Logical Expressions Blog

We did a survey recently and a large percentage of the respondents said they dream of writing a book, but they haven't. They used phrases like "I've been meaning to for so long" or "I've wanted to for years." It seems like there's a lot of talk and no action among aspiring authors. Why is that?

This week's article explores why people don't actually do the things they say they want to do.

Enjoy!

Why Don't People Do The Things They Say They Want to Do?

by Susan C. Daffron

Whether you want to travel or be a book author, how can you be "too busy" to follow your dream?

As noted in the article, I have returned from my latest trip. Never in my life have I done back-to-back traveling like this before. Let me just say that air travel is not as much fun as it used to be.

Even though getting there (and back) was not half the fun, my experience at the No More Homeless Pets Conference and the subsequent visit to the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary  was incredible. (I'm even in the closing video - http://video.bestfriends.org/media/p/1347.aspx)

I realize it has nothing to do with publishing, but if you are an animal lover and happen to be in Utah, you really should stop by the sanctuary. It's amazing and inspiring ;-)

What does relate to publishing is that I was invited to speak at the conference because of my book. I also exhibited at the conference, and I sold OUT of my book. It was a whirlwind of activity with people handing money over so quickly, I could barely record the sales in my ledger. Yes, speaking really does help your book sales!

If you are thinking about speaking about your book, I've shared a few tips on preparing for a presentation in the article.

Enjoy!

Practice a Presentation Even When You Can't Practice

by Susan C. Daffron

A few tips for practicing your presentation even when you are busy and on the road

I often wonder if I worry too much. As a consumer myself, I want our customers to be happy purchasing the things we produce. I've had enough buyer's remorse in my life that I don't want to inflict it on anyone else.

Obviously, not every client we've ever had loves us, since people don't always get along. However, we do try to represent the products we sell accurately. I think that is why we've only had two product returns in the five years our online storefront has existed. In both cases, people simply didn't read the text explaining what the product was.

You hear the term "truth in advertising" a lot, but I think truth should go beyond just advertising. Truth in marketing is important.

Enjoy!

Embrace Truth in Marketing

by Susan C. Daffron

People don't like being manipulated; by telling the truth you stand out from all the online snake oil salesmen

Right now, I'm listening to the peaceful sound of canines snoring on the floor next to my chair. Apparently, one dog is having a groovy dream, given all the little woofs and paw wiggles.

Today's rainy-day tranquility has only been interrupted by the occasional phone call. I had a great time talking to a client, but other than that, today's calls have been annoying B2B telemarketer calls. So in addition to the writing advice below, I offer you my husband's best writing productivity tip:

"Don't answer the phone."

Although I have a difficult time not answering the phone, he's right. I schedule all my client calls and really should not answer the phone. In fact, I've turned off the ringer, so I won't even know when it rings. (Welcome to voice mail Mr. Telemarketer!)

Enjoy!

Moods are for Cattle, Not Writing

by Susan C. Daffron

Excuses for not writing often relate to one of two problems: priorities or perfectionism

Fall is definitely here. We shut down the garden, and I've been taking dogs to the veterinarian for their fall checkups. (So far, everything seems fine with the all-furry team!) In the midst of all this activity, we've also been plotting out activities for next year. I'm pleased to report that the Small Publishers Artists and Writers Network (SPAWN) will be a sponsor of the Self-Publishers Online Conference in May. Yes, SPOC 2010 is coming! You can keep up with all the details by signing up for SPOC News at:
http://www.SelfPublishersOnlineConference.com/

In related news, I also heard from "Mr. Publishing" Dan Poynter. He has agreed to do the keynote on the first day of SPOC: May 12, 2010. He'll be talking about "Book Publishing Opportunities: Past, Present and Future." Given that Dan travels 6,000 miles every week, I'm thrilled that he's able to fit SPOC into his busy schedule again this year.

We're committed to self-publisher education and helping aspiring authors make good choices about their books. One of the things that came through in the comments about the conference last year was how "blessedly devoid of hype" and sales fluff the presentations were. Just like last year, we plan to pack a lot of content into three days.

Casting a critical eye at hyped-up programs also happens to be the subject of this week's article.

Enjoy!

Write a Book the Fast and Easy Way

by Susan C. Daffron

When it comes to book publishing, it's time to get real about what fast and easy really mean

Today, I'm thinking about reading. I got a shipment of books from Amazon this afternoon, and now I'm in a hurry to get this done so I can dig into my new cache of books and learn.

People underestimate the power of simply reading books. Actually having the patience to sit down and read a book cover-to-cover is a tremendous and often under-appreciated competitive advantage in business.

"Read books!" is also the first advice I give to aspiring writers and publishers. Countless written resources about entrepreneurship and publishing are available that cost nothing or next to nothing, as noted in this week's article.

Enjoy!

How to Set Up a Home Publishing Business

by Susan C. Daffron

Publishing is an ideal home-based business, but you need to answer some key questions first

I've been spending a lot of time dealing with email related to the Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network (SPAWN) Web site. As I've mentioned, I'm now the president of the association and I recently rebuilt the Web site at www.spawn.org. Another little piece of the fall-out related to the massive Web site overhaul was discovering problems with the newsletter lists. So I moved them all over to AWeber, which is the email autoresponder service I use for this Publishize newsletter as well.

In any case, I've spent a lot of time explaining to people why this switch was necessary. A while ago I wrote an article on how to get your ezine delivered, which covers this topic in more depth. I thought about sending it out as a newsletter, but the problem is that it is filled with words that would trigger everyone's email filters. If you don't know what I mean, that's exactly why you should read the article. After all, if no one ever gets your newsletter, what's the point?

Enjoy!

Get Your Ezine Delivered

by Susan C. Daffron

Thanks to spam, getting email where it needs to go has become increasingly difficult.

Today, I'll be brief because I feel icky. I think I'm getting a cold. We've had three sets of houseguests in the last month and one of them infected James with a germ. He, in turn, seems to have infected me.

Anyway, since I was not exactly inspired to write, I looked back at an old Publishize survey, which indicated many of you are interested in copywriting. And thus the subject of this week's article was born!

Enjoy!

How to Write Copy for Your Book Website

by Susan C. Daffron

A few tips for writing copy about your book, whether you plan to use it online or offline

Tomorrow I'm doing two free "sneak peak" webinars for Best Friends Animal Society. Mine are called "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Fundraisers" and they are based on information in my book Funds to the Rescue: 101 Fundraising Ideas for Humane and Animal Rescue Groups. You can read more about the Webinars and access links to sign up here:
http://network.bestfriends.org/golocal/lasvegas/news.aspx?pID=12876.

This webinar and the speaking opportunity at Best Friend's upcoming No More Homeless Pets Conference in October came about because of book marketing activities that I performed literally months ago. The value of marketing consistently over time happens to be the topic of this week's article.

Enjoy!

Marketing is a Marathon, Not a Sprint

by Susan C. Daffron

The marketing you do today may not bear fruit for months or even years, so you need to be marketing consistently

Today, I’m writing this later than usual. We had a serious need to can 50 cups worth of veggies before it was too late. We now have 23 pints of food that we'll be eating for months to come. When the garden is in power produce mode, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

This week's article talks about coming up with writing ideas.

Enjoy!

Finding Topic Ideas for Your Blog, Articles, or Even Your Book

by Susan C. Daffron

When you are trying to figure out what to write, don't worry about what you "should" do.