Do the Work to Get Results
Wishing won’t get it done. You can get what you want by doing something small every day.
Share my video with your friends and let me know what you are willing to do to get the results you want.
brandversations that engage your customers and build your brand
by Judy Baker
by Judy Baker
Were you ever freaked out by all of the hoops you need to jump through when you publish on Amazon? No more. Check out the Amazon Success Toolkit. Now you have step-by-step instructions to guide you through the process of successfully publishing your print book, ebook or audio book.
You’ll also see how to master your Author Central account. And there’s more. You get checklists and worksheets that will help you sell more books on Amazon.
It looks like another home run toolkit from Tracy Atkins and Joel Friedlander over at authortoolkits.
There are many choices to make when you self-publish on Amazon. You want to get it right and yet there are terms you may not understand. The Success Toolkit will give you the confidence to get your book ready and start selling.
Instead of worrying about all the things you don’t know, it is a relief to have a proven system that works guiding you, every step of the way.
by Judy Baker
April 30 is Independent Bookstore Day. If you are lucky enough to live near an independent bookstore, you are fortunate. There is a great indie store just off the plaza of downtown Sonoma, Readers’ Books. It is a hub for creative expression that goes beyond books. Random Acts is a monthly gathering hosted at the store where people read stories, poetry, sing, perform, and most import of all, it is a celebration of art and community.
Other nearby independent bookstores include Copperfield’s Books (with nine stores), and Book Passages (two locations). Both of these stores honor and independent authors and host a variety of events in support of writers.
You can find a complete list of Independent Bookstores in Northern California at the NCIBA website, home of The Northern California Independent Booksellers Association. There is even a map to show stores across the U.S. At indiemap.bookweb.org
There is a whole website in honor of the day at http://www.indiebookstoreday.com/
Reader’s Books, Copperfield’s and Book Passage are gathering places for writers and readers. My favorite stores provide a cozy atmosphere, encouraging me to hang out and commune with books. Books are alive, tangible, tactile, enticing, mysterious, wise, funny, friendly, informative, captivating, connections to myself and others, passports to strange and wondrous places, comforting, disturbing, revealing, guides and roadmaps to new and familiar places. Books are bundles of knowledge and emotion, with secrets waiting on each page. Successful stores host events and enrich the community.
I love books. I can’t remember a time when I was not reading something. As a child, I made weekly trips to the library with my father. I treasured these times and struggled with the limited number of books I could check out each trip. It was hard to pick which books to possess and which ones to leave behind until next time.
When I migrated north to San Francisco, I was fascinated by the quirky bookstores throughout the City. I replaced long hours in the library with searching and sampling books at local bookstores.
Whenever I travel, I love to see the books featured by the local independent bookstores. I found a charming bookstore in New Orleans, the Garden District Bookshop. It is a bright and sunny spot, filled with people, books and lots of books by local authors. http://www.gardendistrictbookshop.com/
I live in a creative community populated by writers, photographers, filmmakers, musicians, chefs, performers, artists and entrepreneurs of all kinds. The air sizzles with ideas. It is a complex, many-layered, innovative and textured community. We are fiercely loyal to our independence and independent businesses, like bookstores. The authors who live here support our gem of a bookstore. Authors are passionate and voracious readers. I think this appetite is part of what drives them to write.
Show Independent Bookstores You Care on April 30, 2016. Support these hubs of thought. Go out and buy a book for yourself. Splurge and get one for a friend.
If you have a favorite Independent Bookstore, please share it with me.
by Judy Baker
A smartphone tripod is a must have accessory for making movies of yourself.
I am in the midst of spring cleaning. Before I pitch stuff or give it away, I look for ways to repurpose it.
I have two older handsfree phone holders for my car. When I updated to an iPhone 6s Plus, I kept my iPhone 5s. I retired both of these phone accessories. My new phone doesn’t fit either of them due to its larger size. I was curious if I could use either holder as a tripod with my iPhone 5s.
The device mounts to your dashboard. I was never satisfied with it, and the sticky stuff rapidly lost its stickiness. Adhesive plus a warm car interior do not make for a good outcome. Before looking for a way to reactivate the stick ’em, I thought it would be wise to see if this was a tripod substitute.
I did a short test where I anchored the holder with a cabinet door keeping it in place. It could work. This holder has some limitations for a smartphone tripod. It is stiff; repositioning is difficult, and it has a limited range of angles. Putting the phone in landscape mode is a push. If I were going to place this in one spot on a more or less permanent basis, I could see using it as a tripod replacement.
I give it a rating of 3 out of 5 stars.
The second holder attaches to the car with hooks that fit into the air vents. You can see that it works as a tripod out of the car.
I rate this option 4 out of 5 stars.
I found possibilities that work with larger smartphones. Some require an adapter that attaches to the tripod.
