Author U Your Guide to Book Publishing

What's in your Platform wallet? Do you know what an Author Platform is? How about a Book Platform? Today on Your Guide to Book Publishing with Dr. Judith Briles, Judith will reveal the secrets to Book and Author Platforms. She will dive into them and walk you through several Activities from her forthcoming Audio series and Guidebook, Creating and Developing Your Author and Book Platform. These Activities will not only kick-start yours, but will create the infrastructure that you and your book need to enhance success. Big success. 1 How do you create the time to create your masterpiece? 2 What's the difference between an Author Platform and a Book Platform? 3 What are the key g a Book needs in its Platform? 4 What are the key ingredients an Author needs in his or her Platform? Plus more printing tips from Phil Knight, Director of Sales for Color House Graphics.

Dr. Judith Briles and Beth Ziesenis on all the nifty and free (or very cheap) apps to use to make your life as an author rock and roll—there's lots of them. Beth is the author of Upgrade to Free: The Best Free & Low-Cost Online Tools and Apps. You will discover that she will be your favorite nerdy best friend. Beth will reveal how to: 1. Reduce the noise of the day so you can write! 2. Get organized 3. Produce your own awesome graphics 4. Get low-cost tech/design help Bill Van Orsdel from WaveCloud Corp reveals the secrets to finding the right genre classifications for your book.

The Author Platform One of the biggest mistakes that Authors continually make is that they don’t create their book game plan together. It starts with the Platform—key components are Vision, Passion and Commitment. When you have them, the Crowd is findable, and it/they will come. Dr. Judith Briles shares with listeners the key steps in her Platform that created over $4 million in gross sales. You don’t want to miss this. Her guest is Dr. Lynn Hellerstein, author of See It. Say It. Do It! Lynn was a Book Shepherd client of Judith’s—creating her Platform has sold thousands and thousands of books within 18 months, created its first spin-off book, See It. Say It. Organize It. and gone to second printing. Lynn’s first book signing generated 900 sold books! Nick Zelinger from NZ Graphics offers tips for design. And so much more. Another lively hour on Your Guide to Book Publishing with Dr. Judith Briles at 6 pm EST, author of Show Me About Book Publishing. Follow @AuthorU

Host Judith Briles and author Mara Purl (What the Heart Knows), explore the world of creating fiction that draws the reader in, making her a follower; how to connect with characters and story; how to market fiction using blog tours and other methods; and how to connect with bookstores and libraries. Graphics designer Nick Zelinger shares book design tips. Henry Ayala from Tu-Vets Printing shares printing tidbits. And so much more. Another lively hour on Your Guide to Book Publishing with Dr. Judith Briles at 6 pm EST, author of Show Me About Book Publishing. Follow @AuthorU

Where Does an Author and Publishing Hang Out? Authors and Publishers need a place where they can gather, grow and learn. Publishers Marketing Association has evolved to the International Book Publishers Association—created in 1983, it serves book publishers in the United States and around the world. Holding an annual Publishing University and the prestigious Ben Franklin Book Awards, IBPA coordinates marketing programs for its 3,000 plus members and is an advocate for them within the publishing industry. Members are one book only small publishers to publishers who develop and publish many authors. Joining Judith the first half hour will be Florrie Binford Kichler, the president of IBPA. www.IBPA-online.org 5 Reasons You'll Never Guess Why Your Book Sales Suck! Your book is on Amazon and there's a "Buy Now" button on your website. So why isn't it selling? -- Marty Dickinson, co-author of Web Marketing All-in-One for Dummies (Wiley), has been a full-time web marketer since 1996 and will guest today... he believes in a "no excuses!" marketing strategy--afterall, if his 84 year-old client has learned to manage his own web strategy ... so can you! Marty manages nearly 100 of his own websites to sell a variety of products and services. His staff, a team of nine, provides a full suite of web-marketing services for more than 100 speakers and authors around the world through his company and Premier Author U Partner,www.HereNextYear.com. Another lively hour on Your Guide to Book Publishing with Dr. Judith Briles at 6 pm EST, author of Show Me About Book Publishing. Follow @AuthorU

Authors want to know ... Do they really need a Blog? Most authors have a Blog on their website because the website designer told them they should. If you have one, how’s it working for you? Are you getting traffic? Do readers make comments? Does it have content that is directed toward the reader that is your ideal visitor? Is it engaging? If you don’t, would you like to have one that provides content, creates a buzz and brings sales for your books? If you can’t answer “yes” to all of the above, then this edition of Your Guide to Book Publishing with Dr. Judith Briles is just what the Book Shepherd ordered. Join Judith as her guest Joel Friedlander reveals the secrets to a great Blog. Known as the Bookman, founder of Marin Bookwords and brains behind TheBookDesigner Blog (http://feeds.feedburner.com/MarinBookworks), Joel’s Blog consistently ranks in the top book/author blogs today. Get your questions ready ... Joel will have answers. Joel Friedlander (@JFBookman) is an award-winning book designer, blogger, and the author of A Self-Publisher’s Companion: Expert Advice for Authors Who Want to Publish. Joel is the proprietor of Marin Bookworks in San Rafael, California, a publishing services company where he’s helped launch many self-publishers since 1994. He also writes a popular blog on book design, book marketing and the future of the book at http://www.theBookDesigner.com and is the creator of the new online training course, The Self-Publishing Roadmap.

Book Awards and Book Reviews ... Which Are for You? Authors want to know ... should they spend the money to enter a book award contest ... and if they do, which are the ones for them ... and their book? Join Judith and her guest Ellen Reid, the founder of the Indie Excellence Awards, as they explore the wide-wide world of Book Awards. There are so many beckoning for your marketing (yes book awards are part of your marketing budget), which is for you ... and which should be avoided. Book awards have become big money makers for their backer—do they deserve your dollars? In the second half hour, Judith’s guest will be Patti Thorn, the managing partner of BlueInk Reviews. BlueInk was created for the self-publishing and independent markets. Should you pay for a review? What happens once you get one? What if it’s—gulp—not so hot? And so much more. Another lively hour on Your Guide to Book Publishing with Dr. Judith Briles at 6 pm EST, author of Show Me About Book Publishing.

Bill Van Orsdel from WaveCloud is creating a community joining authors and readers--learn about what makes WaveCloud the next, next thing if creating the "crowd" for the author. Nick Zelinger of NZ Graphics is a top award-winning designer of interiors and covers. With Judith, he discusses what makes a cover work and what common mistakes authors need to avoid. There's a difference between eBooks and pBooks--covers need to be tweaked!

Marketing gurus Penny Sansevieri and Brian Jud join Judith Briles with strategies for marketing your book and predictions for 2012 in publishing. Dave Raymond from Thomson Shore printers shares inside book printing secrets.