First Word

OK, call me a crass audience member or a crazy publisher, whatever reaction you might have to this blog post, either moniker is fine. I was at an event last night to introduce the new book Mr. Date Night by the fun and fabulously dead-pan Cary Farley. The man can tell the driest joke -- so dry that I have to run for water to actually get it and laugh. Anyway, as part of the event, they introduced a ballet dance troupe. I enjoy ballet -- it's all good. And then, oh, three quarters of the way through ... out come the gentlemen dressed in skimpy, 1950-style men's swimwear, bare chested and all muscular. Part of me might have found the lithe, supple muscular frames sexy, if it weren't for the now infamous salmon-colored "Under Roos," as the gal standing next to me called them. My eyes started watering as I tried to not laugh aloud as I leaned over and whispered in Malia's ear. Malia lost it and laughed so hard she snorted. Whoops! And then the moment of the show ...

I get often asked how protective an author should be over her work? My answer, "Always protect your work." You maybe unassuming and think, "Why would anyone steal my work?" Well, it takes all kinds and while this may sound cynical, I can tell you from first-hand experience, it happens all of the time. You may feel insecure about your fantastic work, but that doesn't mean it's not valuable, interesting or steal-worthy. I've had my concepts stolen. I've seen people blatantly lift my magazine articles and run them. If I were going to spend my entire life in court, I could have sued these folks. The main instigator in this situation is the same tool we all know and love -- the Internet. The Web has made it so much easier to take intellectual property. What will shock you, however, is the self entitlement attitudes of those who take. I once ran an article objecting to software piracy and you would be stunned by the sheer number of responses I got where th...

A very nice and high-profile gal was speaking at a networking event. She came up to me (we know each other) and asked if she could have my opinion. I looked at her and said, "I only give an opinion when asked." And those Friend-Os are good words of advice too -- only render personal opinions if it's invited otherwise you get into very dicey territorial. So, she asks, "What do you think about me speaking with the flip-flops on?" I now have cause to look down. What does she have on? Not just some cute pair of sassy flip-flops one could get away with in a pair of shorts. No, she has on some dirty (the dirt got me the worst) flip-flops that one should only wear while gardening or poolside. They were pretty dingy, so I would risk suggesting you only wear them in the garden. I was highly amused by the question from a gal who I know knows better, but yet still dared to ask. I think she was secretly hoping I would bless the dirty flip-flops. Being the consummate profess...

So I'm at this party and I have this fellow come up to me. We're chatting and somewhere along the way, I said, "You know people our age," as this fellow looked in my demographic. He replied, "People our age? How old are you?" I replied, "45," to which he refuted this as truth. It got to the point where I had to have Malia as my witness that I had, indeed, confessed the truth. This discussion then took a decidedly strange turn toward remarks how that just didn't seem possible. Look at the collagen in my expression lines and the resilience of my skin and the lack of wrinkles on my forehead. I have to tell you Friend-Os this was the oddest form of a compliment I've ever received. I began to wonder if he is a plastic surgeon. I half wondered if I should get out the Sharpe so he could prep my face for surgery (of course, the real gist was that I apparently didn't need it), but really odd! It seems now in this beauty-obssessed world, we all a...

Now these stores have these so-called "rewards" programs in which participation requires your email address. My favorite bread store Panera keeps trying to shove a "card" at me and telling me to sign up online. My answer every time, "No, you want my email address, and I'm not going to give it out." My favorite bookstore, Borders -- same thing. What gets me is that some of these so-called "rewards" programs don't give you any real advantages anyway yet they've now plundered my email address and deluge your my box with various hyped-up programs and offers -- none of which are really all that valuable either. I mean come on! Today with inflation as horrible as it has become and a trip to the grocery store costing $150 or better for just a few items, what is .10 cents off really going to give me? The point is, I should not have to give these big corporations access to my private email just to get a minuscule discount. The exchange is noth...

