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Vervante • September 14, 2014

In the first article of this series, we talked about the world of retail sales for your book or ebook, highlighting options and how to determine the best place online for the best results. We had a lot of feedback (thanks for that!!) and what we heard the most was: “OK, we liked learning about where to sell – can you tell us more about how to sell?” You got it!   It’s no secret that by the time you’ve written, designed and published your book, you’ve put a lot of time, resources and personal energy into it. So now is the time to pull out all the stops and put into action a marketing plan that will give it the promotion it deserves. We’ve been helping best-selling self-published authors with their books for more than 15 years and during that time we’ve learned a lot about what works – and doesn’t work – for promoting and selling books online. The following are just a few ideas for marketing your book both online and in person. It’s important to remember that if you are going to use your book as part of a business or message-sharing strategy, you must take steps to increase the visibility of your book and bring it to the attention of your target audience. Shout it out via social media: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn. These and more have all been used successfully by authors to build up to a book’s release, attract a loyal audience and increase sales. Social media lets you connect to your target audience in a way that is quick, easy and often free. Your website: This may seem like a no-brainer, but so many people forget to put a promo and a link to purchase your book in a prominent place on your website homepage. Blogging: Share the inspiration for your book, reveal tidbits and quotes to give readers a peek inside your book, reprint feedback from readers and reviews. These are all great ideas for blogging as a way to increase visibility for your book while whetting people’s appetites to buy it. Speaking engagements: As a published author your chances of being booked for speaking opportunities increases, and with it the opportunity to share your message as well as sell your book from the stage. Colleagues and affiliates: Be sure to let your friends and loyal fans know about the book and how to share the news to their audiences. If your business offers affiliate programs, don’t forget to include them in the launch. Sales or splash pages: These are specially designed web pages filled with sales copy and graphics that promote you, your book and the value it can bring to the reader, as well as giving readers the opportunity to buy your book online. Share links to this page on social media, from your website, blog, in person or on the phone. Free telecalls or webinars: Using online or conference calling systems, offer a wide audience a chance to see or hear you speak about your subject or your expertise while also providing insight into the book and its value. Guest appearances: These are not just for the Oprah crowd anymore. Reach out to online radio and talk shows, webinar producers, YouTube channels and more that focus on your topic and offer to share your knowledge, insight and information about your book with them. This is another great way to address a new audience, boost your visibility, and boost your book sales.  Invest in products that support your message and spread the word. Check out the Vervante store for ideas such as card decks, accompanying CDs, custom-designed mailers and more. For a small price you can get big marketing results by using these as part of a strategic marketing plan. Plan an official book launch event: If you’re thinking about organizing a book launch as part of your marketing and sales efforts, there are many options available that will bring you success. Be sure to check out our free guide “How to Plan a Successful Amazon Book Launch,” on our website. Or if you are planning a live event, we can help, too. Just drop us a line at [email protected] and we’ll be happy to share our thoughts with you. Your newsletter or ezine: An email blast is the perfect way to promote your book. After all, this is an audience that you know is interested in the topic you specialize in. Your email signature: Think about how many emails you send out per day. Add a teaser and a link beneath your email signature that is short, sweet and lets the recipient know about your book, with a link to your sales page. Press releases: Write several press releases about your book and send them out using either paid or free services before, during and after your book launches. Don’t forget to send these releases to your local newspapers, trade publications and niche websites, magazines and blogs who also might be interested. Video: Video for a book? Oh yes! Here are some ideas for using video to promote your book: Share a video of the author (that’s you!) talking about what’s in the book. Record interviews with people who have read the book and their reviews. Place the videos on your YouTube channel, but don’t forget to share them via Google+, Facebook, Twitter and your blog as well. Guest writing: Connect with people, websites, blogs, media that shares a common audience and focus as your book. Offer to write a guest article for them and refer to your book in your author bio or at the end of the piece. Offer added value: If you are selling your book via your own shopping cart, website or through the Vervante bookstore you have the control and ability to sweeten the deal by offering valuable extras. Give them a free download, extra templates, CDs or DVDs, or other products that complement the book and add value to their purchase. Watch and learn from the best: Is there a successful author you follow who recently launched a book? Watch and learn – see what methods they used to boost their book sales and use the ones that appeal to you most. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Here’s the bottom line. You’ve written your book to provide something specific for your intended readers. Education, entertainment, inspiration, motivation... whatever it is, keep that original goal in your mind as you market and promote your book. Don’t be “salesy.” Instead let potential readers know why you write the book, what problem it solves, and how it will be the best at doing so. Connecting your passion and purpose to your book in this way is much better than pushing a sale, because people will appreciate that you’re in it for them. And that makes all the difference. In our next article, we’ll talk about how your book is a super secret weapon for helping your business achieve a new level of success. And if you missed the first article in this series, click HERE to access it now.

