America's Author Maker

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2010-11-11T14:50:00.000-08:00

Small Business Owners -- Choose Your Movement!

By: Carol Tice | November 8, 2010 10:48 AM | Comments (6)

Small business owners are up in arms. They've had enough! Of course, different entrepreneurs are fed up with different things. But whatever you're het up about, there's a groundwell of other business owners you can join.

Here's an overview of the entrepreneurs' movements that are blossoming around the country:

The newest kid on the block is Small Business Saturday, a movement to help encourage shoppers to visit local shops. Some 20 organizations are sponsors, including Count Me In, NAWBO, Facebook, SCORE and Yelp.

Also on the shop-local bandwagon is Independent We Stand, which kicked off in September. This one has support from many local Chambers of Commerce. This one seems more aimed at consumers than at networking entrepreneurs together, though.

Then there's the movement to establish a National Entrepreneurs' Day on November 19. Supporters are still pursuing approval from President Barack Obama on that to make it an official national day of recognition. In the meanwhile, The Kauffman Foundation's Global Entrepreneurship Week, which includes that date, will celebrate National Entrepreneurs' Day for the first time this year.

Taking another tack is The Innovation Movement, which is anti-deficit and pro-immigration and pro-free-trade. Their videos describe their point of view -- cracking down on immigration is strangling American innovation.

Originally published on Entrepreneur.com by Carol Tice, November 8, 2010

America's Author Maker is now listed on Technorati

2010-10-26T16:17:00.001-07:00

If you read one of our articles here on this blog, on Ezine or one of the article sites and you like it, be sure to link to it to help us build our presence. There are many small business owners who need our services and we'd certainly appreciate you helping us get the word out!

E-Publishing is the Trend of the Future

2010-10-25T07:55:00.000-07:00

I was watching a commercial the other day and marveled at how far teaching and educational materials had come since my kids used their crayons and coloring books. There are instant feedback games that are small enough to carry around with you for a quick day trip, allowing the kiddo to be entertained and educated all in one fell swoop.

Today's trend in publishing is no different. Amazon is selling their Kindle at an almost ridiculously low price, Barnes and Noble has the Nook right at the front door of every store complete with a sales rep who is eager to show you all the latest features, and Apple's iPad has a free download that allows you to buy and read anything that's available in an electronic version.

I remember hearing that books and newspapers in print will one day become a thing of the past.

As a traditionalist, this pains me. I love the feel of a book, touching something that is tangible.

But, I cannot stop the veritable surging flood of people who are beginning to read more than ever before, but they're reading electronic publications. Where some people couldn't sit and read for 15 minutes, they seem to have far greater powers of concentration when they're reading on the computer or from their ebook reader.

This means that if you want to reach these people, you have to look beyond your traditional publishing aspirations and consider adding an electronic version of your material to the mix.

For those of you who have published traditionally, you may not have signed away your electronic rights. Contact your publisher and tell them you want to republish your book in an electronic version. Doing this yourself could actually net you some really good money, especially if your traditional book has already been well received.

What is a Lead Generation Book?

2010-10-24T09:59:00.000-07:00

A lead generation book is exactly what it sounds like, it is a book that you write designed to generate leads to your business products or services.

In order to maximize your ability to reach your customers, writing a small book about you and your expertise in your area of business and then getting this book into their hands will do wonders for your business.

Sounds good, doesn't it?

Until you get to the part about writing the book...right?

That's usually the place where most people get hung up.

"I don't know how to write a book."
"What do I write about?"
"Why would anyone read my book?"

These are just a couple of expressions of resistance we get when we mention the idea of writing a lead generation book for your business.

These are valid objections...to a point.

But more to the point...don't you want to improve your business? Don't you want people to know why they should choose you over someone else?

When you overcome your objections, you'll see that writing a short lead generation book is exactly what your business needs to move forward.

Who is an Author?

2010-10-19T14:02:00.000-07:00

An author is anyone who manages to put down, in writing, some form of communication. Most people believe that only those who write books are authors, but I beg to differ.

