Tuesday’s writing tip for authors

The first step involved in writing a successful book is to identify your key ideas. A few key ideas provide a foundation for your writing and contribute to easy reading.

The Five Laws of Stratospheric Success in Bob Burg and John David Mann’s long-awaited Go-Givers Sell More offers an excellent example of writing a book around a few key ideas.

A 31-chapter book sounds like alot of reading. The same 31 chapters, however, organized into 5 sections, each built around a key idea, presents a less daunting proposition. The 5 sections also provide a way for readers to track their progress.

The 5 Laws of Stratospheric Success

The first thing I did when when I opened my copy of Go-Givers Sell More was to turn to the table of contents where I instantly felt comfortable, because I could see the book’s structure at a glance. What I found was:

1. The Law of Value
2. The Law of Compensation
3. The Law of Influence
4. The Law of Authenticity
5. The Law of Receptivity

I then skimmed the introduction, which lead into Page 9’s poster-like summary of the 5 Laws, with a brief statement explaining the “big idea” and relevance of each Law. I was now primed to begin reading. I felt comfortable because I knew where we were going; I understood the context of each chapter’s relation to the whole.

In short, comfort and familiarity had already been established, just 9 pages into the book! A pretty-amazing accomplishment! which is a testament to the craftsmanship, and relationship-building experience, of Bob Burg and John David Mann. Both sites are worth a visit, as is the Go-Givers Sell More site.

Note John David Mann’s statement of personal “What do I do?” philosophy on his site:

I have a passion for great writing. Excellence is one of my most cherished core values. The exquisite beauty of a powerful idea expressed in words, whether through a single sentence or a 700-page novel, is something that has stirred my soul since as long as I can remember.

Who wouldn’t want to read a book co-authored by someone who could write a sentence like that?

In just a few weeks, Go-Givers Sell More is not only a success in its own right, but it has sparked renewed interest in the original Go-Giver: A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea and the 3rd edition of Bob’s Endless Referrals: Network Your Everyday Contact into Sales.

Take this idea and write with it!

Have you considered writing a book based on a few major habits, ideas, keys, laws, patterns, principals, or rules? How did the book turn out? What was it worth writing the book? What would you do different the next time around? Or, even better, What’s keeping you from writing a book based on a few key ideas? Share your experiences and your questions, pro and con, as comments, below.

Monday’s planning tip for authors

When planning your next book, consider writing a different type of book. Specifically, explore different formats for your next book.

I did, and it was a pleasant change of pace!

My books have always been long

I’ve always written long books, books that go deep in every chapter and contain not only ideas, but the strategies and tips needed to implement the ideas.

But, long books come at a price; they take more time to write and–because they cost more to edit, produce, print, and ship–they cost more. Higher prices, especially in this economy, translate into fewer sales and–hence–fewer satisfied readers who create prospects for back-end sales.

A pleasant departure

So, last summer, I was quite enthusiastic when I discovered Laura Lowell’s 42 Rules book series, which I wrote about here and here. I became even more enthusiastic when I discovered Rajesh Setty’s Think Aha series of  140-character, Twitter-format books.

A commitment to write a book about book titles for Rajesh soon followed. The topic I choose was book titles. Why? Every book needs a title, and so do articles, blog posts, e-mails, and web pages. Yet, there there were very few title books at all, and none focusing specifically on nonfiction books.

#Book Title Tweet contains 140 bite-sized ideas for compelling article, book, and event titles

What is it like to “write short?”

I liked it,  I’m glad I chose a different format for book title book! I found the challenge of communicating ideas and examples in less than 140-characters to be a refreshing change of pace–almost a game.

Writing to a 140-character limit becomes a game, a search for short words and clarity, a race against Microsoft Word’s WordCount feature. I found myself grinning when I was able to communicate the information I wanted to share, and still had a couple of unused characters left over!

Writing “short” may not be easier than traditional narrative or “instructive procedurals,” but it certainly is a lot of fun!

I encourage you to explore writing a different type of book for your next book. Take the time to consider all alternatives. Consider writing a shorter, less expensive book that can build your personal brand to a broader audience of readers and prospective clients. There’s nothing that says you can’t “go back” to your usual, longer-format, books in the future. But, the changed format may provide the creative challenge and satisfaction you’ve been looking for–plus, the market is certainly there for quality, affordable books. Let me know what you think! Are you “for,” or “against” short format nonfiction books?