Vervante • August 28, 2014

Earlier we shared how easy it is to set up automatic order processing from your online shopping cart to Vervante for quick, easy and stress-free fulfillment and distribution. It went over so well that we decided to dig a little deeper and outline how it works with the top 3 online shopping carts we see used most frequently: 1ShoppingCart, InfusionSoft and PayPal.    1Shopping Cart   Orders are automatically processed using 1ShoppingCart.com’s order confirmation emails. Here’s how it works:   A Vervante part number will be assigned to your product. This part number is entered in 1ShoppingCart as the product SKU. Then add [email protected] to the email distribution list in 1ShoppingCart (found in Home > Setup > Orders > Notifications).   That’s it! Once you finish these three steps, Vervante will receive copies of all of your order confirmations, but only those that contain our part number and an accepted credit card status will be processed into our system.   InfusionSoft   For Infusionsoft users, we recommend sending an automated daily Fulfillment Report. Learn the steps for doing this in Infusionsoft’s Getting Started Guides by clicking HERE.   Another option is to set up an email notification for each order. Email notifications need to be set up as text messages. Be sure to check out the Order Processing page on our site for a complete example and instructions.     PayPal   As with 1ShoppingCart, orders can be processed from PayPal order confirmation emails: A Vervante part number is assigned to your product. This part number should be added to your product description as the Item Number. Finally, forward Order Notification emails to [email protected].   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   Ready to check if you’ve set it up right? No matter which shopping cart you use, orders should appear in your Vervante Author Account within 10 minutes. If an order does not appear in your Vervante account within approximately 10 minutes, you can safely assume that we did not receive the email or the email notification is not set up correctly.   Overall, set up is simple, and you won’t believe how much time and energy it saves you in the long run. If you haven’t set this up yet, be sure to give it a try. And if you need any help or have questions, we’re here for you at [email protected].

Vervante • August 25, 2014

Back-to-school fever has taken over the offices here at Vervante HQ and we’re in the mood to share an awesome new free resource! If you’ve dreamed of publishing a book or eBook, this free guide will help you make that dream come true. We are here to support authors, entrepreneurs and visionaries every step of the way from inspiration to creation to that glorious moment of presenting your audience with the customized, high-quality book you've been dreaming of. It's easy to get started. Just click HERE to access and download your free copy of “Self-Publish Today!” our refreshing no B.S. guide to self-publishing. At Vervante, customer satisfaction is our highest priority. We are here to guide you from taking that first leap of getting your manuscript ready all the way through to publishing and distribution. And we’ll help you make sense of the little details that are important for success. With our guidance, you will be able to check off all the details — and at a fraction of the price if you try to do it on your own. No set-up fees and no minimum orders Books printed and shipped on-demand or in bulk – you tell us when, where and how many You keep the rights to your book You determine the retail price Sell your books from your website, online retail sites such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble, or our own Vervante Bookstore. We’ll handle the rest, printing and shipping your books or other products directly to your customers. You sit back and enjoy the royalties. Choosing a publisher is about more than just price. It’s about finding someone to become a part of your team who takes the time to understand your vision and stand beside you to ensure a successful experience. We’re ready to leverage decades of combined industry experience and insight to make sure that your products effectively share your message, elevate your brand and help you stand out from the crowd. We combine boutique-style service and personal support with more than 30 years of publishing experience to help bring your publishing dreams to life. So go ahead and click HERE to download “Self-Publish Today!” and then let us know how we can help you create the book your audience is just waiting for.

