Just put “best seller lists” into Google and start clicking.

I study them for titles. Want to come up with a great title for your book? (Or any product, for that matter.) Peruse the best seller lists (and get my Special Report, How to Choose Your Best Selling Title.)

Today, however, I noticed something interesting on the Amazon best seller list. Several of the top titles have not even been released! Of course, those were books by well-known authors (Stephen King, James Patterson, Sarah Palin).  Their rank is based on how many stores pre-ordered the book.  Because they have a huge following already, their books are virtually guaranteed to get on the best seller lists. It’s all about followers…

Aside from titles, you can see what’s selling overall at any given moment. For this, go to a general list such as the Amazon list or the USA Today best seller list. Looks like this week, fiction is tops. (Take heart, novelists!)

You can track over time which books stay on the lists. The book, The Five Love Languages, has topped the best seller lists for years. The author, Gary Chapman, has quite a marketing thing going

If you’re researching if there are any other books out there like yours (as I was, for a client), go to a list that breaks titles out by category (hardcover fiction, nonfiction etc.). This is important if you’re working on a book proposal and need to come up a with books like yours for the comparative analysis section. (If  you’re not sure how to put together a book proposal, contact me for guidance.)

So every so often, check out the best seller lists. You’ll learn lots about the current state of book publishing.

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First, go here so you can see what I’m talking about. (It will open in a new window so you will have to switch back and forth to read this and view that. Or, you can just read this first, then go back and study it. Or vice versa. Just make sure you study it!)

I want you to notice what the author of Crush It! has done to promote his book.

First, he’s teamed up with someone with a following that matches the author’s exact market. When you get Wishlist Member in October (and only in October), you get a free copy of the book.

Second, Stu will do an “exclusive” interview on October 29 with the author.

Notice two things they have built in here.

First, a deadline (October 31). After that, you can’t get a free copy of the book.

Second, exclusivity. Only those who get WishList Member in October will get the book and access to the interview.

The author, Gary Vaynerchuk, has now gained great exposure for his book through this partnership. There is an implied endorsement from Stu McLaren, who has a healthy following. This is Gary’s first print book, and it’s published by HarperSudio, which publishes along the same lines as I wrote about in my last blog post. Yet he made it to the New York Times bestseller list.

In fact, Gary’s web site is something to study too. Notice all the media coverage mentioned on his blog. Notice the way he uses video. And notice what he says on the October 28 video about content and the “Thank You Economy.”

Also take a look at the HarperStudio site.

This is the future of publishing, I believe. Study this well. As you do, I suggest you make a list of the things you observe that Gary,  Stu, and HarperStudio  are doing. (Find out what a Vook is–and tell me what you think of it. And by the way–I’m suggesting you study what Gary is doing because he’s onto the new direction of publishing.  I’m not endorsing his rather crude laanguage etc.)

Make sure you also study the Wishlist Member site as well. It is one of the best ways to build an online community–be “well heard”–AND monetize your knowledge (the “well paid” part of what I want for you).

After you jot down your observations, you should have a list of “things you can do to promote your book and/or build your audience.”

Now, rank order them in terms of how appealing they are to you.

Perhaps you like the idea of partnering with someone with more of a platform than you. Maybe you even know someone. Start there and approach the person.

Maybe you like the idea of monetizing what you know through a blog.  Get WishList Member and start building your community with a FREE membership first. Build your list (here’s a great and inexpensive course on how to), and then you’ll be able to approach a publisher with more of a platform.

Maybe the idea of video intrigues you. Which parts of your message are demonstrable, best communicated through video?

Notice too how Gary uses video to create credibility (all those thumbnails of media appearances on the left–I’m not sure about the bathroom incident).

Much to study here!

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(This applies to traditional publishing.  Some of the newer publishing models are different. With Intermedia, for example, there are no “royalties” per se, you pay for their services, for instance, if they act as your distributor or fulfillment house. And they pay your share of sales every month. For more about publishing and Intermedia, go to www.askaboutpublishing.com. You can even ask a question there.)

