Let’s Get Creative! Today is THINK TANK THURSDAY which is the time when we want to get our juices flowing for any creative projects that you might be starting or working on. I think it’s an amazing undertaking to do something creative whether it’s writing a book or a bedroom makeover. But here are a few of my best ideas for getting those creative juices flowing as the year is already half way over.

I’m not sure if any of you are Netflix subscribers, but I recently watched a documentary on a company called WeWork. It was interesting to ay the least, but they were totally into creating creative workspaces for soloprenuers and have recreated the space of work across the globe. When scanning the internet recently I came across an interesting article that I thought would be a good read of juice flowing ideas from some other creatives. These ideas come directly from WeWork and some of their entrepreneurs.

Check it out here at https://www.wework.com/ideas/professional-development/10-ways-get-creative-juices-flowing
 
To Your Success,
​
MG

Let’s get those creative juices flowing today. If you’re writing a book or blog OR you may be knee deep in a huge project and haven’t come up for air. Well, let’s take a moment to get our creative mojo working for us again. Here are two quick ways I do it and boom, I’m flowing on all cylinders again.

     1. Change your surroundings. Taking a trip to a foreign land which could just be a new neighborhood or subdivision coming up on the other side of town. Sometimes my husband and I will take a drive around the city to inspire ourselves to keep dreaming. Years ago, there was a concept called Dream Building in which you went to places that may be out of your reach then, but could be within your reach if you worked hard and pursued it. It was a way to stretch what you believed was possible.  We still do that today. For someone else it may be going to the park with a cup of coffee or head down to a new part of downtown you've never been. The point is, new places, new restaurants, new cafes all get you to open your eyes. Just don't forget your notebook! You never know when a change of scenery will cause you to think of something brilliant. 

     2. Jot down your goals. It's so easy to get stuck in your daily routine that you forget about the bigger picture. Stay focused and motivated by putting your goals to paper and keeping it close by. Every time you get bogged down with challenges or minor upsets, look back to your goals. They won't fix your problems but they will remind you why those problems need to be fixed. I absolutely love writing down everything. I have so many journals and notebooks of ideas, dreams, prayers and thoughts – you would see why I am an author and publisher. 

Of course, this is my way of getting my creative mojo back and staying attune with myself and my creative flow. I want you to give it a go yourself and see what you think.  I can’t wait to see what you do next.

To Your Success,

MG

Productivity doesn’t happen by accident. It happens by preparation. I firmly believe it is fundamentally the result of your intelligent planning, drive for excellence, and steady efforts. I’d like to introduce to some and present to other one of my favorites ‘Go To Tools’, Evernote.

Evernote is like my second brain that helps me remember everything. It’s a reliable note-making app (and you all know how I love taking notes). But it also reinforces and keeps me organized and enables me to get more done. With Evernote, I capture, organize, and share notes from anywhere so that my very best ideas are always with me and synced. This is a must have tool for those of you writing books because every idea for a chapter, book title, funny story or thought. You won’t lose it and you’ve got a place to keep them all for you. I LOVE it!

I’m a Fan of these Evernote Best Features:

• Collect everything at one place and make it more accessible
• Scan and search information from business cards
• Add attachments, links, and audio recordings
  
  

What tool do you use that you can no longer live without? Tell me about. I want you to win.

To Your Success,
​
MG

I recently thought about listening to the excellent NPR podcast episode a few years back. It was all about how Instagram got started.

Truly a remarkable story. Instagram Founders, Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, launched the app in October 2010. By April 2012 only a year and a half later – Facebook acquired the service for $1B dollars! Yes, that’s right – a billion dollars!

Are you asking yourself? How could someone make a billion dollars in just a year and a half? That’s an incredible TRUE story!

I learned 6 success lessons from this story, and I’d like to share them with you. But I’m doing bite sized- so we can really dig in to this. Here’s the first 3 and I will come back next time with 3 more. Here they are:

1. Find untapped potential.

How do you make something people want? A good way is to find untapped potential, something that could be done but hasn’t been done yet.

For Instagram, the untapped potential was the power of cell phone cameras. In 2010, cell phone cameras had become good enough, comparable in quality to point-and-shoot cameras. But nobody up to that point had made it easy for people to share photos right from their cell phones. Other apps at that time required you to transfer photos to a computer first before uploading them.