Vervante • August 14, 2014

Wouldn’t it be great to have something in your business that allows you to help more people, make more money and have more freedom in your life? A great way to achieve this is by incorporating Information Products into your business. Information Products are a great business-building tool that anyone can create. They come in several different forms – audio, video or documentation. This can include CDs or DVDs, books, binders, card decks, workbooks, or a mix of similar products. The bottom line is the same, though, to provide the user with a resource that will educate or motivate them on a topic that fits your expertise. Information products can be very low-cost to create and can bring a lot of benefits to your business such as growing your mailing list and adding multiple new revenue-producing products. And in many cases, you may already have everything you need to get started. If you’ve already hosted a workshop, authored a series of “how-to’s” or created a series of calls or audio downloads, then you’re more than halfway there!   Here at Vervante we have helped thousands of entrepreneurs create information products over the years and would love to show you how easy it is to get started. Our website features easy instructions, free expert guides and everything you need to create the perfect Info Product for your business. Start by checking out the “Information Products” page on our site for an introduction to the possibilities. Then, you can click through and learn about the specific products you want to use in deeper detail. For example, if you are interested in creating a set of CDs or DVDs, you can check out the dedicated page on our site: “CDs & DVDs.” Plus you can click on the “Get Started” link at the top of the page to download an informational .pdf for more detailed support.     Here are some ideas of products you can learn more about on our site that are great for creating Information Products:  CDs/DVDs Books 3-ring binders Bookmarks Card decks Notepads Posters, Certificates Journals Don’t forget to click on the “Get Started” link at the top of each page for more details. And, as always, if you need any help or have questions, we’re here to help at [email protected].  

Vervante • July 20, 2014

You know that we are pros at helping you to offer your book for retail sales on places like Amazon and Barnes & Noble. But did you know that we also have an easy and time-saving system for automatically processing orders that comes in from your current online shopping cart solution?     If you use 1ShoppingCart, InfusionSoft, Nanacast, PayPal, ClickBank, WahmCart, Volusion or any other online sales resource, we can help you establish automatic processes for delivering order information directly to Vervante for fulfillment and distribution.   Just imagine it: Customers click-and-buy > Your shopping cart automatically sends us the information > We print and deliver the product to your customers > You sit back and enjoy the royalties without the extra hassle and stress.   Instructions and details for many different types of shopping carts can be found on our website under “Order Processing” at the bottom of each page, or by clicking here. Set up is simple, and you won’t believe how much time and energy it saves you in the long run. If you haven’t set this up yet, be sure to give it a try. And if you need any help or have questions, we’re here for you at [email protected].  

Vervante • July 1, 2014

Do you ever wonder how people choose where to sell their books online? Or how royalties really work? You’re not alone. Retail sales and royalty income issues are some of the most common questions we get here at Vervante HQ. That’s why we created the ultimate free resource for authors ready to sell their products online and add a new revenue steam to their business.   Our free expert guide, "Selling Your Self-Published Book," gives you the straight facts about how to choose between Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Baker & Taylor and the Vervante Bookstore. The best option (or options – yes you can choose more than one place to sell online!) depends on you, your products and your goals, and we outline this for you to help you make the right decision.   And for the really juicy stuff - royalties – we show you how to easily keep track of sales, fees and royalties in the Statements section of your Vervante Author Dashboard.   This guide brings all the important info together in one place for authors who want to sell their products online, earn extra income, and not be stressed out or confused about the process. We invite you to head on over to the Vervante site to download your free copy at www.vervante.com or you can just click HERE to get it right away.

Vervante • June 17, 2014

Did you know that Vervante can help you list your book for retail sale online in places like Amazon, Barnes & Noble and the Vervante Bookstore? Not only will offering your book online boost your visibility through improved search engine optimization (SEO), it also offers exceptional opportunities for increased sales and supporting your expert status. Here at Vervante, we can help you with everything from listing, orders, and managing sales transactions to printing and distribution.   We’ve put together a list of frequently asked questions and answers to create a new free resource for authors called “Selling Your Self-Published Books.” You can download it from our website by clicking on the “Expert Guides” link at the bottom of any of our website pages.   Here is a sampling of some of the questions we address: How to submit your book or e-book for retail sales Instructions and investment costs for converting a book to an e-book The 7 online sites where we can list your book or e-book for sale Information about ISBNs and UPCs Integrating current sales pages into a cohesive sales stream with other retail sites  Click here to open the expert guide directly or head on over to the website and you’ll find it in our library of expert guides and resources located at the bottom of each web page.