It is difficult to make a living as an author, from a book alone. One thing that helps is becoming prolific. I taught a class on this once, and you’re welcome to check out the replay and notes for Writing Secrets Revealed. When writing becomes almost as natural as breathing, you have a better chance of putting out several books a year (and don’t forget spinoff info products that can be more profitable than a book).

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I hinted that this might happen months ago on this blog, because I had heard of another publisher considering this very option. More than a year ago I predicted that publishers would eventually move toward more of a self-publishing model.

It’s really inevitable. The other day someone revealed to me something a traditional publisher told a prospective author:  the author needed to  guarantee they could  sell 10,000 books from speaking in order to be published by them.  That author would have to buy 10,000 of his  own book (usually at a 50-60% discount only), in order to get published!

(I couldn’t help but wonder how the author advance, if any, would stack up against the investment the author would have to make.)

Increasingly, author platform (i.e. a large, loyal following) is a necessary prerequisite for being published by a traditional publisher.

So what’s an author to do who doesn’t yet have that following?

Self-publish seems to be the answer.

I can’t help but wonder if traditional publishers will (perhaps already are) look at the self-publishing route as the “proving ground” for authors before they will consider publishing them in the traditional way.

Here’s the danger, for them.

If an author does well as a “self-published” author, why would they ever need or want a traditional publisher? I just ran figures with one of my clients, who chose to publish with Intermedia. The profit per book (if it’s a $24.95 hardcover) would be $7.62, using the least profitable way of selling it (i.e. amazon).

Compare that to the royalty of 80 cents per book that would be typical. The most the author would get under a typical royalty agreement would be $2.12  (assuming they get 10% royalty on the retail, which is rare. More typical royalties are 7.5% of net, meaning after the retailer discount, and then you subtract from that, the typical 15% agent fee).

So which would you rather do: Get paid an author advance, which you might have to turn around and reinvest in books to sell yourself, and get your $.80-2.12 per book … or pay for all the costs of your book and make a profit of $7.34–13.62 (depending on how you sell it)?

The major factors will be, of course, initial capital, and marketing. You need that capital outlay to finance the initial print run, and you need to be able to sell the books to make your profit.

Which is what makes it truly  “self-publishing.” You now know the factors publishers must look at when they look to publish a book. The answers to the key questions you have to provide a publisher are the same ones you need for yourself as well.

Those questions are covered in my “Write Your Book Right: 12 Questions Successful Authors Always Answer” coaching session, by the way. For more on that, check this out. You can also get my personal coaching along with it if you choose.

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The majority wanted a “a step-by-step guide to creating an effective author web site.” So I was about to design one.

Then I got word that the company that designed the software I use to create all my sites (except my blogs)–in minutes–and search engine optimize them so they come up higher than my blogs–this very company is coming out with a comprehensive course on that very thing. More than 30 hours of detailed instruction on how to build a great we site.

I well remember how fearful I was to create my first website–how monumental it felt. How much there seemed to know to get it right. Anyone can create a blog in a few minutes, but to get it right so that search engines find you quickly … so that you can actually sell something (like your book) on your site … that seemed monumental.

It’s not.

Especially not with this massively detailed blueprint for website creation, brought to you by people who know a thing or two about the subject matter. Their award-winning software is the best value for the money I’ve ever spent. (I’ve written several blog post on this. Just search for “XSite Pro” in the search box on the right. It really does do all it says here.)

While so many of my friends complain about how it takes forever for their web master to make tiny changes on their site, costing them search engine rank, time, and money, I shake my head and in 15 minutes add something to my site, update it for the search engines, and publish with the click of my mouse.

All because of the software from this company that is now selling this course on creating websites. Their track record with me personally and with many reviewers makes me certain that their new course, which took a year to develop, will be nothing short of excellent.

The course will be available Wednesday, October 21, but you can sign up here to attend a webinar on Tuesday, AND possibly win a FREE course. I believe you need to be present for the webinar to win the free course, but sign up anyway, because I think the webinar will be recorded.

One more thing: I’m thinking of creating a bonus along with this, on what you need specifically for an effective author website. If you would be interested in that, comment below or send me an email (diane at wordstoprofit.com). Also tell me what your biggest concern is as you think about creating and/or maintaining an author website.