This blog is getting much too serious lately. I need to get out of this funk of too-serious-for-myself and back into the playful side of life. As I was getting up to brush my teeth with my awful-tasting "whitening" toothpaste, it occurred to me that I should share (for the sake of your better edification and entertainment), four things I hate to do -- whether personally or in business. I figure many of you will probably relate. Cold calling -- I have to at least try to keep this business-related, right? All right, who out there enjoys cold calling? None of you ... of course not. It's akin to teetering on the edge of embarrassment and raw nerve that someone you've never met will take time our of their precious schedule to spend two minutes on the phone with you, a person they've never met. Or even care to actually have a conversation with a stranger. I told Malia recently that if your intention when you cold call for media work is to avoid human contact at all c...

We have authors who come to us with dollar signs dancing in their eyes as they hand us their creation. I once even heard an author say, "I figured I would write, get published, and become rich." Well, in book land, that is not exactly how it goes. Some authors do strike the vein of gold for sure. Other authors will forever labor in mid-success world where their book sells well and makes money, but certainly not enough to invest in the mansion and Mercedes in the driveway. I typically recommend you keep in mind that your book should be used as a platform for something greater than the sum of the pages it's printed on. Hard number crunching shows you that a $14.95 book sold through the common sales channel of Amazon at $6.73 equals you better sell hundreds to get anywhere significant. With such a competitive marketplace, your book had better be really fabulous too. Because like the grocery-store shelf, the consumer has lots of choices these days. So add to that, your book s...

OK, one of the challenges in public relations is getting clients to understand that this isn't the fast food drive thru where instant gratification is satiated with a greasy bag of fries. So many of our clients suffer from instant-gratification-itis. We literally will start a campaign and three weeks later, the client is distressed. Where are the reviews? Why am I not on TV yet? What is your plan? I've decided I need a PR education program in place to quell these ever-arising and very unrealistic expectations. Let me put this into perspective for those of you who have never worked in the media. Here is the day in the life ... Editor gets to desk. Editor turns on computer. Email pops up in the thousands! Editor must sift through hundreds of pitches but at the same time, Editor either works on a daily, weekly or monthly and has deadlines. Editor must edit and get feature stories for the issue at-hand out the door to production. Editor is maybe behind schedule that day or a prob...

The Internet and blogs have opened up a lot of freedom of expression. People like me have a wonderful platform from which to work and express our view and opinions. Blogs make great marketing and promotional tools to spread the word. All of this is a good thing. Then you have the under-belly -- the world where I have a blog hear me roar and spew whatever I please. Under the protection of a private room and a keyboard, I can let my horns grow and let my fingers do the clicking of my inner most angst. I can let the accusations fly ... or so I thought. Here are some sage words of wisdom for bloggers who think that the Internet offers a free-for-all to let it "all" out. Watch what you say about other people. Watch what you say about other people's companies and businesses. If you're going to make any kind of statement or assertion or accusation toward somebody or someone, you better have something to base it on. You better have proof that if you say someone has "scam...

Michelle Gamble-Risley  I recently attended the book launch party for Silent Voices , 3L newest non-fiction novel based on a true story that took place in Littleton, Colorado. It was a great party. People lined up all night (and I mean all night) to get the signature of author Debbie Nau Redmond. If you're about to release a book or have just released one, don't miss the opportunity for great initial sales by hosting a launch party. A launch gives authors a chance to personally autograph their books for friends, family and associates. It also gives your new book a opportunity to make a nice amount of sales. And even better, gives the media some news to promote your book and event to the general public. You can leverage feature stories, book reviews and calendar listings to spread the word about your book title and generate some buzz. Authors sometimes get uncomfortable with the idea of throwing themselves a party, but I say no worries. Your friends want to celebrate your ach...

When working with the public and potential clients, we face some critical challenges related to loss of our time and resources when people come to us who are not exactly serious about going forward. We find that sometimes under the guise of wanting more information but not directly hiring us (yet), we walk a fine line in giving away too much time and research to answer questions and generate proposals. When your proposals are customized to each prospective client, it takes a lot of resources to research and meet their needs. What we run into are those proposed clients who will keep requesting more and more and more information before making a decision. The dilemma is where to draw the line. Some people in their quest for information are either intentionally or unintentionally picking your brain and wasting your time. They are not likely to work with you, but will insist on meeting with you anyway and set you off in pursuit to answers to those questions. They will also ask for more of...