The founders saw this untapped potential and decided to make the most of it. They made it easy for people to share photos right from their cell phones.

2. Meet emotional needs.

Finding untapped potential is vital, but it’s not enough. For people to really want what you have, you need to meet their emotional needs.

Instagram did it well. First, it meets social needs. Instagram makes it easy for people to share pics with their friends.

Second, it meets self-confidence needs. A pivotal moment in the story was when one of the founders realized it wasn’t enough just to help people share pics; the pics should make them feel good. So what did they do? They built filters right into the app so that users can polish their looks and photos before sharing.

3. Make something people want.

Making something people want is the key to success in business. You can only thrive if people want what you have. If they don’t, nothing in the world can give you success in the long term.

In the case of Instagram, people want to share their life stories in a visual way. Instagram is still winning today because it meets this desire better than most.

With the app meeting users’ social and emotional needs, it’s a no brainer people love Instagram.
 
Now think about yourself, what creative thing do you have or does your business product? Consider these 3 things as you begin to work on your next big endeavor. Then, come tell us about it. I can’t wait to hear what you’re doing next. Until Then.

To Your Success,
​
MG

We often mix up those ideas, simple and easy. But really they’re two completely different things. You hear this confusion sometimes after a successful strategy is revealed to be incredibly simple, when people respond by saying, “it can’t be that easy.” It’s not easy, it’s simple.

For example, imagine if I told you that in order to create a popular blog or podcast or youtube channel, 80% of your success comes down to the simple strategy of publishing consistently and frequently. This strategy is simple, but it’s not easy by any means. In fact, this strategy is so difficult to pull off that only a tiny fraction of people who attempt it will succeed. I mean I will be honest creating a simple blog post each week gets to be difficult for me. But I’ve committed to it, so every week in order to have something interesting and worthwhile to share I have to make it easy on myself to make it happen.

This is true of so many things we want to achieve. We know what needs to be done. The strategy part is almost laughably simple. But the execution… the execution phase is the graveyard of good intentions. And you know what I say about good intentions. You have to give them some attention. If you don’t have the book, get it. It’ll help you.

Showing up day after day after day, to do repeatedly do something, requires incredible self-discipline and focus. Most of us would rather give in to the part of our brain that prefers a quick hit of dopamine from the nearest Tiktok video or shiny new project.

But stay the course, simple can be easy if you try these 3 tips:

1. Start. It doesn’t matter what it is starting a YouTube channel or writing a book. The key is to start. Start well by thinking of a title. Decide on a goal the reader should get from reading it. Then, give titles to the first 5 chapters. You’ll be amazed at just how much momentum will follow a good start.

2. Minimize to Maximize.  Make the minimum thing you need to accomplish to consider your attempt successful as small as possible. Don’t require a perfect blog post every time, just require that you publish something. Whew! How simple is that? You’d be surprised at how counterintuitive it is to have a low expectation give you really high results.

3. Don’t confuse simple and easy. The greatest strategies are incredibly simple to describe, but exceedingly difficult to pull off. It’s up to you to set your bar in a way that’s easy to clear every time you commit to showing up. This enables you to be sure your “simple and easy strategy” doesn’t take a dive on the one inevitable day when you just don’t have the energy to go big ‘all in’.

To Your Success,
​
MG

As a writer, you are presented with so much advice; figure out what feels right for you. Enjoy the journey and stay engaged. It’s a long and glorious road, just take one step at a time.

I recently heard about a writers conference in New York and it happened to be on the same weekend of the New York Marathon.  And you know what, independent authors and marathon runners have a lot in common!

One, writing and publishing a book is certainly no sprint. Not unlike the runners on race day, a book’s release happens after weeks, months, and years of careful, meticulous work and planning. Just like the runners at the start of the race, the authors who make it to release day are truly hardy, tenacious, and driven.

I often think about all the wonderful books that will never be read because their gifted authors lacked some single quality that would otherwise have taken their book to finish line. Whether it’s a lack of self-confidence or a tribe to support and encourage them – whether it’s a lack of tenacity, self-motivation, thick skin, or work ethic necessary to hone their craft and reach their goals – without perseverance in the face of many obstacles, making it all the way to publication will always be just a dream.

