Dr. Alex Loyd, author of the bestselling The Healing Code

I would love for you to attend my Virtual Book Tour (live on October 28, 2010  or via replay) for two reasons.

One, to get a feel for how a Virtual Book Tour works, so you can perhaps think about whether something like this can work for your book. Experiencing it for yourself will help you know what your readers will experience, and hearing the author being interviewed can help you know how to present yourself and your book.

So it’s a “learn about book marketing” event, on one level.

I’d also like you to attend for the topic itself.

You’ve heard me talk about The Healing Code before, no doubt.

Maybe you’ve investigated it for yourself, or maybe you’re skeptical.

The subtitle promises a lot: “6 Minutes to Heal the Source of Any Health, Success, or Relationship Issue.”

So in this interview, I intend to ask Dr. Alex Loyd to answer skeptics’ questions.

Such as:

* What is a Healing Code?

* How was it discovered?

* Is “The Healing Code” similar to other energy techniques, such as EFT or Reiki?

* How exactly does The Healing Code heal “any health, relationship or success issue”?

* Is there any scientific evidence to validate The Healing Code?

* Does The Healing Code work on ____ (ALS, cancer, diabetes, etc.)?

* How long does it take for The Healing Code to work?

* Can a person do The Healing Code for someone else?

Ask your own question, sign up here.

This book soared to #1 in 8 categories at amazon.com in just a few weeks. I checked today: It ranks #4 in Stress Management and #4 in Stress (separate categories), #5 in Religion & Spirituality (it is NOT an occult book, however), and #615 in Books overall.

It’s in its 5th printing, which may well be sold out tonight. (Keep this in mind as you attend.)

And honestly, we’ve been so busy dealing with the success of it–including offers from all the top 5 publishers–that we’ve done little marketing. (The publisher, Intermedia, however, has done a bangup job of getting the word out.)

It’s taking off because people buy it, try it, and find it works. Then they tell their friends about it.

So find out what all the hoopla is about, ask your question, and learn about marketing AND how to heal the true source of your issues.

Can’t make the live interview? Signing up will give you access to the replay–and the 60+ page excerpt, and the special bonuses available. Which will be the subject of another marketing lesson. See if you want pick it up before I tell you. (That would be marketing lesson #3….)

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….

A: I definitely prefer Wordpress blogs to blogspot for a number of reasons, which I think I’ve mentioned frequently on my blog and articles. (You can search my sites if you like.) The best help for WP blogs comes from Cathy Perkins, The Wordpress Wizard.

I think your friend is talking about a blog virtual book tour. I’ve heard mixed reviews from authors about the effectiveness about these kinds of virtual book tours. Some really like them; others say they haven’t sold manybooks through them. I have not heard hard results.

I think the kind of VBT I do are the most effective. Check out www.virtualbooktourexpert.com for all the reasons and how it all works, in detail. These kind of VBTs are effective for building a list (one of the primary things you need to do), word of mouth (it’s built into the whole system), showing your “stuff” to the media. In fact, an editor from a national magazine listened in on the last VBT I did, on The Gluten Effect, and the next day contacted the author to do an interview. VBTs of this kind show media that you know what you’re talking about, that you’re articulate in an interview. You can an should put your VBT on a media page on your author website.

A VBT can take your list from 38 to 200 in a week, as it did one author. And the list continues to build, especially if you promote it the way I teach (social networks, articles, a blog).

So I really like Virtual Book Tours the way I do them (which is why I do them). A VBT can become the centerpiece of your marketing and leverage all your other efforts.Sort of the anchor for everything else you do. They don’t require much from you, either. You basically record a few brief audios, give me your book, and I do the rest. You show up and get excited about your book and answer questions from real people. You can do these in your pajamas–no travel or looking your best. You’ve probably listened to some of mine but if not, there are lots of samples on my VBT site.

Keep in mind that you do need a mult-prong approach with your marketing. I also like Twitter. It’s fun, easy, and you can make some really nice connections. (If you don’t have my free report on how to get started with Twitter in 10 minutes or less, get it here.) There’s also Facebook, of course, and other social media sites.

I am working on a course that will give a comprehensive view of how to market. No way around it; you can’t just write books, you do have to market them. From someone who once hated that thought, was even very scared by it, I now thoroughly enjoy that aspect, and hope to help other authors come to see that it’s fun and essential.

I would say, concentrate on what feels like “play,” what you enjoy doing, and major in that. If you like to write, then blog and do articles. Those can take you far. If you like to connect, do social media and publicity. If you like to speak, speak and do teleseminars. Any of these can be very, very effective.

We covered as many of the most-asked ones as possible.

