Writers' Secrets

Author Interview with Zhana

2012-01-06T09:22:00.000-08:00

I have had the honour of being interviewed by Morgen Bailey on her writing blog.

This interview specifically focuses on me as a writer, and on my writing. Click here to read it.

I trust there is some information there which will support your writing process. Please leave your comments below.

Promote Your Books for the Holidays

2011-11-18T05:22:00.000-08:00

If you have followed my work at all, you know I am very passionate about Squidoo. It's a great way to promote your books, events, or business.

If you are not already a member, click here to join Squidoo now.

For more info, see: A Powerful Way to Promote Your Books.

Click here for an article on preparing your lenses for the holidays.

Here's to your success!

George R.R. Martin Sells One Million Kindle eBooks

2011-09-28T08:49:00.000-07:00

George R.R. Martin has joined the growing list of authors who have sold more than one million copies of their books on Amazon Kindle.

Click here to read more.

Amanda Hocking is a young author making millions selling her self-published ebooks on Amazon.

Writing & Publishing Tips

2011-08-25T04:30:00.000-07:00

I have just come across this great lens on Squidoo: Writing & Publishing Tips.

The author, dellgirl, covers a lot of useful information including:

- Writing style

- Inspiration to write

and more.

My favourite section is probably the one on people who rain on your parade - and what to do about them.

Check it out!

Plus, click here to join Squidoo for free. This is a great way to promote your books.

For more about how to get ideas for your ebooks, articles and blogs, check out my lens: The Best Content for Your Ebook.

For more about how to get started and keep going as a writer, to produce books, ebooks, articles and blogs, see my ebook Write your Book in Two Days.

Here's to your success!

Author Chat with Lynda Fitzgerald

2011-08-15T04:29:00.000-07:00

I recently read this very interesting interview with novelist Lynda Fitzgerald.

Author of ten novels, Fitzgerald talks about how she got started; being a multi-genre author; how she chooses the settings and characters of her novels; how her characters develop; and more. Enjoy!

Would You Sell Your Book for $1.50?

2011-08-02T05:41:00.000-07:00

Writers are making millions of dollars by selling their books on Amazon Kindle for just 99 cents.

So noted marketing and publishing expert Kathleen Gage decided to experiment with doing so too.

And it worked! So now I am conducting my own experiment - by selling my ebook, Shaking the Money Tree, for just $1.50.

But this offer is only good until Monday the 15th of August. So hurry! Click here to download Shaking the Money Tree from Amazon Kindle now. (Otherwise, it's just $5.)

Of course, Shaking the Money Tree is worth much more than $1.50 to you. It could transform your whole financial life.

So click here to download Shaking the Money Tree from Amazon Kindle now.

See also: He Raised $500,00 in Sponsorship.

Click here for Kathleen Gage's blog.

Here's to your success!

How to Make a Quantum Leap as an Author

2011-05-03T09:03:00.000-07:00

Want to make a quantum leap as an author? Get published by a major publishing house.

The quality of your writing will not necessarily affect whether or not you are published.

Check out this great short audio: What Most Authors Never Discover.

See also: Making a Quantum Leap.

Are You Financially Ready to Self-Publish?

2011-05-03T07:37:00.000-07:00

Before you decide to self-publish take into account your current financial situation.

Check out this article on financial readiness: Are You Financially Ready to Self-Publish?

30 Ways to Help a Book Author You Love

2011-04-25T04:03:00.000-07:00

Saw this great piece online, so I want to share it with you: 30 Ways to Help a Book Author You Love.

See also: A Powerful Way to Promote Your Books.

A Powerful Way to Promote Your Books

2011-01-04T05:02:00.000-08:00

I love Squidoo, I really do.

Squidoo articles are called "lenses". As you probably know, publishing articles is a powerful way to promote your books.

Click here to join Squidoo by posting an article. It's easy and it's free. Squidoo also has a profit-sharing scheme. And Squidoo lenses tend to have high Google rankings. It's really easy to track your rankings on the site.

Not sure what to write about? Click here for an article on how to generate original content.

Squidoo has recently introduced a points system. Click here for an article about ways to earn points on Squidoo.

Click here for more great article marketing resources.

Click here for info on how to get reviews on Amazon, to help you sell more books.

Here's to your success!

How to Get Book Reviews on Amazon

2010-12-22T01:47:00.000-08:00

Click here for a great short recording on how to get book reviews on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Click here for lots more writers' resources.

2010-12-22T01:24:00.001-08:00

New Free Article Submitter

2010-11-16T05:11:00.000-08:00

Click here for my new, free article submitter.

Plus click here for The Truth about Article Writing. I've got more great places to submit your articles there.

