Book Tour at http://www.asknancyortberg.com. Even if you don’t have a question, or can’t make the live call next Tuesday, Oct. 28 at 8 p.m. Eastern, you’ll get the link to the replay afterward to listen to at your convenience.