About Judy Baker

Judy Baker is a book marketing mentor positioning independent authors for success.

Listen and Learn

January 27, 2019 by Judy Baker

I am a new fan of listening to books. My first audiobook experience, Educated, blew my mind. Immediate addiction. I found myself sneaking in time when I could listen to the next chapter, and then, the next. As a result of listening to this first book, I quickly followed up with Joe Biden’s Promise Me Dad. They are incredible stories. Both moved me to tears. (Links to each book appear at the end of this post.)

My first listen to Seth Godin’s This is Marketing will not be my last. He offers insights and examples of how to build deeper relationships while at the same time being honest and authentic. Marketing is about creating change, positive change, in the world. It is not about manipulation. On this, we agree.

Why I love to Listen

Listening to books is a way for me to take in information and to relax, depending on the content and setting of my audio sessions. When I am driving, listening to a good book is a pleasurable experience. When I write or am in the middle of creating a design, music, and quiet are my preferred backgrounds.

If you have not tried listening to a book, give it a listen. The leap from listening to a podcast to my investment in listening to a book surprised me. Most of the podcast episodes I devour are short. A few go into greater depth and may last up to an hour. The majority of my favorite podcasts average between 5-20 minutes per episode. If they are on the longer side of the spectrum, I will break up my sessions.

Ways to Listen: Podcasts and Books

Yes, I love podcasts. My 5 favorites on to marketing:

Side Hustle School with Chris Gullibeau
Dont Keep Your Day Job with Cathy Heller
Amy Porterfield’s Online Marketing Made Easy
Pat Flynn’s Smart Passive Income
Ask Pat 2.0

Listen and learn. It is a fun and fruitful way to use your ears and your head. And, if you are an author, consider turning your book into a podcast and audiobook. You never know who will be listening!.

Enter to Win

July 30, 2018 by Judy Baker

Enter to Win is a new habit

I am applying this simple habit to my writing and I choose to enter to win.

You can’t win if you don’t enter a contest. I am learning that being an author; I must take risks. I may never be 100% comfortable sharing and submitting my work to anthologies, contests, giving and getting feedback, yet, that is what I need to improve my writing and gather support.

The transition from Creator to Apprentice

I am an old hand at sharing designs, giving workshops, creating for others. I am new at sharing my writing. I squeaked in just under the deadline when I submitted poems for the Redwood Writer’s 2018 Poetry Anthology. I repeated this craziness, watching the seconds tick by as they approached the end of time for accepting stories for the crime fiction contest and as I prepared my memoir for submission to the Redwood Writer’s 2018 Anthology. One of my poems is part of the published anthology of poetry. My memoir is part of the 2018 Anthology, Redemption. My crime fiction murder missed top honors, and yet, it was cathartic to write it, and I may revisit the story and see if I can improve on it.

Taking Risks

I stood up and read a poem at a Napa Valley Writer’s meeting. It was exhilarating and humbling. I can’t wait to do it again.

Opening my up and exposing my writing to the light is a new habit. I have been invited to join a critique group and am eager to continue sharing, rewriting, getting feedback, giving feedback

Would you please?

All this is a prelude to my request of you, gentle reader, to read my story. It is an excerpt from my memoir/guidebook:

Wellness Warrior: The Kick-ass Guide to Resiliency and How to Thrive during Chemotherapy for Ovarian Cancer, Bounce Back to Have a Happier, Healthier Life

My story is part of the Short Fiction Break for the Summer. You can read it, and if you like it, please share it with your friends.

Enter to win

You can only win if you enter. Each entry is a win in my journey to change my habit and to share my work. What are you working on shifting in your marketing mindset and habits?

Are You Prepared?

December 15, 2017 by Judy Baker

Be Prepared

I came home from the October 8th meeting of Redwood Writers. It was a pleasant Sunday afternoon. It was my weekend for meetings with authors as I belong to the Bay Area Independent Publishers Association and Redwood Writers. I am on the board of both organizations which have a combined membership of over 500 writers.

After the meeting on Sunday, I felt like I needed some time to process all the information I gained that weekend. I love being in these groups and find that I am buzzing with excitement afterward and can take hours to unwind from this infusion of energy.

I had a busy week and had put off doing any laundry thinking I would take care of it on Saturday or Sunday. I decided I would wait until Monday to do my laundry as I had time in the afternoon or so I thought.