Anyone who manages to "author" anything, is an author.

This is the day and age of information.

The person who manages to get that information out the soonest and to the largest audience is going to have a great readership. Developing a great readership translates into paying customers because you're solving a problem that they have, and when you do that, they're happy to give you money in exchange for your expertise.

Don't wait until you feel you have enough information for a 500 page book before you decide to become an author. People are becoming authors every day by developing information products, by writing blogs that provide information that people find to be helpful.

Are you still waiting for something? Get started today! We're beginning to post some free downloadable resources on our America's Author Maker website. We're rapidly gaining momentum and we'd like you along for the ride.

Please feel free to share any questions you have in this blog so that we can discuss where you are on your journey to becoming an "author".

Show Me The Money

2010-10-17T08:56:00.000-07:00

What does every business owner want? They want more money.

"Money's not everything, but it's right up there with oxygen."

They may say, “I want more clients.” “I want more customers.” But the bottom line is they want to improve their bottom line.

Competition is fierce out there. There are fewer dollars floating around and more people with their hands out trying to grab those dollars. It’s time for you to step up to the plate and get your hand out there.

Even better, you need to position yourself in such a way that people are actually handing you those dollars rather than having to fight for them.

How do you do that?

You tell the world exactly why they should be doing business with you by writing a book.

Don’t check out on me here. Too many people pale at the idea of writing a book and think that it is an impossible task for them.

I’m here to tell you that it isn’t impossible. In fact, it’s even pretty darn easy.

By taking the necessary steps in the proper order, you’ll find that you’re writing a book as easily and as quickly as you can say, “One, two, three…”

We’re looking for business owners who want to write a book but need some help in getting started.

Are you ready for this step?

Visit us at America’s Author Maker and let us know what you need.

Best regards,

Kathleen
America's Author Maker

Finding Your Niche

2010-10-05T08:25:00.000-07:00

The idea behind writing a book is to share knowledge and expertise that you possess.

The trick is figuring out who wants to hear what you have to say. This is where "finding your niche" comes into play. Because we're passionate about working with small business owners, helping them to figure out just what to write their book about, we'll focus on this segment of the population.

A small business owner usually has a very specific niche in a market. Let's say you are a carpet cleaner and you work in a small mountain town. One example that comes to mind is Flagstaff, Arizona; a town that was hit by severe forest fires, and then shortly afterward by heavy, heavy rains that caused catastrophic flooding in areas of that small community.

This is my community, and I'm going to do everything I can to help them.

There is a carpet cleaner in Flagstaff who promised to help every person who was affected by the flood, whether or not they had insurance. He promised to work with them and their budget to help them to get their homes cleaned and habitable again.

This is a very specific niche. There is pretty commonplace information about how to "generally" clean your carpet. But, in the case of a flood, what do you do? How do you salvage anything? This carpet cleaner realized that he had made a big promise, but he felt up to the task and started taking on extra workers who would learn what he had to share, and then armed with that new information they would go out into the community and help everyone who needed help.

Does this man have a book inside of him?

He absolutely does! Not only would he share his expertise about how to manage such a big job as cleaning up after a mudslide moves through your home. He will also have even more specific information to share about how he reached out to his community to help them when they needed it. Don't you suppose that people will always remember this act? If he follows through on his promise, this man will never have to worry about finding his next client ever again.

That is what I mean about finding your niche. Sure, you may be a small business owner in the same business as thousands of other people around the country. What you have to do is to look at your specific community, their wants, needs, and desires and figure out how to address those. That's what you write your book about.

To your success,

Kathleen
America's Author Maker

Marketing Makes the Difference for Chefs and Restaurants

2010-09-19T16:32:00.000-07:00

Dear Chefs, Restaurant owners, and other foodies,

Writing a book is one of the very best marketing strategies a chef or a restaurant can do. But very few have taken advantage of this unique opportunity.

Do our customers know that 20% of our proceeds go to feeding children in Haiti?

I'm watching the Great Truck Stop Food Race and something became very apparent to me.