Joby makes a GripTight GorillaPod Stand that fits most smartphones and small tablets. Phones with or without a case between 2.7-3.9in (69-99mm) wide will fit the GripTight XL.
It fits these phones: iPhone 6 Plus, 6S Plus, Samsung Galaxy S 5, Samsung Galaxy Note, Nokia Lumia 1520, and more.
You can find it on Amazon.
If you want a bit more control and flexibility, look at this model from Joby.
Check their product guide to see what works for each brand and phone size.
I haven’t used these myself, but they look like possibilities. Parts of the hardware may look familiar to you if you have or have ever seen a selfie-stick.
Get a smartphone tripod or an adapter and use it with your always handy cell phone, new or old, to take videos. The investment is small and will yield better videos. Build an inventory of short and long movies you can share on your website, on YouTube, via Facebook, in LinkedIn, or via Vimeo.
A video is an excellent way to connect with your audience and let them get to know you. Let me what you think of my video.
by Judy Baker
Some authors don’t realize they can to go out and find people who like to review books. There are many places to locate potential reviewers, and most of them won’t cost you a penny beyond your investment of time. Here are my eight tips for getting book reviews for your amazing book.
I just discovered The Book Review Directory. It is a website where reviewers can sign up, and authors can list their books. Most books have a direct link to where it can you can purchase them.
Authors can buy paid ads too.
Over 125 Book Reviewer bloggers are listed here. Books are classified by genre.
All in all, it is worth exploring this site to find reviewers for your books.
There is a small annual membership fee, $25, for this group. It is a supportive group of authors reviewing and buying books by other authors in the group. They have an online catalog, contests, a virtual book club, spotlight authors, member of the month and other ways to get noticed and to promote your books. It may not be the prettiest website from a visual standpoint, but what it lacks in visual design it more than makes up for in the wholehearted support for participating self-publishers.
https://ravereviewsbynonniejules.wordpress.com/join-here/
Rave Reviews Book Club started on Facebook.
Choosy Bookworm has a “Read & Review Program” that allows an author to give away an ebook in exchange for an honest review on Amazon / Goodreads. They have over 60,000 subscribers to their Daily Deals Newsletter, 7,200+ Twitter followers (@choosybookworm), and 14,700+ Choosy Bookworm Facebook Fans. They also have paid options for promoting your ebook to their readers.
Reader’s Favorite offers free book reviews which they will post on some of the top trade and social media sites. They will create an online Review Page for your book where they will post all four and five stars reviews. They do not guarantee that they will select your book, and it may take up to 3 months. They offer Paid Review services that range in price from $59 – $199.
You can participate in the Monthly Book Giveaway program by providing a free copy or your book to the contest winner.
Underground Book Reviews focuses on independently published books. They don’t charge to review and only accept the following types of books:
Although they do not review them, they will still list these books on their site)
They offer advertising opportunities on their website for a fee.
You must become a subscriber to submit a book for review. You will receive their e-zine, book reviews, interviews and articles in a weekly email.
You can become a Premium Member for 99 cents a year.
There is a directory of members which includes authors and publishing professionals.
www.readerscircle.org has over 200,000 readers. You can find or start a book club with help from this site. Authors can promote their books by paying a one-time fee of $70.
Authors can add their events to the Reader’s Circle calendar.
https://www.facebook.com/readers.circle/
“BookLife.com is a website from Publishers Weekly dedicated to indie authors. The site provides a free and easy way to submit self-published books to Publishers Weekly for review and offers editorial content—success stories, interviews, author profiles, how-to pieces, news, and features—geared toward helping indie authors achieve their goals. Whether an author focuses on writing and editing, art and design, or marketing and distribution, BookLife has valuable resources that can help along the way.“
I agree they offer lots of great resources for indie authors. When you arrive on their landing page, you will find a great big button that looks like this:
www.wellread.org/the-club/well-read-book-club/ has a TV show where they feature one book a month. Members can post comments and reviews. You can request an interview and get more information about Well Read from producer@wellread.org.
onlinebookclub.org is a free site for readers where you apply to have your book reviewed.
www.goodreads.com/group You can search for reviewers, join groups and so much more. Amazon owns Goodreads. Goodreads is the place for avid readers and reviewers. You can put out a request for reviewers. Free to join.
Here are two articles about joining online book clubs:
Go out there and get book reviews. Then, post a comment about your results with these resources or share recommendations for other places to find reviewers.
by Judy Baker
Have you ever felt like you were stuck? Maybe you wanted to change something in your life. Yet, every time you said that today would be different, pesky old habits showed up. You stayed right where you have always been. Your self talk sabotaged you.
I discovered a way to change the rules. Instead of being stuck, I found out how to use my mind to get my heart’s desire.
Our brains believe everything we tell them.You can change the story and change your results.
If you tell yourself you aren’t good at something, your brain will believe you. If you tell yourself you are good at something, your brain will believe you. So, program you brain with the outcome you want instead of the one you have had up to now.