Jill Lublin, author of Guerilla Publicity, gave a very good presentation yesterday. She spoke to San Ramon chapter of eWomen about using the power of publicity to increase business or sales. As a PR expert, I thought she was spot on, and she said something very powerful about media relations outreach -- it's about reaching your audience. What she said about pitching is to use "you" in the messaging. This book is a wonderful read for YOU. Not just the editor or producer. You're targeting their audience ... your readers or viewers. So a great pitch goes after the "you" and not the "him or the her or the person, place or thing."

Yeah, Mercury is in retrograde so I should just crawl in bed and pull the covers over my head. Bo Bradley's Stress Awareness Workshop next Thursday the 21st at Borders in Roseville, here I come. A great deal of angst is coming from this so-called blogger that decided it was perfectly acceptable to unleash the flamers on 3L. You know how the Internet can be. Anyone with a Blogger account, and there you go. This woman either missed an etiquette class or just never had anyone give her an edit button. While my authors diligently tried to stamp out the fires of misinformed and just negative "flamers," this woman continued to just be a complete bull in the china shop. After essentially saying that only traditional publishers recognize talent, I was finally at the end of my rope. Fatigue set in. Maybe it's just been one of those weeks where fighting the good fights just doesn't seem worth it. This combined with a client who briskly lost her manners over such a petty amou...

Yesterday was one of those days ! Just one where you have a few situations that don't make you feel too happy. Client work, in particular, can be fraught with daily challenges. Most of the time, we work with people we know and like. Every now and again, we will get entangled in a contentious client relationship. The thing is some people are never satisfied. And attempting to satisfy the insatiable is an exercise in a lot sugary platitudes, a lot of futility, and frustration. One thing that hit me yesterday as we were brainstorming some problems was that I was treating my executive position like the leader of the free world. Sometimes when you're an executive, you have to make an executive decision which means it's time to sprinkle a little dictator in the mix. My little dictator came raging out when I realized the day was going to be one of those days . So the first thing I did was take charge of a client situation where these clients kept telling us how to run 3L -- of co...

I always find it amusing when an author finishes her/his book and then starts realizing there is going to be public fall-out and scrutiny from the project. Some will quake in nervous realization they just "put themselves out in the public eye." While I'm entertained by the fact that they perhaps didn't think this far in advance and realize the obvious about the results of publishing a book; I do have some words of wisdom about it -- especially in light of yesterday's realization that a group of nasty writers decided to take 3L to task without doing their homework. First, when it comes to your book you will run into critics. Most of 3L's books have done well under the harsh spotlight of public glare. In fact, we've only had maybe two negative reviews of two of our books in the catalog -- that's pretty impressive. Here is the thing. You will always have "haters" -- people who are either jealous, envious or just angry about something. I'm su...

I stumbled upon a reaction to 3L Publishing posted by someone who knows absolutely nothing about our company other than assumptions and speculation. I was disappointed that the word "scam" was used about 3L. I was further disgusted by the speculation that has no basis in reality was put out there as fact. I can tell you that not a single one of our authors would echo these sentiments. They would not agree. We have scammed absolutely no one and I take total offense with that accusation. Before anyone accuses 3L of "scamming" authors, they might want to actually speak to our authors. We have a very happy stable of authors who love their final products. Their final products are first-rate, high-quality and do, in fact, land on bookstore shelves. Before assumptions like that get made, you seriously might want to do your homework and know your facts -- especially since you're accusing my company of a scam! I know critics will always exist. I have seen it. I also know...

The eBook market is starting to explode. We're ready now to move forward with our eBook division. With the marketing flipping toward 51 percent of buyers now interested in eBook versions, we recognize the value of the marketplace to transition. We do anticipate that in the near future, the market will go more toward the e-version and paper will become secondary. We're still a few years off a complete flip, and it will not be complete. Print versions will not completely go away for any number of reasons, and it will also have an impact on what is or is not printed. The one thing that will not lose street credibility is being published by a publisher. Many self publishers will continue to leverage this model, but most people still recognize the value of a professional publishing company having vetted the book's quality and professionally producing it. Reviewers will still continue to not take self-published books as seriously as those published by true professionals. You will...

