As a publishing coach and the editor of The Healing Code, I couldn’t be more thrilled. I know how rare it is for a first-time author to get the kind of attention this book has gotten from a major traditional publishing house. Publisher’s Lunch reported it as a “significant deal.” Such deals are  always rare, but in today’s publishing climate, they are almost unheard of.

Another important marker of the book’s success is that foreign rights have been sold in a number of languages.  So far, rights have been sold in 12 countries/languages: United Kingdom, Australia; Bulgarian, Danish, Dutch, French, German, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Swedish, and Spanish.

As a  Certified Healing Codes Practitioner, I am very excited about this.  We HC Practitioners serve clients from all over the world, so it’s very exciting to know that the book will be available in so many countries. (I got a custom code for a client in Portugal just last week. We connected via Skype. Now I can tell him the book will be available in his language.)

Dr. Loyd wrote a wonderful book, as the majority of 381 reviewers of the first edition on Amazon attest. He is to be congratulated for his hard work.

It may seem like “overnight success.” Within months of its being published in March 2009, it soared to the top of the amazon bestseller lists, hitting #1 in 10 categories now. Yet “overnight success”  rarely is overnight. Dr. Loyd’s  success is based on the spiritual success principles he teaches and lives (listen to the Cutting Edge archived programs), hard and smart work, relationships he’s built, and of course, writing a book that other people find genuinely life-transforming.

**Three major goals I’d been working on for at least 5 years came were achieved–in the same week.

**A client also had a major breakthrough (can’t talk about that yet).

**A publisher scheduled a meeting to discuss a project I’ve been dreaming of and working on for two years.

**I conducted my most successful teleseminar yet (nearly 700 people on the call).

**Many important new connections. Direction confirmed. More income. New clients.

**Seth Godin and I spoke briefly and he gave me a nugget that was just the right word at the right time for me. (Thank you, Seth!) I will share that in a future post.

**And I got certified as a Healing Codes Coach/Practitioner by Dr. Alex Loyd.

I say this not to brag, but to encourage you.

That week was my “bamboo week,” the week the bamboo tree of my career shot up at least 20 feet. (In the fifth year, bamboo can grow up to 90 feet in its 60-day growth cycle.)

Or, another image I have, is that the seeds I had planted 2, 3, 5 years ago  grew up into a beautiful garden in one week.

I have been pondering why it happened, so that I can pass on some principles to you that will lead to a “bamboo week” for you, too.

First, realize that this was the culmination of years of work. Some of the goals that were achieved have been 5 years in the making. I had set the “rhizome system” in place and tirelessly did what it took to allow the bamboo to shot up at the appointed time in the growth cycle.

The first thing you have to ascertain, if you’re not getting results, is if what you’re doing will EVER produce results, or if you have the wrong strategy in the first place. Make sure the rhizome system you’re building actually is a workable strategy.

Why, though,  did all this happen in one week?

I believe it’s because something in me became unblocked. I was able to identify and heal a major block to success that I didn’t even know I had.

Through the Healing Code work I’m now certified as a coach to do for others, I was able to apply the “Miracle Grow” fertilizer that made my garden spring up so quickly.

It never continues to amaze me that this new healing mode actually does work, for any issue. I found the apparent source of my success block, and things I’d been trying to make happen, preparing the way to happen, all of  a sudden did happen. (I wish I could tell you all of what happened, but some of it is confidential.)

What does this mean for you?

1. Persevere. Success takes time. You need to do the work, consistently. Learn strategies that work,  and do what it takes at a steady pace you can maintain.

2. Get my Author Success Plan. These 5 meaty lessons will show you just what I did, and what you can do, to set in motion the forces that lead to a “bamboo week.”

3. If you’re not seeing results, get The Healing Code book and try the Code. Contact me to get custom healing codes specifically for what might be blocking you. In just minutes, I can help you identify what the real issue is and give you a remedy to heal the source quickly and easily.  It will take a few minutes a day, a few times a day for you to apply this new healing mode to your life. You may well be amazed at the results.

A friend for whom I got a custom code recently called me to tell me that after doing the custom Healing Code just 3 times,  his block was gone. He launched a new venture this week and wanted to make sure nothing stood in the way.  Listen to his audio testimonial here.

Steve  called the day after he recorded that to tell me,  “I also noticed that my back and hip pain is gone for the first time in years!”

So, plant your garden. Use The Healing Code to get out the weeds and rocks so you have good soil in which to plant the seeds of your efforts. Cultivate your garden patiently, diligently so that the “rhizome system” can grow strong.  Keep watering it, fertilizing it, weeding your garden.

And let me know when you experience your own “bamboo week” so we can rejoice together.

Dr. Alex Loyd

The last teleseminar interview in the Successful Author Secrets series was one of my favorites, because it was with an author I’ve worked with personally on a book that has changed my life, and is changing the lives of thousands of other people.

Many of them write to me and share their stories of healing of all kinds of issue, not just for themselves but for others as well. You can read some of them at www.thehealingcodeinfo.com.

I’m talking about Dr. Alex Loyd, and his book, The Healing Code: 6 Minutes to Heal the Source of Any Health, Success or Relationship Issue.

The key word here is Source. That is what makes this book so unique.

Dr. Loyd has truly discovered how to heal the source of any issue.

The actual source is something that Solomon wrote about 3000 years ago, and modern science is confirming in study after study. That’s not what’s new.

What’s new is a way to heal the source that, for once, does not require any pills, complicated techniques, or even outside help.

I know it sounds too good to be true, but I challenge you to get the book, which explains how it all works. And not only explains it, but gives you the answer–the way to fix that source of your issues.

