I struggled with teetering from sheer excitement and anticipation of such a big audacious goal in my life – to sheer terror. Who the hell was I to think anyone would want to read what I wanted to produce … blah blah blah … you know the drill.

Never had I pushed myself to that point before, always keeping my feet fairly planted on trusted soil. Going public through publishing was a very big deal in so many ways – and learning to deal with those extremes of fear and fancy was the best thing I have ever done. Hard to explain in words.

And then one evening recently at a folk music event in a lovely little restaurant close to home in the western suburbs of Brisbane I focussed in on the lyrics sung by a charming duo, Chloe and Silas.

Chloe & Silas

Their song, ‘Tightrope’, Chloe explained, was about those moments when we want to step out on the wire and go for a new big scary precious dream that has us on fire, and fear is still grabbing at the back of our shirt. This is Chloe’s take on it – much more eloquent than mine:

“One foot on the platform

One foot on the wire

One hand smothers the spark

The other hand fans the fire”

For me, publishing was the fire. Still is.

What is yours?

***********************************************

As a Book Coach fanning her clients’ desires to write and publish their own career-changing non-fiction books, Bev keeps the fear at bay and widens the tightrope so they love the process and reach even more exhilarating platforms.

Bev is launching a lovely small supportive and stimulating Group Book Coaching Program on 20 July, which runs through to 26 October: is it time for you to step out on the wire too?

Beware the lizard brain – it will try to keep you ‘safe’ – but you have had enough of ‘safe’, right?

Publishing your own book may be high up there on your dream list, and by its very nature, tends to be a lonesome endeavour. After working in publishing for many years I applaud those who see it through, a little tired around the eyes, but glowing with satisfaction. I’d like to see a lot more of that!

So, after the tremendous high of the launch of Women on Top just two weeks ago, I am ready to take a group of aspiring authors of non-fiction on the ride of your life, starting 30 July in Brisbane, so that you too can get your book in print and out there in the world, changing everything for you. Take a moment to read of the success of these three Brisbane-based authors after they invested time in their own books.

The Book Publishing Mastermind Program is a combination of information, instruction, planning, structure, writing, monthly tasks, accountability, deadlines that build your book, access to resources and networks beyond your own, a mini-focus group, a cheer squad and a cure to isolation!

I have worked with many groups in this format before and this combination is a powerful thing! Serendipity seems to join the party as well, and people begin to see little miracles happening around them. Opportunities seem to appear out of nowhere, the right people show up in their lives. Then one day they wake up and realise they are in the MIDST of their dream! All because they are taking action.

Are you ready? Do you know someone who is? Do you know you would struggle on your own?

Full details of the Book Publishing Mastermind Program are on my website.

]]> http://bevryanpublish.com/wp/book-publishing-mastermind-program-starting-in-july/feed 1 http://bevryanpublish.com/wp/book-launch-success http://bevryanpublish.com/wp/book-launch-success#comments Tue, 21 Jun 2011 02:57:34 +0000 admin http://bevryanpublish.com/wp/?p=1150 Please indulge me a little as I share the secrets to the success of the recent launch of the book Women on Top, which I have project managed for authors Sally Healey and Terri M Cooper (left). We had over 170 very happy guests, so we were thrilled with the event! Judging by the buzz on Facebook over the last week, we know our guests were too.

I have blogged previously that we have Lois P Frankel in the pages of the book – a fabulous addition for women reading the book for its business advice and strategies. We were also able to coordinate the launch event for the book with Dr Frankel’s visit to Australia and so began the task of bringing together an event that was professional yet warm and fun for our guests.

Book launches can take many forms so it is a matter of deciding what will work best for you. You might run various small events in various locations, or a larger event where you carry the cost.

You might invite a group of industry peers or influential people to gather for lunch or a high tea and gift them a book, as you speak on a topic relevant to your book content and their industry.  You could do something similar across several cities over a series of months.

There is no set ‘book launch’ formula – be creative and come up with a concept that suits you, your book and your intended readers.

Because Dr Frankel (left) was available as a guest speaker, we decided to create a sit-down launch event around the key messages in her books, which marry beautifully with the theme of our book, ‘women on top, against the odds’. We charged $97 per head, and were aware that some people would not attend because of that price point. We also knew the people we hoped would attend would see that as an indication of value, which we made sure we delivered.

