The publishing industry is going through turmoil, to put it politely. Some might prefer to call it a death spasm instead. Regardless, authors no longer spend their nights dreaming of securing an agent, snaring the attention of a big publisher and landing a fat advance. Sure, we all still wish it would play out that…
DetailsThe real magic in becoming a consultant is that there are as many different paths to success as there are people who make the attempt and succeed. Successful consulting can come to a wet-behind-the-ears college graduate as well as it can to the twenty-year veteran business owner of a mom-and-pop flower shop. Your consulting education…
DetailsTo writers, finishing a book is akin to the birth of a child, minus the screaming and filling of diapers, of course. It’s a brand new life (sort of), that didn’t exist before. Hopes and aspirations for its large scale success in the world are high, as are fears that it might accidentally meet a…
Details“The secret to making money on the internet today is in the niche.” Spend much time researching Internet Marketing and you’ll surely run into that phrase, or some permutation of it. But what does that even mean and does it apply to public speaking? For a quick definition of “niche” let’s look to Princeton University’s…
DetailsAt some point in your personal or professional life, there’s a good chance you’ll be called upon to motivate or inspire either a specific person or a team to accomplish a goal. As speakers, writers, and publishers, we focus on effective communication skills, but to what end? Our communication should have a goal of producing…
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While the following should have no bearing on whether or not you choose to become a writer, it should open your eyes to the fact that the publishing world is undergoing considerable upheaval. In a nutshell, here’s what’s happening. For the past few decades, middle and large-sized publishing companies have been consolidating and/or going out of business. As it stands, there are six mega-publishing houses left in New York City. Those six are desperately trying to figure out how to make money in the face of the Kindle/Self Publishing/Ebook revolution. So far, they’re not doing to well.
As they say, there’s more than one way to skin a cat. Likewise, there are far more opportunities to add more credibility to your name through public speaking skills than simply giving talks on the dinner circuit. Let’s say you’re working at an average job with an average company but feel you were destined for…
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So you’ve decided to thumb your nose at the gatekeepers to the traditional publishing and publish your hot new title as a downloadable Kindle ebook. In case you weren’t aware, the portable Kindle ebook reader is the only the most massively popular bit of technology in the known universe right now, having sold approximately 17 kajillion units (according to Amazon bigwig Jeff Bezos) over the holidays last year. It comes down to this. Independent authors are making big bucks with nothing more than a digital version of their book uploaded to the Amazon Kindle store.
Presenting free public seminars is a time-tested way for professionals such as doctors, lawyers, dentists, accountants, real estate agents, and others to drum up business. Nothing sells like giving away knowledge for free. Not only do you gain direct exposure for your business, but you might sign up a few clients on the spot. And you shouldn’t neglect the opportunity to sell your book or CD’s at the back table. Might be enough to cover the facility rental.
A more precise question would be can you find an agent? Much like writers and actors, professional speakers seeking to bump their career to the next level reach a point where they may choose to solicit the services of an agent. Of course, this step is not necessary, and will cost a percentage of the…
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