Logical Expressions Blog

Here in the backwoods, it's been cold. I know it's January and it's supposed to be cold, but I have to say that the ice situation on our driveway is getting me down. Yesterday, I drove down to the mailbox (which is about 1/2 mile away) because it was busy blizzarding. On my way back, I almost got stuck halfway up our driveway. How embarrassing.

Our driveway is not steep or long. My car is all-wheel drive, so normally it can get through almost anything. However, yesterday about 4 inches of snow was sitting on top of a sheet of ice, and for the first time in 12 years, I couldn't get the car up the driveway. The tires just spun. I tried three times to back up and go for a "running start." Finally, I slid back down, straightened out the car and hit the differential lock. I ground my way up the last few feet into the garage.

I am SO ready for spring. And very thankful that James wrote today's article!

Enjoy!

   - Susan Daffron

Entrepreneurial Authoring: Write a Book to Boost Your Credibility

by James H. Byrd

Your non-fiction book probably has much more value to your business as an integral part of your marketing strategy than as a potential stream of income

As some of you know, I've been doing a lot of teleseminars in these first few weeks of January. We did ones called:

• Get Your Book Done (with Donna Kozik)
• Sneak Peek into Book Coaching (with Lisa Manyon)
• Why Becoming a Book Author Can Change Your Life (with Gina Bell)

All of them talk about our 90 Day Book Challenge which starts on Monday. If you are thinking about writing a book, this course is a great opportunity to make it happen. (If you have questions, don't be shy...ask me)

This week's article relates to asking questions too.

Follow Your Own Path

by Susan C. Daffron

When it comes to marketing, don't be afraid to go against the grain, try something new, and do things your own way

Enjoy!

Hi everyone...

I wanted to let you know about a call
I'm doing with Gina Bell today at 1 pm (Pacific time).

You can sign up here:   http://www.logicalexpressions.com/Teleseminar_gina.htm

Why Becoming a Book Author Can Change Your Life:

Susan Daffron talks to Gina Bell about the many ways becoming a
book author can have a huge impact on your business and your life.
Susan is the author of 10 books, 9 of which she self-published over
the past three years. Gina and Susan will discuss how a book can be
used to:

• Reach more people with your message
• Establish your expertise
• Attract more clients
• Make it possible for you to charge higher fees
• Create a passive income stream
• Enjoy more opportunities for publicity
• Attract potential partnerships and joint ventures.

Over the past three years, largely because of her books, Susan has
watched her visibility as an entrepreneur skyrocket. Because of her
books, she has been interviewed and exhibited at industry
conferences, had articles in magazines with extremely high
circulations (1M+), and completely transformed her business. All of
these changes started with one simple step: the desire to become a
published author.

I hope to hear you on the call!

Right now, I am happily uploading a 9MB audio file. I am thrilled to be able to do this ostensibly boring task because for the last 3 weeks or so our satellite Internet has had a BIG problem. It has been somewhat agonizing to do things like send this newsletter on our backup 26.4 dial-up connection. Today, James installed a new transmitter on our satellite dish and it seems to have solved the problem. (Or at least helped a whole lot - cross your fingers!)

In other news, I'm doing a call with Lisa Manyon on Friday. If you've ever wondered what it's like to work with an editor like me on a book, call in and get a "Sneak Peek." Along with me, Lisa is one of the contributing authors of a new book called The Official AWE Emerging Trends Guide.

Being published in an anthology like the AWE book gave Lisa the publishing "bug," and she got a first draft of her own new book done in October, but then stalled out. She says, "I need someone to hold my feet to the fire." That would be me! If you've ever wondered if coaching programs like our 90 Day Book Challenge could help you, sign up for the free call and find out what it's like.

http://www.LogicalExpressions.com/LisaManyon

Fortunately, while I was busy fighting with my Internet connection and setting up calls with cool people, James was busy writing. He wrote this week's article, which is also about getting your book project going.

Enjoy!

