The Author's Edge

The Greatest (Book) Salesman in the World

Chris — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 17:56:38 +0000

10 Rules to Live By in 2012 – Part 1

2011 has been, and continues to be, a strange year for me. I’ve had the luxury of being able to work from home for most of my adult life — for many years as an editor and copywriter and someone who helped authors get booked on radio and TV shows across the country, and for the last few as an independent Internet marketer. “My own boss,” so to speak.

But back to the changes I’ve seen in 2011. Because I work from home, it’s always been assumed that one room in the house I share with my wife and three children (two girls and a boy, oldest nine, youngest two) was “mine” — as in, for me to work.

This has necessitated some sacrifices as you might imagine. But over the past year or so, I’ve been, more and more, giving “my spaces” to my kids. So where I used to have a full wall of built-in bookcases dedicated to books on copywriting, sales, marketing, writing, etc., etc., that eventually dwindled down to a few shelves, and then, eventually, simply to one shelf, where only the most important and oft-referred-to titles resided. Things like Robert Cialdini’s Psychology of Persuasion and Dan Kennedy’s The Ultimate Sales Letter. (As well as my prized collection of autographed baseball memorabilia, including a card and ball signed by Bobby Thomson, from the 1951 New York Giants, of “Shot Heard ‘Round the World” fame).

Believe me, this IS all headed somewhere that’s relevant to you…

So anyway, I’ve moved home-offices twice in about 18 months — from the coveted “corner office” I used to occupy, to the less-prestigious “spare bedroom” and now, finally, to an even smaller and even-less-prestigious “den” in an otherwise-unused part of the house. (If my wife and I have any more children, I’ll wind up in a closet.)

Long story short…I have a lot less space for my “stuff” than I used to.

So A LOT of the books and other material that has made an impact on me, however profound, has been packed up and moved into our basement. The rule was, if it wasn’t referred to regularly, it had to go. I know there’s something to be said for that approach. The whole “simplifying” your life thing. And generally I don’t have much, if anything, to complain about in that area.

Recently my older daughter was asking me about something that I knew I had packed away and sent off to basement storage (a video game, if you must know), and being the ever-eager-to-please father that I am, I set aside a few hours one day and started rummaging.

I sat in the basement, next to the washer and dryer, and went through all of the accumulated professional tools that I deemed worthy of keeping, but unnecessary for daily use. It was like a trip down memory lane, mostly, and the vast majority of the stuff I picked through was rightly there — available if need be, but not necessarily something I needed to put my hands on every day.

But one thing wasn’t. There was one book that I should NEVER have packed away. A book by Og Mandino called The Greatest Salesman in the World.

Mandino’s life is a fascinating story of redemption. He served as a bombardier on B-24s during World War II and flew 30-some-odd missions over Germany (some with Jimmy Stewart, the movie star, who was a B-24 pilot during the war).

After the war, unable to find work, Mandino became a salesman, failed quickly at the profession, and became an alcoholic. As a result, his wife left him, taking their young daughter with her. It was immediately after this that Mandino, a totally broken man in every sense of the word, nearly committed suicide.

Hardly an auspicious beginning to a career that would make Mandino one of the most celebrated motivational speakers and writers in the world. But that’s exactly what happened.

Mandino’s life was changed…completely…by reading. By books. He sat for hours in the library, reading W. Clement Stone, Napoleon Hill, Emmet Fox, and others.

And this is the first thing that I wanted to mention (but it’s not at all the main point I wanted to make today) — books change lives. You know that, and I know that.

It was a book — a NOVEL — that made me choose to be a writer, which led to my job as a political speechwriter, which led to my job as a copywriter, which led to my job as a book marketer, which led to my “job” as an Internet marketer.

All because I read that book. (Incidentally, if you were wondering, the book that “started it all” was This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald.)

I don’t want to get to “mushy” here, but it can be a fascinating and enlightening exercise to take an hour or two and think about the path you took that brought you to where you are. They’re seldom straight lines. Just a thought for a rainy day.