Two, I meet so many ambitious authors who were hungry to learn everything they can to get their book to the next level. Their enthusiasm is contagious. Just like a runner has good days and days when shin splints keep them sidelined, an author will experience a combination of good flow days, painful editing days, no-motivation days, beautiful sentences, mixed metaphors, blocks, inspiration, re-writes, boosts of self-confidence, moments of insecurity, and a resolute finish strong attitude. (actually, it just might be harder to write and publish a book than it is to run a marathon.)

So how do we make sure we are ready and motivated to run the long race and not peter out after the fanfare of launch day? Just like a runner’s need to load carbs, writers need to stay fueled. Attending a writers conference does just that. Hanging out with fellow authors – people who truly get you – is fortifying.

There are many opportunities to get inspired, and even to get a keener sense of your own writing projects. By the end of a writers conference, attendees inevitably experience an endorphin high. Capitalizing on this state of excitement is crucial.

You will probably not feel more stoked than you do on the way home from a writers conference or workshop. Let that work for you. While some people feel lightheaded from all the information they’ve gained, and it may take a thoughtful plan to accomplish some of their new goals, I say do something immediately! As soon as you get home, or the next day, do something small. Something that will take little time and effort. It will feel productive to have taken a first step. Even the smallest adjustment could create momentum.

What’s the easiest thing you can do? Maybe take a look at your Amazon book page to see if your book description has great keywords, or maybe you want to turn on the “Ask the Author” button on your Goodreads author page, or maybe you will link your website to your Author pages on Amazon and Goodreads. After you tackle some of the simpler things, think about taking on some larger goals; perhaps you want to list a book giveaway on Goodreads. You will not feel this excited a month from now. This is the height of your “writers conference endorphin high.” Use it to your advantage!

The truth is, you won’t be able to do everything. No one does it all. At a conference, you are presented with so much advice from a variety of professionals. Some of the ideas will strike a chord with you, others will not be right for you or your projects. Figure out what feels right. What can you do on your own? What do you want to hire others to do?

Most of all, allow yourself to get excited about the small victories. This way you are enjoying the journey and staying engaged instead of feeling burned out or overwhelmed. Hopefully, it will be a long and glorious road, take one step at a time. And hey … no shin splints!
 
To Your Success,
​
MG

The Audiobook Market is Growing and Shaking Things Up
Audiobooks is the fastest growing segment in the publishing industry right now. For traditional publisher’s audiobook sales mitigated declines in e-book sales, and trade publishers are bullish on audiobooks going into 2020. Audible (owned by Amazon) still has the lion’s share of the audiobook marketing but others are trying to make inroads. 2020 may well be the year when we see new and existing players disrupt the established order.
 
Audiobooks.com was acquired by a media group in 2017, Apple’s exclusivity agreement with Audible ended last year and more players are getting into the mix with Kobo launching their own audiobook subscription service in late 2017. This gives indie authors more control and more opportunity to launch into the audiobook industry.  Digital audiobooks will remain the fastest growth area in publishing with sales increasing 30% to 40% or more. The dynamics—ease of access for consumers, lifestyle habits, increased market competition, new selling models—have all synced up to create significant staying power. It should surprise nobody when the market size of audiobooks surpasses eBooks in a few years.
 
In 2020, we expect to see independent authors empowered to capitalize on this explosive growth. Indies will take advantage of wide distribution (domestic, international, and public library), realize the advantages at key retailers of setting prices to meet consumer demand, and benefit from more discovery tools created to connect authors with their audiences outside traditional audiobook credit models.”
 
What this means for you: Producing an audiobook runs into the thousands of dollars or requires giving up significant royalties and is still a significant investment for authors. New authors who find the price tag too steep are best off focusing on building their catalog of e-books first. Authors who are looking to invest in their publishing business should definitely have audiobook expansion on their list for 2020. All authors should keep an eye on the market and look to support audiobook retailers and production companies that are author friendly.
 
Do you have a book already? Have sales slowed? Consider breathing new life into it with an Audiobook format. It’s easy and affordable! We can help. www.PurposePublishing.com
​

February being the month of love, I thought I’d share with you about the genre of love in books. You can write a love story outside the romance genre. Romance is a staple of all types of literature. So when is it a “romance” and when is it just a book with a love story? Usually, it’s obvious.