Here's to your success!

Free Teleseminar;: Make Your Book a Bestseller

2010-10-27T02:21:00.000-07:00

Check out this free teleseminar: How to Make Your Book a Bestseller and Put Millions in Your Pocket.

Click here for lots more writers' resources.

Promote Your Children's Book to Schools and Libraries across the U.S.A.

2010-09-27T02:22:00.000-07:00

I Love to Write Day is in its 9th year and will be celebrated by libraries, schools and community organizations on November 15, 2010. The aim of the founder, John Riddle, is for everyone of any age to write something.

Some of the activities they suggest include: Authors and writers can contact local bookstores, libraries, senior centers, community centers, malls and schools and host I Love To Write Day programs. Talk to the audience about what it takes to become a published writer and author. Talk about the importance of writing, and how it is never too late to start writing. Encourage everyone to write something on I Love To Write Day: a poem, a love letter, a short story, an essay, start a novel.

Teachers can encourage students to write something special on I Love To Write Day.

From their press release:

"Everyone can get involved in I Love To Write Day,” says Riddle. “Just visit the
Website, I Love To Write Day, and you will find suggestions and ideas on how to hold special I Love To Write Day activities in your community.

There is a registration page, and I am encouraging everyone to sign up so that we can count how many people get involved in I Love To Write Day. People are also encouraged to spread the word about I Love To Write Day in their local communities."

For loads more writers' resources, go to Writers' Resources.

How to Become a Million Dollar Author

2010-08-19T06:46:00.000-07:00

The interview with T. Harv Eker, author of Secrets of the Millionaire Mind, was the best one so far in the Successful Author Secrets series.

Remember, this series is not just for writers, it's for entrepreneurs who plan to become bestselling authors.

Like many of the authors in this series, he stressed that in order to have success in the world, we first need to work on our inner success.

His book was No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list. No. 2 was of no interest to him.

Most people won’t go for number 1 because they think they are going to fail.

Your intention determines everything.

He also emphasised that getting onto the bestseller list requires a lot of pre-planning. To make the bestseller list requires a certain number of book sales within one week. All sales have to take place within that week. So he gathered orders in advance but did not process them until one particular week. This was obviously a lot of work.

He remained on the bestseller list for two years, and to do this he gave away more than $2 million to Amazon and Barnes & Noble. He would have made more money through direct sales, but it was worth it to give the money away in order to maintain his bestseller status.

I really enjoyed listening to this interview because T. Harv's enthusiasm comes through. He is very entertaining and very honest.

The other reason I enjoyed it so much was that I have been writing about similar things for years, in Success Strategies for Black People and The Key to Everything.

In order to bring about changes in our lives, we first need to change our habits and patterns of thought, feeling and behaviour.

He talks about changing our financial blueprint, our financial programming. I couldn't agree more.

To read more, see Making a Quantum Leap.

He said, "I spell publisher P-R-I-N-T-E-R.

The publisher does not sell the book. You have to sell the book".

Click here to listen to the Successful Author Secrets series.

See also: Successful Author Secrets: Creating Your Inner Author Platform

Getting Started with Writing

Getting Started with Writng

2010-08-16T11:52:00.000-07:00

Click here for the most recent recording of Successful Author Secrets - Getting Your Book out of Your Head and onto the Page.

Some people have an idea for a book for months or years before they finally start writing it and get it done.

If you have a perfectionist streak, this can undermine your efforts and plans to finish your book. This is something I talk about in Write Your Book in Two Days. This book contains lots of strategies for getting started, overcoming procrastination and tapping into your creative energy.

To listen to an audio interview about this, see Tapping into the Natural Flow of Your Creativity.

These Successful Author Secrets are being broadcast every day in August. Each one is free for 24 hours - scroll down the page to hear the next day's broadcast.

Happy writing!

Successful Author Secrets - Creating Your Inner Author Platform

2010-08-09T13:18:00.000-07:00

Judith and Jim - Judith Sherven and Jim Sniechowski, authors of The Heart of Marketing - emphasise that just because you have a book, that doesn't mean you will be successful.

We all know, don't we, that as an author, you need to have a platform? That is, an audience who will buy your next book. In this interview, Judith and Jim talk about building your inner platform.

Writing a book is a process of personal development and self-discovery. I talk about this a lot in my book, Write Your Book in Two Days.

When you are clear about what changes you want people to be able to make in their lives, and how your book will help them make these changes, you will know how to market your book.

Click here to listen to this fascinating interview.

See also:

Successful Author Secrets: When Dreaming of Your Book, Dream Big

Successful Author Secrets: Interview with Kathleen Gage.