Questions such as:

• Is gluten sensitivity something you’re born with, or something that develops over time?
• What are the symptoms that indicate a gluten intolerance?
• Why does gluten seem to be a bigger issue today?
• How might gluten be implicated in issues such as ADD/ADHD, memory problems, autoimmune disorders, hormonal issues, as well as digestive problems?
• Is gluten sensitivity and Celiac disease one and the same?
• How is it diagnosed and treated?
• How do you talk to your doctor?
• How can you make the necessary lifestyle changes?
• What if you go off gluten and don’t feel better?
• Do you ever get over it?
• … and many more!

I hope you are able to listen to the replay. Sign up here to ask Dr. Vikki your question (she will continue to answer them on her blog) and to get free chapters, including the Gluten Sensitivity Self-Test.

Signing up also entitles you to a chance to win one of three gift baskets from Pamela’s Gluten-free Products. There will be  some special bonuses mentioned on the call as well. Sign up now and get healthy!

One, so you can see how they work, if you haven’t ever listened to one before. I believe this type of VBT can be one of the best things an author can do to promote a book. When used correctly, a VBT can become the centerpiece of all your marketing. For more on how VBTs work, visit www.virtualbooktourexpert.com.

Two, the VBT I’ll be doing with Dr. Vikki Petersen is on an issue which affects many more people than know it:  gluten.

Dr. Vikki is the author of The Gluten Effect, and she will be answering your questions on Tuesday, April 6. Sign up and ask your question at www.askaboutgluten.com. (If you’re reading this after the event, you may still ask a question–she’ll be answering questions on her blog–and listen to the replay of the VBT.) When you sign up, you may download the first chapters of the book, including a Gluten Sensitivity Self-Test.

I was shocked to find out how many health issues can be traced to gluten sensitivity.

When we think of gluten issues, most of us think of celiac disease, which is a digestive disorder.  Yes, gluten causes digestive problems and weight gain. Yet digestion is only ONE of the many body systems that can be affected by gluten.

Gluten sensitivity also affects the immune system, resulting in autoimmune disease and other complications from a compromised immune system.

It affects the hormonal system, resulting in adrenal exhaustion, thyroid disorders, sleep problems, fatigue, osteoporosis, depression, anxiety and mood swings.

Surprisingly, gluten also affects the body neurologically, resulting in headaches and/or migraines, memory problems, joint pains or aches, brain fog, fibromyalgia.

In fact, if you are gluten intolerant, it could affect any and all of these systems.

Yet, most doctors do not consider gluten as an issue with patients. They prescribe medications to make the symptoms go away, without getting at the root cause of the symptoms and dealing with it.

Get this: It takes most people with gluten issues 11 years to get properly diagnosed!

If you have health issues with any of the above, and want to get at the root of them, I invite you to ask Dr. Vikki a question and attend the Virtual Book Tour. It’s sure to be very informative. Details here. (If you can’t make the live call, you’ll get an email about the replay, so sign up anyway.)

It may even save you or a loved one years of untold agony, not to mention the expense of medications that mask the real problem and lead to more problems.

Boy, you asked a big question! Just about everything I’ve written on my blog and various websites are geared toward answering your question.  Many of my teleseminars also talk about what it takes to get published, especially the one I did with Terry Whalin at www.askaboutpublishing.com.

So I suggest you poke around my sites, especially this blog. Also, get the Author Success Plan. That 5-part minicourse is packed with insider’s tips on publishing and being a successful author gleaned from my 30+ years in publishing. It answers your question and shows you where to start: With the A-B-C’s of becoming a successful author.

Basically, it boils down to: Having a great idea, and building a following of people who like you and your idea. If you have enough of a following, a traditional publisher will take the risk of publishing you. Or, you need to publish it yourself, and glean a following through marketing.

Publishing has been undergoing a massive sea change, especially in the past 3 years. These days it’s very difficult to take the traditional publishing path, in which you get a publisher to take on all the costs of publishing and pay you a royalty (percentage of sales–usually 7.5% of what they get after they give the bookstores their 55% discount). Publishers just don’t want to take the financial risk of publishing an author unless the author can practically guarantee they can sell a lot of books, because the author already has a large following (called an author “platform”).

But while that old way of publishing is crumbling, a lot of alternative ways of getting published are springing up. More publishers are offering “publishing services” in a sort of partnership model of publishing whereby publisher and author share the costs.  That’s one of the things Terry and I talked about in the interview I mentioned, which you can listen to after signing up at www.askaboutpublishing.com. (I send you to the Ask page to sign up just so you’ll see how a cool way to market books works. It’s call the Virtual Book Tour, and I do these for publishers and authors.)

So I suggest you do a little more research on my sites, and if you still have questions, ask! I have a form on this blog (upper right corner) where you can ask questions any time. I periodically hold FAQ teleseminar to answer questions; asking a question on the form assures you’ll be notified.

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?