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Chris mentioned that her students add “all rights reserved” to their copyright notices. Is that necessary,  or redundant?

Well, both.

Any time you create a work, it is automatically protected under copyright law.  Here’s a relevant paragraph:

“Under U. S. law, copyright protection subsists from the time the work is fixed in any tangible medium of expression from which it can be perceived, reproduced, or otherwise communicated, either directly or with the aid of a machine or device. Copyright registration is not mandatory, but it has important benefits.” (Here’s a link to great information about copyright from the US Copyright Office.)

Because your work is copyrighted when it’s created, you don’t absolutely have to even post the copyright notice.

The main reason, in my opinion, to put the © and a date is to remind people that this is copyrighted material.  You don’t need to add “All rights reserved” UNLESS it concerns valuable content that someone might want to copy to, say, create an information product with YOUR material.  So if you’re a copywriter like Chris’s students, it looks like of strange to add that to your own website, or to sales copy.

However, on a blog, say if you’re giving away content to show that you know what you’re talking about, it makes sense to add “All rights reserved” with the copyright notice. See www.rayedwards.com for an example. In fact, in such cases, it’s a slight hint that the info there IS valuable.

So–for straight sales copy, no. For valuable content, yes. And nowadays, I think content IS what sells, so the lines can blur.

For information products,  such as Special Reports and ebooks, minicourses like my Author Success Plan, etc.,  you definitely want to include “all rights reserved.” It’s not legally necessary, but it’s a reminder to other people that this is in fact copyrighted material and they do not have a right to copy it or distribute it.

I clearly spell out in the front pages my Author Success Plan, etc. what people can and cannot do with my material–whether they can pass it on or not, that they may not reproduce it, sell it, etc.

Many people seem to think that if something in on the Internet, it’s automatically free content that they can copy and redistribute at will. This is not the case, and posting copyright symbol, date, and “all rights reserved” is a reminder to readers that this is YOUR content.

To me, the more often more of us remind people of that, the better.

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“Independent publishing” can mean a lot of things. It includes what most people think of as using a self-publishing company. It can also include various small presses.

As the lines in publishing models blur, new publishing models are being developed. The most exciting model is what I call “hybrid publishing” that companies like Intermedia use. With this new model,

authors pay upfront for publishing services. The good “hybrid publishers” have the same important infrastructure in place that traditional publishers do: designers, editors, and distribution to the retail outlets.

In my opinion, it is becoming more and more advantageous to the author to publish this way, versus a traditional publisher. (Remember, for 30 years I was in that traditional publishing world, as an author and editor.)

In fact,  I recently advised one of my clients to NOT pursue publishing with a major commercial publisher but instead to go with Intermedia Publishing Group.

The biggest issues were control, ownership, timing, royalties, and distribution.

Intermedia won on all these counts. In fact, I just went over the publishing agreement with a fine-toothed comb, and am extremely happy with its author-friendly terms.

Control: Author has total control over the title and cover. The publisher came up with an outstanding cover design. We surveyed the list (you may have participated) and came up with a winner of a title and subtitle.

Also very important: This is a non-exclusive contract. Meaning if a big publisher came to you and offered you $100,000 to publish you, you could say yes.

Another control issue has to do with what you can put into your book. Traditional publishers often frown on your putting in information to get people to your website, say to “register” the book so you can begin a relationship with a reader. You can put whatever you want into your book when you publish this way.

Ownership: The author owns everything, including the cover (with Intermedia, it’s a work for hire, and the author owns the images etc.). I had to PAY the publisher AND get an agreement to use the cover for my Abundant Gifts book from the first edition, and never could get anything on the cover for the second. This can be huge–to own the cover rights.

With Intermedia (and other good self-publishing companies), you own everything.

Timing: The turnaround for the cover and everything else so far has been outstanding.  We were, frankly, amazed at how quickly the designer came up with a great cover. (You’re amazing, Kimberly!)

Royalties: The publisher does not take royalties, but does split for distribution. (More on that below) This is only fair, and the fact that they even have the distribution channels they do is a huge plus and not true of many self-publishing companies.

