February 1, 2005 Volume 3: Issue 8

"Self Published Authors" Bi-Monthly Newsletter
Helping self-published authors promote and market their books
and share information and resources.

February 1, 2005 Volume 3: Issue 8
Dan Shaurette
editor@selfpublishedauthors.com
http://www.selfpublishedauthors.com

By Subscription Only! You are receiving this newsletter
because you requested a subscription. Unsubscribe instructions
are at the end of this newsletter.

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IN THIS ISSUE
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1. Editor's Notebook
2. Newsletter Submission Guidelines
3. Free Products, Services, Downloads
4. Feature Article by by Judy Cullins
5. Resource Links
6. Review of C. Hope Clark's THE SHY WRITER by Dan Shaurette
7. Announcements/Requests
8. Commentary by Gerri D Smith
9. Classified Ads
10. Subscribe/Unsubscribe Information

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1: EDITOR'S NOTEBOOK
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Welcome to the February 2005 newsletter for
SelfPublishedAuthors.com. For those of you who are new to the
subscription, I hope you will enjoy this issue. Thank you for
visiting the website and subscribing to the list.

To the regulars out there, I'm glad to see you back for another
year. This month we have two wonderful articles, plus a review,
as well as more great resource links.

If you have questions, comments, suggestions, or if you’d like
to contribute, be interviewed, add an event or have a request,
please reply to this email, or drop a line to me at:
editor@selfpublishedauthors.com

Thanks for reading and enjoy the issue!

Dan Shaurette
editor@selfpublishedauthors.com
http://www.ShauretteNet.com

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2: NEWSLETTER SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
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The newsletter for SelfPublishedAuthors.com is here to provide a
resource for all authors. Obviously, we want to help you
succeed in your writing, self-publishing efforts, and self-
promotion. I have received a few requests from fellow authors
asking what they can do to promote their books in the
newsletter.

I am always happy to help promote an author and their works in
the newsletter. That's what we're here for. That being said,
the best I can do is one of the following.

If you are interested in writing an article about your
experiences as a self-published author, I would be more than
happy to consider it for publication. If I publish the article,
I will give you space for a signature box that you could use to
promote yourself and your book.

If you would like to send me an ARC copy of your book, eBook
format preferred, I would be happy to review it and interview
you. The interview would most likely be what gets published in
the newsletter, but reviews of recommended books may also be
published. Please note, I have already been presented with some
works to read, so please query me first before sending your
books. I'd rather return a book than form a slush pile.

If you have a book signing coming up, we do try to list those
when they are timely. Remember our newsletter is published in
December, February, April, June, August, and October. If you
host a class or workshop, or have a website that promotes a
writer's resource, please let us know about it. All links about
such events are provided free of charge. Your name, location,
dates, and contact info. will be presented.

If instead you are just interested in placing an advertisement
in the newsletter for your book or website, you can read about
the rates on the website at
http://www.selfpublishedauthors.com/advertise.html -- they are
very fair (only $6 per newsletter issue for a five line ad.)
Advertising requests sent to me, however, will be forwarded on
to Christina Wheeler (contact@selfpublishedauthors.com), the
website and newsletter owner.

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3: FREE Products, Services, Downloads
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BOOK PROMOTION NEWSLETTER - Bi-weekly ezine for all authors
The newsletter contains feature articles written by subscribers
and have included topics such as marketing tips, publicity from
a publicist's point of view, and self-publishing. This mailing
list encourages readers to share their experiences.
http://www.bookpromotionnewsletter.com

Have you used this service? Tell us about it, or recommend
another! Send an email to editor@selfpublishedauthors.com and
let us know.

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4: FEATURE ARTICLE by Judy Cullins
Top Ten Ways of Why and How to Write your Book's Sales Letter
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Authors/publishers are great at getting their books written.
But after the initial one-year honeymoon, sales slow down.
To counter this make sure your print or ebook will keep on
selling from the first day, the first year, even for life.
Count on this being a two to three-year project to become well
known.

Write a short sales letter for each book.

Whether you have a web site or not, you can write a first class,
must-buy-now sales letter. Since you are making your book a
business write a sales letter for each teleclass and service as
well. I even write one for my bookcoaching services.

What Every Sales Letter Needs to Pull Orders and Profits

You can write each sales letter in less than four hours the
first time. As you practice, you can an excellent one in two
hours.

1. Start the Letter with a Benefit-Driven Headline.

Include similar headlines throughout your sales letter. Make
them bold and in another font to stand out. Then, add the copy
below that supports your claim. Here's one. What do your think?
"Want a Quick and Easy way to Quadruple your Online Income in
Four Months?"