Only one of the teams has struck a fine balance between excellent food preparation and strategic marketing. So far they have won all the competitions, without winning any of the additional challenges.

This means that they are doing incredibly well at both food preparation and marketing.

This makes me wonder why. The teams who have been dropped from the competition have suffered from the following problems:

Attitude
Emotion
Inflexibility
Lack of knowledge
Not knowing when to ask for help

America's Author Maker is all about writing a book to assist in marketing your business. Knowing how to use anything to further your marketing efforts is absolutely key.

In that vein, what is your attitude toward writing a book to market your restaurant? Do you feel that other people have all the luck? That writing a book won't be helpful to you at all?

Or, are you so emotionally involved that you can't see beyond your own concerns to ways to send your business to the next step?

Are you "stuck in a rut"? This is the way you've always marketed, so writing a book is too far outside your comfort zone?

Maybe you don't want to write a book simply because you don't know how.

Perhaps you don't know where to go to ask for help.

This is where America's Author Maker comes in. As with the current leader in the Great Truck Stop Food Race, with our help you will combine the best that you know how to do, and in the case of a restaurant, that is preparing food.

Our job is to help you overcome any of the obstacles to getting that book written, and then to share the very best of our marketing strategies to get the word out.

Are you ready to write your book to set your restaurant apart from your competition today?

Best,

Kathleen
America's Author Maker

Target marketing

2010-09-14T19:09:00.000-07:00

How can a book build your business?

Here's one tip:

A book builds credibility and expert status for you and your business.

It also helps to pull in a specific target market.

My patients might like to know about my expertise in the field of managing pain.

Writing a book around your subject matter and even utilizing a more specific niche will greatly enhance your target marketing capabilities.

Clients like to work with a specialist and not a generalist, even more important, specialists get paid more.

Increasing your target marketing will help you attract more people, more of the right people, and the exact type of client that needs and wants to pay for your services.

You can use target marketing in almost all of the other ways that you market your business...whether in your yellow page ad or in social media.

Target marketing makes your marketing more succinct, more exact, and yields a higher return.

Utilizing your book with target marketing allows you to specifically answer the problems of your market, showing that you are the solution for their needs.

From here you will be able to find your group of potential clients and prospects through targeted speaking engagements, newspapers, magazines, networking events, and so on.

Target marketing is one of the most effective marketing strategies that has always produced results.

Best,

Kathleen
America's Author Maker

What's Different About America's Author Maker?

2010-09-14T11:13:00.000-07:00

I've been asked this question a few times here recently, and it's time to answer it.

America's Author Maker helps you get your book written.

Yes, we're all about helping people to get a book written. I've had a passion for teaching people how to write for many years. The difference is the people we want to talk to, the ones who may have never considered writing a book.

We're talking about people in small business.

I wonder if my customers know that all my flowers are grown organically?
It might make a difference to them.

Why should you write a book? I have over 50 reasons, and I'll begin writing about those in the upcoming blogs.

What's different about America's Author Maker? We help you to identify who would want to read your book and why. We help you do some market research to directly target the people you need to reach.

Any small business wants to improve their bottom line and a book will help them to do that. The difference is that we've discovered that the small business is sitting on a gold mine of information, only they have no way of getting it out to the world.

Sure, their clients know that they're the best ever...but even through word of mouth, that news isn't spreading to enough people to make a difference.

More and more small businesses are closing their doors and this makes me sad beyond words.

You see, I hate the direction we're all going with our Walmarts and Targets and Hobby Lobbys...don't get me wrong. I shop at these places, but they ALL HAVE IDENTICAL MERCHANDISE!

I may not always want or need identical merchandise. That's why the Mom & Pop places are so appealing to me. They have character, a different perspective, a true belief in customer service and treating people as, well, as people! Not a number or a dollar sign.

I'm the daughter of an entrepreneur, and I am an entrepreneur myself. I can't imagine living any differently. I really understand what you are trying to do by promoting your small business effectively.

That's why America's Author Maker is different. Sure, 82% of the population wants to write a book. But 100% of all small business owners NEED to write a book. That's where we come in.