Successful Author Secrets - When Dreaming of Your Book, Dream Big

2010-08-06T09:12:00.000-07:00

I've just been listening to this interview with Michael Gerber, author of The Most Successful Small Business in the World: The Ten Principles and 13 other books including The E-Myth.

Michael has sold more than five million books worldwide. The key success tip he offers is to let go of your expectations.

You have to transcend your expectations and get down to the heart of what is really going on.

You need to be a dreamer. What are you bringing to the world? And you need to allow your dream to unfold. Don't think you have all the answers. Don't think you need to have it all worked out.

I talk about this more in the section on "How to Make a Quantum Leap" in The Higher Self. Click here to read it.

He wanted to know: Why do 90% of all small businesses fail?

He learned as he went along, and went on to found the first-ever business coaching company.

Michael Gerber did not become a successful author by wanting to be an author. He did it by wanting to solve the problem of small business failure, and transform small businesses all over the world.

He is saying that you have to be willing to stretch yourself, open yourself, write what is in your heart, and never settle for anything less.

Want to know how to have a big impact on the world as an author? Click here to listen.

Successful Author Secrets - Becoming a Thought Leader

2010-08-05T02:33:00.000-07:00

31 interviews with successful authors - one per day - this offer is too good to pass up!

Andrea J. Lee, author of Multiple Streams of Coaching Income, suggests you stop thinking about yourself as "just" an author, and think of yourself as a "thought leader".

I'm not sure what a "thought leader" is.

She emphasises the importance of having something new and fresh to share, so that you are not creating "info crap".

Well, we've all seen "info crap", haven't we? We've had our mailboxes stuffed with stuff we really do not want.

She says to see what's out there already, then create something different.

But I think that if you are authentic, if you are true to yourself, you will always create products that are unique. You have a unique message to share, so honour that.

Click here to listen to the interview with Andrea J. Lee.

Click here for the 3-Step Success Formula.

Successful Author Secrets: Interview with Kathleen Gage

2010-07-23T04:53:00.000-07:00

I have just been listening to this brilliant audio: Successful Author Secrets

Kathleen Gage was the Top Home-Based Business Owner for the State of Utah 2004 and has received many business awards. She helps business owners to build internet marketing systems to promote their businesses.

Her book The Law of Achievement became an Amazon bestseller.

The interview with Kathleen Gage covers subjects such as:

• How can you build a successful business based on your book, to help you reach more people?

• How can you help your readers in the most effective ways?

• How can you create information products for multiple streams of income?

• How can you recession-proof your business?

As Kathleen says, you write one book, the next one is easier and the next one after that is easier still. This is what I have always taught my students: your future success will involve building on what you have achieved in the past - and everyone has past achievements.

One thing Kathleen mentions is that many people have a problem with getting started, and overcoming procrastination. To listen to an audio interview with me about how to overcome procrastination as a writer, go to: Tapping into the Natural Flow of Your Creativity.

Do You Feel Shy about Your Writing?

2010-07-21T00:17:00.000-07:00

Do you ever feel shy about sharing your writing with others? Do your feelings of accomplishment give way to insecurity?

Check out this publishing blog from PPD, a Canadian company.

I wonder whether this is why many writers find it difficult to promote their work, or even to finish it.

You can overcome and transform these feelings. For more about this, see Tapping into the Natural Flow of Your Creativity.

Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT, also known as meridian tapping, can help you to feel confident and self-assured. For more about this, see Achieving Fabulous Success.

Tapping into the Natural Flow of Your Creativity

2010-07-05T07:38:00.000-07:00

I am delighted to have been interviewed on Paula B’s The Writing Show about my new ebook, Write Your Book in Two Days. The focus of the show is on how to overcome procrastination.

Click here to listen.

Write Your Book in Two Days combines my two major areas of interest and expertise: writing and personal development/self-help.

There is so much we can achieve if we tap into the natural flow of our creativity, and trust that creative flow. If we stop blocking ourselves and stop blaming ourselves. If we get out of our own way.

Having produced several books and ebooks, and a constant, steady stream of blogs and articles over the past several years, writing this book was my natural next step.

Everyone procrastinates about something. We writers have elevated procrastination to the level of a high art.

In this interview, I talk about the causes of procrastination, and what we can do about it. I also touch on writer’s block, which often stems from similar causes.

Click here to listen.

Once you have eliminated a substantial number of your blocks and obstacles, you will be in the flow state. This book is designed to get you there.

Click here to download Write Your Book in Two Days.

Click here for my Amazon Author Profile.

How Did Jacqueline Susann Create a Runaway Bestseller?

2010-06-29T05:33:00.000-07:00

Failed Broadway actress Jacqueline Susann wrote one of the most popular, most widely-read modern novels of all time, Valley of the Dolls, published in 1966.