   - Susan Daffron

P.S. I have 2 more book publishing calls scheduled next week, and I'll do a short post about them, once I have the information. Stay tuned ;-)

How to Get Going on Your Book Even Before You Know Exactly What It's About

by James H. Byrd

Use the writing time you already spend on blog posts or articles to produce the content you need for your book

I hope you all had a great holiday season. We mostly watched it snow. In fact, it has pretty much snowed non-stop for several weeks. Fortunately for us, we're snuggled up in our nice warm house which has a very pointy roof, so it won't collapse under the snow load. (The recent rain on top of the snow has caused a number of buildings to collapse in this area.)

Since we haven't exactly been getting out much (except to snowshoe on our forest trails with our dogs), we've been busy plotting out plans for 2009. One of them is a new program we're offering called the 90-Day Book Challenge which is designed to help aspiring authors get their books DONE this year (really). Check it out here: http://www.logicalexpressions.com/90daybook.htm

I'm also doing a free call with our friend Donna Kozik tomorrow called (appropriately) Get Your Book Done. With a whole lot of years of collective editorial experience, we're going to offer up some tips for making your book happen. You can sign up here: http://www.logicalexpressions.com/teleseminar.htm.

This week's article is all about getting help.

Enjoy!

P.S. If you're on Facebook, "friend me up" and check out the pictures we posted of a momma and baby moose that camped out in our back yard on New Year's Day. COOL!

Key to Success #6 Get Help When You Need It                                      By Susan Daffron

As a publisher, trying to do everything yourself can become overwhelming and time-consuming

Today, I found out that Hope Clark of Funds for Writers fame selected me for the "Honest Scrap Award." I did a Google search on it and I'm not sure where it started, but the idea is that you share honest bits of information about yourself.

The award has two components. You have to first list 10 honest things about yourself (and make them interesting), and second present the award to seven other bloggers.

Here are 10 honest things about me:

1. I have a treadle sewing machine and enjoy sewing on it more than any electronic computerized sewing machine I've had the opportunity to borrow during quilting classes. The sound of a treadle is extremely soothing.

2. I can't stand carbonated anything. This loathing was a big problem in the days before bottled water when the only thing you could get to drink at events was a Coke. Or beer. Yuck.

3. I really don't like going to salons to get my hair cut. In fact, I grow it long for 2-3 years and then finally force myself to go into a Fantastic Sams and donate my hair to Locks of Love.

4. I think my husband is by far the coolest person I've ever met. (By FAR!) Okay, that one probably isn't that surprising, but it's true.

5. I almost flunked chemistry in high school because I couldn't memorize the periodic table. (I viewed this as an idiotic requirement in the first place...I mean really who cares?)

6. I used to pinch my sister with my toes when we were sitting on the couch watching TV and then deny it when she whined to my Mom. ("Who me?!")

7.  I like my dogs a lot better than a lot of people. Even when they are obnoxious, they are better office mates than anyone I shared cubicle space with in Corporate America.

8. I took the Master Gardener course, yet thanks to my cats, neglect, and indoor environmental woes, I still have never successfully grown a house plant. (I'm much better with plants in the great outdoors.)

9. I don't know my own cell phone number and never turn it on, except to make outgoing calls. I don't want to be that connected; to me a cell phone is for emergencies or checking voice mail, and that's it. (Cell phones are NOT for yammering on in the grocery store or other public places, if you ask me.)

10. Where we live, we have no DSL, no garbage pick up, no road maintenance, no pizza delivery, no visible neighbors, and often virtually no noise, except the sounds of wildlife. We trade a lot of "modern conveniences" for the pleasures of living in our quiet forest, but it's all worth it.

Here are 7 other bloggers who I'd like to bestow with the Honest Scrap Award (in no particular order).

1. Christine Kane

2. Shel Horowitz - Principled Profit

3. Lisa Manyon - Write on Creative

4. Biana Babinsky - Avocado Consulting

5. Donna Kozik - My Big Business Card

6. Gina Bell - JV Mavens

7. Dana Lynn Smith