I understand the entrepreneur. Russ has a finger on the marketing pulse.

Our method is fast, quick, pretty painless (no one's dropped out yet), and in the end, you have a book with your name on it that sets you apart from all of your competition.

As an author you are now an expert. You are in an exclusive club. People will look at you differently...after all, most of them wantto write a book, but haven't, and most likely, they won't.

As an author, you stand out from the crowd, giving new customers and clients a reason to come to you.

To your writing success,

Kathleen
America's Author Maker

Writer's Block - Is it Real?

2010-09-13T09:01:00.000-07:00

While we're waiting for the America's Author Maker website to be completed, let's turn our attention to questions we get on a regular basis from people who know that a book will help their business, but are terrified of taking that first step.

The first question concerns a condition commonly known as Writer's Block.

Is Writer's Block real?

It's up there in capital letters, indicating that it is a proper noun, a name. For many people, Writer's Block is as real as the air they breathe and the water they drink. They sit down to write and suddenly they're assailed with the full-fledged panic that accompanies a major crisis. It's real enough that they can't put words down. They stare at the blank screen (I'm assuming you're in front of a computer) for hours, or they write, then delete, write and delete.

Is this you?

If so, let's give you permission to fail. I once read a book about a guy who had writer's block for five years. One night he read a fortune cookie that said:

TO AVOID BEING DISAPPOINTED
MINIMIZE EXPECTATIONS

At first he was ready to throw the fortune slip away. But then he considered whether he could apply it to his long stretch of writer's block.

Sure enough, when he stopped expecting to write the most wonderful prose, perfect in every way, he began to break through.

When we find ourselves stuck, unable or unwilling to begin a project, sometimes we're trying to take too big a bite of the elephant.

Break it down into smaller, more manageable tasks. Rather than say, "I have to write a book for my business," say "What kind of information would my readers like to have in a book I write?"

This does two things. First, it immediately reduces the size of the immediate task. Rather than expecting yourself to plop down at your desk and dash off a book, you have a more specific task. Second, the more specific task is a step in the process of writing your book, and it is something that shows results.

We're a results oriented society. When we see that some action on our part is productive, we're a lot more interested in continuing.

Anytime you're stuck, ask yourself, "What's the smallest step I can take to work toward this big job, task, or project I have to get done?"

Even the smallest task is a step in the right direction.

To your writing success,

Kathleen
America's Author Maker

Slow Start

2010-09-13T08:30:00.000-07:00

We're having a few technical difficulties in getting our America's Author Maker website live. We truly appreciate your patience while we work through these issues. What is coming is truly fantastic and everyone who is interested in a lead generation book for their business will be that much closer to getting it written.

Thanks for your patience.

In the meantime, we'll continue to provide useful information about writing, how a book can help your business, and why you need to consider this as the next step for you.

To your Writing Success!

Kathleen

Focus

2010-09-08T12:14:00.000-07:00

Focus is probably the most difficult thing for anyone trying to get a book written. Where do you start? What do you include? What should be left out?

Do you feel as though your spinning on some kind of merry-go-round? You have so many ideas, but as soon as you begin to write some of them down, the best ones seem to fly out the window? Don't worry, this is a pretty common occurrence.

Here are a few tips to help you focus on your book:

Ask yourself WHO is going to read your book? Will it be your mom? Your kids? Your current clients? Your future clients? The answer to this question will help you to determine just what to include in your book. All too often, we have a tendency to begin with an idea, and then it gets bigger and bigger.

As I've said before, make notes of these bigger ideas, but put them away in a folder. They might be for this project, but they might actually be for another book. Writing them down when they come to you validates your subconscious, and allows you to have the thoughts, and by recording them and then filing them away, your brain actually relaxes, knowing that the latest great idea has been recorded.

Why will people read your book? Is it for information? Will it help them in their business? Will it make them feel closer to you and your business, more like family? Do you want to share a few select bits of information that make the readers feel special?

It's not enough to want to write a book. You have to determine the purpose behind the book and who is going to read it.