Author gets 100% of the royalties, and only splits with the publisher if the latter is helping with distribution. If the author sells from his/her own site and fulfills the order, author gets 100% of the profit.

Another big difference:  You get paid every month with Intermedia, as opposed to once or twice a year with traditional publishers.

Distribution: Here’s where it gets juicy. Most self-publishing companies, especially if they’re Print on Demand, can only promise they will make available your title to retailers. They do not have the distribution channels already in place that most traditional publishers do. (Intermedia does both POD and offset printing, by the way.)

Intermedia is unique in that it already has true inroads into Wal-Mart, Target and other big box retailers, as well as amazon, Barnes & Noble and other online retailers, and even airport book buyers.

They also have some 16,000 online bookstores tied into their distribution channels, a mailing list of 35 million, and they include your book at the dozens of events they put on yearly. They are printing a catalog that goes to a mailing list of 70,000.

They will also warehouse (free for a certain period of time) and fulfill orders. There are various splits with the author for the distribution  services, but all are very fair and in line with typical distributors practices.

All in all, in working with them and going over the contract, I’m very happy with what I see.  This “hybrid publisher” offers the best of both worlds, in my opinion.

The only downside? You pay upfront for these services. You need capital for this.

But that is as it should be. Like it or not, becoming an author means opening a business. You are creating and owning an asset (intellectual property), and there are business considerations and great potential rewards, as with any business. You have to learn how to market and sell your asset and protect your rights. (For more about how to become a successful author, get my Author Success Plan 5-part minicourse. For help with no-hype, heart-based marketing, check out the Bridging Heart and Marketing virtual conference.)

I think this model is the wave of the future, and the best way currently to publish. Intermedia offers the best of all publishing worlds. My only concern is that, with the great services they offer,  they may grow too big too fast.

(To eavesdrop on an in-depth dialogue about publisihng between another publishing veteran, Terry Whalin, and myself, go to www.askaboutpublishing.com–you can ask a question about publishing and listen to the replay.)

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Most authors do.

But most authors also have a problem.

There is a word in the phrase “bestselling author” that is troublesome to many of us.

Can you guess what it is?

“Selling.”

We want our books to sell, yet we do NOT like the idea of “selling.”

Why is that?

Mostly because we have this idea that “selling” means “in-your-face, over-hyped copy.”

We see it everywhere. Over-the-top headlines that feel like they’re screaming at us.

Inflated promises that only make us more jaded.

We run from that kind of marketing ourselves. We certainly don’t want to impose it on others.

Yet we assume that’s what we have to do to “sell.”

Well, there is another approach, and I’m happy to say it works BETTER than the hype.

It’s a whole new approach to marketing that fits well with authors, called “Soft Sell Marketing.” It’s pioneered by my friends Judith & Jim Sniechowski, who are themselves authors of the excellent book and #1 bestseller, The Heart of Marketing: Love Your Customers and They Will Love You Back.

I love their concept of “selling as spiritual service and extended prayer.” They explain, “When you really know what you’re alive on this planet to fulfill, your life becomes a prayer and you move into more and more of who you are and what you’re here to produce and contribute. You are extended. And as you serve others, they extend the prayer. Then there is true meaning in what you do every minute of the day.”

In a conference that starts in just 10 days, they will we will show you how to incorporate these principles into the heart of your business as an author so you can best serve your followers while taking care of yourself at the same time in ways you have not yet imagined.

If you’ve gotten my Author Success Plan, you know that one of the keys to becoming a successful author is approaching it as a business. This conference will show you how to run a business with heart. I resonate with that.

In fact, here’s a free coaching tip:  I suggest you study this page carefully for an example of this very kind of “selling.” If the style appeals to you, then go ahead and sign up to learn how to do it for yourself.

The line-up of speakers is impressive. I know many of them, and have learned from many of them myself. It promises to be content-rich, not a “pitch-fest.”

The best thing about this conference is it’s VIRTUAL. You can attend from the comfort of your own home, and if you choose the Interactive option (recommended), you can get MP3 downloads that you can listen to at your own pace, and go over again and again.

This is the first year Judith and Jim are holding this conference virtually rather than live, and everyone benefits. It’s now eminently affordable. I highly recommend it! Sign up now!