If you answered, "yes" to yourself, the headline succeeds,
because you will keep reading. If you said "No, I don't believe
this, but I'm curious where this is going," the headline still
succeeds. You win when your headline seduces your potential
customer to read on in your sales letter to discover your book's
benefits and features, some fine testimonials, to finally click
"buy now" that takes them to the order page.

2. Make a list of all the problems and challenges your reader
has.

To know your audience's problems is half of the solution. Before
you can write your book's benefits, you need to know the
problems. Do they want to lose weight? Do they want a lasting
relationship? Note where they are now with their particular
challenge. Hook your reader to go on with engaging questions
such as "Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired?"
"Are you ready to give up on attracting your ideal mate?"

After you list all the concerns and problems your audience wants
solved, your answer for these will formulate your list of
benefits. (See #4) Follow each specific problem posed as a
question with your answer. Those are your benefits. Benefits
sell.

3. Address your Potential Buyer's Resistances.

Remember to tell a background story of where they are NOW so
they will emotionally connect with your book solutions. This is
part of your introduction and is the hook to keep your readers
going. Let's say they want to write an eBook or print book to
make themselves the "expert," make life-long passive income, or
share their unique message.

Many people don't write a book because they doubt it will sell
well enough for all the effort, it may not be significant
enough, it will take too long, cost too much money, and they
really aren't writers. One, by one, your sales letter needs to
address your audiences' concerns and show these potential buyers
how they can become an excellent author and make their books
more saleable, while building their profits.

Author's Tip: Make a list of these resistances before you write
your sales letter.

4. List the Top Five-Ten Benefits of your Product or Service in
Bullet Form.

From these lists, create and keep in a computer file called,
"book benefits" a list of 5-10 benefits. Include the number one
benefit at the top of the list. You need to know these before
you can talk about your book to others.

If you are not rock sure of who your audience is, your sales
copy dribbles away and doesn't meet its target. Keep redefining
your audience and know as much about them as you can.

Remember that one benefit is the top undeniable benefit --
usually more money easier, more clients faster, more profits
from web sales, better relationships, and optimum health.

You will place the top five or so bulleted benefits after your
sales letter Introduction. The rest you can sprinkle throughout
your copy.

Without a book sales letter to guide your potential buyers on
your web site, you leave them bored, uninspired, without enough
information to make that decision to buy. Your web site and
ezine must entertain, inform, and give enough benefits to
convince your readers to order your book.

For all email promotion campaigns, without a sales letter for
each product, your unique, useful and inspiring information will
not get read, people won't know you as the expert, and you won't
make the sales you want.

5. Sprinkle Testimonials Throughout your Sales Letter.

Potential buyers who visit your site are pulled to buy when they
think other people have already bought and liked your book.
If other people are happy with your product or service, they
will be too.

Include testimonials from experts in your field, celebrities,
man/woman on the street, and other people who have profited from
your book's advice. Learn how to approach influential contacts
through email friendly notes and requests. To save these busy
people time.(they want to help, but consider it's time consuming
to create testimonials) ask them look at your list of 5-10
benefit phrases, and a page of your table of contents to give
you're a testimonial within a few weeks. Remember, they don't
have to read the whole book to give you a testimonial. Don't be
shy on this one. It's part of the publishing-promotion process.

Give as you receive. Give that person something of value.
Study their web site or read their ezine, and send them a short
helpful tip, report or joke.

6. Offer your potential buyers three or four chances to buy.

Are you a skimmer? Many visitors are too. They may have already
decided to buy before coming to your sales letter, or after your
sparkling headline, book cover, and introduction don't want to
read more. After the cover, offer a "Click Here" or "Buy Now"
near the top of the letter. Offer more buying opportunities
along the way after a list of benefits, what's in this book
(features), and testimonials. You may offer by a download eBook
by credit card or with a toll-free telephone number -- maybe
three or four times.

7. Make your Sales Letter Credible.

To boost sales, authors often add free bonus reports related to
their book. Visitors often want the bonus special report more
than the product itself. The bonus "How to Get Testimonials From
the Rich and Famous" I offered with the "How to Write your eBook
or Other Book Fast!" on my web site's "Discounts of the Month."
Link increased that book's sales double in one month.

Make sure your free bonus reports do not cost more than the
price of your product. Would you believe this offer "Order this
for $49 now and receive 4 special bonus reports worth $395?"

8. Share the downside of your book to create empathy.

For example, "this ebook won't write the book for you, or even
get it published, but it will show you the steps and resources
to write compelling copy, finish fully and sell well."

