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.)

I also recommend it because to get the free ebook, you need to subscribe to Seth’s blog, The Domino Project, where you’ll find information on this new publishing approach is and how it works.

His stated goals:

• To reinvent the way books are created when the middleman is made less important.
• To reinvent the way books are purchased when the tribe is known and embraced.
• To reinvent the way books are read when the alternatives are so much easier to find.
• To find and leverage great ideas and great authors, bringing them to readers who need them.

Read the rest of his article to understand why he believes change must happen in publishing, and how he plans to fix the problems.

Will Seth Godin change the face of publishing?  Look at his partners so far: Amazon for distribution, sponsors like GE for his marketing. Look at his model: partnering, spreading ideas, reaching his audience, solving problems.

What do you think?

We spoke only briefly, but what Seth Godin told me I have thought about ever since.

In fact, I’ve refocused my business as a publishing coach and a Healing Codes Coach/Practitioner on it.

We spoke about publishing options, and why he made the decisions he did. Here’s what Seth Godin told me: “I have built my entire career on one thing:  relationships. And I work at it every single day.”

That’s it, folks. A career and business model based on one word:  relationships. Seth’s filter for the best way to publish is, “Will this enable me to build relationships with my audience the way I want to?”

Whether you’re an author, a counselor, a business person, or leader of any kind, this filter will work for you. What will enhance your ability to build relationships?

A lawyer and professor who teaches entrepreneurship once told me, “The key ingredient of a successful entrepreneur is the ability to partner.” Again, it’s about building relationships.

In my opinion, the key factor in the success of The Healing Code is that Dr. Alex Loyd has always focused on building relationships. A core business strategy has been to build relationships with “strategic partners” who eventually helped launch his book and who continue to give him exposure to new audiences.

How do you build relationships? Two simple words: “love and truth.”

A top-notch copywriter, Brian Keith Voiles, once said the key to success as a copywriter is, “Love your prospects.” If you truly have your clients/customers/partners’ best interests in mind, not just your own, word gets around. It’s so rare that when people find “the real thing,” they tend to spread the word.

Build your career as an author on  relationships–relationships based on love and truth. And remember Seth’s last words: “I work at it every single day.”

Thanks, Seth!

__________

If you find yourself “blocked” in any way from building the kind of relationships you want, I invite you to consider looking into The Healing Code book or my Healing Codes coaching. You can also listen to the replay of the interview I did with Dr. Alex Loyd, author of The Healing Code, on getting unblocked, here.

“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.

It’s one way to “test” your market and your content, get feedback, and–get the job done!

Ray Edwards is one author who is doing this for his book, Breakthrough Forgiveness. He says making a public commitment and being engaged in a public writing process accomplishes a couple of things:

• “It ensures I’ll actually finish the darn book on time (my publisher can tell you stories about what happens when I’m left to my own timetable).
• “It should make the book better, because I’ll be responding to feedback from my readers while the book is in process. My ideas will be challenged and tested before they’re printed on paper.”

Another good reason to write a book online first is that it can gain you followers. As Kacie noted in a comment on an earlier post on this blog, “My book isn’t even in print yet, but I already have people looking for it in book stores and online. I hadn’t realized that while i was writing my book, i was already marketing it. It’s a great way to get started.”

Writing a book on a blog is a great way to create that all-important “platform” that publishers look for. If you have readers/followers you can point to, that impresses a publisher.

Seth Godin, the famous marketer, writes his book online first–and they become best sellers.

It’s worth considering….

And if you don’t already have a blog, look for my upcoming ecoaching course on “Easy Websites for Authors: How to Create & Maintain a Website that Sells (Even If Your Book Isn’t Written Yet).”

Master Leaders: Revealing Conversations with 30 Leadership Greats by George Barna with Bill Dallas

On Thursday, December 10, I conducted a Virtual Book Tour with George Barna on his new book,  Master Leaders: Revealing Conversations with 30 Leadership Greats. I invite you to listen to the replay (if you don’t have a question, feel free to write “none” in the box).

If you’re an author or aspiring author, listen–you ARE a leader! In fact, I asked George a question that was submitted: “Does a leader have to have a published book?” (I’ll let you listen to what he said.)