But back to what is undoubtedly Mandino’s most famous book…

If you couldn’t tell from the title, The Greatest Salesman in the World is designed for, you guessed it, people in sales. It’s a parable. A motivational text. A set of 10 rules to live by, billed as the 10 secrets to success not just in a sales career, but in life. It’s all couched within a short story about ancient merchants, camels, caravans, castles, the spice trade and far-away lands.

Although Mandino died in 1996, the book continues to be a favorite and is still in print around the world, with many millions of copies sold.

Here’s the story of the book’s creation, as told by Dave Blanchard, CEO of The Og Mandino Group…

(Quick note here: This video kind of freaked me out a little bit, as Blanchard’s tone and his telling of this story made it sound somehow, I don’t know, “religious,” or a bit like a recruitment film for a cult. And the fact that the 10 principles are called “The 10 Scrolls” doesn’t help. Kind of gave me the heebee jeebees. But get past that. It’s an interesting story about how Mandino wrote one of the most popular motivational books in history.)

So anyway, I first read the book years ago. It’s a book that makes an impact IF you read it and IF you apply the principles within, and IF you try and live your life (mostly) by these 10 simple rules. And I don’t just mean for salespeople. I’m not in sales (at least not directly), and if I was, I guarantee you my kids would be emaciated, not just skinny.

I read it again over the Thanksgiving holiday and realized that there are many basic principles I needed to get back to in my business and my life — principles that Og talks about in the book.

And as often happens when you read, watch, see, or hear something that makes an impact on you, you want to share it with the people you care about. So I thought now would be the perfect time, and I came up with a bit of a plan…

I know that many people, and authors are no exception, like to try and rededicate themselves at the start of a new year. And often, amidst the craziness that is December and the holiday season, we tend to lose focus a little bit.

So I thought what better way to help us all prepare for the new year than by going through this book and highlighting what I feel to be particularly relevant to success as an author.

AND I wanted to offer you all something special from me personally to help you make 2012 your best year ever. But we’ll get to that later on.

For now, here’s my plan, and I hope you’ll join me on this…

Og Mandino

Starting today and culminating on December 31st, I’ll be going through The Greatest Salesman in the World, principle by principle (or “scroll by scroll”), and posting what I hope are relevant and timely insights and tools that can help anyone have more success in this business we’ve chosen.

There are around 32 days or so until the end of the year, and there are 10 principles in the book, so approximately every 3 days I’ll try and get a new incredibly insightful and life-changing entry up here (joking about that last part, of course). But in all seriousness, I do strongly believe that there are some incredible things we can take away from this work — things that will help you have more success as an author and, yes, sell more books.

I’ll do my best to do it justice.

I hope on some level that you’ll find it useful.

Look for the first installment in a couple days.

Speak soon,

Chris

P.S. I would really appreciate it, if you start to find this series useful, that you share it on Facebook or Twitter, email it to your friends and colleagues (buttons to do this are below), link to it from your blog or website, or get the word out in any way you see fit. Thanks!

P.P.S. I’ll have the news for you on that special thing I personally want to do for you in a few days. Stay tuned!

What Does Occupy Wall Street Have to Do with Selling More Books?

Chris — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 23:13:41 +0000

How to Make (at LEAST) 5 Times More Money from Your Books than You Do Now

Chris — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 20:44:06 +0000

Could Your Writing Convince Someone to Kill (or be Killed?)

Chris — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 18:18:30 +0000

We throw around the word “kill” a lot these days. As in…

“She totally KILLED it!” (absolutely dominated)

“That burger and milkshake combination was KILLER!” (delicious)

“I’m getting KILLED out here!” (I’m losing in a big, big way)

“Jerry Seinfeld KILLED last night at The Improv!” (had ‘em rolling in the aisles)

I don’t know if you know this or not, but writers, and in particular COPYWRITERS, use “kill” a lot, too. As in…

“KILLER Copy” (writing that is so over-the-top great that it gets people taking action in droves — buying products, signing up for events, picking up the phone, etc.)

“Killer Copy,” of course, very rarely actually kills. At least not the kind of copy most people write.

But sometimes it can…literally. In fact, if you think about it I bet you can come up with at least a handful of instances (and probably more) where the written word actually stirred up enough passion, evoked enough fear, or stoked enough hatred to incite the reader to forever alter the course of their life, and the lives of others, through violence.