I began with a small investment of time and vision. It has transformed my experience. You can break free of what was and have a better life when you follow this recipe.
For almost a month I start every day with two powerful practices:
As a result of my doing these two things, I am experiencing changes in how I look and feel. I am happy to report that my energy level is soaring. I wake up with a sense of excitement and anticipation for all that I will do each day. I am happier than I have ever been. I am approaching difficult situations and projects with confidence. I know that I will find a way to solve every problem before me.
I am a regular practitioner of the Daily Clean Your House Flow. I have done this flow every morning for many years. It is a simple, 9-step energy flow that I learned from Deborah Myers. Deborah is founder of Health at Your Fingertips and Daily Clean Your House Flow. “Jumper Cables” are my go to practice when I need an energy boost. If my body to goes into reaction, like being at the dentist or getting chemotherapy, they calm me. I use it when I fly and I never have jet lag as a result. I do the entire flow when I wake up and right before bed too. Doing it before I go to sleep helps me sleep better. I sleep deeper and I rested when I awake. I have had trouble sleeping most of my life. I used to be restless and worried at bedtime. I would struggle to fall asleep and staying asleep. Now I am asleep in minutes and if I wake up, I fall right back to sleep.
The Daily Clean Your House Flow resets my body’s energy system, like resetting the breaker when there is a blown out fuse in your house. It keeps me feeling alert when I need to be and restful when that is mode I want to be in. It only takes about 10-minutes to go through all of the steps and I can do it anywhere. I think it is wonderful that I can give myself so much love and self-care any time, anywhere.
I attended a workshop with Steven C. Campbell, the Mind Whisper a few weeks ago. I first met Steven about three years ago when he came to speak at a meeting of the Bay Area Consultants Network, BACN. Steven is a master at creating the world he wants to live in and showing others how to do the same.
The second change came about as a result of attending a workshop with Steven C. Campbell, the Mind Whisper. I first met Steven about three years ago when he came to speak at a meeting of the Bay Area Consultants Network, BACN. Steven is a master at creating the world he wants to live in and showing others how to do the same. His book on this topic, Making Your Mind Magnificent – Flourishing at Any Age.
I attended a workshop he based on the book. I learned how to get my mind to work for me, not against me. He demonstrated how to create powerful affirmations and how to use them. The old thinking about affirmations has changed. I learned about affirmations from Shakti Gawain’s groundbreaking books and tapes. I still have my copies of Living in the Light and Creative Visualization. We thought that repetition implanted affirmations. Affirmations would become a mantra. It turns out that repetition actually doesn’t work. It puts our brains to sleep, not into action. Our brains need to replace our current self-image with a stronger picture. We assimilate affirmations that show us a new reality. Picturing the change we want to see as if it already true. Charging the visualization with positive emotions seals the deal. His book is a great guide to the workings of the mind.
I won’t reveal my affirmations here. They are private and only matter to me. I will reveal that I put my affirmations in writing. Steven helped me improve what I started with. I printed two sets of my affirmations. I placed one set near my makeup mirror and another in a spot I see every morning. I read them to myself in a slow, calm fashion. Almost immediately, I noticed a shift in my energy. This good feeling is now part of how I see myself.
I’ve gotten traction in n the weeks since I committed my goals to paper. Projects that had been stuck in the “good idea” mode for a long while are moving forward. And, as I said earlier, I am happier than I have ever been.
By putting these practices into place, I changed the way I look and feel. I made a minimal investment of time and almost no effort. I am somewhat lazy when it comes to making changes. These two practices are painless and come with big rewards. They appeal to my lazy brain and they work even if I don’t know how or why. By putting these two practices into action, I am seeing big changes. Friends have commented that there is a glow about me. I have noticed it too.
More and more, my clothes are a bit looser than before. I have more pep and I my concentration is better. I recommend putting these two practices into your toolkit. It doesn’t have to be painful to get what you want when you put your mind to it.
You can learn from Deborah Myers too. She has a workshop coming up in Santa Rosa. She will teach you the Daily Clean Your House Flow. It is an entry-level workshop that covers self-help acupressure techniques. She is the author of The Energy Balancing Care Guide which is used in the workshop. She also is the mastermind behind the Daily Clean Your House Flow toolkits. These are resources that will help you feel better every day.
Making Your Mind Magnificent is a great investment in creating the live you desire. I hope you will get a copies of these books for yourself.
You can write a new story for yourself. In the past you may have had a fear of public speaking. Now you know you can rewrite your story and enjoy speaking and sharing about your book. What ever the challenge, you can rewrite the conversation and change the outcome.
Self talk is your get out of jail free card. What happened before today doesn’t have write the script for what happens going forward. Start now. You have the power to write a happy ending for yourself. Your happy new life begins when you change the conversation. It’s up to you.