9. Include your expert credentials

"I spent 6 months researching this book and 3 months writing it.
My background includes 23 years bookcoaching, presenting 70
writing and marketing seminars a year, and 48 published clients
since 1999."

10. End your Sales Letter with your 100% Money-Back Guarantee.

When you offer an ironclad guarantee, people see your book as so
valuable that you put yourself on the line for it. They will be
more likely to buy and be satisfied with their purchase.

"This product comes with a 100% Money Back Guarantee. Read the
book cover to cover, and if the strategies don't work for you
within 60 days, we'll cheerfully refund your money, and you can
keep the product too!"

Judy Cullins: 20-year author, speaker, book coach
Helps you manifest your book and web dreams
eBk: "Create your Web Site with Marketing Pizzazz"
FREE "The Book Coach Says..." or Business Tip of the Month
www.bookcoaching.com/opt-in.shtml - mailto:Judy@bookcoaching.com
Orders: 866/200-9743 -- Ph: 619/466-0622

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5: RESOURCE LINKS
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RESOURCE CENTER AT SELFPUBLISHEDAUTHORS.COM
Add a link to your business or website if it provides a writers'
resource, such as POD, self-publishing, agents, freeware or
shareware for writers, a writers' group, etc. This will provide
a valuable resource for writers, as well as drum up new business
for you. Just visit http://www.SelfPublishedAuthors.com and
click the link to the "Resources" on the home page. If you would
like to be added to an existing resource page or have an idea
for a new page, please send an email to Christina Wheeler at
contact@selfpublishedauthors.com

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6: REVIEW of C. Hope Clark's THE SHY WRITER by Dan Shaurette
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Genre: Non-fiction/Self-help/Writing/Publishing
Format: Trade Paperback & Adobe PDF eBook
Publisher: Booklocker.com
ISBN: 1-59113-583-4
Price: $14.95 USD (paperback) / $6.95 USD (eBook)

"Here you receive pointers on how to maneuver in the writing
arena without the social weight around your neck. And you will
learn how to manage during times when you absolutely have to
make appearances you cannot dodge. What you won't receive is a
message telling you to 'get over it.' While Toastmasters is
educational and worthwhile, it is not the cure-all. If you are
shy and don't want to 'get over it,' this is the book for you."
-- C. Hope Clark

That quote in a nutshell says everything you need to know about
C. Hope Clark's new book, THE SHY WRITER. Her book does an
excellent job of getting the message across, to shy writers like
me, and probably like you, that being shy need not be a
deterrent to being successful as a writer.

We all know the parade of appearances that traditionally
published writers have to go through to promote their book. This
is one of many reasons some authors choose the self-published
route. Clark shares her stories of situations she has
encountered and still survived. She in turn passes on this
message of hope to us.

But more than inspiration, this book provides excellent tips
that every writer will find valuable for getting through
promotional situations. In the end, if we can do this, then we
can return to the craft we love and makes us bear it all.

Her article in our last issue was only one tip in her arsenal
which she filled this worthwhile book with. Within this book she
gives wonderful tips on how to deal with one-on-one interviews,
as well as larger appearances.

Not only does she share secrets to help avoid situations that
may aggravate your fears, she helps with suggestions for those
situations that just can't be avoided. The book even addresses
press releases and other promotional media musts.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and find myself better prepared
for what my writing career has in store for me. If you are a shy
writer like me, pick up a copy of this book.

C. Hope Clark currently manages FundsforWriters.com, an Internet
newsletter and website, to help her fellow authors find the
resources they need so they can do what they love. Writer's
Digest Magazine selected as one of its 101 Best Websites for
Writers for 2001-2004. Clark has published in Writer's Digest,
The Writer Magazine, Home Business Journal Magazine, and many
other paper and online periodicals. Visit her website,
www.theshywriter.com for more details.

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7: ANNOUNCEMENTS/REQUESTS
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CONKER TREE DESIGN, GRAPHICS, ILLUSTRATION
This is a new design and illustration service provided by Leeza
Hernandez-Stelzer. Her previous work includes cover artwork for
"Health Secrets of the Stone Age" by Dr. Phillip Goscienski and
"From Book to Bestseller" by Penny C. Sansevieri, among others.
http://www.conkertree.com

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8: COMMENTARY by Gerri D Smith
CONTROL YOUR OWN DESTINY
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"You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control
your attitude toward what happens to you, and in that, you will
be mastering change rather than allowing it to master you."
-- Brian Tracy

In order to make choices that may change your destiny, you must
first know yourself and what you are creating moment by moment.
What you do in the present moment brings you closer to being in
command of your destiny. When you focus on past experience and
the knowledge you've gained from school, work, society,
economic, and spiritual training, you can begin to know
yourself.

