Opportunities Are Everywhere

If you hold a glass partially filled with liquid, what is your perspective? Is the glass half filled or half empty?

For the last six or seven years, I've been writing about publishing, I believe the glass is half full. As I look over the landscape of the publishing world, I see opportunities are everywhere. Magazine editors are actively looking every day for writers who understand their publication and write targeted articles for their readers. Editors of online publications are reading their email and looking for excellent material to use. Book editors are also actively reading their mail (and email) and continually listening to literary agents and writers as they pitch their ideas.

Over the years, I've been inside some of the top literary agencies in New York City. These agents are looking for the next bestseller that they can champion to their editor friends.

One of the keys to seizing an opportunity is looking for change. The marketplace is constantly changing. New publications start. New editors come on the scene. Long-term editors will leave their publisher and start to work as a literary agent. These changes are only a few of the many transitions in the marketplace. 

When you read about these changes, I encourage you to understand they are opportunities for you as a writer. Each of these professionals is actively looking for a new stable of writers. Your pitch has to be right on target but it can make a huge impact if it comes at the right time. 

During the last month, I've also been making some changes. After four years at one publisher and working with many authors, I recently resigned that role. I took an acquisitions editor position with Morgan James Publishing. 

Each day I'm actively looking for excellent book proposals which I can present to our publication board. Because Morgan James is based in New York, I've got a New York phone number and mailing address. For the last eight years, I've been living and working in Arizona. Later this week, my family and I are moving to Irvine, California. In a pattern that is familiar to many in the publishing world, I will telecommute for my acquisitions editor role. If I can help you, don't hesitate to reach out and send me your proposal.

Here are several keys as you explore the opportunities:

—continue to build relationships with anyone and everyone in the publishing community. You never know when a relationship may become important to you. Writers become editors. Editors become literary agents. Literary agents become editors. The fluid nature of the community means you should work each day to expand your connections.

—continue to grasp opportunities large and small which keep you active in the publishing world. There are times when the phone does not ring and you receive no personal email. How do you handle those times? Do you pull into your shell and do nothing or do you increase your activity? I encourage you to write more query letters and pitch more ideas. Activity will breed activity.

—take action every day to write what you want to write and continually touch the marketplace. Earlier this week I exchanged emails with a long-term friend. He has been dreaming for years about writing a book—yet never put his fingers on the keyboard and produced any writing. The days continue to pass and he has not taken action. I encouraged him to choose a small number of words that he wants to write each day and then commit to working at his writing. If you take this small action step, you will be surprised after a month or two at the accumulated writing. It does not happen without taking action.

Let's return to the half filled glass. Do you see opportunity?

A Call to Action for Every Author

Authors pour tons of energy into writing the best possible book. Yet after the book is published, they expect the book to “magically” sell to others. THE ENTREPRENEURIAL AUTHOR is about taking action. 

In the early pages of this book, the authors write, “Do Entrepreneurial Authors exist in real life or only in fairy tales? The answer is yes. They do exist in real life, but their success and balance are like a fairy tale. They exist all around you…This book has been written to make the dream vividly clear to you. If you can see the dream, you can will it to come true. If you can will it to come true, you can take the steps to empower your will with actions. The Entrepreneurial Author does more than read books and attend seminars about achievement and success. They take action, do something, and shake the tree.” (Page 11-12)

The book is organized into five chapters: The Goals, The Setting, The Tools, The Secrets, and The Next Steps. Grab your yellow highlighter as you read this book. You will discover numerous insights and action items. 

THE ENTREPRENEURIAL AUTHOR is the type of book which can be read and re-read annually with fresh insights. I highly recommend it.

The Power of the Book Title and Subtitle

Hi, my name is D’vorah Lansky and I am excited to share this blog post, on the topic of Digital Publishing, with you. I’d like to thank Terry for hosting me during this virtual tour, in honor of Digital Publishing Virtual Summit, where we feature 20 world-renowned book marketing experts.

One of the most important decisions an author has to make is to choose the title for their book. Your book title is much like a billboard for your book and strong titles will attract readers like a magnet. If people are interested in your topic and your book title is well crafted, using keywords that attract your audience, readers are more likely to take notice of your book.

A keyword or keyword phrase is a word or string of words that people would type into a search engine if they were looking for information on a specific topic. To identify possible keywords for your book, compose a list of words and phrases that describe the topic or focus of your book. Keep writing until you are out of ideas.

An example of a keyword is the word “fishing”. While your book might be about fishing, that is too broad of a term and people would have a difficult time locating your book. A more specific, long-tail keyword phrase would be, “fly fishing in Alaska.” First of all, the type of fishing is more specific and the geographical location is listed. This will attract a more targeted audience of readers who are interested in your topic.

Have you ever driven by a store that has a catchy name, only to wonder what type of business it could possibly be? Book titles are the same way. You don’t want any guesswork involved when people read your book title.

You want your book title to grab peoples’ attention and draw them in. Your book title should imply a strong benefit. With this in mind, head over to Amazon to read book titles in your genre or on your topic. Notice which ones draw you in, which ones imply a strong benefit, which ones sound intriguing but don’t provide a clear illustration as to what the book is about.

Your book’s subtitle also plays an important part in getting people to pay attention to your book. The subtitle can be referred to as “the book’s promise.” What is your book going to offer, do for, or provide for the reader? Having keywords in your title and subtitle is an effective way of attracting readers interested in your topic.

One method for selecting an effective title and winning subtitle is to draw upon your community in the form of a survey. Spend some time brainstorming ideas to come up with a strong, benefit driven titles and promise driven subtitles. Pick your top three choices for titles and subtitles and then conduct a survey of your colleagues, friends, and readers to help you make your final decision. In setting up your survey you can use the polling feature on Facebook and/or SurveyMonkey.com. You may be amazed at the results and how a powerful and effective book title and subtitle emerge from the results.

What process do you go through when picking a title for your book? What do you think of the survey method suggested in this article? Scroll down to share your thoughts and join in the conversation.

If you’d like to learn more about digital publishing; how it’s grown and where it’s going, join us for the Digital Publishing Virtual Summit where Terry Whalin presents a workshop entitled: Become a Prolific Writer & Write Less

Learn the insider secrets of repurposing to broaden your writing world and open new opportunities for teaching and income. Terry has modeled and will teach the techniques in this workshop. Whether you have never been published or are much published, you need these tools. 

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Enjoy this Digital Publishing Virtual Tour! May the gems gleaned aid you on your path as you share your message with audiences across the globe!

If you are interested in the topic of Digital Publishing, consider joining us for the Digital Publishing Virtual Summit! Check out this impressive group of world-renowned experts at: Digital Publishing Virtual Summit

D’vorah Lansky, M.Ed., has been marketing online and mentoring leaders since 1994. She is the bestselling author of Book Marketing Made Easy: Simple Strategies for Selling Your Nonfiction Book Online.

She is the producer of the annual Book Marketing Conference Online and this year’s Digital Publishing Virtual Summit, as well as the founder of the Book Marketing Alliance and the Book Marketing Made Easy Academy. D’vorah coaches and trains authors around the globe, in online book marketing practices.

Join us for the Digital Publishing Virtual Summit! Listen as 20 world-renowned experts share their wisdom.