Vervante • June 6, 2014

Here’s a tip to help you avoid one of the most common blunders when it comes to making audio CDs.   Have you ever played a CD and noticed that the display for the track names doesn’t say the right thing? It can be annoying, or funny even, but overall it makes your CDs look unprofessional. There’s a secret that the pros use for audio tracks that always name true – Gracenote.   Gracenote is a universally-recognized, easy-to-use, online track-listing database that contains author, album, genre, and track title information for standard audio CD’s. Once the information for a CD has been submitted to Gracenote, the data will be available to anyone who has a copy of the same CD - and best of all, it’s FREE!   For more details about best practices and access to this truly valuable resource, check out our Expert Guide, “Using Gracenote to ensure audio clarity” by clicking on "Expert Guides" at the bottom of any of our website pages.  

Vervante • April 29, 2014

Have you ever thought about creating a CD or DVD to support your business and boost your income? It’s a lot easier than you think – and we’re here to help you every step of the way.   We can produce high-quality audio CDs and video DVDs – and we can ship them anywhere in the world in professional-grade, branded packaging with no minimums and no set up fees.   Need some ideas? How about: Guided meditations Educational series Exercise programs Cooking tutorials Free resources as lead generators  It’s as simple as 1-2-3. Upload your audio or data files – or send us a DVD master – and we put your content on the exact amount of CDs or DVDs you need. Need 1? You got it. Need 1,000? No problem!

Vervante • March 26, 2014

If you have a book, the next step to think about is converting it into an eBook. And if you're still in the process of writing, it's a great idea to keep the eBook option in mind. After all, with the proliferation of Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nooks and ereaders of all kinds out there, the opportunity to share your writing with an ever-expanding global audience is ripe. Here at Vervante HQ we get a lot of questions about eBooks. How do I format them? How do we get them placed on Amazon or Barnes & Noble? Whats the best way to handle images inside the eBooks? We know that these are all important questions and that's why we're excited to share with you the latest edition to the free resources section of our website, "eBooks Expert Guide. Everything you need to know about getting started with eBooks, formatting and best practices." As a part of your publishing team, our priority is to help you success. This guide takes a look at everything from formatting and source files to images and graphic elements. If you're ready to turn your book into an eBook - or just thinking about putting it on your to-do list for the future - this guide is a great resource that will give you a stress-free headstart on creating an eBook that your readers will enjoy. 

Vervante • February 10, 2014

Did you know that this week (February 10-16) is Random Acts of Kindness week? We've been busy here at Vervante HQ planning acts of kindness for each other and our clients to show everyone how grateful we are for them and how much we love this idea. No matter what kind of business you have, book you write, or service you provide to the world, weaving Kindness throughout all that you do is a sure way to make the world a better, stronger and richer place. If you're looking for ideas perfect for home, work, school or practically anywhere, be sure to check out the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation website at http://www.randomactsofkindness.org/. They have a lot of great ideas and inspirational stories of how simple acts of Kindness can change lives.

Vervante • January 23, 2014

Did you know that today (January 23) is National Handwriting Day? Sharing a message with a handwritten note is an easy and stylish way to make a personal connection with family, friends, colleagues and anyone that you have a desire to connect with. So be sure to send a note today - handwritten, of course - and say "thanks," or "you're great," or "I really appreciate you." It's practically guaranteed that you'll make their day. Oh, and if you need custom-designed cards, we've got you covered, too! Just check out our catalog to see how you can have your own custom-designed greeting card, note card or postcard created that will wow your friends and impress your clients and colleagues. Memorability is just one handwritten note away. 

Vervante • January 21, 2014

If you have a book (or are thinking about writing one), you can easily have an eBook, too! If your plans this year include writing and publishing a book, don't forget that you can also share that book with a global digital audience by converting it to an eBook. Publishing an eBook is an effective way to create a digital version of your book and make it easily available to more people than ever. When it comes to increasing your visibility to a much larger - even global - audience, eBooks are a sure bet. Hugely convenient, eBooks can be purchased from almost any computer or reading device. Readers can carry hundreds of books with them anywhere they go on a device the size of a paperback. And eBooks offer a convenient, easy and fast way for people who are interested in you, your message, your business, products or services to get to know more about you through your eBook. When it comes time to publish your eBook, it’s important to understand your options and make sure your eBook looks and reads well on a variety of eReaders, like Kindle, iPad, Nook, and more. For information about formatting, understanding of the difference between epub and mobi files, and lots more expert guidance, check out our eBooks Guide for everything you want to know about getting started, conversion, formatting, and best practices. Click here to download the free report: http://store.vervante.com/white_papers/eBooksExpGuide.pdf