Sunday night was a bit unusual. I was watching television in the living room, and we had intermittent dips in the electricity. Around 10 pm the wind became intense, whipping around the trees, plants, and furniture outside. The chairs and tables on the deck were bumping and creaking. Our pop-up tent was preparing to launch itself into the stratosphere.

My husband Garry rushed outside and closed up the tent securely. The fluctuating electricity continued to sputter, but it did not shut down until around 1 o’clock when it went out completely. I am a lover of The Wizard of Oz and the lyrics “the house began to pitch” were piping through my brain.

I had stayed up late, and now I had to scurry to find our portable, battery-operated lantern. We are often affected by interruptions to our electricity. We keep flashlights and candles, electric candles, around the house for just such situations. When the power goes out, it is incredibly dark in this house.

I went to bed and no sooner had I gotten to sleep when around 2 AM something woke both of us up. We heard a couple of fire engines which is not unusual, and we smelled smoke.

We figured that there was a small fire somewhere and we fell back asleep.

We Are Not In Kansas Anymore, Dorothy

It was a very different world we woke to the next morning. As soon we opened our eyes, our noses were greeted with a thick smoke. We looked outside and the air was yellow. Not only had the power gone out but we had no phone service either and we could not connect to the Internet.

Garry went into our garage and found an old battery-operated boombox and turned to a new station to see if he could find out what was going on. We learned. that the Tubbs fire was burning from Napa through Santa Rosa and Sonoma Valley.

With no power, I got dressed and went off to exercise at Parkpoint in Sonoma. I thought that I would be able to work out and then take a shower and dry my hair at the gym. When I arrived at Parkpoint, I knew something was really wrong as the parking lot was empty instead of being busy and full on a Monday morning. I went upstairs to the fitness studio and discovered only three other people. One of them was the instructor, my friend Sandy. Sandy lives adjacent to an open field and she too was woken up at two in the morning. She looked out her window and saw flames to the east. She knew the fire and high-velocity winds were making for a very dangerous situation.

That Monday morning was the last time I was able to exercise until after the fires were contained the following week. In years past when there was an emergency, people would gather at the gym as it was a safe haven in a place of refuge, and hygiene. A few years back we there was flooding around Christmas time and many of the gym members were without power and water for many days. This crisis was different. Classes were canceled because the smoke invaded the gym. The air was tainted and unsafe to breathe.

I went home thinking it would just be a short time before we had power and phone service. Before I left the gym, one of the staffers told me about nixle alerts and how to sign up.

www.nixle.com/

Nixle keeps you up-to-date with relevant information from your local public safety departments & schools. Nixle Saves Lives During Illinois Tornado – Learn More. Have Questions? Check out our FAQ page! Looking to opt-out? Click here or text your zip code again to 888777.

We went through the house and gathered important papers, medications and other supplies in case we had to leave in a hurry. Garry got out a portable carrier for our quartet of chickens, just in case.

Fortunately, Garry had some battery powered chargers so we. could power up our cell phones and tablets but we could not connect anything that first 24 hours. We later learned that the cell towers and the cabling for XFINITY had been severely damaged or destroyed by the fires. there was no estimate as to when service would be restored. This left us both feeling helpless.

I think we waited a day before we went in search of a portable generator. Friedman Brothers hardware has a store in Sonoma but it was closed because of. the fire danger. Our neighborhood was on alert and it was recommended that we evacuate but it was not mandatory. The neighborhoods closer to Glen Ellen, Kenwood, and the east side of Sonoma all were forced to evacuate. We drove to Petaluma to purchase a small generator thinking it would be sufficient to power our refrigerator and outdoor freezer as well as giving us limited computer time if we used our cell phones as a hotspot. Our cell carrier generously removed data limits for the month.

The noisy gasoline-powered generator provided some relief. Most of our neighbors evacuated. We were packed and ready to go if the situation changed. We kept all the doors and windows closed except for the power cord to the generator.

The week of the fire was surreal. The air continued to be dense and yellow. there was very little ash as the fire was burning at such high heat. I stayed in touch with my friend Deborah Myers every day. We called or texted each other as she had to evacuate from her home in Santa Rosa. I got calls from friends near and far to be sure that I was okay. The irony of the situation was not lost on me as many people were checking my status on Facebook.

My business was shut down during the entire week plus a couple of days. Our power was restored on Tuesday, October 17. A few hours later, Xfinity was operational.

It was amazing to me to have a week without the constant background noise of the internet. If not for the danger, there was an unusual sense of peace.