We gifted all guests with a copy of ‘Women on Top’ and Dr Frankel’s latest book, ‘Nice Girls Just Don’t Get It’, and we were confident our guests would go home knowing they had received great value.

We also ensured there was plenty of time for drinks, food and networking prior to the formal part of the evening – and we had follow-up ‘thank yous’ from people who had made new and strong contacts.

The event took place on 14 June, so we started organising the event several months before that date, once Dr Frankel had confirmed her availability.

I then sourced a venue – The Pavilion in Breakfast Creek – with an events manager who was delightful to work with.

In order to promote the event we put the following in place: a website page, a pdf of the  invitation for email use, online payment systems, and a facebook presence. We did not do a lot of paid advertising, and sought some media coverage in the weeks before the event. Contributors to the book were also asked to invite their own special VIP guests, so it became a real celebration and an opportunity for all of us to extend our networks.

We began inviting guest four weeks prior to the event, and received several bookings immediately, always a great sign that the event is hitting the mark. Bookings came in until the final hour, but one week prior we knew we had a great event on our hands.

The not-for-profit, Bravehearts Inc, organised and ran a fund-raising raffle on the night, which was very well supported. Founder, Hetty Johnston, is also a contributor to Women on Top, and tells the story behind its foundation.

As a result of the launch and the buzz about it, several opportunities for media coverage have already arisen, with much more to come. The launch is just that – a beginning: the next phase of the journey is underway.

Women on Top is available HERE.

Yes I did meet and interview Ita, Lisa Newman (Brisbane’s former Lady Mayoress), Heather Rose, Tracey Keller, Melissa McCord, Cheyanne Brae, and many other gorgeous women on the cover and within.

Recently I have been managing a fascinating book project for two dynamic women in business, Sally Healey and Terri M Cooper, and have had a ball bringing Women on Top together. The book has evolved into an honest, revealing,  moving and powerful collection of women’s stories, which will inspire any woman of any age to move on through the tough times and really go for their dream. As it turns out, no one has had it easy: these women have shared the strategies they found to work for them as they dealt with some serious ‘stuff’ and powered on to build successful businesses and organisations anyway. 

The exciting and personal thread that ties my magazine to this book today is my connection with Dr Lois Frankel, international author of Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office, and world-renowned speaker and executive coach.

I met Dr Frankel several years ago at a networking lunch while she visited Australia and she was happy to write for my magazine: she knows the power of connections, even seemingly small ones! Now, some time later she is a contributing author to Women on Top and is our much-anticipated Guest Speaker at the Women on Top Book Launch on Tuesday 14 June in Brisbane.

I find these threads fascinating – my courageous (at the time) self-introduction to Dr Frankel in the midst of a busy event years ago now leads her to our book pages and launch event in June!

Please join us at the Book Launch - you will have the opportunity to meet Dr Lois Frankel and hear her speak, as well as receive a copy of her latest book, Nice Girls Just Don’t Get It which she will happily sign. All authors in the book will be available to meet and mingle, including Kay Danes and Hetty Johnston.

If you are serious about your business or career you will know the ongoing and often unexpected benefits of networking with and meeting warm professional women of influence – my alliance with Dr Frankel came about just that way!

Networking works! I hope we see you there?

Bev Ryan - Publishing Manager

Writing a book is as emotional as giving birth. For years you think about it; there is never the right time to conceive; the growth is a mixture of labour  and joy and then you pray your ‘baby’ is going to come out healthy and  beautiful; just the way you imagined.

For years, I talked about writing a book. For years, people asked me, “When are you going to write your book?”.  Yet, somehow, I was always too busy with business and family and  the impetus to begin eluded me, sadly not heeding the brilliant quote by Goethe…. there is genius in just beginning … until I attended a course delivered by a publisher on how to write a book.  

For three days, an aspiring group of authors were fed copious amounts of information on the do’s and don’ts of  writing, publishing and marketing a book. At last the goal of seeing my name on the front cover of a book and appearing in bookshops seemed an achievable reality.

