Link: Seth's Blog: Advice for authors.
Seth Godin is a really smart man. And this is really smart advice for all those who are contemplating authoring a book. Some of my favorite points from his blog:
2. The best time to start promoting your book is three years before it comes out. Three years to build a reputation, build a permission asset, build a blog, build a following, build credibility and build the connections you'll need later.
7. Think really hard before you spend a year trying to please one person in New York to get your book published by a 'real' publisher. You give up a lot of time. You give up a lot of the upside. You give up control over what your book reads like and feels like and how it's promoted. Of course, a contract from Knopf and a seat on Jon Stewart's couch are great things, but so is being the Queen of England. That doesn't mean it's going to happen to you. Far more likely is that you discover how to efficiently publish (either electronically or using POD or a small run press) a brilliant book that spreads like wildfire among a select group of people.
17. Publishing a book is not the same as printing a book. Publishing is about marketing and sales and distribution and risk. If you don't want to be in that business, don't! Printing a book is trivially easy. Don't let anyone tell you it's not. You'll find plenty of printers who can match the look and feel of the bestselling book of your choice for just a few dollars a copy. That's not the hard part.
Now go read the whole blog post.
Link: 15SecondPitch: Market yourself effectively in 15 seconds.
The best "elevator speech" is one that is unique and comes from the heart. But you have to start somewhere. Use the "Pitch Wizard" ath 15SecondPitch to get yours started!
Link: The Best Jobs to Have in 2006 - All Business - Yahoo! Finance.
Personal Coaches have made it onto the list of the top jobs to have.
Thanks to Bobette Reeder and Elizabeth Tull for sending this news my way.
Link: Squidoo : Lenses : Everything you need to know about becoming a Successful Coach.
Now it can be told. I've been among a small group of beta testers for Seth Godin's newest venture Squidoo. I've got four lenses going and given time...will probably add more. The above link is to my Becoming a Successful Coach lens. But I also have one for personal development, one for business building...and just for fun, a foodie lens.
What's a lens? A single page site that includes a set of handpicked, organized content about a single topic. Check it out. While you're there, you may be inspired to start your own lens. Do email me if you do!
Join us on Tuesday, December 6th at noon eastern.
Doing What You CAN Do - An Introduction to Abundance Intelligence with Kim George
The New Year is coming and that means more New Years Resolutions. Are you recycling unmet goals from last year? Are you frustrated because you know what you want to do, but cannot seem to do it? Join us as we talk with Kim George, author of Coaching Into Greatness: 4 Steps to Success in Business and Life, to explore scarcity mentality as the biggest barrier to greatness. In this discussion, Kim will introduce the concept of AQ, Abundance Intelligence, and how an abundance mentality is the ultimate catapult to the life and business you want, right now.