Publishing Success 140 Characters at a Time

Relax. You don’t have to fill your novel or screenplay with 140 characters to be a successful author! In this instance, “characters” refer to single letters or numerals used in each entry, or “tweet,” on Twitter, the popular the micro-blogging site. So what does tweeting messages only 140 characters long have to do with publishing success?

“Everything,” says Shelley Lieber, The Wordy Woman, who was recently named by Mashable.com as one of “70+ Authors to Follow on Twitter,” along with such best-selling authors as Deepak Chopra, Tony Robbins, Tim Ferris, Suze Orman, Mariel Hemingway and Arianna Huffington.

The Wordy Woman will share her Twitter tips and strategies that she used to gain recognition as one of the top authors in her market in ONLY SIX MONTHS in a free tele-class. This is a don’t-miss event for every writer who wants to get the word out about his or her book!

Free Call*: Twitter Your Way to Publishing Success
When: Wednesday, June 3, 2pm Eastern
(1pm Central, 12pm Mountain, 11am Pacific)
Call-in Details: (641) 715-3300, Access Code 171279#

*The tele-class is free to attend, but long distance charges may apply.

Wordy Woman is on Mashable list of 70+ Authors to Follow on Twitter

Whoohoo! I made the list and what good company I'm in! Check out the whole list.

Getting Published: 5 Things You Can Do Right Now

Use the phrase "self-publishing" or "independent author" and most people think of books. I believe, however, the correct definition of "self-publishing" is someone who publishes his or her own work in any format. 

Publishing yourself is not limited to print books. The definition extends to all mediums: print, digital, video and audio. (Did you know the trendy terms today are: pbook, ebook, abook and vook?) 

 

Here are 5 ways you can start to get your message out to your audience today, if you wish. 

 

1. Blog: The fastest, cheapest way to get online with a blog is to go to Blogger.com or Wordpress.com, sign up for an account, pick a template and start blogging. Yes, it's that easy. Now, cheap and easy are not the best way to go. Self-hosting a blog with your own domain name (rather than yourname.blogspot.com, for example) is preferred, but costs more and takes longer. The good news is that you can always transfer your Blogger or Wordpress blog later when you have the time and money to set it up in your own name.

2. Podcasts: Do you know how many people are listening to their favorite audio programs and books on iPods? Millions.  Record your blog posts, articles and audio programs and publish as podcasts in iTunes App Store. I am not a techie, so I won't begin to try to explain the process, but publishing your podcasts on iTunes is fairly simple, once you get your feed set up. Have someone help you if necessary. Get Apple's instructions on how to do here.

 

3. Digital Books: This is so easy, it's ridiculous not to do it. Do you have a completed manuscript? It could be an article, booklet or full-length book. If so, then you are ready to go digital. Simply creating a PDF from your Word document in the Print function will give you a file you can upload to Payloadz.com and start selling. Or, you can upload your Word document at Smashwords.com and they convert your manuscript to the format for downloading as an ebook to computer, iPhone, Kindle, Sony eReader and a host of other devices. You set your own price and keep most of the profit. Another place to publish digital and audio files is YouPublish.com. Be sure to read the terms of agreement and how you will be paid before you join any service.

 

4. Videos: Did you know YouTube.com is the No. 1 search engine for Generation Y? Yes, they go there before Google when searching for information. You do not need to be Steven Spielberg to shoot a video to upload to YouTube. Most digital cameras have video functions on them and if you don't have one, get a FlipCamera for about $129. You can plug the Flip right into your computer and upload your video. Have someone record you delivering your message (or set the camera up on a tripod and do it yourself). Read from your book, talk about your subject, interview someone else, or anything else you can think of.

 

5. Social Networking: Join any social networking group and you can set up a profile page with your photo, book information, book cover, event photos, and more.The additional benefit to joining and participating in these groups is that you can connect with other people who are interested in your topic, so you can build your audience from Day One. Many of the sites also offer you blog pages, ability to upload video, fan pages and more. The "Big Three" are Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, but there are many more smaller groups that are book industry-specific such as GoodReads,LibraryThing and BookMarketing Network. Costs you nothing and is lots of fun, too! Look me up on all those sites and add me as your friend.

 

So no more excuses about not getting published. Do it today. 

In others' words...(Great quotes from writers)

"What is written without effort is in generally read without pleasure." --Samuel Johnson

"I often have to write a hundred pages or more before there's a paragraph that's alive." --Philip Roth

"If my doctor told me I had only six minutes to live, I wouldn't brood. I'd type a little faster." --Isaac Asimov

"Writing is the only thing that, when I do it, I don't feel I should be doing something else." --Gloria Steinem

"It is worth mentioning, for future reference, that the creative power which bubbles so pleasantly in beginning a new book quiets down after a time, and one goes on more steadily. Doubts creep in. Then one becomes resigned. Determination not to give in, and the sense of an impending shape keep one at it more than anything." --Virginia Woolf

"But words are things, and a small drop of ink,

Falling, like dew, upon a thought, produces

That which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think. "

--Lord Byron

"If you read good books, when you write, good books will come out of you." --Natalie Goldberg

"I think I write much better if I'm flowing. At first it's a bit jagged, awkward, but then there's a point where there's a click and you suddenly become quite fluent. I don't write well when I'm sitting there sweating about every single phrase." --Doris Lessing

"Sometimes I believe these books are already written and my job is simply to allow them to come through me. My job is to get out of my own way so that I can let the process take care of me." --Sue Grafton

"I am a writer who came of a sheltered life. A sheltered life can be a daring life as well. For all serious daring starts from within." --Eudora Welty

"The talent for writing is largely the talent for living, and it is utterly independent of knowledge." --Willa Cather

"What will be best in your writing is what you really do not know now. If you knew it all it would not be creation but dictation." --Gertrude Stein

"It's one thing to have an idea, but it's quite another to trust your idea and follow where it leads. Following your fascinations means taking risks and venturing out from the safe harbor to the open seas." --Gail McMeekin

"What an author likes to write most is his signature on the back of a check." --Brendan Francis

I hope you've enjoyed the words of wisdom from the pens of authors themselves. These are just some of my favorites from the huge collection I've amassed over the years. Please take a moment to post your comments and some of your favorite writer quotes. Also, if you have a print copy of 4Ps to Publishing to Success,

you can read some of my all-time favorites at the section and chapter openers.