Grant Baldwin is the founder of The Speaker Lab, a training company that helps public speakers learn how to find and book speaking gigs. Through his popular podcast The Speaker Lab and flagship coaching program Booked and Paid to Speak, he has coached and worked with thousands of speakers. His book, The Successful Speaker: Five […]
Writing a book proposal and landing a book deal is hard work, but it can be done. I recently sat down for a video call with writer, spiritual director, and speaker Brian Plachta about his journey from a small platform to a landing a book deal. We talked about: how Brian pushed through his fear […]
Recently I asked Joseph Michael to present a webinar on the ins and outs of Scrivener to readers of this blog. While I was the host of the webinar, I was also a very willing attendee. You see, I have known about Scrivener for a long time. Friends like Michael Hyatt and Jeff Goins, both […]
We all know Amazon is the biggest bookseller in the world by far, but marketing on Amazon is still a mystery to many authors. Most writers don’t understand what makes a book an Amazon bestseller. And they’re confused about how to work with the Amazon platform to market their books and increase sales. That’s why […]
I recently conducted a survey for writers and received several comments and questions about the whole issue of book concepts. Below I’ll copy some survey responses and offer my reflections and advice. “I have several book ideas but can’t get focused. I am unsure what topic people would be interested in hearing about from me.” […]
I often hear from writers who have a vague idea of their message and who they want to serve, but they struggle to nail it all down. They don’t have clarity about how to position themselves, what to write about, and who exactly is their audience. “I seem to be good at [fill in the blank],” they say, […]
Book publishers often think of publicity as the Holy Grail of marketing and for good reason: Media attention has the potential to skyrocket sales. So how does it all work and what do writers need to know about attracting media attention? To find out I turned to 20-year book publicist Heather Adams of Choice Media […]
I travel a bit for work, and one part of the process that always causes me a bit of anxiety is getting into my hotel room. The process is rarely without incident. Often I feel like a complete doofus as I swipe my key card a dozen times waiting for the green light to flash […]
Recently I asked readers of my blog this question: “What’s the biggest creative challenge or obstacle you are facing?” As I read through the responses, I noticed one particular theme came up again and again: the desire for a bigger audience. Listen to some of these responses; these are direct quotes: “I feel stuck in a […]
If you’re a writer with a book inside you, a platform builder, or someone who simply wants to have an impact in the world, this interview is for you. Join me today for a conversation with author and blogger Natasha Crain. Over the past five years Natasha has steadily grown her blog traffic and subscriber […]