Romance is in the air. So much so, the romance genre dominates the book industry. Following a big bang in the 1980s, romance publishers and sub-genres exploded. Today, love stories enjoy the lion’s share of the market: this infographic shows a full 40% of Amazon’s eBook sales are in the romance genre.

If you thrive on tales of love, writing them can bring big rewards. As an author, you call the shots. Conjure the heroine and her hero. Crush their love with seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Mold the perfect HEA, or “Happily Ever After.” You might also draw a paycheck.

For love affair connoisseurs, you’ll know the style of romance book you like to read. Maybe you see a gap in the market and you’d like to try to fill it by bringing a new voice to the fray.

Maybe you’ve watched the documentary Love Between the Covers. The makers of this film rounded up romance authors and devotees to discuss their close-knit community and found that many of the best romance writers joined “the movement” to put stories they wanted to read on the shelf for the first time. Someone had to write the first paranormal romance.

Romancers are quick to point out that this genre foots the bills in the fiction industry. To keep up with demand, leading romance authors leapfrogged from penning one book every two years to producing two to three titles a year. The industry is innovative: embracing eBooks early on, for example, to help sate the voracious appetites of audiences.

Perhaps you’ve been to a Romance Writers of America convention, or a similar event. These are the meet-and-greets of the industry, and you can pick up tips on everything – from editing to cinching up corsets.
 
Given the regularized patterns of commercial romance novels, you’ll want to figure out where you fit in. Romance has clear and demanding genre expectations. Readers reward creativity, but key rules are etched in stone. You must concoct a great hero and heroine, confound them with obstacles, and make sure love conquers all. No deviations allowed. You must have an HEA.
 
In the end, romance is still the same old “boy-meets-girl” story. Actually, it’s better described as “girl-meets-boy” as the majority of romance book writers and readers are female. And it’s girl-meets-boy with a big twist: the romance genre is defined by hindrances. Sacrifice – personal, financial, professional, or otherwise – is essential, and don’t think to let it fall on the shoulders of the woman alone. Partners must equally bear the cost of overcoming.

While not overly realistic, seemingly impossible challenges make for compelling fiction. It’s like the whodunit puzzle in a murder mystery. How can you fall in love with the man who bought your family farm and turned it into a shopping mall? How do you fall in love with the son of your family’s sworn enemy – or a soldier from the enemy army? Seeing the road love travels to conquer all is why they’ll pay the price of admission. Everyone knows the ending, which makes the journey the thing that really matters.

The battle for love can be played out in any background: past, present, or future; reality-based or fantasy. You can have any type of couple from any walk of life, just make sure you fit into a sub-genre or risk trying to become the exception and create your own.

You’ll want to check the requirements for any publishers you are interested in approaching. For example, by convention, romances are written in the third person, past tense.

Ask the question, Is it a love story?

Of course, you can still write a love story outside the romance genre. Romance is a staple of all types of literature. So when is it a “romance” and when is it just a book with a love story? Usually, it’s obvious.

Twilight is an epic love story but not a romance. Why? Bella and Edward face the obstacle of his past: he’s a 117-year-old vampire who finds her smell intoxicating. They overcome this relatively quickly, and there is so much more to the story, along with werewolves and marauding vampires, for it to count as “only” romance. This blockbuster is a fantasy with a very memorable love story inside it.

Fifty Shades of Grey is equally focused on a couple but exceeds the boundaries of “romance” because it strays too far from the formula. It puts Christian and Anastasia together at the get-go.

It is also a deal-breaker to kill off the hero – or the heroine. With death, you’re back to love story. The need for an HEA is inscrutable.

So, given that you know the story you’re panting to tell, get on with it: Fill the world with love.

Looking at the data, we see 40% of Amazon’s eBook market share belongs to romances, and the genre grosses a whopping $1.14 billion a year. A quarter of bestsellers are romances, and romance novels are the type of book most likely to be read to completion.

We know the length of your book should be 375 pages. On average, each sentence will contain 9.3 words. In 1811, when Jane Austen wrote Sense and Sensibility, the average was 23.7, but times have changed.

For profession, lawyers and detectives rank top for protagonists. So, our couple can be a lawyer-detective duo. The numbers dictate the protagonist be female and America the setting.