Vervante • January 6, 2014

Fulfillment is a very important part of the publishing process. Fulfillment is what happens from the time that you or your customers place an order to the moment that the package arrives on their doorstep. Our fulfillment services bring you decades of industry expertise, reliable resources and flexibility in order to provide customized and easy-to-use solutions for your fulfillment needs. Product orders and processing Orders through your existing shopping cart:  Do you have a shopping cart? Great! We have no preference and can accept orders from virtually all shopping cart or merchant solutions including InfusionSoft, 1ShoppingCart, PayPal, ClickBank, E-Junkie, and more. Orders are processed from emails generated from your shopping cart or merchant solution (more details here – link to http://vervante.com/AFB09). Listing your product in the Vervante Bookstore:  No shopping cart? No problem. Our clients have the option of listing their products (books, DVDs, CDs, etc.) in the Vervante Bookstore where they can then direct customers for online purchasing and fulfillment. (Click here http://vervante.com/VPWLK) Placing direct orders:  If you want to order some of your books or products for yourself, just log into your Vervante author dashboard and you can place orders directly from there. Note:  We do not require you to pre-order books or fulfill any minimum order amounts. The beauty of our print-on-demand services is that you only print your books or products when you need them. Production & Shipping Once we receive and process the order, your products are produced, assembled and packaged for shipping and will be sent via the method chosen in the order. We can ship your products anywhere in the world using USPS and UPS services. Most orders are shipped within 3-5 business days. During production and assembly, the order will go through a series of quality control checks to ensure the quality and accuracy of every order. We are often asked if we can include extra items (such as pens, gift bags, tshirts, etc) along with your product when shipping. Yes, we are able to do this, just send us an email at [email protected] with details.

Vervante • September 5, 2013

Some of the most common questions we hear are about ISBNs, Library of Congress Control Numbers (LCCNs) and other legalities that come into play with publishing. Here is a quick list of FAQs and answers that will help you gain a basic understanding as you prepare to publish your next project. Q: What is an ISBN and do I need to have one? A: If you plan on retail distribution for your book, such as on Amazon or in bookstores, yes, you will need an ISBN (International Standard Book Number). The most important identifier your book can have is the ISBN. ISBNs provide unique identification for books and simplify the distribution of your books throughout the global supply chain. Without an ISBN, your book will not be found in bookstores, whether online or down the street from your house. You can buy your own at www.Bowker.com, or purchase one at a low cost from Vervante – Just log into your Author Account and click on “Purchase ISBN.” Note: If you purchase your ISBN through Vervante, you are the sole owner of that number and Vervante retains no rights to it. Q: Are there steps I can take to protect my book legally? A: Yes, Copyright registration is important and a simple task you should do as soon as your book is complete. For more details and to register your book, go to http://www.copyright.gov/. Q: What about a Library of Congress Control Number (LCCN)? A: The LCCN is a unique identification number that the Library of Congress assigns to book titles. There is no charge for registering your book with the Library of Congress. You can complete the Application to Participate online and you will receive an account and password. Once your book is complete, you can send a copy of the book to the Library of Congress at: Library of Congress, Cataloging in Publication Division 101, Independence Ave. SE, Washington, DC, 20540-4320. The website is at http://www.loc.gov/publish/pcn/newaccount.html Q: Who owns the rights to my book? A: When you self-publish with Vervante, you benefit from our unique system in which you simply grant us the rights to print and distribute the book on your behalf. Our contracts with authors are non-exclusive. This arrangement is rare in the publishing world and is very much to your benefit as the author. You retain all rights as the sole owner of your book. Period.

Vervante • June 26, 2013

Easy tips to make sure your CD tracks are always named correctly If you have produced a CD – or are planning on one in the near future, it’s important that you understand the important of adding Gracenote to your project to ensure that the message in your CDs comes through loud and clear. A universally-recognized, easy-to-use, online track-listing database, Gracenote allows authors to register each of their tracks for free and assign information to each one including author, album, genre and track titles. Once the information for a CD has been submitted to Gracenote, the data will be available to anyone who has a copy of the same CD- and best of all, it’s FREE! Our new expert guide for using Gracenote, available in the Resource Library on our website, shares simple instructions for registering your audio files so that you can rest confident knowing that your music or your message are coming across loud and clear – in every way. ** To access the Gracenote Expert Guide in our Resource Library, just click HERE.