Human nature is created so that you can choose your destiny, and
then control it. The key is to be one of the few who know where
you are going and exactly how to get there. To do this, you must
realize that life is changeable. With each change along the way
you develop experience. You enrich your learning.

Since your life is always in a constant state of creating and
developing, you create your own story by choosing the direction
you want it to take. With any one decision, you can change your
destiny. You have the power to do this: it is called making
choices. Without it you'd just be following the masses and
letting others control your destination.

The repetition of certain thoughts also plays a huge part in
determining your destiny. This is why it's most important to be
aware of what and how you think. Some thoughts that may bear
repeating include:

~ To always show positive feelings toward others. Negative
thoughts and feelings are limiting.
~ To know you're smart even if it takes you a little longer to
understand a point.
~ To know that failures can lead to success.
~ To welcome problems -- they are learning tools.
~ To know that there is untapped skill and creativity in
everything you attempt.
~ To remember that God put you on earth to win.
~ To know that prosperity comes to those who believe it will
happen.
~ That giving quality service to your customers may result in a
quantity of customers.
~ To know that valuing your own self and making a commitment to
excellence is worth striving for.
~ To treat others with respect and kindness is a measure of your
spirituality.

And as you keep these thoughts uppermost in your mind, you have
the power to be guided by them. Yet, just knowing without
thinking how you respond to life is the art of self-awareness
and living in the present moment. Being aware of each moment is
a part of your true being.

Other ways to measure the power of your thoughts is to limit any
thoughts that are non-productive. Some of these non-productive
thoughts may include:

~ Feeling guilty when you say, "No." Refusing to cater to the
demands of others is not a selfish act. Saying "Yes" when you
mean no may cause resentment.
~ Feeling stupid when you don't understand something. Rather
then make a mistake when instructions are not clear, don't be
afraid to ask for clarification. This is a sign of good
judgment.
~ Thinking that everything you do is solely your own doing. Be
confident and have enough faith to know that your life is
guided by a higher power. This confirms your spirituality.
~ Ignoring opportunities to change. Growth comes with change.
Life is a constant state of change. Be ready for any
worthwhile challenge or opportunity to grow.
~ Worrying - Some of the best opportunities are missed when you
worry and procrastinate until the opportunity has come and
gone. Learn to be decisive. What's the worst possible
scenario? How hurt would you feel if you missed a great
opportunity?

Whatever you do, and wherever you are in life, pay attention to
your thoughts. Any sign of negativity, anger, fear, or
procrastination is harmful. Get rid of biased opinions. Be open
to other ways of thinking. Make the best of your thoughts and
your thoughts will make the best you.

Then, let your new founded self-awareness lead you to a life
where you are free to choose and to control your own dreams and
goals. That's your destiny.
___

Gerri D Smith publishes and hosts a Free monthly newsletter to
inspire, motivate, and encourage individuals, small business
owners, and entrepreneurs to reach for their dreams. An internet
resource creating multiple ways for you to unlock the doors to
success and wealth. You deserve to be successful and rich.
Visit: http://www.distinctivebusinesswomen.com
Or, send your correct email address to:
gerri@distinctivebusinesswomen.com?Subject=Subscribe

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9: CLASSIFIED ADS
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LISTINGS:

ADD YOUR BOOK LISTING & AUTHOR BIO:
This is a marketing feature you don’t want to miss:
http://www.selfpublishedauthors.com/add.html

SHAURETTENET: The Home Page of Dan Shaurette
- His Novel, LILITH'S LOVE - http://www.Liliths-Love.com
- The Shaurette Gazette - http://www.ShauretteNet.com/gazette
- The Lurkers' Domain (creative writing forum) - http://lurk.us
All this and more at: http://www.ShauretteNet.com

YOUR ADVERTISEMENT COULD BE HERE!

Contact Christina Wheeler for more information:
contact@selfpublishedauthors.com

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10: Subscriber Management / Contact Information
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Archived issues of this newsletter can be found at
http://www.selfpublishedauthors.com/newsletter.html

To subscribe, also visit:
http://www.selfpublishedauthors.com/newsletter.html

To unsubscribe, send an email to: contact@selfpublishedauthors.com
with 'Unsubscribe Newsletter' as the subject line.

Self-Published Authors
616 Jolly Place
Victoria, BC
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