But, what if you are a thriller writer? Then you should write a thriller, of course. Just know you’ll potentially meet the tastes of a smaller section of the reading populace. Unless you write a romance thriller that crosses over and grabs romance readers as well…

But of course, this is all academic, and mostly just for fun. In the end, the answer is to write what you are best suited to write, bearing in mind the facts about what this might mean for sales and the size of your readership. The world of traditional publishing is propped up by a huge infrastructure built over decades: going “insider,” when it works in your favor, means traveling on a freeway. Landing on a niche, however small, might mean less competition and a rabid readership.

Though you’ll have difficulty finding a more rabid fan base than in the romance genre. Those folks love a good love story.

To Your Success,

​MG

Eating healthier, working out, making more time for friends… these are, even for us indie writers, common New Year’s resolutions. Which is to say, the resolutions that will soon go by the wayside.

But for writers, there’s one resolution of the utmost importance to us: finally finishing and publishing your book. This year — with the right preparation and planning — you can follow through on this goal.

I place emphasis here on “finishing and publishing” because if you’re just now typing “Chapter One,” it’s going to be hard for you to both finish and publish that book before the year’s over.

So, let’s assume you’ve already put in a lot of work — say, you’re halfway to your target length of 60,000 words. If you’ve made it that far, you can and will publish your book in 2019… IF you follow this checklist.

June: Finish and edit your first draft

The first step here is to finish writing your book. This will likely require some sacrifice. Cancel that Netflix subscription. Put a lock on your home office. Stay loyal to a writing schedule in which you write and make progress every single day.

Within a few months, you should be done with your first draft. But, that doesn’t mean you’re done writing. Next comes the rewriting. This is when you kill your darlings and shave down the story and the prose so only that which is essential and moves the story forward remains.

With focused effort, you can have this done in the next few months. The goal is to have a tight version of your manuscript which can serve as the foundation for what comes next.

July: Hand your manuscript to a professional editor

Are you done after you’ve finished your self-edit? Nope. Next, you should find a professional editor to edit your manuscript. Yes, this can be expensive. But it’s necessary and worth it to invest in a professional to take a second or third look at your every sentence, word, and syllable. At Purpose Publishing, my team and I tell all our writers the same thing: edit or regret it.

That’s one reason why we offer all our writers editing services. But keep in mind, a professional editor will need 2–3 weeks to do a thorough job, so make sure you’ve found an editor closer to the beginning of the month than later.

August: Editing is complete

Your next step is to read the edited manuscript to make sure you agree with the changes your editor has made. This is important, so take your time. Some authors accept all the changes and rush through this process blindly. Don’t do that! This is your book, and you get the final say on how it reads.

September: Prepare for publication

By September, you should have an edited manuscript ready to go. Next, you’ll need to take steps to make your book look and feel professional.

The best way to do that, outside of partnering with a traditional publisher — which for most people doesn’t make monetary or logical sense and isn’t really feasible to begin with — is to partner with a full-service self-publishing company (I recommend Purpose Publishing!). Your next steps include:

Cover design. The cover of your book is of the utmost importance. It will be the first thing new readers see when they come across your book. It must be both arresting and professional. It pays, then, to hire a professional cover designer. Your sister-in-law who knows a bit of graphic design won’t cut it. You want your book to look like the real deal.

Promotion plan. Next, you’ll need to start thinking about how you’re going to inform the world about the existence of your book. Savvy authors know that such promotion must start early — long before your book enters the marketplace. Will you hire a publicist? Solicit book reviews? Try social media ads? September is the month to make all these strategy decisions so when it comes time to implement them, you know exactly what to do.

Publishing plan. This is also the time to decide how, exactly, you’re going to deliver your book to the world. Are you going to use Print-On-Demand services? Will you create eBooks? There are many distribution options for eBooks, including Amazon. Another option is to partner with aggregators (Purpose Publishing provides such services) who can handle distribution for you.

October: Pre-sale

Once you hit October, it’s time to put things into motion. The first step? Pre-sale.

If you’re distributing your book online, that means you need to set up a pre-sale period for your book with the various online marketplaces and retail stores you’re utilizing. This is, arguably, the most important part of your book launch.

Mid-November: Time to hit the marketplace!

If you’ve followed all the steps above, your book should be available for pre-sale on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple, etc. in time for the holiday and the end of the year.

If all this sounds like a lot of work — you’re right. It is. To get there will require discipline, patience, and grit. Here are some general rules to follow to help keep you on track.