(But I really want you to listen to it before tomorrow night, and I’ll explain why.)

I know I’ve been talking about Virtual Book Tours a lot this week, because I think it’s just such a great way to promote a book.

Last year, I did an interview with Alex Mandossian about Virtual Book Tours, and I would like you to listen to that asap.

In the interview, Alex said that often the lesser-known authors sold more books with a VBT than more well-known authors. Find out why.

On that call, I grilled Alex about how VBTs work, how and why they were invented and …

Listen in, and remember that the VBT Preview call is tomorrow night–Thursday, July 2. I got you a special discount, and there’s another special gift for you just for signing up for that Preview call (which is a training unto itself, I promise).

Note that when you sign up for the course, you will receive special additional bonuses from me that will ensure you WILL make the most of your VBT.

“How well can one apply the VBT to non-self-help and non-business books: e.g., science fiction, narrative non-fiction, biography, nature stories, etc? (All the examples on Alex Mandossian’s website are of self-help or business owners.)”

Yes, I believe a Virtual Book Tour can be effective on nearly any kind of book. Alex’s examples are geared mainly to the market he’s most interested and experienced in, i.e. business and self-help, but his principles apply to nearly any kind of book (with the caveats mentioned below.)

With his training, I myself have done Virtual Book Tours for a range of book topics, from the art of parenting boys , to whether common church practices are really pagan in origin, to what’s so great about Christianity, to how to find God in everyday life (the topic of my own VBT on Abundant Gifts). (See www.virtualbooktourexpert.com for samples of Virtual Book Tours that are NOT on business, success, etc.)

Any book on any topic that can engender questions is a candidate for a VBT.

I’ll admit, fiction is a bit of a tough nut to crack. Success with a VBT would depend on whether the author and/or publisher have a list to promote to. If they do, then a VBT could work for fiction as well.

For instance, if the publisher has a newsletter they send out to people who are interested in fiction, they could promote the VBT in that way. In fact, it could be a regular feature of the newsletter, with snippets from the interview or even a short, pre-interview audio that people can listen to right away, then sign up for the VBT. In the same way, a newsletter can promote a podcast taken from the VBT.

The issue with fiction is that there’s usually not a “hook,” a felt need that would get the reader to feel compelled to listen to the author interview. However, a VBT can work for a popular author who is promoting a new book to the current list. There are also creative ways to team up with nonfiction “experts” to talk about a subject the novel addresses.

For instance, I have an author friend, Latayne Scott, who wrote a novel about Mormonism. She also happened to write another book about the same topic (with another publisher) that was nonfiction. She could easily do a VBT featuring both books, gathering questions from people about Mormonism. During the Virtual Book Tour, she could weave in examples from her novel to illustrate her points.

In this case, the same author wrote both the fiction and nonfiction books. But if she were just a novelist, Latayne could have found an expert on Mormonism and the VBT could have dealt with the topic from a “story” and a “more factual” perspective.

About the only thing this kind of VBTs would probably not work well for children’s books or poetry.

For more about my own experience with VBTs, plus the bonuses I’m offering with Alex Mandossian’s Virtual Book Tour Secrets course, go to www.virtualbooktoursforauthors.com.

And the event hadn’t even started!

The moment was over dinner, when Jay Aaron (brilliant guy, very nice too) was talking about Oprah Winfrey.

“There are two ways to be an expert,” Jay said.

“One is to be a guest on Oprah’s show.

“The other is to BE Oprah.”

He paused. Watch out, here comes the $64,000 insight.

“Who has the more influence? Who makes the more money–Oprah, or the guest?”

Every author I know wants to be on Oprah. But what if you can BE an Oprah, at least to a certain audience? Doesn’t Oprah make more money than any of her guests?

Jay’s insight is changing the way I’m going about my business. (Thank you Jay Aaron!) Have you noticed that more of my Publishing Coach Weekly teleseminars are not just me talking, but me interviewing other experts?

I love interviewing, and I love writing. I’m building my business around those two skills.

If you want to be “well heard and well paid,” consider becoming an expert by being the connecting point between your audience and other experts who possess knowledge your audience wants. You
can almost automatically expand your “sphere of influence” by interviewing other authors and thought leaders.

The best person I know to train you how to do that is Alex Mandossian.

With Alex’s Virtual Book Tour training under my belt, publishers have hired me to interview New York Times best-selling authors such as Dinesh D’Souza and George Barna, as well as lesser-known authors they wanted to launch.

Alex is offering his Virtual Book Tour training again.

I highly encourage you to sign up for the Preview Call this Thursday. (If you can’t make it, you will have access to the replay shortly after.)

For a training tip and bonus from Alex Mandossian, view this video:

This is just one sample of the kind of training you will get from Alex Mandossian when you sign up for the Virtual Book Tour Secrets course.