We got asked a fun question by a client, "What is your favorite part of your job." My response was instantly writing. Malia, of course, admitted the wins on the PR side gave her a charge to which I responded, "Yeah, that gives you an instant boost." I joked that it's like Sally Fields infamous Oscars speech where she cries, "You like me! You really like me." The real reason for the rise is hidden in the satisfaction that your hard work is being accepted by the media as a good job. It's really an ego boost friends. As if we need mass acceptance to know we did a good job, but you know ... it helps. I have to tell you that response is my second favorite thing about what I do. It's the "yessss" moment we in the PR business work hard to achieve. And even better -- this week I had five of those moments! "Yessss!" Want to gleefully cry, "You like me," contact 3L to start your campaign today.

Whenever I give my talks on building your marketing platform for your book or business, I get a lot folks who look at me with a grimace when the answer to, "How often should I blog?" comes back with "every day." Most people hold their groans only to replace it with an uncontrolled frown and a brisk, "Including Sunday?" Yes, friend-Os including Sunday. I know the horror, the horror. If you miss a weekend, don't despair; but I can tell you my analytics show that a decent number of readers show up on Sunday, because my weekly newsletter First Word (another horror ... "weekly" newsletter) drives traffic to my blog. Why do I blog so much? Is it that I have so much to say I can't constrain my type-hungry fingers? Not exactly. I watch my analytics (if you don't know what is analytics, Google it) and if I don't miraculously manage to make my fingers do the tapping, my readership drops. I know this is an ugly truth for the less prolific; b...

Success in business isn't arbitrary, airy-fairy stuff. No magic-wand waving and poof! You have a successful and profitable business. I see people make it. I see people try to make it. I see people who want to make it. What I know with absolute certainty is that success and making a business work takes tenacity to overcome and plow through. Wear-with-all to hold up under fire. And a whole of persistence to make it work even when it clearly looks unworkable. You maintain your passion and dream, but also be open to retool and rework and reinvent when things don't go your way. I've had my moments to be sure when I watched my often shaky house of cards get a little shakier, but I've also been open to trying something different -- something with a fresh twist on an old model. Sometimes you just have to sit back and re-evaluate the what's next. And here is something super important: Be prepared to move your fixed thoughts out of the way. Sometimes those fixed thoughts may ...

This is a statement that probably only fiction writers can truly appreciate: when I write my characters become fully dimensional. Yes, the people peppering my stories take on real personalities. Here is another phrase you can identify with: Joe wouldn't do that ... or Joe would do that. Are you feeling me here? When I work on fiction, my story's characters become people. In fact, some of them are based on people I know. I recently memorialized my over-chatty daughter (who I absolutely adore) in my new screenplay project. The little girl talks fast and a lot. Now it's a comedy so her bullet-paced speech is over-the-top to be sure, but none the less based on my seven-year-old's rapid fire mouth. It's just interesting how our imaginations conjure up such dimensional characters that we understand them. People who don't write might suspect we're a tad bit crazy with a dab of lithium on top. Writers though right now are nodding. They get what I'm saying. I can...

I am constantly going through different phases of reinvention. I used to loathe change -- and a big part of me continues to resist it even when the outcome is so rewarding. Sometimes it's so hard to even get started. Change usually starts with the recognition that you need to do so; but even then facing the confrontation some changes require can instill fear and discomfort in you. The last six months have brought on some great changes for 3L -- and the results have been outstanding. Our client list is literally growing by the day, and while six months ago, this growth would have only left me exhausted and overworked, the changes have only expanded what I can manage. I remember the first time I faced the uncomfortable reality that I would have to make these changes. The first time, I actually brought the words into my mouth and faced it, it actually felt like a relief. Because by facing the need for change meant that positive change would and could begin. And here's how it unf...

