Seth Godin on Networking

Today I am excited to share with you Networking Newbie's connection # 2, Seth Godin. Anyone who knows anything about marketing probably knows something ( or everything ) about Seth. Seth Godin has written 12 bestsellers that have been translated into 33 languages.

I got in touch with Seth via e-mail and he shared with me his views on networking. At first, I was startled as he started to explain how networking can be worthless! Despite the domain of my site, I completely agree. Let's get critical and take a look at Seth Godin's opinion on networking.

When Networking is Worthless!

Networking for the sake of networking is useless.

It is more valuable to develop lasting relationships with a few people than to have thousands of twitter or facebook followers.

"Networking is always important when it's real and it's always a useless distraction when it's fake. What the internet has allowed is an enormous amount of fake networking to take place."

Real Relationships Matter!

Seth says we need to ask ourselves "Are there people out there who I would go out of my way for, and who'd go out of their way for me?"

How to Build Real Relationships!

"The way you get there is by going out of your way for them, and by earning the privilege of one day having that connection be worthwhile."

For the best in marketing visit Seth Godin's blog at http://sethgodin.typepad.com/

For more tips and advice for inspiring professional and entrepreneurs visit http://networkingnewbie.wordpress.com/

How to Become a Star at Work

The only way you will ever truly succeed in this new knowledge-based economy is to become a star at work, that is, an individual who stands far above the crowd and one who is totally unique in a world where most people are trying to be more alike. The moment you make a deep commitment to becoming a star at work and burning all your bridges to the person that you once were, your life will change in an unmistakable way.

The day you decide to start acting like the person you were destined to become is the day that you begin to tap into the wellspring of human talents that will lead you to your own form of personal greatness. These are not the simple musings of yet another professional thinker spouting hackneyed euphemisms in the hope that one day someone will take note. These are the hard, cold facts of life - and they have been so for hundreds of years. And to deny them and continue living a life of complacency is to abandon your duty to do something special with your life. As Ashley Montagu observed: "The deepest personal defeat suffered by human beings is constituted by the difference between what one was capable of becoming and what one has in fact become."

To become a star at work and to start seizing some of the matchless opportunities that are out there in what I believe to be the most exciting time in the history of humanity, you first need to make the decision to raise the standards that you will work and live by. Commit to living by a benchmark far higher than anyone would have the right to expect from you. Take a good hard look at the way you spend your days and ask yourself whether your agenda reflects your priorities. If there is an incongruity between the activities you invest your energies in and the values you hope to live by, you have a problem and need to make some immediate course corrections. For example, if your goal is to have a meaningful and rewarding work experience but you devote your days spinning your wheels on mundane tasks that never advance your professional goals, you need to do refocus yourself on the things that truly count. If a rich and happy family experience is high on your list of life priorities but you have not been to your son's soccer game in a year and you cannot remember the last time you sat down to do homework with your daughter, you need to sharpen your pencil and rework your schedule. The facts never lie and the activities of your schedule will ultimately reflect the quality of your life.

The next step in becoming a star at work is to dedicate yourself to becoming "a person of action". In life there are three types of people. First are those that make things happen. Second are those that watch things happen. And third are those people who wake up one day, at then end of their lives, and ask "What Happened?" Today, make a firm decision to join the first group - the group of human beings who have decided that life is a gift and every day is a new opportunity to learn, grow and contribute. As you go through this day, look for opportunities to bring a sense of excellence and mastery to your work. What little thing could you do over the next few hours to build relationships at work or make your clients say "Wow?" What mental attitudes could you adopt to reframe what is negative into positive and rekindle that enthusiasm that you had when you were just a kid? What simple gestures of decency could you do to show your teammates that you care and are committed to showing leadership in a world where real leaders are few and far between? As I wrote in my latest book "Who Will Cry When You Die?": "the smallest of actions is always better than the noblest intentions," and today is your chance to make a difference. "There's nothing really difficult if only you begin. Some people contemplate a task until it looms so big it seems impossible but I just begin and it gets done somehow. There would be no coral islands if the first bug sat down and began to wonder how the job was to be done," noted John Shaw Billings.

Here are 7 more things you can do over the next 10 days to become a star at work:

1. Take your hero to lunch. Find someone who has created the kind of professional and personal life that you want and have the courage to take them out to lunch. If there is an author you admire and she lives in your city, pick up the phone and ask for a meeting. If you just read an inspiring article about someone who had turned adversity into advantage and you know you can learn from him, send out an e-mail and open up the lines of communication. In this new knowledge economy, the person who learns the most wins. Learn from heroes.