Enthusiastically, I, along with 39 others, signed up to be supported through the process; a significant investment, to put it mildly, yet with the promise of hand-holding and professional input throughout the gestation period through to the printing and distribution.

Somewhere along that journey, the fit didn’t feel right. I had not chosen the right ‘father’ to ‘birth my book’. This was MY baby, yet I was not confident with the advice I was being given and did not agree with  how I was told to list my content pages and, as for the layout, it just did not look like me at all. 

From the beginning, I was adamant that I have my own cover designed by my designer of choice as that cover was the ‘window to my soul’ that was revealed in the pages within.  I also chose my own editor as other books being published through this ‘opportunity’ were being printed with spelling mistakes. Shock, horror – I wanted a healthy, wholesome baby with no flaws. 

The day I decided that I was going to take back the design/layout and sat with a local designer who listened to  me and responded to my vision for the book,  I began to feel at ease. 

My final step of independence was to forgo the distribution opportunity offered by the publisher and to self- publish, printing my book through a local Sunshine Coast printer.

Whilst I did not capitalise on my significant investment with this publisher, I did ultimately engage with a group of caring, capable professionals I personally chose who supported me in the creation of my book with passion and purpose.

The day I took receipt of ‘my baby’, it felt like mine. It will now be with pride and ownership that I launch my book to the world. 

 ROBYN PULMAN, author of  ‘Habits Aren’t Just For Nuns’ will be speaking at the 18 March Non-fiction Publisher’s Group in Brisbane.

Virginia McCord: photographer Melissa McCord, published in 'Honestly Woman' magazine 2008

I am part of a small and very active women’s email group who have been connecting that way for many many years. Their common thread at the start was their rural and reginal Australian working lifestyle. Some still maintain that life: others have moved away or retired. All are fascinating, smart, worldly, and more.  

I recently enjoyed the following email insights into the uptake of new technologies by these women who represent a wide wide “mature” reading audience – reproduced here with their permission:

“another attraction of the Kindle — waiting in shopping centre for Hubby to return from the Industrial miles, I was able to download another book & start reading — also good when having to wait in car outside h’ware or other shops while parts are purchased, just bring out the Kindle and catch up on reading !!!”

“I could also add now that I know more about Kindle reading, there is no need for a light nearby with iPad – it is black print on white background and is so easy on the eyes – easier for me than reading newspaper printing – and so light to carry.”
           
“I can say that reading on iPad is a joy.”      

“I’ve very impressed with all the welinkers who are very up there with the latest technology! I’m interested to know what the experience of reading a book with a Kindle is like compared with the paper version. I much prefer to read a long document in printed form compared with on a computer screen. But I can certainly see the advantages of using a Kindle while travelling, to save paper and to access books very cheaply (once you’ve bought the device). It will be interesting to see how much they take off in the future. Interestingly, on my most recent overseas travels I only saw one person using a Kindle on board a plane. There have often been predictions of the demise of the book but they seem to be just as popular as ever in the old fashioned format.”

“I think it’s a generational thing.  Much as I hate to acknowledge the age thing my daughters tell me that that’s the reason.  Older people are always simply going to feel more comfortable reading in the paper form no matter how familiar we have become with the newer technology because our brains are hard-wired differently.  My observation is that our daughters, who grew up with computers, are much more intuitive in using them although they both read (traditionally) a great deal. Of course, just to disprove this theory, our son who is technically a GenY appears to be a Baby Boomer lost in time!”

“My 87 year old mother reads an e-book as she can increase the font size and see it.  She still gets library books but keeps the e-book for when she runs out and the mobile library service is not yet due. I download any new books for her though.”

“(My husband) gave me a kindle for Christmas and it arrived Friday – he also bought the leather cover with reading light – so any tips from Kindle users are welcomed!
I have not really had a chance to do much but I had an Audible book it transferred straight away – it will be wonderful for travelling and I love having a book with me all the time – when waiting for (son) to get his Ls in town on Friday I read about 20 pages – my sneak reads I say!
I also have a small laptop – a Vaio – and I love it for working when away – although I have been known to lust after an iPad, I can’t work out why there is no USB port!!!
The Vaio is good for emails and working with documents but the iPhone gets me through a lot. I loved the look on the boys faces last night when I was reading out Granny Ann’s email about reading the Sunday Mail by 5am – I then told the boys your age – they were suitably impressed!!”