Vervante • June 11, 2013

One of the most frequently asked questions we hear regards the part of the process that comes AFTER we help you publish your book - Sales. Vervante offers resources and assistance to all our our authors for easy and efficient sales options for your book - and any of the products we help you create. We can add your book to the following channels for direct sales - and have provided a quick overview of each option as well as direction for achieving the best results: Vervante Bookstore Amazon.com Barnes & Noble.com Barnes & Noble Nook Baker & Taylor Amazon Kindle Vervante Bookstore is a great option if you don’t want the hassle of setting up a sales page, website or merchant bank for credit card processing. We will be happy to sell your book or product through our public bookstore. There is a 10% per transaction fee. You set the retail price for the product. The buyer selects and pays for the shipping and postage. Each month we will reconcile sales of your products and send you a statement. We will give you a quote for the production cost for your product. You set the retail price and the difference less the 10% fee is your profit. Amazon Marketplace is the most popular option for Amazon because it only takes a 15% discount plus $1.35 per transaction fee. We receive the orders when your book or product is purchased on Amazon. The transaction is entered in your order report in your author account so you will see all transactions. Amazon pays Vervante for transactions and we will reconcile your Amazon purchases with your monthly invoice. You set the retail price for the book in Amazon Marketplace. (**We highly recommend Amazon Marketplace – see our note below) Amazon Advantage is a consignment program with Amazon. When we list your book in this program, Amazon will order usually 1-2 initial copies for their inventory. When the book is sold, Amazon will ship the book directly to the customer and will take a 55% discount on the retail price of the book. You are also responsible for the postage costs to ship the book to Amazon. Barnes & Noble.com is a consignment program. When we list your book in this program, BN.com will order usually 1-2 initial copies for their inventory. When the book is sold, BN.com will ship the book directly to the customer and will take a 40% discount on the retail price of the book. You are also responsible for the postage costs to ship the book to BN.com. Please note: Your book cover must contain the ISBN barcode including the ISBN number PLUS price. This is a Barnes & Noble requirement. Baker & Taylor is one of the largest wholesale distributors in the world. We can list your book in their database and then any book reseller can order and stock your book in their store. Baker & Taylor sells and distributes to book stores, internet and physical locations, such as Amazon, Border, Barnes & Noble, etc. If your book is listed in the Baker & Taylor database, a customer can also special order the book from any bookstore. Baker & Taylor takes a 55% discount off of the price of the book and you pay for shipping to the Baker & Taylor warehouse. There are no pre-orders with this program. Baker & Taylor will only order your book if they have an order for the book. PLEASE NOTE: There are some risks associated with listing your book with Amazon Advantage, Barnes & Noble and Baker & Taylor. They are: Your suggested list price may not be what the book is actually listed for on these sites. These companies may chose to list your book at a discounted price and you may then have a competitive situation where you have the book listed on your site for the full list price and the distributor may be selling it at a discount. If you list your book with Baker & Taylor, Amazon may import this listing and chose to sell your book at a discount. The book on Amazon will show "Out of Stock" and may never show in stock because Amazon might list the book but never order it from Baker & Taylor. **We highly recommend using Amazon Marketplace for a few important reasons: You control the list price The product is never out of stock We ship the product so you know who is buying your book You pay 15% commission plus $1.35 per transaction and you are reimbursed $3.99 for postage and shipping We have full control over the listing so if you want to make changes or update the product description or price, we can do this for you quickly and easily