2. Set "learning goals." Most wise performers on the playing field of business set career, financial and personal goals but few set specific learning goals. For this year, I have set clear objectives as to how many books I will read, how many seminars I will attend and how many personal growth retreats I will visit. I also try and set a daily learning quota of three new things every day to keep me stimulated and excited about my work as a professional speaker and leadership coach.

3. Become indispensable. While working at a major league legal firm after I had completed law school, I asked one of the senior partners what one had to do in order to become successful at this firm. His response has never left me and has been exceedingly helpful. "Robin," he said, "the real secret of success is to be so good at what you do that this firm will not be able to run without you. Be so good at what you do that you are the first person that we all think of when we need advice. Be so good at what you do that you become indispensable. Then your success will be assured." So my challenge to your is this: pick your best three talents - 3 core competencies that you have that truly make you special - and then commit to refining them over the coming twelve months until they set you apart from the crowd. Make a personal vow that you will become so good at your professional craft that you become indispensable to your team and to your organization as a whole. Then watch your career soar.

4. Make time to think. It is a strange paradox of the frenzied age that we live in that we have become so busy that we do not even have time to think about the things that we are so busy about. We spend our days on projects that need to get done and in meetings that need to be attended. We spend our evenings with people we need to meet and doing activities that need to be completed. But let me ask you? When was the last time you went for a solitary walk in the woods and deeply reflected on the way you are working and living? When was the last time you took a few hours to gain some real clarity into where you want to be professional and personally five years from now? Henry David Thoreau said: "It is not enough to be busy, so are the ants. The question is what are you so busy with?" Carve out at least one hour every week for some serious reflection, introspection and self-examination so that you will keep learning from your weeks.

5. Start a reading group at work. If you want to be a leader, you must first become a reader. Knowing how to read and not doing so puts you in precisely the same position as someone who cannot read. We live in an age where ideas - not bricks and mortar - are the currency of success. One idea, well executed, can transform your team, your culture and your entire organization. One idea, read in a single book, can reshape your thinking processes, transform your character or renew your health. Here's the thing: you just don't know which book contains that one idea that will revolutionize your life. But believe me, it is out there. And it is waiting for you. Read daily and ensure those around you to do the same. The company that learns together stays together.

6. Look like a star. Get serious about physical mastery. Commit to being in peak shape so you increase your energy levels and enhance your stamina. Rekindle that healthy glow that comes from running or swimming or going for a brisk walk at lunch. And make the time to dress and conduct yourself in a way that conveys your commitment to excellence, not only in business but in life.

7. Think contribution. We all have a deep human hunger to be a part of something larger than ourselves. We all carry within us a core craving to do something important in our work lives and know that, at the end of the day, our energies have been invested in activities that have added value to the world and made a difference in people's lives. Begin to see the higher meaning of the work that you are doing and stay focused on adding value to others. As the 13th Century philosopher Rumi said: "When you are dead, seek for your resting place not in the earth but in the hearts of men."

Robin Sharma, LL.B., LL.M., is one of the world's top experts on leadership and personal development. The author of ten major international bestsellers including The Greatness Guide Series, The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari, Robin is the CEO of Sharma Leadership International Inc., a global training firm with a simple mission: to help people Lead Without Title. Profiled regularly on leading international media such as CNN and MSNBC, clients include GE, Nike, FedEx, NASA, Unilever, Microsoft, BP, IBM, The Harvard School of Business and Yale University. His website http://www.robinsharma.com is one of the most popular leadership and personal development destinations on the Internet.

Book Proposal Marketing Section

What if you wrote a great book but nobody wanted to read it? That would be a catastrophe for you and your publisher. Which is precisely why a marketing section is included in every good book proposal.

THE MARKETING SECTION OF THE BOOK PROPOSAL

The marketing section in a book proposal is often the first thing that the marketing department looks at after the overview section. Once they know the title of the book and read the book hook (or what the book will be about) they want to know who will buy the book. This makes sense, doesn't it? If there's a huge market, that is, if there are millions of potential readers, then the marketing department will be eager to acquire your book. They'll call their acquiring editor and urge her to buy the book from your literary agent, and you'll get a nice advance.

THE TWO PARTS OF THE MARKETING SECTION

There are two parts to the marketing section of a book proposal.

1. The first paragraph is the biggest punch you have. Put more simply, it's the paragraph in which you tell us about your biggest market. Let's say you're writing a book entitled TEEN FASHION, then the first paragraph of your marketing section would say something like: "There are fourteen million teen boys and fifteen million teen girls in the United States alone. They will be the key buyers of TEEN FASHION. They will certainly want to know what their friends consider trendy, and TEEN FASHION will tell them, and show them with photos." These teens are your biggest market, and you hit the book proposal reader with this important fact in the first paragraph of your marketing section. Don't save the best for last -- come right out and fire your big guns right away.