What does all this have to do with you, your books, and your success as an author?

Everything.

Let me explain…

I’m sure only a handful of people reading this will have ever heard of a man by the name of Savile Lumley. Yet something this man created nearly 100 years ago was at least partially responsible for tens of thousands of people, if not hundreds of thousands, willingly marching off to “kill or be killed” on the battlefields of World War I.

Lumley created a very simple, but now famous (some would say infamous) armed-forces recruiting poster for the British government.

It had only nine words.

“Daddy, what did you do in the great war?”

Lumley wasn’t a copywriter. He was an artist. And the idea for the slogan itself is also attributed to someone else. But it was Lumley who chose the exact wording and then illustrated the poster you see here.

All of the pieces coming together to create one irresistible, infectious image in the minds of millions of British men — an image that no doubt haunted them in the days and weeks after seeing it, and made the difference between enlisting to fight in the trenches and sitting on the sidelines.

The power of those words may be lost on those of you who aren’t parents. So let me assure you that as the father of three, I understand how deeply those words must have resonated with fathers at the time. Wanting my children to be safe, happy and have respect and admiration for me, as their father, is a primordial instinct that every sane man possesses.

The thought of doing anything to jeopardize their physical or emotional well-being is something we’d rather not have to live with — even if that means risking our own lives, or taking the lives of another to spare them harm.

So what’s my point with all of this?

I know you’re a very talented writer.

The fact that you’ve written a book tells me all I need to know.

But writing a book is far, far, far different than writing “copy.”

I’ve met and worked with many authors who could write me under the table in their sleep when it comes to writing books or articles, but who I’d “kill” when it came to writing copy.

A good copywriter knows how to persuade. A good copywriter knows how to MOVE people…and to make people move.

A good copywriter knows how to “enter the conversation already going on in your prospect’s mind,” to join that conversation, and to offer a resolution or solution to the prospect’s pain.

And here’s why this is important…

Bob Kiyosaki (author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad and mega-super-duper-blockbuster bestselling author) once made an ultra-important distinction to me during an interview many years ago that has stuck with me every since.

Here’s what he said…

“I’m a bestSELLING author. Not a bestWRITING author.”

This is such a deceptively simple observation that I think it gets lost on lots of authors. Some “get it.” Others are ambivalent to it. And for still others it stirs up a deep (VERY DEEP) anger (I’m a better writer than you, so why are you so successful and I’m not?!?!).

Kiyosaki admits he’s not the best writer. He criticizes his talent (or lack thereof) all the time. But he’s very, very astute when it comes to marketing his “mediocre” writing. (Note: I happen to love Kiyosaki’s books. I know some people feel differently. None of that means anything in terms of what we’re discussing here.)

My point here is not to say that copywriters are better or more valuable that non-fiction authors, novelists, poets, playwrights or anyone else.

My point IS that in order for the world to benefit from your great writing, they first have to know it exists. Then they have to be persuaded to buy it. THEN they have to be persuaded to read it.

A great book is not enough. Ever.

In The Author’s Edge Extreme System, I have an entire module dedicated to nothing but showing authors how to develop the “chops” to be great copywriters.

Last week I pulled every single piece of content from that section down off the site.

Why?

Because I decided it wasn’t good enough. This week I’ve been completely rewriting and revamping the entire section to add value for my members. To make them better at what they do.

And because this is one of the most important skills you will ever develop in your writing career.

(Note: If you’re a member of Author’s Edge Extreme, look for the “new and improved” training module early next week. I’m sure the other 15 hours of video training will hold you over until then )

So what I wanted to leave you with is simply this…

Spend at least as much time learning how to write great copy as you do learning how to write great books.

Understand how to make OFFERS to people.

Understand how to move and motivate people to take action.

Understand what motivates the people who would buy your work.

Lumley did this brilliantly with nine simple words.

And he wasn’t even a writer.

You are. How much better can you do?

How to Fix a Common Author Facebook Fan Page Mistake

Chris — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 21:23:01 +0000

Get Your FREE Author Marketing Course!