Vervante • April 8, 2013

Admit it.  You more than likely have some little Achilles heel. Whether it’s “Downton Abbey” or Facebook or some sort of App addiction (Angry Birds, anyone?), it’s innocent enough, right? But what if it’s those very same diversions – or even mistaken assumptions – that are standing between you and your dreams?  If you have a writing dream you’re just itching to share with the world, take stock of your opportunities then weigh them against the distractions or assumptions that are holding you back from OWNING those opportunities. Is fear your biggest obstacle? Often people, especially perfectionists, put things off, fearing they won’t meet expectations. A good cure: put your dream in writing, set daily goals, and find a trusted friend or mentor to cheer you on and help you hold yourself accountable.  Can’t find time to write? Just do it! Success expert Brian Tracy said the greatest key to success is self-discipline. “It is the difference in winning or losing; between greatness and mediocrity.”  If you really want to write, make writing your job. Pen it into your daily schedule -- with exclamation points! Schedule it like an important appointment. And when it’s time to “clock in” plan to stay put for some serious butt-glued-to-the-chair writing. Is too much structure a roadblock to your creativity? If the rebel in you requires a brainless “mindsuck” every once in a while, building downtime into your writing schedule should help you stay focused while allowing the freedom and flexibility your free spirit craves. Is electronic media standing in your way? Unplug! (Your dream is worth it!) Turn off the phone or tablet. Disconnect the Internet. Set a goal to check email, the news, or social media accounts only after you’ve met your productivity goals for the day or a set time period. Too many interruptions? If you find your writing going nowhere due to distractions from friends and family, take control! Put a sign on your door or a message on your voicemail telling the world you’re hard at work. If that’s not enough, co-op a little babysitting/petsitting trade-off with a family member or neighbor or offer older kids a reward if they’ll hole themselves up elsewhere in the house to allow you at least 30 to 60 of uninterrupted writing time. Plagued with too many ideas? Don’t overdo it! Cramming too many topics into a writing session can hamper the free flow of thought and interfere with your ability to produce high-quality work. Do yourself a favor (and save a headache!) by limiting yourself to just one subject per writing session. Your non-exploding brain will thank you. By implementing these strategies, not only will you be amazed at your increased productivity and zest for writing, you’ll also develop greater confidence in your ability to meet your goals and achieve your writing dream.

Vervante • February 19, 2013

Your book is written – now is the time when thoughts often turn to an Amazon book launch. But where to start? Is there a secret formula? Seeing your book in print is a big deal, but seeing it posted on Amazon is even bigger. However, you can’t just post a book on Amazon and hope that it does well. After years of helping our clients with Amazon book launches, we’ve learned that there are 6 essential elements that form the secret formula for a successful online debut.  Preparation Is Key: In order to organize an effective book launch on Amazon, it is absolutely essential that you plan ahead, creating an organized timeline of 4-6 weeks of preparation that builds in enough time for every step of the process in order to get the results you are looking for. Choose a date for your launch that coordinates best with your goals and does not land on a weekend, holiday or day before a holiday. Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays are usually the best.*  Establish Amazon Mission Control: In order to track results on Amazon, be sure to create an “Author Central” page where you can log in to watch sales statistics and more. It’s also a good idea to set up an “About the Author” page ahead of the day of the launch as well.  Niche Yourself: Choosing a niche category for your book is essential to becoming a best seller on Amazon. For example, instead of designating “Gardening” as your category, go deeper into your niche and choose “herb gardens” or “tomatoes.” This greatly increases your potential to achieve coveted “bestseller” status. You do not need to sell thousands of books to become an Amazon bestseller. With a niche category, you may only need to sell 100 to reach your goal.   Create Win-Win Relationships: Many authors leverage joint-venture or affiliate relationships to support marketing and sales before and during their Amazon book launch. You can do this on your own, or consult with a professional who already knows the ropes and can assist you in this part of your launch. Post Reviews Ahead of Time: Once your book is listed online, but before the official launch day, send copies of the book to a select group of readers and ask them to post their reviews directly on the page. This way, on the day of the launch, potential buyers who may be on the fence will see them right away. Provide Extra Value for Your Readers: The way that Amazon is set up, there is no way for you to know who is purchasing your book unless they tell you themselves. Here’s a great way to provide even more of value to your audience, while also giving you the ability to capture their contact information: On the day of your big launch, instead of sending potential readers directly to Amazon, direct them to a landing website page you have set up where they will opt in to receive a free offer or bonus product and then be directed to the Amazon page to complete their purchase. This is a win-win-win situation. Your readers get a free bonus – you have now captured their contact information AND you’ve boosted your sales to reach your goal.

Vervante • January 25, 2013

Did you know that getting organized is one of the most popular New Year’s Resolutions? We know that time is best managed with the right tools, so we’re happy to offer this free calendar that will help you accomplish your goal. To get your free copy just log in to your Vervante Author account and go to your Author Dashboard page. There will be a link for your free calendar there. If you don’t have an account, no problem. Just go to www.vervante.com and create a free author account by clicking on “Create Account” on the home page. Once you create your account, you will be taken to your Author Dashboard and can order your calendar from there. Enjoy!