Titles sell books; my forthcoming book, #BOOK TITLE Tweet, offers 140 bite-sized ideas for creating compelling titles for articles, books, and events.

Designed to inspire by providing as many ideas as possible in a readable, non-technical format, this is the book that I’ve long wanted to write.

All books need titles, but, unfortunately, until now, there’s never been a simple guide outlining the characteristics of successful book titles, with hundreds of examples plus a process for choosing and testing book titles.

Writing to fit Twitter’s 140-character length added challenge and fun to the project. The 140-character limit forced a conciseness that makes this book the perfect companion for daily commutes, long trips, and reading in bed.

Table of contents

• Section 1:  Why a Book About titles–and Why Me?
• Section II:  Characteristics of Successful Titles
• Section III:  Examples and Best Practices
• Section IV: Combining Title Techniques
• Section V: Leverage Your Title’s Initial Success into Future Success
• Section VI: 20 Quick & Easy Title Template Ideas
• Section VII: Steps to Title Success
• Section VIII: Research Tips
• Section IX: Survey Tips
• Section X: Resources

Pre-order and save 15%!

Take advantage of pre-publication savings! #Book Title Tweet, concise advice for choosing book titles, is available for pre-orders. You’ll get your copy as soon as it is available. #Book Title Tweet will be available as both a PDF e-book as well as a printed copy.

Friday’s upcoming event calendar for authors

Learn how you can put clarity, confidence, and focus to work building your business when I interview Bill Covert on the next Guerrilla Marketing Association teleseminar.

On his own, and working with marketing and personal development luminaries as Jay Abraham, Tony Robbins, and others. Bill Covert’’s techniques work–he’s always been paid on performance!

Bridging the gap between business & personal development

For the last two decades, Bill’s work has bridged the gap between business and personal development, providing the critical system that many people are missing.

The system is called the Accelerator for Success System based on Dream Bar Cafe Principles.  Bill’s ideas provide a step-by-step system designed to help you achieve Results by Design.

These principles are of vital importance for you if you want to build a solid business foundation or take your life to the next level.

During this interview, Bill will share the steps with you and suggest ways you can immediately implement them into your life. You can learn more about Bill’s system before the call here or on his Accelerator For Success Blog.

ow to attend my interview with Bill Covert

My Guerrilla Marketing Association interview with Bill Covert takes place Wednesday, March 3, at 7:00 PM EST. To attend the call, contact the Guerrilla Marketing Association, or contact me via e-mail. Be sure to have a pen and paper on hand to take notes during the call! There will be opportunities for you to comment and ask questions about your personal journey to clarity, confidence, focus…and prosperity.

Thursday’s profit tip of the day

If you’re looking for an excellent example of of an author who has successfully created multiple streams of income based on a simple idea, I recommend Success from Scratch, an article profiling NY Times best-selling author Leanne Ely, author of the Saving Dinner series. The article originally appeared in the Charlotte Observer on Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2010, but you can now read it online.

Starting with a simple message, Cook good food and eat it with your family, Leanne has written and published 10 books, has 15,000 subscribers to her meal-planning, multiple websites, syndicated newspaper column, over 4,000 Twitter followers and 7,200 Facebook fans.

Kathleen Purvis’s profile of Leanne Ely is worthwhile reading for every author looking for an example of how a simple idea can be the foundation of multiple streams of income earned at home. It’s a great story. Do you of any similar case studies of author success? Share them below, as comments!

Get ready to share your February writing progress and your March commitments with other Published & Profitable friends and members.

Our monthly End-of-Month call takes place Thursday, February 25, 2010. I always look forward to these calls: they always spark interesting comments, questions, and dialog. All Published & Profitable friends and members are invited to attend.

These calls offer you an opportunity to share experiences with others whom you might otherwise never meet.

Take advantage of the wisdom of the group by attending this open-forum call.

Calls begin with a short presentation, and move on to a sharing of accomplishments, concerns, goals, and questions. There are numerous opportunities for coaching and problem solving.

Our February End-of-Month call takes place Thursday, Feb 24, at 4 PM EST. To attend, call 218-486-1616 and enter PIN 513391#.