Let's say you're a small restaurant owner, and you want to use the book to make your current loyal customers feel part of the "in crowd". Then give them information that will make them feel that way! Tell them how to get an appetizer on the house. Give them a simple recipe for something that you serve.

Is that giving away state secrets?

Maybe...but people are pretty lazy. When it comes to eating out, they like to know what's in a certain dish, but trust me, they will still want to come to your restaurant and have you make it for them, and serve it...and yes, CLEAN it up.

Then, (and this is even better) they'll tell all their friends, family, and neighbors about your book, about the recipes in it, and how much better it always tastes when you make it.

You might lose one or two customers who are determined to save money and make that recipe at home from now on.

What you will gain, however are the hundreds of customers are going to feel like you just gave them something really special...and they will come back again and again because of how you made them feel.

Remember, the focus of your book will help you to FOCUS on just the right things in it. Who will read it and why...the answers to these questions will direct the course of your book.

To your writing success,

Kathleen
America's Author Maker

Back to the Drawing Board

2010-09-01T09:17:00.000-07:00

It's been a long summer, and now that September has rolled around, it's time to get back to work.

How's that book coming?

Still on the back burner, but it haunts you at night? Make use of those haunted moments and decide exactly what you want to convey in your book. Some of the time people are so full of ideas that they don't realize that they're actually thinking about more than one book.

No wonder it gets confusing!

I just recently completed an interview with one business owner. He was in the same boat. He had so many things to tell me that he wanted included in his book, and it took us a little time to realize that we were talking about two books, each with its own unique concept. As a result, the audience for each book would be different.

Have you ever had that problem? You have two great ideas and you figure that by combining them into the same book you'll hit both audiences. Sounds good, but the truth of the matter is that it is far better to write to a single audience. If you're including material that the chosen audience won't be interested, cut it out!

Don't throw it away. It could be useful. Label it and put it in the proper pile or folder.

The point is, don't dilute your message by including numerous messages. Stick to the point. Establish who your audience is and what they want to learn from you.

Focus!

I know, it sounds funny, but unless we force ourselves to focus we'll happily write about any tangent that comes along, and before we know it, we've deviated radically from our original point.

Unfortunately, people are busy today, and most of them aren't going to spare the time to join you on a lengthy journey. Establish your purpose, stick to the point, and stay on track.

Sometimes you need someone else to point out where you've gone astray. Pick someone who can be gentle enough to do it kindly, but they must also be firm enough to force you to eliminate anything that is unnecessary. These are key elements in a good editor.

Personally, I like a book that gets straight to the point, makes the point, supports the point, and then ends.

Most people in business want the same thing.

To your writing success,

Kathleen
America's Author Maker

Do You Have to Be An Expert BEFORE You Write a Book?

2010-05-18T15:27:00.000-07:00

In order to position yourself as an expert, you really should know what you're talking about.

Unfortunately, most of the people I talk to have the opposite problem. They believe that they need to do more, accomplish more, have more results, get that next degree or certification before they dare position themselves as an expert.

This isn't necessary. Really, it isn’t.

If you are in a position to take money from the public for a service that you perform, then you obviously know more about it than your customers do.

Take a friend of mine as an example. She is a phenomenal wedding floral designer. When she is finished setting up a ballroom for a wedding you would have no way of knowing that she works out of her home in a converted garage that serves as her studio.

Because she is not working in a “brink and mortar” establishment on a well-traveled commercial street, she believes that she is not worthy of having the label “expert” placed on her head. And yet, when you ask her questions, which I do quite frequently because I’m NOT a floral designer, she has answers that detail things I never even thought about.

In mind, she is an expert. And she really SHOULD write a book. There are a lot of brides out there who would love to have a better idea of what they’re getting into when they are planning for flowers for their wedding.

There are also people out there who would love to start a floral business out of their home, just as she is doing, and yet they don’t have the slightest clue as to how to begin. If my friend were to write a book, there would be a number of people who would be able to confidently step out into the world as an entrepreneur. She could easily write a second book on how to plan your flowers for your wedding.