2. The second part of the marketing section contains one or more paragraphs, and it lists and describes any other markets for your book. For example you could mention that dressmakers will want to own your book. Point out that teachers at fashion schools will also want to buy it. Hollywood costume designers will also be keen to have a copy. And libraries will certainly want to carry it. See how these markets are rather less persuasive than your first big market, those 29 million teens? But even though these markets are less substantial, you should mention them all because ultimately they will be potential buyers of the book.

The marketing section describes and quantifies your book's potential buyers. Don't worry if you're not sure that all these market segments will buy your book -- no one is really sure. Just assert it, and leave it at that. That's all you can do at this point, and that's all that your literary agent and editor are expecting you to do.

William Cane is the author of The Art of Kissing, translated into 19 languages. He taught English at Boston College for fourteen years and today is a widely sought-after speaker at colleges and universities nationwide. His Web site contains more insider writing advice for those wishing to get published: http://www.hiwrite.com/

Copyright © 2007 William Cane

Sell Your Book To Make It A Best Seller

A big portion about writing a best-selling book is not the writing only, it's the selling. That's why it's called "Best-Selling Book" and not "Best-Writing Book". You have to sell it really well.

Here are some of the efforts that I have taken to ensure that my books become bestsellers.

The first thing I did was arranging for a lot of book talks. Anytime I could get an opportunity to go out there to speak and sell the book I would do that.

So what I did was to approach all the major bookshops in Singapore. MPH, Times, Kinokuniya, Borders and Popular and arranged book talks every single weekend. So every single weekend I would go out there to speak and draw crowds. In fact, it is during my talks that I sold the most number of books.

Another promotion effort I did was to arrange free talks in schools. These talks were usually held during the school assemblies. So I would speak during the allocated time for the assemblies. And I conducted them over a 4 month period. That was what drove the sales of the book. That's what got people talking about my book.

The other thing which I did was to put advertisements in the papers
Some of my friends thought it was a stupid idea because it was expensive.
One small ad would cost about $3,000. They said "Adam, you are never going to make back your money!"

It did eventually, and by placing those ads, it drew the crowd into the bookshops.

Which leads me to an important thing, you have to make sure the bookshops give you good shelf space. How do you make sure you do that?

It's all about going there, building rapport with the person in charge of book placements, talking to the person and asking the person to place the books at better spaces.

I would go to the bookshop every weekend to look at where my book is and if my book is in a lousy position, I would take my book and replace it with other books which were at a good position. I know it's a dirty trick but I did that.

The other thing I did was to create artificial demand. Initially, when I first wrote my book, no one wanted to display it well. A lot of bookshops didn't want to bring it in because I was a local author and no one knew me at that time.

So what I did was I got a lot of my friends to call the bookshops up, asking about the book. They would go, "Excuse me, have you seen this book called "I Am Gifted, So Are You"?" and the bookshops would say "Oh, we don't have it yet."

And my friends would reply saying "Hey, but it's a very good book, how can you not have this book?" I also got all my friends and relatives to write in to the bookshops complaining that it was a best-selling book, they wanted to buy it but they couldn't get it. So that got the bookshops to start ordering it and it created that cycle.

You will notice that sometimes it takes a little thinking out of the box and effort to make your book a best seller. Ultimately, in order for your book to be a bestseller, you have to take the necessary measures to sell your book.

Adam Khoo is an entrepreneur, best-selling author and a self-made millionaire by the age of 26. Discover his million dollar secrets and claim your FREE bonus CD '6 Ways To Achieve Anything In Life' at Paving The Way To The Top.

Jacqueline Wilson - For the British Children

Jacqueline Wilson, born Jacqueline Aitken is a British author of children's books. Her books have topped the bestsellers list in Britain and have won several prestigious awards. Many of her books have also been adapted for television and stage.

Born in Bath, Somerset in 1945, she initially started working in a Dundee-based publishing company, DC Thomson on a girl's magazine Jackie. According to a legend, the magazine was named after the author but this was denied outrightly by the once involved with the magazine.

About the style of her writing one can say that her books are typically realistic and take the British children and their problems as the focal point. From the death of a pet to divorce, and from homelessness to abuse, all pertinent problems faced by children in UK are picked up by her in books such as The Cat Mummy, The Suitcase Kid, The Bed and Breakfast Star and Secrets. Majority of the books written by Jacqueline Wilson are in first person narrative. Her books that have been adapted as television series include Girls in Love, Best Friends and The Story of Tracy Beaker.