“Generation thing or not my granddaughter (9 1/2) in USA is ecstatic with her iPod shuffle and working on the computer. What does she think of the 3 (print) books I bought her new on Amazon.com. “Oh Nana there is nothing like the smell of a new book.” I just LOVE it. I know what she means.
She won’t get the same thrill out of a kindle I guess unless they add new technology.
I also wondered about the price of the books for kindle etc. Can you share them or you pay for you only? My books do the rounds of friends.”

“The iPad has an auto-brightness feature that adjusts to available lighting or you can turn it off.  It also has a feature called ‘white on black’ which allows you to view the screen in negative which I find useful in bright light or at night. I’m beginning to sound like an iPad salesman but it’s just what I know.  I believe the Kindles (and others) are improving features all the time and I’m sure will share these features soon if they don’t already.  The one big advantage I can see for the iPad is that you can download apps for Kindle, Borders, Angus & Robertson and others (mostly free) which allows you to draw ebooks from a lot of different sources not just the one that belongs to the device you own. That was the original limitation in choosing one – I suppose the trade off is the larger size.”

“I don’t know about other libraries but I know that the Gold Coast library has e-books that you can download through the library catalogue online. Perhaps this is another way of getting access to books. Check your local library.”

“My problem with Kindle and the like is the cost – not of the machine – that’s not that bad – but of the books themselves. At the moment I can get any book in the entire WA State Library catalogue for free on interlibrary loan (even books from the far north). Until I can download in the same manner, I can’t afford to buy books.”

“That was why I didn’t pursue one too … Any I looked at that I wanted were $20.  We have library books that we can access on the side road down from us and in Florida it is just around the corner and costs nothing to take out books 24/7. The door is always open and we just walk in take a book, read it and take it back.  They have lots of books. Unfortunately they aren’t the best books. Have to go to the local library or the bookmobile for those.” (Rural America)

Bev Ryan

Jane Teresa Anderson

 morning TV, several books to her name, and a very successful online presence. I came across a transcript of our chat (unedited) at the Writers’ Group meeting and thought you might like to read this small part of it:

Bev: “So you published one book and then you published more. How did you make the others different to the first one? How did you think ‘Well I’ve got something else to say’?”

Jane Teresa: “I liken it to when I had my first baby and then I was pregnant again pretty quickly. I thought I’m really pleased about this but I’ve given all my love to this child: what am I going to do? Am I going to share it in two or what?

 And when the second one came along you realise you’ve got twice as much – in fact you’ve got more. And it’s the same with books. You write the first book and you think that’s it, that’s all my knowledge. I’ve done it now. If I die tomorrow – and you will have this thought I guarantee you – if I die tomorrow I’ve done my thing. I feel really good. I’ve got that out there.

And after a while you think ‘Oh I wish I’d written page differently’. Don’t hold a book back because your 1995 book is where you were at in 1995 and your 1998 book is where you were at in 1998. And if you hold everything until you’re absolutely ready all those readers that you would’ve been selling to for 20 years, have missed out on your development and your message.

But nevertheless, to answer your question, I did the one book and I thought well what more could you want? There’s the results of my research on dreams and dreaming. But very quickly I had the idea that for the next book I wanted to tell stories of people who’d had a life changing dream.

 So for an analysis context just to collect and interview people I advertised ‘Have you had a dream that was totally life-changing for you? Would you like to tell your story in this book?’ So that was ‘Dream It Do It’ – we went with that one.”

Your website is your online business card, your most important marketing tool and your bookshop. Even if you sell your books on Amazon and not on your own site, your readers should be visiting your site prior to or after buying your book.

What are the main components of an author’s site?

Essentials:

• Bio - Your ‘about you’ is essential. Your readers want to connect with you, identify with you, feel like they know you, so share some information about yourself. Make sure you include at least one image of you – the ‘portrait of the author’ you use on your book/s or another shot.
• Book/s - A page specifically for your book (or books). You need to include an image of your book cover, the blurb for the book and information about where to buy the book – ideally a link to the online bookshop or your sales processing page. If you have a sales sheet, include this as a downloadable PDF as well.
• Contact - Include a contact form if you wish to accept direct contact through your site (to avoid spam don’t display your email address on the site). Include your agent’s contact info or your speaking agency as well as, or instead of, a contact form.

