Best-Selling Author Review by Joe Wikert
Posted on November 21, 2007
Joe Wikert is a Vice President and Executive Publisher in the Professional/Trade division of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. He keeps a very well written, up to date blog about the world of publishing. Here is some of what he had to say about Best-Selling Author . . .
“Over the course of the past few weeks I managed to listen to all 10 (yes, 10!) CDs in this product. The result? I’m extremely impressed with the depth and breadth of the information covered in this package . . . you’ll quickly discover that Jeffrey and Dr. X not only provide wisdom on the industry’s inner workings, but they also tell you everything you need to do to maximize your results.”
You can read the entire review on Joe’s blog.
Posted in Reviews
The Conference Alternative: A Review by W. Terry Whalin
Posted on October 30, 2007
Often in my various entries about The Writing Life, I’ve discussed the immense benefits of attending a writer’s conference. It’s a great place to learn about the craft of writing, gain some encouragement from other writers as well as begin to make some solid relationships with different editors and literary agents. I regularly teach at writer’s conferences as well as invest to attend different writer’s conferences. I understand and appreciate the value in each conference.
While there are many advantages to a writer’s conference, there is also a cost in terms of time and expense. To attend most of the major writers conferences it’s easy for someone to spend $1,000 when you add the airfare, conference costs and other expenses. Is there another alternative?
One alternative is a product called Everything You Need to Know to Become A Best-selling Author, Lessons from an Anonymous Publishing Giant by Scott Jeffrey with Dr. X. It’s loaded with information from an experienced author who can’t reveal his identity because of his intimate relationship with a large publishing company.
You may wonder about this Dr. X and whether he knows his “stuff.” The back of the product provides some additional background. “Dr. X” operates one of the ten largest publishing companies in the United States. Starting in publishing 25 years ago, Dr. X has worked in every major facet of the business. He also ran a successful literary agency for eight years and has written two New York Times bestsellers.
Follow the link to get the complete information about this package but it has over 7 1/2 hours of recorded conversations with someone who knows the inside scoop about publishing because he has spent years in the trenches of publishing.
I’ve listened to most of this material. For over twenty years, I’ve been reading books and magazine articles about publishing and writing. I learned a great deal on these CDs which I’ve not seen anywhere else in print. It’s like going to publishing school and an excellent way to be educated on some of the keys to producing an excellent product. It’s not inexpensive at $195.00 but look what these CDs cover:
DISC ONE: The Winning Author’s Mindset
DISC TWO: Crafting a High-Impact Book Proposal (Part I)
DISC THREE: Crafting a High-Impact Book Proposal (Part II)
DISC FOUR: Deciphering the Publishing Business
DISC FIVE: Landing a Publishing Contract
DISC SIX: Understanding the Publishing Process
DISC SEVEN: Mastering the Publicity Game
DISC EIGHT: Book Marketing Strategies (Part I)
DISC NINE: Book Marketing Strategies (Part II)
DISC TEN—BONUS CD: The Psychology of Publishing
Because you purchase the audio CDs, you can repeatedly listen to the information and I believe each time you will pick up a new aspect about this business. It’s not easy for anyone to be published and you have to learn the system. This innovative package teaches you a different means to learn about publishing in the comfort of your own home or car.
It’s a solid alternative to attending a writer’s conference and something worthy of your serious consideration.
W. Terry Whalin understands both sides of the editorial desk–as an editor and a writer. He worked as a magazine editor for Decision and In Other Words. His magazine articles have appeared in more than 50 publications including Writer’s Digest and Christianity Today. Terry has written more than 60 nonfiction books.
This post is an excerpt from the FREE Become a Best-Selling Author eBook, 60 Effective Strategies for Selling More Books. Download it here.
Posted in Reviews
Nick Usborne Review of Best-Selling Author
Posted on October 15, 2007
Nick Usborne has a career spanning twenty five years in the advertising and marketing industry, offline and then online. He has worked with dozens of major companies, including…
Citibank, Apple, Chrysler, Franklin Mint, TV Guide, Diners Club International, Looksmart, MSN, Ricoh, Yahoo!, The Getty Trust, The New York Times, Reuters, Encyclopedia Britannica and America Online.
He has been honored with fifteen major awards for his direct response writing work, both in Europe and North America.