In response to the situation, I put together a list of resources and checklists on preparedness for disaster which I shared at BACN. the response at the meeting was incredible.I decided to share the slides with all of our BACN members. You can download a PDF which I hope will help you know what to do in case of fire, flood, or another disaster. I hope you never have to put your emergency plan to the test. When I saw the news footage of the fires in Southern California, I thought at first that they were rerunning footage of the wine country fires. I have family in Huntington Beach and San Diego. These new fires are moving like a hungry wolf through thousands of homes, trees, forests and getting a boost from 80 mph winds.

Be Prepared to Stay Safe

How to be Prepared 11-17-17

Get Famous and Get Clients

June 12, 2017 by Judy Baker

Get Famous

It’s time for you to get famous. Take action and shift the conversation. Take control of who you know and who knows you.

In 2009, the economy was in a nasty tailspin. It was a dark time for consultants and W-2 employees alike. This refreshed article is my response to the doom and gloom atmosphere we seem to be in again. Keep reading to see how you can get famous.

Why do people know you?

When you get yourself well known in the market area you want to own, something remarkable will happen. All kinds of fantastic opportunities will present themselves. Clients will come to you.

Why is it important to get famous?

Is there one thing you are known for in your community? What or why do people come to you? Tell me more.

Your personal brand can help your business. When you are easily recognized and associated with your business, this will grow awareness in the minds of your prospects and customers.

Now is the time to look for opportunities to get famous. While other companies disappear, reduce or eliminate their visibility by shutting off their marketing and advertising, hunkering down, hiding out, hoping and praying, they are setting up a perfect stage for their competition to rise above and stay in front of their customers. When people know you and remember you, they can do business with you.

Businesses that are tightening up fail to realize, as the playing field becomes less crowded, it is easier for those remaining to be seen and heard. Now is the perfect time to make you more visible. Take a stand, show up, stay in the game, and become a leader in your market segment.

Becoming visible doesn’t mean that you have to spend a lot of money. There are inexpensive or even no cost opportunities and ways that you can keep your name out in front of the minds of your prospects and customers.

Three ways you can stay in touch and top of mind

A phone call. Call to say hello. Share a tidbit of information. Pass along a recipe. Make a recommendation for a service you have enjoyed. Endorse a book or movie. Share an inspiring or amusing quotation. Stay in touch with a phone call, even if you get voicemail, it is better than disappearing or fading from memory, and it is likely to produce results down the road. It is not a “sales” call disguised as something else. It is a staying in touch call.
Send a card or short letter just to remain in touch. The content could be the same as what you would put in a phone call. There’s been a significant drop in the volume of postal mail something to the tune of 9.5 billion pounds less in fact in the last year. A piece that you mail has a much better chance of being read today because millennials and boomers have digital fatigue. They welcome personal correspondence. You might also include a call to action in your note. Perhaps you have a new book, service, workshop that you’d like to share, promote, or otherwise bring to the attention of your recipient. Even when your recipient is an able to take advantage of your offer, you have reinforced your presence and connection with them. And if the offer is compelling, it is likely that they will contact you. Buyers cannot buy it from you if they don’t know you have something they need or want.
Send a short e-mail just to say hello, not to sell. For example, today I read an article about David ARORA. He is an author’s and specialist in mushroom identification. I recently became acquainted with a man, and it turned out he is interested in building a small mushroom growing facility where he lives. As we talked, we realized that we both know Patrick Hamilton who is a chef, owner of a construction company, and he too is famous as a mycologist. Small world. I sent in a link to David auroras website and to the article I just read to this gentleman with a short note.

None of these actions take more than a few minutes. If every day you made a point to reach out to four or five people you know in one of these ways, I believe you will find that people remember you more easily and when it comes time to do business, they will think of doing business with you.

I highly recommend that you have a mix of ways to stay in touch, make it personal, and when appropriate, include a call to action. In all your communications include how to be in touch with you and a short, clear, concise statement about who you work with, their problems or challenges, and the results they can expect from working with you.

If you follow these simple rules, you will see results. Business will come to you. So I challenge you, for the next 30 days every day be in touch with 4-5 people in your contact database. I recommend you create a simple spreadsheet to track whom you contact, how you reach them, the date and any other relevant information.

30-days

At the end of 30 days, identify whom you would like to reach in the next month. The most compelling campaigns include the element of repetition. Re-contact the people you contacted in the first month and add 4-5 more people to your list each day. You may decide to vary how you stay in touch.