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OK, so I get an email from Facebook saying, “You haven’t been back to Facebook recently. You have received notifications while you were gone.” (Naughty me!)

So I click on the link. Ask trusty Roboform to fill in the password etc. Didn’t work.

Strange. It always did work. It worked on Tweetdeck.

So I click around some other ways and FINALLY get into Facebook. (Somehow, don’t ask me what finally worked.)

So, where are these friend requests? Not a clue. I click Friends and see I have some Suggestions. I click on some people I know I’d like to be friends with. Every time I click, I have to

type two (difficult to read) words for verification. If it takes 20 seconds to type in those 2 words (more for the less readable ones), for those 35 people I’ll spend 12-15 minutes just sending requests.

Then they have to go and try to do what I tried to do above. Just to “connect”?

BTW, I still can’t find the people who have requested my friendship.

Can someone please tell me why Facebook is so popular?

If you want my updates, to go twitter.com/DianeEble please. Twitter I can handle.

Now, why am I bothering to write this?

See if this next snippet gives you a clue.

My husband came home from work telling me they got a new copy machine at the office. One that takes special training to figure out. One that needs a MANUAL to figure out how to use. He still hasn’t been able to do the (formerly simple) task of making a copy to then fax to someone, though the machine is supposed to do it.

The old machine worked just fine, he says. He’s not the only one for whom the new machine is a source of frustration and time wasting.  Everyone is complaining about it.

Do you see anything these two situations have in common?

How about uncritical acceptance of technology that sucks time and does not measurably add anything to one’s life? In fact, too often all it  adds is frustration and stress.

So here’s my humble theory of why the economy is in shambles:  We’re all too busy trying to figure out and/or keep up with technology that we can’t get any truly productive work done!

The main thing is, we’re not asking ourselves the right questions BEFORE we jump into The Next Cool Thing (like whiz-bang copy machines or the latest social networking thing that EVERYONE uses, after all).

Don’t get me wrong. I use a lot of technology and what I use makes my life measurably better. Like Roboform, Evernote, my XSite Pro software that allows me to create and manage websites quickly and easily. Two weeks ago I got new software that I LOVE that truly helps me be more productive. I don’t know where I’d be without these great tools.

But always I ask: “What will this REALLY do for me, and what is the REAL cost in terms of time and energy?”

Another question: “Does this ‘fix’ what ain’t broke?” (Sorry about the grammar, but sometimes slang is more effective.)

Are you asking the right questions? The economy depends on you! (LOL)

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However, it can’t be just any blog.

Someone contacted me this past weekend about doing a Virtual Book Tour. His book is about to be published, he has a blog and is doing a lot of things right.

However, his blog is hosted on Wordpress.com, rather than his own site. I learned from my blogging coach, Cathy Perkins a.k.a. the Wordpress Wizard, exactly why you don’t want your blog hosted on that site or blogger.com or any site that isn’t your own.

Simply:

You don’t own the content, and you can’t sell anything.

Read the Terms of Use carefully, if you have your blog hosted on wordpress.com or blogger.com.

In some cases, you can’t sell anything. They retain the right to shut you down, without warning, if you sell anything on the site. (Now, it may take them a while to find out. But if/when they do, they can shut you down.)

Also, you don’t necessarily own the content on your blog when you let them host it. If you’re an author or aspiring author, your content is what you have to sell. You MUST own it.

Do you want to be shut down and lose all your content? It’s worth the $5-10 or so a month to get hosted, and the $10 or so per year to get your own domain name.

Solution: Get your own domain name, host it at a good hosting company, install a Wordpress blog (it only takes a couple of minutes if you host here). If you have a blog now, you can import it, and you’re all set.

Your content is too valuable not to own it and protect it. And, of course you want the freedom to sell whatever you want on your site. A blog can help you “be well heard and well paid for what you know and love to do”–but only if you do it right.

To learn how to not only “do it right” but also ENJOY it and not get bogged down with technical roadblocks, I suggest you check out the WordPress Workshop that is coming up next week. Cathy is my blogging coach and I recommend her to you, too. You want complete control over your blog and your content, and this course will give you everything you need to know to do that.

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