I grilled George on the most-asked questions about leadership, and his answers were based not only on his own insights, but on the insights gleaned from these 30 other leadership greats.

For instance: Ken Blanchard, Tony Dungy, Newt Gingrich, Henry Cloud, John Ashcroft, Colleen Barrett, Seth Godin, San Chand, Mike Huckabee, Laurie Beth Jones, Patrick Lencioni, Ben Carson … the list goes on.

Sign up to  get a free sample of the book and listen to the replay. There is also a very special bonus only those who listen to the VBT will know about (and it’s a limited time offer).

George Barna is founder of The Barna Group, a research and resource
firm whose clients grange from The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association to
corporations such as Ford and Walk Disney, as well as The U.S. Navy and U.S. Army.

George Barna is a prolific author (more than 40 books), but the book we”ll be discussing is what he feels may be one of his best: Master Leaders: Revealing Conversations with 30 Leadership Greats. This is a “leadership conference” in which well-known leaders from all walks of life cover the gamut of leadership topics, from defining leadership, developing leaders, team building, dealing with criticism and pressure, so much more.

I sure hope you’ll take an hour or so and listen in–George gave a lot of great nuggets such as “you get what you tolerate” and “we hire for attitude, we train for skill.” Ponder those for a while. The interview, and of course the book, is full of these golden nuggets.

Get this information now, okay?

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.)

There’s a reason some people get published and others don’t, and usually it has to do with the fact that published authors have put in the effort to gain expertise, build an audience, and actually write the book or get a good ghost writer to write it. They go through the work of putting together a good proposal, they don’t quit when they get rejected, or they self-publish intelligently.

My goal with this blog and my other resources is to give you the tools that can lead to your becoming a successful author. However, a hammer does no good in itself. Only in the hand of the carpenter does it hit the nail on the head.

Read Seth’s blog. To suggestion #2, I would amend, if you want to become a successful author, spend your 120 minutes:

• writing an article and posting it to article directories
• coming up with some free “Special Report” on your topic that you can give away to start relationships with people (ask them for their email addresses to get the report)
• setting up a blog and writing 2-3 times per week
• finding other people who are already talking about your topic (Ning groups, Yahoo groups, blogs) and enter the conversation by posting. Put your Special Report offer in your email signature line when you do post.

Everything else, listen to Seth!

It was a book I had bought but … not THE book I had bought.

The note that came with it explains all. It was from Seth Godin.

Hey …

Here’s a gift.

No strings attached.

I want to thank you for believing in the Triiibe, for signing up sight unseen, for buying a book you hadn’t read yet, hadn’t heard about yet, hadn’t browsed yet.

You went first, took the lead, took a (small) chance with your money and a big chance with your time.

Thanks.

Here’s an advance copy of Tribes.  An early copy, for you, before anyone else gets one. Please read a it and keep it. And when the one you paid for comes, I hope you’ll give that one away. In two weeks or so, when it arrives from the bookseller, take that second copy and spread the word. if all you do is file it away, I’ve failed.

I write books so people will spread the ideas inside. I write them to change things, to give a name to something that might be invisible and to give you a tool to make the change you hope to see in the world. [I love that, Seth! It's why I write, too.]

Working with you (and the rest of the Triiibe) is the entire purpose of my career. I hope you’ll put this gift to good work and give it to someone who needs it.

Thanks again,

Seth

P.S. Don’t forget to look inside the flap of the cover….

The inside flap of the front cover had photos of people in his Triiibes tribe. (I wasn’t there, though.)

How do you think I feel about Seth Godin upon receiving this?

The real issue is, to whom will I give this book now? And–how quickly can I make time to read it?

Study this note, the approach. It’s not the specific tactic of giving away an unexpected, free book that is the thing to necessarily model. It’s the attitude, the warmth, the sharing of his own passion, the nice touch of adding the photos to the inside flap … and how all these things work to build relationship.

That’s what to study, ponder, and model, fitting it to what you do.

Read Seth Godin, yes. His books, his blog. But watch what he does. “Go and do likewise.”