After years of struggling to make it as an actress, Jackie was diagnosed with breast cancer and decided to try her hand at writing, stating in her diary, “I can’t die without leaving something. Something big”.

She wanted to make a fortune as her son was autistic, and needed to have enough money to ensure he would receive the care he needed in the event of her death.

Valley of the Dolls was turned down by several publishers. Jackie portrayed actresses using drink and drugs, having sex and having lesbian relationships, all of which were taboo subjects at that time.

There were rumours that Jackie had had affairs with Hollywood and Broadway actresses and that the characters in Valley of the Dolls were based on them.

She knew how to tell a good story, which is, of course, what everyone wants. That was one of the keys to the popularity of the book. Once you picked it up, you didn’t want to put it down.

The coarse language she used reflected the way showgirls and others in the entertainment industry spoke. Susann’s earthy language and subject-matter proved to be highly popular.

Valley of the Dolls was later made into a film starring Patty Duke and Sharon Tate.

Despite her success and the glare of the media, Jackie managed to keep her cancer a secret.

Strategies

Valley of the Dolls became a runaway bestseller, selling more than 30 million copies despite being slated by noted authors including Gore Vidal and Truman Capote. How did she do it?

She and her husband, publicist Irving Mansfield, drove across the U.S.A. and later travelled the world, networking with small, independent bookshops.

Jackie would make note of the birthdays of shop-owners and either send them a card or turn up to their store on the day. She treated bookstore-owners as personal friends, often sending them thank-you cards. She also linked up with the truckers who would be delivering her books, treating them like stars.

I am not sure if this formula would work as well today, as many independent bookshops have gone out of business, big chain stores proliferate, and many customers now buy their books online. But it’s certainly worth the effort to establish good relationships with your local bookshops.

The internet is not destroying literature. Check out this great blog about Twitter from Publishers' Weekly.

See also: Using Visualization for Publishing Success.

Her Husband Burned Her First Novel

2010-06-21T02:55:00.000-07:00

Nigerian novelist Buchi Emecheta, author of Joys of Motherhood and Second Class Citizen, was my college lecturer when I did a fiction-writing course many years ago at Goldsmiths College, London.

She came to Britain as a young married woman with several children and, in between working full-time and studying part-time, she produced a novel based on her experiences. Her husband burned it.

Her commitment to her creativity was such that she has since had over 20 novels published. Click here to read my interview with Buchi Emecheta.

See also: Nigerian Literature.

I've got lots more writers' secrets in More Black Success.

Using Visualization for Publishing Success

2010-06-17T02:16:00.000-07:00

Chinese-American writer Lisa See wanted to be a successful author. Today, she is the international best-selling author of novels such as Peony in Love and Snow Flower and the Secret Fan.

How did she do it? In this interview, Lisa See describes how she used visualization to achieve her goals, and how she still uses it as part of her writing process today. Click here to read it.

Lisa’s work reflects her love of Chinese and Chinese-American history and culture, and her commitment to discovering women writers who have all but disappeared, and restoring them to their rightful place in history.

Her work reminds me of that of Alice Walker, who set out to find the burial place of Zora Neale Hurston and placed a headstone on her grave.

What do you think of this blog? Please leave a comment below.

Nigerian Literature

2010-06-15T10:04:00.000-07:00

I've been listening to this excellent podcast about Nigerian writers, presented by Mayowa Atte.

I am familiar with first-generation writers such as Chinua Achebe and Wole Soyinka, who could be described as post-colonial writers. I'm also familiar with the works of second-generation author Ben Okri.

In this show, Atte explores works of some third-generation Nigerian authors, including Chimamanda Adichie, Sefi Atta and Chris Abani. This is a delightful introduction to these writers. Click here to listen.

It would be great if he had included work by Nigerian women authors as well. More on this anon.

For writers' secrets, visit More Black Success.

The Truth about Article Writing

2010-06-10T03:40:00.000-07:00

The purpose of the Writers' Secrets blog is to help you to produce, market and promote your books, articles and blogs. I will list resources for writers here.

I just read this great article on The Truth about Article Writing by Jonathan Fields. Click here to read it.

He is talking about driving traffic to your website, which is great. Article writing is also an important way to establish your reputation as an expert in your field.

To learn more, click here to read my article on Making Money through Writing Articles.

This article is for writers and particularly for ebook publishers. Click here to read my article on The Best Content for Your Ebook.

Squidoo is one of the best article sites on the internet. Squidoo pages tend to have high Google rankings. It is free to join, and there's a profit-sharing scheme. To join Squidoo, click here to post an article.

Here's to your success!