This noted writer has published great bestsellers and has got many awards to her credit, including Smarties Prize and the Guardian Children's Fiction Award. Her book The Illustrated Mum won the Guardian Children's Fiction Award as well as 1999 Children's Book of the Year at the British Book Awards. Apart from that The Story of Tracy Beaker won the 2002 Blue Peter People's Choice Award. Her other noted achievements inlcude the conferring of Order of the British Empire for services to literacy in schools. Also, in 2007 her contribution to children's literature was recognised and she was awared an Honorary Doctorate by Roehampton University.

You don't have to go too far to buy books by Jacqueline Wilson. Search the World Wide Web and her bestseller collection would be delivered at your door.

Jacob Marshal, a dedicated writer of Rupizcompare.co.uk which provide Jacqueline Wilson with Buy Children's Books as Buy Books

Publishing Options for New Authors

Most of us have dreams of writing a book one day but the statistics verify that the vast majority never complete the task. There are lots of reasons for this failure but one of the most important is that would-be authors have heard that publishers accept only a tiny percentage of the book proposals they receive. People have heard how difficult it can be and they give up on the task as a result.

Technology has changed a lot of things in the publishing industry, not to mention just about every other industry you can imagine. Not only is it easier for an entrepreneur to start a book publishing company but the costs of printing a small number of books has come down dramatically, allowing authors to avoid the prohibitive minimums that used to characterize the book printing business.

With these recent developments in mind, we need to re-introduce would-be authors to the new book-publishing landscape so they can re-evaluate the possibility of finally making their dream a reality. This article will review the three primary ways of getting a book published in the modern world. Future articles will cover the opportunities and challenges of each strategy.

The first way of getting a book published is the path that has existed for years and years. There are a number of huge publishing houses including Penguin, Random House and McGraw Hill that can do the job. But these industry elephants only work with proven authors and generally require you have a literary agent before they'll even review the proposal. Of course, the upside is that these publishing giants are well respected, leaving you with better credibility and preferential shelf space within the major retailers.

The second strategy is to use a smaller independent publisher. There are more and more of these popping up everyday and they tend to specialize in one genre or another. Of course, there's a wide variety of publishers within this category - some very small and others quite well established - but they all generally have full distribution channels in place, allowing your book to reach the same shelves as the big boys. Proposals are sent directly to the Acquisitions Editor for consideration and literary agents are optional.

The last strategy is by far the most common: self-publishing. Because printing minimum order quantities have come down so much in recent years, authors can quickly and easily print a few copies of their new book and risk less money than ever before. Obviously, this virtually eliminates one of the major barriers to entry and an estimated 90% of all books being published today are self-published.

The clear upside is that nobody can reject your proposal. If you want to write it and print it, go right ahead. And in many cases, the printing houses you would use to get the book put on paper have respectable distribution channels in place as well, meaning your book could theoretically reach the same shelves as those published by larger publishing companies. The downside is a lower degree of credibility but for many, that's a small price to pay for their dream to get realized.

The important thing to remember is that regardless of the publishing method you choose, the majority of the marketing effort is left to the author. Even with the industry majors, it's the author's job to promote and sell his or her book. So if you have ambitions to publish your own book, sit down and think about how you're going to sell it. If you have an answer to that question, you have a much better chance of getting accepted by the big boys.

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Best Self Publishing Book Promotion Idea

Creativity is the key to discovering the best self publishing book promotion ideas. The truth is that good self publishing book promotion ideas will yield the best results and enable you to swiftly make a huge return from your investment.

One of the best and most effective self publishing book promotion ideas you will ever come across that of publishing parts of your book in the form of brief useful articles that can be distributed via leading high traffic article directories on the net. Done properly, this free promotional method has the potential of enabling you to sell tens of thousands of books without the help of any other promotional method. To start with good articles usually enjoy an amazingly swift viral effect where they quickly get re-posted at other sites and blogs all over the World Wide Web.

So it is possible to start off with your best self publishing book promotion articles posted at one or two sites and end up in a situation where they get re-posted in thousands of other sites. If your resource box has a link pointing back to your main book web site or blog site, then this could result in huge targeted traffic that is your potential market constantly flooding at your site.

This innocent-looking simple idea is one of the best, most effective self publishing book promotion ideas I have ever tried out.

Visit the author's self publishing book strategy blog for more amazing tips, details and valuable resources.