Plan for good and bad days. You can expect to have some good days — when creativity flows and the words spill out without effort — and bad days. Life is full of distractions, after all. The important thing is to plan accordingly so you can get even a little bit of work done every day.

Turn off the TV. Television (and YouTube) is the biggest book killer known to man. So turn it off. There’ll be plenty of time for binge-watching this fall after the hard work is done.

Ask for help. Turn to your friends and family and tell them you’re living out the dream of writing your book. Ask for their forgiveness — and space — while you complete this mission.

Deadlines aren’t everything. Don’t beat yourself up if your manuscript isn’t done by June. A rushed book is never a good book. Publishing a book of quality takes time, just commit to the process and work until you’re done.

I look forward to reading your book this time next year!

To Your Success,

​MG

by Rosalind Gumby Bauchum

Have you ever had an idea for a book, a project, a drama, or an idea to develop a new product?  What about the great idea you have to create something brand new, but you didn’t have time to sit down and develop the outline?  You probably know as well as I do, there are many of us who sit around and say; “one day I am going to start the process on my idea, book or project but ……!”  Over and over, week after week the same phrase is repeated.   Once a friend phoned me to enlighten me about a great book idea he had.  My friend said he was too old to begin the project!  “Huhmnnn,” I said, how old would you be if you didn’t begin this project? 

Many of us have in one way or the other delayed our own ideas for various reasons.  Whether your desires are to write a book, an article, a screen-play, or further develop an idea for a trademark or a patent; all are within reach!  Just take the step! I have heard the difficulty in taking the first step to initiate your project.  The answer is in taking one step at a time, one moment at a time.  Have you ever notice we take the time to do little things that we want to do?  However, when we have real desires, we just don’t have the time? Your goal may be to write a book about your experiences in life.  Another goal may be to write and produce a film about a favorite topic.  Whatever you have in mind, you can do it!  Perhaps some of the following suggestions will help you launch your ideas.
​

• Take five minutes of your lunch break and jot a few notes about your book, play, drama, or creative work. 
• Wake up five minutes early and devote the time to writing the first lines of your work. 
• When you don’t have time to write, grab your phone instead and record your text for five moments. 
• Take three to five minutes to make a sketch of your design or creative for a product.
• Before retiring for bed at night, turn off the TV and spend five minutes to work on your objectives.
• Give social media a rest for five moments! Rather than catching- up on what is going on in the world; devote some time to catch-up on the things you want to do in your life!

The personal aim is to “begin.”  Did you notice the emphasis on five minutes?  Five minutes is not a lengthy amount of time.  Repeat the actions the first two weeks for “five minutes,” then add ten minutes for a total time of “fifteen minutes.”  Increasing your time toward your objectives should help you on your journey toward your pursuits! 

CREATING
Get Started Writing Your Book!
5 Must Do's to get you going

1 – Figure out what you want to write about.  This sounds very easy, but it’s not.  You need to figure out what book YOU were meant to write.  The book that no one else could write.  Four years ago I was approached by an editor to write a book on marketing on YouTube.  Remember this was 2008, and there were very few social media books at the time.  I was really excited at the prospect of having my own book for about 5 mins, till I realized that I wasn’t really interested in writing a book about marketing on YouTube.  And I also didn’t want to tour the country speaking on the topic.  I was pitched on a couple of other book ideas over the next couple of years, but I finally decided that 7 Keys of a Queen was the only book I wanted to write.

2 – Figure out why your book is unique and fills a market need.  Once you figure out the topic of your book, you’re then going to realize that your book’s already been written several times.  You need to figure out what you bring to the table that hasn’t been discussed before. The point is, you’ll need to figure out what your ‘hook’ is.  What are you going to bring to the table that’s unique, but that will still have value for your readers?

3 – Find 3-5 books that you think are similar to your idea.  For each book, you need to explain what your book offers that the competing title misses.  And try your best to pick newer titles.  If you propose that your book idea will be competing against 5 books that were all written in the mid 1990s, that tells the publisher that your idea is dead, otherwise someone would have written about it in the past 15 years!

4 – You need to create an outline and table of contents for your book.  This is where it starts to get serious, and we find out if you really want to write a book, or if you are just toying with the idea.  This will be a lot of work, but you’ll have to show this to a potential publisher, plus it will make the writing process much easier once you have a game plan to follow.  It will also be incredibly beneficial to you because it will force you to flesh out your idea into several chapters, which will help you better structure your book’s message.