Optional:

• News / Events - Publish a calendar or listing of your past and upcoming book signings, speaking engagements, interviews, etc.
• Reviews / Testimonials - Publish reviews of your books, both professional and from your readers.
• Excerpts - Include an excerpt from your book, either published on the site directly or as a downloadable PDF, or provide both options.
• Speaking - If you are available for speaking engagements have a separate page for this. Include a link to your contact page for booking enquiries or info for contacting your speaking agency.
• Book Trailer – If you have a video book trailer for your latest book make sure you feature it prominently on your site. Book trailers for other books can be on a separate page but the latest book trailer should be on the home page.
• Blog - Some authors choose to blog, some don’t. Blogs can help your audience connect with you on a more personal level, keep them coming back to the site to read your fresh content, and enable them to interact directly with you via comments on your posts / articles.

Marketing tools:

• Social Media – If you are using social media marketing feature your chosen platform icons on the site so people can easily click on them and ‘connect’ with you.
• Sharing Tools – Tools like Add This or Retweet can be easily added to your site to encourage visitors to share your content.
• Newsletter Subscription – A sign-up form for a newsletter can help you build up a database list of people interested in your books. When you write your next book you already have a list of people interested in your topic or your style of writing that you can pre-sell your book to.
• Sell Sheet – A one page sales sheet is generally designed for book distributors, however, it can also be a great marketing tool.
• Media - A media kit can include the key information and files that a journalist could use to write an article on you or your book, or as background information for an interview. This could include: a sell sheet for your book, print quality portrait image and book cover image and  an extract from your book in one easily downloadable zip file.

Other key points to remember

• Your site should be well laid out, with clear and easy navigation.
• It should be attractively designed with a modern look (no 80′s scrolling text, animated clipart gifs).
• You should be able to access and update your own website.

My recommendations

As a huge WordPress fan I am going to recommend using WordPress for your author site as you might have guessed. WordPress empowers authors (and everyone else too!) to manage their own website enabling them to update it, change it and add to it at any time, from anywhere you have internet access. Once you have the technical and design aspects out of the way it can be as easy as editing a Word document!

You don’t have to incorporate a blog into your site, your can use WorpPress to manage your website ‘pages’ only; or you can use blog posts as well; or you can easily start blogging later if you wish.

About the author

Jeannie Barker is a writer, web and graphic designer. Through her website www.jeanniebarker.com she offers a range of services including WordPress blog / website setup and customisation.

 Jane Grieve, author of ‘Slippin on the Lino’, a collection of short stories around the theme of motherhood, loss of career and identity, and the observations, frustrations and delights of raising children.  

 Diane Carter, author of ‘Dare to Live’, an inspiring autobiographical tale of life in Africa, recovery from a near-fatal hyena attack, and the courage to go on against all odds.

 Lori Cartanega, author of ‘The Heartbreak Option’, the autobiographical story of her colourful life and the recent reunion with her son who she gave up for adoption many years ago.

 Some of their recommended resources:

Printers: McPhersons Printing Group; Palmer Higgs; Griffin Press

Distribution & Sales: Palmer Higgs; Dennis Jones; Amazon; Fishpond; Lulu; Mary Ryan bookstores; Angus and Robertson; Dymocks…

When Jane was completing her book last year she received a lot of support from professional contacts she had made through her varied career: many endorsed her book and one such contact enabled her to sell her book through Pillow Talk stores when it was first released.

Lori and Jane have both opened up their own distribution into bookstores by being persistent and approaching stores directly. Jane approached the ABC stores by contacting the state manager and her distinctly Aussie book is on their shelves.

Jane has also recorded her stories in audio-book format in a professional studio in her home town of Warwick, and most recently contributed to the new publication ‘The Modern Women’s Anthology 2010′.

 Diane’s focus is to use the book to promote her speaking career and is successfully selling books through her speaking engagements and online. She is also raising money through her book sales to support cancer charities.

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