Why don’t I write the book? I probably could, if I did enough research. But that still wouldn't position me as an expert because I'm NOT a floral designer, I'm a writer.

But if my expert friend were to sit down and either write about her life and her business, or even just talk it into a tape recorder and then get it transcribed, she would be able to write a book, position herself as an expert, command more money, and actually help a lot of people in the world.

That’s what positioning yourself as an expert does.

If you know more than your customers…you ARE an expert.

Best,

Kathleen
America's Author Maker

Do You Have a Book in Your Head?

2010-04-26T03:36:00.000-07:00

I'm rather skeptical when it comes to statistics, but it seems as though this one is pretty close to being accurate:

It is said that 80% of all people want to write a book.

When I tell people that I am a writer the response is one of the following:

1. Oh, really? I wish I had time to write.
2. I'm writing a book too! I've been writing it for ___ years (insert a number...)
3. I want to write a book...someday.
4. My cousin (neighbor, sister, pastor, best friend...) is writing a book.

In some way, people perceive that being a writer is desirable, and most people express some kind of interest in either being a writer themselves, or being close to someone who IS a writer.

Author 1-2-3 is designed to make that dream come true. It is simply the easiest, quickest, and most straightforward way to become an author...and it can take a matter of just a few days to actually get a book done.

Don't believe me? Stay tuned. You're in for the surprise of your life. Becoming an author is no longer some kind of distant dream. It can be something you can accomplish without thinking that you have to set aside months, even YEARS in order to accomplish your goal.

We'll talk soon,

Kathleen
America's Author Maker

What IS Author 1-2-3

2010-04-09T15:37:00.000-07:00

Author 1-2-3

We like to think of Author 1-2-3 as a system. It's a really quick, down and dirty way to become an author.

Why did we come up with it?

I've been working in writing and marketing. Russ is the Marketing Guru of all time. When he studies a field, he figures out what people need. He evaluates what works and what doesn't.

Believe me, what Russ doesn't know simply isn't worth knowing.

One day we were discussing the idea of writing books and how so many people want to be an author. Then we realized that we could combine a desire many people have with their desire to improve their business.

The next step was to figure out HOW…

What we discovered is that no one out there had a way to do it simply and directly. We wanted a system that we could direct our clients to that would not have them tearing their hair out. We investigated program after program and we weren’t satisfied.

So, we set out to fix that problem.

How did we do that?

We created a process.

Guess what?

The process works.

So now we want to bring it to you.

The Author 1-2-3 System will take your book out of your head and in printer faster than you can say, well...

Author 1-2-3

We're working on it as fast as we can. As soon as our website is up you'll see!

Best,

Kathleen

Marketing Your Business for 2010

2010-04-02T15:00:00.001-07:00

Better than your business card, and easier than you think.

The ultimate business strategy to take your business through 2010 and beyond!

Do you want to know what it is?

Become an author!

That's right...instead of passing out that business card, you need to write a book about you, your business, and why you're the logical choice for your customers and clients.

Do you have a secret that will save your customers and clients time and money? Why not share it?

Do you have a story or experience that sets you apart from the rest of the crowd? Tell it!

Do your customers wonder if they've made the right choice in coming to your business? Prove that they've made the RIGHT choice!

You need to write a book so that you establish yourself as an expert in your field.

Our Author 1-2-3 System is exactly what you will need in order to get that book out of your head and into the hands of your customers.

Imagine how they will respond when they see that you're an author! Very few people garner the kind of admiration that authors do.

You'll achieve respect, notoriety, and celebrity.

Does your business card do that?

By putting your book into the hands of your clients and customers you're telling them that they don't have to look any further.

You're the expert.

You're the best.

No more shopping around.

What businesses will this work for? Tell me what you do and I'll tell you that you should write a book about it.

Everyone has a book inside of them...at least 80% of the general population does.

Interested?

More information will be coming as we put the finishing touches on our system that will take that book out of your head and put it in a physical book you'll hold in your hands in a week, maybe less.

Stay tuned!

Kathleen