Lots more information here, including my own personal experience with this new healing mode. I have a rather dramatic story.  (By the way, it has nothing to do with chakras, meridians, Reiki or anything like that. It is truly its own new healing mode, discovered in 2001 and validated by Heart Rate Variability studies.)

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.

“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 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.

(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.

Bamboo is an interesting plant. Its growth starts underground, where the rhizome system that supports the canes are developed.For three whole years, the plant establishes itself underground and there is no apparent growth. Nothing appears to be happening.

In the fourth year, shoots appear. The bamboo canes grow in height and diameter for only 60 days every spring. After the 60 days, that particular cane will never grow again.

However, because of the rhizome system, the next spring the shoots that come up will grow much taller and faster in those 60 days. After a bamboo grove has been establishing its rhizome system for 5 years, the canes that grow in that fifth year can reach as much as 90 feet (for certain species, in certain conditions)–all in 60 days!

Becoming a successful author is largely about establishing a strong “rhizome system” that will support the growth you can experience seemingly overnight–growth in the number of people who are exposed to your message and who themselves will begin to spread the word.

What it takes to develop that underground system is what I’m all about as a publishing coach.

That’s why you see a bamboo image in my new header.

I’m not about to promise you overnight success. I just don’t believe the real world works that way. You don’t really believe it does, either, do you? Much as we’d like to believe the fantastic claims of writing a book in 14 days or becoming a bestseller overnight, you and I know deep down that these are promises from clever marketers who want to sell us their products.

Instead, I’m going to show the exact process you need to go through so that you can lay the proper groundwork (“rhizome system”) and accelerate your growth.

Don’t worry, it doesn’t have to take 3 or 4 years for you to see any signs of growth. Unlike bamboo, the process for you can be accelerated.  That is my goal!

However, I do want you to not get discouraged if at the beginning there’s no apparent sign of anything happening at all. Under my direction, you WILL make progress.

The first step is to sign up for my Author Success Plan, a meaty, 5-part course that will lay the groundwork and show you the ABCs of Becoming a Successful Author.

What you learn in these 5 lessons is based on my 32 years of experience in publishing as an author (11 books),  editor, copywriter and marketer. They are things no one else is saying because few people know them.

The investment is small–$5. I’d give it to you free, but if I do that it’s likely it will just sit on your computer gathering cyberdust. I’m asking you to invest a little something so that you actually open and read and do the lessons. (Each lesson contains Action Steps.) I want you to benefit from these lessons.

Get your Author Success Plan now so you can immediately begin to receive your first lesson in what it takes to become a successful author. (If you want to see more of what’s in each lesson, click here.)

(This applies to traditional publishing.  Some of the newer publishing models are different. With Intermedia, for example, there are no “royalties” per se, you pay for their services, for instance, if they act as your distributor or fulfillment house. And they pay your share of sales every month. For more about publishing and Intermedia, go to www.askaboutpublishing.com. You can even ask a question there.)

It is difficult to make a living as an author, from a book alone. One thing that helps is becoming prolific. I taught a class on this once, and you’re welcome to check out the replay and notes for Writing Secrets Revealed. When writing becomes almost as natural as breathing, you have a better chance of putting out several books a year (and don’t forget spinoff info products that can be more profitable than a book).

Those who were on the live call and frustrated by the sound level of my voice on the webcast will be pleased to know that the recording is MUCH better. I had no control over the webcast quality, but because I don’t trust technology, I had a good backup system in place and thankfully, that worked.

(You’ll be introduced to my dog, Millie, barking in the background at one point. She’s usually nice and quiet but missing her walk for two days due to rain made her jumpy, I guess.)

Anyway, Noah had some interesting things to say.

But I did not agree with EVERYTHING he said.

In fact, I want to say a couple of things before you even listen.

First, I think that “success” can mean a lot of things to different people. Noah’s approach is to assume you want to be “famous,” and to do that, you need to come to grips with the fact that you need to become a celebrity.

That’s one view.

Personally, I don’t care about becoming “famous.” I want to be “well heard” by people who care about my message, and whose lives might be improved somewhat.

I refuse to strive for some outward, arbitrary view of success. I am one author who does NOT aspire to be on Oprah. (We talked about what it takes and frankly, I don’t want it that badly.)

Also, I know that while mainstream publishers do care about platform, you do NOT have to be a Joel Olstein to become published.

Another aspect I’m not sure I agree with is that you need to wait until you’ve got a big audience to create a community. I have my own ideas on how, when, and why to start a Groupsite, and I don’t think it’s in the “upper branches” as Noah said.

I plan to “noodle” some more on all this, and write up more responses.

For now, I invite you to listen to the replay and let me know what you think. Post your comments here!

BTW, no Action Guide, per se, but there are, as usual, action steps suggested.

I’ve been working secretly on something for some time, and on this week’s Publishing Coach Weekly teleseminar, you’re going to be the first to know about it, before anyone else!

(Don’t worry, this won’t cost you anything, and you ARE going to love it!)

Here’s a hint: It has to do with my goal for you–to become a successful author.

On this teleseminar, I talk about what that means, AND tell you about this exciting Thing that you will be the FIRST to know about. (It’s not even up on my site or anything yet!)

A few weeks ago, I interviewed Charlene Baumbich about being a successful author. (If you haven’t heard that yet, you might want to do so at www.publishingcoachweekly.com/teleseminarreplays.html.) But I myself have a lot to say about this topic, and I can’t wait to share it with you!

If you have any question at all about what it takes to become a successful author, please ask it here.

The call-in details can be found on that page, or if you don’t have any question for now, just go here to get call-in details or listen to the replay.