Go narrow. Go deep. Many people make the mistake of going for quantity versus quality. Focus on a small segment of your contacts for this activity. Keep your numbers small and doable. Get to know these connections as intimately as you can. It will take some time and commitment. Most marketing campaigns take about six weeks to six months of consistent activity to yield meaningful results.

None of us likes to feel as if they are “being sold.” We appreciate being heard, respected, and helped. If you keep these principles in mind, your communication will improve. As you develop your campaign, remember all of us want to know what is in it for me? Respect your prospects. Speak honestly with the intent of sharing information and resources that can benefit your audience.

Measure Your Results

Review the data you collect using your spreadsheet. When you are ready to take it up a notch, there are database services that combine the ease of tracking your contacts and documenting your interactions all in one place. Make adjustments based on feedback. You may find that a few minor changes to your message, timing, or medium can have a dramatic impact on your effectiveness in building relationships and ultimately, attracting business to you.

I attended a presentation hosted by the Bay Area Consultants Network. Our speaker, Dennis Erokan, the founder of BAM Magazine and the Bay area music awards, better known as the Bammies, told us how he became famous. The story was quite charming and applicable to anyone who is self-employed or who has a business and would like to have business come to them. Dennis interviewed Bill Graham, a famous concert promoter in the Bay Area. Dennis asked how Bill became famous. While still in school studying accounting, Bill was a waiter in the Catskill Mountains. The owner of the restaurant told him, “Bill, get famous.” He said that was the way get opportunities to come to you. When Bill became a rock promoter, he would go on stage and announce the upcoming acts. He was the owner of the promotion company, but he made sure people knew his name and face. His personal brand became tied to this business brand. As a result, when the Rolling Stones decided to tour the United States, they asked Bill Graham to handle the tour — not just in the Bay Area, they wanted him to manage the tour for the whole country. He did such an outstanding job; they hired him again for their European Tour.

Get Famous — a Smart Strategy

For many years, Dennis didn’t think this being famous applied to him. Then he realized it did.

When he started Bam magazine, his main competitor was Rolling Stone magazine. Then Rolling Stone moved its operations out of the area. When that happened then is realized he had an opportunity to own his segment of the market here in the Bay Area. One of the things he did was to create a fund-raising event that benefited a nonprofit. The Bammies became a hot ticket and had the support of well-known bay area musicians and corporate sponsors.

When Dennis moved on to start the magazine, Microtimes, doors open for him because of his fame and reputation from BAM and the Bammies. Diablo Magazine ran a picture of Dennis in 13 consecutive issues. Because of this exposure, he landed on the front page of Contra Costa Times more than once. He is known to reporters in the area as an on a list of experts in several areas: the music industry, publishing, computing, and more recently, as a branding expert. He is the one they call for a quote or comment.

What are some of the ways you can become famous?

Volunteer
Share your expertise, and by helping others, people get to know you
Partner with someone who has a business with a similar or complementary audience
Write an article (or a series) in your area of expertise.
Host an event
Write a book
Interview someone famous
Get interviewed
Answer questions or make comments on blogs
Start a podcast
Videocast
Send out a press release
Use your website
Ask for links to your site or other related sites
Give something away
Piggyback on the event related to your industry and expertise
To stay in touch on a regular basis with the segment of your market you want to own
Sign up for online for HARO, help a reporter out

Share Your Story

He made sure everyone in town knew his name recognized him and because of that opportunities came to him. He volunteered, he showed up he participated in the life of the community and the community repaid him by filling his business, inviting.

Evaluate the results once you have about six months of information. Then decide if adding this activity made a difference in your visibility, productivity, and possibly your pocketbook. Oh, I strongly recommend that once you have completed the first 30 days that you commit to continuing this practice for another 30 days until you have done this for six months total. Now you have a baseline to measure and examine to see if this activity has had the desired impact on your clients your prospects and your business.

And here’s a bonus idea. Instead of just sharing information by phone, by mail, or via e-mail, invite some or all of the people you are contacting for a short meeting, coffee or tea, a brisk walk, or to an event you feel would be of benefit to them. If you are diligent and follow through with these actions, you will see a difference in and health of your business.

Your only costs for these actions are a small amount of your time and creativity. By building a habit of staying in touch consistently, you can build your business without breaking your budget. Go out and get famous.

Vin Diesel Agrees That You Are Your Brand

January 18, 2017 by Judy Baker