I have recently been challenged with some absurd moments or comments out the mouths of folks who should know better. I have to tell you, I think other people's absurdities -- especially when these observations are made about others -- are pretty entertaining. You can't take these things seriously, because they are so ridiculous. I thought I would throw out for your amusement some of the moments I found ridiculous or just plain absurd. Here you go. "You don't understand what it's like to have a new baby." This statement came from a primary source of the ridiculous, and might I add, the invalidating. I have two children for the record. So, before I tell you why this statement was really just a way to invalidate my capacity to understand the difficulties of young mothers, my daughter is only seven-years-old so she is not that many years passed baby or toddler. For someone to make that suggestion about a mom who has two school-age children is absolutely absurd....

We have services like Blog Talk Radio and video blogs becoming much more common. Then you have numerous social media available to choose from. You have written forms of media -- blogs, eZines and online advertising. What is a company to do? All of them? Some of them? I am constantly having people try to persuade me to try video blogs, which someday I may try. But when presented with so many time-consuming options, it is difficult to know what to do. Should I become a radio personality? Should I become an entertainer and do a video? Should I become a writer and blog? What if you have none of those skills? You can hire out yet if you do this every day that cost can escalate and become expensive. Is the return on investment there to justify it? Here is my best advice: You should absolutely do some or all of those marketing tactics . If you're voice isn't radio-friendly, take Blog Talk off the table. If you're just not ready to shoot a daily or weekly video, take video off the ...

The other day I recently received what I assume was a mass "request" in the email. I assume a net cast to a wide audience, because it didn't say ... Dear Michelle ... but launched right into the request. And the request was for me to spread the word that this person could help our authors understand marketing better. And would I please forward this information? Now this request is an example of someone who obviously sent out a mass request to do a personal favor, which is never good. And the request for 3L Publishing to open its contact vault to this person was absolutely inappropriate. First, it showed that the person doing the request either wasn't paying attention to the fact that what she wanted was, in fact, part of what we do and she was dismissing our value and benefit ... or equally as bad, she wasn't paying attention to who she was making this absurd request to in the first place. If you're an individual or company, the worst thing you can do is be so...

I have had the pleasure of working on two entertaining books - Smash and Vanity Circus. I've also talked to other comedic writers. For a while, I did nothing but comedic writing for my blog, but then I shifted a bit toward a lot of information-based marketing. If you don't know what is information-based marketing, it's definitely worth exploring. What I found is that you have to sprinkle the humor lightly when relevant but stick to more serious information on the whole. How did I make such a discovery? Well, I watch my analytics. I had what I'll call Blog 1.0 out there. And after about a year, I noticed the blog stats crashed a bit from 600 average page views down to between 100-200. I found this drop slightly alarming. In the blog 2.0, I began different tactics, mixing up the fun with the valuable content, and then I watched another shift where the stats exploded -- and in one day they jumped up over 80%. What is the lesson? Well, you can sprinkle a little fun here and...

Did you know some marketing tools exist that cost either very little or nothing at all. Most small business owners in particular will whine they don't have a marketing budget (which I think is fool hearty no matter how much whining about lack of funds you insert into that conversation). What some of these folks don't know or don't take advantage of are the services that either don't cost much money or cost nothing at all. If you own a small business, at a minimum there is absolutely no reason you should use what is sometimes free to market or promote your business. Here are some of those inexpensive tools you should be using. Now your time is not free, but that is a whole other discussion. Blogger.com -- this blog is customized to blogger. It doesn't cost me a dime to have a blogspot . Other blog services such as Typepad cost a little extra and do have more bells and whistles such as built-in analytics; however, if you tie your blogspot site to google/analytics, ...

I recently spoke to a group of small business owners. The question came up, "How much time should I spend marketing my business?" The answer is minimally 25-30 percent of your time should go toward marketing and promoting your business. Marketing, public relations and sales are the lifeblood of any business. While the actual business activity is way more interesting to most people (me included), marketing and promotion keep the business growing and thriving. Then I was asked, "How do you make time to do it?" My answer, routine. I keep a very strict routine with set goals and activities. Here is a peek at what that routine consists of: Blogging every morning -- I get up and blog every morning between 8:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. I don't write long blogs (as evidenced). Social media -- I make sure that sometime throughout the day, I post something to Facebook . I also link this blog to social media so that serves as content too. Four events a month -- I attend...