Chris — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 20:00:17 +0000

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The Inside Scoop on What Really Goes Into Planning an Author Tour

Chris — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 14:27:27 +0000

Josie Leavitt over at ShelfTalker has a nice write up today on the ins and outs of planning author tours — http://blogs.publishersweekly.com/blogs/shelftalker/?p=5121.

There are some really great takeaways here — tips and “tricks” I’m pretty positive you didn’t know. What was interesting is to learn of the balancing act between, as they put it, book sales, author happiness, store happiness, event quality and media coverage. And also the fact that a small, 20-person event can sometimes be just as valuable as one attended by hundreds.

Check it out for some great insight into the process AND how to make your next event more successful.

Unconventional Advertising for Your Books

Chris — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 15:02:02 +0000

I just read an interesting post over at the It’s a Crime (or a Mystery) blog, which serves mainly authors in the UK (but still has some very applicable lessons and ideas for those of us across the pond).

There’s a pic here that the author snapped of an ad for a book in a local train station: http://itsacrime.typepad.com/its_a_crime_or_a_mystery/2011/06/book-marketing-that-works.html

Now here’s the thing (from an Author’s Edge standpoint)…

This would normally be the kind of advertising that I’d NEVER suggest, because it’s not marketing directly to someone who would be interested in this kind of book.

But…

It got me thinking about ways to use something like this and turn it into the kind of direct response vehicle that we’re all about. For example…

If you could create a hook that would directly appeal to, let’s say, oh I don’t know…COMMUTERS (think things like being unhappy with your job, dreading the daily commute, giving someone a reason to do something other than scan the paper or listen to their iPod), and you could put a nice CALL TO ACTION in the ad, now that would be pretty cool.

How about adding a QR Code to the ad? So someone could scan it with their phone and go to a website specifically designed for them and that ad. That’s one example. I’m sure there are many others you could come up with. Imagine if you could provide a distraction for people during a time when they’re BEGGING to be distracted by something, ANYTHING.

How about appealing to all those people with Kindles, or e-book reader apps on their phones or iPads, with a dedicated link to download the first chapter of your book for free?

Anyway, just a couple ideas there. Maybe you guys have some more.

Just goes to show you can usually come up with a way to turn a “branding” ad into a direct response vehicle if you’re creative about it.

(Thanks for the idea It’s a Crime!)

Twitter Essentials for Smart Book Marketers

Chris — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 14:05:04 +0000

Image via CrunchBase

Jason Book over at GalleyCat has updated the site’s list of essential feeds and “followees” on Twitter. The list is a mix of publishing and marketing experts and includes some fantastic sources.

To help publishers, writers, and publicity experts connect, we will update our Best Book Publicity and Marketing Twitter Feeds directory this week. Add your favorite book marketing or publicity professional (or yourself) to the growing list.

Check it out, and if someone you think should be on the list isn’t, leave a comment at the end of the post and help them out.

Here’s the full story on GalleyCat

Happy Hunting!

Publishers Don’t Know How to Market Books

Chris — Sun, 29 May 2011 03:19:20 +0000

Image via Wikipedia

Okay, maybe that’s harsh. But here’s the takeaway from this article. Publishers don’t know how to DIRECT market to their consumers. And in this age, when more and more of your success as an author is going to be determined by how well you’re able to reach the people DIRECTLY who want to read what you’re writing about, this is going to make publishers increasingly irrelevant.

From PaidContent’s summary of what we learned at BEA…

“Book publishers’ greatest challenge now is discoverability in the digital age. How do they ensure that their ebooks and apps get found? How do they market directly to consumers? Brick-and-mortar bookstores that were once publishers’ main customers are disappearing and sales are moving online.“Our content has always been discovered by people either looking for it or recommending it,” said Charlie Redmayne, EVP and Chief Digital Officer of HarperCollins. “But now looking for it is through search and recommending it is through social media.” “Publishers do not know how to market e-books yet,” said Evan Schnittman, Managing Director of Group Sales and Marketing at Bloomsbury, said.”

There’s a reason why The Author’s Edge is about direct marketing — because in a few months or a few years, this is how you’re going to make a living with your content.

Period.