5 – Write the first 1-3 chapters.  This is another good test to prepare you for the process.  If you can hand a publisher a solid proposal for the book that includes 1-3 solidly-written chapters, you’re making an excellent case for why your book needs to be published.  And writing those chapters will give you a great idea of how long it will take you to write the entire book.  For example, if it takes you 3 months to write the first chapter, that could be a big red flag.
Granted, writing a book is not easy. It takes a lot of hard work and, most of all, perseverance. But that’s where we can help.

To Your Success, 
MG
 

CREATING

5 Good reasons to consider writing a book

 
Being a published author can do more for a career—and income—than many ever imagined. It has opened doors of opportunity some couldn’t have dreamed were possible. And, it can happen for you, too.

Here are five good reasons why you should consider writing a book:

1. It provides an opportunity to share your expertise. Whether you realize it or not, you are an expert. The problem is you take your knowledge, experience, or skill for granted. Because it is familiar, you assume everyone has it. They don’t. And people will pay to know what you know or learn how to do what you do.
2. It provides an opportunity to establish your authority. People work for years to land an important job or get a graduate degree. Both of these can be important steps in your career path, but neither provide the level of credibility that comes with having a book with your name on it. In our culture, this is still regarded as the ultimate proof of your mastery.
3. It provides an opportunity to differentiate yourself. Whatever your profession, you probably have lots of competition. But I’d be willing to bet only a handful of your competitors have a book to their credit. This is one way—perhaps the most important way—to set yourself apart and get noticed. It provides an unfair advantage in today’s dog-eat-dog world.
4. It provides an opportunity to expand your market. A book is the best marketing tool you could ever have. It makes an introduction. It opens doors. It prepares the market for the other products and services you offer. It goes where you can’t go and does what you can’t do. It positions you as someone with something important to offer.
5. It provides an opportunity to launch a business. A book is but one expression of your message. Once you have published it, you can introduce an assortment of ancillary products. For example, my 7 Keys of a Queen book led to an audio book, a coaching video series, and a teleconference.

 

Granted, writing a book is not easy. It takes a lot of hard work and, most of all, perseverance. But that’s where we can help.


 

CREATING

7 Ways to Improve Your Writing Overnight

Have you ever considered writing a book, but thought "I'm not a very good writer?" Well, no matter how bad (or good) your writing is today, it’s possible to improve it overnight. Here are seven quick “tricks” that can improve the very next piece you write.

1.      Know your reader.
This means more than knowing a few demographics (how old they are, their average income, etc.). To know your readers means you understand their fears, frustrations, and aspirations. Writing from the reader’s perspective will dramatically change the way you write.

2.      Know your objective.
Every piece you write (blog post, press release, video script, or anything else) must have only one objective. I call this objective the Most Wanted Result, or “MWR.” Knowing your MWR forces you to write with crystal-clear focus.

3.      Use short words.
To persuade, you must be easy to understand. Using short words is one of the best ways to do this. Don’t show off how many big words you know.

4.      Use short sentences.
Your thoughts come across more clearly in compact sentences. An added bonus: short sentences prevent you from confusing your readers.

5.      Use short paragraphs.
Imagine you come to a webpage filled with a large block of text. There are no paragraph breaks. Are you likely to read it? Most people would say no. Make your writing skimmable, scannable, and scrollable. Use short paragraphs.
 
6.      Use active language.
Active language is vigorous and interesting. Passive language is boring. How do you know which is which? In an active sentence, the subject is doing the acting: “Bob fixes cars.” In a passive sentence, the target of the action becomes the subject of the sentence. For instance, instead of saying, “Bob fixes cars,” I might say, “The cars are fixed by Bob.”

Passive language presents your idea poorly. It feels “backwards.” It’s also more difficult for many readers to understand. Write with power. Use active language.

 7.      Write recklessly, re-write ruthlessly.
When you write your first draft, it’s okay if it’s awful. In other words, right recklessly. After you have your first draft on paper (or hard drive), filled with power and energy, you can clean up any “messes” you might’ve made. Be ruthless when you re-write.

Start writing and see where it leads you. If want to take your business skills to another realm, write a book. We can help you.