Nick Usborne is the author of the critically acclaimed book, ‘Net Words: Creating High-Impact Online Copy’. Read what he has to say about the Best-Selling Author program:
Review: Everything you Need to Know to Become a Best Selling Author
A collection of 10 CDs presented by Scott Jeffrey
This is a terrific resource for anyone who wants to write a best-selling book, get it published, or even self-publish.
But before I start reviewing this particular course, let me answer one important question, and tell you something about my own experience as a published author.
The question: Why would you even want to write a book?
The answer is simple.
NOTHING establishes your credentials as an expert faster or more thoroughly than being the author of a book.
Better than being a VP of some big company? Yes.
Better than having 20 years experience in your chosen field? Yes?
Better than having an MA or even a PhD? Yes.
Being able to hold out a book, with your name as the author has a huge, immediate and lasting impact on people’s perception of your expertise.
Are people always right to put so much faith in someone simply because he or she is an author? No, they’re not. Some books are horrible, and some of their authors are not experts at all.
But the perception remains.
If you have an interest in furthering your career through presenting yourself as an established expert, writing a book and getting it published is the best possible course you can take.
My own Experience . . .
My professional career as an expert on the subject of writing for the web falls neatly into two timeframes - before I wrote my book, Net Words, and after.
Before I wrote the book I was doing OK. I had established myself in a smaller way by writing plenty of articles and speaking at conferences.
After I wrote the book and it hit the shelves, there was a huge shift in perception of my expertise. Of course, my actual expertise didn’t change one bit between the day before the book was published and the day after.
But the perception of other people shifted dramatically.
From that time on I received consulting, speaking and copywriting inquiries more frequently, from much bigger companies and for much higher fees.
What had changed?
Nothing of substance had changes. I had all the same knowledge and expertise before I wrote the book. It’s just that nobody knew it. And I didn’t have the book in my hand to “prove” it.
And how does this apply to you?
If you have ambitions to move ahead as an expert . . . whether you are an employee, a speaker, a consultant, a freelancer or an entrepreneur . . . the very best way to establish your credentials is to write a book and get it published.
Why I am recommending this particular guide
There are dozens of books on how to get published. Some of them I have read.
“Everything You Need to Know to Become a Best Selling Author” is not a book. It is a collection of 10 CDs which deliver seven and a half hours of interviews with a best-selling author who also worked in the publishing industry for over 25 years.
The collection has been put together and published by Scott Jeffrey. And he’s done a beautiful job, right down to the presentation and design of the packaging.
The meat and value of the contents lies in the interviews Scott holds with . . . Dr X.
Dr X? It’s a little disturbing at first when you discover that Scott’s expert remains anonymous. Even his voice is changed, like in a spy movie, to protect his identity.
It annoyed me at first, but I soon got used to the idea. Why was I so quick to forgive this weird “anonymous” expert thing? Because, having been down the book writing, publishing and marketing pathway myself, I immediately knew that this guy knew exactly what he was talking about.
I found myself nodding at some points, and at others I was wishing I had been able to listen to these interviews before I started on my own book.
Writing a book is pretty easy. Getting it published is a little harder. Marketing your book, getting the word out, is a huge challenge.
(You think the marketing wizards at the publishing house are going to do some great marketing for you? Think again! For some reason that still eludes me, publishers seem to have either no skills in book marketing, or no desire to apply them. Yes, it’s a mystery. But believe me, if you get a book published you’ll very quickly discover that you have to quickly learn how to become a book publicist yourself.)
Here’s a little of what you can look forward to…
The interviews with Dr X cover five key areas:
- How to write a book proposal that gets you a contract
- Understanding how the publishing industry operates and what editors are looking for
- How to land yourself and negotiate a publishing contract
- Understanding and mastering book publicity
- Learning the key book marketing strategies that will bring you success
In the 10th CD, Scott wraps things up with a look at many of the benefits of publishing a book, as well as exploring the option of self-publishing.
What do I think?
I think that if you want to move ahead in your career by clearly establishing yourself as an expert, writing and publishing a book will help you more than any anything else.
If you choose to take to road to becoming a published author, I would strongly recommend this course. The depth of information and its presentation in an audio format will leave you with far more information that you’ll get from the many books on this subject.
Highly recommended.
Posted in Reviews
